WEACinPrint March/April 2010 by WEAC

MARCH-APRIL 2010

IN MY CLASSROOM Menagerie aids conservation, biology classes Page 4

VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 5

SMALL STEPS together make a BIG DIFFERENCE for everyone T

he theme of this year’s WEAC Representative Assembly represents where we are right now – and where we go from here. Your union’s priorities are coming to fruition thanks to your hard work and that of your colleagues. Just recently, we have made advancements to reinforce kindergarten and early education and to ensure parental involvement through work leave. Together we are improving your work environment by reforming collective bargaining, increasing preparation time, enhancing professional development opportunities and providing retirement equity for education support professionals. We are helping to make schools safer and more productive with anti-bullying and air quality measures. All of these things are happening because of you and other teachers, ESPs and school staff across the state. We make those small steps – together – to make a big difference for school employees and public schools. Here are just a few examples of how members are taking small steps to make a big difference for all:

In the Classroom When a bill threatened to limit what school staff could do to quell violent

outbursts in the classroom, Mary Draeger became an advocate for all of Wisconsin’s educators. Draeger, an assistant in Oshkosh, took the story of her time in special education classrooms to lawmakers, community members and the media on behalf of others just like her across the state. Draeger said that her responsibility in the classroom is the safety of students and staff, and that schools should be safe for staff in her district and all districts. She said getting the courage to tell her story to legislators and the community gave her a chance to make a difference. “I am not a public speaker but I felt so strongly regarding this bill I tried to put my jitters and terror aside,” she said. “My own family and friends were shocked at what has happened to me and the injuries I sustained in school. Colleagues in my own school were not aware of some of the assaults that have taken place.”

In the Community The scars on Nick Nesvacil’s head led to May 13 being named Sting Cancer Wear Yellow Day across the state. When the Green Bay educator began his tenure at Preble High School seven years ago, his bald head became what he called “a lightning rod” of curiosity among students and the other staff. His story of surviving brain cancer and a stroke invariably prompted listeners to relate their own stories of how cancer had touched their lives. That common bond spurred Nesvacil to create the school’s Sting Cancer group, an organization of students, faculty, administration and community members

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Putting poetry in motion

Authenticity in bilingual ed

A low-risk investment

Move Education Forward!

Coleman teacher uses multimedia to reach students

Teacher’s company focuses on Spanish language books

Bob Moeller explains Build America Bonds

Your local could be rallying around school funding reform

Page 2 www.weac.org/video

Page 2 www.weac.org/spotlight

Page 11 www.weac.org/dollars

Page 12 www.weac.org/schoolfunding

Coleman teacher puts poetry in motion for kids Not many people think of Coleman as a hot-bed for growing poets. Yet, in 2009, this small, northern community produced more poetry contest winners than any other school district in the state. A large part of the credit for this distinction goes to Sarah Rose Thomas, an award-winning poet and a fourth-year English teacher at Coleman High School. Thomas enriches her freshman literature classes by having her 45 students read a wealth and variety of poems. A large part of this poetry unit is spent teaching students to write poems that they each will enter in the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets Annual Student Poetry Contest. Sarah Thomas’s curriculum is as carefully crafted as her poetry. Lessons generally use multimedia techniques interspersed with hard-copy handouts and individual, face-to-face contact. ■ To watch a video of Thomas’s class, visit www.weac.org/video.

Mary Bell, President Guy Costello, Vice President Betsy Kippers, Secretary-Treasurer Dan Burkhalter, Executive Director Kim Haas, Public Relations Director Bill Hurley, Editor Matthew Call, Assistant Editor Laura DeVries, Graphic Design Specialist Contributing writer: Bob Moeller

Member Spotlight Heather Warren Bilingual instructional resource teacher Lincoln Elementary School, Madison Madison Teachers Inc.

It was Ramona Quimby who was the inspiration for teacher Heather Warren’s startup. The Beverly Cleary character’s adventures didn’t resonate so well in Spanish, as Warren found reading a translated version of “Ramona Quimby, Age 8.” In the translated novel, the street names were clumsily juxtaposed with the Spanish prose, not to mention the reference to peanut butter and jelly – which really doesn’t translate well into any other language. So Warren – a bilingual instructional resource teacher in the Madison Metropolitan School District and an active member of Madison Teachers Inc. – took it upon herself to get authentic Spanish language books in the hands of educators. Warren’s Books del Sur is a company that selects and imports Spanish language books from the culture of their student audience, making the texts more entertaining and engaging, said Warren, a teacher at Madison’s Lincoln Elementary School for grades 3 to 5.

Warren said that many classroom resources for upper-grade English Language Learners weren’t up to par, and weren’t relevant to the students. “We did have books in Spanish for our bilingual students, however we didn’t have many and what we did have was mostly translated from English,” Warren said. “We know that the stronger readers are in their first language they will transfer those skills to their second language. Therefore, we wanted quality Spanish literature to improve our students’ literacy skills in their first language.” With help from a friend in Chile and with input from other bilingual teachers, Books del Sur chose a set of books, available through its Web site, www.booksdelsur.com. ■ Read the full Spotlight profile at www.weac.org/spotlight. If you’d like to shine a spotlight on one of your colleagues, e-mail us at inprint@weac.org.

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Student WEA’s Outreach to Teach to make a big difference in Pardeeville 200 volunteers will help rehab two elementary schools

and overgrown flowerbeds “brings a boost to morale.”

This April, 200 Student WEA members will gather in Pardeeville to help renovate and rehab two elementary schools. In the annual Student WEA Outreach to Teach event, future educators will be painting outside and inside walls as well as playground equipment, giving the landscaping a facelift and making some light repairs on two Pardeeville-area schools.

Outreach to Teach is Student WEA’s effort to fill the gap where school districts have been forced to cut back on necessities due to stateimposed revenue controls. Outreach to Teach gives future educators real experience and opportunity to work with current educators, association members and involved parents while helping to create a bright and pleasant learning environment.

The event is welcome help to the staff in Pardeeville, where budget cuts have had significant impacts. “The budgets are so tight that when we need paint and mulch, those are the first things to go,” said Lisa Weatherbee, a teacher at Pardeeville Area School District’s Marcellon Elementary School, a building that houses fifth-grade students. Weatherbee said having Student WEA members touch up cracked, peeling walls

“You look at the same cracked paint on the wall, and you try to cover it up with bulletin board materials, but to have people come out and show they care is amazing,” she said. “It’s pretty exciting.”

The effort will bring together Student WEA members, teachers, public school students and the community to highlight the success of Wisconsin’s public schools and to rally support for public education. The Student WEA Board of Directors voted in October to bring the 12th annual Outreach to Teach to Pardeeville, said Erin Flanagan, Student WEA state secretary and Outreach to Teach coordinator for 2010. The Pardeeville district has been under such

budget constraints that it will see a referendum question on ballots this April, just as one passed in 2007 expires. Roughly 200 Student WEA members will be in Pardeeville on April 17-18 to renovate playground areas, design and paint classroom and hallway murals, paint exterior walls and build shelves at the district’s two elementary schools. Flanagan, who is a student at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, said the Outreach effort will continue right up until the event, with a fundraising drive to support the work done at the schools and determining what projects can be done. “The amount of volunteers we can accommodate depends on several factors, including how much money we raise,” she said. “If we are able to purchase more supplies, we will be able to have more volunteers complete more projects at both sites.” ■ For more on the Outreach to Teach event, visit the ”New & Future Educators“ section of www.weac.org.

O N L I N E E X T R A S | Get more from WEAC in Print on the Web Get ready for Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2-8 May 2-8 is National Teacher Appreciation Week and May 4 is National Teacher Day. This is a time when communities honor local educators who are diligent in their daily work in the classroom to make our schools great. Visit www.weac.org/taw as we get closer to May for public relations resources such as fliers to help you celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week. Additionally, if you have any questions or would like more information about events, please contact Anne Egan-Waukau at waukaua@weac.org or call 800-354-7816, extension 1109. ■

Win tickets for your class to attend Weather Day at Miller Park WEAC is teaming up with the K INTO Milwaukee Brewers and Today’s TMJ4 for G MILLER PAR WE’RE TURNIN ’S LARGEST a day of fun and learning at Miller Park, WISCONSIN and you can win free tickets for you and your entire class to attend Weather Day on April 28. All you need to do to qualify is tell us why your class would like to attend Weather Day at Miller Park. Simply comment on our Web site or on the WEAC Facebook page. The entry deadline is noon, April 7. To enter, visit www.weac.org/contests. ■

CLASSROO

Keep informed with the WEAC Daily News Blog Written by WEAC staff, the Daily News Blog highlights top education and labor news, with a dash of perspective, and provides you with the opportunity to join the conversation. Sign up at www.weac.org.

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IN MY CLASSROOM

Have a comment? Know of a classroom or project you’d like to see featured in WEAC in Print? Visit www.weac.org/classroom for more.

Menagerie aids conservation, biology classes There’s a lot of things that can be said about Dave Miller’s classroom. You could say it’s a zoo, though there’s not much activity from its biggest population. It’s kind of a hoot, until you realize you’re not hearing that tell-tale sound. What’s most prominent, perhaps, is its history: Among the more than 70 animal mounts spread across the room, there are pieces generally associated only with museums or that are now otherwise outlawed. Miller teaches conservation and biology at D.C. Everest High School in Weston, and assisting him are the mounts of winged and four-footed creatures. Some in the collection, such as owl and eagle mounts, are restricted possessions. “Every animal in the collection has a story of its own,” Miller said.

his lessons, as he’s able to point to a particular species when talking about ecology and conservancy.

Miller taught taxidermy at D.C. Everest from 1975 until 2001, when space restraints caught up with him. But the hobby still remains a big part of

“There’s no doubt about it that they make the connection between the animals when they can see them like this,” Miller said.

Here, Miller tells some of the stories behind his classroom’s menagerie. “The district is afraid to let me retire,” Miller said jokingly, “because I have all the history of every animal here in my head.” ■

Conservation/biology teacher D.C. Everest High School, Weston

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2 1) Ewald Lindow, a Medford taxidermist, donated numerous mounts to D.C. Everest High School in the 1960s and those pieces formed the core of the collection in Miller’s class. “No one is quite sure why he donated his mounts to our school as he did not reside in our district,” Miller said. One of Lindow’s deer heads in the classroom has a wooden plate on it reading “Shot and mounted by Ewald Lindow in 1894.”

Dave Miller

2) All species of owls are protected and their mounts generally are not allowed to be on display, Miller said. The school has a collector’s permit based on its educational mission.

3) Eagles also are protected. Owning an eagle feather is against federal law for those not of Native American ancestry. This mount is on loan from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

4) A student’s father was a DNR warden and would donate carcasses confiscated from illegal kills to Miller. This loon, for instance, came to Miller after a call to a warden about “sick ducks.” When a warden responded, the caller told him she had killed the animals because she didn’t want to see them suffer. She did not realize they were loons. March-April 2010

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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. W W W. W E A C . O R G / S H A R E P H O T O S

What did you do to celebrate Read Across America in your school? Let us know by visiting the WEAC Facebook page at www.facebook.com/myweac.

Link your students to role of labor in history Wisconsin took a big step toward honoring the history of labor this past December by making the teaching of labor history part of the state’s educational standards. In April you can get some insight into how you can incorporate labor history in your teaching and make it relevant to students. The Wisconsin Labor History Society is using its 29th annual conference to address how best to encourage teachers and students to become engaged in learning about labor history. The conference, titled “Linking Students to Labor’s History,” centers on exploring ways to effectively implement the nation’s first “Labor History in the Schools” law passed in 2009. Unionists, educators and others are welcome to attend the historic conference.

ABOVE: Kenosha Education Association President Mary Modder read ”Horton Hears a Who“ at Brass Community School to help celebrate Read Across America. Here, Modder (back row, left) gathers with Sara Yee’s first-grade class. Modder and Yee helped children increase their appreciation for books during Read Across America week, the celebration of reading that coincides with Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2 and brings together more than 45 million readers across the country. RIGHT: WEAC Vice President Guy Costello reads to Vicki Lutz and Penny Jamir's second-grade students in the library at Webster Elementary School in Green Bay.

weac.org video

Go to www.weac.org/video to watch a video of how Eau Claire educators celebrated Read Across America with help from WEAC President Mary Bell.

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March-April 2010

The conference features a panel discussion on the topic of “Linking Teachers and Students with Labor History,” including discussions by representatives of the state Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Historical Society, as well as classroom teachers. An afternoon discussion on the topic of “Making the Labor History in the Schools Law Work” will place a focus on how labor history education can help build the labor movement. Among those participating in a panel discussion will be Wisconsin AFLCIO President David Newby, Fond du Lac Education Association President and NEA Director Hedy Eischeid, AFT-Wisconsin President Bryan Kennedy, and South Central Federation of Labor President Jim Cavanaugh. The conference is held from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 17 at the IBEW Joint Apprenticeship Training Center in Wauwatosa. It costs $25 to attend, or $10 for students or those unemployed. For more information, visit www. wisconsinlaborhistory.org. ■ 5

Representative Assembly to decide WEAC offices One contested race will be decided at the 2010 WEAC Representative Assembly to be held April 23-25 in Green Bay. Two candidates are running for WEAC Vice President. Candidates are running unopposed for WEAC President, NEA Director Seat #2, NEA Director Seat #3, and Alternate NEA Director. Here is candidate information for each race, written in their own words:

—2010 WEAC RA— Dates: April 23-25 Location: Green Bay For More Information: Visit www.weac.org/ra2010

Mary Bell, President I recently visited a classroom in Rusk County, in Northern Wisconsin. Still one of the poorest counties in the state, it’s hard for students to get past a limited vision of their own futures. They were mildly impressed to meet someone they might have seen on TV, but when I told them I had actually met one of their favorite professional wrestlers, my credibility soared. My advice to them: Seize the opportunities that come your way. Actively look for them in your school. And don’t fear hard work. Have we at WEAC seized opportunities for schools in the last three years? We’ve had some successes: Prep time is now a mandatory subject of bargaining; the unfair bargaining law is gone; ESP members have increased equity in retirement; and meaningful evaluation systems are being developed because teachers are empowered by changes we made to qualify for Race to the Top funds. We also helped elect a pro-education State Superintendent and established productive relationships with the governor and legislative leaders. There’s so much more to do: fix school funding, upgrade technology, provide sufficient resources… What do you think we need? Come and talk to me. Invite me to visit your schools. Betsy Kippers, Vice President It has been my privilege to serve as secretary-treasurer for WEAC for the past three years. I have held several leadership roles in the

Racine Education Association, including local president. I began my career as a physical education teacher. From the first moment I became a union activist, it has been my lifelong goal to ensure that all voices are heard and members are engaged and empowered. Identifying the needs of our membership and increasing their willingness to work for change ultimately determines our success as a union.

We must improve the capacity of WEAC to act as a force for change on issues critical to us and the future of public education. The next vice president must be a proven leader who, even in challenging times, has demonstrated the ability to build strong locals and increase member engagement to produce solutions that make a difference. I have met these requirements. I have spent my entire career as an activist, leader, advocate, and fiscal steward working at the grassroots level to create the environment necessary for change. With your support, I will continue to address your needs and work to make our union and public education stronger. Shelly Moore, Vice President I currently serve you as one of your NEA Directors and, as I reach the end of my term, I hope that I have your support to continue the significant work ahead of us as the next WEAC Vice President. The future of our union depends on energizing young leaders and the vigorous advancement of our professions, a challenge for which I am uniquely qualified. A WEAC member for twelve years, I have learned from our impressive traditions and leaders and served in numerous capacities including: NEA Director, WEAC Board of Directors, WEAC Legislative Committee, numerous local and WCEA UniServ positions, ten WEAC RAs and nine NEA RAs. Additionally, I advance the profession as a DPI trained mentor, PDP verifier, and National Board Certified Teacher. While these offices establish my qualifications, my enthusiasm, ideas, energy, and dedication attest to the strong leader I will continue to be for you. The future of our organization requires a team of leaders who are prepared for the future, challenging others to grow and change, and who are willing to challenge the status quo. I am such a person. I appreciate your consideration of Shelly Moore for WEAC Vice President. continued on next page

CHANGES TO 10 WEAC RESOLUTIONS ARE PROPOSED The WEAC Resolutions Committee is proposing changes to 10 resolutions this year. No new resolutions are being proposed. The committee is proposing to amend the following Resolutions: • Resolution A-5 Pupil and Other Support Services • Resolution A-11 Financial Support for Education (first sentence of seventh paragraph) • Resolution A-19 Home Schools • Resolution A-20 Assessment and Standardized Testing • Resolution A-21 AIDS Guidelines, to be renamed HIV/AIDS Guideline • Resolution B-15 Telecommunications Technology • Resolution B-35 Technology’s Effect on Teacher Workload, to be renamed Technology and Teacher Effectiveness 6

• Resolution C-18 Education Employee Evaluation • Resolution C-25 Basic Contract Standards (item number 16) • Resolution C-26 Salaries and Benefits (second paragraph after the numbered list) The exact wording of changes being proposed is included in RA delegate packets and can be found at www.weac.org/resolutions. The Resolutions Committee will hold an open hearing at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 24, at the Representative Assembly in Green Bay. Under committee guidelines, resolutions previously rejected by the committee or resolutions of an emergency nature which have arisen after the stated 92-day deadline of January 22, 2010, may be presented to the committee at that hearing. The committee requests 10 copies of each resolution. ■ March-April 2010

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Laura L. Vernon, NEA Director, Seat #2 I have been on an amazing journey. Thank all of you for this unforgettable opportunity. My first passion is the protection of our children and the right for every child to have a quality public education. My journey has put me, as an activist fighting for public education on a team that is fearless in battle, protecting members’ rights and tirelessly taking your desires and concerns to a national and federal level. Representing you as one of your NEA Directors has afforded me countless avenues to take a stand for Wisconsin and public education. Serving on state and national committees, serving as an ambassador for NEA as an ESP, serving on state legislative committees. Your NEA Directors always carry our state and national messages to our Senate and Congressional legislators in Washington, D.C. I also never forget how important local involvement is. That is why I continue to serve on the bargaining team and the educational assistant executive council, fighting local battles against adversaries of public education. I would be honored to continue to serve you as one of your NEA Directors. Britt Hall, NEA Director, Seat #3 Britt Hall: Leader for All. A good leader must listen. This year I have had several conversations with members from across Wisconsin. Many do not understand our union structure or how it helps them as professionals. While they love and are committed to education, our members are struggling in the classrooms without adequate time or resources to do their best. These listening opportunities have reinforced my belief that we must work together to provide quality public education for Wisconsin’s Students - all students Pre-K-16. All educators should be supported and recognized for the important work they do. To this end, I have strongly advocated for maintaining ESP jobs in Milwaukee, and I assisted Wausau in building infrastructure needed to insure a strong local union. From a personal perspective, I continue to marvel as my daughter learns the complex skills needed to succeed as an educator. Educators of today, as well as those of the future, will need a strong union structure to facilitate positive learning outcomes in the classroom. We do face a wide variety of challenges. I promise to tirelessly advocate for quality public education in Wisconsin. That is my pledge: Britt Hall a leader for All. Brad Lutes, Alternate NEA Director Having spent the past year as your Alternate NEA Director, I have learned a lot. I have learned more about how things operate at the NEA level and just how important the role of a NEA Director is to our state. I have learned it is necessary to have conversations, tough conversations, especially with those you don’t always agree with. I have learned how vital it is to look at issues through a more global lens. Our personal experiences provide background, but we must look at all sides of an issue to truly do what is best for the future of our association. I have also learned that there is always more to learn. I am very excited about the direction that WEAC is moving. Our association does things at the state and national level that are the envy of other states and much of that is due to how progressive thinking we are. It has been an absolute privilege to represent all of you this past year. With your support, I am excited to serve you for another term as Alternate NEA Director!

NEA Fund

RA aims to keep national voice intact All politics is local. Even what’s done in Washington, D.C. Stimulus packages, jobs bills, and – most importantly – education reform laws all will affect you and your schools. It’s important that the voice of educators be a part of the national discussion. And that’s where the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education comes in. The NEA Fund helps to further the work of pro-public education candidates at the federal level. When elected officials work with the nation’s educators, we can ensure great public schools and high-quality resources for every student. The Fund depends on you. Your dues dollars cannot be given to federal candidates, and your voluntary donations to the Fund drive its mission. Likewise, contributions to state and local political committees are not used at the federal level. Your contribution to the NEA Fund is the easiest and best way to reinforce the voice of educators nationwide. Every dollar given to the NEA Fund goes directly to electing pro-public education candidates of both political parties. Who is that in Wisconsin? It is Congressman Dave Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, who has long been a friend of public education. It is Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who sided with WEAC in opposing mayoral takeover of Milwaukee’s public schools. And they are Wisconsin’s other allies in Congress – Senator Russ Feingold, Senator Herb Kohl, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, Congressman Steve Kagen, and Congressman Ron Kind – who have championed proposals such as federal stimulus measures to provide staff and building funds for our schools at a critical time of reduced local spending. Our representatives in Congress have advocated for significant increases in federal education spending when our state has needed it most. This work will continue to be vital to keep our economy going and our schools strong, and the NEA Fund will keep this momentum going by keeping our voice intact in Washington with our elected officials. So how can you help? If you’re a delegate to the WEAC Representative Assembly on April 23-25, you’ll be presented with the opportunity to give there. If not, reach out to your RA delegate (or respond to their requests to you) to be as generous as you can for this critical cause. For more information, visit www.neafund.org. ■

Thank you. ■

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committed to raising money to aid those fighting cancer. The group started with him and 14 continued from page 1 students. Now it counts 320 students and 10 faculty advisers among its ranks. “I never realized it would blow up like this,” said Nesvacil, 34. “It’s really catching on.” The group runs two major fundraisers during the school year, a carnival in the fall and a dessert gala (formerly a five-course dinner) in the spring. Those fundraisers channel money into gas cards or restaurant gift certificates given to people undergoing cancer treatment. The Sting Cancer group also lends a hand raking leaves or shoveling driveways for people, who are picked for help based on applications. Sting Cancer has helped 250 families in the Green Bay area over the last six years, Nesvacil said. “We’re able to give back 100 percent of what we raise. It goes right back into the community,” he said.

At the Capitol Facing retirement and cancer, Bill Van Lieshout still made a pitch for the schools he loves. In January, the recently retired Merrill Middle School teacher gave a speech to state lawmakers where he put in a plug for school funding reform, urging lawmakers to remember that “education is the key to success.” He says education has revolved around nearly everything he has achieved in his life, from being a star athlete to his career as a physical education instructor to coaching numerous sports teams. “I didn’t plan it that way, but that’s the way it worked out,” Van Lieshout said during an offweek in his chemotherapy schedule. Since his diagnosis, the Oshkosh community has rallied to honor Van Lieshout. After he helped raise money to renovate and expand a tennis center at Oshkosh North High School, the center was named for him. He was also inducted into the Wisconsin Tennis Coaches Association and Fox Valley Tennis Association halls of fame. State Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) nominated Van Lieshout for a Hometown Hero award

in January. As part of the Hometown Hero award, Van Lieshout spoke before the state Assembly on January 28, donning a red UW baseball hat and saying that he wouldn’t have achieved all he had if it weren’t for Wisconsin’s great schools. During the speech to the Assembly, Van Lieshout urged lawmakers to change the school funding formula to give schools the resources they need to flourish. “Oshkosh is probably no different than any other city with budget cuts,” Van Lieshout said to the Assembly. “But we need a strong educational system to keep our state strong.” Van Lieshout said after the speech that he saw the Hometown Hero award speech as a way to make an impact on the Legislature. “There are thousands of teachers like me in the state,” Van Lieshout added. “I just wanted to point out what makes our state strong.”

The journey goes on Your local, state and national unions continue to work with you and for you to fight for your interests. Each step taken to enhance education is by a member just like you. To find out more about the people featured in this story and others who have made a big difference for your profession, as well as how you can take your own small steps, visit www.weac.org/ra2010. ■

MORE SMALL STEPS (AND BIG DIFFERENCES) TO COME The “small steps” WEAC members are taking will continue to lead to big differences. Here are just some of the things on the radar to enhance your profession: Engagement summit, May 22: A statewide Family/School/Community Engagement Summit sponsored by the NEA and WEAC will begin work on enhancing school partnerships with their communities. Diverse groups including the NEA and WEAC, as well as the governor’s office and the Department of Public Instruction, will 8

be convening to solicit ideas on increasing family and community engagement. Proposals developed at the Wisconsin summit will be bought to a national summit in the fall to further drive the need to strengthen school bonds with community and family groups. Air quality task force: The effort to ensure the environmental health and safety of students and staff in our public schools moved forward recently as a state task force dedicated to the topic began its work. The group, called the Indoor Environmental

Quality in Schools Task Force, was born out of the School Indoor Environmental Quality bill and counts WEAC as one of its member groups. Dropout prevention: WEAC was one of the participants in a first-of-its-kind Wisconsin Graduation Summit this March in Pewaukee. The summit brought together school districts with the highest dropout rates or the greatest disparities in graduation rates with the intention of learning from effective strategies. ■ March-April 2010

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Elections/vacancies, membership on tap for amendment changes At the 2010 WEAC Representative Assembly to be held April 23-25 in Green Bay, four Constitution/Bylaw amendments are being proposed. The underlined sections contain the proposed revisions, followed by comments from the WEAC President and a recommendation by the WEAC Board.

Amendment 1 ARTICLE VI - BOARD OF DIRECTORS SECTION 4 - Terms a. The terms of all elected officers of the Board of Directors shall begin on August 1 immediately following their election. Beginning with the 2013 meeting of the Representative Assembly, the President, Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected simultaneously. In order to effectuate the change to simultaneous elections, the 2012 election of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be for a term of one year only. The term of office of elected officers of the Board of Directors shall be limited to a total of six (6) consecutive years in one office. Submitted by: President Mary Bell Purpose/What It Does: Creates a cycle in which WEAC officers are elected at the same time. Rationale: To allow for a more cohesive and collaborative team. Board Recommendation: No position Vote Required: Two-thirds

Amendment 2 ARTICLE VI - BOARD OF DIRECTORS SECTION 6 - Vacancies a. The Vice President shall succeed to the office of President in case of vacancy in that office. The Board of Directors shall fill, by election, all other vacancies in the elected offices on the Board of Directors but such individuals shall serve through the July 31 following the next election possible under the filing rules. b. A vacancy in the office of Vice President or Secretary-Treasurer shall be filled within sixty (60) days by a majority vote of the total membership of the Board of Directors. At the next annual meeting of the Representative Assembly, a Vice President or Secretary-

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AT A G L A N C E Amendment 1: WEAC leadership elections will be held in same year. Amendment 2: Leadership vacancies will be filled by vote of WEAC Board. Amendment 3: Alternate NEA Director can fill NEA Director vacancy. Amendment 4: School board negotiating team members can have WEAC membership denied.

Treasurer shall be elected to complete the unexpired term. Adjust lettering of subsequent paragraphs as necessary. Submitted by: President Mary Bell Purpose/What It Does: Creates a procedure to deal with filling vacancies in unexpired terms of the Vice President or Secretary-Treasurer. Rationale: To create a clear written policy as to the proper procedure to fill such vacancies. Previously no official procedure existed. Board Recommendation: Support Vote Required: Two-thirds

Amendment 3 ARTICLE V - ALTERNATE NEA DIRECTOR SECTION 1 - Function There shall be one alternate NEA Director, who shall serve in place of an NEA Director who is unable to attend a meeting of the NEA Board of Directors or the WEAC Board of Directors. If an NEA Director is unable to complete his or her term, the Alternate NEA Director shall fill the vacancy for the balance of the term. The vacant Alternate NEA Director Position shall be filled within sixty (60) days by a majority vote of the total membership of the Board of Directors. Submitted by: President Mary Bell Purpose/What It Does: Creates a procedure to deal with filling vacancies in unexpired terms of the Alternate NEA Director.

Rationale: To create a clear written policy on the procedures to fill a vacant NEA Director position. Previously one did not exist. Board Recommendation: Support, with the deletion of the last sentence: The vacant alternate NEA Director Position shall be filled within sixty (60) days by a majority vote of the total membership of the Board of Directors. Vote Required: Two-thirds

Amendment 4 Bylaw 2 - MEMBERSHIP 2-1 Rights and Limitations a. The right to vote and to hold elective office or appointive position shall be limited to members of member organizations, except as otherwise provided. No person shall be eligible to be an officer or member of the Board of Directors or member of a Standing Committee of the Association who is a member of any organization which is seeking to replace WEAC and its member organizations as the bargaining agent. b. An individual who is a member of a negotiating team representing a school board or representing a board of trustees of a higher education institution shall be denied membership if such denial is requested by a governing body of an Association affiliate in the school district or higher education institution where the individual is serving on the negotiating team. The procedure governing this process shall be set forth in the WEAC Policy Handbook. Submitted by: President Mary Bell Purpose/What It Does: To bring WEAC in compliance with the NEA Bylaw 2-3d and to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest and to prevent WEAC members from bargaining against each other. Board Recommendation: Support Vote Required: Majority Note: If this amendment to the Bylaws were to pass, language would be inserted into WEAC Policies which would 1) be consistent with the NEA provision which says that the procedure for denial of membership would be adopted by the NEA Executive Committee Rules; 2) be consistent with already existing provisions in the WEAC Policies such as the Removal or Discipline of a member and 3) allow the Board to make changes if need be. â&#x2013; 9

An option for

Post-employment benefits O

ne financial challenge facing WEAC members is dealing with the cost of health insurance after retirement. In 2008, the WEA Trust introduced TrustSecure, designed to help members with this challenge. In many districts, the union and the board of education have negotiated contracts that call for the employer to pay some portion of the health insurance cost for retirees. However, new government accounting standards are causing many districts to revisit these post-retirement benefits. That’s because the new standards require districts to show what they expect to pay for retirees in the future on their financial statements. That is prompting many employers to create arrangements to set aside a certain amount for their employees’ retirement benefits while the employees are still working. That is, these plans are set up to pre-fund some of the costs for retirees. Many such plans offered by commercial companies are more favorable to the employers than to the employees. The Trust plan, TrustSecure, is more favorable for union members.

contributed to the plan is invested in a WEA Trust investment portfolio. This money accrues for employees to use for reimbursements. One benefit that sets TrustSecure apart from other post-employment funding options is the tax-exempt reimbursements. All qualified earnings and reimbursements from TrustSecure are tax exempt, which means every dollar contributed equals a dollar in payment for qualified health expenses. TrustSecure can also be portable, meaning if an employee leaves a job at a district after an agreed upon time period, the employee keeps the rights to the accrued funds. Also, spouses and qualified dependents can use TrustSecure for eligible medical expenses.

A bargained option

How it works

TrustSecure is a group plan that is available to all districts with a WEACaffiliated collective bargaining unit. It must be bargained between an employer and the union before an employee can participate.

TrustSecure is designed for employers to make tax-exempt contributions and for retirees to get tax-exempt reimbursements for qualified medical expenses. Money

If your bargaining team wants to learn more about TrustSecure, call the WEA Trust at (800) 279-4000, or go online to weatrust.com. ■

Long-term care: Essential to financial security Without the protection of a long-term care (LTC) insurance policy, members of all ages are vulnerable to the high cost of extended care that’s often needed after a serious accident or illness. Why? Because even the very best health insurance policy has limited, short-term coverage (for “skilled” care only), and NO coverage for long-term care (“non-skilled”). The same is true for Medicare. Neither were designed to cover LTC services. Typical causes of long-term care include auto accidents, diabetes, complications of surgery, multiple sclerosis and cognitive impairment. If you were to suffer a stroke today and required a long recuperation, how would you pay for the high cost of care? Out of your income? Your savings? Your assets? Because we don’t want members to be blind-sided by reality, WEA Trust Member Benefits is preparing to offer new longterm care insurance options to WEAC members and their families this spring. Call (800) 279-4010 ext. 6636 for more information. ■

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WEACinPrint

By Bob Moeller – WEAC Member Benefits Take control of your personal finances

A good, low-risk income investment Many members are looking for a way to generate more income on their investments, and the U.S. government has created a new type of bond which has finally been utilized by an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) as its main investment. This enables you to invest in a large number of different issues with just one purchase. In one of the government’s many attempts at saving the economy, we now have Build America Bonds (BABs). These are Municipal Bonds, meaning that they represent money borrowed by a government entity such as a city, county, or state. Thirty BAB issues have been done in Wisconsin already. Usually, Municipal Bonds are federal tax exempt, but these are not. Rather, their interest is fully taxable, just as interest on a corporate bond is. Because of this, they will generally have a yield similar to corporate bonds, such yield depending on the length of term and the quality rating. Why would a municipality issue these rather than regular tax-free bonds? Because the Treasury Department is reimbursing the municipality 35% of its interest costs. If yields are similar to corporate bonds, why buy these? The big difference is safety. While not government-insured, statistics indicate the total default rate on all investment-grade corporate bonds rated by Standard & Poor’s to be 2.25% between 1990 and 2008. Total default on all Municipal Bonds was only about .06% Now, most members are not going to try to find individual bonds to buy. Just recently PowerShares, which has a lot of Exchange

Free Financial Seminars Pre-registration is required April 7: Madison, 608-257-0491 April 8: Sheboygan, 800-834-7076 April 13: Green Bay, 800-472-5582 April 15: Appleton, 920-731-1369 April 20: Fond du Lac, 800-236-9887 April 22: La Crosse, 800-753-0987 April 27: Rice Lake, 800-472-6711 April 28: Menomonie, 800-472-6801 May 4: Rhinelander, 800-367-4901 May 5: Mosinee, 800-472-0010 Traded Funds, announced one for BABs. Indeed, the symbol is BAB. The rules they use for the fund are: 1. At least 80% of the fund will be in BABs. (Probably will be closer to 100%) 2. All holdings must be investment grade. 3. All holdings will be fully disclosed every day. 4. All must have at least 1 year to maturity. A brief note on ETFs. The first ETFs were designed to duplicate stock index funds. There’s not much trading so costs are very low. ETFs are purchased like shares of stock but they are shares of a mutual fund. There are now many kinds of ETFs, including BAB, which trades on the stock exchange. Right

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now it is about $25 per share. Your money is invested in a variety of Municipal Bonds, all investment grade. The fund has only declared one dividend so far and you can’t rely on that first dividend to indicate the continuing yield, but it was a little over 6% annual rate. I would guess a good solid 5% would be reasonable to expect over a longer period. Your total management fees are a reasonable .35% per year. That means with $10,000 invested here your total annual fee is $35. You should only buy this through a discount brokerage where your total commission for the trade might be about $10 if you trade over the Internet, which you should. There are several like Fidelity, ETrade, Ameritrade, Scottrade, etc., which are fine. Just add .com after the name and you can explore their site. Your main concern with this investment would be what is called interest rate risk. You are buying a portfolio of fixed rate bonds. Let’s say your average yield is 5%. If interest rates were to suddenly go up, your investment in 5% bonds doesn’t look so valuable to a new buyer so your bond resale values will go down. The measuring of that drop is referred to as the “duration.” The BAB ETF has a duration of about 10 years, meaning if interest rates went up 1%, this fund might drop 10%. This is higher than I would like given the fact that interest rates are very low right now. But, over time, this ETF would be replacing its bonds with new bonds at a higher rate. Your annual income would not go down because of the change. In summary, this is something to consider for low-risk income which is higher than CD rates. This article is for informational purposes only. ■

Leave a comment at the Dollars & Sense blog at www.weac.org/dollars.

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March-April 2010

The next step in Moving Education Forward Reach out to your local president to join school funding actions in your district see what’s being done in your district. The first action as part of the Moving Education Forward effort is for your local union to do an assessment of how school funding has affected your school and to have your colleagues and community members sign This coming April 19-23 is Education a resolution supporting reform. The next Forward Action Week. It’s a way for action is to engage us to show our the community in community and why school funding our elected officials reform is needed how school funding Visit www.weac.org/schoolfunding (some members, problems have for more information on the Moving for instance, are impacted our Education Forward actions as well distributing fliers to schools. as Education Forward Action Week parents). And the We need to April 19-23. You'll find tip guides for third action is to show our district’s holding local actions and ideas on tell lawmakers what parents and family what actions to participate in. they can do to help members that class our state’s students. sizes are growing There’s much and course offerings we can do to Move Education Forward, and are being cut back. We also need to explain it’s time to take the next step. Your local to our state legislators that the state school president and UniServ director have lots of funding formula is putting too much information about actions being organized of a burden on local taxpayers to fund across the state to educate our community education. and our lawmakers that we need a better In short, our students need your help. way to fund our schools. Some of it is as Reach out to your local union president to

O N

T H E

W E B

33 Nob Hill Road, P.O. Box 8003 Madison, WI 53708-8003 800-362-8034 www.weac.org

School funding continues to be WEAC’s number one priority, and you can help in Moving Education Forward by taking action in your community to raise awareness of school funding reform.

simple as writing a postcard or wearing a button. Reach out to your local president or UniServ director to see how you can help out. You can also learn more about how we’re Moving Education Forward by visiting www.weac.org/schoolfunding. ■

ON APRIL 6, SUPPORT SCHOOL REFERENDUM QUESTIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY As we all know, school funding problems are hitting virtually every school district in the state. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the overwhelming number of school district referendum questions to be voted on April 6. Remember that you have a say in how your community funds education. Either by pressing school boards not to make cuts or advocating for referendum questions, you can make a difference in maintaining the education at your school.

VOTE ABSENTEE If you are going to be away during the April 6 elections, don't let your voice go unheard in local politics. You can vote absentee to make your vote count. Go to elections.state.wi.us for information on how to vote absentee.

There are at least 46 school referendum questions to be decided on April 6, in 36 districts. This shows the

serious need for state reform of school funding – which your union is working on as our top priority. In the meantime, if your district is going to referendum, do your part to educate voters on what adequate funding means to their children. With consequences of surging class sizes, reduced course offerings and building closures, voters need to know how important resources are to their children’s schools. Stand up, speak your part and make a difference this April 6. ■