In My Classroom January 2011
volume 3 | issue 4
weac.org
Conference room to classroom
Page 4
2011: The road ahead As 2011 begins, it’s clear: The road ahead for public education will be rocky. With the November elections behind us, Wisconsin is preparing for the formal transition to new party leadership, and their ideas about how to best meet the needs of voters. In early January, new legislators will assume their posts and discussions will begin about how to shape the state’s next two-year budget. These discussions are going to be difficult, especially since our state is facing a severe budget deficit.
SCHOOL QUALITY
The journey you and your colleagues in the state’s public schools face in the next year is a difficult one with some significant challenges ahead, but remember, our union’s priorities for your profession and your commitment to students remain unchanged. Get engaged What direction you choose to go – and whether or not you personally engage – will determine what happens to education. Your union has a long history of supporting educators and advocating for policies that affect public education. By the very nature of your work, nearly every decision that impacts your profession is directed by public policy.
Education funding
The road ahead includes discussion and debate on: • Adequate public school funding to ensure we’re meeting the needs of students and continuing Wisconsin’s tradition of quality public schools. Consider the fact that public school
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Education is change By WEAC President Mary Bell Wisconsin educators always find new ways to get the right tools for learning into the hands of their students. Take State Teacher of the Year Maureen Look-Ainsworth and her creative teaching methods. Or consider Louis Lessor in Sun Prairie, who received an NEA grant so he can teach other teachers about connecting with students using SMART Boards and Notebook software. Educators are innovators. It’s in our nature. Refueled by our students, new ideas and unexpected situations, we’re always surrounded by change. But change is not easy, and as Wisconsin teachers and education support professionals we’re on the cusp of some pretty major changes when it comes to our profession continued on page 9
insideandonline Teaching how we learn
The warning signs of truancy
A change in school mascots
Studying Social Security benefits
State Teacher of the Year focused on reaching students
What schools are doing to keep kids in class
Educator's passion inspires student action on mascots
Scenarios for when you should start your payments
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Meet an Everyday Hero
Here’s a story about how one WEAC member is Moving Education Forward:
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aureen Look-Ainsworth’s first crime scene involved a computer stolen from her Waukesha classroom. Then there was a grand theft auto, a mysterious blood spatter, a poaching incident, a vehicle fire and a “parking lot rage” that resulted in gunfire. Fortunately, her students cracked most of the cases, finding the clues Look-Ainsworth left for them as part of her forensics lessons in science class. A hobby of hers, forensics is just one of Look-Ainsworth’s interests and issues she
WEAC’s new campaign features Everyday Heroes making a difference in our schools. Visit weac.org to learn more.
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Maureen Look-Ainsworth helps students find the answers – with the help of the community all around her.
Maureen Look-Ainsworth Science teacher Member of WEAC and Education Association of Waukesha
infuses into her eighth-grade science classes at Waukesha’s Horning Middle School. She brings her study of inquiry and brain research – two areas in which she has master’s degrees – into her teaching, which she does with double hearing aids as a result of a congenital condition. For all of her dedication to her instruction, her school and her community, Look-Ainsworth is Wisconsin’s Middle School Teacher of the Year for 2010-11 and the state’s representative to the national Teacher of the Year program. “This is my dream job – I love it,” said Look-Ainsworth, who has been an educator and member of WEAC for more than 20 years. Look-Ainsworth’s passion for her teaching, and her dedication to the school community, led her to being named Teacher of the Year. She has put in hundreds of hours to various community outreach initiatives such as a coat drive funded from jewelry and handbag sales in addition to a holiday food donation campaign. A clothing drive she organized for her school netted $1,000 to buy coats for middle school kids. In addition to a jewelry and purse party raising $350, Look-Ainsworth petitioned local business owners for donations to the cause – getting $650 in contributions from two benefactors who saw the need to help disadvantaged kids. “I have never been turned down in asking for help,” she said.
Mary Bell, President Betsy Kippers, Vice President David Harswick, Secretary-Treasurer Dan Burkhalter, Executive Director Kim Haas, Communications Director Bill Hurley, Editor Matthew Call, Assistant Editor Laura DeVries, Graphic Design Specialist Contributing writer: Bob Moeller
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Look-Ainsworth has also coached the high school Science Olympiad Team at West Allis/West Milwaukee, worked on professional development workshops through Wisconsin Education Innovations (formerly the Sally Ride Academy) and directed a local Camp Invention, a summer enrichment program for elementary school students. Look-Ainsworth said the Teacher of the Year title is about being an ambassador of education. She wants to emphasize mentoring of student teachers, reaching all cultures in instruction, and reinforcing the entrepreneurial spirit. “It’s not about the title,” she said. “You’re representing Wisconsin.” Look-Ainsworth has been representing science in creative ways for Waukesha students. A decade ago she started mock crime scenes in and around the school, employing help from Waukesha area police, fire, fire marshal and sheriff’s office personnel. Students track suspects through witnesses, fingerprints and chemistry. Look-Ainsworth, whose inspiration came from a CSI-style class she took, dreams up a scenario and back story, and then she lets her students track a suspect. “They’re doing what the police department and the sheriff’s office do. In eighth grade. And they get it,” Look-Ainsworth said. Look-Ainsworth is just one of the 98,000 WEAC members who are Moving Education Forward. Learn more about her, and get to know more of your colleagues, at weac.org/heroes. ■
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January 2011
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Winter Conference again to have two locations! Winter Conference C
ontinuing the popular format from last year, Winter Conference will be held in two locations in 2011. The first, in Middleton, is February 25-26 at the Madison Marriott West. The second, in Wausau, is March 4-5 at the Howard Johnson and Westwood Conference Center.
Winning big from the WEAC Savers’ Club Sandy Harn of Fond du Lac is all ready to go on vacation! Sandy won luggage and a condo vacation in a WEAC Savers’ Club drawing at the WEAC Convention. Harn is a regular user of the WEAC Savers’ Club, saying she has saved on Wisconsin Dells water park passes, restaurants, hotels and golf outings, among other things. “It’s amazing what you can find on the Savers’ Club,” she said. ■
Both locations give you the chance to gain significant credits toward your Bargaining Certificate or ESP Certificate. Bargaining-specific training sessions include Association/Building Representative Training, Beginning Bargaining, Know Your Contract, The “Big Three” Collective Bargaining Issues (salary, retirement and insurances), and Individual Leadership Skills.
• February 25-26, Middleton • March 4-5, Wausau
session will provide the background to complying with the new requirement for teaching labor history. Sessions held only in Wausau are School Reform in an Age of Teacher Accountability, Game On: Messaging Strategies to Trump Opposition Attacks, and WTCS Issues 2011. At both locations a Social Media, Networking, and Communication Technology session will be held.
The ESP Certificate course in each location is Culturally Responsive Classrooms. Additionally, another ESP Certificate course, ESP Professional Development – Meeting Children’s Health Needs, will be held at the Middleton session only.
In addition to lowered costs there are bus transportation options from some locations. Visit weac.org/winterconference for more detailed information, session descriptions, and fees for Winter Conference. ■
Also, exclusive to Middleton is the Labor History course. This all day Saturday
O n l i n e e x t r a s | Get more from your union on the Web Follow a blog to share in the learning with other new educators Lisa Neubert shares her thoughts on WEAC's New and Future Educators’ Blog
Trading tricks of the teaching trade and sharing stories of a new profession are just some of the ways the New and Future Educators’ Blog on weac.org keeps you connected to other educators new on the job.
professional development is something that should be in the forefront of your mind,” Neubert writes.
In a recent blog entry, WEAC member Lisa Neubert shares her experience of wanting to keep on top of lesson plans and instruction.
“One tip is be inquisitive. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about your school’s history, the town you teach in, or some unspoken rules that may be present at your school,” she writes.
“As a first year teacher it is hard to keep your head above water some days, but as the year goes on and you start to feel more comfortable with the challenges in and out of the classroom,
Neubert, a second-year teacher in Marshall, also wrote about her tips to help make building rapport with students a little easier.
To read more entries from Neubert and others, visit weac.org/new. ■
Are you entering our contests on weac.org? Shopping sprees, tickets to athletic events, gift cards – members have been winning all of these things by entering contests on weac.org. Visit weac.org/contests to see our latest giveaway. ■
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In My Classroom
Conference room to Classroom
Amy Wolf leads her 4K class in a holiday song.
4K educator gets creative to make fun space for students W
hen Amy Wolf was interviewing for a 4K teaching job at Reek Elementary School in the Linn Joint 6 district near Lake Geneva, she sat in a small conference room with bare walls, two flat tables and a
Did you know Did you know our union is a strong advocate for kindergarten? A recent bill signed into law makes kindergarten a prerequisite for admission to first grade – an idea that originated from a WEAC Representative Assembly.
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window into the principal’s office. Then she was told that where she was sitting would probably be her classroom. “Already my mind started going,” Wolf said now, remembering her brainstorming to reuse many of the kindergarten supplies she had from her days teaching in Whitewater to brighten up the space.
Hired a week before open house day – when students come into the school to see their classes and have a pre-class picnic – Wolf scrambled to turn the conference room into a fun and constructive learning environment for her young students. She created a makeshift library in one corner and a reading area in another. The kids get snack time and sing-
alongs in a small space they’ve claimed as their own.
“I spent every day setting up the room, which was really about six to seven days by the time I planned and prepared lessons for the first couple of weeks of school,” said Wolf, a WEAC member. “I added color and comfort in any way I could. I tried to make the space as open as possible, yet still create minispaces for students to go to such as a book corner, toy corner, and calendar/large-group area. “They’re little, so that helps,” Wolf added with a laugh. “Since it is such a small space, I felt it was important to keep things as organized and as clean as possible, which can be challenging at the end of a 4K morning.” ■
Amy Wolf 4K teacher Reek Elementary School Linn Joint 6 School District
For more on Wolf’s class,visit weac.org/classroom.
January 2011
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Share Your Photos
To share photos of activities in your local association or school district, please e-mail photo files to InPrint@weac.org. weac.org/sharephotos
Time to submit nominations for WEAC awards It’s that time of year again! It’s time to lift up those in our union who go the extra mile to make things happen, those who are an inspiration to all of us, and those who spread the word about the good work we do.
Gebhardt Elementary School Principal Shelly Severson honors Sweeney on stage.
The Black River Falls community came together recently to celebrate WEAC member and art teacher Jen Sweeney, who is featured in print, radio and television spots as part of WEAC’s Moving Education Forward campaign. Visit weac.org to see Sweeney’s spot and others.
WEAC awards honor those who have moved education forward in their community. The awards recognize members making a difference in classrooms and also organizations and media members who have advanced the cause of public schools. Nominations are open for the following awards: • The Cunningham, Dickenson, Watson Staff Award
Severson, WEAC Vice President Betsy Kippers, and Sweeney get into the spirit.
• Friend of Education Award • ESP Award • Tenia Jenkins Activist Award • School Bell Awards • Outreach Awards If you know of anyone who is interested in applying for one of these awards or who you think is deserving of the award, please contact them and help them get started in the application process.
Those also in the campaign were invited on stage.
The deadline for the School Bell Awards is January 28. For all other awards, the deadline is February 1. ■ Area parents, colleagues and students shared their favorite sentiments for Sweeney.
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January 2011
For more information on WEAC Awards, visit weac.org/awards.
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Focus on ... Social Work
The warning signs of truancy What schools are doing to keep kids in class S
ometimes the beginning of truancy can be easy to see. Extra lunch time taken every so often, a period skipped here and there. Those are the signs that could lead to truancy – and they start early, according to Kelly Rowe, a social worker at Preble High School in Green Bay. “If that gets ignored, we’ve found it leads to a worse situation,” Rowe said. Identifying students early, before they become truant, has become a focus of Green Bay schools. In 2006, Rowe began a student engagement project to intervene in truancy problems. “We don’t have to let it happen,” said Kim Schanock, a social worker at West High School in Green Bay. “We don’t have to let it get there.” The two WEAC members and attendance intervention specialists at Green Bay said there are common barriers to attendance that are red flags for future truancy. Rowe and Schanock also have an agenda of practices they put into place to counteract truancy and prevent it from happening in the first place. Here they share why truancy happens, and what can be done about it:
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Barriers to attendance No alarm clock: Poverty can cause students to lack things that facilitate routine schedules. Homelessness: An unstable home life can lead to erratic attendance at school. No transportation: Depending on rides to school from people can impact attendance if those people are unreliable or their schedule changes. Parents’ work schedules often can change, as well. “It can fluctuate a lot,” Rowe said. No supplies: A calculator for math class, a change of clothes for gym – without the items that other students might have, some kids might not want to participate. “This can be embarrassing to kids,” Schanock said. “For a kid in poverty, the resources are so different than what a middle-class student’s would be.” Incomplete subsidized lunch forms: Not having access to food during the day can prompt absences. Inadequate medical care: Sicknesses can put students weeks behind; prescriptions running out can cause a change in behavior. How to intervene Individual counseling: “They need someone to talk to,” Schanock said. Group facilitation: Schanock and Rowe started groups at their schools for students to
meet and chat with each other. The groups formed a bond in students that made them not want to miss meetings. Schedule changes: Changes in a day’s events can help students as well as hurt. Altering class loads and rearranging student schedules can help boost confidence. Constant collaboration with teachers: Counselors and social workers can rely on teachers – and vice-versa – to emphasize studies. Incentives: Bribery isn’t the right word, Schanock said, but small rewards for attendance can reap dividends. Community resources: Drug and alcohol intervention programs and employment programs can provide assistance beyond the walls of a school. Collaboration with parents: Beefing up the involvement of role models can influence kids’ behavior. Some parents feel honored to be invited into schools to take an active role in their children’s education, said Rowe, who used a grant to fund a prize included with invites to parent-teacher night activities. One of the most important things to tackling truancy is commitment, Rowe said. “Sometimes when intervening drops off, they’ll step back and truancy goes back up,” Rowe added. ■
January 2011
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School Mascot Bill
Teaching respect, not racism T
his year the Gale-EttrickTrempealeau Redmen lost to the Red Hawks. So did the Kewaunee Indians to the Storm. Those districts, and some others, lost their nicknames in 2010 due to a new state law, and Jeff Ryan’s students had something to say about it. Ryan, a WEAC member and Prescott High School teacher, makes it a point to educate students about Native American tribal issues. After all, that’s the law. “Wisconsin mandates it be taught, and we take that mandate very seriously,” Ryan said. “Too often, tribal people are talked about in the context of the 19th century. But we know in Wisconsin we have the largest indigenous Native population east of the Mississippi River. “And I would argue that we don’t know our neighbors very well,” Ryan continued. To that end Ryan has organized student trips for the last 10 years to the Lac Du Flambeau Reservation. Students submit anonymous essays to take part and are judged by a panel of teachers to be selected. In his classes, Ryan covers gaming, taxes, treaty rights and mascot issues. “These are continuous, current issues that need to be talked about if you’re teaching tribal issues,” Ryan said. Ryan’s passion extended to a big part of Prescott’s student body, so much so that almost a dozen of them testified at two legislative hearings on a bill concerning
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race-based school nicknames and lobbied legislators to pass it. And before that several lodged a T-shirt protest against a visiting team (the Osceola Chieftains) at a basketball game. Mascots: Making a change Various forms of a racebased school nickname bill have lingered in the state Legislature for 16 years before finally getting to a floor vote this year. After it was signed into law by Governor Jim Doyle, the new statute establishes an official manner to protest insensitive school nicknames and mascots. Under the new law, if the state superintendent of public instruction finds that the use of the race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name promotes discrimination, pupil harassment, or stereotyping, a school district will have 12 months to terminate its use. More than 100 students in Prescott wanted to join the effort to bring the bill to a vote, Ryan said, accounting for nearly a third of the student body. “For high school kids to do that is extraordinary,” Ryan said. “The students did this all on their own, which makes it a remarkable story.” One of Ryan’s students, Zach Simones – now a freshman at University of Minnesota-Duluth – took the initiative to start the T-shirt protest, rallying students behind the mascot cause. “We were all just inspired by Mr. Ryan,” said Jackie Cutler, a
Jeff Ryan, left, organizes student trips to the Lac Du Flambeau Reservation. Students submit anonymous essays to take part, which are judged by a panel of teachers.
Out
In
Responding to a challenge, Kewaunee voluntarily changed its athletic team names from Indians to Storm.
senior at Prescott High School who testified in front of the State Senate in support of the new law. “He just filled us in and we took it upon ourselves to do what’s right.” Spreading the word Prescott junior Brenna Ryan, Jeff’s daughter, and Cutler were featured on a Wisconsin Public Television show about their involvement in getting the mascot law passed, and both were invited to watch Doyle sign the bill this past spring. They also gave a presentation on the subject at the National White Privilege Conference in La Crosse in April.
recent Wisconsin State Human Relations Association conference and Ryan’s students were named Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice’s Peacemakers of the Year for 2010. “I don’t understand how people can say these culturally demeaning images honor a culture,” Brenna Ryan said. Jeff Ryan said that while teaching tribal issues is part of his job, his focus is to get the topics on students’ radars. “I do not tell the kids how to think, but I certainly tell them to think,” he said. ■
Additionally, Cutler, Ryan and Simones gave a presentation at a 7
Our Union’s Priority: Fund Schools
’Fair Funding’ plan aids every district I
n January the new Legislature will debate a school finance reform plan that would mark a significant step in achieving fairness and clarity in state education funding. As part of his budget submitted to lawmakers, State Superintendent Tony Evers proposed a number of new initiatives to change the way Wisconsin’s public schools are funded. The changes are long overdue, and will bring benefits to every district. Called the “Fair Funding for Our Future” plan, the proposals from Evers will factor in poverty when it comes to allocating resources for schools. It will bring better transparency and stability to state education aid, easing budget planning for districts across the state. It will aid districts that have declining enrollment. “This plan is a solid one, and will provide schools with the resources they need while holding the line on property taxes,” WEAC President Mary Bell said. What the plan represents is that even in difficult economic times, we can protect schools and enact school finance reform while holding the line on property taxes.
State Superintendent Tony Evers unveiled his Fair Funding for Our Future plan in Prairie du Sac this past November. Pictured, from left, are State Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center), Evers, Sauk Prairie Education Association President Ken Ziegler, and Ken's wife, Sauk Prairie School Board member Alyssa Ziegler.
“I assure you this plan is a step in the right direction to fixing our broken system of school funding,” Bell added. See below for a few things you should know about this plan – and why it’s good for your students, schools and community. ■
For more on school funding, visit weac.org.
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2011: The road ahead continued from page 1
funding accounts for more than a third of the state’s budget; therefore, any efforts to balance a state budget (one that’s already operating in deficit mode) will impact you, your students and your schools – as well as every community throughout Wisconsin. Our union of educators supports State Superintendent Tony Evers’ Fair Funding for Our Future plan – a proposal that brings fairness to state funding and addresses many of the flaws in the way Wisconsin funds its public schools. (For more on the plan, see page 8 and visit weac.org/ educationforward.) • School quality issues such as class sizes and educator evaluations. You know reasonable class sizes are key to student learning – you also know layoffs will result in more kids being spread across fewer classes. And evaluating a school and/or teacher solely based on student test scores doesn’t provide an accurate reflection of your value and effectiveness as an educator. • The professional practice of educators. Your union represents 98,000 educators who work on the front lines of our schools. You do amazing things to help your students and communities – and we also know you have ideas on how to improve public education. How you organize and how you engage your
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and our work. We’re going to have to meet the challenges we face head on – together. I’m convinced that we can successfully navigate the uncertain road ahead. After all, throughout the history of our profession we’ve weathered quite a lot and always continued to do what we do best – teach, inspire and support students. There are folks who wonder where our union goes from here. No change in party leadership alters the fact that there are serious issues facing Wisconsin’s public schools. Finding solutions to those issues is where our union is going. Supporting educators is where our union is going. Protecting the promise of public schools is where we are going. I know many of you are feeling as though, based on the media and some of our elected officials, that the public has decided it’s OK to bash educators and point fingers of blame. They say today’s schools are a lost cause. They say cut everything. Focus on test scores. Do more with fewer resources.
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collective strength will determine where these discussions go. It’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t a partisan issue. It’s an education issue. We all want quality schools and effective educators. What the road ahead means for you is being part of the discussion that moves education forward in Wisconsin and makes sure your priorities are being heard. Do you think test scores should be the sole measure of an educator’s effectiveness? Of course not. Do you see the peril in rising class sizes due to continued layoffs? There’s no doubt. So let your voice be heard. There’s strength in numbers. It’s time to share your stories with the public and to take our ideas forward to share with policymakers. Reach out to your local president or UniServ director and join the effort to push a quality agenda for public education. Make no mistake, the road ahead is going to be challenging, but our union of educators is up for the challenge. Together, we’re going to work tirelessly to advocate for the issues and priorities that impact you directly. Wisconsin’s educators are Moving Education Forward. ■
Education is change It’s a difficult time to stand up and speak for our students, our schools and our profession in addition to the daily work we do in our schools. But we must continue to do so. In fact, I believe we’ll have to be louder and more involved than ever before. That’s because we know our students pay the steepest price when short-term policies borne of misdirected anger are enacted. Public education is impacted greatly by public policy. So we have something in common with our elected officials – we care about the state’s future. Our schools are a critical part of economic recovery. Cutting education only sets Wisconsin students back. A time of uncertainty is an ideal time to reflect on strengths and on what needs to be better; to come together around what’s right. We need to stand ready to support each other and to engage legislators in the critical issues that affect our schools. We need to be informed. Organized. Engaged.
There are a lot of us across this state. We may be separated by invisible school boundary lines, but when it gets right down to it we’re all in the same boat. Wherever you do the work of public education, your state union stands with you. In union, our priorities don’t change with a change in the political landscape. Supporting and empowering members, working to achieve a fair school funding system, and advancing our ideas about the path to quality education for all Wisconsin citizens – that doesn’t change. The key to our future, and the good work we can do on behalf of Wisconsin’s children and communities, lies in the power we have in ourselves – the power of our voices. When we’re organized around what’s right – around educator quality and education excellence – we can move forward in ways that may seem unimaginable right now. I believe Wisconsin educators are strong enough for what the future requires. ■
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Campaign aims to safeguard Rx drugs W
WEA Trust leads formation of statewide coalition
hen used wisely, prescription medicines are excellent health care tools. Unfortunately, the explosive growth in the prescribing of medicines has spawned a problem in our society – prescription drug abuse, especially by young people.
by WEAC and other organizations involved in education, health, and law enforcement – recently launched a campaign called “Safer Use – Prevents Abuse” (SaferUsePreventsAbuse.com).
illegally, share them with friends, or sell them,” said Mark Moody, President and CEO of the Trust. “Safer use means safer children, higher-performing students, and safer, higher-performing schools.”
Building adult awareness
The Safer Use – Prevents Abuse coalition has also received the backing of Dr. Drew Pinsky, a wellknown addiction specialist who is leading a national effort to promote safe prescription drug handling.
The problem is real. One in five Wisconsin teenagers in 2009 reported illegally using prescription pain killers – and 11% said they used non-prescribed prescription drugs to “get high,” according to a Department of Public Instruction study. Tragically, in February 2010, a 13-year-old Wisconsin boy died after accidentally overdosing when he was illegally supplied with prescription drugs taken from a friend’s grandmother.
The campaign aims to make adults aware of and help stop the growing problem of youth prescription drug abuse. One tool the Trust is using is a prescription drug “safe box,” called Rx Locker. It is available – free of charge – to Trust members taking specific prescription drugs who have children at home between the ages of 10 and 19. The Rx Locker is a small storage unit with a combination lock that can hold up to four prescription bottles.
As a company devoted to the health and welfare of public school employees and their families, the WEA Trust – joined
“Our goal is to take prescriptions drugs, most taken from family medicine cabinets, out of the hands of teenagers who use them
Earn 4.25%* in 2011
or by completing the online enrollment form at weabenefits.com. It’s easy and convenient.
WEA Trust Member Benefits is pleased to announce that the 2011 Guaranteed Investment annual rate of return for both the WEA TSA Trust and WEAC IRA programs will be 4.25%*.
*Interest is compounded daily to produce a 4.25% annual yield prior to the deduction of administrative fees of the WEA TSA Trust and the WEAC IRA program.
Start your 403(b) or IRA today by calling WEA Trust Member Benefits at 1-800-279-4030
Principal and net credited interest are fully guaranteed by Prudential Retirement Insurance
“In Wisconsin, there is a group that I would like to commend,” said Pinsky. “The WEA Trust has become the first insurance company in the nation to provide Rx Lockers to each of its members. It’s heartening to see the WEA Trust and this coalition take the lead and invest in such a critical area.” For advice on how to talk to your child about prescription drug use or more information on the campaign, visit SaferUsePreventsAbuse.com. ■
and Annuity Company. Such guarantees are based upon the financial strength and claimspaying ability of the insurance company issuing the contract. TSA program securities offered through WEA Investment Services, Inc., member FINRA. The Trustee for the WEAC IRA program is First Business Trust & Investments. ■
O U R PA RT N E R S *Interest is compounded daily to produce a 4.25% annual yield prior to the deduction of administrative fees of the WEA TSA Trust and the WEAC IRA program. Principal and net credited interest are fully guaranteed by Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company (PRIAC). Such guarantees are based upon the financial strength and claims-paying ability of PRIAC. The Trustee for the WEAC IRA program is First Business Trust & Investments. 10
members’ s and other e’ ri ar C ch at W eir entirety at stories in th
weatrust.com
“I’m a worrier just by nature. But having the WEA Trust insurance takes a lot of stress out of a normally stressful life.” CARRIE PETERS Kindergarten teacher, Kettle Moraine School District January 2011
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WEACinPrint
Take control of your personal finances
By Bob Moeller – WEAC Member Benefits moellerb@weac.org
Get higher Social Security payments
W
hen you are married, there are a few strategic maneuvers you can make to increase your Social Security payments. Usually, they hinge around three rules of Social Security: First, when one spouse dies, the survivor effectively gets the higher of the two Social Security payments. Second, spouses can get their own benefit or half of their spouse’s, whichever is higher, with one important exception. Third, a person can return all the Social Security payments he or she has received with no interest due and begin to freshly get new payments based on his or her older age. Here are some strategies that might fit your finances. My examples assume the male has a higher expected benefit. You’ll have to adjust these strategies to fit your own situation. Look at both of your Social Security statements. Check the age 62, age 66 (or full retirement), and age 70 amounts. Note these amounts are not completely accurate; if you read the line at the top it says these amounts assume you “work” until these ages, which many people don’t do. But in fact, the amounts do increase very nicely as you get older. File and suspend Under this method, the idea is for the spouse (male in my examples) with the higher Social Security amount not to begin taking Social Security until age 70. However, under the second maneuver above, the wife might benefit by getting half of the husband’s Social Security if that would be higher than the wife’s own Social Security. Usually, the spousal benefit isn’t available unless
the husband is collecting Social Security himself. However, the husband can file for Social Security and then suspend his request. Thus the wife can get spousal benefits and the husband can still wait until age 70 to begin his own higher benefits, which also will replace the wife’s lower spousal benefit if her husband dies. Claim now and later (Again you have to adjust these depending upon your ages). In this case the husband is older and wishes to delay Social Security until age 70. Younger wife files for Social Security. Husband waits until his full retirement age (usually age 66, but see your statement page 2 at top) and then husband files for spousal benefits (half of wife’s). At age 70, husband files for his own Social Security. At that time also, wife checks to see if her spousal benefit (half of husband’s) might be higher than what she is already getting and perhaps files for spousal benefit. Return benefits and start all over If higher Social Security person (husband) started early his benefit is of course lower and also his wife’s survivor benefit will be lower if he dies first. Currently, they can just undo all this by returning all the benefits received and starting over. A friend of mine just did this at age 70. One nice thing about this is that there is no interest due on the returned money. So, effectively, the decision is if he returns the money, will his (their) increase in Social Security for their joint lifetimes (she gets the survivor benefit if he dies first) be greater than a joint life annuity they can buy from
an insurance company? They need to compare to a private annuity that includes inflation increases, because Social Security has inflation increases. So, as an example, husband learns he can send back to Social Security $125,000. He learns his (their) monthly Social Security payment will increase by an amount per month for life. He contacts Vanguard (800-357-4720) and learns what he can get with an inflation adjusted annuity for $125,000. I just tested this for a 70-year-old male and 68-year-old female. Vanguard deals with several insurance companies and has low fees. I was quoted a monthly beginning payment of $482.88 from American General Insurance and $442.18 from Principal Insurance Co. Each would be adjusted for inflation once per year using the CPI Urban Index. Conclusion: If the Social Security payment goes up more than $482.88 per month, this might be a good decision. Finally, I am frequently asked by members when they should start Social Security. Quite often it works out that if they can afford to (possibly using some of their investment money), it makes sense if the higher Social Security amount person simply waits until full retirement age and then files for spousal benefit, waiting until age 70 to file for their own. Meanwhile, the lower Social Security spouse immediately files for Social Security at age 62. This especially works if the higher Social Security person is older than the spouse. Note, the lower Social Security person must be receiving Social Security before the higher Social Security spouse can file for a spousal benefit, and the higher Social Security spouse must also be at least full retirement age. And note this: two divorced spouses can each claim a spousal benefit on each other’s account if the other requirements are met. This would have no effect on the other spouse’s rights. This article is for informational purposes. ■
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