Current Actions

TRS Bill, With All Elements of a Fair Deal Now in Place, Deserves Legislative Support
As passed by the Texas House Monday, the session’s major bill on Teacher Retirement System benefits, SB 1458, now includes four key elements of a fair deal:

–it raises state contribution rates and ensures that state and district contributions combined will exceed employee contributions;

–it phases in higher employee contributions gradually over four years;

–it exempts all current education employees from adverse benefit changes; and

–it provides cost-of-living relief to nearly all current retirees.

Now the Senate needs to join the House in support of the House amendments that put the final two of those four elements in place. Please send both your senator and representative a message of support for the bill as amended by the House.
PETITION: Delay School Closings for the Sake of
Special Education Students

To CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and the Chicago Board of Education:
Urge your legislator to pledge opposition to so-called right to work

So-called right to work: What we’re facing

The so-called “right to work” legislation is not what it seems – it’s wrong for workers and bad for
the middle class. The name sounds great, but it’s completely misleading. The law already protects your freedom to find a job, and choose for yourself whether to join a union. So-called right to work will reduce individual freedom and take away your rights that unions have fought for.

In states that already have already passed so-called right to work laws, the consequences for workers have been far-reaching and dangerous:
- Annual incomes are $6,437 per household less in so-called right to work states
- Workplace fatalities are 36% higher
- 6 out of the 10 states with the highest unemployment have so-called right to work laws

The results of so-called right to work laws are clear: workers earn less and aren’t as safe.

Urge your state Representative and state Senator to pledge to oppose any legislative effort to bring so-called right to work laws to Ohio.
Ask Your Senator to Support Early Education and Care
Send a letter to your state senator asking for support for budget amendments that invest in early education and care.
“Parent Trigger” = “Parent Tricker”—Don’t Let Your State Representative Be Fooled
Recent proposals for “parent trigger” legislation have been touted as tools that would help parents turn around their child’s low-performing school. But these proposals really follows the blueprint of “parent tricker” legislation being pushed nationwide by extreme groups and private interests that stand to gain from converting neighborhood schools into charter schools. Send your letter urging your state representative to oppose "parent tricker" legislation!
Vote NO on SB 1718: Don’t Sell Out Our Neighborhood Schools
SB 1718 by Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), carried in the House by Rep. Harold Dutton (D-Houston), would authorize the commissioner of education to take over neighborhood schools rated low-performing and turn them over to charter operators. In the process, students, teachers, and parents would lose most of the safeguards of educational quality and fair treatment that they have under the Education Code.

The bill is coming up for a vote on the House floor on Tuesday, May 21, probably in the afternoon.
Oppose New Orleans Style Charter Takeover of HISD
Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, has amended SB 1718 to allow HISD to give away schools that are unsatisfactory for two years in a row. These schools will either be given to private charter managers or will become a district charter completely exempt from all of the education code-- lunch, planning, class size, etc. Why does Dutton think you are the problem? Why doesn't he question his lack of ability to bring good jobs to his community so parents can provide for their kids? What about his inability to get flooding under control so our schools don't lose student population when families move out?

Is it your fault as the teacher? Or his fault as a leader? You and those in the community will ultimately decide.
Support House Bill H398
Tell Mayor Rahm Emanuel to fix, not close, Chicago’s public schools.
The Chicago Teachers Union is holding a historic three-day march for education justice called “Our City. Our Schools. Our Voice.” The march is in response to the district’s plan to close 54 schools in Chicago—a reckless scheme that will hurt children and destabilize neighborhoods.

The reckless policy of mass closings, mass firings, mass testing, mass privatization and mass budget cuts is destroying our public schools and hurting our children. These policies have failed to improve teaching and learning, and disregard what teachers, students and parents want for their schools.

Stand with them. Tell Mayor Rahm Emanuel to fix, not close, Chicago's public schools.
Protect and Preserve Shared Governance at UO
Send a clear message to President Gottfredson and our elected leaders in Salem: Shared governance matters, and needs to be preserved and protected when and if an independent institutional board is created. Start by filling in your zip code.
It's Not Over! Dangerous threat to part-time health coverage continues!
The State Senate's budget proposal and their bill, SB 5905, will eliminate health care coverage for part-time state employees, including those in K-12 and higher education. If this happens, part-time faculty and staff would be forced into a new federal program created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) called the Washington Health Benefit Exchange.

A few weeks ago, we let the Legislature know we opposed this move and delivered over 800 petition signatures as well as almost 400 emails to key House and Senate leaders. But we need to keep the pressure on because the proposal is still on the table.

Under our state’s Health Care Authority, we get a good health care program that offsets the pitifully low wages of part-time faculty and staff.

This proposal presents a serious threat to almost all part-time employees. We need to make a very loud noise in Olympia against this effort! Those that earn the least should not pay the most for their health care coverage.

Currently, state employees in Washington receive full health coverage, including dental and vision, if they work at least 50% of a full-time load, as defined in your college’s contract. The State Senate Republican budget would restrict coverage to those working 30 hours per week or more.

The Senate budget includes funds to partially reimburse some part-timers for premiums for plans purchased on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. But the most anyone—and only the poorest—could get is $260 a month. The Senate touts a tax credit subsidy—but they only last for a limited time.

Contact lead budget negotiators today and tell them that the Senate budget is unfair and immoral to part-time faculty. Those who earn the least should not pay the most for their health care coverage.

Stop this Senate proposal now! It's an unfair plan that hurts our workers, families, and their kids.

If possible, please personalize the message that you send to your legislator.
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Put Education Funding Before Tax Giveaways
A passel of tax-giveaways threatens prospects for the full restoration of education funding. If that funding is not restored, some level of cuts will continue for at least the next two years. Yet majorities in both House and Senate have been voting for bills that would give away state revenue to businesses in one form or another.

Franchise-tax cuts in HB 500 by Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville) would cost $667 million for 2014-2015. New tax breaks for spending on research and development would cost $239 million (that one is HB 800 by Rep. Jim Murphy, R-Houston). Another Hilderbran bill, HB 3390, eventually would give away $800 million per biennium in school property taxes in the name of economic development.
District refuses to add steps for part-timers
Dear Part-Time Faculty Colleague:

Did you know that NOCCCD refused to give adjuncts additional steps in spite of fact that, for the last two years, the District had an ending fund balance of more than $50,000,000?

Adding 2 steps for part-timers would cost less than $500,000 a year. Can the District afford it? We think so.

The District continues to refuse to add steps to the part-time faculty schedule. From data given to AdFac by the District, we have been able to find 376 part-time faculty who have been with the District more than 10 years. In addition, almost 200 of these faculty have been with the District more than 15 years. None of these faculty is higher than step 3.

Please send a message to the NOCCCD Board of Trustees and tell them that part-time faculty deserve more steps.

Thank you for your help.

Sam Russo, President
Adjunct Faculty United, AFT Local 6106
Keep Fighting for a Fair Deal for ALL on TRS Bill -- SB 1458!
Loud and Clear!

Now is the time to be loud and clear that a fair deal is needed for ALL in the changes proposed to TRS pensions and health-care coverage.

Thanks to your grass-roots work--some 35,000 email letters and a barrage of phone calls--the Texas Senate added two of the four essential elements of a fair deal on TRS benefits and contributions to SB 1458, the major TRS bill of the 2013 legislative session.

But the Texas House still needs to add two more key provisions, exempting all current employees from a new minimum age of 62 for full pension and health-care benefits and ensuring an immediate benefit boost for all retirees. And a vote on the bill is set for tomorrow (Friday, May 17).

Jot down your state rep's phone number displayed to the right below. Send the new letter now, then give your rep a call! Tell your representative to support amendments by Rep. Armando Walle to SB 1458 that would make the bill a fair deal for all current retirees and all active school employees by:
- exempting all current school employees from the new minimum age of 62 for full retiree pension and health-care benefits that they have already earned; and
- providing an immediate benefit boost for all current retirees (not just the 30 percent who would be eligible for a 3-percent cost-of-living adjustment, capped at $100 a month, under the Senate version of SB 1458).
If you've already sent a letter, you can still send the new letter below. And if you already called, call again and offer your reasons why a fair deal for ALL is important.
Oppose Raising the Cap on Charter Schools
Oppose Raising the Cap on Charter Schools
Charter Expansion--Fix It or Nix It!
The House committee substitute for SB 2 by Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) is better than the Senate version but still needs fixing. The basic problem with both versions is that they put charter quantity before charter quality. Without waiting for new quality controls to take hold, or for academically or financially deficient charter operators to be shut down, the House version would expand the number of state-approved charters by 10 in each fiscal year through 2020, when the total would be set at 275.

SB 2 is coming up for a vote on the House floor on Thursday, May 16, probably right around noon. Please send your letter urging the House to “fix it or nix it” as soon as possible ahead of that vote.
The CPSB is Voting on Your Job
On Tuesday May 21st the CPSB will discuss and vote on how to allocate the 2013-2014 school year budget. It is imperative that we remain vigilant in making sure the CPSB members are making fair and transparent decisions.

The Shreveport Times reports: "Ninety-four special education teachers, aides and administrator positions are set to be cut to help make up a $21 million budget shortfall. Those jobs now make up the bulk of 212 positions scheduled to be eliminated, if the board approves the preliminary budget during its May 21 meeting. Also to be cut are 107 teaching positions from elementary and high schools, and 11 at Central Office. District officials say there will be no layoffs, however, and the cuts would be made through attrition." However, no proof has been offered to Red River United that layoffs would not occur.

The CPSB school board is also proposing to privatize all bus routes north of I-220. This process could result in additional personnel cuts even though the District claims no one would lose their job.

Proposed reductions also include expenditure decreases garnered by increasing kindergarten and 1st grade class sizes, increasing 4th and 5th grade class sizes, eliminating planning periods for high school teachers, eliminating 94 special education positions, and a classified employee hiring freeze.

Red River United has been present at all of the CPSB budget meetings to protest the proposed budget cuts. We demand that the school board follows law and policy. However, we need YOUR help sending the school board members a message: Real cuts affect real people.

You must do three things.
- Contact each school board member and tell him or her how you feel.
- Talk to your colleagues about how this budget shortfall will affect the children of Caddo Parish and your jobs, and then encourage them to contact the CPSB members and attend the budget vote on Tuesday, May 21.
- Pack the board room, overflow room, lobby etc for the CPSB Meeting on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. to show the school board members that this vote affects real people.
A Fair Pay Raise. A Commitment to Employees
On May 20, the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees will vote upon a proposed pay increase for educators. Currently proposed is a 1% increase with the potential of another 1%. In January, the Board of Trustees approved a 3.5% salary increase for the superintendent in addition to benefit upgrades.
School employees will have increases in their costs for healthcare and paying out of pocket for school supplies. A one or two percent increase will not cover the costs of healthcare increases in some cases causing an actual net loss in salary overall.

Send our Spring Branch AFT electronic letter now urging the Board of Trustees to approve a 3.5% pay increase to help SBISD remain competitive in retaining/attracting high quality professionals. It is the position of Spring Branch AFT that no employee receives a salary cut due to rising costs of healthcare. Salaries and benefits for teachers and support personnel, in fairness, should match what is given to top district administrative personnel.

Last year, the Board of Trustees approved a 2% salary increase.

Send our electronic letter today. This letter may be editied to personalize your story. Our Board of Trustees are elected officials, and we have a right to voice our opinions and concerns.
Veto SB 29!
Strongly Urge Governor Nixon to veto SB 29!

On Monday, Missouri's House of Representatives passed SB29, the Paycheck Deception bill. Despite strong bipartisan opposition, conservative extremists rammed through this bill - shutting down the voices of our state's teachers, nurses, firefighters and other workers.

The House passed Paycheck Deception, but Governor Nixon can prevent it from becoming law. Tell Governor Nixon that this bill is bad for Missouri and Missouri workers.
NYS Dream Act Letter 2013

NYS Dream Act (A 2597 Moya / S 2378 Peralta)

The Dream Act grants access to financial aid, opportunity programs, student loans and New York’s 529 college savings program for qualifying undocumented immigrant young adults. It also creates a privately funded NYS Dream Fund to provide scholarships to college-bound children who are the children of immigrants, and establishes a NYS Dream Fund Commission to administer the NYS Dream Fund. An estimated 4,500 undocumented students are now able to attend CUNY because they pay in-state tuition rates. Many more could attend if they had access to state financial aid.
Campaign Page │ Support Memo │ NYSUT Member Action │ Sign the 2013 Petition │ Bill & Sponsors
Stop Eroding Support for Schoolkids!
Gov. Markell's education funding cuts are eroding crucial support programs for our youngest and most vulernable children.

Despite the importance of preparing young students for high-stakes state tests, Brandywine School District is laying off early reading interventionists and technolgy support staff.

Email your U.S. and Delaware representatives today. Tell them to restore funding for vital services for Brandywine School District's children.
Say NO to Merit Pay
House Bill 4625 would institute a merit pay system for teachers and administrators based on student growth measured by tests and cannot include any other factors like length of service or advanced degrees. Evaluation systems - how, when, criteria - is a prohibited subject of bargaining so this is not somehting we will be able to "fix" later. All of this is happening while the Governor's Council for Educator Effectiveness, which is designing and field testing a teacher evaluation system, has not even issued its report about the best way to evaluate teachers. Please send an email today to your State Representatives asking them to vote NO on HB 4625. Please feel free to personalize your letter.
Tell Legislators: Support HB 2902A, Equal Pay for Equal Work
Celebrate National Nurses week by taking action: Call your State Senator and ask them to restore equal pay for equal work for Oregon's Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants.

Corporate insurance companies have been cutting payments to Oregon's Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants and their small businesses. With these cuts, some of Oregon's NPs providing the same primary care and mental health services as physicians are getting reimbursed at lower rates by insurance companies.
Support SB2404
The Illinois Senate passed the We Are One union coalition negotiated agreement, SB 2404, with Sen. President John Cullerton. Senate Bill 2404 is reasonable and responsible legislation that protects benefits, provides an ironclad funding guarantee, and provides substantial state budget relief to help fund education and other critical public services.

This agreed-upon legislation will protect 90-95 percent of most people’s pension benefits and saves the state more than $45 billion to stabilize the retirement systems. In contrast, Speaker Madigan’s pension slashing “mega-bill,” Senate Bill 1, would cut your retirement savings by as much as 45 percent - almost half! SB 1 passed the House last week by just a few votes and awaits consideration by the Senate.

Tell your representative to support SB2404!
EAA Expansion
The bill to expand the Education Achievement Authority (House Bill No. 4369) has passed House and is now being taken up in the Senate Please take a minute right now and send an e-mail to your State Senator. Please feel free to personalize your email with your experiences with the EAA, or your questions about how it might affect your neighborhood schools.
Expand Health-Care Access for Adjunct Faculty at Community Colleges
Under current law, some adjunct faculty members at public institutions of higher education (chiefly community colleges) are eligible for participation at their own expense in the state Employees Retirement System health plan. But eligibility requirements are too stringent, demanding three years of continuous teaching before an adjunct professor becomes eligible. Adjunct faculty employed as professional librarians also are ineligible.

HB 2127 by Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) would expand eligibility by reducing the prior-teaching requirement to one year and opening up eligibility to adjunct faculty serving as librarians. It would do so at zero cost to the state or to community colleges. The adjunct faculty members simply could buy into the ERS health plan if they so choose, paying the full premiums themselves.

The bill has strong bipartisan support. It passed in the House on May 4 by an overwhelming margin of 116 to 12. Coauthors of the bill in the House are Reps. Phil Stephenson (R-Wharton) and John Frullo (R-Lubbock). On May 15 it passed in the Senate State Affairs Committee by a strong bipartisan vote, with only one nay vote. The Senate companion bill is SB 1055 by Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin).

Write to your state senator now to urge the earliest possible Senate floor vote to pass HB 2127!
Parents Need to Know If a School Nurse is Not Available
SB 418 by Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston), which passed the Senate unanimously on April 23, would require districts to notify parents when full-time nurse staffing is not provided at their child’s school. It’s a common-sense health and safety measure that is long overdue. Parents, especially parents of children with significant medical issues, need to know if they can count on the presence of a nurse or nurses at school. If there’s not full-time coverage, notification gives them a chance to make alternative arrangements for needed medical care for their child. The bill passed the House Public Education Committee unanimously on May 15 and now must be scheduled for a vote in the full House. The House sponsor of the bill is Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston).

(Footnote: SB 418 was amended on the Senate floor by Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) to exempt school districts in counties with a population under 100,000.)

Please help pass this important bill to notify parents of gaps in nurse staffing at their child’s school! Contact your state representative and urge a prompt floor vote on SB 418!
Take Action for Comprehensive Immigration Reform!
We have a historic opportunity to address and fix our nation’s immigration laws. The time has come for commonsense, comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform that lives up to our values as a nation of immigrants. Congress must respond to the need for action.

Urge your senators to support fair and comprehensive immigration reform now.
Support Amendments for a Fair Deal on TRS Benefits!
Thanks to grass-roots communication by more than 35,000 Texas AFT members and allies, the Texas Senate has added two of the four essential elements of a fair deal on TRS benefits and contributions to SB 1458, the major TRS bill of the 2013 legislative session.

But the Texas House still needs to add two more key provisions, exempting all current employees from a new minimum age of 62 for full pension and health-care benefits and ensuring an immediate benefit boost for all retirees.

SB 1458 is now in the Texas House and could come up for a vote on the House floor as soon as Tuesday, May 14. Please contact your House member NOW in support of amendments to SB 1458 that would make the bill a fair deal for all current retirees and all active school employees by:

--exempting all current school employees from the new minimum age of 62 for full retiree pension and health-care benefits that they have already earned; and
--providing an immediate benefit boost for all current retirees (not just the 30 percent who would be eligible for a 3-percent cost-of-living adjustment, capped at $100 a month, under the Senate version of SB 1458).

The goal of SB 1458—assuring the long-term actuarial soundness of the TRS pension fund for all current and future beneficiaries—is worthy. But this goal does not have to be achieved at the disproportionate expense of current retirees or current active school employees.

(The two elements of a fair deal already added in a Senate floor amendment by Sens. Kirk Watson, Wendy Davis, and Royce West are:

--a substantial increase in the state contribution rate, which will be higher than the employee rate for 2014-2015; and
--a gradual phase-in of higher employee contribution rates for 2015-2017, which will be more than matched by combined state and school-district contributions.)
A profile in courage
Please thank a lawmaker who stood tall for us!

Thanks in large part to the e-mails that you sent to the House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee this week, we were able to convince members to defer HB 522, which would have repealed our right to collect member dues through payroll deduction.

Had this bill passed, unions like the LFT would find it very difficult to continue our fight against the Jindal administration’s efforts to substitute a corporate agenda for the common good of the people of Louisiana.

On issues including school vouchers, assaults on the teaching profession, privatization of health care and the reduction of health services, attacks on public employee pensions, starving higher education and more, unions have led the opposition to the Jindal agenda.

With the defeat of HB 552, we will be able to keep fighting.

We owe particular thanks to one member of the committee, Rep. Jerome “Dee” Richard (I-Thibodaux). In spite of heavy pressure from the business lobby, Rep. Richard listened to his conscience and cast the deciding vote to kill HB 552.

Rep. Richard is now being blanketed with hate mail because of the stand he took. Please take a moment and thank Rep. Richard. Click the link below. Let him know that we appreciate his courage, and will support him in any way that we can.
S1778- Support workers’ compensation coverage for public safety workers
Support S1778, which serves to provide needed workers’ compensation coverage for public safety workers, including nurses.

Please submit the letter below, which will go to the Senator in your district.
A1196

Support A1196, which serves to provide needed workers’ compensation coverage for public safety workers, including nurses.

Please submit the letter below , which will go to the Assembly persons in your district.
Lt. Gov. Phil Scott Denies Early Educator Vote on Senate Floor
Lt. Governor Phil Scott denied Early Educators their vote on the Senate Floor when he ruled that the right to organize was not relevant to H.521 the Miscellaneous Education Bill. A majority of Senators voted that the vote should continue, but not the 3/4 required to get a vote today.

We can still win a vote TODAY in the Senate allowing home-based providers the right to organize and negotiate for improvements in the early care and education system.
Take Action for Safe Communities - Write Your Member!
More than 155 representatives have signed on to co-sponsor the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2013. Enter your zip-code below to make sure yours is one of them.
Let all home-based providers organize and negotiate
Early educators have been organizing for the last three years to win the right to organize and negotiate to improve the quality of care in Vermont.

Now Senators are considering excluding half of the home based providers--those providers who are paid the least.
Oppose Pension Slashing SB 1!

UPDATE: SB 2404 passed the Senate May 9, but pension-slashing SB 1 could still be called for a vote. Keep e-mailing your Senator to stop Madigan's destructive mega-bill!

The We Are One union coalition has negotiated an agreement with Sen. President John Cullerton on Senate Bill 2404, fair and responsible legislation that protects benefits, provides an ironclad funding guarantee, and provides substantial state budget relief to help fund education and other critical public services.

This agreed-upon legislation will protect 90-95 percent of most people’s pension benefits and saves the state more than $45 billion to stabilize the retirement systems. In contrast, Speaker Madigan’s pension slashing “mega-bill,” Senate Bill 1, would cut your retirement savings by as much as 45 percent - almost half! SB 1 passed the House last week by just a few votes and awaits consideration by the Senate.
Close Tax Loopholes and Invest in our Youngest Learners
Working families across the state depend on quality early learning and child care in order to go to work. Send the message to your legislators that we must put our kids and communities first, by ending unjust tax breaks and raising revenue!
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Tell Legislators: Don't go home until Early Educators have the right to organize
The legislative session may end on Saturday, May 11^th. Multiple procedural delays, a tactic often used to prevent a bill from passing, have hindered early educators' three year effort to pass a bill that will allow providers to stand together and negotiate for improvements. The legislature can and should pass this legislation out this May. The House and the Senate have overwhelmingly voted for the right of independent home health providers to organize and negotiate.

Now it's early educators' turn. Tell legislators not to leave Montpelier until they have passed H.521 .
Common Core: Do What it Takes Before High Stakes
We have the ability to transform the very DNA of teaching and learning, to move away from rote memorization and endless test taking, and toward problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork—things I know we have been advocating for years. It’s kind of amazing that we have to call on states and districts to implement the Common Core State Standards before making the new assessments count. But that’s what we’re doing.

Send a message to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and your state education commissioner: When states and districts get the alignment right—which will require moving from standards to curriculum to field testing to revising—success will follow. But, until then, a moratorium on the stakes is the only sensible course.

Enter your zip-code below to be matched with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and your state education commissioner. Feel free to add your own personal stories to the letter before sending.
May 9: WTU Day of Action
Earlier this week, AFT president Randi Weingarten delivered a critical speech calling for a moratorium on high stakes connected to Common Core assessments until states and districts have worked with educators to properly implement them. As Randi said, the Common Core Standards can lead either to a revolution that elevates teaching and learning, or to another example of failed reforms.

Pledge to Join In Solidarity on our Day of Action!

Stand with sisters and brothers around the nation for a day of action on May 9.

Sign the pledge below and wear blue to show your support for the proper implementation of the Common Core State Standards.
Block SB 218—Made-to-Order Vehicle for Attacks against Neighborhood Schools
SB 218 by Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston), the “sunset” bill to continue the existence of the Texas Education Agency, is a ready vehicle for amendments that would carry out a hostile agenda designed by private interests aiming to take over neighborhood schools and to eliminate state safeguards of educational quality.

The private interests behind this agenda have a ton of money and the political influence that money can buy. What they cannot match is the grass-roots opposition of thousands of parents, educators, and citizens in the communities served by our neighborhood schools.

Please write to your senator now to urge him or her not to let SB 218 come up on the Senate floor. It could come up as soon as Wednesday, May 1. This bill is just too dangerous! Note: TEA’s lease on life can easily be extended through another so-called “safety net” bill, so SB 218 is not a “must-pass” piece of legislation.
Needed NOW: A Fair Deal on TRS Benefits!
The committee-approved versions of SB 1458 by Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) and its companion, HB 1884 by Rep. Bill Callegari (R-Katy), would cut already-earned TRS retirement benefits for many current employees, by raising to 62 the minimum age for retirement with full benefits. Pensions would be cut 2 percent for each year prior to age 62, even for employees who meet the rule of 80, and only catastrophic health coverage would be provided. (For employees with less than five years of service credit by September 2014, the pension cut for pre-62 retirement would be 5 percent per year.) The change in the minimum age would take billions of dollars of earned retirement benefits out of the pockets of school employees.

After-the-fact pension cutbacks like this are illegal in the private sector, and they are not acceptable for school employees in Texas. A grandfather clause (exempting employees who as of August 31, 2014, are age 50 or above, or have 25 years of service, or meet a rule of 70), which would spare some but leave hundreds of thousands of dedicated school employees exposed to this take-away of earned benefits, does not make the take-away legitimate.

Texas AFT is working to persuade the authors of these bills to remove the take-away of earned benefits, to improve benefits for both retired and active school employees, and to strengthen the TRS pension fund for the long haul. Meanwhile, more than 20,000 of you have bolstered our negotiating position by sending a letter to your legislators in opposition to the committee substitutes for SB 1458 and HB 1884.

SB 1458 is now eligible for a Senate floor vote as early as Wednesday, May 1. Please take the opportunity NOW to write again to your senator and representative to oppose the existing committee substitutes for SB 1458 and HB 1884 and to urge the legislature to:

--reject entirely the take-away of already-earned pension benefits from current employees;
--increase the state’s contribution rate to TRS, as recommended by TRS actuaries, to 6.9 percent in fiscal 2014 and 7.4 percent in fiscal 2015;
--require any increase in the employee contribution rate to be gradual and to be matched by increases in the state contribution rate; and
--provide an immediate benefit enhancement such as a 13th check for all retirees, not just for a small minority as proposed in SB 1458 and HB 1884.

Urge your senator and representative to demand a fair deal on TRS benefits now!
Take Action: Lawmakers Supporting Corbett's Flawed Pension Plan

During his annual budget address in February, Governor Corbett laid out his vision of pension reform for Pennsylvania. It is a vision that exaggerates the current crisis and ignores the legislative missteps that created it. His proposal would increase the debt of the public pension system and increase costs to taxpayers while destroying any sort of retirement security for hard working public employees.

In spite of all of the analysis which has demonstrated the flaws in his vision – on Friday, Representative Ross and Senator Brubaker circulated co-sponsorship memos in the House and Senate, looking for other legislators to sign on to this misguided plan.

E-mail your State Representative and State Senator now and tell them NO!!!

The Governor’s plan would eliminate defined benefit pension plans for new hires – and instead put them into a 401(k)-type defined contribution plan. The Governor’s own budget secretary has recently admitted that this type of plan will not adequately provide for the retirement of teachers or other state workers.

Current employees’ benefits will be put at risk by implementation of this plan. A healthy pension fund depends on the contributions of new employees. Cutting off these funds by funneling new employees into a separate 401(k) will eliminate a vital source of funding and threaten the entire pension system. Actuarial studies in 12 states have shown that switching from a defined benefit plan to a 401(k)-type plan increases pension debt.

In 2010, all of the stakeholders came together to solve the looming pension crisis. Act 120 was passed, which lowered pension costs by reducing benefits for new employees, capping the maximum pension benefit an employee can receive, and increasing the time it takes for a pension to vest form 5 to 10 years. Act 120 also increased the age and years of service needed to retire with full benefits, and removed an employee option to withdraw individual contributions at the start of retirement.

Over the next 30 years, the savings from these changes are estimated at $24.7 billion in the Public School Employee retirement System (PSERS) and another $8.3 billion in the State Employee Retirement System (SERS).

Not only will the Governor’s proposal cost taxpayers more money and increase the number of retirees who are living in poverty and dependent on public assistance – it is unconstitutional.

E-mail your legislators today! Make sure they know that you do not want them signing on as a co-sponsor of this plan – and that you want them to oppose ANY legislation that is introduced to destroy Pennsylvania’s pension system!
Common Core: Do What it Takes Before High Stakes
We have the ability to transform the very DNA of teaching and learning, to move away from rote memorization and endless test taking, and toward problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork—things I know we have been advocating for years. It’s kind of amazing that we have to call on states and districts to implement the Common Core State Standards before making the new assessments count. But that’s what we’re doing.

Send a message to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan: When states and districts get the alignment right—which will require moving from standards to curriculum to field testing to revising—success will follow. But, until then, a moratorium on the stakes is the only sensible course.

Stand in solidarity with educators from across the country. Enter your zip-code below to send a message to Secretary Arne Duncan.
Stop Irresponsible Pension Scheme
In spite of mounting evidence exposing serious flaws in PA's pension "reform" proposals, politicians are still pushing plans that would increase costs to taxpayers and undermine retirement security for hard-working school and public employees.

Don't let the legislature weaken PSERS and SERS with their reckless schemes. Tell your state representative and senator to protect teacher and public-sector pensions.
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They want to do WHAT to my rights?
The PA House may soon consider House Bill 135, which could eliminate collective bargaining, due process, tenure, seniority and other rights for teachers and school employees who work in districts that request permission from PDE to "waive" state mandates. Please contact your state representative ASAP. Urge him or her to oppose HB 135 - the mandate relief bill.
Common Core: Do What it Takes Before High Stakes
We have the ability to transform the very DNA of teaching and learning, to move away from rote memorization and endless test taking, and toward problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork—things I know we have been advocating for years. It’s kind of amazing that we have to call on states and districts to implement the Common Core State Standards before making the new assessments count. But that’s what we’re doing.

Send a message to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and your state education commissioner: When states and districts get the alignment right—which will require moving from standards to curriculum to field testing to revising—success will follow. But, until then, a moratorium on the stakes is the only sensible course.

Enter your zip-code below to be matched with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and your state education commissioner. Feel free to add your own personal stories to the letter before sending.
Fight Back Against the Attack on Public Education
Private interests driven by money and political motives have launched a barrage of bills in the legislature attacking public education. Their agenda is to take over neighborhood schools and eliminate state safeguards of educational quality. These private interests have a ton of money and the political influence that money can buy. What they cannot match is the grass-roots opposition of thousands of parents, educators, and citizens in the communities served by our neighborhood schools.
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Ask Congress to Support Nurse Staffing Standards
Legislation is pending before Congress that would require the establishment of nurse-patient ratios to improve the quality of healthcare in our nation's hospitals. The Senate bill was introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) as S. 739, the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act, and companion legislation will be introduced in the House by Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), the Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Act. The bills would require hospitals to implement staffing plans with specific nurse-patient ratios in certain units. The bills also would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national acuity tool to establish nurse staffing requirements above minimum ratios. Both bills include provisions that authorize a nurse to refuse to accept an assignment if it would violate minimum ratios established under the legislation or if the nurse is not prepared by education, training or experience to fulfill the assignment without compromising the safety of any patient or jeopardizing the license of the nurse. Included is language that prohibits a hospital from: (1) taking specified actions against a nurse based on the nurse's refusal to accept an assignment for such a reason; or (2) discriminating against any patient, employee or other individual for good-faith complaints or grievances relating to the care, services or conditions of the hospital, or of any affiliated or related facilities.
Action Alert! No on SB 125
Representative Ellington let us down. He made the motion to reconsider the House Committee Substitute for SB 125, it passed out of committee and now it's due to be heard on the House floor tomorrow.

The House Committee Substitute (HCS) for SB 125 would eliminate tenure as we know it, eliminate seniority for certified and classified staff, eliminate recall from layoff procedures and tie 33% of your evaluation to test scores.

KCFT & SRP strongly opposes SB 125, and we need your help!

Contact your Representative now!

The Action Alert contains a brief, editable message box to help you send an email to your State Representative on the issue.

YOUR MESSAGE WILL HAVE A GREATER IMPACT IF YOU PERSONALIZE THE MESSAGE AND ADD YOUR OWN CONCERNS REGARDING THE BILL.

Remember to proofread your letter before sending.
Join a Special Education Committee Task Force
Throughout the year, the Chicago Teachers Union’s Special Education Committee has been hard at work, trying to tackle the many issues that have existed in special education for years, along with numerous new mandates and changes being imposed by the Chicago Public Schools Office of Special Education and Supports (OSES) this year. In January, the CTU hosted a meeting with OSES leaders to discuss evaluation for special education teachers. The meeting was a huge success, drawing more than 180 teachers who challenged CPS about not only the evaluation process, but also the many factors that prevent the district from providing the services our students so desperately need and deserve. Some of the questions and concerns can be found at the ctunet.com/SpecialEd web page.
Due to the overwhelming amount of participation, the Special Education Committee has decided to expand by forming a series of task forces where special educators and others can work on targeted issues. Along with leaders from the Special Education Committee, we want to recruit members interested in the following topics to join us and help create solutions to some of the problems plaguing special education in CPS. If you are interested in joining any of these task forces, please send an e-mail to and you will be sent a notice to attend the first meeting.

The School District of Philadelphia has laid out budget projections for the 2013-14 school year that would rob our children of the most basic elements of a quality education! Let elected officials know that our schools have nothing left to sacrifice!

We ant our elected leaders to hear from every school that will be hurt by these cuts. Enter your school's address/zip code in the space below to send a message to the right City Council person, State Senator and State Reprsentative for that location.

For reference click here for a complete listing of schools, addresses, zip codes and representatives.

Teachers' Retirement Amendment Act of 2013
What You Need to Know:

On Friday, April 26, 2013, the “Teachers’ Retirement Amendment Act of 2013” will come before the DC Council's Committee of the Whole. This bill will amend section 38-2021.03(b) of the District of Columbia Official Code to allow excessed permanent status teachers, whose most recent performance evaluation is “effective” or higher, to retire under the existing provisions of involuntary retirement.

What You Need to Do:

Write your local legislators, using your school's address, to urge DC Council Members to support the Teachers’ Retirement Amendment Act of 2013.
Support Senate Bill 368
Added authorizations for current Special Education teachers have resulted in credential holders being required to take additional coursework in order to serve students. SB 368 will allow Special Educators who need to obtain additional credential authorizations to receive credit for previous experience and coursework by granting credential programs the authority to make decisions about issues of equivalence, articulation and comparability when determining the coursework needs of teachers. Enactment of SB 368 will ensure that Special Educators are evaluated individually and receive credit for their prior knowledge and coursework.

SB 368 (Pavley) will be heard on MAY 1 – TAKE ACTION NOW!

Contact the Senate Education Committee members Carol Liu (Chair) Mark Wyland (Vice-Chair) and our state Senate representative Bill Monning and urge their support of SB 368!
Action Needed! No on SB26
The House passed SB 26 tonight.

The huge tax cuts contained in the bill would result in a significant loss of state revenue that will jeopardize state funding for our public schools and other critical state services for years to come.

Please contact your Senator immediately and ask him or her to vote no on SB 26.
Stop Trigger in the Senate Before the Vote
The Parent Empowerment Bill (AKA Parent Trigger) is Heading to a Senate Floor Vote

The countdown to the end of the legislative session is underway. Our last chance to stop Parent Trigger is just days away!

The Senate version of the Parent Trigger (SB862) legislation will likely be considered by the full Senate sometime within the next 8 days. Session ends on May 3rd. Your senator needs to hear from you TODAY! Tell your Senator to stop misleading parents and playing with our student's future.

This proposal has nothing to do with giving parents a voice or control over their child's education. This legislation is not about giving parents and students a choice. The measure is about opening the door to a full corporate take-over of our public schools. Parent Trigger is about profit and corporate empowerment rather than sound education policy.

If this bill could really make a difference for students in low performing schools, then why has every legitimate parent group in Florida, including the PTA, LULAC and NAACP, opposed this measure? Parents believe, if passed, this law would ultimately hurt students and our neighborhood schools. In fact, this measure will only place private education companies and corporations in a better position to influence education policy and force taxpayers to pick up the corporate tab for operating “for-profit and unaccountable" charter schools. These schools are not held to the same standards as traditional public schools.

We cannot allow this madness to continue. Contact your legislator, right now. Tell your Senator to Vote NO on SB 862. Call this toll-free number to be connected to your State Senator: 866-249-8332. Tell them Florida does not want or need the Parent Trigger!

If you haven't thanked the House members who voted against trigger, please take a moment to thank them now.

"Florida House blows past facts to pass parent trigger bill" Tampa Bay Times, 4/6/13.

Has Jeb Bush’s foundation created a faux parents group to support parent trigger? 4/24/13
http://bobsidlethoughtsandmusings.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/has-jeb-bushs-foundation-created-a-faux-parents-group-to-support-parent-trigger/

Note: To find your individual state senator and/or representative, please provide your street address (i.e. 123 Main St.) and full zip code (i.e. 12345-6789). Many ZIP codes in Florida contain multiple state House/Senate districts.
Tell Congress to Support Marketplace Fairness
Urge your senators and representative to support the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013—S. 336, co-sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), and H.R. 684, co-sponsored in the House of Representatives by Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.).

These bills require out-of-state sellers that sell their products over the Internet, by telephone, or through the mail to collect sales tax for the state where the purchaser resides. Since 45 states already require the collection of state taxes on out-of-state sales, these bills will simply fix a tax-avoidance problem and increase state tax receipts by more than $20 billon annually. The bill levels the playing field for local businesses and exempts small businesses with less than $1 million in out-of-state sales from the requirement to collect the tax.
Stop SB 29!

The House may act soon on a bill attacking labor unions. SB 29 (Dan Brown) restricts the ability of public labor union members to use payroll deduction to pay their dues.

Other than mandated deductions for taxes and retirement, all payroll deductions by all Missouri education employees are covered by an existing law that requires a board policy treating all requests fairly, prior approval by the individual employee and reimbursement to the district for any extra costs. SB 29 will interfere with this good law by adding confusing requirements that districts and employees will have to navigate.

The bill also imposes unnecessary and burdensome paperwork requirements on voluntary contributions by public union employees for political contributions.

All employees have the constitutional right to an effective union voice in their employment and to work together to support political campaigns without undue interference from state policies that would undermine those rights.

The KCFT & SRP strongly opposes this bill. Paycheck deception laws at their core are an attempt to limit the voices of educators, union members, and other public employees.
Part-time faculty deserve more steps!
Dear Part-Time Faculty Colleague:

Your union, Adjunct Faculty United, continues to negotiate for additional steps for part-time faculty in the NOCCCD. Steps are recognition that experience makes you a better teacher – and a higher paid one.

During the last five years, in which no faculty have received a salary schedule increase, approximately 75% of your full-time colleagues have received more money in their paycheck because of step increases (since full-time faculty have 18 steps at which salary increases and part-time have only 3).

We need your help. Please send a message to the District Board of Trustees and tell them that part-time faculty deserve more steps.

Thank you.

Adjunct Faculty United
Join Malala and stand up for girls’ education
The world well knows the story of young Pakistani Malala Yousafzi, targeted and shot by the Taliban, simply for wanting to go to school. Now, more people are focusing on the important ideals that Malala and her father and her friends are fighting for -- that girls should be able to attend school as a human right, free of fear and intimidation. Help end the attacks on young girls and their teachers who dare believe that girls have a right to quality education.
Ask your Representative to support SB 21 - improve the 3rd grade reading guarantee

Possible changes to the Ohio law called the Third Grade Reading Guarantee approved by the state Senate look promising for students and teachers. However the Senate amendments included in Senate Bill 21 are still pending before the Ohio House.

Ask your state Representative to support the Senate version of SB 21 and to pass it without delay.
Support the House Budget Proviso
Please ask key leaders to include the HB 1348 proviso that's in the House budget in their final budget resulting from their negotiations. Key reasons for supporting this proviso are:
- It creates a shared responsibility between the State Legislature and the colleges for funding step increases.
- You have already bargained step increases with your administration but, by law, the State is the only fund source for these and they have not funded them in at least two biennia.
- Having the ability to bargain for local funds will free up more money for step increases.
- This proviso will help recruit, retain and reward faculty for their hard work and professional development.
- Students benefit when faculty have good working conditions.
Please modify the letter below so that these legislators do not get the same message from everyone. It's important that it is personal but feel free to use any of the points above or in the sample letter. Don't forget to include your name, address, where you work, and what you teach.

Thank you for taking action!
How Did Your Senators Vote?
Thank your senators who supported the Toomey-Manchin amendment on universal background checks yesterday, and express your disappointment in those who didn't.
Support SB 823
The world has changed a great deal since our workers’ compensation statute was first enacted. Sadly, we live in a more violent society. Modern scientific research has shown that human beings, though they often can withstand and recover from the most debilitating of physical injuries, are often far more harmed by the emotional impact of the circumstances in which those physical injuries were sustained. We know now about post-traumatic stress disorder and that it can be a completely debilitating condition. When injuries occur in the workplace, whether they are physical, mental or emotional, we must provide parity of coverage and treatment in our workers’ compensation statute.

SB 823 An Act Concerning Mental or Emotional Impairment and Workers’ Compensation Coverage makes an employee eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if the employee experiences post traumatic stress disorder in the workplace.
Block Virtual Vouchers!
SB 1298 by Sen. Glenn Hegar (R-Katy) would funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to private online-course providers from state taxpayers for the benefit of home-schooled and private-school students. These online providers would not be subject to the same accountability requirements as public schools, but the private entities would be entitled to full state and local funding per pupil just as if they were bricks-and-mortar schools.
Contact Congress!
Urge your senators to vote YES on three important amendments to S. 649, the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013. These proposals will strengthen the capacity of S. 649 to adequately address the violence that faces many of our schools, students, educators and communities.
Join CTU at an upcoming political education workshop
CTU will join a coalition of organizations and activists who are fed up with the status quo and want to change the face of City Hall and the General Assembly – literally. The mayor, some members of the City Council and some members of the Illinois General Assembly have failed to listen to the voices of thousands of parents, educators, students, school employees and activists on school closings, a “comprehensive voter registration and education campaign is now underway.”
ALERT! Dangerous threat to part-time health coverage
The State Senate budget passed last week eliminated health care coverage for part-time state employees, including those in K-12 and higher education. In the proposal, our part-time faculty would be forced into a new federal program created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) called the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. The Senate is also moving a bill forward—SB 5905—to achieve the same end.

We know what we get under our state’s Health Care Authority: a good health care program that offsets the pitifully low wages of part-time faculty.

This proposal presents a serious threat to almost all part-time faculty. We need to make a very loud noise in Olympia against this effort! Those that earn the least should not pay the most for their health care coverage.

Currently, state employees in Washington receive full health coverage, including dental and vision, if they work at least 50% of a full-time load, as defined in your college’s contract. The State Senate Republican budget would restrict coverage to those working 30 hours per week or more.

The Senate budget includes funds to partially reimburse some part-timers for premiums for plans purchased on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. But the most anyone—and only the poorest—could get is $260 a month. The Senate touts a tax credit subsidy—but they only last for a limited time.

Contact your legislators and say that the Senate budget is unfair and immoral to part-time faculty. Those who earn the least should not pay the most for their health care coverage.

Stop this Senate proposal now! It's an unfair plan that hurts our workers, famlies, and their kids.

If possible, please personalize the message that you send to your legislator.
Share Your Story
We're collecting stories on share my lesson.
“Parent Trigger” = “Parent Tricker”—Don’t Let Your State Representative Be Fooled
SB 1263 by Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) and Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) is advertised as a “parent trigger” bill that would help parents turn around their child’s low-performing school. But the bill really follows the blueprint of “parent tricker” legislation being pushed nationwide by extreme groups and private interests that stand to gain from converting neighborhood schools into charter schools. Send your letter urging your state representative to oppose this bad bill!
Thank Your Representative HB 631
Thank you
Write Your Senators!
The Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 supports criminal and mental health background checks, as well as security infrastructure in schools (lights, locks, security plans), and cracks down on gun trafficking. More still needs to be done—especially banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines—but this package is an important first step and deserves a vote.
Tell the District to Negotiate!
On March 22 your union presented proposals to the district to increase your wages, reduce class sizes/caseloads and increase your preparation time. Today we met again with the district and received no responses to those proposals. Surprisingly the District has not even priced out our proposals. Even worse the District said that they would not respond to our proposals until the state budget was passed. This could take us into the summer!

When would our contract be negotiated? How would it be ratified? Will we be told it is too late to reduce class sizes, like what happened in the fall when the district refused to spend the Prop. 30 reserve of $7.6M?

If you want a raise, if you want reduced class sizes and case loads, if you want more prep time, tell the board now to force the district to negotiate. Tonight (Wed. April 10) the board is meeting and must listen to your demands.
Urge Your Senator to Vote "NO" on Disability Vouchers (SB 115)
SB 115 by Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) would make all Texas students with disabilities eligible for private-school vouchers. The bill is opposed by many parents of special-needs students, by legal advocates for students with disabilities, by educators, and by other concerned citizens. They all understand that funding the “choice” of a private-school voucher would do the children affected no favor and would undercut funding and special-education services in the public schools.

Nonetheless, an attempt may be made on April 11 to pass this bill in the Senate Education Committee. Please send the e-letter below and make a call to your senator afterward in opposition to this disability voucher bill, SB 115.
Support Labor History in Schools
Since its inception, the labor movement has worked to establish worker rights and create the middle class. Sadly, the entirety of this history is rarely taught. As a result, Americans are largely uninformed or misinformed about the labor movement and the role that workers have played, and do play, in our nation’s economic, political and cultural life.

HB 5713 permits the history of organized labor, the collective bargaining process and existing workplace protections to be part of our public school curriculum.

Academic standards and curriculum resources such as textbooks have historically ignored or been deficient in their treatment of workers and the labor movement. Significantly, many teachers want to cover this history in their classrooms, but there are few written curriculum standards by local and state educational institutions to encourage the teaching of this material.

HB 5713 would set standards to teach labor history in Connecticut’s public schools so that students can learn the role labor unions have played in our state’s heritage.
Did you know?
Thanks to the efforts of labor unions, today’s workers enjoy a broad array of protections that we now take for granted, including:

· An 8-hour work day & 40-hour work week
· A minimum wage
· Extensive child labor laws
· Safer working conditions
· Unemployment insurance
· Protection against workplace discrimination
· Workers’ Compensation
· Collective bargaining to give workers a voice

Students deserve to know that these protections were not just inherited from previous generations, but rather were won by the efforts of ordinary people who made extraordinary sacrifices to create the society we enjoy today.

Please support HB 5713.

Legislation requiring that history of the labor movement be taught in public schools has already been passed in several states, including California, Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin.
AFT-NH RED ALERT--OVERTURN THE COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATION AND ASK THAT HB 370 “OUGHT TO PASS”
We cherish our public schools in NH. Two bills passed last year (SB 372 and HB 1607) divert scarce resources to private and religious schools as well as home-schoolers. In fact, these laws do not even contain any accountability provisions to ensure the money is put to good use!

AFT-NH also believes that it is unconstitutional to divert state money to religious schools. Our Constitution is clear—state money will not be used to fund religious instruction (“no person shall ever be compelled to pay towards the support of the schools of any sect or denomination.”-- Article 6, NH Constitution).

We need you to make a difference and take this action to support NH public education. Our public schools in NH are competitive and we are proud of our schools.

Please contact your Senator and ask that they overturn the committee’s recommendation that the bill be defeated and ask instead that they vote to pass this bill!
All In for Citizenship
Over the coming weeks, our elected officials will see heightened action on Capitol Hill around the issue of meaningful immigration reform. With the Senate expected to introduce an expansive bill in the next few days, and the House expected to follow suit, now is the time to join our brothers and sisters and make our voices heard.

Make your voice heard. Write your senators today.
Urge Lawmakers to Stop Wasting Time on Private-School Voucher Bills!
The Texas House on April 4 overwhelmingly passed an amendment to the state budget bill prohibiting the use of state funds for private-school vouchers whatever form they take, by a vote of 103 to 43. Yet five voucher bills at the Capitol are still under active consideration!

Tell you legislators to reject private-school vouchers that drain money from our schools, which already faced severe cuts in 2011. Urge lawmakers to stop wasting time on these bills! (Your online letter will list the bills along with several reasons why private-school vouchers harm our schools and don't help our students.)
Statewide Education Call to Action
10 minutes - 3 calls. Urge the governor & legislators to provide stable, equitable funding for public education.
- Call your state Representative
- Call your state Senator
- Call Gov. Corbett at 717-787-2500
Enter your Zip Code below to find your senator & representative or click here to look them up by county.
Oppose TRS pension and retiree health-care cuts!

Newly unveiled substitutes for SB 1458 by Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) and its companion, HB 1884 by Rep. Bill Callegari (R-Katy), would cut already-earned TRS retirement benefits for many current employees, by raising to 62 the minimum age for retirement with full benefits and decent health coverage. Pensions would be cut 5 percent for each year prior to age 62, even for employees who meet the rule of 80, and only catastrophic health coverage would be provided.

After-the-fact pension cutbacks like this are illegal in the private sector, and they are not acceptable for school employees in Texas. A grandfather clause (exempting employees who as of August 31, 2014, are age 50 or above, or have 25 years of service, or meet a rule of 70), which would spare some but leave many thousands of dedicated school employees exposed to this take-away of earned benefits, does not make this take-away legitimate. Contact your senator and representative in opposition to SB 1458 and HB 1884 now!
Stop SB 26 - Attack on Unions
A Missouri House committee combined 3 anti-union bills (HBs 77, 91 & 95) and passed it out of committee.

These bills are directly based on model legislation distributed by ALEC.

These bills are part of an organized national plan to eliminate the voice of the middle class.

Special interest groups are pushing hard. Make sure your state representative hears from you today.
HB 631
TEACHERS UNDER ATTACK - TAKE ACTION NOW!

HB 631 may be taken up on the floor of the House early next week. Please contact your Representative today!

The bill
- Attacks tenured and non-tenured teachers.
- Non-tenured teachers would only have one semester to improve before being fired.
- Would remove tenure status for all currently tenured teachers.
- Would require at least 1/3 of teachers' evaluation to be based on student test scores on state tests.
- Would take away local control in the hiring, promotion, firing, layoff and compensation of teachers.
KCFT & SRP strongly opposes this attack on teacher tenure and massive imposition of unproven mandates and elimination of local control and decision-making.

Your message will have a greater impact if you personalize the message and your own concerns regarding the bill.

For best results, please "preview" your message before you send it.

They Stood Firm Against the Trigger
We Must Show Our Support

This past Thursday, members of the Florida House passed the controversial Parent Trigger bill ignoring parents, teachers and concerned citizens who opposed this ridiculous bill.

Despite immense pressure from legislative leaders, seven courageous House Republicans stood in defiance and voted AGAINST the Parent Trigger legislation, along with ALL 44 House Democrats.

Their votes may not have been enough to stop the bill from passing the House, but we must recognize their support. Please take a moment to call or email these legislators and your Democratic representative to thank them for putting principle over politics.

Republican Representatives Beshears HD 7, Fasano HD 36, Goodson HD 50, Hooper HD 67, Hutson HD 24, Raschein HD 120, Santiago HD 27 voted NO on Parent Trigger along with all 44 House Democrats.

The Parent Trigger legislation now heads to the Florida Senate where our work continues to stop this misguided bill from being passed. Please act on our Parent Trigger alert.

**Voted Against Trigger with All 44 Democrats**
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Representatives Beshears HD 7 Halsey.Beshears@myfloridahouse.gov (850) 717-5007 (850) 342-0016	Fasano HD 36 mike.fasano@myfloridahouse.gov (850) 717-5036 (727) 848-5885	Goodson HD 50 tom.goodson@myfloridahouse.gov (850) 717-5050 (321) 383-5151
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Hutson HD 24 matt.hudson@myfloridahouse.gov (850) 717-5080 (239) 417-6270	Raschein HD 120 Holly.Raschein@myfloridahouse.gov (850) 717-5120 (305) 453-1202	Santiago HD 27 David.Santiago@myfloridahouse.gov (850) 717-5027 (386) 575-0387
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	Hooper HD 67 ed.hooper@myfloridahouse.gov (850) 717-5067 (727) 724-3000

Stop Trying to Trick Parents with the Trigger-Vote No on SB862

The Senate version of Parent Trigger (SB862) legislation will likely be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee next week.

This is not about giving parents a say or control over their child's education. This is not about giving parents and students a choice. It is about opening the door to more corporate take-over of our public schools. It is about profit over sound education policy.

Every legitimate parent group in Florida, including the PTA, LULAC and NAACP are opposed to this measure. They believe it will ultimately hurt students and our neighborhood schools. In fact, this measure will only help private education companies and corporations that want to force taxpayers to pay them to run “for-profit”, unaccountable charter schools. These schools are not held to the same standards as traditional public schools.

Even the chair of the Orange County School Board, Bill Sublette, has joined many other school board members throughout the state in opposition to the Trigger bill. He wrote an excellent article explaining what will happen to our local schools if this bad legislation makes it to the Governor's desk.

We cannot allow this madness to continue. Call and email your Senator today. Tell them to stop misleading parents and playing with our students future.

Tell your Senator to Vote No on SB 862. Thank the House members who voted against trigger.
Working Familes Deserve Quality Child Care!
Working families deserve quality child care.

The Senate's released buget proposal pits one Washington family against another. This budget would cut 4,000 low-income working families from the Working Connections Child Care program which helps provide affordable care and a smart start for our youngest, forcing these families to choose between their jobs or not working because they would be unable to afford quality care.

Tell your story how cuts to Working Connnections would impact your life and the lives of the children and families you serve!
Teachers Under Attack - Take Action Now!
HB 631 may be taken up on the floor of the House early next week. Please contact your Representative today!
- The bill would remove tenure status for all currently tenured teachers.
- Would require at least one-third of teachers' evaluations to be based on student test scores on state assessments.
- Would take away local control and flexibility in the hiring, promotion, firing, layoff and compensation of public school teachers.
KCFT & SRP strongly opposes this attack on teacher tenure and massive imposition of unproven mandates and elimination of local control and decision-making.

YOUR MESSAGE WILL HAVE A GREATER IMPACT IF YOU PERSONALIZE THE MESSAGE AND ADD YOUR OWN CONCERNS REGARDING THE BILL.

FOR BEST RESULTS, PLEASE "PREVIEW" YOUR MESSAGE BEFORE YOU SEND IT.
ALERT: Parent Trigger Goes to House Floor for Vote

The Parent Trigger bill which will be heard this Thursday, April 4 by the Florida House. Call and email your representative tonight and tomorrow.

The so-called “Parent Empowerment” bill has nothing to do with empowering parents. It has everything to do with money, who is giving it and who is getting it. This bill is really about privatizing our public schools. Nothing in this proposal speaks to parent engagement. The proposal doesn't include a mechaism for parents to volunteer in school, participate in ongoing school improvements or provide help at home so their children can excel in school. The bill is also silent on teacher professional development. How does this empower parents or the students you serve?

Contact your representative tonight and tomorrow. Urge them to vote NO on the so-called Parent Empowerment bill (HB 867).
Senate Education: Vote for Early Educator's Right to Organize
Support VT Early Educators RIGHT to collectively bargain!

Early educators, who are the experts in their field, should have the right to organize a union and negotiate with the state to improve the quality of the child care system in Vermont. The many barriers to quality care, including an outdated reimbursement system and 40% turnover in the field, is not healthy for young children and their families. Our next Vermont generation is counting on us - Early Educators need a seat at the table!

Please modify the subject line and the body of the email, as this makes your message more effective.

Please click "include recipient" on all 5 Senate Education members.
Safe Communities, Safe Schools
The Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 supports criminal and mental health background checks, security infrastructure in schools (lights, locks, security plans) and cracks down on gun trafficking. More still needs to be done—especially banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines—but this package is an important first step.

Urge your senators to support the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 by sending them message below.
(No Title)
CCA Anti-Bullying Petition

Stand against all bullying by signing below!

The Cesar Chavez Academy Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (CCA-ACTS) is committed to ensuring that Cesar Chavez Academy (CCA) is a learning environment and workplace free from bullying and harassment. It is significant to recognize that the CCA Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policies apply to all families, staff, and, most of all, our students.

It is the policy of CCA that:

The Board will vigorously enforce its prohibition against harassment . . .and encourages those within the School community as well as third parties, who feel aggrieved to seek assistance to rectify the problems.

On October 30, 2012 many of us attended a meeting at CCA High School where the district shared their “Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy.” The policy prohibits bullying and other aggressive behavior towards students, school community members and ‘third parties,’ and states:

Demonstration of appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment and bullying is expected of administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers to provide positive examples of student behavior.

We believe, that as adults, it is our responsibility to model positive behavior for our students. It is our ultimate priority to provide the highest quality learning environment for our students, and, to this end, the bullying policy is essential.

Additionally we understand that the CCA Board is the petitioner and authority on all matters related to bullying and harassment.

The Board will investigate all areas of harassment and in those cases where unlawful harassment is substantiated, the Board will take immediate steps to end the harassment.

The Board has a duty to uphold its responsibilities stated in The District Handbook.

Contact Your Senator TODAY! No More Changes to FRS!

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When is enough, enough? The Florida Legislature is at it again. They are close to passing MORE drastic and unnecessary changes to the Florida Retirement System that could impact its ability to generate retirement benefits. In 2011, they cost public employees BILLIONS by taking 3% of their pay and suspending the cost of living adjustment that helps their benefit grow to cover them in retirement. The FRS is financially sound AND making money… so why are they making more changes now? We need to call or email our senators immediately and ask them to vote against ANY changes to the Florida Retirement System. Call toll free to be connected to your State Senator: 866-249-8332	Download and View this Document
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Did You Know: 49.8% of FRS members are teachers and education staff professionals; 79% are women; and FRS is 87% funded. FEA Vice President Joanne McCall told reporters, “Don't mess with our nest egg. Florida Legislators need to leave the FRS alone." What else happened? Show your support by clicking this link for Save FRS.

Take Action
Educators have a role to play in passing policy that supports students and schools. Join the conversation.
Quality Childcare
Working families deserve quality child care.

Governer Inslee's proposed budget outlines revenue increases that are long-overdue. The addiitonal funds for the State's Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is a welcome initial step, but it doesn't go far enough! Cutting funds to Working Connections Childcare is not moving forward quality childcare.
Help Stop “Parent Tricker” Bill That Aids Charter Takeover of Neighborhood Schools
SB 1263 by Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) and Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) is billed as a “parent trigger” bill that would help parents turn around their child’s low-performing school. But the bill really follows the blueprint of “parent tricker” legislation being pushed nationwide by extreme groups and private interests that stand to gain from converting neighborhood schools into charter schools. The bill has come out of the Senate Education Committee and is on its way to a possible vote in the full Senate.

Send your state senator a letter urging opposition to "parent tricker" legislation.
Thank you Senator Doyle
Please take a minute to thank Senator Doyle by clicking on "select this recipient" below.

Senator Doyle has pledged to support the right of all home-based early educators to vote to organize a union. After meeting with Washingon County providers, Senator Doyle pledged to support their efforts to win the right to collectively bargain this legislative session.

Senator Doyle stated “I will vote in committee and on the Senate floor in favor of the collective bargaining rights for early educators. I have always supported early educators and the right for collective bargaining. I am a union member. My main concern was that not all home providers were included in the potential union vote.”

VEEU leader Joyce Wheeler said, “We respect and cherish our longstanding relationship with Senator Doyle and we were happy to meet with him to discuss our bill. We are delighted that Senator Doyle supports us, and we are excited for the right to stand together to collectively bargain improvements for providers and the families we serve.”

Please alter the subject line and message to add your personal note after clicking on "select this recipient" below
Supporting & Protecting Educators who Advocate for Kids

School employees, parents, and community supporters across Metro-Detroit are speaking up to ensure that responsible educators do not fear retaliation for doing what’s right—advocating for kids! By standing up for the right to speak out, school employees will be more effective as educators.

By pledging your support for SPEAK, you are joining a grassroots organization that is working to raise awareness and gain a voice at the local and state level.
Inslee Education Funding Proposal
Contact your state legislators and ask them to support Governor Inslee's education and community services funding proposal. Please share your personal story in this letter to customize it.
Oppose the so-called "Parent Trigger" Law
Texas can do better than SB 1263. We need to send a clear message to our state senate that we won't be manipulated by the for-profit education managers into rolling over and giving our schools away. Parents and teachers will stand together to ensure that our schools remain public and we work together to improve education for all of our kids.

Enter your zip code below to find your senator and send them the message to Stop Messing with Texas!
Help Stop “Parent Tricker” Legislation That Aids Charter Takeover of Neighborhood Schools
SB 1263 by Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) and Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) is billed as a “parent trigger” bill that would help parents turn around their child’s low-performing school. But the bill really follows the blueprint of “parent tricker” legislation being pushed nationwide by extreme groups and private interests that stand to gain from converting neighborhood schools into charter schools. The bill may come up for a vote in the Senate Education Committee on March 28.

Send your state senator a letter urging opposition to "parent tricker" legislation.
Tell Montana State Senators: Let MSU set our own firearms policy on campus!

If you are interested in helping maintain the current Board of Regents policy you can send a message to your State Senator by following these simple steps or calling 406-444-4800.
Support Efforts to Cut Back on High-Stakes State Testing in the Texas Senate!
Senators could be voting on testing cutbacks and graduation options as early as Wednesday, March 27. The Senate has one bill, SB 3, primarily addressing graduation requirements, and another, SB 1724, dealing primarily with testing. Both bills are by Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston). The bill on graduation standards still needs language to prevent potential “tracking” of minority and economically disadvantaged students into less demanding curriculum options. Both bills, with provisions closely paralleling the testing reductions and graduation options in HB 5, reportedly face some resistance in the Senate that could delay action beyond March 27.

You can help set the tone for Senate debate on SB 3 and SB 1724 by contacting your state senator in support of amendments to improve the legislation (some of which have appeared in alternative bills filed by other lawmakers but have not been given a hearing).
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Reporting for For-Profit Hospitals
With a number of Connecticut hospitals exploring the sale or transfer of their facilities to for-profit healthcare corporations, Healthcare access in the state could change dramatically. In 1997, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring the Office of Health Care Access and the Attorney General to review and approve conversions of non-profit hospitals to for-profit hospitals. To date, only one Connecticut hospital (Sharon Hospital), has undertaken this effort.

HB 6520 would require for-profit hospitals to provide more detailed information to be considered in the conversion process, in order to avoid conflicts of interest and continued access to healthcare, including:
- Foreign offices, employees and transactions over $5K
- If management or staff own stock in companies hired to provide services
- Properties on which tax abatements have been claimed
- Construction plans, including the timeline, estimated cost and source of funding
- Surplus revenue and it uses
HB 6520 allows the state, healthcare consumers and healthcare workers to determine value and patient care versus profit.

Contact the Public Health Committee today and urge their support for HB 6520.
Community Schools
While good teaching is crucial to student learning, there are factors in every child’s life that are beyond the teacher’s control and may deeply affect the child’s ability to perform well in school. In fact, decades of research have shown that out-of-school factors account for up to two-thirds of student achievement results. Sadly, there are more impediments to learning in the lives of poor children than there are in the lives of children from more advantaged circumstances. In order to fully close the achievement gap, we must address all factors that impede learning.

The most effective solution is to provide services right in the school building. Schools and districts should coordinate existing state and local services and offerings from nonprofit providers to provide services where students and families can readily access them.

Community school buildings remain open beyond regular school hours to provide access to tutoring, homework assistance and enrichment activities, as well as medical, dental and mental health services. Families and other community residents also may benefit from legal advice, immigration assistance, employment counseling, housing help and English-language or GED instruction, depending on needs. Support provided by community schools can greatly alleviate many family stresses that interfere with student learning. Among the benefits derived from successful community school programs have been higher student test scores, better student attendance, higher graduation rates and improved levels of meaningful parent involvement.

Community Schools would give Connecticut students the best opportunity for success by closing the achievement gap and building communities.

Contact your state representative and urge their support for SB 1002 - Community Schools.
Mandatory Flu Vaccinations
Nurses and other healthcare workers have a long history of supporting public health initiatives and recognize that immunization plays an important role in preventing the spread of illness.

But healthcare choices are intensely personal matters. Any entity, be it the state, individual hospitals or other healthcare employers, who mandates influenza immunizations disregard employee rights.

We encourage our members to get the flu vaccine, but we respect the fact that some choose not to be immunized for health or religious reasons. These healthcare workers should not have to be face fines, disciplinary action, loss of wages or termination as a result of their personal healthcare decisions.

Collaborative efforts between hospital management and staff to educate and promote voluntary immunization and allow alternative infection control measures for those who cannot be vaccinated have been very successful.

S.B. 1128 requires healthcare facilities to ensure that employees receive flu vaccinations. Contact the public health committee today and urge them to oppose this bill.
Tell Your State Representative to Stop a Bad Bill that Will Harm Our Schools!
Tell your state representative to stop a bad bill--HB 300--that would kill the class-size limit law, turn over neighborhood schools to private operators, and end teacher certification standards.

This agenda is embedded in House Bill 300, a bill by Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs). This deceptive bill is cloaked in the rhetoric of local control, family empowerment, and freedom and flexibility to innovate for what are called "Families First" schools. But underneath the rhetoric is a top-down control mechanism authorizing a school board, by a bare majority vote, to exempt itself from state quality standards that protect children and open the door to private takeover of schools.

The quality safeguards that would be nullified include not only class-size limits and teacher certification but also fair standards for students facing discipline, teacher contracts and due process, teachers’ freedom to join and pay dues to the professional organization of their choosing, and state protections for bilingual-education students.
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Safe Staffing
Staffing has an immediate impact on the quality of patient care in our hospitals. Not surprisingly, patient outcomes are related the staffing level of healthcare professionals. Inadequate staffing can put patients at risk and increase the likelihood of insufficient care, readmission and medical errors.

Current statute requires hospitals to work collaboratively with employees to create a staffing plan for healthcare workers. SB 968 would require that report to be provided to the Department of Public Health. It would also require hospitals to report their actual daily staffing levels on a quarterly basis.

SB 968 will make important information available, including:
- the number and ratio of registered nurses per patient care unit
- the number and ratio of licensed practical nurses per patient care unit
- the number and ratio of nurse’s aides per patient care unit
- the number of administrative staff per patient care unit
SB 968 would ensure that hospitals are safely staffed so that Connecticut residents can count on receiving adequate care in their community hospitals.

Contact the Public Health Committee and urge their support for SB 968.

Learn more at SafeStaffingCT.org
Write Your Senators!
Write your senators in support of a budget that continues to grow our economy and makes smart investments in programs aimed at providing hardworking Americans a ladder to the middle class, while reducing the deficit in a fair and balanced way.
Minnesota kids deserve all-day, every-day kindergarten!
Help us work toward all-day, every-day kindergarten so all Minnesota students can start school on the right foot. Please sign our petition!
Small Actions = Big Results!
Elected officials, the public, your colleagues and the people you serve all need to hear from you on issues only you can discuss with authority.

Every day, in state after state and local after local, public employees and the services they provide are under attack. AFT members also have a history of providing solutions to key problems we all face.

The best way we can make sure our voices are heard is to speak up, stand together and take action.
Action Alert: Tell Your State Senator to "Fix it or Vote NO!" on SB 1
Texas Can Do Better than restoring 28 cents for every $1 cut from public education last legislative session.

On Wednesday, March 20, the Texas Senate will consider passage of the 2014-2015 budget. As of now, the Senate spending bill, SB 1, restores only 28 cents on the dollar, or $1.5 billion, of the $5.4 billion cut from public schools in 2012-2013. That means cuts of $3.9 billion would continue for the 2014-2015 biennium under this version of the state budget.

Send an email now, and call your state senator to let him or her know that with growing state revenue and a massive $12 billion Rainy Day Fund, restoring 28 cents on the dollar is a shameful response to the loss of thousands of teachers, the closing of neighborhood schools, and overcrowded classrooms.

Tell them to "Fix it or Vote NO!" on SB 1.
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URGENT

The so-called "Parent Empowerment" Proposal - better known as

"Parent Trigger” will be heard in the Senate on April 1st.
They are not listening to us.

On Monday, April 1 , 2013, at 3:15 p.m., in 412 Knott Building members of the Senate Education Committee will consider Senate Bill 862. This is not an April Fools' joke. We must turn to up the volume. Contact your Senator to tell them to oppose the "Parent Trigger" scam.

SB 862, sponsored by Senator Stargel (R-15, Polk), is the Senate version of HB 867, sponsored by House Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Doral. This is the same controversial proposal that Florida parent groups defeated last year. It is similar to the California legislation that has pitted parent groups and students against one another. This bill is seen by education experts as a devious and underhanded attack on your local public schools and hardworking teachers.

Every credible parent group in Florida, including the PTA, is opposed to this bill because it will ultimately hurt students. In fact, this measure will only help private education companies and corporations that want to force taxpayers to pay them to run “for-profit”, unaccountable charter schools. These schools are not held to the same standards as public schools.

Please do not hesitate. Call members of the Senate Education Committee today. Tell them to protect our public schools, our students and our teachers. Tell them that we don’t want corporate for-profit schools and their “parent trigger” scam.

Please click this link and take a moment to review the bill: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0862/BillText/Filed/HTML

**Call or Email Senate Education Committee Members to Oppose SB 862**
Senator	Phone	Email
Sen. John Legg (Chair) (R-17,Pasco)	850-487-5017	legg.john.web@ flsenate.gov
Sen. Bill Montford, (Vice-Chair) (D-3,Leon)	850-487-5003	montford.bill.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Lizbeth Benaquisto (R-30, Charlotte)	850-487-5030	benacquisto.lizbeth.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-22, Pinellas)	850-487-5022	brandes.jeff.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Dwight Bullard (D-39, Miami-Dade)	850-487-5039	bullard.dwight.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Bill Galvano (R-26, Manatee)	850-487-5026	galvano.bill.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Maria Lorts Sachs (D-34, Broward)	850-487-5034	sachs.maria.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. David Simmons (R-10, Seminole)	850-487-5010	simmons.david.web@flsenate.gov
Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-15, Polk)	850-487-5015	stargel.kelli.web@flsenate.gov
Take Action Now! Call your Senator and the Governor Today.

Don't raise teacher certification fees!
The PA Department of Education wants teachers to pay up to 25% more for teacher certification. Education Secretary Ron Tomalis says the money is needed to investigate "teacher misconduct."

Tell your state legislators not to financially penalize all Pennsylvania teachers in order to investigate the potential wrongdoing of a few.
Protect Our Pensions!

Our pensions are under attack in Harrisburg, and we can't afford to sit back and watch as our retirement benefits are slashed.

Contact your state legislators today. Tell them not to cut pension benefits for thousands of middle-class Pennsylvanians - teachers, counselrors, college faculty, nurses, school bus drivers and state employees, who have contributed to their pensions out of every paycheck.
AFT-NH RED ALERT-March 18, 2013-SAVE OUR NH PUBLIC SCHOOLS and support HB 370
We cherish our public schools in NH. Two bills passed last year (SB 372 and HB 1607) divert scarce resources to private and religious schools as well as home-schoolers. In fact, these laws do not even contain any accountability provisions to ensure the money is put to good use!

AFT-NH also believes that it is unconstitutional to divert state money to religious schools. Our Constitution is clear—state money will not be used to fund religious instruction (“no person shall ever be compelled to pay towards the support of the schools of any sect or denomination.”-- Article 6, NH Constitution).

We need you to make a difference and take this action to support NH public education. Our public schools in NH are competitive and we are proud of our schools.

Please contact the Senate Health, Education & Human Services committee and ask that they support HB 370 and repeal the education tax credit.
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Give our kids a fair hearing in the Senate!
Meet Esteli Juarez-Boyd, proud parent of 4. She believes the Early Education Constitutional Amendment would better her life and the life of her kids. Read her story and then urge the Senate to give New Mexicans the right to vote for their children's future.

My Name is Estelle Juarez-Boyd. As a working mother of 4, access to Early Education is important to me and my family. I work hard to instill the value of education in my children and want each of them to have a nurturing high quality environment that prepares them for success later in school. However, the reality for thousands of kids is that they are denied this opportunity for no other reason than our state's lack of investment in early childhood education. While I attended law school, I had to take out a $20,000 loan to cover childcare costs. I paid as much for childcare as I did in rent, until I simply couldn't afford it anymore. The Early Education Constitutional Amendment could be the game-changer New Mexico needs. This bill would help working families afford the cost of early education and help stabilize funding for early education centers. Most importantly, kids who are a part of early education programs have more success in school. I am tired of reading the statistics year after year about how only half of kids in our state graduate. Nothing has changed in 20 years. I support this bill because it could finally be the thing that bucks that trend. The Early Education Constitutional Amendment is good for our families, kids and our communities.

Stand with Esteli and New Mexican's from across the state. Urge the Senate to pass the Eary Education Constitutional Amendment.
Support SB115 to Support ERB Solvency!
Over the last year, ATF was an active participant in a process that allowed stakeholders in the Educational Retirement System to have input into proposed plan design changes that would insure the long-term solvency of the Educational Retirement Fund. The goal was to come to consensus on a proposal that would have the collective support of all of the stakeholders in the retirement plan. After extensive work sessions last spring that concluded this summer, a consensus was reached on recommendations that were then taken to the Educational Retirement Board, which voted to adopt the recommendations.

SB 115a (Ingle) is a bill based on the stakeholder and ERB recommendations, aimed at keeping our retirement fund solvent. It has been amended a couple of times along the way to further shore up solvency. The COLA will be decreased slightly, but as the fund becomes more solvent, triggers will be in place to restore the COLA. We want we want this bill on the governor's desk!
Are You Feeling the Cuts Yet?
Under the sequester, an estimated 750,000 jobs will be lost this year, and programs our communities depend on—education, healthcare, transportation and infrastructure—will see 5 to 8 percent cuts.

Congress must protect vital programs working Americans need, and it’s all possible by closing tax loopholes for corporations and the wealthiest Americans.
Support SB 587a, SB 588 and SB 370!
Three important bills are scheduled on the House floor! Tell your representative to support these bills.

Senate Bill 370 (M. Sanchez ) amends the A-B-C-D-F Schools Rating Act to create a statutory framework for a “supplemental accountability model” (SAM) for grading schools, and establishes an alternative calculation for computing their grade. A supplemental accountability model school is a school that meets the 75 percent enrollment threshold with one or any combination of the demographics of students specified in the bill. The current A-B-C-D-F system of school grading is not fair to our schools and communities that struggle with issues like high poverty, high rates of parental incarceration and so on

Senator Morales' SB 587a would repeal the current school grading act and establish a council to design a new school letter grade system that is understandable and fair.

SB 588 has the support of both teacher unions. This bill would create a council made up of mostly educators, which would develop and help implement a new teacher and principal evaluation system that is composed of BALANCED, MULTIPLE MEASURES, not half on test scores, and gives school districts and unions the ability to negotiate the weight of each measure at a local level.
Vote Yes on SB 588

Educators’ evaluation bill, SB 588, has successfully passed through the Senate and tomorrow will likely go to the House Floor for a vote. Email your Representative and tell them to vote YES for fair teacher evaluations.
Thank you for standing up for educators

The budget (House Bill 2) was amended in Senate Finance to take out the below-the-line-merit pay for educators, and it PASSED THE SENATE ON TUESDAY! Thank you to Senators John Arthur Smith, John Sapien, Howie Morales, Michael Sanchez, George Munoz and Gay Kernan for their hard work getting and keeping merit pay out of the budget and getting it passed in the Senate!
EAA Comm Hearing
March 13, 2013

A bill permanently establishing the Education Achievement Authority (EAA) and expanding it to include schools from around the state is moving again in the Michigan Legislature. This afternoon the legislature is taking testimony at a committee hearing. It is important they hear from you even if you can’t attend the hearing. Please take a minute and send your legislator an email message and feel free to personalize the email, or give them a call.
Fax Your Legislator

STOP THE PENSION PROPOSAL TO STABILIZE LOCALITIES’ CONTRIBUTION RATES UNTIL THE COMPTROLLER DETERMINES ITS IMPACT ON RETIREMENT FUNDS
Keep the Version of Budget Passed by Senate!
The budget, including merit pay, passed the House and went to Senate Finance. The committee amended it and took out merit pay, as research shows it does not impact teacher OR student performance. It then passed the Senate, as amended, and now goes back to the House for concurrence. It's scheduled today (Wednesday), so act now and tell your representative to keep the budget as amended by the Senate!
Keep the Promise to Teachers

The Appropriations Committee voted to restore 25% of the state’s contributions to the retired teachers' health insurance fund for the next two year. Although this is not the one-third required by law, it is a significant improvement from the Governor’s proposed budget. AFT Connecticut strongly supports this change over the Governor's proposal and urges legislators to vote in favor of this amendment.

The reduction in the state’s contribution to the health fund will negatively affect its long-term solvency. Active and retired teachers have been paying into the health fund with the understanding that it will be there for them when they retire. Active teachers make the largest contribution to the retired teachers’ health insurance fund — contributing 1.25% of salary annually. In 2012-13, contributions from active teachers of over $45 million will be deposited into the health fund.

The state should honor its obligation – active and retired teachers have always dutifully made their required health insurance contribution.
Give our kids a fair hearing in the Senate!
In the divided world of todays politics, there is finally an issue we agree on; the Kids! In a recent poll 77% of New Mexicans support increasing our states investments in early childhood education. Early Education has majority support from Republican, Democratic and Independents voters alike. New Mexicans in every region of the State, every age group, men and women, no matter the race or ethnicity, all show majority support for early education investments.

Right now, State legislators are considering a resolution that would give New Mexican voters the right to vote to for the early education amendment, which would double early education investment without raising taxes. If passed by voters, the amendment would increase the annual allotment from New Mexico's permanent land grant school fund, the nation's largest per capita land grant fund, and use for early learning. This funding would provide access for 4,500 children who are currently on the waiting list for childcare. The increased enrollment would help 500 small business owners of Early Childhood Education centers employ 1,000 new early childhood educators.

Most importantly, Early Education is good for kids! Study after study shows that the most formative time in child's development is between the ages 0 and 5. Kids who receive a quality early education are more likely to enter school ready to read, more likely to pass 4th grade literacy tests, more likely to graduate from high school, and are less likely to become reliant on public assistance programs as adults.

This is why we need to urge our State Senators to give us, the people of New Mexico the right to vote for our kids by passing HJR 13. We can't allow the Washington style politics and partisan gridlock interfere with voters chance to vote for our kids!

Sincerely,
HB 5900 Transparency in Education
Over the last year, the State Education Resource Center (SERC) has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in several no-bid contracts to vendors and consultants. Some of these vendors assisted the State Department of Education in its efforts to develop and negotiate the education reform law passed last session (Public Act 12-116). Others participated in additional ongoing reform efforts.

Among the contracts awarded without a transparent vetting process are:

· $195,000 to Leeds Global Partners

· $124,924 to an individual consultant to develop CT’s ESEA waiver application.

· $60,000 to Education First Inc.

· $225,0000 for the Windham Special Master

For purposes of transparency, Public Act 12-116 requires that all school districts, RESCs and charter schools adopt a common chart of accounts. It is appropriate that the State Department of Education and SERC comply with the spirit of those provisions and provide taxpayers with a clear view of how it’s spending public dollars to improve public education.

HB 5900 would:

· Require SERC to comply with the statutes administered by the Clean Contracting Standards Board and require that the Commissioner of Education annually report to the General Assembly:

- All contracts issued to private sector vendors and RESCs for the purposes of conducting the work of the State Department of Education

- The amount and sources of all private funding used to pay SDE employee and consultant salaries and/or benefits.

Contact the GAE Committee today and urge them to support HB 5900.
Support HB 6502 Paraprofessional Advisory Committee
GREAT NEWS! GOV. MALLOY HAS AGREED TO SIGN THE BILL TOMORROW!

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS TO GET THIS BILL PASSED!

The Paraprofessional Advisory Committee was created in 2007 to identify and provide more appropriate, effective and meaningful professional development to Connecticut’s 13,400+ instructional paraprofessionals. It gave a much-needed voice to paraprofessionals in their quest to be respected and heard.

Over time, the State Department of Education has added agency staff, consultants, teachers, principals and other non-paraprofessionals to the Paraprofessional Advisory Committee.

Today, only 20% of the Paraprofessional Advisory Committee’s membership consists of paraprofessionals. Once again, the voices of paraprofessionals have been silenced.

HB 6502 would recalibrate the membership of the Paraprofessional Advisory Council so that paraprofessionals would have a majority representation, making certain that their voices are heard, not diluted. HB 6502 is revenue neutral.

Contact Gov. Malloy today and urge him to sign HB 6502.
Support SB 588 and SB 370!
Two important bills are heading to House Education, and if they pass, then to the House Floor! Tell House Ed to support these bills:

Senate Bill 370 (M. Sanchez ) amends the A-B-C-D-F Schools Rating Act to create a statutory framework for a “supplemental accountability model” (SAM) for grading schools, and establishes an alternative calculation for computing their grade. A supplemental accountability model school is a school that meets the 75 percent enrollment threshold with one or any combination of the demographics of students specified in the bill. The current A-B-C-D-F system of school grading is not fair to our schools and communities that struggle with issues like high poverty, high rates of parental incarceration and so on.

Senator Morales' SB 588 (which has the support of both teacher unions. This bill would create a council made up of mostly educators, which would develop and help implement a new teacher and principal evaluation system that is composed of BALANCED, MULTIPLE MEASURES, not half on test scores, and gives school districts and unions the ability to negotiate the weight of each measure at a local level.
Spend Down the Ending Fund Balance!
Every dollar in the reserve is a dollar NOT spent on Education. Send the message below to our Board of Trustees...
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Early Education Constitutional Amendment (HJR13) deserves a fair hearing
In the divided world of todays politics, there is finally an issue we agree on; the Kids! In a recent poll 77% of New Mexicans support increasing our states investments in early childhood education. Early Education has majority support from Republican, Democratic and Independents voters alike. New Mexicans in every region of the State, every age group, men and women, no matter the race or ethnicity, all show majority support for early education investments.

Right now, State legislators are considering a resolution that would give New Mexican voters the right to vote to for the early education amendment, which would double early education investment without raising taxes. If passed by voters, the amendment would increase the annual allotment from New Mexico's permanent land grant school fund, the nation's largest per capita land grant fund, and use for early learning. This funding would provide access for 4,500 children who are currently on the waiting list for childcare. The increased enrollment would help 500 small business owners of Early Childhood Education centers employ 1,000 new early childhood educators.

Most importantly, Early Education is good for kids! Study after study shows that the most formative time in child's development is between the ages 0 and 5. Kids who receive a quality early education are more likely to enter school ready to read, more likely to pass 4th grade literacy tests, more likely to graduate from high school, and are less likely to become reliant on public assistance programs as adults.

This is why we need to urge our State Senators to give us, the people of New Mexico the right to vote for our kids by passing HJR 13. We can't allow the Washington style politics and partisan gridlock interfere with voters chance to vote for our kids!

Please urge your State senator to call the VOTE! Let the PEOPLE vote for the kids in November 2014 by hearing and passing HJR 13 in the House Senate.
Test test
This is about how great Star Trek is.
E-activist 3-8-13 to Senators
When legislators have courage, kids win. In just 7days, legislators will help decide the fate for over 30,000 kids and our future economy and education system in New Mexico. The Early Education Constitutional Amendment resolution – an historic proposal for a constitutional change – would give voters the choice in the 2014 election to increase funding for early education and stop cuts to Kindergarten through 12^th grade.

The Early Education Amendment would raise 2 billion dollars over 10 years for early education in New Mexico. And amazingly it does this WITHOUT raising taxes by taking advantage of our unique Permanent School Fund revenues that are collected from oil, gas, land and stock market revenue.

The evidence is clear. 80% of Voters support their right to vote on this constitutional amendment, yet State Senators may never take a stand because of outside corporate interests that would rather keep the money in the Stock Market instead of investing in our kids. Write your Senator and tell them not take away the Voters’ Right to Vote on the Early Education Amendment.

What if the early education amendment doesn’t pass? Not passing the amendment means:
- K-12 education will lose $50 million dollars every year
- Over 6,000 children will continue to be denied early childhood education
- Quality early childhood education which has been proven to improve kindergarten preparedness and life-long learning like reading skills and high school graduation rates will be continue to be absent0
- Early learning centers will continue to close. (Over 10% of centers have closed over the last two years.
To learn more about the Early Education Amendment go to the Early Educators United, AFT members’ webpage and go to our coalition with parents and owners of early learning centers Facebook page.
Stop SB 29!

The House may act soon on a bill attacking labor unions. SB 29 (Dan Brown) restricts the ability of public labor union members to use payroll deduction to pay their dues.

Other than mandated deductions for taxes and retirement, all payroll deductions by all Missouri education employees are covered by an existing law that requires a board policy treating all requests fairly, prior approval by the individual employee and reimbursement to the district for any extra costs. SB 29 will interfere with this good law by adding confusing requirements that districts and employees will have to navigate.

The bill also imposes unnecessary and burdensome paperwork requirements on voluntary contributions by public union employees for political contributions.

All employees have the constitutional right to an effective union voice in their employment and to work together to support political campaigns without undue interference from state policies that would undermine those rights.

The KCFT & SRP strongly opposes this bill. Paycheck deception laws at their core are an attempt to limit the voices of educators, union members, and other public employees.
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Contact your Senator NOW!

The Early Education Amendment would raise 2 billion dollars over 10 years for early education in New Mexico. And amazingly it does this WITHOUT raising taxes by taking advantage of our unique Permanent School Fund revenues that are collected from oil, gas, land and stock market revenue.

The evidence is clear. 80% of Voters support their right to vote on this constitutional amendment, yet State Senators may never take a stand because of outside corporate interests that would rather keep the money in the Stock Market instead of investing in our kids. Write your Senator and tell them not take away the Voters’ Right to Vote on the Early Education Amendment.

What if the early education amendment doesn’t pass? Not passing the amendment means:

• Over 6,000 children will continue to be denied early childhood education

• Quality early childhood education which has been proven to improve kindergarten preparedness and life-long learning like reading skills and high school graduation rates will be continue to be absent

• Early learning centers will continue to close. (Over 10% of centers have closed over the last two years).

• K-12 education will lose $50 million dollars every year

Write to your Senator today and tell them to Vote Yes for the Early Education Amendment.
Tell Mayor Nutter to fix, not close, Philadelphia’s public schools.
Philadelphia has become ground zero in the debate over school closings versus investment in neighborhood public schools. Local teachers, parents and community members are standing together to demand a moratorium on harmful school closures.

Stand with them. Tell Mayor Nutter to fix, not close, Philadelphia’s public schools.
Support SB 587a!
The current A-B-C-D-F system of school grading is not what schools or communities need. The reasoning for these letter grades was that it would make it easier for parents to understand. The formula and variables used to calculate these grades make them incomprehensible, even to sophisticated mathematicians. It needs to change. Senator Morales' SB 587a would create a council to overhaul this system. His bill passed the Senate, and is going to House Education on Friday, March 8th. Tell the committee to support it!
Class Size Matters!
Speak Up Now to Keep Class Size Protections for Students with Disabilities.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has proposed removing all state requirements on class size for students with disabilities by eliminating state administrative rule Part 226.730.

If class size limits are eliminated;
- There would be no limit on how many students with disabilities can be placed in a general education classroom;
- There would be no limit on class size for any special education classes, including early childood; and
- There would be no protections for a teaching assistant to be assigned to a special education class.
The proposed changes are open for public comment now. ACT TODAY!

Take five minutes NOW to tell ISBE how devastating it would be
for your child if class size protections go away.
Give School Bus Drivers the Tools to Keep Our Students Safe
It is time to support greater authority for school bus drivers who are entrusted with the safety of all their students!

Tell Texas legislators to support House Bill 2367, which strengthens the Safe Schools Act to give school bus drivers more authority to remove students for disruptive or dangerous conduct and refer them for possible disciplinary action.
Education Day at the Legislature
Join us with your family

at Public Education Day on Capital Hill,

March 11, 2013
Speak Up & Say No to CEOs
This week, Jefferson City politicians are pushing an unnecessary and irresponsible paycheck deception law that hurts Missouri’s middle class families, hurts public schools, and puts our safety at risk: HB64, the Paycheck Deception bill, is scheduled for debate this Wednesday.

Make no mistake, this bill is about helping multinational corporations, not helping the middle class. At times like these, that's just not what Missouri needs.

Tell your legislator to support working people, not large corporations and CEOs.
Tell Senate Finance to Vote YES on SB 570

SB 570, sponsed by Senator Lopez and Representative Miera, calls for raises for educational employees earning under $20,000. SB 570 would provide a modest salary increase for our lowest paid school employees who work hard caring for our students but earn very low wages.

It should get a Do-Pass recommendation from Senate Education, and then head to Senate Finance. Tell Senate Finance to VOTE YES!
Fax Your Legislator

STOP THE PRIVATIZATION OF SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Fax Your Legislator

DON’T LET THE STATE RELINQUISH ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE IN-PATIENT AND OUT-PATIENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Fax Your Legislator

KEEP WORK-RELEASE AND MINIMUM SECURITY PRISONS FOR WOMEN CLOSE TO THEIR HOMES (NEW YORK CITY)
Fax Your Legislator

STOP THE PRIVATIZATION OF JUVENILE JUSTICE
Fax Your Legislator

DON’T LET WALL STREET & ENGINEERING FIRMS PROFIT FROM THE $30 BILLION IN FEDERAL DISASTER RELIEF MONEY BY EXPANDING DESIGN-BUILD AUTHORITY
Write Your Senators
The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a series of commonsense proposals to reduce gun violence and make our nation safer. This is the first step toward making gun safety a reality, and we need all senators to support these bills.
Support HB 481 and SB 588

Tell Senate Education to SUPPORT SB 588 because we need an evaluation system that relies on balanced multiple measures, not one that relies 50% on student test scores. Tell them to support HB 481a and protect the dossier system as a mechanism for advancing licensure levels by putting it explicitly into law, to prevent your license from being tied 50% to test scores!

Soon our step increase bill, HB 1348 (Reykdal, D-22), will be pulled out of House Rules and to the full House for a vote. The deadline for bills to be voted out of their house of origin is March 13. If HB 1348 passes the House, it will get sent to the Senate where we have a tough battle ahead.

Rep. Mike Hope (R-44) originally signed on as a co-sponsor of HB 1348. It is critical that we show this bill has bi-partisan support so we're asking you to contact Rep. Hope and thank him for co-sponsoring the bill, ask for his continued support, and to urge him to talk to his colleagues in the Republican caucus to support its passage on the floor.

We made it easy for you! All you have to do is add your name and address; then push a button to submit your message. Of course, if you want to add anything else to the sample message, please feel free to do so. Personal messages are stronger!

As a constituent of Rep. Hope, we hope you will contact him to let him know that faculty need his support.

In Solidarity,

Kristin Elia
State Political Organizer

P.S. If you prefer, you can call the Legislative Hotline toll free at 1-800-562-6000. Tell them you're calling about HB 1348 and want to leave a message for Rep. Hope.

Consider Regarding Ms. Skandera's Confirmation Hearing
Should the Senate have the chance to vote on whether or not to confirm Hanna Skandera, we need to make sure they vote with their eyes wide open. Send them the link to the Ed Week article:

New Mexico Education Secretary's Hearings Bring More Light to Corruption in Education Reform

By Anthony Cody on March 3, 2013 2:45 PM
Fax Your Legislator

STOP THE PRIVATIZATION OF SUNY HOSPITALS AND PROVIDE ADEQUATE RESOURCES FOR THOSE HOSPITALS TO CONTINUE TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES
Support SB 580
Senate Bill 580 is going to Senate Education this week. We need the committee to support it!

This bill would require studying the number and kinds of assessments currently required or proposed by school districts, charter schools, the Public Education Department (PED), the federal government or any other entity. The study is to include the per-student cost of assessments, the amount and percentage of instructional time dedicated to preparing students to take assessments and the mount and percentage of time spend by students taking assessments, and the ways that assessment data are used to improve instruction and reduce the achievement gap that exists among students.
It's Time to Thank Our Sponsors!
Send our sponsors an email telling them how much we appreciate their support for our bill.
Support SB 475 and SB 570
Tell Senate Education to Support SB 475 and SB 570. We need to put a licensure advancement system into law that doesn't rely on test scores, and we need to support larger salary increases for our lowest-paid education employees.
Support HB 481 & HB 542!
Tell House Education to Support HB 481 and HB 542! We need a to clarify teacher license level advancement in law, and support community schools.
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ACTION ALERT: Let your Superheroes know you support them
The LEAGUE of Extraordinary Legislators has been fighting for your Early Education Constitutional Amendment in Santa Fe. Your Constitutional Amendment has passed the Senate Rules Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee AND the House Voters and Elections Committee!!!

Let your Early Education Superheroes know that you are standing by their side in this fight for our kids.

Email them now and tell them thanks for their vote on your Early Education Constitutional Amendment and let them know that the fight has only just begun.

In your email tell them who you are, what you do and why you think the constitutional amendment is important to you.

Here are some examples of what you could say:
- Access - Eliminating the CYFD waiting list, 4500 kids on the waiting list.
- Quality - Increase funding to centers, so every center can be the highest quality.
- Affordability - Increased funding can go towards keeping high quality teachers in the classroom by paying a living wage.
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Vote NO on Secretary-Designate Skandera's Confirmation
This Friday and Saturday the Senate Rules Committee will Vote on whether to confirm Secretary-Designate Hanna Skandera.
Support Retirement Bills HB64 & SB115
Over the last year, ATF was an active participant in a process that allowed stakeholders in the Educational Retirement System to have input into proposed plan design changes that would insure the long-term solvency of the Educational Retirement Fund. The goal was to come to consensus on a proposal that would have the collective support of all of the stakeholders in the retirement plan. After extensive work sessions last spring that concluded this summer, a consensus was reached on recommendations that were then taken to the Educational Retirement Board, which voted to adopt the recommendations.

HB 64 (Stewart) & SB 115 (Ingle) are bills based on the stakeholder and ERB recommendations, aimed at keeping our retirement fund solvent. House Bill 64 passed the House, 59-17! It's headed to the Senate. We need our senators to support these retirement bills.
Tell Lawmakers to Stop the Games! Support HB 3162
It is critical that you contact your representatives IMMEDIATELY and urge them to support HB 3162 and vote NO on other proposals

We believe HB 3162 is fair and Constitutional. It includes three essential components:
- Guaranteed funding: You've always made payments. The state has not. This bill compels them to make their required contributions and allows for court action if they don't.
- Creation of a pension stabilization fund: Beyond paying the annual costs, the state must also pay down the massive debt. This bill includes one way to dedicate revenue.
- Shared sacrifice: While we're not to blame for this problem, we're willing to be part of the long-term solution by contributing an additional 2 percent - so long as a comprehensive plan is fair and sustainable.
For some addresses, the newly elected representative may not show up.
Please send the email and we will make sure it gets to the appropriate lawmaker.
Our vendor is updating the database.
Support SB 13 and SB 416
Senate Corporations and Transportation will hear combined reporting and minimum wage hike bills today (2/27). Tell them to support raising revenue and raising wages!
Stand With Part-Time Instructors at WMU
Please tell President Dunn that you will support him if he will stand up for WMU students and employees and for the right of Michigan’s universities to operate free from the influence of special interest politics.
Stop Private-School Vouchers!
At a time when Texas public schools have suffered billions of dollars in state budget cuts, the legislature has no business taking even more taxpayer dollars away from the public schools to subsidize unaccountable private schools. Tell your lawmakers to oppose private-school vouchers in all guises!
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This Friday, March 1, is the last day for HB 1535 to be heard in the House Appropriations Committee or it will be dead.

You wrote messages to legislators asking for their support, and we thank you for contacting them. Almost 200 postcards were delivered to legislators, and we were able to pass the bill out of the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee!

Now, with three days left, we are urging you to ask four key House leaders to step up for faculty and see this bill through to the next phase of the legislative process. We are contacting Speaker Frank Chopp, Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, House Appropriations Chair Ross Hunter and Vice-Chair Timm Ormsby and asking them to hold a public hearing on HB 1535 and pass it out of committee. This will allow the bill to move to a full vote on the House floor.

It takes only a simple click of a button to send a message to these legislators. One message will go to each leader with a message to step up for faculty and bring HB 1535 to a public hearing in the House Appropriations Committee and pass it out.

Please take action!

Feel free to add your personal story to the message.

In Solidarity,

Kristin Elia
State Political Organizer

Tell the House Appropriations Committee to hold a public hearing on HB 1535 to repeal the financial emergency law.

It's an unnecessary and wasteful regulation from 1981 and only one college has used it in almost 30 years.
This law unfairly targets community and technical college faculty.
Students lost their instructors and access to programs when this law was used at Bates TC in 2010.

Do Not Pass HB2 with Merit Pay
The budget, including merit pay, passed the House and is now going to Senate Finance. Tell the committee not to support merit pay, as research shows it does not impact teacher OR student performance.
Support the Governor’s Proposal to Increase Teachers and Education Support Personnel Salaries
ACT NOW! Support the Governor's Proposal.

Call or email members of the Education Appropriations Committees in the House and the Senate. Tell them teachers and education support professionals deserve a raise. Florida is still $10,000 below the national average. Performance pay will do little to attract new teachers to Florida if our base pay is not competitive with the rest of the country.

WE NEED YOU TO ACT NOW! Call or email the members of the Education Appropriations Committees in the House and the Senate. Tell them what a raise would mean for you and your family. Ask them to support the Governor’s proposal to increase teachers and education support personnel salaries.
Amend the Budget -
The House Education Committee passed a good version House Bill 3, the education budget. The House Appropriations and Finance Committee moved money for the governor's pet projects, like merit pay, back below the line. The budget, including merit pay, passed the House and is now going to Senate Finance. Tell the committee not to support merit pay, as research shows it does not impact teacher OR student performance.
Oppose Class Size Limit Elimination!
Speak Up NOW to Keep Class Size Protections for Students with Disabilities.

The State Board has proposed removing all state requirements on class size for students with disabilities by eliminating state administrative rule Part 226.730. If this rule is eliminated, there will be nothing to take its place – there will be no class size protections for our members and their students.

Take five minutes NOW to tell the State Board what your classroom would look like if these state protections are gone.

The IFT opposes this change, which would be devastating for our members and their students if class size protections go away.
- There would be no restrictions on how many students with disabilities can be placed in a general education classroom;
- There would be no restrictions on class size for any special education classes, including early childhood special education classes; and
- There would be no requirements that special education classes, in some circumstances, should have a paraprofessional assigned to the class.
These proposed changes are open for public comment now.
ACT TODAY! Tell the State Board what these changes would mean for you and your students.

Please include below in your personal message:
1. the number of years you have been in the education profession
2. your title and geographic location, and
3. how this change would directly impact your students and classroom
Support SJR 3

On Monday the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on SJR 3 which would increase the payout from the Land Grant Permanent Fund to 6.5% (5.5% for K-12 and 1.5% for Early Ed). Tell members of Senate Judiciary to vote yes with an amendment to remove the Resolution's 10 year sunset provision.

Also, tell members of the Senate Judiciary to vote yes of SJM 34 which calls for a study of the A-F school grading system.
Vote yes on SB, Vote to Amend HB 2

Two important bills will be heard by Senate Finance this Monday: SB 116,Educator's Pension Bill and HB 2, General Appropriations.

Call/Email members of Senate Finance. Tell them vote NO on HB 2 unless merit pay is removed and there is sufficient funding to cover the MOE. Also tell them to vote YES on SB 115 (Pension Reform).
Tell Senate Public Affairs to Oppose SB 260, and Support SB 474 &SB 640
Three bills that address the subjects of retention and remediation for struggling students will be in Senate Public Affairs on Thursday. We oppose Senate Bill 260 (Kernan), which restricts parent input on retention decisions, and puts the financial burden of remediation and retention on districts. We support SB 474 (Lopez/Stewart), which gives parents more of a voice in educational decisions, addresses students struggling in reading and/or math, and requires the PED to bear the costs of interventions and remediation. We also support SB 640 (Sapien/Miera), which would ensure that students who experience difficulties with reading
proficiency are provided multiple opportunities for early intervention and remediation.
Thank you, Sweet 16!
Thanks to your constant rapid action around HB 2- 16 strong education MVPs, including 6 committee chairs, who stood with New Mexico's children and voted NO on House Bill 2- Education's most important vote.

Education's Sweet 16

"Educators know what goes on in our schools." said education champion and first term Rep. Elizabeth Thomson. "This bill needs to be stronger for New Mexico's kids."

Her sentiments were echoed by Representative and Chairwoman of House Education Mimi Stewart who could not vote for the budget for three main reasons.
1. HB 2 does not provide adequate funding to fix the $110 million dollar PED mistake (MOE and federal special education funding). Rather, it makes up the potential shortfall by taking from the already underfunded State Equalization Guaruntee.
2. HB 2 funds the governor’s pet projects instead of sending needed funding directly to the districts.
3. HB 2 funds merit pay, otherwise known as "rewarding highly effective teachers and principles," which does not improve student achievement but rather hurts New Mexico students.
According to Represenative and former AFT State President Christine Trujillo "Everyone has a 'I love Children' bumper sticker. But apparently they only love them in the abstract."

Please email our Sweet 16 Education Champions who voted NO on the budget.

Let them know you are sweet on their vote. Thank them for demanding that our kids deserve better, our schools deserve better and educators deserve better.
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Education's Sweet 16!
Dear Education Supporter:

Thanks to your constant rapid action around HB 2- 16 strong education MVPs, including 6 committee chairs, who stood with New Mexico's children and voted NO on House Bill 2- Education's most important vote.

Education's Sweet 16

"Educators know what goes on in our schools." said education champion and first term Rep. Elizabeth Thomson. "This bill needs to be stronger for New Mexico's kids."

Her sentiments were echoed by Representative and Chairwoman of House Education Mimi Stewart who could not vote for the budget for three main reasons.
1. HB 2 does not provide adequate funding to fix the $110 million dollar PED mistake (MOE and federal special education funding). Rather, it makes up the potential shortfall by taking from the already underfunded State Equalization Guaruntee.
2. HB 2 funds the governor’s pet projects instead of sending needed funding directly to the districts.
3. HB 2 funds merit pay, otherwise known as "rewarding highly effective teachers and principles," which does not improve student achievement but rather hurts New Mexico students.
According to Represenative and former AFT State President Christine Trujillo "Everyone has a 'I love Children' bumper sticker. But apparently they only love them in the abstract."

Please email our Sweet 16 Education Champions who voted NO on the budget.

Let them know you are sweet on their vote. Thank them for demanding that our kids deserve better, our schools deserve better and educators deserve better.
YES, I'm standing with my bargaining team. Our union is stronger with my support!
YES, I am voting for AFMSU! I am standing with my AFMSU bargaining team.
Take Action for Special Ed Class Size Limits
We shouldn’t balance the State’s budget on the backs of students.

On Wednesday, February 20, 2013, the Illinois State Board of Education voted to authorize public comment on proposed changes to Part 226.730 and Part 226.731. Effectively these proposed changes would lift class size restrictions on what constitutes the definition of a general education classroom, allowing local districts to decide class makeups. A link to the State Board’s materials on this topic can be accessed at http://isbe.net/board/meetings/2013/feb/packet.pdf. The relevant section begins on page 11.

Representatives from Chicago Teachers Union, Access Living, Equip for Equality, Illinois Education Association and Illinois Federation of Teachers all testified in opposition to the rule. School Management (Principals, School Boards, Administrators) along with IAASE testified in support. Click here to read the testimony of CTU Financial Secretary Kristine Mayle, herself a special education teacher, opposing the rule change. Click here to read the testimony of Cynthia Riseman, Political Director for the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
Support HB 481 and HB 589

Tell House Labor and House Education to SUPPORT HB 589 because we need an evaluation system that relies on balanced multiple measures, not one that relies 50% on student test scores. Tell them to support HB 481 and protect the dossier system as the mechanism for advancing licensure levels by putting it explicitly into law, to prevent your license from being tied 50% to test scores!

Current Actions

NYS Dream Act (A 2597 Moya / S 2378 Peralta)

Please thank a lawmaker who stood tall for us!

What You Need to Know:

What You Need to Do:

Stand against all bullying by signing below!

Texas Can Do Better than restoring 28 cents for every $1 cut from public education last legislative session.

Join us with your family

at Public Education Day on Capital Hill,

March 11, 2013

SB 570, sponsed by Senator Lopez and Representative Miera, calls for raises for educational employees earning under $20,000. SB 570 would provide a modest salary increase for our lowest paid school employees who work hard caring for our students but earn very low wages.

It should get a Do-Pass recommendation from Senate Education, and then head to Senate Finance. Tell Senate Finance to VOTE YES!

DON’T LET WALL STREET & ENGINEERING FIRMS PROFIT FROM THE $30 BILLION IN FEDERAL DISASTER RELIEF MONEY BY EXPANDING DESIGN-BUILD AUTHORITY

New Mexico Education Secretary's Hearings Bring More Light to Corruption in Education Reform

On Monday the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on SJR 3 which would increase the payout from the Land Grant Permanent Fund to 6.5% (5.5% for K-12 and 1.5% for Early Ed). Tell members of Senate Judiciary to vote yes with an amendment to remove the Resolution's 10 year sunset provision.

Also, tell members of the Senate Judiciary to vote yes of SJM 34 which calls for a study of the A-F school grading system.

Two important bills will be heard by Senate Finance this Monday: SB 116,Educator's Pension Bill and HB 2, General Appropriations.

Dear Education Supporter: