MLK Contest, Gerald Bonham Scholarship

Martin Luther King, Jr. Poster/Essay Winners

The contest was held only on the local level this year, but the response was good and the entries were excellent. All entries receive a certificate of participation. First place winner receive a $50 U. S. Savings Bond. Second and third place winners receive cash awards of $20 and $10, respectively.
Winning posters will be on display at the Kraft Administrative Center in May.
(MLK image by Patricia Frates, Glendale)

1st Place Winners

Grades K-1 Diana Dudenhoeffer - Disney Elementary (Mrs. Barnes)
Grades 2-3 Tiffany Harrill - Jeffries Elementary (Mrs. Smay)
Grades 4-5 Emily Moon - Sequiota Elementary (Mrs. Nelson)
Grades 9-12 Patricia Frates - Glendale High School (Mrs. Griffin)

2nd Place Winners

K-1 Jack Cloninger - Disney Elementary (Mrs. Barnes)
2-3 Zac Mason - Jeffries Elementary (Mrs. Smay)
4-5 Shawntra Willoughby - Disney Elementary (Raider/Johnson)

3rd Place Winners

K-1 Daniel Moore - Disney Elementary (Mrs. Barnes)
2-3 Matthew Williams - Field Elementary (Mrs. Mayfield)
4-5 Maddie Marshall - Disney Elementary (Raider/Johnson)

Awards will be delivered to the schools over the next two weeks. Teachers can contact snea@aol.com for the best times for delivery of awards to recipients. Thanks to all the teachers for their patience and for encouraging their classes to participate. Next year, we'll be a little better organized (and hopefully will not endure another natural disaster during MLK Day celebrations).
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Gerald Bonham Photo/Essay Scholarship

Gerald Bonham, our current Uniserv Director, taught for over thirty years in our school district and was the founding president of Springfield NEA in 1973. He continues to serve as a guiding light to our organization, just as he was to thousands of students over his teaching career.

The annual Gerald Bonham Scholarship is awarded to three graduating seniors who are children or relatives of SNEA members. This year, we have "upped" the award amount for the top three winners ($500, $300, $200) and changed the format from essay only to photo/essay.

Each entry will submit a 500-1000 word persuasive essay and accompanying 8x10 photo (color or b&w) that centers on the theme:

Great Public Schools Are a Basic Right For Every Child

Essays will be judged on 6+1 writing traits (Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Fluency, Conventions) and how well the photo and essay complete the overall theme. Entries are due in the SNEA office on May 25th.

Contact the SNEA office for an entry form . . . 869-5090 or snea@aol.com

Preliminary Budget, Salaries, End Date

Proposed Salary Increase 4.5%



The board met from 7:30-9:30 this morning to go over next year's preliminary budget. There seemed to be general consensus for approval of an across-the-board salary COLA of 4.5% with additional increases for lower steps (example: steps 1-12 bachelor degree). The proposed adjustments would provide an average increase of 5.5% with some steps as high as 8.5%. The board will probably vote on the budget in their June session.

Other preliminary budget notes that seem likely to be approved:

• Addition of 5 high school athletic directors
• Addition of 5 FTE for Bailey Alternative programs
• 2 FTE for ESL positions
• 18 stipends for middle school assistant football coaches
• 16 FTE for secondary site based clinicians (subject to legislative approval of funds)
• Establishment of a web-based assessment system that would facilitate rapid, almost immediate, reporting of individual student assessment (ex. benchmarks)
• Establishment of a Data Warehouse system that would track and produce a wide-ranging assortment of data from virtually every department

There was some discussion of class size, and we noted that only 7.57 classroom FTE was added in the preliminary report. Additional programs and projects would add 42.32 FTE.

End Date 2006-2007 - During the board meeting that followed the preliminary budget session, the board approved the last day for students as a half day in the morning of June 7. Staff members will be required to work the regular work day.

Five Months Free Benefits for New Members!

. . . and one less thing to worry about next fall.

Spring has sprung, as they say, and it marks the beginning of our new membership drive. New first-time active members can receive free early enrollment benefits from now until September 1st.
Benefits include:

• $2 million Educators Employment Liability Insurance
• Consultation with local SNEA President and MNEA Uniserv Director for prompt employment-related advice
• Attorney Referral discount program
• Access to 80,000 member discounts, ranging from hotels at half-price to savings on dining, golf, rental cars, magazines, auto care, recreation, cell phones and everyday purchases
• NEA Credit Card program
• NEA FDIC-Insurance Money Market
• NEA GoldCertificate of Deposit
• The satisfaction that through your membership you will help shape the future of public education and the children it serves

Click here for a membership form - print a copy and send the completed form via school mail to SNEA or by U.S Mail to:

SNEA
1525-B W. Sunshine
Springfield, MO 65807

This message goes out to all SNEA members. Our association's growth is a key measure of our effectiveness in our ongoing efforts to raise teacher salaries, reduce class sizes, improve working conditions and promote more effective classroom instruction for the children of our community.

Please help us sustain our membership growth by speaking to non-members in your building and encouraging them to join the largest and most active teacher organization in Southwest Missouri. They'll get Five Months Free and will still get reduced new-member dues ($224, or $18.67 per month) beginning in September. Thanks!

For more information: 869-5090 or snea@aol.com.