NEWSETTE
Information is Power
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Inside this Newsette:
- A Letter From the President
- UPDATE: Bargaining Platform
- PGCEA Election Results
- Upcoming Events
- Apply For a Scholarship
- Tell your story
- School Calendar
- Legislative Priorities
- Benefits
- Mental Health Assistance
- In the News
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Dear Member,
As you know, we have been at the negotiations table for our new contract. While I fully recognize the sheer exhaustion most of you are coping with, it is more important than ever for you to stand with your colleagues. We must stand together to win the contract we know we need to stabilize our workforce, improve working conditions, and solve the nagging problems that distract from the primary mission of educating the next generation.
The time is now. This contract will govern our working conditions for the next several years. If you want to have reasonable workloads that don’t cause physical and mental harm, you must take action.
Over the coming weeks, your building representatives will be having conversations with you about what you can do to stand together in solidarity and have a more significant impact at the negotiations table. This is our moment, our opportunity, to win the contract we know we need.
United we win,
Donna Christy
Dr. Donna Christy
PGCEA President
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MARCH BARGAINING UPDATE!!! |
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Join Us on March 15th, 2022 |
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We all know how challenging Education has been these past couple of years for everyone–educators, parents, and community members. AROS-PG and PGCEA have created a campaign titled: “Pandemic to Promise: Roadmap for Education Justice in Prince George’s” Top Issue Voting Campaign” We will include the community’s top two priorities in their contract campaign in a process called Bargaining for the Common Good.
In order to identify what the top two education priorities are, as well as boost the overall morale of our educators, parents, and community members– we will launch our “Pandemic to Promise Top Issues Voting Campaign Tour” where we will visit sites around Prince George’s County to include schools, school system, worksites, churches, community centers, sports fields, supermarkets and other venues in a “Pandemic to Promise” theme-decorated pickup truck with ballots, music, posters and information – asking parents, students, community members and workers to vote for their top two educational priorities.
Our “Pandemic to Promise Top Issues Voting Campaign” will be active from 3/19/22-3/31/22 with the purpose of:
- generating community conversation about dreams for education justice
- asking community members to vote their priorities
- organizing parents, students, community members and workers around these issues
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creating a narrative that parents, students, community, teachers and many other school system employees are unified in their desire to create “the schools all our children deserve”
We would love to stop at your SCHOOL/ORGANIZATION between 3/19/22-3/31/22.
If you are interested in having us stop at your school or organization, please respond via e-mail to the community Karen Guzman (kguzman@pgcea.org) and Evie Frankl (eviefrankl@gmail.com) with the following information:
- What date is ideal for us to stop at your school/organization? (you can provide multiple dates if preferred)
- What time works best for you all (please be as specific as possible; you can provide multiple options as well)
- Do you or does your school/organization as a whole have the capacity to mobilize parents and ensure turn out on the day?
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SUBMIT YOUR TUITION REIMBURSMENT |
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Second Submission for courses with an end date between November 1, 2021 and February 28, 2022
Opens on Monday, March 21, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.
Closes on Friday, March 25, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.
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If you are a PGCEA member, know an exceptional PG County Educator, participated in Union Summer, are a member of PGCEA Committees, etc.
Tell us your experience and how it has been impactful to PG County Educator's, students and parents! Is there a particular moment, memory or achievement that stands out to you? What have you learned about Bargaining? or any other great stories about educators in Prince George's County!
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Come learn about how to have tough conversations with the administration to advocate for yourself and fellow members. We will discuss the process of deciding how to approach issues and model tactics to help facilitate conversations. You will also get a chance to practice some tough conversations as well.
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Prince George’s County Educators’ Association Foundation and Racial And Social Justice Committee: |
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Are you currently a 12th-grade student who has attended Prince George's County Public High Schools for a minimum of two years? The Racial and Social Justice Committee of the Prince George's County Educators' Association Foundation scholarship is now accepting scholarship applications until April 9, 2022. Scholarships will be awarded to PG seniors students who will graduate from a Prince George's County Public High Schools in the 2022 school year. Scholarships are a minimum of $500.00 and will be given in recognition of outstanding academic performance, leadership qualities, and financial need.
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Changes to the 2021-2022 School Calendar
The Prince George’s County Board of Education has approved changes to the 2021-22 school calendar. As Juneteenth is a federal and county holiday, it has been added as a new holiday on Monday, June 20. The Monday, March 7 professional development day is now a regular instructional day for students. The last day for both students and teachers will be Thursday, June 23.
Additional inclement weather days may be virtual learning days to ensure the last day for students is no later than Friday, June 24.
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LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD
Are you interested in testifying before the county council or the board of education on issues that matter most to you? We want you to join us and ensure that our school system and county leadership understand how the decisions that they make impact us in the school building every day. We will have a series of trainings and workshops to prepare those interested to testify before the council and the Board of Education.
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2022 MSEA LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Download and share MSEA’s legislative priorities for the 2022 General Assembly Session. This document is a tool to support MSEA’s advocacy to build on the successful passage of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Kirwan Commission), addressing continuing issues that were exacerbated by the pandemic, such as non-academic supports for students and escalating workloads and staffing shortages for educators. This session will also be an opportunity for us to continue our advocacy for social justice and workers’ rights. The General Assembly session runs from January 12 – April 11, 2022.
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Get Valuable Educator Perks Just for Union Members
Whether you’ve joined your education association at the local, state or national level, you belong to the NEA and have access to educator perks through NEA Member Benefits. Watch this video to see how it works.
Why NEA Member Benefits Is Dedicated to Serving Educators
NEA members are at the core of everything we do – from negotiating on your behalf to offer valuable benefits with trusted partners, to supporting your personal needs in each stage of your life and career. Find out more about why you inspire us and how we can help you.
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BENEFITS: WEEKLY GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY! |
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For immediate mental health assistance:
PGCPS Employee Assistance Program:
By phone: 1-800-346-0110 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Username: PGCPS
Password: PRINCE
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www.baltimoresun.com
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School lunch programs still face shortages. Costs may...
School meal programs have faced a host of challenges this year. Staples like chicken, pizza, and muffins are hard to come by. Food deliveries often arrive late, or not at all. There's still a shortage of cooks and drivers. Inflation is pushing...
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www.chalkbeat.org
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Do you know your UniServ Director?
Our UniServ directors (UD's) are here to assist you with any of your school-based issues or contract compliance needs. To find out which UD is assigned to your school click the button to see their school assignments.
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PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY EDUCATORS' ASSOCIATION| WWW.PGCEA.ORG
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