Maine Educator October 2013

Maine

October 2013 Vol. 74 • Number 2

Educator

MEA: Leading the Way to Great Public Schools for Every Maine Student

Visit MEA Online: www.maineea.org

Getting to the Core of

COMMON CORE Page 4

MAKE IT HAPPEN HELPING HANDS Fall Conference 2013

Nov. 15 & 16 Samoset Resort

Limited Spaces, Register Now: https://regonline.com/2013meafl

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Common Core, Common Assessments...

What About Common Sense?

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Getting to the Core of Common Core

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2013-2014 Legislative Scorecard

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Affiliate News

12

Find Your Boardwalk

16

How ACA Could Affect Your Health Insurance

Top Issues In Education

Changes in the Role of Educators Maine educators are bombarded with new ideas, new initiatives and new mandates every way we turn. What will it take to become well-informed in the new processes such as Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Educator Effectiveness/Evaluation, data collection, and blended learning?

Professional development requirements expand as we move, develop and innovate to meet the changing needs of our students.

The new standards, assessments, and educator effectiveness systems require educators at every level be given professional development as initiatives are implemented. Students deserve teachers with the time to adequately develop classroom curriculum and assessments aligned to the CCSS. Para-educators/Ed Techs need constructive feedback in supporting students as the changes move forward. Educators at every level need trained educational leaders who will support them throughout the changes. All educators need supportive school cultures and the opportunity for collaboration with colleagues.

An immediate need exists for professional development in CCSS, data collection and the use of data for improvement of student learning.

Preparation periods and teaching schedules in preK-12 schools must provide adequate time in the day for examining student data and development of appropriate lessons. Time for peer collaboration and discussion, as well as professional reflection is imperative.

Research shows that high quality professional growth opportunities are essential to improve our practice.

Our future horizon is often overlooked as we get lost in our day to day challenges. Educators’ professional growth, adaptable learning environments for students, transformational educator preparation, and the design and development of schools of the future simply boggle the mind.

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We cannot ignore the changes transpiring in higher education. How will our teacher preparation programs react to the changes? How are our higher education members impacted by changes in their expectations? 60% of professors now report that technology has significantly changed the way they teach their college courses. What will be next? Meeting the needs of every student requires customization including credit for life experience and faculty who go beyond the classroom walls.

Preparing Maine’s educators with the knowledge and skills necessary for the changing vista of education may require more fluid development of programming at all institutions.

What we know for sure is that changing classroom practices require protecting our students' rights to have qualified faculty in positions that lead learning in face-to-face classrooms. Intentional professional development and the less intentional learning that occurs in collegial interaction—whether discussion or debate—increases our success in meeting our students’ needs. No matter what part of the state, no matter what level the institution, Maine students deserve a human presence to facilitate learning.

Lois Kilby-Chesley, MEA President

opportunities brought to you by the MEA. Keep watching for information on further upcoming training—rESPect Cadre for ESP; district topic meetings on Educator Evaluation and Common Core State Standards; Dine and Discuss meetings; Spring Conference and more.

Won’t you join us on our journey? MEA will continue to provide our members high quality professional development as we move together into the future.

ke it Happe a n M Fall Conference 2013

Our students should expect and receive instruction that includes lessons incorporating up-to-date best practices and knowledge.

Who is making these decisions about the future of education, and who should, may produce two different answers. Who are the experts in defining education, designing courses and differentiating the lessons to accompany them? We are. Our members need to be standing up and saying, “Talk to us. We are the professionals. We know what is best for our students.” Administration at every school preK-16 should be listening.

The MEA listens to our members. This year our Fall Conference (Nov 15-16, Samoset Resort) will start us on the path to a series of professional development

October 2013

HELPING HANDS Samoset Resort - Nov. 15 & 16

LIMITED SPACES, REGISTER NOW:

HTTPS://REGONLINE. COM/2013MEAFL www.maineea.org

Top Issues In Education

Common Core, Common Assessments...

What about common Sense?

In my Sunday phone conversations with Dad, a retired high school math teacher, I talk with him about what is happening in the world of education.

One might think that I became a teacher myself because of my dad—but really it is in spite of what I saw growing up.

Seeing how hard he worked to prepare lessons to help his students understand difficult math concepts should have turned me away from the profession!

And when he worked three jobs for a while to help all five daughters go to college, that should have set me on another path! For several years, he would come home from helping kids after school, have supper, change clothes, and head off to the evening shift at a factory; on weekends he tutored. But even now at the age of 93, when Dad has a chance to help someone—usually a grandchild— with a math problem, you hear the joy in his voice at the chance to share his love of learning and his passion for teaching.

So when we've talked in recent years about NCLB and ESEA and LAS and when I tell him now about the current alphabet soup of acronyms—CCSS, RTI, PBD, MCL—he empathizes but he can't quite believe it all. He shares my dismay at the craziness that seems to come from all sides now—the overemphasis on testing, grading schools, using test scores to evaluate teachers, virtual courses to replace face-to-face instruction (even in physical education!).

We wonder together at the fact that while we have Common Core and common assessments, we seem to have lost plain old common sense.

This year, even more than the last few, the pressure and stress caused by the acronyms seem even greater, and many (all?) of us feel overwhelmed already in these early days of October.

Those of us who work with and support our students—our teachers, Ed Techs, and all the school employees who touch students' lives every day—we have to hold on to common sense. Our Association supports us in the effort to keep students as our focus. Those who criticize the union, mischaracterizing

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greatest challenges, to ensure quality professional development for every educator, and, most of all, to provide the time needed to do good work.

It makes sense to have leaders in our districts and at all levels of government who possess real vision, and who can communicate their vision, and yes, who have common sense.

Grace Leavitt, MEA Vice President Spanish Teacher, Greely H.S.

us as being against change, have got it all wrong. The status quo is not good enough for our students or our educators.

We want change—but we want change that makes sense!

It makes sense to help all students learn and reach high standards; but that means schools need resources—to support our kids, including those with the

In my talks with Dad, he and I still share our joy of teaching and the passion for helping students achieve and progress, despite how out of balance things seem these days. We share the hope that with the continued efforts of those of us in the trenches and with the support and leadership of our Association, the right balance can be restored to educators' lives so that we can devote our energy to our students without being overwhelmed by all those acronyms.

Just a bit ironic that our new state assessments are called “Smarter Balanced”, don't you think?

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October 2013

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Education News

Getting to the Core of COMMON CORE MEA provides resources and assistance

The transition to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is underway in some parts of the state while other educators report no work done to make the move. All districts are required to implement the change in 20142015 with the standards focusing on the expectation that each student across the state and country have the same core knowledge and are more prepared for college and careers after graduation.

The Maine Education Association favors aspirational goals for all Maine students. The CCSS have been developed by educational leaders including representatives of the NEA, governors, and state commissioners of education. MEA believes that Common Core State Standards may help lead the way to classroom curriculum based on students' needs. MEA recognizes students with unique challenges will require alternative curriculum and assessments to meet individual needs. We do not believe our students’ educational needs would be met if teachers were forced to follow a federal curriculum. Therefore, implementation strategies will be important as Maine moves toward the Common Core State Standards.

District by District Reports From Teachers

East Grand, Danforth

Lewiston High School

East Grand is not yet implementing the Common Core.

We are beginning a book study on The Core Six. At the end of last year all teachers aligned the classrooms to the Reading Informational Text portion of the Common Core.

The plan for this year is to spend time examining last year’s work and beginning to align our curriculum.

Educators have already developed curriculum units for each course using an Understanding by Design template.

The template categories include: 1) Desired Results—what are the Goals, Understandings, and Essential Questions that students will learn and what do students need to know and be able to do in order to achieve these desired results; 2) Assessment Evidence—what Performance Tasks and Other Evidence will show that students have met the Desired Goals; 3) Learning Plans—what Learning Activities will there be in the unit to get students to achieve the goals. Teachers are now aligning their units to the Common Core through Curriculum Mapping. In addition, the high school regularly uses school-wide rubrics to assess the essential skills of Writing, Reading/Interpreting Text, Problem Solving, Presentations, and the Use of Technology. Those rubrics were modified over the summer to align better to the Common Core, incorporating language that is similar to Common Core Standards.

Schenck High School, Millinocket Curriculum was fully aligned with the former “Learning Results” and students were given standards-based grades.

Since scrapping the Learning Results and moving to the new CCSS, we have not realigned our curriculum and assessments. This has been such a moving target and one that has many teachers frustrated because of the changes.

We have had discussions and I know that the English and Math teachers are aware of the new CCSS, but there has been no formal curriculum mapping, nor has there been any professional development on aligning the new standards and developing valid assessments based on the new standards.

York York School District is definitely using the Common Core and aligning the assessments as well. Members say they just went through NEASC and worked hard to be on target.

Members have active district committees on different content areas—working to align curriculum with Common Core.

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Carrabec The curriculum in Carrabec—especially in math—will have to change dramatically if students are going to have any chance to be successful when the first Smarter Balanced test hits in Spring 2015. The website www.achievethecore.org was valuable, and members have shared that site with fellow teachers, staff, and administration. Some members are working to raise awareness with administrators that the Common Core is coming. To this point, some members would say there hasn’t been much impact. Two teachers facilitated a workshop in late June, and about thirty staff members attended on their own time and received contact hours.

October 2013

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Education News

CCSS concerns: high-stakes testing, teacher evaluations In Maine the SMARTER Balanced Assessment, which is intended to align with the Common Core State Standards, was selected as the student test in English language-arts and mathematics for grades 3-8 and grade 11. (These grades may change.) SMARTER Balanced Assessment will replace the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) in school year 2014-15. At MEA we are beginning to hear concerns that arise from a fear of over-reliance on students’ standardized test scores when evaluating student progress, the use of these scores as a basis for teacher evaluations, and a lack of public awareness by parents and community members about the use of Common Core State Standards and SMARTER Balanced Assessments.

Implementation of the Common Core State Standards and related assessments will require careful planning and coordinated effort throughout Maine from a variety of stakeholders including parents, teachers, administrators, and Department of Education officials. At the present time, MEA believes that the disparity between districts and the way the CCSS is being interpreted and implemented is a top concern.

MEA Support The MEA is in the process of developing specialized workshops for districts on Common Core. Since it is clear each district, and in some cases each school, are in different phases of implementation the workshops will be modified to meet the needs of the members in the district. In addition, on our website members will find Common Core toolkits, assessments, Math and ELA key points, Smarter Balanced practice tests along with a host of other resources. To access the resources go to: www.maineea.org/commoncore.

The MEA will remain vigilant as the implementation of both the standards and the new assessments move forward and will work to help members in every way possible as they make the transition.

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Apply online at www.maine-edcu.org or call today at 1-800-464-3773.

www.maine-edcu.org 1-800-464-3773

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October 2013

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Member Benefits

“My Hero Works at School” Essay Contest

The Portland Sea Dogs and the Maine Education Association are jointly sponsoring an essay contest for all students in Maine’s public schools. The topic of the essay is: “My Hero Works at School.”

Please encourage your students to write an essay, no more than 250 words, to explain how a school employee has had a positive impact on their life. Two winners will be selected.

Prize package includes: Sea Dogs tickets for student and school employee and their family and friends. Winning students will be Junior PA for one inning, announcing the players. On field award ceremony and more!

Please send entries to: MEA-Sea Dogs Essay Contest Attn: Giovanna Bechard 35 Community Drive Augusta, ME 04330 or E-mail gbechard@maineea.org

Deadline for entry submission is March 21, 2014

Entries must include the student’s name, home address, phone number, school name and address and grade level.

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You hAve A choice in electricity suppliers.

Choose a company that cares about helping your profession while charging you a guaranteed low rate.

Locally owned, Union Atlantic Electricity partnered with the Maine Education Association to give a portion of its earnings back to the Association to better serve you, the member. www.unionatlanticelectricity.com/mea

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Please share the link to the Maine Educator Online with your fellow colleagues to stay informed about what is happening in your profession and learn what other educators are doing inside and outside of their classrooms to provide the best public education possible for Maine’s students.

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October 2013

Want the latest education news and inspiration?

Log on to MEA’s Facebook page and give it a “Like.”: www.facebook.com/maineea. www.maineea.org

Members are Leaders Grants will award $1,000 in grants up to $500 to local associations to: enhance the quality of education in public schools; equalize educational opportunities for students; support professional development; and encourage participation in association activities.

Human, Civil Rights, and Cultural Affairs Grants will award up to $1,000 in grants for local associations to: enhance the quality of education in public schools; equalize educational opportunities for students; support Human and Civil Rights development of members and/or students; encourage participation in association activities; and/or enhance or improve HCR issues in public schools.

Leroy Lambert Political Action Grant will award up to $200 to a local association to develop and implement a political action program in their schools/community that: aid in the election of friends of education in local office; serve as innovative models to other MEA affiliates; increase membership involvement and participation in the educator political action process at the local level.

Deadline for applications is December 18, 2013.

For more information on MEA grants please visit: www.maineea.org/grants

NEWS & NOTES Coming to a ballot near you on Nov. 5th VOTE YES to help Maine’s public higher education institutions provide students with adequate learning space and updated equipment.

Question 2: Do you favor a $15,500,000 bond issue to enhance educational and employment opportunities for Maine citizens and students by updating and improving existing laboratory and classroom facilities of the University of Maine System statewide?

Question 4: Do you favor a $4,500,000 bond issue to provide funds for a publicprivate partnership for a building project for a new science facility at the Maine Maritime Academy to be matched by other funds?

YES YES

Question 5: Do you favor a $15,500,000 bond issue to upgrade buildings, classrooms and laboratories on the 7 campuses of the Maine Community College System in order to increase capacity to serve more students through expanded programs in health care, precision machining, information technology, criminal justice and other key programs?

YES

National Board Certification Workshops Scholarships and CEU credits are available for attending the workshops.

Be sure to register early. FMI and to register, contact Cindy Fabbricatore at cfabbricatore@maineea.org and visit: www.maineea.org/nationalboard

Information Sessions:

Location: MEA Headquarters, Augusta - 1:00pm-2:30pm

Sat., September 28 Sun., October 27

und the o r a t n e Is retirem you? r o f r e n cor

Candidate Support Workshops:

Location: MEA Headquarters, Augusta - 8:30am-2:30pm - Morning coffee, snacks, and lunch will be provided

2013 Sept. 28 Nov. 16 Oct. 27 Dec. 14

2014 Jan. 11 March 22 Feb. 8

Renewal Candidates (2004-05) Workshops: Location: MEA Headquarters, Augusta - 9am-11am

2013 Oct. 27 Nov. 16

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ent re-Retirem P ’s A E M f t the r one o Sign up fo learn abou u o y lp e h to tired.

Seminars ployed to re m e m o fr transition :

o ation go t m r o f in d an t retiremen For dates e r /p g r .o a ee www.main

2014 Jan. 11 March 22 Feb. 8

October 2013

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Legislative Scorecard

2013-2014 Legislative Scorecard

How did your legislators vote in the 126th Legislature?

John Kosinski, Government Relations Director When the MEA staff started planning for the first year of the 126th Legislature, we knew we faced difficult circumstances. Even with strong Democratic majorities, we still had a Governor who was vitriolic in his criticism of public schools, educators and their unions.

We also knew this Governor would not be afraid to use his veto pen to strike down any law he didn’t agree with. Our predictions were accurate.

Yet, despite these significant challenges, we had a great legislative session and MEA members should be proud of the work they did to move the debate for our public schools and professions. We had some significant achievements and NO major setbacks.

Below you will find the most important bills of the session along with a synopsis of each, showing how each legislator voted.

The Good News – Bills We Passed!

LD 1509 – The State Budget The Biennial State Budget is the best budget for schools we’ve seen in 5 years. It sends an additional $30 million in funds to our schools for the next two years, putting our schools back on a path to the State funding 55% of the total cost of public education. For the 2013-2014 school year, the state will be paying approximately 47% of the cost of public schools in the state. The Governor had intended to “flat fund” schools at curtailment levels and to push most costs onto local districts. Under the Governor’s proposal, our schools stood to lose another $30 million and the state share of funding would have decreased to less than 44%. We were not able to prevent the shift of retirement costs onto local school districts, but the state paid for the shift by sending $30 million more through the formula to pay for the shift.

LD 609 – Suicide Awareness Prevention, Sponsored by Rep. Gilbert (D-Jay) Due to the recent tragedies involving students in our state, Representative Gilbert authored this legislation that requires every school district to offer at least one hour training for all school personnel on suicide awareness and prevention. The law takes effect in 2014-2015 for high schools and the following year for all other schools and must be repeated at least every five years.

LD 243 – Fixed the Restraint and Seclusion Rules, Sponsored by Senator Saviello (R-Franklin) Beginning in October, many teachers and Ed Techs started to express concern about the new rules adopted by the Maine Department of Education the previous year related to the restraint and seclusion of students. Many of you contacted the MEA and your elected leaders to complain the rules were far too onerous, causing tremendous disruption in the classroom, and were causing tremendous harm to teachers. The MEA got right to work with Senator Saviello and negotiated new rules with leaders from the disability rights community to provide some relief from the original arcane rules from the DoE. LD 667 – Public School Funding by Local Towns, Sponsored by Rep. Maker (R- Calais) For years, there was a deal in Augusta—if the state paid 55% of the cost of public education, then local towns had to pay the rest.

But, in 2008, when the state started to curtail its funding to schools

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and backtrack on the 55% commitment, it also released cities and towns from paying their full amount. This bill fixed that. This bill simply states that cities and towns must pay their full share of funding for schools. Some towns, such as Lewiston, are currently shorting their schools by almost $3 million. The bill ramps up the commitment for cities and towns requiring them to pay their full share of education funding by the end of the 2015-2016 school year.

LD 1106 – Teacher-Led Schools (Not on Scorecard), Sponsored

by Rep. Matt Moonen (D-Portland) Teachers at Portland’s Reiche School have experimented with a “teacher led school” for three years now and the results have been dramatic. Test scores have risen, parents are actively engaged in the school, and teachers feel empowered. This year the MEA worked with Representative Moonen to develop a bill that would encourage more schools to adopt a “teacher led” model. The bill not only provided official recognition from the state for such a model, but it allowed other schools that wanted to adopt such a model to access state funds through a program now known as the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Education Services.

The Governor’s Bad Bills LD 1510 – The Governor’s School Takeover Bill, Sponsored by Rep. Johnson (R- Greenville) The Governor’s Office was bolder this year than others and actually proposed a bill to allow the state to “take over failing schools.” Originally the former Commissioner of Education Bowen told the Education Committee the Administration had no plans to take over failing schools but leaked documents later showed that in fact the former Commissioner had been advocating a plan to allow them to take over certain schools. Regardless, the bill wasn’t even supported by many Republicans on the Committee and it failed miserably.

LD 1529 – The Governor’s Voucher Proposal—Again! Sponsored

by Senator Mason (R-Androscoggin) Again, the Governor proposed a plan to create a voucher system in Maine, despite the lack of research that shows such vouchers improve student outcomes. This bill also proposed to lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the state. The bill failed to garner much support and was easily defeated.

October 2013

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Legislative Scorecard Charter Schools

Other Important Bills

LD 1057 – Fix Charter School Funding, Sponsored by Rep. Kusiak (D- Fairfield)

LD 1542 – Rules for Teacher Evaluation

Few issues generated as much controversy this session as the issue of charter schools. The chief concern was the funding of charters. Currently, the money follows the student, thus every time a student attends a charter school it rips away state and local dollars from our local public schools. MSAD 54 (Skowhegan) was forced to spend $400,000 for charter school students and for this school year we can expect they will be forced to spend another $650,000.

The former Commissioner of Education Bowen admitted there were serious flaws with the funding system and proposed a new method of paying for charters. Under Bowen’s plans, charters would get all of their funds directly from the state. Democrats wanted to create separate line items in the budget. The Commissioner and the Governor completely rejected this rational proposal.

Last year, the Governor signed a bill requiring the development of new statewide standards for teacher evaluations. For years, the MEA has asked for better and more consistent evaluations.

There were many problems with the rules proposed by the Department of Education, specifically a provision requiring at least 25% of a teacher’s evaluation to be comprised of “student achievement data.” The MEA has argued that standardized tests should have a limited role in evaluating teachers. Standardized tests provide a snapshot of a student’s performance on one day in a very limited way.

There are no rules in place for teacher evaluation and therefore the law passed in 2012 creating a new statewide evaluation system has been put on hold until rules can be adopted. Without rules, the evaluation system, on a statewide level, cannot move forward.

The bill passed both chambers on a party line vote, and was then vetoed.

LD 1429 – Guns in Schools, Sponsored by Senator Burns (RWashington)

LD 671 – Requiring a Charter to be Non-Profit, Sponsored by Rep. Daughtry (D- Brunswick)

Given the tragedy in Sandy Hook, many legislators proposed bills regarding guns and gun regulations. One such bill would allow school districts to adopt policies for teachers and other school employees to carry concealed weapons. The MEA has a diverse membership and our members have various views on guns, but the MEA Board of Directors was clear that we could not support an expansion of guns in schools. We opposed this bill and it was defeated.

The premise of this bill was simple—charter schools must be operated as non-profit entities. The bill was needed because the charter school bill that was rushed through in 2011 allows for charter schools to be for-profit organizations. The motivation is to allow so-called virtual charters to enter the state. The MEA lobbied hard but we fell three votes short of overriding the Governor’s veto.

Anti-Union and Anti-Worker Bills LD 110 – Silence Public Employee Unions and the MEA, Sponsored by Rep. Johnson (R- Greenville) The purpose of this bill was clear—silence the ability for public employee unions like the MEA to have any voice in the political process. The bill would have prohibited MEA and other unions from political involvement. The bill failed to pass.

LD 786 – Right to Work for Public Employees, Sponsored by Rep. Lockman (R-Amherst) This bill was an infringement upon our collective bargaining rights. It prohibited unions from adopting so-called “closed shops.”

Closed shops are negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement.

Some locals in the MEA have decided to negotiate for closed shops.

These types of collective bargaining decisions are best left to local decision makers and state government should not interfere with private contracts. The bill failed to pass.

Parting Note: Next Session During this session, there were a number of bills proposed to address so-called virtual schools. These schools are permitted due to the charter legislation passed in 2011. The MEA has been a consistent and vocal critic of virtual charters. The research on these schools is conclusive—they fail our students. A few bills passed on party line votes, including a bill to place a moratorium on virtual charter schools. These bills were then “carried over” until the next session and will be debated again in 2014.

Another bill that was carried over is LD 300. This bill would fix the damage caused to the MEA Benefits Trust by changing the law related to the release of “experience ratings.” While the prospect of the bill passing appears dim, the bill has been carried over and will be debated next session.

How did your Legislators vote? Click here to find out.  = Pro-Education Vote RC = Roll Call Number A = Unexcused Absence E = Excused Absence ** = Not In Position to Vote Senator JUSTIN ALFOND (D - Cumberland) JAMES BOYLE (D - Cumberland) DAVID BURNS (R - Washington) EMILY CAIN (D - Penobscot) JOHN CLEVELAND (D - Androscoggin) RONALD COLLINS (R - York) MARGARET CRAVEN (D - Androscoggin) ANDRE CUSHING (R - Penobscot) DAVID DUTREMBLE (D - York) PATRICK FLOOD (R - Kennebec)

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LD 609 Suicide Awarene ss (RC 53)          

LD 243 Amend Restraint and Seclusion (RC 25)        A  

LD 786

LD 667

AntiUnion (RC 50)   X   X  X  X

Public School Funding (RC 96)     X  X  X X

LD 671 Require Charters to be NonProfit (RC 163)   X   X  X  X

LD 1057

LD 1542

LD 1510

LD 1529

Fix Charter Funding (RC 300)   X   X  X  X

Teacher Eval Rules (RC 306)   X   X  X  X

Gov's School Takeover (RC 329)   X   X  X  X

Budget Gov's Guns in Budget Bill Voucher Schools Bill (RC Override (RC 315) (RC 156) 277) (RC 345)         X X X X          X X X     X X X X        X

October 2013

LD 1429

LD 1509

Total Score 100% 100% 25% 100% 92% 33% 92% 17% 92% 42%

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Affiliate News

MEA-R

Northern Maine Eastern Aroostook RSU 39

Eastern Aroostook RSU 39 (Caribou, Limestone, Stockholm) is in mediation to settle the now expired contract.

The issues stem from the fact that there were some inequities resulting from the initial formation of the RSU a few years ago. The local association is attempting to create an equitable salary schedule across the board, while the board is attempting to keep the salary differences in place that existed before the RSU formed. In addition, the employer is attempting to restrict the grievance language and expand the school calendar without additional pay. One very contentious issue unresolved is the district’s attempt to force newly hired teachers to work two days without pay as a condition of employment. Members held a silent protest outside one of the schools to spread their message.

Retired educators across the state came together with students, other educators and community members for an annual Day of Caring to give back to the school communities they dedicated their lives to while working in the classroom and beyond. In each county, MEA-R members along with student teachers, who are education majors, did everything from cleaning up the grounds of local schools to painting the inside and outside of schools. The groups also donated supplies, books and money to many of the schools. “Our goal is to make a difference in a school in each of Maine's sixteen counties each year.

This is an opportunity for retired educators to give back to the communities in which we live,” said Jan Cerabona, who spearheads the community outreach projects for MEA-R around the state.

Southern Maine Gorham Educational Support Personnel Association

Saco Valley TA

Gorham Ed Techs (GESPA) hours have been restored after the community and other educators rallied around them and their work. At the end of the last school year the school committee voted to cut the Ed Tech hours by a ½ hour each day. They do not have contract language that establishes the length of the work day. Within a few weeks of school, the school committee received many emails complaining about the cut in Ed Tech time and the impact on students, staff, safety and services. Parents, teachers and support staff unions packed the school committee meeting and spoke about how the cut negatively impacted students. In the end, the school committee voted unanimously to restore the hours immediately.

Each month one of the schools in RSU 6, with members who belong to the Saco Valley Teachers Association, sponsors a display at the Hannaford Supermarket in Standish. SVTA has been part of the art bulletin board for years, using the display as a way to share and celebrate student success in the district.

SVTA President, Eric Curtis says SVTA pays for the display board each month as a way to let the community see the amazing work of the students throughout the district.

RSU 23 EA In an effort to keep up with members’ needs, RSU 23 EA (Dayton, Old Orchard Beach, Saco) is restructuring the local association. The EA is experimenting with 2 presidents, 1 for the professional staff and 1 for the support staff, as well as 2 vice-presidents, 1 for each of the 2 groups. Large associations present challenges that stretch the typical Association structure and call for new ways to address the member's needs.

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Affiliate News

Eastern Maine

South Central Maine Auburn Education Association

Calais EA

The Auburn Education Association stood firm as it maintained conditional support for a Race to the Top Grant the administration tried to push through with no union approval, even though the grant required a signature from the Association. The grant calls for stipulations on work and hours which the AEA had reservations about. The group called an emergency meeting of the membership and agreed to approve the application only if all the guidelines of the grant were understood to be negotiable items. The administration balked at the offer and claimed the Association was failing to support the grant. AEA established consensus with its membership regarding how the Association could support the application during an Emergency General Membership Meeting and did not budge even with strong pressure from the administration. In the end, the administration agreed to submit the application with conditional support from AEA. It was because of organizing efforts of the membership, including President Bill Reilly, Carl Bucciantini, Tim Wegmann, Maureen Edgerton, and Marybeth Galway that the group was able to control the process.

After two budget referendums failed already, the City Council in Calais passed a budget which demanded the school department make more than $400,000 in cuts to their budget for this year, which would have resulted in numerous layoffs, the elimination of extracurricular activities, and other cuts. Compounding the financial problems, Calais recently pulled out of the AOS, which means they no longer share an administrator with other areas schools, requiring them to spend more for a superintendent. After a long school board meeting on September 24, at which Calais Education Association members, parents and others spoke against cuts and in support of the public school for two hours, the board voted to table all proposed cuts. The city council reached a tentative agreement earlier this month that would free up more money for the schools. A referendum on the school budget will coincide with the Nov. 5 election.

Let’s talk about you As your full-time Horace Mann representatives, we’d like to help you create personal strategies for insurance, retirement planning, college funding and other financial needs.

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Lisa Bussiere, Auburn - 207-783-3660 Joe DeFranco, Bangor - 207-941-2121 Stewart Durrell, Wilton - 207-645-4779 PJ Kinney, Presque Isle - 207-764-1283 Troy True, Brunswick - 207-729-1975 Paul Yarnevich, S. Portland - 207-510-6600

www.maineea.org

David Case, Bangor - 207-941-2121 Jeff Delisle, Augusta - 207-623-5004 Martha Frost, Falmouth - 207-797-3019 Charles Lynch, Camden - 207-230-7620 Dominic Vermette, Waterboro/Kennebunk - 207-247-0186

October 2013

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Find Your Boardwalk

Find Your

BOARDWALK

If you’ve ever played Monopoly you know that Park Place and Boardwalk are the two “hot properties”— worth the most—and if you buy both and build hotels you will likely rake in all the colorful cash and win the game. So, moving your top hat or thimble around the board trying to land on what we deem to be the most valuable spots seems to make the most sense. But Connie Russell, (SAD 51 EA), a 1st and 2nd grade teacher at Mabel Wilson School in Cumberland was eager to learn how to play a different version of the game—one where there wasn’t an automatic value on something so predictable. Russell sought out her own Boardwalk to better enrich her life, her family life and the lives of all her students.

We Are All Connected With a group of 36 other teachers from around the country, Russell travelled to Brazil as part of the Pearson Foundation Global Learning Fellowship.

The opportunity for the elementary school teacher came after she won the MEA sponsored Award for Teaching Excellence. That award, which is open to all K-12 members, brought Russell to Washington D.C. to compete for the national title and exposed Russell to a world with other educators she likely never expected, first in Sao Paulo and then in Rio. “Maybe what I learned most from the Global Learning Fellowship is that learning is so much more meaningful and lasting when it is done in a group. In Brazil, I felt part of a community of learners and it felt...great! That is what I want for my students. I want them to have the skills and tools to communicate and connect with others so that they can learn about the world in deeper ways than they ever could alone,” said Russell.

The group studied the idea of global competency while exploring a part of the world that most knew little about.

Together, the educators visited schools struggling to bring literacy rates up while fighting to keep kids in school. Most of the schools are first time, full-time experiences for the students as the children see both pressure to attend class and pressure to work to help support their families. For other students, Russell says, there is pressure to head down a path of drugs, crime and violence. The social issues weigh heavily on the ability to educate. “To say these experiences were lifechanging sounds somewhat cliché but also accurately reflects how I feel. I am not the same person I was before this trip.

All those experiences, the sights and the sounds, are now indelibly part of my perspective,” said Russell.

“I want to broaden their world and perspective so that they can find their own Boardwalk and just maybe their Monopoly board will be filled with places and played by friends from all around the world.”

- Connie Russell In The Classroom Russell will use her experiences to give her students, as she says, “greater global exposure” to move them “toward a more authentic and knowledgeable understanding of their world and its interconnectedness” through a lesson called “The fruit we eat and where it came from.” Russell says, “I want students to understand what resources we have available to us affects the choices we make. Access to food, fruit specifically, is different around the country and around the world.” As part of the lesson, students will identify a variety of fruits and determine their natural growing environment. The class will then compare and contrast the fruits native to Maine, other parts of the United States and Brazil. To conclude the plan, students will collect and analyze data to answer questions. The learning for Russell’s students and the school community won’t stop there.

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Find Your Boardwalk Russell is working on a Global Awareness Event that will focus on Brazil this year. Traditionally the event lasts for just one day, but along with community support from the Parent Teacher Organization Russell hopes to share her experiences with her students year-round.

Before entering her Cumberland classroom Russell now asks herself, ‘how am I an educator of global citizens?’ As a public school teacher, with the desire to take her students around the world without leaving her classroom, Russell says she realizes it is not her job to place value on certain places or things, but to give her students the opportunity and exposure to a variety of issues and let them decide what is important to them in their life.

“I want to broaden their world and perspective so that they can find their own Boardwalk and just maybe their Monopoly board will be filled with places and played by friends from all around the world,” said Russell.

To nominate a fellow educator for the MEA Award for Teaching Excellence, which allowed Russell to travel to Brazil go to: http://www.maineea.org/awards

November 18-22 Monday 18

Tuesday 19

Organize a kickoff event to get the week started!

Invite parents and family members to school for a first-hand look at a typical school day.

Kickoff Day Parents Day

Wednesday 20

Education Support Professionals Day

Recognize bus drivers, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, maintenance staff, and others who provide invaluable services for their outstanding work.

Thursday 21

Friday 19

officials to serve as “educators for a day” for a hands-on school experience.

Honor and celebrate educators who substitute for regular classroom teachers in their absence for their services.

Educator for Substitute a Day Educators Encourage elected Day

#aew2013

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October 2013

www.nea.org/aew

13

Member Benefits

Choose an Electric Supply Company That’s on Our Side!

The Maine Education Association is excited to announce a partnership with Union Atlantic Electricity How do I sign up?

It’s easy! You can make the switch and plug in to what matters. Just go to www. unionatlanticelectricity.com/ mea and remember to use the code “MEA.”

Will I still be a customer of my utility if I switch to Union Atlantic?

Yes. Your utility will still deliver power, provide billing, maintain the power lines, and address electrical service issues like power outages.

What if I want to sign up but my current electricity supply company charges me a penalty for switching?

Union Atlantic will always look out for the interests of MEA members, and if your current supplier has a penalty clause, UAE will work with you to determine when your current contract expires and switch you over then.

What if I decide I want to leave Union Atlantic Electricity?

Unlike other electricity supply companies, UAE will never charge a penalty fee for leaving. They want to earn your business every day. They simply require two months’ notice, and they will switch you right back.

Union Atlantic Electricity has partnered with the Maine Education Association, offering our members a low price on their electricity supply while sharing and supporting the values of our association at the same time.

Union Atlantic Electricity will offer Maine Education Association members fixed rate one- and two-year contracts designed to lock in savings. In addition to providing guaranteed low prices, Union Atlantic Electricity will give a portion of its profits back to the professional Association that advocates for your profession and for public schools and students. Union Atlantic will provide financial support to the MEA for every member that makes the switch from their current provider to Union Atlantic.

For the first time ever you can now make the switch to an electric supply company that will offer affordable electricity rates for you and your family and support the Maine Education Association at the same time.

“The MEA Board of Directors felt a partnership with Union Atlantic was an investment in our members and in the local community. By signing on with Union Atlantic, the MEA is supporting a local company that has high labor standards for their employees, while working to create good-paying jobs in the state. This partnership will give our members the chance to buy local when it comes to their electricity supply—not to mention it will likely save them money and help the association as well,” said Rob Walker, Executive Director of the Maine Education Association.

“Union Atlantic Electricity is proud to partner with the Maine Education Association. No one works harder to build a brighter future for Maine than Maine’s educators.

With electricity rates expected to rise considerably in the near future, we are excited to offer MEA members fixed rate plans that allow them to lock in savings now. At Union Atlantic, we want to be more than an electric supply company. We want to deliver low cost electricity, support Maine’s teachers, and create more union jobs right here in Maine,” said Doug Clopp, a Vice President for Strategic Partnerships with Union Atlantic Electricity.

Union Atlantic Electricity Rates Residential

1 Year Fixed 7.125¢/kWh 2 Year Fixed 7.400¢/kWh Green Option 1 Year Fixed

8.605¢/kWh

2 Year Fixed

8.880¢/kWh

What rate plans do you offer?

Union Atlantic will offer oneand two-year plans designed to compete with the standard offer and to be considerably cheaper than other electricity supply companies. They also offer a 100% green product at a very affordable price for members who want to help create a cleaner, greener environment here in Maine.

Will Union Atlantic rates always be lower than my utility’s standard offer or basic service rate?

Union Atlantic strives to give you savings every month, and they expect to always be competitive with the standard offer. The standard offer varies from year to year, and is expected to rise. Locking in affordability with a two-year fixed rate contract with Union Atlantic guarantees a great price now and for the future.

Make the switch and plug into what matters:

www.unionatlanticelectricity.com/mea Remember to use code “MEA” when you sign up 14

October 2013

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Leading the way to great public schools for every Maine student 2013 Educator at Sea

Congratulations to Cindy Duguay, a gifted and talented teacher in RSU 52 (Turner, Leeds and Greene) for being named the 2013 Educator at Sea by the Ocean Exploration Trust. The Tri-Town EA member just completed an exploration in Puerto Rico with research scientists, fellow educators and students around the country and the world. Duguay was one of only 47 educators and students around the world to be selected for the expedition where she took part in the scientific research and mapping of the Puerto Rican Trench. The expedition was broadcast live with a video feed from the ship giving Duguay’s students the opportunity to witness and ask questions about her adventure while she was at the bottom of the sea. Duguay says she is eager to share her experiences with her students, staff and community. Those who participated say they hope to inspire the next generation of explorers in STEM fields. To see more about Duguay’s dive log on to www.nautiluslive.org. To apply for the Educator at Sea program (now called the STEAM Communication Fellowship) applications for 2014 are available at: www. oceanexplorationtrust.org

Dillon Completes 2013 World Triathlon Series Grand Finals

“I turned 60 and didn’t want to feel old,” said Ann Dillon a chorus/music teacher at Greely Middle School in Cumberland and North Yarmouth Memorial School (MSAD 51 EA). In an effort to continue to be young at heart, Dillon completed the Dillon and Birch 2013 World Triathlon Series grand finals in London with her training partner Beth Birch. While Dillon didn’t place in the competition, she did have to qualify just to be part of the event, finishing among the top 18 in a national event in Vermont. Dillon swam and ran her personal best. Using her experience overseas, Dillon says she takes the message of perseverance and life-long learning into her class each day as she reminds her students that living a healthy life where you try new things, no matter what, can help you achieve greatness.

www.maineea.org

2014 Maine Teacher of the Year: Karen MacDonald Congratulations to King Middle School and National Board Certified Teacher Karen MacDonald for receiving the high honor of Teacher of the Year for 2014. MacDonald (Portland EA) was described by her peers as consistently being the most innovative teacher at the school for the past two decades. King Principal Michael McCarthy said that in his 40-year career in education, “Karen MacDonald is the best teacher I have ever known.”

He noted that she has touched the lives of more than 2,000 students during her years at King. MacDonald is known for “expeditionary learning” where both teachers and students challenge each other to become leaders in their own learning process. Recently, MacDonald worked with her students and the community to learn about the civil rights movement. The lesson involved community members who were part of the movement, allowing students to learn from their personal experiences. MacDonald is proud to say when she does retire that she will have worked in a great city with amazing teachers, calling Portland Public Schools a “dynamic place to work.” MacDonald is a wonderful representative of all the hardworking teachers in Maine.

Towns Releases Global Education Resource Guide Congratulations to Erin Towns of Auburn EA. Erin is a World History and Contemporary World Issues teacher at Edward Little High School who is bringing world history to life for her students, thanks in part to a fellowship from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. More than 300 teachers from 47 states applied and only 84 were selected. The fellowship included an 8 week course in Global Competency with a field experience in Kazakhstan. After her experience, Erin created a digital Global Education Resource Guide which she is using to help educate her students. Erin says she hopes others will use her guide as a tool in their classroom to further enrich the lives of students across the state.

The guide can be found at www.erintowns.weebly.com or acquired in iTunes U under Auburn School Department.

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Benefits Trust How tHe affordable care act could affect your HealtH insurance Christine Burke, MEA Benefits Trust Executive Director

Time marches on! And with the passage of time, more aspects of the—Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, roll out. While we have enjoyed many aspects of the ACA (being able to keep our adult children on until their 26th birthdays, removing restrictions on pre-existing conditions, and removing lifetime maximums, to name a few) in the ensuing months, we will see other aspects of the law implemented that may not make us happy.

The Federal Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Maine Bureau of Insurance are requiring Anthem to remove all small groups (groups with less than 50 employees or full-time equivalents) from the MEABT and cover them under Anthem’s small group “pool” effective July 1, 2014. Per the new law, retirees are not included when Anthem calculates how many members are in a group. The MEA and the MEABT Trustees and staff members are trying to fight this mandatory move, but we aren’t having much luck (yet).

The insurance product for the small groups will probably not be a plan comparable to the MEABT Standard Plan or the Choice Plus Plan, although we are trying to determine whether Anthem could offer our plans to these small groups. If we are able to offer them, however, the plan’s pricing would not be our pricing. Instead, the DHHS and the Bureau require that Anthem evaluate each individual within the group pursuant to geography, age and tobacco-use status. The pricing will be based on those factors. The small group can then offer a composite rate by adding up all the individual rates, and dividing by the number of participants. Without creating a composite rate, schools would have We are working with our Senate several different rates for people within their district.

With the composite rate, the district would have an delegation and with the National easier time determining what its contribution will Education Association to see if we be, and an easier time administering the plan, but it would necessarily make some people subsidize can either change the law or get an others.

exemption from this part of the ACA.

The ACA also affects retirees covered by MEABT and retirees that are non-Medicare eligible. As you may remember, retirees must be covered under the same plans as the active employees from the district they worked for at the time of their retirement. So, if a retiree is from one of these small districts that are now forced to leave and go to Anthem’s small group pool, the retirees from that district must go there as well. If they stay with the district, they will face the same pricing formula listed above. It is unclear yet whether they would still receive the State’s 45% contribution to their health insurance premium, since State law says that they have to be with a ‘teachers’ group’ to receive the State contribution. We just don’t know whether the state will consider them as being with a ‘teachers’ group’ if they are part of a larger small group pool. We are trying to get a determination of that issue, and we will inform you as soon as we know.

However, if the retirees decide not to stay with the district and to go to the ACA “Exchange”, where they can purchase plans as individuals, they will definitely lose the State’s 45% premium contribution. In addition, they would have to choose plans with far fewer benefits. There would be a far higher out of pocket maximum ($6350.00 per year). While their income may qualify them for a federal subsidy toward their premium, they would not be part of a plan that offers them the kind of coverage the MEABT plan offers them. Nor would they have any of the plan enhancements that the MEABT plan offers.

We are working with our Senate delegation and with the National Education Association to see if we can either change the law or get an exemption from this part of the ACA. We do not see the purpose behind this provision, and feel strongly that this was an error or oversight in the ACA that survived enactment only because the law did not get the full vetting it should have. However, if our endeavors are unsuccessful, the districts with fewer than 50 FTEs will be moved to Anthem’s small group pool in 2014, and groups with fewer than 100 FTEs will move in 2016. It is a dismal prospect and one that we feel would severely impact the active members and particularly the retirees.

We will keep the membership up-to-date on this issue.