RALLY: Health Benefits STILL in Jeopardy

• YOUR healthcare benefits CONTINUE to be discussed in Olympia now. It is NOT dead. It is part of the “Special Session.” 
• You could still lose your current benefits; lose your voice to bargain over benefits; pay more; and get less! 
• And MORE education cuts are now being discussed! The Senate Republicans have proposed cutting $133 million, including cutting our PENSION, halving the NBCT stipend, Running Start, and more.
• ENOUGH ALREADY! RSVP to the RALLY by clicking here: Link to RSVP

Tuesday, March 20th 7:00 PM 

Glacier Peak High School 

7401 144th Pl S, Snohomish 

Driving Directions to Glacier Peak High School 

Link to MAP to Glacier Peak High School 

Dear NSEA Member,

Make yourself heard! Find out what’s going on. We’ve invited legislators. Help them make the right decisions!

Don’t let Washington be the next Wisconsin (or Idaho, Ohio, or….) with educators losing our bargaining rights! Think it can’t happen here? It will, unless we make sure it doesn’t!

Be at this Rally and have a dialog with the Legislators who are there. Join with educators from Edmonds, Shoreline, Everett, Monroe, Snohomish…..and more. THIS WILL BE HUGE----if you do your part! There could be thousands there! We are having this at Glacier Peak High School to maximize participation from many WEA locals---though it will require some sacrifice to get there. But it will be worth it! Link to RSVP

There is a lot of parking, but carpooling is advised.

If you wish to carpool from the WEA/NSEA office (18704 Bothell Way NE), be here no later than 6:30 PM. If the lot is full, park across the street at the old SAS building.

• RSVP here, and let us know who you are bringing! Families and co-workers welcome! All unions. Ask a colleague to join you! DON’T MISS THIS! Link to RSVP 

I’m not giving up, and I hope you’re not either! We can’t let Wisconsin-style attacks be successful here! See you there!

Tim Brittell
NSEA President

Teacher's Perspective: Health Care, Charters, and More

This letter was written by Chris Tracy, Kenmore JH Librarian, veteran member of the NSEA Bargaining Team, and member of the Northshore School District Benefits Committee.

Open Letter to Rodney Tom

Greetings Sen. Tom:

I am concerned about your actions in the legislature, as you appear to attack teachers by sponsoring bills that most educators find troubling. The bills imply that teachers are responsible for just about everything that is wrong in education and likely in government. But the following shows your logic to be suspect on many issues.

The K-12 take-over of our health insurance, that you support, just does not make sense. The Auditor's report suggesting this did not take into consideration the costs to set up and administer a program, nor address a rate stabilization fund needed for a program to be self-insured. Since the legislature will not be able to fund a costly stabilization fund, estimated to be over $200 million, and because state employees--including you--are allocated more benefit dollars, the resulting purchased program for K-12 employees will guarantee that MY health insurance will be less comprehensive and/or much more expensive that what YOU get with the Health Care Authority's PEBB Uniform self-insured plan. That is unfair to K-12 employees. And where’s the problem to start with? Current rules allow any bargaining group, such as teachers, custodians or secretaries in any school district, to move by employee group, to Health Care Authority’s plans if they believe they are better. Will there be any government savings? No, unless K-12 employees are charged more and/or benefits reduced. And since long-term-disability and life insurance are not addressed, I assume those things are just passed to underfunded school districts to try to fund. No wonder K-12 employees feel you are unjustly attacking us; your bill ensures my health care program will not be as good as yours!

You seem to think that Charter Schools will solve problems, but they create more problems than they fix. Sure, if Boeing or Microsoft provides additional funding for a science and math charter school it will get lots of extra private money, plus its share of state money for students--siphoned from public schools--but the public school system nearby could lose its best science and math students to a charter school that it cannot compete with. That's not good for public schools. Never-mind that charter schools have lost three times in statewide votes and widely respected research show few perform better than public schools. No wonder teachers look at this bill, that you back, as a personal attack.

You want to get rid of early retirement for teachers with at least 30 years of experience and that are at least 55. So how great is early retirement that you want to get rid of? Using the early retirement formula (not the ERFs that will likely be tossed out by courts soon), a 55 year-old teacher with a five-year average salary of $70,000, with 30 years of service in Retirement Plan 3, would receive about $1400 per month. Do you really think that is too generous for 30 years of service? Quite frankly the pension is not competitive with Boeing or clerks at Safeway! No wonder teachers cannot understand your motivation. (How come you are not advocating reform with the far more generous police and firefighter pensions?)

So you want test scores to be part of the teacher evaluation process and you ranted to the press when a compromise bill was agreed to. Teachers are concerned that factors, which we cannot easily control, impact student achievement. Student attendance, family life and poverty, all impact a student's readiness to learn, so using test scores in evaluation needs to be tempered. Teachers understand this. Almost all teachers I work with work well beyond the call of duty, and we feel you don't appreciate our efforts when you propose to tie test scores to our evaluation and talk broadly about firing teachers.

Finally, although you claim to be making the case for government reform, I could not help but note that you singled out and voted to suspend payments to the oldest teacher retirement fund, TRS Plan 1, and voted to reduce the stipends for teachers that have earned National Board Certification. Both actions conflict with your public rhetoric.

You need to know that teachers see your actions as undeserved attacks; they are demoralizing. And we take them personally. What did we do to deserve your wrath?

Sincerely,
Christopher J. Tracy

YOUR MEDICAL BENEFITS MAY BE SHREDDED TOMORROW!

THIS IS AN EMERGENCY.

The State Senate and House WILL be voting on this any day. The Legislative Session ends Thursday, March 8th and they will be DONE. Voting on this is any day.

TODAY: Please contact your legislators and ask them to oppose SB 6442—the bill that does this! If you have already done this, PLEASE DO IT AGAIN.

HOW? From your home computer using your personal (non-NSD) email account, go to www.ourvoicewashingtonea.org or call the Legislative Hotline 800-562-6000 (from your home/cell phone). You do not need to know who your Legislators are. OurVoice and the Leg Hotline will tell you. The message? “Please oppose SB 6442. It is costly, creates a bureaucracy, and eliminates local control.”

This bill also eliminates bargaining rights on one of the three mandatory subjects of bargaining (wages, working conditions and benefits). If it passes, you lose any say over your med benefits. And it will embolden anti-union Legislators to next target elimination of bargaining over other issues. We can’t allow misguided legislators to turn Washington into Wisconsin!

WHY WE NEED TO STOP SB6442: 

• You will no longer be able to access your current benefits plan. All school employees in Washington State will be forced onto state determined plans. The bill eliminates the ability to bargain benefit plans, premiums and co-pays, employer contributions, and pooling of benefits at the local level. (There is an exception in the bill for “self-insured” Districts like Northshore. However, the bill sets pricing requirements that will be impossible to implement. So this bill WILL affect Northshore.) 
• The state will spend an additional $45 million on overhead, and School districts will be responsible for an additional $24 million for purchasing benefits---which means additional cuts. 
• Will your doctor be included in the new network? It is unknown until new plans are developed and bid upon by insurance companies in 2013. It is entirely possible that the bid will be won by a company with no presence or established provider network in Washington State. 
• Will your premiums go up or down? The State analysis is that maintaining current benefit levels would require higher premium levels or point-of-service costs, such as co-pays.) 
• Will “part time” employees qualify for benefits? The bill is changing daily with amendments. Until plans are developed in 2013 it is impossible to know what threshold will be established for what level of benefit eligibility. 
• What about Life Insurance? It is not included in the list of coverages that would be arranged by this new system, and is also is not listed as something that can be provided locally. 

PLEASE JOIN US IN LOBBYING LEGISLATORS IN OLYMPIA ON FRIDAY, MARCH 2; MONDAY, MARCH 5; TUESDAY, MARCH 6; WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, OR THURSDAY, MARCH 8. 

We will carpool down, leaving from the NSEA/WEA office at 9:00 AM and will return no later than 4:00 PM. You can receive release time from NSEA. No special knowledge needed. You will get a briefing in Olympia. To volunteer, contact Lydia King immediately at lking@washingtonea.org from your home computer, using your personal (non-NSD) email account.

This Saturday: February 18th

THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH 

For all Educators in the Northshore, Edmonds, and Shoreline Districts 

Express yourself to Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, Rep. Derek Stanford, and Rep. Luis Moscoso. Or simply come to show your support for others who will speak: 

10 am to 11:30 am: Mountlake Terrace Library 

23300 58th Ave W, Mountlake Terrace, WA 

OR 

1 pm to 2:30 pm: Cascadia Community College/UW Bothell 

Mobius Hall (on the north side of the Campus. Park in lot) 

WHY YOUR PRESENCE IS NEEDED:

• YOUR HEALTH CARE BENEFITS are at stake. Legislation to reduce benefits, eliminate your bargaining rights (your voice in decisions) will be decided within weeks. 
• YOUR TEACHING could be substantially changed. The Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that makes student test scores a substantial part of your evaluation. This has not passed the House yet. What are your thoughts? 
• CHARTER SCHOOLS—public funding for private schools—are being considered again. They would divert funds for your school elsewhere, and possibly result in school closures in your District. 
• MORE FUNDING CUTS are on the budget agenda. Let these key legislators know the impact of current underfunding on your students or school. Ask them to support the Supreme Court decision to adequately fund our schools. 

WEAR RED. Bring your family or friends. Speak or listen. 

These three legislators are supportive of educators. But if they don’t think that YOU are willing to stand up on these issues, why would THEY stand up for you? They need to hear from you and understand your perspective.

Cascade News

The Northshore Education Association is part of the Cascade UniServ Council (along with our colleagues in NEOPA, NESPA, Shoreline EA, Shoreline ESPA, and Edmonds EA).  Find out what's happening at the Council level by reading this month's CUC newsletter!

TODAY: Your health benefits are at stake!

Tim and Kraig are heading to Olympia to fight for you…they need YOUR help! 

• Act NOW to Protect Your Health Benefits…or Pay MORE for LESS Later. 

• The Legislature is Discussing Health Benefits TODAY. WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

Dear Colleague,

We are not going to remain silent while misguided Legislators force educators to pay more each month for worse medical benefits—and take away our voice. Neither should you. TODAY is the Public Hearing on the proposed legislation to eliminate our collective bargaining rights on our health care benefits, and to force all K-12 employees into a lesser plan. WE ARE GOING TO OLYMPIA RIGHT NOW TO TESTIFY AGAINST THIS AND NEED YOUR HELP—TODAY. 

If passed, this bill (SB 6442) would result in most Northshore employees paying much more each month, for lesser benefits. It would provide the State with no cost savings, but would require millions more in employee contributions, according to a recent study by the State’s Health Care Authority.

The main thing is this: Right now, we have a “say” in our benefits. This bill would take it away, and force all K-12 employees into one plan (not yet created) designed to shift costs to us. (If you want more details, and a link to more information, read below our signatures.)

TODAY:
Please contact your legislators and urge them to “VOTE NO ON SB 6442. DON’T ELIMINATE OUR RIGHT TO NEGOTIATE OUR HEALTH BENEFITS.” 

HERE’S HOW: 
• During lunch today (unpaid time) or after work, call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000 from your CELL or HOME phone. The Hotline is a message service. They will ask you where you live, and tell you who your Legislators are. Then they will ask, “What is your message” They will answer until 8 PM. Please leave a message for ALL 3 of your Legislators. Simple message, above. They will not ask you any details, or argue. Nothing to fear! Have a “cell phone” party with colleagues at lunch today to flood the hotline with calls!

• From your HOME computer, go to www.OurVoiceWashingtonEA.org, and it will help you compose your email. And it will identify your 3 Legislators.

The Legislature will not be voting on the Bill today. But they are forming their opinions now. We suggest that you send an email about this every week—again and again—until they vote on it. We will let you know when that happens. Please don’t wait until it’s too late.

Tim Brittell, NSEA/Cascade Council President (tbrittell@washingtonea.org)
Kraig Peck, WEA Staffperson for Cascade Council (kpeck@washingtonea.org)

More info:
Here in Northshore, we have cut out most of the insurance company profits. Instead, our benefits are self-insured by the District. The insurance companies mainly administer the paperwork for plans that are designed by the Northshore Insurance Benefits Committee---a collaboration of all of the Northshore unions and the administration. Our Committee annually reviews usage and preferences, and designs the best possible plans. We locally decide pricing, services covered, providers that are covered, and more. It is very far from perfect (using limited funds), but the result is better benefits than generally available elsewhere for an equivalent amount of money.

Here is a link to more info, researched by the WEA staff: http://www.ourvoicewashingtonea.org/HCA%20Takeover%20Fact%20Sheet,%20revised.pdf

Education Series Forums

The Northshore Education Association and the Northshore Council PTSA Present:

Education Series Forums

FACT: Our Schools Are Underfunded

What underfunding means in Northshore and what we can do to fix it.
Monday, January 30th; 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Canyon Park Junior High Library

Do Unions Protect Bad Teachers?  Myth vs. Reality

How the teacher evaluation systems works in Northshore
Monday, February 13th; 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Bothell High School Library

Student Success

How teachers advocate for quality schools
Monday, March 5th; 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Canyon Park Junior High Library

NSEA/NESPA/NEOPA Members: You Are Invited!

The new year has barely started, but the political world is already buzzing. With the Washington State Legislature currently in session, the Inslee/McKenna race for Washington governor about to get started, the NEWS court ruling, a proposed state take-over of our health care system, the GOP presidential nomination falling into place, and the possible loss of some of our collective bargaining rights, there’s plenty to talk about. If you can’t get enough, or just want to learn more, come to our next Appetite for Politics event on Wednesday, February 8th. See below for details.

Appetite for Politics 

What Appetite for Politics IS: 

A social event for politically-minded NSEA members to meet in an informal setting. At our meeting we’ll discuss the current legislative session and any other political topics you want to bring up. Appetizers and beverages will be served!

What Appetite for Politics ISN’T: 

A formal meeting! We won’t have a structured agenda. We will not be endorsing particular political candidates or asking for political contributions. We won’t ask you to do anything except show up, eat, drink, and talk to your like-minded colleagues.

When? 

Wednesday, February 8th from 4:00 to 6:30 pm. Come as soon as you can—we’ll have a brief introduction around 4:15 pm.

Where? 

The NSEA/Cascade UniServ Council Office located at 18704 Bothell Way NE, Suite 101, Bothell, WA. Click here for directions.

Other info: 

• If possible, RSVP to Lydia King at lking@washingtonea.org. An RSVP is NOT required to attend this event, but it will help us figure out how much food to order. 
• Appetizers (made by the students in Bothell High’s Culinary Arts Program!), wine, and soft drinks will be served. 
• Bring a colleague—all NSEA, NESPA, and NEOPA members are invited! 
• If you can’t make this Appetite for Politics event, we’ll have more throughout the year--stay tuned!.

Update from Olympia

We have received inquiries regarding what is currently happening in Olympia. Here is an overview:

CHARTER SCHOOLS:
After voters have defeated charters THREE times, this time the proponents are calling them “public charters.” But there is still nothing “public” about them, except the funding. They are publicly-funded private schools that divert inadequate public school funding to private schools. If charters get a foot in the door and grow, most districts, including Northshore, would likely face some neighborhood school closures.

Do charters perform better than public schools, for students? The most comprehensive study of this, comparing charters serving 70% of charter students with their local public schools, found that they do not. Using test results (what else?), they found that half have results no different; that 36% show results significantly inferior to public schools; and that 17% did better. (A link to this report, the “CREDO” study, embedded in the summary below.)

A one page summary we have provided to our NSEA Teacher PTSA Liaisons about charters that busts 5 myths about charters, with links to sources, is available online (click here). Last week, WEA lobbyists, along with many others, testified against charter school legislation. The charter bills are House Bill 2428 and Senate Bill 6202 .

TYING EVALUATIONS TO STUDENT TEST SCORES, ELIMINATING JOB SECURITY:
WEA lobbyists are testifying against bills that attack collective bargaining and interfere with the work underway to strengthen teacher and principal evaluations. The bills (Senate Bill 6203 and its companion bill, House Bill 2427) would tie student test scores and evaluations to layoffs, transfers and teacher assignments. WEA lobbyists need your help.

ATTACK ON HEALTH CARE AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING:
SB 6442 is an egregious attack on collective bargaining. The bill eliminates the current K-12 health care system and replaces it with a new state-run bureaucracy that will cost more, provide less, and limit health care choices for school employees. SB 6442 eliminates local collective bargaining around health benefits. The bill was introduced yesterday.

We hope you are WEARING RED today and every Tuesday. Our lobbyists can’t do this alone. From your home computer, please go to OurVoiceWashingtonEA.org to contact your Legislators. Urge them to vote NO on these bills. Or, from your CELL phone during lunch (or home phone) you can leave them a message to vote NO on these bills. The Legislative Hotline is: 1-800-562-6000; it is open until 8:00 PM.

Key Calendar Dates for 2012-2013

NSEA and NSD have agreed to the following key calendar dates for the 2012-2013 school year.  At this time, we are unable to agree to a first day of school due to the possibility that the state legislature will shorten the 2012-2013 school year. We also are not able at this time to identify if we will have non-student days next year.  We'll keep you posted about any calendar updates.

• First Day of School: TBD
• Labor Day: September 3, 2012
• Veterans Day: November 12, 2012
• Thanksgiving Break: November 22-23, 2012
• Winter Break: December 19, 2012-January 1, 2013
• Technology PD Day (Non-student Day): January 2, 2013
• Martin Luther King Day: January 21, 2013
• Presidents Day: February 18, 2013
• Mid-Winter Break: February 19-22, 2013
• Spring Break: April 15-19, 2013
• Memorial Day: May 27, 2013
• Last Day of School: TBD