The Budget Situation

LOWER TAXES! STRETCHED BUDGETS! = Higher probability of teacher, salary and benefits reductions, especially with no resistance.

Although there are many people trying to keep this from happening, budget cuts are assuredly on their way. Due to the stimulus package coming to an end, and the new power shift in Raleigh and in Washington, tax cuts are already being recommended. This means that the tax on things such as cigarettes, beer, and other items, will be considered overburdening, I guess, and educator’s jobs and education budgets will be at high risk.

LEAs may be given the “control” of governing the answer to the cuts. Does that sound good, even with good management in the LEA? Can you imagine what a choice this is for counties and central administration? Without funding to support the budget, 5 to 10% cutbacks are predicted, in addition to the stimulus package coming to an end. I am afraid that the salary scale will be only a suggestion. Wake County has already announced huge cuts in educators will be necessary. One LEA was considering leveling pay to $40,000 despite education and experience, according to a report at our district meeting last week. As you know, this would be bankruptcy for many educators. There would be more stops on climbing to a higher rate of income before retirement, less new hires, and the list grows longer. Hopefully not, but would they try to decrease input to our retirement fund? People in non-government jobs are eyeballing our retirement with envy, even though the rate of income is lower than a lot of states. At a recent State Employees Credit Union meeting, I asked the people from the state offices to help us, or foreclosures by educators would be more numerous.

We, at NCAE and MCAE, do not want educators to panic. What good would that do any of us? We do have jobs at this time and we do have power in numbers. Whether your fellow faculty members or staff members are members or not, we owe them the “heads up” on this problem. We need to unite in force to save our jobs and careers! You got the email from June Atkinson’s office. The problem is here. We have to deal with it.

If you voted for new persons and they won, you are the ones that have the most influence on the current power group. All parties and all persons can lobby any public elected official. They are public servants and are representing their constituency. You might want to represent yourself to them. Do not be hoodwinked by complacency, for that has not been proven to be of any influence for change.

Executive board meeting is December 6, 2010 and all ARs may attend and all officers at 4pm in John deVille's classroom at FHS. We will have a general meeting with speakers, soon!

A member from S. Macon volunteered to go to Raleigh with me, today. Be thinking about what political action you will take and then take it.

Yours,

Rena O. Sutton, Secretary MCAE

Message from our Secretary, Rena Sutton

MEMBERSHIP:
I am concerned that we have all been so busy that we have not invited people to join NCAE. Please do this. Invite fellow educators to join our team of NCAE members. I usually sign up several new members by now and with all the changes in the county, the format, the meetings and the children themselves, I have not taken the time yet to invite many people to join. I don’t know what we would do without NCAE/NEA. Where would our advocacy for professional educators come from, if we cannot stand for ourselves?

NCAE and NEA have been such a big part of the educational wins. We have worked with PTO, superintendents, administrators and other organizations, and that has been so helpful! However, we are always vigilant watch dogs for education and will not stop. When last minute legislation was passed before a holiday to save educators’ jobs, we read the fine print and saved master, NBCT, and advanced degree pay from being cut, by asking for clarification of language in the bill!!! We would have been leveled out on the bachelor’s degree, despite the long hours of not being with our families or following other pursuits while we got our added degrees and advanced certifications and tried to improve our delivery of education.

NCAE fought hard and kept longevity. We have not gotten a pay-cut and NCAE and NEA insured that the money was there not to cut teacher jobs in 2010. LEA’s that use the ability to have furloughs will have to lose central office positions and other considerations first. We have made these legislative gains and saves with lobbyists, Uni-serve directors, and flocks of members making legislative visits and phone calls, and sending many emails, too. I have written editorials for the state organization representing our concerns.

NCAE and our members have advocated for teacher assistants, bus drivers, and every member of the educational team. We have advocated for administrators in many ways. We have protected the retirement fund. Our organization fought against Medicaid cuts which would have taken away state budget dollars and cost us more educational related jobs.

I am surprised that our dues went up only 25 dollars and NEA’s only went up 4 dollars for the year. That is less than 4 dollars a month. What a deal to still have my job for that amount and have progress in education and benefits, too! We had to have a due raise or become less effective. We must stay strong! The struggle in this economy has cost too many educational personnel their young careers, put too many in the unemployment line, and caused too many to fear retirement.

***REMIND EVERYONE TO JOIN FOR THEIR GOOD, FOR OUR GOOD, FOR THE GOOD OF THE STUDENTS, AND FOR THE COMMON GOOD. ***

Positions Available

Hello District 1-A Members –

We have the following vacancies on Committees and Commissions for the 2010-2011 school year – please let us know if you have a member that would be interested in representing District 1-A next year –

• Elections Committee
• Membership Committee


Have a great week.
Anna Austin
District 1-A President

Contact Anna at aeaustin75@bellsouth.net

2010 NCAE State Convention

2010 NCAE State Convention

UNITE, ORGANIZE, EMPOWER... We are NCAE!

This year's convention was held March 18-20, 2010, in Winston-Salem. The location made the ride more reasonable for the far west representatives! The annual convention is the largest gathering of NCAE members and the Representative Assembly is the highest governing body of the Association. Local delegates were Tracey Shumway, Saul Olvera, Alton Sutton, and Rena Sutton. We had only four that were nominated and we had more seats to fill, thus we had no need for an election this year. Elected delegates are responsible for listening, discussing, debating and representing their local members concerning pertinent educational issues. Delegates receive, review and act on proposed constitutional amendments, resolutions and new business items. The work of the committees and commissions are reviewed. The RESULT is that our collective action will determine the role that NCAE plays in transforming education in North Carolina (see NCAE News Bulletin, March, 2010). North Carolina representatives also impact the role of NEA’s influence in federal government and promote the interconnectedness of state organizations.

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel gave a personal address to convention attendees. He stressed that we are and will be in the forefront of transforming the lives of tens of thousands of students by significantly raising academic achievement. He emphasized that the status quo is not acceptable, saying that the work has changed and we need a different system. He has recently led the launch and work of the NEA Priority Schools Campaign: Disturbing the Status Quo.

By trying to represent our local members, here are some of the issues that caught my attention:

• Pay reinstatement for the half-day taken from us at the end of last year.
• U.S. History concerns about reduced curriculum causing incomplete coverage.
• Thawing out the Salary Schedule...
• Continued re-structuring of the tax base…
• Concerns about the protection of university athletic recruitment at the expense of K-12 budget…
• Protection of educators’ roles, staffing, and appropriate student developmental expectations…
• Planning of educators’ actions in response to a trend toward differentiated pay…
• And more…

I can reassure all members that your representatives stayed the course of the entire convention, which ran into the late afternoon. We were attentive and participated in discussions, amendments, etc. Please consider volunteering to be a delegate next year, you will be amazed at the democracy in action and you will be proud to be NCAE. Unite, organize, and empower are exactly what we need to do to stay strong and have a short and long term impact on education.

Want to know more? Call me or email me!

Rena Sutton, MCAE Secretary and Delegate to Convention 2010

NCAE Assistance for National Board Certification

Dear Members and Non-Members:

FYI: NCAE offers helpful workshops for National Board Candidates.  These workshops are offered in a time-appropriate fashion to facilitate where you may be in the process.  NBCT's  (Teachers that have achieved certification) are present to mentor you.

 
 

Members are eligible and will find that many of these services or workshops are free.

 
 

National Board writing is a different process than writing for a college course.  It involves two or three major styles of writing in each entry.  There are so many questions that a colleague that has been through the process can understand why you are asking.  NCAE and NCCAT workshops are good ones.

 
 

Please go to www.ncae.org  then look at the list on the mid-left.  Click on the conferences/workshop resources and go through the list of workshops for locations and topics of National Board Workshops.

 
 

Let me know if I can help.

 
 

Rena O. Sutton, Counselor, NBCT, MCAE Secretary

S. Macon Elementary, 369-0796, 304