February 26, 2021
Hello friends,

Many of our districts in Region 3 are returning to face to face instruction. While we are happy to be reunited with our students, there's a lot happening in the world that is beyond all of our control. Our students may not always know how to handle those feelings in the best way. In fact, this time last year we were organizing statewide to discuss disruptive student behaviors.

Now with so much more stress added to our existence it's not hard to understand why students might act out. I sometimes wonder how we as adults are holding it together.

These issues are hard to discuss because they can cause us to feel shame and we view them as personal problems. Often times when we get together to discuss a problem, we find that others are actually having the same exact problem. These conversations help us understand that sometimes these issues that we perceived as personal shortcomings, are actually structural problems within our worksites.

I believe the best thing about being a union member is it's a place to speak honestly about your profession and what's concerning you. I want to encourage you to reach out if you are experiencing violent student behaviors, facing a potential non-renewal or have health and safety concerns in your classroom. I can't promise that we can always solve the problem but the first step is to reach out to see who else feels the same way. Chances are you are not alone.


In Solidarity,
Kristin Lytie
Regional Director
WEAC Region 3
Upcoming Events:
 
Wednesday, March 10, WR3 Virtual Gathering, 4:30PM

Thursday, March 18, NBCT, 5PM

Tuesday, March 23, Zone B Meeting, 5:30PM

Wednesday, April 7, WEAC Pre-RA, 5PM & WR3 Executive Committee Meeting, 6PM

Friday-Saturday, April 23-24, WEAC RA

Saturday, May 8, Region 3 RA

Wednesday, May 12 (Tentative), Executive Committee Meeting, 6PM

Wednesday, June 9, Executive Committee Meeting, 6PM
Membership Engagement Surveys - Be a Team Player!

Several Locals in the month of February circulated Membership Engagement Surveys to update contact info, solicit feedback, and see what roles and activities members might be interested in helping out with. If your Local isn’t proactive in recruiting new leaders—be it a Building Rep or a member who maintains your Local Facebook Page—the bulk of the work often falls on the plate of one or two leaders. But unions are at their best when members are working together as a team! As a member, are you willing to be a team player and help out where you can? And if you’re a leader, are you actively looking for ways for more members to get involved? If you’re interested in getting more involved or want to conduct a Membership Engagement Survey for your Local, please reach out to your Regional Director!

So far Membership Engagement Surveys have identified 17 members who are willing to take on a greater role in their Local Education Association, including 3 new Building Reps!

Here’s a snapshot of what a Membership Engagement Survey could look like:
Gov Evers Introduces 2021-23 State Budget
The governor’s Badger Bounce Back agenda includes investments in Wisconsin so we can come out of the pandemic better, including investments in education and expansion of bargaining rights for frontline workers, which includes teachers and education support professionals (Legislative Reference Bureau Analysis). 

  • Collective bargaining
  • Health care
  • PK-12 public school funding
  • Tech Colleges
  • Broadband
  • Equity & opportunity
  • Family & medical leave
  • Juvenile justice system
  • Redistricting
  • Voting rights
Keep up to date on the State budget process by following our friends at the Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN) and the WEAC State Budget Action Center.
Books and stories are tools children need now more than ever to discover themselves and understand that the world is far richer and diverse than just their experiences alone.
There are limitless opportunities to share the love of reading—on March 2 and throughout the year.
Text READ to 48744 for more Read Across America tips and resources, delivered to your mobile phone.

Please, share your stories and pics after March 2. We'd love to show them off in our newsletter!
WEAC Region 3 RA
May 8, 2021

The WEAC Region 3 RA will be held virtually. Delegates to the RA will be electing the following positions to the WR3 Executive Committee: Treasurer, Secretary, ESP Member-at-Large, and Zone Leaders. 

Watch for more info and nomination forms in the coming weeks.
2021 WEAC Representative Assembly
April 23-24

Planning has begun for the 2021 WEAC RA to be held virtually Friday & Saturday, April 23-24 via Zoom! The WEAC Board of Directors voted to conduct the 2021 WEAC Rep Assembly virtually this year in the interest of public safety and the health and safety of our members and staff. Here are a few things we can share at this time about the 2021 RA. The RA will be held Friday, April 23, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. and reconvene on Saturday, April 24, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Local Association presidents should watch for Delegate information coming via email. In an effort to go online and eliminate paper waste, WEAC is moving to an online form to submit delegates to attend. Forms are due on April 5, 2021.  
2021 NEA Representative Assembly
June 30 - July 3

The 2021 NEA RA will again be held virtually the first week of July. The NEA Constitution and Bylaws provide that each local affiliate is entitled to one delegate for every 150 members or major fraction thereof (76). A local with more than 75 members but less than 226 members, will be entitled to one delegate. A local with more than 225 but less than 376 members will be entitled to two delegates, etc. The deadline for reporting delegates is April 10.

Local presidents should have received all needed information. See below:
Important Dates for WTCS Locals:

April 7 - 27, 2021
Voting period (complete details to follow).
CPI for Total Base Wage Negotiations
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) has advised the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) that the CPI-U increase applicable to one-year collective bargaining agreements with a term beginning July 1, 2021, is 1.23%. That applies to all K-12 and WTCS contracts, and is a decrease from last year's 1.81%.
Wisconsin State Statute 118.22 governs the renewal and NON-renewal of full-time teacher contracts
 
This important deadline is approaching: 
 
For full-time teacher contracts that a District does NOT want to renew for the 2021-22 school year, the school board must notify with a preliminary notice of non-renewal on OR before Friday, April 30th, 2021.  This timeline applies regardless of the reason for non-renewal, i.e., performance, economic reasons, declining enrollment, etc.

A preliminary notice of non-renewal must be voted on and issued by the school board (not an administrator).
 
Many teachers have already been given some kind of indication that the District is thinking about non-renewal. These teachers may be on a plan of improvement. For teachers under this scrutiny, the preliminary notice of non-renewal may come well before the deadline of April 30th. 
Union members who may be in danger of non-renewal, as well as leaders and building reps working with those members, should contact the Region 3 office as soon as possible. 

Once preliminary notice of non-renewal is given to an educator, they only have five calendar days to request a hearing before the school board.

Please do not wait until the preliminary notice has already been issued!
Individual Contract Deadlines:
  • April 30 - preliminary notice of nonrenewal
  • May 15 - final notice of nonrenewal
  • May 15 - issuing individual contracts
  • June 15 - accept or reject individual contract
Background Check Applications are Open
 
The DPI background check application is now open for teachers whose license would have expired in 2021. Members can check to see if they are due for a background check by logging into their Educator Licensing Online (ELO) account. Background check applications are due no later than June 30, 2021. It is advised that members submit their application sooner rather than later. Remember this is your responsibility! 
WEAC Join Now ONLINE
Member Sign Up
WEAC online member sign-up, Join Now, is now available to provide a convenient and fast way for educators to become members of our union.


In a series of simple screens, educators can enter their information to become a member. This feature is especially useful during one-on-one membership conversations. While the process is entirely online, it is recommended that organizers and leaders stay with educators through the sign-up process to answer any questions that might arise.
For an overview of the Join Now experience, click here.
WEAC
NEA
You are Invited!
WR3's ALL-MEMBER
Virtual Gathering

Wednesday, March 10
4:30 - 5:30 pm

Please note that you need to PRE-Register for the meeting by clicking on the link above. Then an email will be sent to you with the login link.

We look forward to SEEING you!
On Wednesday, March 3, be sure to register for Nurturing Resiliency for a Lifetime of Learning. Trauma impacts children and staff in ways we never imagined. Educators are facing unprecedented times in education that require awareness, evaluation, and analyzing behavior in order to educate our students and assist them to become more resilient and teach the concepts of grit to achieve success.

The registration link can be found HERE.
2021 NEA ESP Conference

The 2021 NEA ESP Conference will be held virtually March 19-21, with a special ESP of the Year celebration on Friday, March 26.
Registration for the 2021 NEA ESP Conference will open February 15-26, and will be offered FREE of charge to NEA members! NEA has increased their capacity to 2,000 participants. Spaces will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Conference participation is limited to NEA members only.
Attention all Region 3 Members! 

The Green Bay Education Association's Organizing Committee is hosting Dr. Byron McClure on Saturday, April 10th from 9-11 am. Please consider joining us for this virtual opportunity to learn more about social-emotional learning!

In this online seminar presented by Nationally Certified School Psychologist Dr. Byron McClure, participants will learn how a school and district identified student needs using data and addressed these needs through effective implementation of an integrated social-emotional learning (SEL) program. Dr. McClure will share how to seamlessly blend SEL with other initiatives (such as Restorative Practices) and guide participants how to use his digital SEL lesson plan guides. Participants will leave with ready to use SEL lessons that can be implemented immediately in their classrooms, etc.

Thanks to a NEA Grant received by the Organizing Committee, each participant (up to 150) will receive their own copy of the digital SEL lesson plan guides to use in their work. The first 25 participants to register for and attend the online seminar will also receive a copy of Dr. McClure's e-book Circle Talk: Building Authentic Staff Relationships.

This online seminar is free to attend for current GBEA/Region 3 Members.

See this FLYER for more information! If interested, please sign up ASAP using this GOOGLE FORM link. 

Region 3/GBEA National Board Support Sessions
WEAC, Region 3 and GBEA have organized ongoing monthly National Board Support for the 2020-2021 cycle. Sessions will be held virtually until further notice and facilitated by Sarah Johnston (Marinette).
Find the schedule with registration links HERE. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the meeting. Please save this email. 
WEAC
Attention Local Treasurers

The new and improved WEAC Local Treasurer Training Videos are now posted, along with accompanying documents, on the WEAC website for your use. 
To access the videos you can simply click:


These seven separate training videos cover various topics that may be of interest to you and will serve as a resource to use in navigating the responsibilities of being a local treasurer. We hope you find them useful! As always, if you have any questions or need any help, please just let us know.
Thank you for your work for our members and for what you do every day with our students.
WEAC is working in partnership with UW-Stevens Point to host the 2021 Educators Rising-Wisconsin Summit and Competition. Formerly Future Teachers of Wisconsin, Educators Rising-Wisconsin aims to inspire and equip a future generation of educators to serve Wisconsin’s public schools. It works to encourage young people to explore the benefits of a career in education and embrace the calling of teaching as a profession.
This is an 11.0101(10)(b)(1) communication with WEAC members.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s agent or committee. 
WEAC-recommended candidate Dr. Jill Underly has advanced to the April 6 General Election for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

  • Mar 17 - Register by mail
  • Mar 17 - Register to vote online
  • Mar 23 thru Apr 4 - In-person early voting *
  • Apr 1 - Request regular absentee ballot
  • Apr 2 - Register at municipal clerk's office
  • Apr 6 - Register at polling place
  • Apr 6 - Return absentee ballot

*Check with your municipal clerk for specific days and times.
Spring Elections Are
Right Around the Corner!
Let's build on the Presidential Inauguration to help elect the candidates for local school boards, and State Superintendent, who will fight for healthy, safe, and well-funded public schools and the educators that make those schools great!

Go to MyVote.WI.gov to:

Region 3 encourages Locals to get involved in their district's school board elections and/or referendums. Please contact your Region 3 Director for school board candidate screening questions and information on the types of assistance available through Region 3 PAC.