NCAE
NEWS BULLETIN March
2013
NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS
Volume 43, No. 7
Welcome to the 43rd Annual Convention:
Addressing Our Challenges and Celebrating Our Successes! Fellow delegates: In a few weeks, hundreds of you will travel to Raleigh to attend the 43rd annual NCAE Convention, slated for March 22-23 at the Raleigh Convention Center. We have been gearing up for what will be a bustling two days filled with spirited debates on New Business Items and resolutions, rousing messages for leaders in public education circles, and the opportunity to network and participate in special activities that we have planned for you. Mark and I would like to thank you for your service to the Association and the passion that you exemplify each and every day in the jobs that you perform as public school educators. And, we thank you for taking the time to come together to plan the direction of the Association for the coming year, learning more about the work of the Association as a whole, and celebrating our successes as an organization. “Addressing Our Challenges and Celebrating Our Successes” is the theme of this year’s convention, which speaks to the conversation begun at last year’s Summer Leaders Conference of how will we change, how will we grow as an organization, and what our individual roles will be as we address the challenges we face in what is now “A Whole New World.” Our entire way of doing business is changing, and we are embracing it because we know
it is the only thing that’s constant. Change can be a motivating force that produces bigger and better ideas, and working together, we can use change to make a difference in our profession and in our Association. A new change to the Convention this year will be delegates’ ability to vote for Amendments electronically. In an The effort to eliminate long Raleigh voting lines during the Skyline lunch hour, we encourage you to bring your laptops, iPads, tablets or other devices with an Internet connection so that you can vote from the floor. Some other highlights of the RA include the Local Affiliate Presidents’ Reception, which will be held at the NCAE Center, and the Delegates’ Dance, which will take place at the Sheraton Downtown Hotel. As in past years, the Association is sponsoring an Operation Cooperation project with the Raleigh
Rescue Mission to help homeless children with basic needs. Items such as children’s umbrellas, rain coats, undergarments and educational toys are needed and we encourage ALL members to participate (for more information, see the flyer on page 4). Also, the recipients of the 2013 NCAE Educational Hall of Fame Award and NCAE Friend of Education Award will be recognized. We look forward to seeing you and talking with as many of you as possible during the Convention. Although our most important mission is to take care of Association business, let this also be a time when you reconnect with colleagues that you haven’t seen in a while and take in some of what the Capital City has to offer. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us, or visit the Web site, www.ncae.org, for more detailed information. Take care, and we’ll see you in a few weeks!
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News Bulletin
March 2013
It’s Election Time: 2013 Candidates Running for NCAE Offices Click on a candidate’s name to view their statement and biographical information.
District 1-B Director
Larry Ball
Cluster 2 Director
Carla Fassbender
District 4-B Director
Amy Harrison
Shelia D.P. Lea
is Rodney Ell President
District 5-B
Cluster 6 Director
Director
Monica Graham
Julio Morales
Rich Nixon
Rhonda Riggins
Dawn Shephard Pope
District 7-B
District 8-B
Director
Director
Lashaundon Perkins
News Bulletin
NCAE
March 2013
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It’s Election Time: 2013 Candidates Running for NCAE Offices
President,
President -- Student Services Division
Principals/ Administrators Division Michael W. Putney Sr., Ph.D.
NCAE Voting Days...March 23-April 11
Randolph Frierson
Ronda Gordon
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Wins the Fight for 12-Month Pay Option NCAE has been victorious in assisting certified employees of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) with obtaining the option of having their annual salaries spread over 12 months. It’s a change that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators (CMAE) has been pressing for since 2008. The 12-month option will be implemented starting with the 2014-15 school year. It will allow teachers to receive a paycheck year round and they will also have the option of spreading their benefit deductions over 12 paychecks. With the 10-month option, paychecks were only issued from August through May. “This is an issue that was of great importance to our members and the work to bring this change to fruition has really paid off,” said NCAE President Rodney Ellis. “Having the 12-month option will bring relief for teachers who likely may not have a summer job when schools are typically closed.” According to UniServ Director Lina Drinkard, who worked closely with this case, the successful outcome is due to collaboration between Association leadership and CMS Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison. “He has been very supportive and willing to work with CMAE leaders,” Drinkard said. “He regularly meets with the co-presidents to discuss concerns and issues of interest to members. Building and fostering these types of relationships is a win-win for everyone and enables us to work together on a united front.” Ellis agrees that teamwork brings about favorable results. “Everyone had a role to play and because of it, a great benefit is being offered to our members. The membership shared a concern with their local leaders, who in turn sought assistance from NCAE staff and the Association’s legal team. The process
has yielded a new opportunity not only for CMAE, but for all local affiliates to develop relationships with their superintendents, human resource officers and other education agents on the local and district levels.” The 12-month pay option is a legal right for school systems statewide, but there are still others that don’t offer it, said NCAE General Counsel Ann McColl. “We hope that this success will resonate with our members in school systems not offering this option and will prompt them to begin looking for answers. The Advocacy Center is available to work with locals on this and other important issues, along with assistance from UniServ directors. Working collaboratively can lead to success and this victory proves that.”
March Is….. National Women’s History Month -- This annual celebration highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. The 2013 theme for National Women’s History Month is “Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination.” For more information and resources on National Women’s History Month, visit the National Women’s History Project Web site at nwhp@nwhp.org Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM) -- This month-long event draws attention to the significance of music education in our schools and community. This year’s theme is “Music Lasts a Lifetime.” Click here for more information, activity ideas and how you can participate in this year’s MIOSM program.
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News Bulletin
March 2013
Foundation to Host First Annual Awards Gala The North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children (NCFPSC), will host its first annual awards gala on Thursday, April 25, at the Grand Marquise Ballroom, 225 New Fidelity Court, Garner, NC. During the event, several individuals and corporations will be honored for their work in shaping positive and productive conversations and action around promoting, preserving and protecting public schools, public school students and public school employees. “We are excited about this event and honoring those who vigorously support our efforts to assist public school children in need,” said Joyce Jarrett, interim executive director of the NCFPSC. The gala will help raise funds to continue programs administered by the Foundation. For more information, visit www.ncfpsc.org after March 1, or contact Joyce Jarrett at joyce.jarrett@ncae.org or 1-800-662-7924, ext. 204.
SNCAE/NCAE Regional Professional Learning Days
Did You Know? That teachers should always include their own comments on observations and evaluations. This is a good place to highlight positive things that are happening in your class as well as using an opportunity to rebut negative notes from your evaluator. That if you must write an incident report for something that has happened at school, ask to use a computer so that you can type it and print out more than one copy. Do not submit a hand-written report without making a copy for your files. That you should secure your personal items so that your journals, pictures, and private documents are not accessible to students. Better yet, leave questionable things at home and keep your cell phone “clean.”
N C A E
N E W S
The Student North Carolina Association of Educators (SNCAE) is hosting regional opportunities for pre-service and in-service educators to come together, grow and learn. Registration is free for SNCAE and NCAE members, and $25 for non-members. The sessions are sponsored by the Principals/ Administrators Division. Regional Learning Days are scheduled for the following dates and locations:
Some of the featured topics include “Evaluating with Confidence,” “Evaluation in NC for Pre-service Teachers,” “Reducing Anxiety on Standard 6,” and a track for NBCTs. The deadline to register is ONE WEEK prior to the event. Register online at http:// bit.ly.sncaeplds13.
Professional development is a journey. The NEA Academy can assist you in the lifelong exploration of learning and teaching. As an NEA member, you can always count on quality, affordability, and the convenience of professional offerings. To learn more, click here.
B U L L E T I N
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Positions stated in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official position of NCAE unless so identified. The NCAE News Bulletin, a journal of the Association, is published by the North Carolina Association of Educators, 700 S.Salisbury St., Post Office Box Box 27347, Raleigh, NC 27611, 1-800-662-7924. Linda Powell-Jones, Editor/Designer
• March 9 Elizabeth City State University • March 16 UNC Wilmington
www.ncae.org