Good afternoon. Earlier this week, the IPACE Executive Committee met to discuss Lobby Day in 2012. AFTER LISTENING TO A RECOMMENDATION FROM A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE IPACE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY DECIDED TO NOT HAVE LOBBY DAY IN SPRINGFIELD. Instead, our Lobbying will be done back home throughout the spring legislative session.
The rationale for the decision was based on several factors, most significantly the fact that Capitol Building is undergoing a major renovation that would have severely limited the access of our members to the Capitol and their legislators. During the 18 month construction project, there will be limited restroom facilities, the tunnel connecting the Stratton Building to the Capitol will be closed and there
will be limited entrances into the building. Additionally, the back Home lobbying, which we hope will begin in January, since the General Assembly does not come into session until the end of January, will
enable our members more time to meet with their legislators and express their concerns around our critical issues. The committee will be encouraging members to use exiting teams that consist of their Region Chair, Uniserv Director and Grass Roots Political Activist (GPA) to schedule and attend meetings.
There will be limited resources available, based upon need and upon request, to ensure that our members are unencumbered in their efforts to meet with their legislators. To assist members in their efforts, the Government Relations and Communications Departments will work to create fact sheets, and logistical materials to assist members in their efforts.
We are hopeful that this endeavor will result in a positive experience for our members and provide legislators with an opportunity to hear first-hand the interests and concerns of their constituents.
More information will follow in the weeks to come.
Jim Reed, Jr.
Director of Government Relations
Monday, December 12, 2011
NEA Stakes a Claim in Teacher Effectiveness
A National Education Association commission today issued a report today with specific recommendations for upping pre-service requirements, establishing career paths for teachers, and developing new evaluation systems.
The commission, assembled last summer by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, was charged with examining options and making recommendations about how to help the union promote effective teaching practices.
At a press event this morning, Van Roekel promised that his union would begin a number of new initiatives based on the commission's findings—though how much sway the pronouncement will have on state and local affiliates has yet to be determined.
In a prepared statement, Van Roekel said NEA will support national standards for teacher preparation and licensing. All teacher candidates should have one full year of teaching residency, and pass a performance-based assessment before entering the classroom.
The NEA has supported teacher residency programs in the past, but has not specifically called for all teacher education programs to embrace them. It has long spoken out against alternative-certification routes that permit teachers to learn on the job without a supervised student-teaching experience.
Van Roekel called specifically for the implementation of 50 new residency programs and adoption of performance assessments in at least 10 state licensure systems.
Van Roekel also said NEA would support a career ladder for teachers, with steps including Novice, Professional, and Master Teacher. Those in leadership roles would be evaluated less frequently and earn a higher salary in exchange for working longer hours, mentoring colleagues, and taking on more challenging teaching assignments. In addition, Van Roekel said NEA will help interested affiliates adopt peer-assistance and -review teacher evaluation programs.
Career ladders are permissible under NEA policies, but for a decade, the union opposed nearly all differentiated-compensation programs. That prohibition, listed in resolution F-10, was removed during the union's Representative Assembly in 2011.
The resolution still opposes linking teacher evaluation to additional compensation. One of the recommendations in the Commission's report suggests linking peer review to higher salaries; it was not immediately clear whether the national union will seek to alter this resolution.
Van Roekel's statement did not mention the role of test scores in teacher evaluations. At its Representative Assembly in 2011, the union opened the door to linking the two, but said current tests are not high-quality enough.
The commission report, meanwhile, says teacher should be able to produce student learning outcomes as measured by "classroom, school, district, or state assessments" as evidence of their effectiveness.
Though billed as an independent body, many of the 21 educators and academics chosen to sit on the commission have held leadership positions within NEA affiliates. That said, the commission was provided assistance by an advisory committee, including Tim Daly, president of the New Teacher Project, and Frederick Hess, director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute. Both of them have disputed NEA's positions on teacher policy in the past.
Changes to Illinois Teacher Certifications
The Logan-Mason-Menard Regional Office of Education provides the following information on some major changes occurring in the state of Illinois. Senate Bill 1799 has now become Public Act 97-0607. This law revises the requirements for certification, endorsement and assignment of teachers, school personnel and administrators. The below information is draft format only. The changes include the following: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Certification Illinois will be moving to a new system of certification, to be called licensure, as well as raising the fees for application and renewal fees for certificates and endorsements (see chart). Substitute teacher changes
Lapsed certificates
| Coursework
To renew your teaching certificate, go to www.isbe.net and log into your ECS account. You may also visit the Logan-Mason-Menard Regional Office of Education at 122 N. McLean St. in Lincoln or at the Mason County Courthouse, 125 N. Plum St. in Havana, or call the office at 217-732-8388 or 309-543-2192. Please do not hesitate to contact the office if you have any questions or if the staff can be of any assistance. [Text from file received from Logan-Mason-Menard Regional Office of Education 38] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Another Idea for Managing State Pension Costs
You may have read the stories about how next year’s mandatory state pension payment will rise by a whopping one billion dollars.
The new numbers show the state’s total pension payment, with debt service, will be more than $7.4 billion next fiscal year. This year’s pension payment was originally set at $6.4 billion back in March, but is now $6.5 billion.
Not including federal money, the state budget is around $30 billion. So one out of every four state tax dollars spent next year will go to the pension funds, and every last penny from January’s “temporary” state income tax increase will be used for that pension payment next year.
Add an expected $450 million increase for Medicaid costs, plus higher costs for state employee and retiree health care and other natural programmatic growth, and the state could be looking at yet another major fiscal crisis next year – not to mention that last May the state pushed over a billion dollars in Medicaid payments into next year in order to “balance” this year’s budget.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget office expects state revenues to grow by a billion dollars next fiscal year. The amount of the increased pension payment alone will eat up all of it. There’s no doubt that, without some immediate action, more bigtime budget cuts are on the horizon.
The state’s certified pension payment amount can rise for various reasons. The largest increase this time came from the State University Retirement System, which factored in lower future payroll growth, the recently passed two-tiered pension system for new employees and longer life expectancy.
So, obviously, we need pension reform, right? Make employees pay more of the cost and force the rest of them into “optional” 401(k) programs, even though it’s pretty obvious that the Illinois Constitution forbids a solution like that.
A bill to do just that is sitting in the House awaiting a floor vote. But the proposal, crafted by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, would also jack up the state’s annual pension payment next fiscal year by more than a billion dollars from where it is right now.
Yes, you read that right. If the Illinois General Assembly does nothing, pension costs will rise a billion dollars next year. If legislators approve the much-touted reform bill, pension costs will rise a billion dollars next year.
The pension reform bill is designed to ease pension payment increases down the road. But in the short term, at least, costs will actually rise at a higher rate, depriving the rest of the budget of badly needed funds.
Most of the money owed next fiscal year, like every year, is due to a decades-long practice of not paying or grossly underfunding pension obligations, plus paying off loans that were taken out so the state could skip some more pension payments.
This underfunding problem is as old as the pension systems themselves. Way back in 1950, for example, the Teachers’ Retirement System had what’s called an “unfunded liability” of 77 percent. Yet, the system is still taking in lots more than it’s paying out and no teacher has ever missed a pension check.
The unfunded liability is the amount the system will owe to every potential retiree over the next 30 years. A state law passed in the 1990s put Illinois on track to reach a goal of 90 percent funding for all the pension systems by 2045. The ramp started slow, but then shot straight up over the past several years. The state’s total annual pension payment has doubled in just the past three years because it’s tied to that 90 percent goal.
Asked whether the governor had given any thought to adjusting the “ramp” and lowering the 90 percent target, a spokesperson said the current law remains the administration’s goal. However, she added, “If legislators want to have discussions about that, they can bring it to the table, but we haven’t had serious discussions about that.”
It may be time to rethink this 90 percent solution. The state definitely needs to have enough cash to make sure checks are cut, plus a cushion. But if the Constitution stops Illinois from changing employee benefits, then maybe we can have a discussion of setting a less lofty goal.
The new numbers show the state’s total pension payment, with debt service, will be more than $7.4 billion next fiscal year. This year’s pension payment was originally set at $6.4 billion back in March, but is now $6.5 billion.
Not including federal money, the state budget is around $30 billion. So one out of every four state tax dollars spent next year will go to the pension funds, and every last penny from January’s “temporary” state income tax increase will be used for that pension payment next year.
Add an expected $450 million increase for Medicaid costs, plus higher costs for state employee and retiree health care and other natural programmatic growth, and the state could be looking at yet another major fiscal crisis next year – not to mention that last May the state pushed over a billion dollars in Medicaid payments into next year in order to “balance” this year’s budget.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget office expects state revenues to grow by a billion dollars next fiscal year. The amount of the increased pension payment alone will eat up all of it. There’s no doubt that, without some immediate action, more bigtime budget cuts are on the horizon.
The state’s certified pension payment amount can rise for various reasons. The largest increase this time came from the State University Retirement System, which factored in lower future payroll growth, the recently passed two-tiered pension system for new employees and longer life expectancy.
So, obviously, we need pension reform, right? Make employees pay more of the cost and force the rest of them into “optional” 401(k) programs, even though it’s pretty obvious that the Illinois Constitution forbids a solution like that.
A bill to do just that is sitting in the House awaiting a floor vote. But the proposal, crafted by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, would also jack up the state’s annual pension payment next fiscal year by more than a billion dollars from where it is right now.
Yes, you read that right. If the Illinois General Assembly does nothing, pension costs will rise a billion dollars next year. If legislators approve the much-touted reform bill, pension costs will rise a billion dollars next year.
The pension reform bill is designed to ease pension payment increases down the road. But in the short term, at least, costs will actually rise at a higher rate, depriving the rest of the budget of badly needed funds.
Most of the money owed next fiscal year, like every year, is due to a decades-long practice of not paying or grossly underfunding pension obligations, plus paying off loans that were taken out so the state could skip some more pension payments.
This underfunding problem is as old as the pension systems themselves. Way back in 1950, for example, the Teachers’ Retirement System had what’s called an “unfunded liability” of 77 percent. Yet, the system is still taking in lots more than it’s paying out and no teacher has ever missed a pension check.
The unfunded liability is the amount the system will owe to every potential retiree over the next 30 years. A state law passed in the 1990s put Illinois on track to reach a goal of 90 percent funding for all the pension systems by 2045. The ramp started slow, but then shot straight up over the past several years. The state’s total annual pension payment has doubled in just the past three years because it’s tied to that 90 percent goal.
Asked whether the governor had given any thought to adjusting the “ramp” and lowering the 90 percent target, a spokesperson said the current law remains the administration’s goal. However, she added, “If legislators want to have discussions about that, they can bring it to the table, but we haven’t had serious discussions about that.”
It may be time to rethink this 90 percent solution. The state definitely needs to have enough cash to make sure checks are cut, plus a cushion. But if the Constitution stops Illinois from changing employee benefits, then maybe we can have a discussion of setting a less lofty goal.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
State’s teachers, principals may be graded on students’ test scores
BY ROSALIND ROSSI
Education Reporter rrossi@suntimes.com
All Illinois teachers and principals would be evaluated for the first time in part on how their students perform on tests under new rules proposed Friday by state education officials.
The rules proposed by the Illinois State Board of Education face a 45-day public comment period before being considered for final approval.
The move mirrors a national push to link educator evaluations to how students are doing. Some 20 Illinois districts, including Evanston District 65, currently consider student performance in their teacher evaluations.
The Illinois rules would require teachers to be evaluated based on at least two measures of student “growth’’ over at least two points in time. Off-the-shelf or districtwritten tests could be the basis of one growth measure; teacher-written assessments could be the second. Teacher evaluations also must include observations and ratings of a teacher’s classroom practices by trained evaluators.
Under the Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act signed in 2010, only Chicago is allowed to measure student growth using the state’s Illinois Standards Achievement Tests.
The Illinois Education Association successfully lobbied to prohibit using ISAT elsewhere in Illinois as the basis for any growth calculations because “there’s universal agreement that it’s not a very good test,’’ said IEA executive director Audrey Soglin. “Our teachers don’t have faith in it.’’
Chicago Teachers Union officials say the law was negotiated under different CTU leadership and current union leaders are firmly against using ISATs for any student growth calculations.
“That’s not what the state test was developed for,’’ said CTU Quest Center coordinator Carol Caref.
Chicago Public School spokeswoman Marielle Sainvilus said what tests will be used is open to negotiation.
Under the proposed rules, the new teacher evaluation tools would be phased in, starting in September 2012 with at least 300 Chicago public schools where student growth must count for at least 25 percent of any teacher evaluation. Remaining Chicago schools would beadded the following fall. All schools in the state must use the new evaluation criteria by September 2016.
By September 2014, student growth must count for at least 30 percent of a teacher’s evaluation.
All principals would be evaluated based on the new rules starting in September 2012.
Under another new law, results of the new evaluations can be tied to teacher employment decisions, such as tenure acquisition and layoffs.
Some educators have raised questions about the fairness of using student test growth to evaluate teachers, saying some teachers don’t teach tested subjects; some team-teach or get extra help that may muddy who is responsible for growth, and growth calculations are not an exact science.
“It’s important to figure these things out,” said Robin Steans of Advance Illinois, which supported the rule change. “At the end of the day, all teachers want to be advancing their kids over the course of the year. To the extent that they don’t know if they are doing that, these [evaluations] will drive very healthy discussions.’’
Education Reporter rrossi@suntimes.com
All Illinois teachers and principals would be evaluated for the first time in part on how their students perform on tests under new rules proposed Friday by state education officials.
The rules proposed by the Illinois State Board of Education face a 45-day public comment period before being considered for final approval.
The move mirrors a national push to link educator evaluations to how students are doing. Some 20 Illinois districts, including Evanston District 65, currently consider student performance in their teacher evaluations.
The Illinois rules would require teachers to be evaluated based on at least two measures of student “growth’’ over at least two points in time. Off-the-shelf or districtwritten tests could be the basis of one growth measure; teacher-written assessments could be the second. Teacher evaluations also must include observations and ratings of a teacher’s classroom practices by trained evaluators.
Under the Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act signed in 2010, only Chicago is allowed to measure student growth using the state’s Illinois Standards Achievement Tests.
The Illinois Education Association successfully lobbied to prohibit using ISAT elsewhere in Illinois as the basis for any growth calculations because “there’s universal agreement that it’s not a very good test,’’ said IEA executive director Audrey Soglin. “Our teachers don’t have faith in it.’’
Chicago Teachers Union officials say the law was negotiated under different CTU leadership and current union leaders are firmly against using ISATs for any student growth calculations.
“That’s not what the state test was developed for,’’ said CTU Quest Center coordinator Carol Caref.
Chicago Public School spokeswoman Marielle Sainvilus said what tests will be used is open to negotiation.
Under the proposed rules, the new teacher evaluation tools would be phased in, starting in September 2012 with at least 300 Chicago public schools where student growth must count for at least 25 percent of any teacher evaluation. Remaining Chicago schools would beadded the following fall. All schools in the state must use the new evaluation criteria by September 2016.
By September 2014, student growth must count for at least 30 percent of a teacher’s evaluation.
All principals would be evaluated based on the new rules starting in September 2012.
Under another new law, results of the new evaluations can be tied to teacher employment decisions, such as tenure acquisition and layoffs.
Some educators have raised questions about the fairness of using student test growth to evaluate teachers, saying some teachers don’t teach tested subjects; some team-teach or get extra help that may muddy who is responsible for growth, and growth calculations are not an exact science.
“It’s important to figure these things out,” said Robin Steans of Advance Illinois, which supported the rule change. “At the end of the day, all teachers want to be advancing their kids over the course of the year. To the extent that they don’t know if they are doing that, these [evaluations] will drive very healthy discussions.’’
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Pension Issue Illustrated
A fabulous video by an Illinois art teacher explaining the inequity in the teacher pension system:
http://vimeo.com/27798857
http://vimeo.com/27798857
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
State Pension Overhaul Caught in Limbo
Lawmakers have tinkered on the edges of the state budget during the fall veto session, but it now appears they could close shop for the year on Thursday without plugging the deep hole at the budget’s core: Illinois’s underfinanced pension systems.
Pension reform has been one of the most contentious issues of this legislative session. The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago has engaged in sharp-elbowed lobbying to increase workers’ pension contributions and sponsored a $1.5 million television campaign, under the name “Illinois is Broke.” Unions brought hundreds of state workers, teachers and police officers to Springfield two weeks ago to shout down plans that would force them to pay more toward their pensions.
The problem is severe. By not contributing adequately to its pension systems for decades, Illinois has racked up an estimated $139 billion in obligations, $85 billion it cannot pay. Resources that have been set aside meet only about 38 percent of pension liabilities, according to the nonpartisan Commission on Government Forecasting & Accountability. The Pew Center on the States has called Illinois’ pension problem the worst in the country.
Lawmakers are concerned that what the state owes to future retirees is playing havoc with the budget. State law requires Illinois to catch up with its pension payments by 2045, an effort that could cost the state $20 billion a year starting by then. And the sale of $17.2 billion in pension bonds in recent years has helped raise the state’s indebtedness and brought Illinois’s credit rating to the brink of junk status.
The focus of the pension controversy this week — Senate Bill 512, which would require current state workers to pay more toward their retirements — was held over from the spring session because legislative leaders lacked the votes to pass it. Speaker Michael Madigan, the Democratic majority leader in the House, and Tom Cross, the minority leader, hosted meetings and public hearings about it over the summer. Each committed to line up at least 30 votes, enough for House passage.
Even if the bill passes the House, the Senate president, John Cullerton (D-Chicago), has said he believes it is unconstitutional.
Interviews with legislative leaders, union officials and business leaders suggest that a vote will probably not take place this week. Pressure from organized labor, incumbents’ nervousness about running for re-election in new districts, concern over inciting primary-election challenges and legislators’ penchant for delay when facing politically treacherous issues are creating a strong headwind.
Ultimately, one person will decide whether to call the pension bill for a vote: Madigan. According to legislative and business leaders who have spoken to him, he has not revealed his plans. “This might be something he’d rather do in the spring, but he has not expressed that to me,” said Cross, who is sponsoring the bill with Madigan. “He doesn’t always explain to you what he’s going to do.”
Cross, Madigan and other legislative leaders met twice last week, but the pension bill was not directly addressed in either session, participants said.
If Madigan does not call the bill for a vote, pension overhaul will be put off at least until the legislature convenes in January. At that point, a delay until after the March 2012 primary may be inevitable, to spare lawmakers making a potentially troublesome vote just before their constituents go to the polls.
Tyrone Fahner, the Civic Committee president, deplored any delay. “This all comes from basic cowardice, and I mean that word sincerely,” he said.
The Civic Committee estimates that a delay into the spring session would tack on an additional $7 billion in unfinanced liabilities and interest on pension bonds.
“The situation only gets worse,” said Fahner, a former state attorney general and former chairman of the Mayer Brown law firm.
The bill is still being amended. As written, it would require current state workers, General Assembly members, judges, university staff and teachers to help ease the state’s pension crunch by paying more toward their retirements.
Workers enrolled in the state’s five pension funds would choose among three options. To receive the same benefits currently guaranteed them, they would need to pay anywhere from an additional 4.37 percent for teachers to 23.04 percent more for General Assembly members. They could also choose to switch to a defined-benefit plan, which would require them to work longer to receive a higher benefit.
Or they could pay less into a defined-contribution plan, which would move them into a 401(k)-style investment vehicle with a 6 percent contribution from employees and a 6 percent match by the state.
By giving workers choices and focusing on contributions rather than on benefit cuts, the bill’s supporters hope to comply with a clause in the State Constitution that defines a pension as a contractual commitment, “the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.”
Proponents say the Senate bill gets around the constitutional issue by asking employees, in effect, to volunteer for any changes. They also argue that increased contributions are not technically the same as benefit reductions. Union officials scoff at both suggestions.
“It’s volunteering with a gun to your head,” said Henry Bayer, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, a leader of the union opposition to the proposed changes.
The dispute over constitutionality has led to a war of writs between corporate-backed proponents of change and the labor-led opposition. Eric Madiar, chief legal counsel for Senate Democrats, in a 76-page legal brief cited transcripts from the 1970 state constitutional convention, case law and other primary sources as evidence that pension benefits could not be reduced from the moment a worker is hired through retirement.
The Civic Committee hired a legal team led by a leading appellate lawyer, David W. Carpenter, and argued that a legislature required to protect the state’s general welfare could not commit fiscal suicide by a blind adherence to pension obligations.
Union leaders warn lawmakers to get the constitutionality issue right. “You pass a bill like 512, and we’re going to be in court for two years,” Bayer said. “We’re going to be successful, and then we’ve delayed for two years and we haven’t begun to solve the problem.”
Union members are flooding lawmakers’ offices with phone calls and angry e-mails. Hundreds of state workers, teachers and police officers staged a protest in October, chanting, “We paid our share; you pay yours.”
“Honor the agreements that we have in place,” said a protester, Dan Dunlap, president of A.F.S.C.M.E. Local 1133 in Dwight. “The money was there when the agreements were put into place. They need to find the money that they squandered.”
While Madigan’s game plan is difficult even for insiders to read, he could move quickly. In March 2010, Madigan and Cullerton pushed through a significant pension reform bill, moving the proposal through committees and onto the floor for passage in a single afternoon.
Madigan’s spokesman said the speaker would call Senate Bill 512 as soon as Cross signaled he was ready. Yet without confirmation from Madigan that he will have the 30 Democratic votes needed for passage, Cross is likely to wait.
“When our friends on the other side of the aisle are ready, we’ll be there,” Cross said. “I’ve been living this issue for so long. I’m ready to get it done.”
Letter: Teachers Don’t Deserve SB 512
Legislators returning to Springfield on Tuesday will attempt to pass SB 512, which effectively reduces the pension benefits of current Illinois teachers. Unfortunately, sponsors Tyrone Fahner, president of the Chicago Civic Committee, and our elected legislative leaders Tom Cross and Michael Madigan are not only ignoring the Illinois Constitution pension protection clause but also the following facts:
*SB 512 will violate the Early Retirement Option agreement teachers have paid for in addition to their regular pension payment. This agreement allows teachers to retire under their current pension benefit plan at age 55 and 35 years. (Imagine making extra payments on your mortgage to pay it off early and then being told the rules have changed and none of them count.)
*SB 512 will destroy current teachers’ only retirement plan by increasing their contributions and making it unaffordable for them. (Illinois teachers already pay more for their pension than all other states but six.) Legislators will admit they have no idea how many teachers would be able to stay in their current retirement plan if this bill is passed.
*SB 512 will cost Illinois taxpayers $34 billion in 15 years.
*SB 512 will fail to pay down the pension debt and has little relation to standard actuarial practices
Correcting some of the propaganda reported by the Chicago Civic Committee:
*Teachers do not receive an overly generous pension but only average when compared to 85 other public employee retirement systems nationwide.
*Teachers do not receive a full pension after 20 years, but only what is earned.
*Teachers do not receive free retirement health insurance, an average teacher has $577 deducted each month from their retirement check.
*Teachers do not receive any retirement cost-of-living adjustment until after age 61 and no Social Security later.
It is unconscionable for legislators to change the pensions of nearly 136,000 current public school teachers. The teachers of Illinois do not deserve this!
Senate Bill 512 - IMPORTANT
This afternoon, a legislative committee is expected to hear the new amendment to the pension cutting bill (SB 512).
<http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/97/SB/PDF/09700SB0512ham002.pdf>
The amendment to Senate Bill 512 was filed yesterday. It deals with the specifics of the pension bill and addresses the problems in the original proposal that would have made the bill a disaster for the pension systems and Illinois taxpayers had it passed in its original form last spring.
<http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x2128843634/TRS-report-raises-questions-about-timing-of-pension-vote>
Among the key provisions of the revised bill:
1. The employee contribution for TRS members who elect to stay in Tier 1 would increase to 13.77% of salary (from 9.4% of salary currently) beginning July 1, 2013 until June 30, 2016. Beginning on July 1, 2016 the contribution could only increase an additional 2% to a maximum of 15.77% of salary. The amendment also increases the contribution rates for those in SURS to 15.31% of salary during the same period (currently, 8% of salary). The final increase in contributions for SURS would put the member’s contribution at 17.31% of salary beginning in July 1, 2016. It is understood that after the first three years of the contribution increase, that the recalculation, as required by the amendment, will force member’s contributions up to the maximum increase of 2% whether they are in TRS or SURS.
2. The amendment changes the timeline for election and when it would apply to current member benefits. All benefits earned after July 1, 2013 would be impacted by either the new Tier 1 contribution level, participation in Tier 2 or participation in the DC plan.
3. The increase in employee contribution cannot be used for the purpose of calculating the money purchase plan under the act. This is a clear decrease in an existing benefit.
4. In school districts where the employee contribution is currently being paid by the employer the additional contribution required under the legislation would have to be renegotiated. This changes the terms of existing contracts. This is a new provision of the legislation.
IEA members are encouraged to contact legislators about SB 512:
Message - IEA opposes SB 512 because:
* It is an unconstitutional diminishment of pension benefits
* As teachers cannot receive full social security benefits, even when they qualify through other employment, their pensions are their life savings
* Our members have always paid their retirement costs; it is the state that has not kept its part of the bargain
* Reasonable retirement benefits allow public education to attract the teachers and staff our students deserve
Actions
* IEA members are urged to contact state legislators immediately.
* Call 888/412-6570 and follow the prompts to be connected to your legislator . Use the above talking points, or
* Go to the IEA website
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hv4ahngab&et=1108435416828&s=54795&e=001TzvCrvcVSgtvrDniiHdFk0PkxvgIjpWHGbIGdJWMdom-bTlxFZxghWsDA0QYt6TzCS6O-Aw74FF9b-OGe5mbs4787fywW0Gjp8UDTPp95zZa56TL6sIsFw
Click on the pension tab:
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hv4ahngab&et=1108435416828&s=54795&e=001TzvCrvcVSgvLlkABylLqh4xyGXQ9rk3DabJT6ujlm0t1uoYqmvQaTZqDdWlWzPqOr-Tq-EF8VcgUDt_0zyPzMBscZSOpnRjYY7cWbu7TiXmYL1MCmzmEZmGCbG2LaA6ZmbDEcC9VvfhLenXpm9LQTA==>
At the top of the page and you will see a link that will let you easily send an e-mail to your legislators.
* Tell lawmakers to oppose SB 512 for for the reasons cited above
* More information is available on the IEA website
<applewebdata://A1F1CFFA-7E40-4D02-934B-D49A7B107393/www.ieanea.org>
The amendment to Senate Bill 512 was filed yesterday. It deals with the specifics of the pension bill and addresses the problems in the original proposal that would have made the bill a disaster for the pension systems and Illinois taxpayers had it passed in its original form last spring.
<http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x2128843634/TRS-report-raises-questions-about-timing-of-pension-vote>
Among the key provisions of the revised bill:
1. The employee contribution for TRS members who elect to stay in Tier 1 would increase to 13.77% of salary (from 9.4% of salary currently) beginning July 1, 2013 until June 30, 2016. Beginning on July 1, 2016 the contribution could only increase an additional 2% to a maximum of 15.77% of salary. The amendment also increases the contribution rates for those in SURS to 15.31% of salary during the same period (currently, 8% of salary). The final increase in contributions for SURS would put the member’s contribution at 17.31% of salary beginning in July 1, 2016. It is understood that after the first three years of the contribution increase, that the recalculation, as required by the amendment, will force member’s contributions up to the maximum increase of 2% whether they are in TRS or SURS.
2. The amendment changes the timeline for election and when it would apply to current member benefits. All benefits earned after July 1, 2013 would be impacted by either the new Tier 1 contribution level, participation in Tier 2 or participation in the DC plan.
3. The increase in employee contribution cannot be used for the purpose of calculating the money purchase plan under the act. This is a clear decrease in an existing benefit.
4. In school districts where the employee contribution is currently being paid by the employer the additional contribution required under the legislation would have to be renegotiated. This changes the terms of existing contracts. This is a new provision of the legislation.
IEA members are encouraged to contact legislators about SB 512:
Message - IEA opposes SB 512 because:
* It is an unconstitutional diminishment of pension benefits
* As teachers cannot receive full social security benefits, even when they qualify through other employment, their pensions are their life savings
* Our members have always paid their retirement costs; it is the state that has not kept its part of the bargain
* Reasonable retirement benefits allow public education to attract the teachers and staff our students deserve
Actions
* IEA members are urged to contact state legislators immediately.
* Call 888/412-6570 and follow the prompts to be connected to your legislator . Use the above talking points, or
* Go to the IEA website
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hv4ahngab&et=1108435416828&s=54795&e=001TzvCrvcVSgtvrDniiHdFk0PkxvgIjpWHGbIGdJWMdom-bTlxFZxghWsDA0QYt6TzCS6O-Aw74FF9b-OGe5mbs4787fywW0Gjp8UDTPp95zZa56TL6sIsFw
Click on the pension tab:
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hv4ahngab&et=1108435416828&s=54795&e=001TzvCrvcVSgvLlkABylLqh4xyGXQ9rk3DabJT6ujlm0t1uoYqmvQaTZqDdWlWzPqOr-Tq-EF8VcgUDt_0zyPzMBscZSOpnRjYY7cWbu7TiXmYL1MCmzmEZmGCbG2LaA6ZmbDEcC9VvfhLenXpm9LQTA==>
At the top of the page and you will see a link that will let you easily send an e-mail to your legislators.
* Tell lawmakers to oppose SB 512 for for the reasons cited above
* More information is available on the IEA website
<applewebdata://A1F1CFFA-7E40-4D02-934B-D49A7B107393/www.ieanea.org>
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Pension Attack Continues
The group of millionaires and billionaires who want to cut the pensions of hard working public employees are scrambling to put together a new proposal after their original plan was exposed as adding $34 billion to pension costs.
Since last spring, the Chicago-based Civic Committee has tried to ram through the legislature a bill that would have cut pension benefits for active employees. But, as IEA reported last week, the Civic Committee's plan would have caused the state's cost for pensions to skyrocket by $34 billion over 15 years, despite the plan being promoted as a way for the state to save money.
Now, in reaction to this embarrassment, the billionaires are reportedly tweaking their proposal to try to eliminate the additional damage to taxpayers. It is clear that this group cannot be trusted when it comes to pensions. They have not made their proposal available for analysis by experts, so the impact of the plan on taxpayers and the financial health of the pension systems cannot be determined independently.
We need all 132,000 IEA members to participate in the battle to stop illegal and unfair pension legislation from becoming law.
The new plan, which may be introduced during next week's legislative session, is unacceptable:
- It is unconstitutional to reduce benefits for active employees.
- For most education employees, their pension is only form of retirement security because teachers can't collect social security.
- It is unfair to ask teachers, who loyally paid their portion into the state's pension system, to contribute 50 percent more if they want to benefit from the system they've counted on all their careers. The pension problem is a result of politicians using the pension systems as a credit card to pay for other state services.
All IEA members are urged to contact their legislators this week by: 1) Call 888/412-6570, follow the prompts to be connected to your legislator and use the above talking points, or 2) Go to the IEA website, click on the pension tab at the top of the page and you will see a link to e-mail your legislators.
On Sunday, you will be contacted with instructions on what you can do next week to make your voice heard with legislators. It is imperative we put forth our best effort to combat this proposal.
To make sure you have the most updated news, please go to the "My Profile" section of the IEA website and update your contact information with a non-school e-mail address that you check as well as an updated phone number
Friday, October 28, 2011
Letter to the State Journal-Register
Recently, the Illinois Policy Institute, a “think tank” that doesn’t disclose its funding, issued a report claiming that in 48 percent of school districts across the state, teachers pay nothing toward their pensions.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Teachers pay their full 9.4 percent of every paycheck. They always have. Loyally. Without fail.
The fact is, over the years when negotiating contracts, teachers have given up pay increases and other benefits in lieu of the pension contribution.
For instance, instead of increasing salaries by 2 percent, a locally elected school board and district teachers may agree that the district will pay a comparable portion of the teachers’ contributions to the Teachers’ Retirement System.
This practice has saved school districts money over the years because picking up retirement costs is often cheaper than providing other benefits. For less money, districts can offer a benefit that helps them attract and retain quality teachers — a bonus for students and the community.
Everyday, Illinois teachers help students understand complex issues. It appears the policy institute could use a lesson.
Here it is: What the institute is claiming is akin to saying that those who participate in Social Security haven’t paid their share of federal Social Security taxes because their employers are covering it for them.
A decent salary and good benefits are how employers everywhere attract good employees. Do we want less from our schools? There are few places where having the best and brightest matters more than in our schools.
— Robin Twidwell, president, Danville Education Association/IEA
— Suzanne Kreps, president, Decatur Education Association/IEA
— Vickie Mahrt, president, Unit Five Education Association/IEA (Normal
— Dan Ford, president, Springfield Education Association/IEA
— Beth Hand, president, Urbana Education Association/IEA 2110
Don’t break a legal contract
With lawmakers gathering in Springfield this week, it’s time to revisit an Aug. 24 column in The State Journal-Register by Dick Ingram, executive director of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Illinois.
Ingram’s column regarding public pension systems informed the readers that:
1. Illinois pension systems are not bankrupt; they have unfunded liabilities, but that debt never has to be paid off at one point in time.
2. Because public employees cannot collect until they retire, the only amount that the pension systems must pay each year is the amount owed to retirees then.
3. Illinois pension systems will not run out of money or default in 10 or 15 years.
4. Pension benefits locked in place by the Illinois Constitution are not the main reason the system carries unfunded liabilities. State government has failed to contribute more than two-thirds of the money budgeted for pensions.
5. The annual cost of pensions is not bankrupting state government, but helping the Illinois economy. Pension benefits paid to retired public employees are a return on an investment. Each dollar is recycled through the economy as retirees spend money exactly as they did when they were receiving salaries.
6. Combined, state government salaries and state-administered pensions during 2010 translated into a $24.5 billion economic stimulus for the state of Illinois.
State employees’ pensions are often the only retirement income for workers who have spent their entire careers in service to the state and its citizens. Those who try to alter pension benefits for current and/or future state employees, using misinformation to advance their agendas, seek to break a legal contract between the state and its workers.
A better use of their time and energy would be in rooting out ongoing financial mismanagement in the state. Those in past and current management positions in state government, whether elected or appointed, are culpable for the financial mess that state finds itself and should be dealt with accordingly.
— Jeff Donohue, Chatham
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Teachers pay their full 9.4 percent of every paycheck. They always have. Loyally. Without fail.
The fact is, over the years when negotiating contracts, teachers have given up pay increases and other benefits in lieu of the pension contribution.
For instance, instead of increasing salaries by 2 percent, a locally elected school board and district teachers may agree that the district will pay a comparable portion of the teachers’ contributions to the Teachers’ Retirement System.
This practice has saved school districts money over the years because picking up retirement costs is often cheaper than providing other benefits. For less money, districts can offer a benefit that helps them attract and retain quality teachers — a bonus for students and the community.
Everyday, Illinois teachers help students understand complex issues. It appears the policy institute could use a lesson.
Here it is: What the institute is claiming is akin to saying that those who participate in Social Security haven’t paid their share of federal Social Security taxes because their employers are covering it for them.
A decent salary and good benefits are how employers everywhere attract good employees. Do we want less from our schools? There are few places where having the best and brightest matters more than in our schools.
— Robin Twidwell, president, Danville Education Association/IEA
— Suzanne Kreps, president, Decatur Education Association/IEA
— Vickie Mahrt, president, Unit Five Education Association/IEA (Normal
— Dan Ford, president, Springfield Education Association/IEA
— Beth Hand, president, Urbana Education Association/IEA 2110
Don’t break a legal contract
With lawmakers gathering in Springfield this week, it’s time to revisit an Aug. 24 column in The State Journal-Register by Dick Ingram, executive director of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Illinois.
Ingram’s column regarding public pension systems informed the readers that:
1. Illinois pension systems are not bankrupt; they have unfunded liabilities, but that debt never has to be paid off at one point in time.
2. Because public employees cannot collect until they retire, the only amount that the pension systems must pay each year is the amount owed to retirees then.
3. Illinois pension systems will not run out of money or default in 10 or 15 years.
4. Pension benefits locked in place by the Illinois Constitution are not the main reason the system carries unfunded liabilities. State government has failed to contribute more than two-thirds of the money budgeted for pensions.
5. The annual cost of pensions is not bankrupting state government, but helping the Illinois economy. Pension benefits paid to retired public employees are a return on an investment. Each dollar is recycled through the economy as retirees spend money exactly as they did when they were receiving salaries.
6. Combined, state government salaries and state-administered pensions during 2010 translated into a $24.5 billion economic stimulus for the state of Illinois.
State employees’ pensions are often the only retirement income for workers who have spent their entire careers in service to the state and its citizens. Those who try to alter pension benefits for current and/or future state employees, using misinformation to advance their agendas, seek to break a legal contract between the state and its workers.
A better use of their time and energy would be in rooting out ongoing financial mismanagement in the state. Those in past and current management positions in state government, whether elected or appointed, are culpable for the financial mess that state finds itself and should be dealt with accordingly.
— Jeff Donohue, Chatham
Pension Watch
From IRTA (Illinois Retired Teachers Association)
House Minority Leader Cross announced on Wednesday that he will call SB512 for a vote when the General Assembly returns on November 8th. Cross stated that he has 30 Republican votes for the measure. Cross is depending on Speaker Madigan and the House Democrats to supply the additional 30 votes for passage. It is uncertain if the House Democrats will provide the additional votes. As a reminder SB512 provides a three-tiered pension system for active teachers. This legislation does not impact your pension directly. It will affect the funding of TRS and put more of the burden on the State to provide additional funds to comply with the pension funding law.
House Minority Leader Cross announced on Wednesday that he will call SB512 for a vote when the General Assembly returns on November 8th. Cross stated that he has 30 Republican votes for the measure. Cross is depending on Speaker Madigan and the House Democrats to supply the additional 30 votes for passage. It is uncertain if the House Democrats will provide the additional votes. As a reminder SB512 provides a three-tiered pension system for active teachers. This legislation does not impact your pension directly. It will affect the funding of TRS and put more of the burden on the State to provide additional funds to comply with the pension funding law.
In the Clear for Now
The Illinois General Assembly has adjourned until Nov. 8 without voting on the pension-cutting bill SB 512, the same bill that IEA members and staff stopped during the spring legislative session.
Thursday, the final day of the first half of the fall session, began in a confusing manner. A newspaper story stated that House Republican Leader Tom Cross had claimed to have the GOP votes needed to pass SB 512. This report conflicted with everything we had heard from the Statehouse for the last few weeks. Later in the day, we received word that the report was being denied, and that, just as had been the case in the spring, there are currently not enough votes to pass the pension-cutting bill.
While it is still believed that the bill won't see action until after the Illinois Primary, IEA cannot be lulled into a false sense of security.
A "Call to Action" has been issued for IEA members.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
We Are One - Action Steps
This is a critical moment in the fight to protect public employee pensions.
State legislators will be back in Springfield tomorrow for Veto Session, and once again retirement security for teachers, police, caregivers and other public servants is at risk.
With so much on the line, the time to act is now! Here’s what you can do:
1) Email your legislators
Use this easy tool to be connected directly to your lawmakers in Springfield. Tell them to OPPOSE any bill that threatens retirement security. Remind them that public employees have earned their pension, contributing to it from each and every paycheck, and most don't get Social Security.
2) Call your legislators
Click here or dial 888-412-6570 and follow the prompts. You will be connected with your state legislators. Tell them to do the right thing: protect the modest pensions that Illinois public employees rely on.
3) Join us in Springfield
Stand with We Are One Illinois and working men and women from across the state at the Capitol in Springfield this Wednesday, October 26 at noon. We’ll be rallying in the rotunda to tell lawmakers that it’s wrong to punish our teachers, fire fighters, police officers and all other public employees for the mistakes of politicians, who’ve shortchanged our pensions year after year.
On behalf of the more than 1 million working men and women of the We Are One Illinois Coalition, thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
The We Are One Illinois Coalition
IEA urges lawmakers to evaluate pension bills before voting on them
Please take a look at the video posted at: http://www.ieanea.org/banner/iea-urges-lawmakers-to-evaluate-pension-bills-before-voting-on-them/
Video summary:
An analysis of Senate Bill 512, the pension bill developed last spring by the Chicago-based Civic Committee, shows it would have cost taxpayers an additional $34 billion dollars for state pensions. IEA lobbyist Will Lovett explains what the analysts found and why the legislature should reject any attempts to ram through pension reform bills, especially those supported by the Civic Committee and the Chicago Tribune editorial board.
Sun-Times Letter to the Editor
Teachers are not the enemy
For years now, a small but very wealthy group, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, has been railing against public pensions. Last spring, they tried to pass a plan that would cut the pension benefits for teachers, firefighters and other public employees on the promise the plan would save taxpayer dollars.
However, the math of the Civic Committee’s plan is flawed and the committee knows it. SB512 would have cost taxpayers more than $34 billion in additional money over the next 15 years. And, it would have killed the state’s pension systems, leaving hundreds of thousands of teachers and retired teachers in a lurch.
Teachers don’t earn Social Security. For most, their pension is their life savings. And, they’ve paid for it — 9.4 percent of every one of their paychecks has gone toward their retirement plan, a plan they believe is guaranteed by the state’s constitution.
As much as the Civic Committee, a group of Chicago area millionaires, wants to blame the problems the pension systems are facing on public employees, the committee is wrong. No, it wasn’t the employees who siphoned money from the pension system.
It was lawmakers.
In its zeal to end the pension system, has the Civic Committee thought about the future? If the pension system is killed off, what will happen to the hundreds of thousands of teachers who do now or will rely on it for retirement income? They have no Social Security to fall back on.
Then what?
They act as if public employees are the enemy of this state. We are not. We are representatives of the majority of working people in Illinois. We are the middle class.
We are in every community working diligently to improve our schools and to help our students.
We care about the future of our students and their families and taking away our earned retirement security sets a wrong example. We should all be working to build up the economic status of families, not tear it down.
We are not the enemy. We are Illinois.
Cinda Klickna, president, Illinois Education Association
For years now, a small but very wealthy group, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, has been railing against public pensions. Last spring, they tried to pass a plan that would cut the pension benefits for teachers, firefighters and other public employees on the promise the plan would save taxpayer dollars.
However, the math of the Civic Committee’s plan is flawed and the committee knows it. SB512 would have cost taxpayers more than $34 billion in additional money over the next 15 years. And, it would have killed the state’s pension systems, leaving hundreds of thousands of teachers and retired teachers in a lurch.
Teachers don’t earn Social Security. For most, their pension is their life savings. And, they’ve paid for it — 9.4 percent of every one of their paychecks has gone toward their retirement plan, a plan they believe is guaranteed by the state’s constitution.
As much as the Civic Committee, a group of Chicago area millionaires, wants to blame the problems the pension systems are facing on public employees, the committee is wrong. No, it wasn’t the employees who siphoned money from the pension system.
It was lawmakers.
In its zeal to end the pension system, has the Civic Committee thought about the future? If the pension system is killed off, what will happen to the hundreds of thousands of teachers who do now or will rely on it for retirement income? They have no Social Security to fall back on.
Then what?
They act as if public employees are the enemy of this state. We are not. We are representatives of the majority of working people in Illinois. We are the middle class.
We are in every community working diligently to improve our schools and to help our students.
We care about the future of our students and their families and taking away our earned retirement security sets a wrong example. We should all be working to build up the economic status of families, not tear it down.
We are not the enemy. We are Illinois.
Cinda Klickna, president, Illinois Education Association
Monday, October 24, 2011
IEA Response to the Chicago Tribune
Monday, October 17, 2011
Grass Roots Political Action
Updates from Sam Yusim, Region #37 grass roots organizer
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Basic-Union-Busting-131252434.html#ixzz1a6tEWCv8
--
Samuel E. Yusim
Region 37 GPA
syieagpa@gmail.com
10/7
Basic Union Busting |
The anti-union Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago is out with a new Internet ad aimed at dividing teachers along generational lines. Standing in a classroom is an actress, far too well groomed and well dressed to be a teacher herself.
“I want to talk to you about basic math,” she says. “Your pension fund is in big trouble. There’s not enough money to pay benefits to current retirees, much less you, when you retire. That money deducted from your paycheck each month, that’s going to current retirees. So who’s going to pay for your retirement? Look at the faces of the kids in your class.”
That’s right, teachers. Look at the kids in your class. Don’t look at attorney Tyrone Fahner, president of the Civic Committee, or Abbott Labs CEO Miles White, vice chairman of the Commercial Club. Those millionaires are tired of being taxes for public employee pensions. That’s why they cut this ad. (White is so tired of supporting public employees that he’s been telling legislators he’s thinking of expanding on Abbott-owned land in Wisconsin, where the governor doesn’t coddle unions. Last month, Abbott donated $8,000 to the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee and $5,000 to the House Republican Organization.)
The ad goes on to claim that the $31 billion fund needs $49 billion to pay retirees and $27 billion to pay current employees.
“Ask yourself,” the actress says, “‘How can Illinois overcome a $140 billion pension deficit by the time I retire?’ If that’s in the next 10 years, you’ll probably see a pension check. But if you’re planning to retire in 25 years, there’s no guarantee.”
(The ad doesn’t explain what basic math it used to come up with $140 billion. Using its own numbers, I count $45 billion.)
The actress comes off as particularly insincere, probably because pretending to care about the fortunes of teachers when you’re actually being paid to care about the fortunes of CEOs is a thespian feat not even Helen Mirren could pull off. Trying to turn pinched younger workers against coddled older workers is basic union busting.
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Basic-Union-Busting-131252434.html#ixzz1a6tEWCv8
--
Samuel E. Yusim
Region 37 GPA
syieagpa@gmail.com
Friday, October 14, 2011
Member Mania
Region 37 representative Kiim Dwan has brought us this information regarding an upcoming information session. If you have any interest in joining the negotiating team that will bargaining for our next contract you should consider attending. Please contact Pat Church if you are interested. Her information is the bottom of this post
Winning the Public Relations Fight
If you don’t define yourself, you will be defined by your opponents. That’s why every IEA local needs to take charge of its own image with their community, with policymakers and with their own members. This workshop will train locals how to create and implement an effective public relations campaign.
Association Rep Workshop, with Introduction to Grievances and Grievance Processing Gain information and useful tools to assist you in being effective in your important role within your local association, along with a basic understanding of how to write and process a grievance.
Introduction to Bargaining Take a look at the new issues and trends we are seeing. What basics do you need to know when preparing to bargain? When should you start preparing to bargain?
Building Real Power – Be a Player or Be Left Out Do you want to have real impact in the educational arena? Do you want to help shape education policy in Illinois? Do you care about the future of public education both locally and nationally? This workshop is for you. Learn the techniques used by professional lobbyists on development of effective relationships and direct communication with local and state election representatives. Learn how your local can and should have a role in the recruitment and selection of high quality board of education members.
Pat Church
Associate Staff
Illinois Education Association-NEA
Skokie Office
847-329-7756 pat.church@iea.nea.org
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Pension Action
During the Fall Veto Session this October and November, some members of the Illinois General Assembly expect to push through a “pension-killing” reform bill similar to last spring’s SB 512.
It’s quick and easy for anyone to take action now!
This link allows you to send a prewritten email to your state representative and senator.
IF YOU WANT TO DO MORE….
--
Samuel E. Yusim
Region 37 GPA
syieagpa@gmail.com
It’s quick and easy for anyone to take action now!
This link allows you to send a prewritten email to your state representative and senator.
Link to a short video about Illinois pensions: http://www.ieanea.org/banner/pension-update/
IF YOU WANT TO DO MORE….
IEA members are encouraged to meet, call, and/or write their state representatives.
THE TALKING POINTS:
· Teachers do not get social security.
· Teachers have always paid their share to TRS.
· The pension is the only source of retirement security for teachers.
· Any changes to the pensions must be constitutional, fair, protect retirement security, and maintain the ability to attract and retain quality educators.
Anything you can do to help is important, but some forms of communication are more effective than others. In order of effectiveness:
- Hold face-to-face meetings with your state legislators to discuss pensions.
- Call your state legislators’ offices and share your position.
- Send a hand-written original letter to your state legislators.
- Email your state legislators.
Check out the IEA Website homepage at http://www.ieanea.org. It includes a “Pension” tab at the top that includes important links and fact sheets.
In the future, the home page will post “CALL TO ACTION” when something needs immediate attention. This is the signal to immediately contact legislators or follow other directions as something imminent is pending.
Finally, make sure you have registered to access the “Members Only” pages of the IEA website at http://www.ieanea.org/members/members-only/
--
Samuel E. Yusim
Region 37 GPA
syieagpa@gmail.com
World Teacher's Day
Dear Region,
Today is World Teachers' Day, a day to recognize the hard work and commitment teachers bring to their classrooms every day of the year. You can show your appreciation by standing up in support of legislation to prevent more than 280,000 educator layoffs nationwide and to repair and renovate classrooms in more than 35,000 crumbling schools.
Tell Congress to pass the American Jobs Act.
Education is on the chopping block. Continuing budget cuts will have a significant impact on children's education–reducing school days, increasing class sizes, and eliminating key classes and services. The American Jobs Act will support state and local efforts to retain, rehire and hire teachers, guidance counselors, classroom assistants, after-school personnel, tutors, and literacy and math coaches. These efforts will help ensure that schools are able to keep educators in the classroom, that kids can learn in safe and modern school buildings, that the regular school day is preserved, and that important after-school activities are supported.
--
Samuel E. Yusim
Region 37 GPA
syieagpa@gmail.com
Today is World Teachers' Day, a day to recognize the hard work and commitment teachers bring to their classrooms every day of the year. You can show your appreciation by standing up in support of legislation to prevent more than 280,000 educator layoffs nationwide and to repair and renovate classrooms in more than 35,000 crumbling schools.
Tell Congress to pass the American Jobs Act.
Education is on the chopping block. Continuing budget cuts will have a significant impact on children's education–reducing school days, increasing class sizes, and eliminating key classes and services. The American Jobs Act will support state and local efforts to retain, rehire and hire teachers, guidance counselors, classroom assistants, after-school personnel, tutors, and literacy and math coaches. These efforts will help ensure that schools are able to keep educators in the classroom, that kids can learn in safe and modern school buildings, that the regular school day is preserved, and that important after-school activities are supported.
--
Samuel E. Yusim
Region 37 GPA
syieagpa@gmail.com
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