Puyallup Education Association

PEA Retirement Reception, Flyer below

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WEA Delegates rally in Olympia,
vote to support COLA Initiative

Over 1,000 elected delegates from all over the state, including 12 from Puyallup, participated in the annual WEA Representative Assembly (RA) held the last weekend in April at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue.  Here are some highlights of the 3-day event:

• Delegates voted to pursue the possibility of running COLA and class size reduction initiatives similar to Initiatives 728 and 732, which were overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2000.  The purpose of the initiatives would be to reinstate the often-suspended COLA for school employees, and to overturn the repeal of the class size reduction initiative.

• Over 1,000 delegates and other education employees from around the state held a rally last Saturday morning on the Capitol steps in Olympia.  Governor Jay Inslee was a key speaker at the event, affirming his commitment to increased public school spending and closing tax loopholes.

• Speakers at the RA included Senator Patty Murray, National Teacher of the Year Jeff Charbonneau from Zillah, and Tom Ahearne, lead attorney in the lawsuit against the state for school funding.

• Delegates approved a measure to have WEA promote the expectation that all legislators visit public school classrooms for a minimum of one day to see the direct consequences of their role in the decisions they make.

• Delegates also approved a measure to support Seattle’s boycott of the MAP test.

• WEA will lobby the Legislature for full-time certificated teacher-librarians in all schools as part of basic education.

• WEA will also lobby for funding for extensive professional development on the new teacher evaluation system that’s been mandated by the Legislature.
   
• Kim Mead of Everett and Stephen Miller of Bellevue were elected as WEA President and WEA Vice President, respectively.  They will replace outgoing President Mary Lindquist and Vice President Mike Ragan later this summer.

•  All members of WEA were encouraged to continue to e-mail their legislators from their home computers by going to www.OurVoiceWashingtonea.org, or by calling 1-800-562-6000.  The Legislature will go into special session on May 13, and they need to hear from you!

                            Click here to go to our Video Page to see more       

Update for you!

http://www.lakewashingtonea.org/static_content/update_1-30-13.pdf

Does Rodney Tom hate teachers?

That’s the question a lot of teachers and school employees throughout the state have been asking lately.  Democratic Sen. Rodney Tom became the Senate Majority Leader this legislative session by allying with 23 Republicans and one other Democrat to create a 25-24 majority in the state senate.  Since then, he’s been responsible for a number of bills that many consider to be anti-teacher, anti-union, and anti-public education.

Here are just a few:

Eliminating Teacher Retirement System (TRS) Plans 2 and 3:  Sen. Tom is proposing to end Plans 2 and 3 and replace them with a risky, corporate-style 401(k) plan that eliminates any defined pension for retirees (SB5852).  How much money teachers will have upon retirement will depend solely on how well their investments in the stock market perform during their careers.  Sen. Tom’s legislation would apply to all new hires, and any current employee who is younger than 45.

Allowing you to be fired for any reason by your principal: Sen. Tom wants principals to be able to remove teachers from their current positions and place those teachers into a district “pool” of displaced teachers (SB 5242).  If a teacher in the pool is not picked up by another school by May 15, it will be grounds for dismissal.

Reducing your salary:   SB 5852 would limit additional pay to 10% above the state’s basic salary.  For example, if you’re at the top of the PEA salary schedule, you’d be limited to earning $6.065 more than the base salary.  Currently, those at the top of our salary schedule earn $15,971 more than the base.  Sen. Tom’s legislation would force all of these teachers to take a $9906 pay cut. 

So what can YOU do?

Call Sen. Tom’s office at (360)-786-7694 or email him at rodney.tom@leg.wa.gov to let him know your opinion. Be sure to use your cell phone or home computer during non-work hours.

Emerald Ridge Rocks Out!

Check it out...

WEA is Supporting

Jay Inslee for Governor:

INSLEE vs McKENNA 

On Collective Bargaining& Public Sector Unions:

• I fundamentally believe in ones right to collectively bargain.¹
• If I am elected governor, the virus that infected Wisconsin will not come to Washington.²

McKenna:

• You don't need the unionization of public employees... "it would be dangerous for it to                happen."³

• Voted no on several union contracts while King County Councilman.⁴

On Charter Schools:

Inslee:

• I oppose the diversion of funds from existing public schools.⁵
• I Voted against H.R. 2218, National Charter School legislation.⁶

McKenna:

• Outs charter schools as a magic bullet (and)...needs a governor to sign and enact. 7

On Merit Pay:

Inslee:

• I am not in favor of directly linking educator pay to student performance.⁸

McKenna:

• Fully supports Merit Pay:
• Compensation system that rewards performance rather than mere seniority.⁹
• Were going to begin linking student achievement to teacher compensation...¹⁰

On Education Reform:

Inslee:

• I will not threaten fundamental bargaining rights or demean the profession of teaching                          for political advantage.¹¹

McKenna:

• Wants a system where teacher retention is tied to evaluation of student achievement,        

             and not solely rely on seniority.¹²

Respect for Educators:

Inslee:

• Has an open door policy with all educators and education stake holders.

McKenna:

• Canceled his WEA interview at the last minute:¹³
• Instead, spent time with groups like Stand for Children whose ideas on education reform                  

            he finds more compelling.14

The Choice is Clear- Jay Inslee!

PEA Exec Board Members for 2012-13:

President: Karen McNamara (PEA Office) 253-845-4535

Vice-President: Jennifer Oliver (Edgerton) 253- 840-8809

Secretary: Lisa Elliott (Zeiger) 253-841-8663

Treasurer:Terry Addison (Zeiger) 253-841-8663

UniServ Rep 1: Heidi Eshpeter (Woodland) 253-841-8747

UniServ Rep 3: Kelley Lee (Pope) 253-841-8755

UniServ Rep 4: Larry Swanson (Aylen) 253-841-8723

UniServ Rep 5: Amy Tutty (Edgerton) 253-840-8809

UniServ Rep 6: Laurie Rose (Shaw Road) 253-841-8675

UniServ Rep 7: Kim Petty (Shaw Road) 253-841-8675

UniServ Rep 9: Katie Fralick (Stewart) 253-841-8743

UniServ Rep 10: Sheila Whittingslow (Meeker) 253-435-2592

UniServ Rep 11: Julie Harding (Sunrise) 253-841-8744

UniServ Rep 13: Tawana Bens (Ferrucci) 253-841-8756