Connections
Fall 2019 Volume 22, Issue 1
A Publication of VEA-Retired
President’s Column By Dennis J. Pfennig
Inside this Issue: VEA Fund
2
NEA-R Annual Meeting 2 VEA Lobby Day 2020
3
About the State
4
Distinguished Service
5
NEA RA
7
Save the date and dig out your marching shoes! VEA Lobby Day is January 27, 2020. Once again, the VEA is planning a #Red4Ed Rally in support of public education. The 2019 rally saw upwards of 4,000 VEA members and supporters flood the streets of Richmond and the Capitol, marching, chanting, and carrying banners, all demanding the General Assembly fund our schools. We hope to make an even bigger statement in 2020. Last year, our collective voice convinced lawmakers to include a 5% pay increase for teachers in the budget and to enact other pro-public education legislation. This year, with a potentially more education-friendly General Assembly, we hope to build on those gains and finally restore K-12 funding to prerecession levels. Watch VEA publications and communications for complete details as we get closer to January 27. See you in Richmond. If you can’t be there in person on January 27, you can join us virtually by phoning, emailing, and/or texting your legislators urging strong support for public education. You can find lots of information about how to get involved on the new and improved VEA website. Check it out at veanea.org.
2020 VEA-Retired Elections Information By Pat Kennedy
VEA-Retired elections will take place in January 2020. The procedures and terms of office have changed for VEA-Retired officers and council members. All elected positions will be for two (2) year terms beginning August 1, 2020 and ending July 31, 2022. We will be holding elections for president, vice president, 2nd at-large board member, and representatives from the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 10th congressional districts. We will also be electing retired delegates to the VEA Delegate Assembly and NEA Representative Assembly. Beginning this year, retired delegates will also serve TWO-YEAR terms, so delegates elected in January 2020 will be attending both the 2020 and 2021 conventions. Petitions for council seats and self-nomination forms for retired delegate positions are available upon request from Samantha Crouse, who can be reached at scrouse@veanea.org or (800) 5529554. All petitions and self-nomination forms are due back to VEA by COB on December 13, 2019. Elections will be held January 22-24, 2020 via electronic ballot. (Be sure we have your email address; we’ll send a reminder via email when the ballot opens.) Voters who do not have a computer/device may go to a library or other location that has public Internet availability. Paper ballots may be requested from Samantha Crouse until January 6th and must be returned by January 21st to be counted. Election results will be announced on January 31st.
Connections 116 South Third Street Richmond, VA 23219 (800) 552-9554 2019-20 VEA-Retired Council Dennis Pfennig President vearetired@veanea.org Lola McDowell Vice President lolavannn@gmail.com Malia Huddle Secretary-Treasurer malia.l.huddle@gmail.com Denise Davis Retired Member at Large, VEA Board dlsd228@yahoo.com Eddie Fifer Immediate Past President refifer@bvu.net Congressional District Reps: Holly Jackson-Conrad, 1st hollyjacksonconrad@gmail.com
Shirley George, 2nd smgplus3@gmail.com Sid Neighbours, 3rd sidneighbours@gmail.com LaNette Desler, 4th lgd827@aol.com Connie Coates, 5th connie.coates@gmail.com Cheryl Perry, 6th hybunch56@aol.com Meg Gruber, 7th ursamg@aol.com Kathy Davis, 8th katydidwvu@cox.net Ralph Booher, 9th booher2@hotmail.com Marlene Parker, 10th mdnparker@mac.com Bruce Smith, 11th brujosmith@gmail.com
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The VEA Fund for Children and Public Education By Denise Davis
The elections on November 5, 2019 will be crucial in determining whether Virginia’s public schools will begin to receive the full funding they are due. The VEA Fund for Children and Public Education needs your help to elect candidates who support public education. All 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for election. Your donation to the VEA Fund helps make public education a top priority among candidates running for office. The decisions they make as elected officials on issues such as teacher salaries, class size, and SOL reform will have far-reaching implications on public schools in every community. Please make your contribution now; it’s easy! Just go to www.veafund.org and click on DONATE NOW. If you prefer, you can mail a personal check made to VEA Fund to VEA, 116 S. Third Street, Richmond VA 23219. At the VEA Fund website you can also view a list of recommended candidates. Help us Fund Our Future today!
Observations from the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting By Judith Knight
Thanks to the Arlington Education Association and encouragement from the VEA-Retired President, I attended as a non-delegate my first NEA-Retired Annual Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria. Though much smaller than the NEA Representative Assembly, I believe there were 317 registered delegates attending the sessions. The ballroom was abuzz with activity. Delegates were helpful and friendly to me, a newcomer, as well. I was pleased to be able to sit with the Virginia delegates. Attendees were welcomed by the NEA leadership and the Texas state associations (both active and retired), after which we heard a stirring address from NEA-Retired President, Sarah Borgman. The second general session focused on reports from the legislative, resolutions, and by-laws committees and the NEA Center for Advocacy. NEA had a successful year legislatively. Alice O’Brien, NEA General Counsel, discussed several issues of interest and how they’re affected by the make-up of the current Supreme Court. Delegates introduced, discussed and voted on 11 new business items; seven were approved. Though unable to vote on the NBIs (as a nonvoting, non-delegate), I found the debates enlightening. I thoroughly enjoyed my first NEA-Retired Annual Meeting and hope to be able to attend again. (Note – each year there are retired members from across the country attending the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting at their own expense. They cannot vote but are permitted to sit with delegates. In the past, we have had as many as three such attendees from Virginia. This year, Judith was the sole non-delegate attendee.) The Carrington Institute for Teaching and Learning is seeking volunteers in southeast Virginia to assist its tutoring and academic coaching activities. For further information, contact us at tutor@carringtoninstitute.org.
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Connections About VEA-Retired
Attend VEA Lobby Day
We are the fastest
January 27, 2020
growing division of VEA Council members are elected by VEA-Retired
LOBBY DAY OVERVIEW 8 am Legislative briefing (additional briefing offered the day prior) Learn about VEA’s legislative priorities and prepare to meet with your representatives 9 am
Begin scheduled meetings with your legislators
Noon
VEA #Red4Ed Rally at the Capitol Bell Tower. Wear RED!
1:30 pm – 4 pm
rd
Open House at VEA headquarters, 116 South 3 Street, Richmond 23219
membership We elect our own delegates to the VEA and NEA assemblies We have active local chapters across the state VEA-Retired members
WHY YOU SHOULD COME Your elected representatives need to see and hear from you! They need to know why you Wear #Red4Ed and fight for adequate school funding and better pay.
are eligible for the
WHAT TO DO IN ADVANCE Make appointments to meet with your legislators! It will not be possible to “drop in” on any office. You may also meet with your legislators in their home offices this fall.
while working
Learn more about VEA’s Legislative Agenda (go to www.veanea.org).
Talk with your local Association colleagues about coming to Lobby Day as a group. Secure leave and help arrange a carpool or other transportation. Pack a RED shirt, hat and/or scarf!
same NEA Member Benefits as they had Information published in Connections and available on the VEA website Contact us at vearetired@veanea.org for information on local chapters
CHOOSE ONE OF TWO BRIEFINGS Sunday, January 26, 5:30 pm Holiday Inn Express (Behind VEA Headquarters) 201 East Cary Street, Richmond 23219 804-788-1600
Monday, January 27, 8 am Hilton Richmond Downtown 501 E. Broad Street, Richmond 23219 804-344-4300
NEED A HOTEL ROOM? A block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Express has been reserved for VEA members the night of Sunday, January 26, at a rate of $140.49 (including tax) Doubles (or) Single/King. To reserve, call the hotel directly at 804-788-1600 before January 3 and reference the VEA Lobby Meeting.
Share your stories! If you or your local retired chapter would like to have an article in the next issue of Connections, please forward it to vearetired@veanea.org by February 15, 2020.
Connections
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About the State Arlington Education Association - Retired th
AEA-R met on April 24 and received updates on APS activities from AEA’s president and VEA’s UniServ director. Members received reports both on Lobby Day 2019 and the VEA convention. Two grantee organizations that work with homeless youth and at-risk families in Arlington gave presentations. Members also heard about scholarships granted to graduating high school and continuing college students. During our June gathering, we shared a fellowship luncheon. Judith Knight.
Elizabeth River Retired Educators ERRE meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month and welcomes any VEA-Retired members in the area to join us. In August, the group heard from Mike Landry of the Greenbriar North YMCA about opportunities to assist with after-school programs in the Chesapeake region. September brought Janelle Scott, Public Information Officer from the Chesapeake Sheriff’s office Senior ID Program. The cards our members received are legal identification and are an acceptable form of identification for voting. At the October meeting, Diane Pressley-Capers of Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia discussed Medicare benefits and changes and answered questions from the group. The November 14th meeting will have Ed Fissinger discussing financial planning and answering questions. December 12th is planned as a holiday social with several invited guests. LaNette Desler.
Fairfax Education Association – Retired FEA-R held its annual luncheon on May 14, 2019. This is our annual opportunity to reconnect with old friends, catch up with each other’s lives, and be reminded of what’s happening in education locally and statewide. We were incredibly fortunate this year to have state Secretary of Education Atif Qarni as our main speaker. Introducing him was our School Board chair, Karen Corbett Sanders, wearing her Red for Ed. Karen reiterated her support for our shared goals and her continued commitment to move forward with us. We are proud to have her and other School Board members welcome and accept our input. After opening remarks from Karen, we were addressed by Secretary Qarni. His depth of knowledge was extremely impressive. Even more impressive was his eagerness to hear from us. This is the first time in my role as an activist that our members have been asked what we believe should be budget priorities. And our members were quick to respond. In addition to the obvious salary issues, autonomy and respect were high on the agenda for us. Our members were adamant in their feelings that their careers were well spent, but their contributions went mostly unrecognized. While making sure our students felt nurtured and valued, our employees were not treated with that same level of respect. Having been in the classroom before becoming secretary of education, Atif listened and understood our frustration. We left our luncheon with many attendees singing the praises of our speakers. It gives us hope that there are those who listen and can make a difference. We renew our commitment to move forward together to bring improvements to education and to improve the working conditions for our employees. Respect for the professionals will remain at the forefront. Mimi Dash. Do we have your email address? Please contact us at vearetired@veanea.org to check. We’re working to increase digital communications with VEA-Retired members, including electronic distribution of Connections, and we need current email addresses to make that happen.
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Connections Loudoun Education Association – Retired
The advertisement below refers to the Association’s major Fall 2019 effort for new teachers.
The response was so positive that by August 8th, LEA-R was unpacking and organizing hundreds of boxes of donated teaching supplies! The high school cafeteria tables were overflowing with supplies and books. The following day, retirees welcomed new LEA members as they filled bags and boxes with classroom materials. Their surprise, smiles, and thanks made all retirees forget their protesting muscles. High school volunteers helped teachers carry boxes to their cars and aided in clean-up after the event. Claire Scholz.
Richmond Education Association – Retired REA-R had a busy summer. Members volunteered in the REA office answering phones, helped with rep training and participated in board training. Our big event this year is a town hall meeting to be held on October 17, 2019. The topic of the meeting is ESSA – Bridging the Gap. The Richmond alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Richmond Public Schools (RPS) are partnering with REA-R to host this meeting. Community groups, churches, and RPS employees, parents, and students are invited to participate. In addition, REA-R is working with RPS to develop a program with our members mentoring new educators and/or educators who are new to the division. As retirees, REA-R members have more time to dedicate to supporting new teachers than peer mentors, who have classroom responsibilities of their own. This collaboration was a suggestion of the RPS superintendent. REA-R is working closely with new REA President Milondra Coleman, who is passionate about ensuring that RPS students, most of whom are African American, have more teachers who look like them. Teacher recruitment and retention, especially of teachers of color, are among her highest priorities. Lola McDowell.
Nominations Open for VEA-Retired Distinguished Service Award VEA-Retired is now accepting nominations for the 2020 VEA-Retired Distinguished Service Award. This annual award is meant to recognize retired members who have made significant contributions to the growth of the active and retired Association, promotion of public education, and the welfare of public educators. Nominees must have been a member of NEA/VEA-Retired for at least five consecutive years as of January 15, 2020. Please contact us at vearetired@veanea.org with questions or to request a nomination form. Nominations must be received at VEA by the close of business on December 20, 2019. The Distinguished Service Award will be made during the 2020 VEA Convention to be held March 26-28 in Hampton.
Connections
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Valley Association of Retired Educators Important Dates
November 5
Remember to vote
December 13 Petitions, nominations and bios for VEA-Retired elections due to VEA 20 Distinguished Service Award nominations due
January 6
Last day to request paper ballot for VEA-Retired elections
The Valley Association of Retired Educators (VARE) is an organization of retired educators from Harrisonburg, Augusta County, Rockingham County, Page County and Shenandoah County. VARE meets the second Tuesday of each month from September through May. Meetings are held at Sunnyside Retirement Community’s Bethesda Theater in the Eiland Building from 11:15AM to 1PM. Lunch costs $14 and annual dues are $7.50. Reservations can be made by calling Marsha Gordon at (540) 434-4531. Our programs are varied. For 2019-2020, they include a report from the new Superintendent of Rockingham County Public Schools, Barn Quilts, the Stonewall Brigade Flute Choir, a program on preserving court records by the Clerk of the Court, a program on the Census and what it will mean to the community, a program by the Valley Heritage Museum, and a presentation on the Valley Scholars Program. VARE also contributes to the local community through an annual food drive to benefit local food banks, an annual book drive for community shelters and school reading programs, annual participation in local Read Across America events, attendance at the Pre-Legislative Workshops and response to local community needs with an educational focus. We made donations to the Gus Bus literacy program and a cash donation to the Skyline Literacy program that helps adults learn English and become literate.
21 Deadline to return completed paper ballots 22 Online voting begins at noon (To vote, visit www.veanea.org, click on “Election Central.”) 24 Online voting ends at noon 27 VEA Lobby Day 27 VEA-Retired election results certified 31 VEA-Retired election results announced
Several members worked with the Minnick School, a Lutheran school for students with IEPs, who are funded and transported from five local school districts because they are unable to function in the regular classroom. The school had no library, so the volunteers created one from book donations. Sharon Helbert.
Virginia Beach Education Association - Retired
Shirley George attended retiree receptions of the Education Association of Norfolk (EAN) and the Virginia Beach Education Association (VBEA) and spoke to both groups about why they need to continue VEA membership, especially if they have credit cards, loans, mortgages, insurance, etc. through NEA Member Benefits. She also stressed how retirees work with the local universities’ SVEA chapters as well as new teacher orientation programs and participate in political campaigns. Attendees at the EAN reception included the vice mayor of Norfolk, city council members, and members of the EAN. The mayor of Norfolk wrote a personal letter to each of the retirees. Attendees at the VBEA event included school board members, several of whom are lifetime NEA/VEA members, VBEA board members, and guests of retirees. Ms. George ended by informing all that VEA-Retired members are eligible for travel, car rental and hotel discounts as well as breaks in other areas. Newly-retired members (and all retired members) are encouraged to self-nominate to be delegates to the VEA delegate assembly and the NEA representative assembly (see article on page 1 for more information). Shirley M. George.
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Connections
NEA Representative Assembly By Dennis J. Pfennig
The 2019 NEA Representative Assembly (RA) in Houston, Texas, was remarkable for several reasons. First, 10 of the announced Democratic candidates for president, traveling at their own expense, came before the almost 7,000 delegates seeking support. Each candidate was given one minute to say whatever they wished, and then three minutes to answer three questions submitted in advance by members. Each candidate was asked different questions and held to strict time limits by NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia. Leading contenders, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, stirred the crowd by saying exactly what delegates wanted to hear. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, NEA PAC will endorse one of the candidates. A new business item was filed which would have allowed the entire membership to vote on which 2020 presidential candidate our union should endorse. That motion failed, as did a suggestion to delay endorsement until the 2020 Atlanta Convention. The second reason why this year’s RA was remarkable was that it handled 160 new business items within the time limit set by the president. Lily’s expert and fair handling of motions was responsible for this feat. Another reason, one of great import to Virginia, was the inspiring speech by Rodney Robinson, National Teacher of the Year and proud member of the Richmond Education Association. He brought the crowd to its feet. A final noteworthy item was the passage of a new constitutional amendment permitting “persons interested in advancing the cause of public education” to join NEA as Community Ally members. This concept has failed in previous years and failed again last year in Minneapolis, but when a modified version was brought back this year, it passed with 68.94% of delegates approving. As a reminder, the amendment needed a two-thirds majority to pass.
Beginning in fall of 2020, VEA-Retired will be moving to fully electronic distribution of Connections. To ensure all members continue to receive VEA-Retired communications, please be sure we have your current email address. If you didn’t receive a digital copy of this issue of Connections, then we don’t have your current email address. On the next page, we provide information for updating your email address electronically. Alternatively, you may return this form to us at: VEA-Retired 116 South Third Street Richmond, VA 23219 Name (please print): Email (please print): Street address: City, state, zip:
116 SOUTH THIRD STREET RICHMOND, VA 23219-3704
Nonprofit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID RICHMOND, VA PERMIT 1536
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
*** Important – Email Addresses Needed *** If you didn’t receive a digital copy of Connections earlier this month, then we do not have your current email address. Please consider updating your email address one of two ways: 1. Complete the contact update form at: https://vea.link/vear-update 2. Email your information to: vearetired@veanea.org VEA-Retired will be moving to fully electronic distribution of Connections beginning with the fall 2020 issue. That is, no more paper newsletters beginning in fall 2020. In preparation, we are working to collect, verify, and update email addresses to ensure all members continue to receive VEARetired communications. If you’d like to opt in to receiving Connections digitally before next fall, just email us at the address above and let us know.