News and Information for Education Professionals


Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, New Year's
Whatever you're celebrating,
Region 1 wishes you a wonderful one.

Have a great Winter Break.
See you in the New Year!
HELP US WELCOME OUR NEW MEMBERS!

Sarah DePatie, Durand

Julie Hambleton, New Richmond

Shelley Bartz, Hayward

 


Dear Region 1 Members,

First of all I want to wish you a wonderful holiday season! Everyone is in full speed ahead mode until December 25th. I hope you can all slow down and smell the fresh air outside even though it is cold. I want to write about our local in Boyceville today. I passed on the presidency this past year to a new team of leaders. President Holly Sweeney, Vice President Ben Simmerman, Secretary Jacob Peterson and our Treasurer, Angela Hellmann along with our members, have been intricately involved in our community this year. It has been their goal to make a union presence in our small town. They have joined a community action group called "Build a Better Boyceville." The Build a Better Boyceville (B3) Committee  was formed to bring community members and organizations together to enhance the community and show that the Boyceville area is a great place to live, work, and play. B3 has three main goals: Attract and retain residents (especially young families), retain and grow businesses and strengthen the community. In support of this goal, B3 contracted with West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (WCWRPC) in Spring 2018 to undertake a two-phase project that included both branding and placemaking efforts. Both phases have been completed and efforts to implement the community's ideas will commence in 2019.

In October they had a tour around town and invited all to come and take a look at what we have and asked for input on how to make our town better. They also distributed a community survey. Our Boyceville Education Association was there participating. Our members are volunteering in their community, working at the concession stands, and are involved in the community to make Boyceville a better place for all to live, work and enjoy. Our students carved pumpkins for the group's first project: Boyceville's friendship garden is a place where all in town can gather and enjoy each other's friendship. This lot was just sitting empty and Boyceville purchased the lot and agreed to let volunteers make it into what it is today!   What a great way to show our community that we (BEA) have a presence and we care about this community.

Debra H. Bell
Region 1 President


* Upcoming Events *
Ongoing Statewide Professional Development Calendar Available (including NBCT Jump Start Progam)

  HERE!

We highly recommend checking out this calendar if you haven't done so yet!

Region 1 Board of Directors Meeting
January 16
6:30 pm
Rice Lake Office & Zoom
16 W John St

Every Teacher a Leader  NW Regional Summit
January 25-26
Trego, WI

Learning & Growing Professional Issues Conference
February 22-23
Lismore Hotel, Eau Claire
333 Gibson St
SEE MORE INFORMATION BELOW!

ACROSS THE REGION
To see the full conference lineup and to register, visit: http://tiny.cc/weacevents

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All Certified Region 1 Locals Successful In 2018 Recertification Elections

Congratulations to the Bayfield, Drummond, Grantsburg, and River Falls Teachers and the River Falls Bus Drivers - all of whom successfully completed Recertification through elections which ended November 21st.

Recertification elections are another of the flaming hoops unions are required to jump through as a result of the outgoing Walker Administration (hint hint...Hey Tony, whaddya say we get some new rules for these puppies?) The annual election is required in order to maintain certified status and has the rather undemocratic qualification that individuals who choose not to vote are counted as a no vote. Regardless, Region 1 units were successful with yes votes ranging from 72% - 92%, and overall 306 voters said "Yes" to the union while a grand total of 2 said "no".

We're not statistical researchers here at Region 1, but that seems like pretty decent evidence that educators in Northwestern Wisconsin sure seem to support the idea of unions, whether they're members or not. Which begs the question...why aren't they members??
ACROSS THE STATE

CHANGE IS COMING

When we return from our winter break, Tony Evers will be sworn in as Wisconsin Governor. Having been elected with the strong support of WEAC members across the state, and having come from a career-long involvement in public education, Governor Evers will be a proponent of doing what is right for kids. 

What is right may well include pushing for a fix to the broken school funding formula and funding special education, mental health, and early learning opportunities. In addition, Governor Evers will be looking at ways to stabilize the education workforce. 

None of these will be easy in the face of continuing legislative opposition, and we will need to be prepared to do our part in making positive change happen. Much of this will involve speaking out for what is right. Remember, Santa can't always bring you everything you want, but if you never tell him what you want you can bet you're not going to get it!
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Just a Note: WRS Contribution Rates to Decrease in 2019

Effective January 2019, the deduction from your payroll checks will drop from 6.7% to 6.55%. Overall the decrease will be 0.3%.
ACROSS THE NATION

An open letter to Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education

The National Education Association stands firmly with the millions of people in the United States, including our students and educators, who identify as transgender, gender non-binary, gender expansive and/or intersex.

We are alarmed by recent news reports that indicate that the Administration is contemplating policy to erase transgender protections through reinterpretation of existing laws and regulations. The NEA strongly opposes such damaging and dangerous policy efforts. 


Best of Works4Me: December Holidays

From Teachers Across the United States

The month of December brings high energy and excitement to your school. How can you focus your students on learning when they can barely sit still? Check out this collection of tips and ideas to bring holiday fun into your classroom.

READ MORE >


Did You Know?
This Month's Member Benefits Highlight
Benefit Reminder

Recently, WEAC Region 1 and WEAC have been contacted by members inquiring as to phone calls or text messages requesting meetings to discuss insurance benefits that may be available.

We apologize for any confusion, however, if the contact is from American Income Life Insurance, they are legitimate and the contact is the result of benefits available to you as a member. 

As a member of WEAC Region 1 you are eligible for a no cost $2,500 AD&D insurance policy with no additional purchase necessary. If you are being contacted, you filled out a response card, which you can view a copy of at this link.

You can find more information about this program HERE
This is an 11.0101 (10) (b) communication with WEAC members