April 5, 2019
MEMBERSHIP EDITION, Vol. 3, #7

The 10-Minute Meeting
All too often we hear, "there's no reason to hold a meeting if there's nothing to report/decide/vote on." Or, we hear, "I'm not sure we have a union because there are never any meetings." But mostly, we hear, "I don't have TIME to go to ANOTHER meeting."
 
You have an opportunity to keep members in the loop AND respect their time by holding 10-minute meetings! It's also a great time to get feedback from people in the building. 

If you feel like you're in a rut, why not try the 10-minute meeting?
For more details about how the 10-minute meeting works, click   here .
For previous 10-minute meeting topics:
December:  NEA Member Benefits
January: Retirement!

The April 10-Minute Meeting topic:
Applying For, and Maintaining Your Lifetime Teaching License
It's YOUR Lifetime Teaching License    
As a teacher, it is YOUR responsibility to pay attention to timelines, respond to correspondence from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and/or your school district, and do all that is necessary to keep your teaching license current.

With the advent of a "lifetime" license in Wisconsin, it is no longer necessary to complete a PDP or take college credits to renew your license every five years.

Instead, PROVISIONAL (initial) license holders must, at the end of six (6) completed semesters of teaching, apply for a LIFETIME license.

Those teachers with LIFETIME licenses must complete a background check every five years.

The DPI has added a feature to License Lookup - when you look up your license, it will now show the most recent background check submitted to the DPI. For more information, click here .

Do you need a background check? The DPI has added a video to help explain the process. Click here .

Do you have a provisional license and, at the end of this school year have six (6) successful semesters of teaching under your belt? For information about the Lifetime license application , click here .

And, if you'd like to learn more about the process in the company of other teachers learning about applying for and maintaining Lifetime licenses, attend our May 16th "Nuts and Bolts" workshop - either in person or by ZOOM video-conferencing. Register by clicking the image above or here .

For a flyer advertising our "Nuts and Bolts" workshop, click here .




WELCOME
NEW MEMBERS in March:
10
WTCS Election Results
Congratulations to all WTCS locals in Region 3! All successfully recertified!
Click here for statewide results.
Professional Development
Thursday
April 11
5:30 - 7:00

National Board Info Session
WEAC Region 3
Wednesday
April 17
5:00 - 7:00

National Board Support Syllabus
GBEA/Region 3
Take this Quiz!
What is the importance of the following dates?
A. April 30, 2019
B. May 15, 2019
C. June 15, 2019

Political Action
For more details about the impact of this proposed budget on YOUR school district, click here.
Evers' Budget Proposal Information
Gov. Evers has included the funding reform proposal, which he refers to as the “Fair Funding for our Future” plan, in his proposed 2019-21 state budget bill.

Key aspects of the plan (which would take effect in the 2020-21 school year) include:
  • Providing an additional $619 million in state general equalization aids over the 2019-21 biennium ($205 million in 2019-20 and $414 million in 2020-21 over the 2018-19 base). (This is in addition to the $1.09 billion transferred from the state property tax credits to the general aid distribution in 2020-21.)
  • Setting a minimum aid level of $3,000 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student for every student in every district.
  • Weighting economically disadvantaged students in all school districts by an additional 20 percent FTE within the General Aid Formula for per pupil property valuation purposes only.
  • Shifting existing funding for the School Levy Tax Credit, the First Dollar Credit, and High Poverty Aid to the General Equalization Aid Formula.
  • Creating a sum sufficient appropriation for hold harmless payments to ensure that every school district receives at least the same amount of total state support under the “Fair Funding” plan as it would otherwise receive under current law.
  • Restoring the requirement that the state provide at least two-thirds funding of partial school revenues.
Hello all,

When I tell people I'm a UniServ/Regional Director, no one knows what that means. When I further explain that I work for the teachers' union, that often creates a dead space in the conversation. "Oh," they say. Interesting people follow up with "What does that mean?" or "What do you do?" I tell them I represent educational employees that work for public schools and I advocate for public education. I tell them I help educational employees with discipline issues, bargaining, and LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.

That last thing, leadership development, is the most exciting and promising work I do. I and my colleagues meet with Locals to find out what you need to be successful and help you build strength and capacity to get stuff done! If you feel that something's missing, reach out to us and we'll help you figure it out!

Here are some upcoming opportunities for your Local to find some inspiration:
  • Sometime in June (dates TBD) we'll offer our Solidarity Seminar. This 1/2 day workshop provides some basic skills - think of it as Union 101.
  • On August, 8, 2019 we'll offer our Membership Drive workshop. Your Local can come to this 1-day event and build your own Fall Membership Drive for the 2019-20 school year.

Both of these opportunities are BEST when attended by a TEAM of union members from a Local. Start thinking now of who you want to bring along! I look forward to seeing you there!

--Peace
Kathy Rohde
Region 3 Regional Director