Teacher Evals & Other Topics from SNEA Meeting

Springfield NEA held its first meeting of 2012-13 last Thursday at the office. Here's a summary of topics covered. Please contact me if you'd like additional information.

Teacher Evaluation

 

As part of the Missouri Waiver for No Child Left Behind , districts are required to set up new teacher evaluation systems by 2013-14 that must include student performance in the process. While many states (like Illinois) are including the state standardized test scores as a major component of this measure, Missouri's waiver is much more flexible. It allows districts to decide their own measure of student performance, which may or may not include MAP scores as a major component. Our district is one of over 140 districts piloting a new teacher evaluation system.

 

Springfield NEA will be "at the table" for discussions on teacher evaluation and will be asking teachers for input regarding how to proceed. Missouri NEA was a part of the discussion with DESE in creating the more flexible approach to measuring student performance. Now, we must work at the local level to help create a system that actually works. More information will be coming soon. For now, we are encouraging teachers to think about what measures of student performance could be used and what weight they should have. Note: the waiver also includes requirements for new evaluations for principals and superintendents.

 

Collective Bargaining Update

 

SPS Secretaries, at long last, are currently involved in negotiating a first contract with the district. The team has held several sessions and progress is being made. The district has, once again, utilized their attorney as district spokesperson for this first contract. Secretary membership in SNEA has grown threefold over the past year, as more secretaries seek information and involvement in improving their working conditions and job effectiveness. Teachers and School Nurses will also be negotiating full contracts this year. Last year, only financials were covered.

 

November Election Recommendations - Legislative Candidates and Ballot Initiatives

 

It should be noted that all recommendations made by Missouri NEA and Springfield NEA are the result of interviews with candidates by our members. Positions on ballot initiatives are also determined by our membership. If you are interested in becoming more involved in this process, please contact our local office.

 

Missouri NEA Supports Proposition B - Tobacco Tax

 

Missouri currently has the lowest tobacco tax in the U.S. at $0.17 per pack. By contrast, states surrounding Missouri have an average tobacco tax of $1.07 per pack. Petitions for this ballot initiative were gathered by the American Cancer Society, which turned in over 220,000 signatures to support increasing the tobacco tax by $0.90. The Missouri Budget Project estimates that the tax would generate approximately $300-$400 million in additional revenue, with approximately $150 million for K-12 funding.

 

Missouri NEA Opposes Proposition E

 

The Affordable Care Act calls for the creation of health insurance exchanges as a part of lowering health care costs so that more people can afford health insurance. Proposition E would prevent state and local governments from participating in the creation of these exchanges, which would require the federal government to manage Missouri's programs and charge the state for costs. Missouri NEA opposes Proposition E because it believes that Missouri should maintain state and local control in creating and adapting health insurance exchanges to fit the needs of Missouri citizens.

 

Missouri NEA Opposes Constitutional Amendment 3

 

In 1949, Missouri adopted the Non-Partisan Court Plan in an effort to discourage the politicizing of judicial nominations and elections. The plan has served as a model, with more than 30 state adopting a similar plan. Now, certain ideological entities have determined that politicizing the selection of judges for our courts is just the ticket for a more effective judicial system in Missouri. In effect, it would bring the dysfunctional partisanship that we have witnessed in the legislature and impose it on Missouri's judicial system. This ballot issue was fast-tracked through the legislature and will appear on the November ballot. Missouri NEA strongly opposes this blatant attempt to do away with a model process that has been replicated across the U. S. and replace it with one that is rife with partisan politics.

 

Candidates for the State Legislature - Springfield NEA Recommendations

 

Last summer, Springfield NEA members conducted interviews of candidates for the state legislature and issued the following recommendations based on their knowledge of the issues and their strong support for students, teachers and public schools:

 

132nd Legislative District Representative - Charlie Norr 

134th Legislative District Representative - James Owen

135th Legislative District Representative - Casey Clark

 

Missouri NEA PAC Check - Members in attendance on Thursday were introduced to MNEA PAC-Check, which allows members to designate a small portion of their current dues ($1 month) as a donation to the MNEA PAC. This is a popular way for members to contribute to PAC, since it designates existing dues with no addition to payroll deduction. Half of these PAC donations come back to Springfield NEA, so that we can support strong school board candidates each year. Any members interested in contributing to PAC can contact Springfield NEA at 869-5090 or email snea@aol.com.

 

SPS Strategic Plan - Teacher Support

Last spring, the district's community relations department - after several consultations with SNEA - conducted a teacher phone survey. Data gathered from this survey - and a similar survey with parents - was presented to the school board last month as a part of the new Teacher Support component of the district's Strategic Plan (SP5). A school board interested in continuous improvement will, no doubt, find these results useful. Based on survey responses, the 5 top areas of focus included:

• SPS budget decisions reflect classroom needs
• Class sizes throughout the district
• District support for students with behavioral issues
• Level of parent involvement with SPS
• Professional learning opportunities have classroom relevance

Further discussion with focus groups of teachers and parents will help clarify the specifics of these issues as the district works to develop its plan to improve support for teachers.

Springfield NEA Membership, Nomination of Delegates to Missouri NEA Rep Assembly

It's great to report that Springfield NEA has gained more new members this year than any year in recent memory, and new member forms keep coming in every week. Despite a large number of retirees last year, SNEA's total membership has grown, as more teachers, nurses and secretaries recognize the importance of supporting the association that, in return, best supports them.

The following people will represent Springfield NEA at the Missouri NEA Representative Assembly in November and April:

Melissa Albright, Wilson's Creek

Lin Davis, Springfield Option Site

Cassie Downs, Robberson

Brent Fullington, Cherokee

Tammy Holley, Kickapoo

Rebecca Jamieson, Hickory Hill

Rita Johnson, Parkview

Kittilu Maxson, Wilder

Patty Pogue, Study

Sarah Schofield, Sequiota

Vicky Scott, Holland/Cowden

Shannan Sharp, Fremont

Christopher Smith, Westport/York

Ray Smith, SNEA (Hickory Hills)

 

As always, thanks for supporting Springfield NEA and the good work that we do together. Please contact us at snea@aol.com or 417-869-5090 for additional information - or hit the comment button below.

 

Ray Smith, President

Springfield NEA