VEA Preserves Your Pension Benefit…Again

Your activism guaranteed that, at least this year, local school divisions will not be allowed to reduce your salary by 5 percent as a contribution to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). That's a proposal VEA already had defeated during the regular General Assembly session. During the April "veto" session, VEA members again defeated the 5-percent proposal when it re-emerged from the desk of Gov. Bob McDonnell. VEA has pointed out that shifting the 5-percent burden from the school employer to the school employee does nothing to improve the fiscal health of VRS overall. For more news on the 2011 General Assembly, click here.

REGGIE SMITH ORGANIZING SCHOOL

WE'RE TAKING BACK

OUR  PROFESSION

Join us and learn how to bring about the change you want to see in your school and in your local school division.  We'll teach you the organizing skills that will allow you to act with knowledge and confidence to improve your working and learning conditions.

 
JULY 26-28, 2011
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND

Learn more at http://www.veanea.org.  Click on the "Reggie Smith Organizing School" link.

Registration closes on May 6, 2011.

Register here.

Wearing Blue on May 3rd for National Teacher Day

Time is short for implementing a New Business Item that was passed at our recent Delegate Assembly -- that VEA encourage members to wear blue to support public education on May 3, National Teacher Day, and that we assist local associations in gaining publicity for the observance.

We are using our internal communications vehicles to notify our members of the action--the VEA News, our website, our e-source newsletter and our Facebook page.

And with this email, we are encouraging our local associations to get involved to help publicize the day.  Thank you for doing what you can to help publicize this event and to encourage our members to wear blue on May 3. That includes all of our members, teachers and education support professional alike.

 

Kitty Boitnott, PhD., NBCT

President

Virginia Education Association

EAA Update April 2011

Dear Members,

First, we are almost there…..Spring Break! It has been a long year and I know we are all looking forward to time with family and friends.  Please make sure you make plans to enjoy the quiet!

Now to the rest of business!  The budget season is nearly over.  We have some numbers to go over with Mrs. Byess.  I believe that the compensation package for next year will result in a NET increase for most staff members, but we still have more numbers to flesh out.  If you have questions about the plan, please see your building rep.

Special thanks to the building reps at TC Williams, Minnie Howard, Hammond Middle School, Lyles-Crouch and Polk for having building meetings.  It is very important that we spread the word!  Please, please make sure that you are keeping up and communicating with your members.  If you would like Lisa or I to attend a meeting, please just let me know!

If you are interested in becoming more involved in EAA, please consider attending the Reggie Smith Organizing School Event in Richmond July 26-28, 2011 at the University Of Richmond.  If you have interest, please contact me at ginaEAA@gmail.com.  The specifics can be found at http://www.veanea.org

We have had some victories!  Meet and Confer have asked for two years to find a way to take the SOL mastery off teachers’ plates.  As we all know, SOL mastery is not data-driven, never used to guide instruction and just a huge amount of time.  I am hoping we can show these same skills on IAPs in some form in the future.

Meet and Confer is working on the following issues: Evaluations for all administrators by their schools’ staff, agendas and evaluations for all staff development (every session), and attaching test scores to teacher evaluations.  Our big goal for the rest of the year will be making sure that every employee works to assure that classroom staff receives prompt, correct and complete information so they can focus on the real work of student achievement for all students.  Please send your concerns to me if you would like us to discuss something with Dr. Sherman and his senior staff.

Special thanks to all the building reps who send email notes saying that you cannot attend EAA meetings.  I really appreciate the emails.  Please keep it up!

Thank you and have a great Spring Break!

Gina