The Voice- October 2009

October 2009 n The NSEA Voice n

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VoiceVoiceVoiceVoiceThe Nebraska State Education Association October 2009

n The NSEA Voice n October 2009

On the Cover:Lincoln teacher Jamie Kreikemeier was one of just 268 teachers across the state fortunate enough to receive tuition reimbursement dollars from the state this year.

For the story, see

Page 8.

THE

VOICE Nebraska State Education Association

605 S. 14th Street, Suite 200Lincoln, NE 68508-2742 · www.nsea.org

(402) 475-7611 · (800) 742-0047

Volume 63, No. 2ISSN Number: 1085-0783USPS Number: 000-369

Executive Director Craig R. ChristiansenAssoc. Executive Director Neal ClayburnCommunications Director Karen KilgarinAssistant Comm. Director Al Koontz

NSEA BOARD OF DIRECTORSPresident Jess Wolf, HartingtonVice President Nancy Fulton, Wilber-ClatoniaNEA Director Mark Shively, OmahaNEA Director Leann Widhalm, Norfolk

Offi cial publication of the Nebraska State Education Association, Suite 200, 605 South 14th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508-2742. Periodical postage paid at Lincoln, NE, and additional mailing offi ces. Postmaster: send address changes to NSEA Voice, Suite 200, 605 S. 14th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508-2742.

Published 10 times yearly according to this schedule: September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May and August.

Payment of annual NSEA membership dues entitles Nebraska educators to receive The Voice. Total cost of producing 10 monthly issues of The Voice each year is about $4.84 per member.

Advertising rates of The Voice are available from the assistant communications director. All advertisements and advertisers are screened prior to publication. Appearance of an advertisement in The Voice does not necessarily imply NSEA endorsement of either the product being advertised or the views being expressed.

Great Public Schools For Every Child

Additional ‘Gold Star’Settlements Reported

Local associations across the state reported more ‘Gold Star’ contract settlements to the NSEA in the past month.

Local associations that settle contracts with signifi cant salary or language improvements are unoffi cially designated as ‘Gold Star’ by NSEA. Generally, the designation goes to those locals that indicate a base salary increase in the $1,000 range.

There may be good reason for the encouraging results from the settlement front this year, said Larry Scherer, NSEA’s director of Bargaining and Research.

First, Gov. Dave Heineman has been an ardent supporter of improving teacher salaries, especially given the increases in state aid to schools in recent years. Heineman rightly reasons that those state aid increases should benefi t those who affect learning the most: classroom teachers. In June, Heineman sent a letter to NSEA members encouraging strong negotiations for the 2009-10 year.

Results CreatedSecond, said Scherer, are the ‘Gold Star’

listings themselves. The best settlements from across the state have been showcased on the NSEA Web site since mid-August.

“The governor’s letter and the ‘Gold Star’ listings have created some positive results,” said Scherer. “The ‘Gold Star’ system is positive and creates some momentum.”

Through the fi rst week of September, 125 school districts had reported settlements, with the average base increase at well above $800, said Scherer.

For the report, go to NSEA’s Web site at:www.nsea.org

Among the latest settlements fi led with NSEA:

More Local Associations NegotiateSignifi cant Increases in Contract Agreements

The annual NEA Western Leadership Conference is set for Jan. 15-17, 2010, so those interested in attending may want to begin planning now.

The conference will be held at the Phoenix Marriott in Mesa, AZ. Registration is $135 through Dec. 14; after that date, the cost is $175.

The Minority Leadership Training

Conference, scheduled in conjunction with the larger conference, will be held at the same site, and will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 13.

Conference registration and other details can be found after mid-October at this Web site:http://www.nea.org/members/wrlc.

html

Western Leadership Dates Announced

AllianceBase Increase: $1,030, or 3.69%.New base: $28,910.

Battle CreekBase Increase: $1,400, or 5.17%.New base: $28,500.

Cedar BluffsBase Increase: $1,000, or 3.45%.New base: $30,000.

Conestoga(Two-year Contract)

09-10 Increase: $1,000, or 3.56%.New base: $29,100.10-11 Increase: $1,000, or 3.44%.New base: $30,100.

Greeley-WolbachBase Increase: $1,200, or 4.51%.New base: $27,800.

HoldregeBase Increase: $1,300, or 4.68%.New base: $29,100.

HyannisBase Increase: $1,500, or 5.77%.New base: $27,500.

Loup County-TaylorBase Increase: $1,000, or 3.97%.New base: $26,200.

McCookBase Increase: $1,273, or 4.42%.New base: $30,043.

Papillion-LaVistaBase Increase: $1,000, or 3.43%.New base: $30,130.

Wood River RuralBase Increase: $1,300, or 4.61%.New base: $29,500.


‘There are

children in

poverty, children

underfed,

underclothed,

and despite our

best efforts,

undereducated.

The question

is this: Are we

ready to do our

part? Are we

ready to use

our collective

power to

cause positive

change?’

At the Table? On the Menu?

NSEA PresidentJess Wolf

“The test of a moral society is what it does for its children,” said Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the famed German Luther-an pastor and theologian.

Based on Bonhoeffer’s test, how would you rate American society today? Are we giving our children our best ef-fort? Are we, as a society, meeting the basic housing and clothing needs of our young people? Are we tending to their dietary and physical health needs? How about their social and mental health needs? Most important, from an edu-cator’s point of view, are we providing their educational needs?

Quite obviously, the answer to these questions will depend on several vari-ables, many of which we, as educators, have little power to change.

Yet in our hearts, we know that change must occur if our children and our de-mocracy is to prosper.

And there’s that word again – CHANGE! It was spoken loudly and proudly during the last election by poli-ticians on both sides of the political spectrum. With the 2008 election now a distant memory, many of those elected are encountering trouble in attempting to muster the needed willpower or back-bone to carry through on those prom-ises.

We’ll Go First!On the other hand, we as educators

face the need for change every day. There are children in poverty, children underfed, underclothed, and despite our best efforts, undereducated. The ques-tion is this: Are we ready to do our part? Are we ready to use our collective pow-er to cause positive change?

I hope, believe and trust that we are. While we recognize and understand the many needs of children, education is our bailiwick, our area of expertise. It is the area in which we can effectively cause change. NEA President Dennis Van

Roekel has made two statements about change that I fi nd profound.

Van Roekel says, “Change is inevita-ble. We’ll go fi rst!” Wow – he challeng-es us, the foot soldiers on the front lines, to foment change. And then he adds this warning “Change is coming. We can ei-ther be at the table or on the menu!” So true: We can work with others to affect true, meaningful change, or we can be steamrolled when the change comes.

Elsewhere in this edition of The Voice you’ll fi nd articles about proposed changes in education. Cursory glances at the television or YouTube; a quick read of any newspaper or magazine; or a few moments of listening to the radio; will confi rm that others have ideas for change, as well. My email in box fi lls up each day with propaganda from groups on the right and on the left, each espous-ing ideas for change.

Are we at their table or on their menu?

Talking of ChangeAs your president, I have the opportu-

nity to meet with policymakers who are interested in affecting change in educa-tion. Gov. Dave Heineman; Education Commissioner Roger Breed; State Sen. Greg Adams and other senators on the Legislature’s Education Committee; and members of the educational community at large; are talking about change in ed-ucation.

Can they be trusted to do what we know is necessary for the schools of the 21st century?

I believe the answer is ‘yes.’ But it will be your involvement within the halls of every school building across the state, at every school board meeting in every school district; at all town hall meetings; and at legislative hearings; that will ensure that those changes are proper, that those changes will enable all children to prosper.

Our voices need to be heard.

From the President


From salaries to state aid, curriculum to truancy, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman appears to be of a same mind with Ne-braska educators.

Heineman also seems to appreciate the opinion of teachers and others in the education ranks, and made that clear on Sept. 19 when he joined the NSEA Board of Directors for lunch and a 90-minute talk about education.

The governor said improving Nebraska teacher salaries will not be a one-year event; talked about tougher high school graduation requirements, academic excellence and achieve-ment for all children; and said any performance pay proposals must have the input of teachers.

For board members, Heineman’s visit illustrated what NSEA Executive Director Craig R. Christiansen said during the board’s same-day discussion of an early endorsement of the governor’s expected run for a second term in 2010 (see story, page 6).

“Jess (NSEA President Jess Wolf) or I can call the governor and ask to meet with him, and the response is always ‘we’ll try to get you in this morning,’” said Christiansen.

The governor has often circumvented his own aides and staffers to make phone calls directly to Christiansen and Wolf.

“This allows us unprecedented access. He doesn’t always say ‘yes’ to us, but he always listens and considers carefully

what we’re asking,” said Christiansen.Heineman also said he is “impatient” when it comes to edu-

cation, noting he hopes for quick action on a newly-proposed core curriculum for Nebraska high schools.

He got that action from the NSEA Board, which voted 21-0 to support his call for tougher graduation requirements.

Heineman’s visit to NSEA marked the second time in 14 months that he has met with the NSEA Board. In late July 2008, he spent nearly three hours talking with the board at the Governor’s Mansion.

Where the Action IsEarlier this year, Heineman penned a letter to all NSEA

members encouraging them to negotiate hard for salaries. The governor had just closed a legislative session in which he suc-cessfully pushed for $234 million in federal education stimulus dollars to be funneled through the state aid formula.

Heineman’s letter indicated a frustration that state aid in-creases have not translated into teacher pay that is competitive with other states.

“I’ve grown increasingly concerned that substantial increas-es in state aid have not been reflected in teacher pay. Super-intendent salaries seem to be increasing at a significant rate while teacher salaries are not. This needs to change,” Heine-

Common GroundEducational discussion: Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman illustrates a point during a discussion with NSEA’s Board of

Directors. Seated with Heineman, from left, are Janis Elliott, Bellevue; Christopher Waddle, Central Community College, Hastings; Roger Davis, University of Nebraska-Kearney; and NSEA President Jess Wolf, Hartington.

Gov. Dave Heineman Talks with NSEA Board of DirectorsAbout Salaries, Graduation Requirements and Closing Achievement Gaps


man wrote.The letter drew criticism from school

board representatives and administra-tors, and was called a political ploy by others who fail to understand the link between competitive pay, quality teach-ing and a well-educated workforce.

But Heineman said state aid has risen from $650 million to $840 million annu-ally in his first term, while teacher sala-ries – which make up about 80 percent of most school district budgets – have not shown commensurate increases. He said getting salaries to competitive lev-els won’t happen quickly.

“This isn’t a one-year event. As we put more dollars into state aid, more of those dollars ought to be in the class-room. That’s where the action is,” he said.

He cited a White Paper by the Great-er Nebraska Superintendents (see story, page 12) as another example of the im-portance of a quality teacher.

“Teachers have the greatest impact on a child’s learning – that’s where the money should be,” he said.

Performance PayHeineman said he’s never been a

supporter of merit pay. He would leave the door open to performance pay, as long as it has the input of teachers and is measured on a long-term basis.

“One year you might get a classroom of 25 students who make you look like a hero. The next year you might get a classroom of 25 that might have come right out of my family,” he joked.

Core CurriculumHeineman said he is a “very impa-

tient governor when it comes to educa-tion. We’ve got to move on core cur-riculum.”

As chair of Nebraska’s P-16 Com-mission, he has proposed eight new education goals that include, for gradu-ation, four years of English, three years of math, three years of science and three years of social sciences. He has received support for the goals from business and other education groups. The State Board of Education will consider the goals in October.

“I’m truly serious about making strides in the academic excellence area,” he said. “If we don’t, it’s like telling our kids we’re going to have them flip ham-burgers the rest of their lives.”

Nebraska tops the country among states with more than 70 percent of stu-dents taking the ACT. But, he said, Ne-

braska continues to have a tremendous achievement gap. Every student who studies through a rigorous core curricu-lum program scores two points higher on the ACT, he said.

Skill improvement by teachers is also vital. Heineman said in a visit with Greater Nebraska Superintendents ear-lier in the week, improved professional development was discussed. And, he said, school districts must be able to track kids and intervene before a child has missed school for seven to 14 days.

Higher Ed ChallengesFinally, he said higher ed cannot con-

tinue to “be all things to all people.”He challenged higher education to

look at new funding models; to become

more creative and rethink how and what services are delivered; and to elimi-nate duplication. He noted that college coaches have to recruit players.

“If every professor would recruit just one student, the university would have a four percent enrollment increase.”

Other actionThe Board also:nApproved a $2,000 matching

funds request from the Ord Education Association. The OEA will use the funds to support a bond issue.nApproved the formation of an

NSEA committee to recruit and orga-nize volunteers to work at the National Special Olympics in Lincoln July 18-23, 2010.


When an NSEA member lost her teaching job – and was then denied federal dollars for her COBRA health insurance premium – she contacted NSEA.

It was a most serious matter. In ad-dition to being jobless, the member is dealing with a cancer-related illness that requires regular treatment.

Results were almost immediate. Her insurance was restored within 48 hours.

Under provisions of the Ameri-can Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) passed by Congress, and signed by President Obama, any Amer-ican who loses or lost his or her job between September 2008 and Dec. 31, 2009, is eligible for a 65 percent reduc-tion in COBRA health insurance premi-ums for up to nine months.

COBRA allows workers who lose health insurance coverage to continue their group insurance with their previ-ous employer for a limited time.

On the advice of NSEA legal coun-sel, the severance package of any NSEA

member involuntarily terminated dur-ing the ARRA time period has included language specifically confirming such members as eligible for the COBRA premium reduction. Any member who received a dismissal notice this past spring benefited from NSEA’s proac-tive effort in that regard.

The language was also in this mem-ber’s severance agreement.

The issue came to the attention of NSEA Director of Member Rights Trish Guinan. She worked with Edu-cators Health Alliance Plan Advocate Kurt Genrich to troubleshoot the prob-lem. Genrich found that the school dis-trict had reported the member’s change in employment status correctly. But an insurance intermediary had incorrectly listed the member as ineligible for the ARRA benefit.

Genrich worked with the proper in-surance contacts to resolve the issue, and the health care was reinstated.

“The timely correction of this mem-ber’s insurance eligibility was truly a lifesaver for her,” said Guinan.

Member’s Health CareAccess Saved by NSEA

Action a ‘Lifesaver’ for Member

Voters in two Nebraska school dis-tricts approved significant measures in mid-September, with NSEA’s help.

Raymond Central Public School pa-trons approved a bond issue on Sept. 16, while Kearney voters passed a bond is-sue and levy override on the same date.

The Raymond Central victory was significant because several bond issues had failed in that district in past years, the most recent in March.

NSEA provided matching funds to the Raymond Central Education Asso-ciation to promote the bond’s passage, and also provide generic yard signs, general consulting, and a last-minute phone bank to encourage patrons to vote. The bond passed by 1,032-937.

‘Significant’ VictoriesKearney patrons approved a $45

million bond issue for two new elemen-tary schools and renovations at other schools. Voters also approved a levy override to fund the staffing for the new schools.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time a school district has done both a bond issue and a levy override at the same election,” said Brian Mikkelsen, NSEA’s UniServ director for political field operations.

Kearney Education Association members and the NSEA played a key role in the Kearney campaign, said Mikkelsen. NSEA matched local as-sociation donations for the campaign, provided generic yard signs, consult-ing and a last-minute phone bank. KEA members then followed up with unde-cided voters and supportive voters with a mail piece and a door-to-door contact effort.

The bond issue passed 3,619-3,278, and the levy override passed by a mar-gin of 3,525-3,366.

“These two elections are significant victories for the Association and hope-fully set the tone for future bond issue and levy override elections this year,” said Mikkelsen.

NSEA AidsLocals in

Bond VotesMembers at Local LevelKey in Bond Passageat Kearney, Raymond

Membership Benefits Outweigh CostNow, more than ever, it pays to be a

member of the NSEA. The NSEA Access membership card is just one of many reasons that validate that statement.

The economic downturn weighs heavy on the minds of all, including those of association members. But NSEA members have an advantage in the Access membership card. The card can save members lots of money over the course of the year – often more than the cost of membership itself.

For instance, if you’re looking to upgrade your fall wardrobe, these merchants belong to Access: Lane Bryant offers 20 percent off; The Loft offers 20 percent off; Kohl’s offers 15 percent off; Izod offers 20 percent off; Coldwater Creek offers 10 percent off; and Jos. A. Bank offers 20 percent off.

And there are the everyday purchases that can provide extraordinary savings: oil changes, dry cleaning and eyeglasses are never fun to pay for, but are necessities. Mothers have to keep their kids clothed. Families must have cell phone service.

For NSEA members, there’s no reason to pay full price. Nebraska is full of local shops and stores just waiting to offer discounts based on NSEA membership.

To find savings in your area, go to the NSEA Web site and click on the Access Card icon in the upper right corner of the home page. Enter your 10-digit NSEA identification number and you’ll be ready to save. The NSEA Web site is at:

www.nsea.org


When English teacher Jamie Kreikemeier receives her master’s degree in counseling next August, she’ll have been reimbursed by the State of Nebraska for a good chunk of her classroom costs.

To be more exact, she’ll have received tu-ition reimbursement good toward 34 of the 51 hours she needs for her degree.

That’s good news for Kreikemeier, one of 268 Nebraska teachers to have her application for tuition reimbursement approved by the Nebraska Depart-ment of Education (NDE) this past summer.

“Getting a post-gradu-ate degree takes a lot of time and money,” said Kreikemeier. “To have this kind of financial help is such a blessing.”

But Nebraska’s Excellence in Teaching Act fund was quick-ly emptied. Scores of applicants were told their applications ar-rived too late for the first-come, first-served program, which is funded from lottery dollars. Many more eligible teachers likely were unaware the money was available, and never applied.

The response by teachers astounded Sharon Katt and Dan-

ielle Lotspeich of the NDE.“It blew us away. Never in our wildest dreams did we ex-

pect to go through so much money so quickly,” said Katt, administrator for adult program services for the NDE.

The rapid disbursement of the $800,000 fund in-dicates that more dollars are needed, said NSEA President Jess Wolf.

“This program meets a real need for Nebraska teachers and school dis-tricts,” said Wolf. “Addi-tional funding would help many, many more teach-ers.”

Emergency ClauseFor several years, NSEA lobbied hard for state senators

to approve an effective tuition reimbursement program for teachers. NSEA’s argument was three-fold: a tuition reim-bursement program would encourage teachers to seek ad-vanced degrees, improving their skills, knowledge base, and helping them to become better teachers; it would soften the

By the NumbersThese numbers were provided to Nebraska Commissioner of Edu-

cation Dr. Roger Breed by Nebraska Department of Education staff on Sept. 9 as a summary of the Enhancing Excellence in Teaching Program. Funding for the program comes from state lottery proceeds

Award InformationRecipients: ..........................................................................................................268Amount Awarded: ...............................................................................$810,051Average Request: ......................................................................................$3,022Unfunded Applications Received: .........................................................111Amount of Unfunded Applications Received: ......................$303,875

Enhanced skills, knowledge: Lincoln Middle School English teacher Jamie Kreikemeier, working toward a master’s degree, was helped by the state’s new tuition reimbursement program this year.

A Helping HandHelping Teachers Earn Advanced Degrees Without the Debt

is the Goal of LB547. But More Needs to be Done


Why You Should Write Your State Senator.

And the Governor. Now.It’s Easy, and Here’s How to Do it!

For Tuition Reimbursement Funding Increase,State Policymakers Must be Convinced of NeedEarlier this year, the Nebraska Legislature approved LB547, the tuition

reimbursement plan for Nebraska teachers. The plan included $1 million, split 60-40 between current teachers and students studying to become teachers.

Applications for the reimbursement dollars were opened in late June and all the money was allocated by the first week in August. There was only enough funding to help 268 teachers. Applications from scores of teachers were turned away after the money ran out.

Clearly, the program needs additional dollars. NSEA lobbied long and hard to have the tuition reimbursement program approved by the Legislature, and will encourage senators to add funding in future years.

But the influence of NSEA members across the state will make the difference. Write your senator. Write the governor. Tell them how tuition reimbursement will help you to improve your skills and knowledge base, and how those skills and that knowledge will help the students in your classes.

Writing and sending the letter is easy. Visit the NSEA Web site. Look for the ‘Contact Your Senator’ link. Type in your ZIP code to find your senator. Fill in the message box with your story, sign the note, and send the message. It’s that easy. The NSEA Web site is at:

www.nsea.orgThe more messages state senators receive encouraging added funding,

the more likely it is that additional dollars will be available next year.

blow of costly post-grad coursework for teachers, particularly those early in their careers and low on the salary schedule; and it would help to improve the state’s 45th-in-the-nation average salary ranking for teachers.

NSEA’s efforts were finally rewarded when Sen. Greg Adams, chair of the Leg-islature’s Education Committee, took up the cause. On April 17, senators approved LB547. The bill put $1 million in lottery monies into tuition reimbursement each year. The money is split 60-40 between teachers working on post-graduate de-grees, and on students seeking a bach-elor’s degree in education.

Passed 49-0, with an emergency clause, Gov. Dave Heineman signed LB547 five days later. Katt and Lotspeich went to work to get the word out.

Because of the emergency clause, Katt said there was not the luxury of time to develop rules governing the disbursement of funding. A first-come, first-serve pro-cess was instituted, and an application was posted to the NDE Web site in late June.

Extra DollarsWhile the luxury of time was miss-

ing, there was an unexpected fortune: an extra $200,000 in unspent dollars from 2008 teacher prep funds. LB547 included $400,000 for students and $600,000 for veteran teachers. With the extra $200,000, there was $800,000 available to veteran teachers.

The applications came pouring in, sometimes 30 to 40 each day.

“We were finally able to sit down and estimate that we had enough funding to accept applications through Aug. 3,” said Katt. “We turned off the spigot as best we could with e-mails to NSEA, admin-istrators and others, but we continue to get applications.”

She estimates that the unfunded applications to date to-tal about $300,000 in reimbursement requests. Meanwhile, plans call for a rule-writing process this fall, said Katt, which will result in a more formalized application process in 2010. Teachers are urged to check the NDE Web site after Jan. 1 for updates or changes in the application process.

Sen. Adams was pleased to hear that the fund had been expended in such a short time. He said he would evaluate the program’s success and work with the Department of Educa-tion to improve the program.

An AccelerantKreikemeier is an English teacher at Lincoln’s Scott Mid-

dle School, and was one of the early, and lucky, applicants. She hopes to become a school counselor.

“My passion has been helping kids who struggle or who have issues,” she said. “But with all the assessments and pa-perwork that teachers face, they don’t have a lot of time to help students with those issues.”

Kreikemeier had planned on working slowly towards her master’s degree at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. When UNO’s counseling department alerted students to the tuition reimbursement availability, she was encouraged to ac-celerate her timeline. She laid out a plan to earn her master’s by the summer of 2010.

“At UNO, the tuition for a three-hour graduate course is $612,” without books and fees, she said.

“The LB547 reimbursement for a three-hour course, at $175 per hour, is $525.”

The reimbursement program made it financially feasible for Kreikemeier to take additional courses.

Upon successful completion of approved coursework, re-cipients receive their reimbursement checks.

Kreikemeier believes LB547end result will be to sharpen the post-graduate focus of many of the state’s educators.

“Some educators go back to school for the salary adjust-ment. They have 30 hours of post-graduate work, but they don’t end up with a degree,” she said. “When you have a plan, and get a master’s degree, that’s a much more meaning-ful approach.”

And that is exactly what NSEA had hoped would happen.


It’s not a common problem. But when it happens, it can cause economic hardship for a teacher or school em-ployee.

‘It’ is a clerical error that causes an overpay-ment of salary to a school employee. In one recent instance, the salaries of several education sup-port personnel were mis-calculated for an entire school year. The impact was substantial: each em-ployee was overpaid by about $5,000.

In another recent case, a teacher was overpaid by more than $3,000 over a 10-month period.

Whether, and how, those employ-ees will have to repay those dollars is yet to be determined. And reparations in such instances may have to be de-cided on a case-by-case basis. But the point is that overpayment is a com-mon problem at this time of year, said NSEA Director of Member Rights

Trish Guinan.“This happens several times every

year,” said Guinan. “Earlier this year, a school district filed a small claims court case against a member because she hadn’t repaid the overpayment in salary.”

Employee ResponsibilityGuinan said employees and em-

ployers both have a responsibility for

confirming their paychecks are correct. In fact, Guinan suggests that local associa-tions remind or help mem-bers to review their first paycheck of each school year for accuracy.

“We recommend that each local assist its mem-bers, and new members in particular, with the compu-tations to determine wheth-er that first check of the year is correct,” said Guinan. “Many of these problems could be avoided with such a service.”

If a discrepancy is dis-covered, members should

notify NSEA immediately. Each month the issue goes unresolved adds to the amount the member will have to repay – or to the income lost if the member is being underpaid. The matter is further complicated when considering tax and retirement implications.

If you find a paycheck discrepancy, contact your NSEA UniServ director at 1-800-742-0047.

Paycheck or Pay it Back?A Quick Review of Your Paycheck Today May Avoid Problems Later

When Deb Wallman’s term on the NSEA Board of Directors came to an end in July, she passed along some sound advice to her fel-low board members about the wisdom of association membership.

Wallman served on the NSEA Board for three years, and during that time was chair of the Board’s Retirement Committee. Wallman said that it was not until she served on the board, and the Retirement Commit-tee specifically, that she realized just how closely NSEA monitors the op-erations and actions of the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Sys-tem (NPERS), the state department

that manages retirement funds for public school em-ployees.

“I think everyone should belong to NSEA for the se-curity of that benefit alone,” said Wallman, who taught in Fremont and now teaches at McMillan Magnet Center in Omaha. “I don’t know of any other organization that watches our retirement dol-lars as closely as NSEA.”

NSEA is the organization that improves and works to

keep the retirement system safe and sound, and to protect the interest of members, said Wallman. For in-stance, during the 2009 session of the Nebraska Legislature, state senators worked to find a solution to a short-

fall in the school employee retire-ment fund. Some senators sought to increase the teacher contribution rate from 7.28 percent to 9.28 percent – a move that would have cost the aver-age teacher nearly $1,000 over the course of a year.

NSEA lobbied hard for other so-lutions, and eventually senators in-creased the teacher contribution rate by half that amount, to just 8.28 per-cent. District contributions and state funds also help to address the short-fall.

“If we didn’t have the NSEA, I’m sure we wouldn’t have the retirement benefits that we have,” said Wallman.

“Our retirement plan provides for retiring with dignity. I’m very thankful for what NSEA has done for me.”

Wallman

Wallman: NSEA Safeguards RetirementTerm on NSEA Board Solidified Her Belief in Association Membership


Armed with NSEA’s leadership and a $10,000 grant from the National Education Association, three NSEA members are pushing an NEA-de-veloped program to sharpen the skills of educators who teach English lan-guage learners.

NSEA is the first state affiliate to put the NEA program into the field.

Under the grant, the Nebraska trio trains a cadre of educators with the additional skills and methods to en-hance their knowledge and teaching of English language learners. That cadre of educators then shares the skills and methods they have learned with colleagues in their respective school districts, or in neighboring school districts. The ultimate goal: to close achievement gaps for non-English language speakers using teaching strategies developed by NEA.

“This process is the ‘trickle down’ theory of passing along skills and raising achievement,” said Jay Sears, NSEA’s direc-tor of Instructional Advocacy. “Our three team leaders have been trained well at the national level, and their skills and ex-pertise are already being shared in more than a dozen school districts, with more to come.”

Or, as Renee Bohaty said: “We’re trying to build Nebraska’s capacity to help teachers in the classroom.”

Training VisionBohaty, of Lincoln, is one of three Nebraska educators and

NSEA members who have been trained in the program by NEA. The others are Brooke Schwab, also of Lincoln, and Pat Ludeke, Lexington. Bohaty and Schwab both work in K-12 ELL programs in Lincoln. Ludeke works extensively with

ELL students in Lexington.The trio has already trained about

20 Lexington Public School teachers, and in a Kearney workshop taught the NEA program to another 17 edu-cators from across the state.

Bohaty, Schwab, Sears and NSEA UniServ Director Duane Obermier visited NEA Headquarters in Wash-ington, D.C., in 2008 for training. Soon after, NSEA received the $10,000 Minority Community Out-reach Grant from NEA to fund the program.

“The vision is that we’d do more training of trainers,” said Schwab. “These new trainers will do staff de-velopment in their own districts, or

they can call on us to help, or call on others in the cadre to help. But we’re here to spread this program from border to border.”

Among the objectives the training program addresses:nDemonstrate how culture and equity affect teaching prac-

tices.nExpand understanding of beliefs; values; behavior; lan-

guage; and racial identity, as it affects practices with ELL.nExplore language acquisition theories.nUnderstand, identify and apply second language acquisi-

tion theories to practice.nBe able to identify the five language acquisition levels by

student characteristic.nDiscuss best practices for teaching students in each lan-

guage acquisition level.For more information about the program, or to inquire about

participating in a training session, contact Sears at 1-800-742-0047, or at:

[email protected]

NSEA: Building ELL Capacity

First-timers: These Lexington Public Schools teachers were the first in Nebraka to receive the training from the NSEA cadre.

Aided by an NEA Grant, Nebraskans Work to Narrow the Achievement Gap

On stage: Omaha teacher Kathy Reckling, right, practices her skills as a trainer during an ELL workshop in Kearney.


IntroductionNearly everyone will agree that

teaching is an important profession. In fact, most of us can probably name at least one or two teachers that have profoundly affected us in either a pos-itive or negative manner.

Current research supports these statements, indicating that teachers are, at the very least, an important part of the educational process. Fur-thermore, the results of recent studies have found that a student’s assigned teacher has a much stronger influ-ence on how much he or she learns

than other factors, including things such as class size and composition. In fact, results of several studies have established that students who are as-signed to very effective teachers over consecutive years have significantly greater gains in achievement than stu-dents assigned to less or ineffective teachers and the impact carries over into the ensuing school years.

Many in education have assumed that factors in a student’s background, such as income, parents’ level of edu-cation and other family issues, are the primary forces that impact student

achievement. However, a number of studies indicate that the expertise of a classroom teacher has as much, if not more, of an impact than individual student demographics. As a result of this research, it is imperative that edu-cators improve the quality of teachers in the classroom to help students edu-cationally at risk or prone to fail.

The Greater Nebraska Superinten-dents (GNS) organization is submit-ting this White Paper to the university and college systems as a way to start a dialogue about teacher preparation in Nebraska. Nationally, beginning

The Next Step inTeacher Preparation?

Nebraska’s Colleges and Universities Offer Some of the BestTeacher Preparation Programs in the Country.But Can they Do Better? The Greater Nebraska

Superintendents Believe They Can.Put any two people together in a room for a discussion

on Nebraska’s public schools, and they’ll likely have dif-ferent ideas about how to better serve the children in those schools. Raise standards. Improve the graduation rate. Re-duce truancy. Focus on a core curriculum.

For all those great ideas, the quality of the classroom teacher remains one of the most – if not the most – impor-tant factor in a quality education.

Now, the members of the Greater Nebraska Superinten-dents (GNS), a coalition of administrators from 32 Nebras-ka school districts, have produced a White Paper on teacher preparation. This paper, according to its conclusion, is meant as a starting point for dialogue between school districts and educational leaders about how best to prepare teachers to serve in Nebraska schools.

The White Paper does not address one key issue criti-cal to the teaching profession: teacher salaries. Enhanced

teacher preparation is certainly important. But teachers are being asked to do more (see related story on new educa-tion goals for Nebraska, next page), while Nebraska teacher salaries remain 45th in the nation.

“We appreciate the fact that superintendents are focusing on the knowledge, skills and technology needed to produce quality teachers,” said NSEA President Jess Wolf. “Human capital with the type of quality skills and knowledge sug-gested by this White Paper demands a price in a competitive labor market. Only when the teaching profession meets that price can teaching attract, and keep, quality people in the profession.”

The White Paper does not necessarily reflect the views of the Nebraska State Education Association. The introduction is presented to promote discussion of the teacher preparation issue. For the complete text, visit the NSEA Web site at:

www.nsea.org

Teacher PreparationA White Paper2/2/2009Greater Nebraska Superintendents

A Discussion on Teacher Preparation


Who are the Greater Nebraska Superintendents?The superintendents in

these school districts belong to the Greater Nebraska Superintendents.AllianceAuroraBeatriceBlairBroken BowColumbus Crete ElkhornFalls City Fremont Gering Grand Island Gretna Hastings Holdrege Kearney Lexington Lincoln McCook

Nebraska City Norfolk Norris North Platte Omaha Papillion- LaVista Plattsmouth Ralston Scottsbluff Seward So. Sioux City Waverly Wayne- Carroll York

teachers will enter a classroom where at least 25% of the students live in pov-erty, from 12% to 20% have identified learning differences, 15% primarily speak a language other than English, and about 40% are members of racial/ethnic minority groups, many of them recent immigrants from countries with different educational systems and cultural trends. In addition, No Child Left Behind has increased ac-countability through Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements and Nebraska has moved to a statewide test, Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA), in the areas of writing, read-ing, mathematics and science.

The reasons presented to this point are the rationale behind the proposed discussion items listed below. It is our belief that schools of education must prepare teachers to meet the myriad of needs for diverse learners in today’s classrooms by increasing the number of education-based classes required in the colleges and universities by one semester. To balance this necessary increase, the general classes required of students would be reduced by one semester.

Editor’s Note: For the complete White Paper text, visit the NSEA Web site at:

www.nsea.org

The state’s edu-cation policymak-ers are pushing to require more rig-orous coursework for Nebraska high school students.

Gov. Dave Hei-neman, several state lawmakers and other education policy-makers joined in a recent press confer-ence to propose eight academic goals for the state’s schools (see box, next page).

“We need to prepare our students for the 21st century, not the 19th cen-tury,” said Heineman.

In addition to the eight goals, Hei-neman announced changes to the leadership of the Nebraska P-16 Ini-tiative, a coalition that includes 27 of the state’s education, business and government groups. The P-16 Initia-tive bills itself as “a statewide effort

to improve student success and boost the economy.”

The first of those eight goals will require Nebraska school districts to offer a core curriculum that requires four years of English and three years each of math, science and social studies. Those offerings would be in place by the 2014-15 school year.

Other goals would eliminate the achievement gap; raise high school graduation rates; and increase the number of teacher education grads in science, math and other areas.

Heineman expects the Nebraska Board of Education to make changes to state education regulations to con-

form to the goals in the near future. He will approve those changes, he said.

Salary IssueUnder current state standards, high

school students must complete 200 credits in high school, with 80 per-cent of those credits core curriculum classes.

As with the Greater Nebraska Su-

Push Under Way to ToughenGraduation RequirementsState Board of Education Will Consider Planat October Meeting; Governor Will Approve

Heineman


perintendents White Paper elsewhere on this page, the proposal, while laud-able, neglects to address a key com-ponent: teacher salaries.

“Enhanced salaries will attract to the teaching profession the number of people and the quality individuals Nebraska needs to continue to offer a top-notch educational program,” said Jess Wolf, NSEA president.

“We at NSEA will continue to work with the Governor, with state senators, the state board and others, including the P-16 Initiative, to address that is-sue,” he said.

The P-16 leadership changes in-clude Heineman now serving as chair, with four state education lead-ers taking posts as co-chairs. Those co-chairs are Commissioner of Edu-cation Roger Breed; Sen. Greg Ad-ams of York, chairman of the Legis-lature’s Education Committee; J.B. Milliken, president of the University of Nebraska; and Liz Koop, presi-dent and CEO of EducationQuest Foundation.

NSEA Executive Director Craig R. Christiansen serves on the Nebraska P-16 Executive Committee.

Proposed Education Goals for NebraskaState policymakers in August announced eight new educational goals that

they say will improve academic performance of students. Those goals are:

1. Require four years of English and three years each of math, science and social studies in Nebraska districts by the 2014-15 school year.

2. Eliminate the academic achievement gap between Nebraska’s K-12 white students and black, Hispanic and Native students.

3. Develop a data system that can confidentially track a student’s prog-ress from preschool through post-graduate degree attainment, and entry into the workforce to help align resources with strategic goals.

4. Increase the state’s high school graduation rate to 90 percent.

5. Improve Nebraska’s college-going rank to the top-10 tier nationally.

6. Provide affordable access for Nebraska students to attend Nebraska’s post-secondary institutions.

7. Improve time-to-degree completion, and increase the graduation rates at Nebraska post-secondary institutions.

8. Increase by 5 percent the number of teacher education graduates in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math within state post-secondary institutions.


NSEA members headed to Lincoln to attend the Oct. 17 University of Nebraska football game against Texas Tech might want to get to downtown Lincoln a bit early.

NSEA invites all members and their immediate family members to an open house and Husker Tailgate on that day. The purpose is to allow members to tour the newly-remodeled NSEA Headquarters building, and to allow NSEA staffers to thank mem-bers for their support of the project.

While the official kickoff time for the football game has not yet been set, the building doors will open three hours prior to kickoff. A tailgate lunch will be provided to the first 500 mem-bers and their immediate families through the doors. For NSEA members without game tickets, NSEA plans to have the football game on television sets throughout the building.

NSEA staff moved out of the build-ing in February 2008, and returned in July of this year. During the interven-ing 17 months, the 46-year-old build-ing was stripped down to the bare concrete and steel frame, and then re-built from the basement up.

The project replaced failing me-

chanical systems; made the building more energy efficient; and greatly en-hanced wiring for technology needs. A substantial amount of asbestos was also removed from the building.

The building now has more meet-ing space, and is heated and cooled using a geo-thermal well field drilled on the site. The new technology fit-tings should serve the Association staff well into the future. Handicap accessibility has been enhanced, as has building security.

The renovation was approved by NSEA members at the 2007 Delegate Assembly. NSEA has been at the site directly across the street from the State Capitol since 1931.

After the current building was com-pleted during the summer of 1962, it won national praise and honors for its unique design.

The street address of the building is 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln.

For videos and photos document-ing the process, or for updates on the open house, check the home page of the NSEA Web site at:

www.nsea.org

‘New’ HQ Open to MembersRemodeled NSEA Building will be Open for Viewing on Oct. 17

Home again: NSEA staff has returned to the NSEA building after remodeling was completed.

NSRA Offering Two Scholarships

The Nebraska State Reading As-sociation awards two $500 scholar-ships to any junior, senior or graduate student currently enrolled in a teacher education program at a Nebraska post-secondary Institution, and who is a resident of the state of Nebraska. The scholarship will be awarded in Febru-ary.

Letters of application are due by Nov. 1, 2009, to Scholarship Chair Deanna Porkorny, 4680 Road V, Lin-wood, NE 68036. Forms are on file at Financial Aid Offices and at the NSRA Web site at:

www.nereads.orgThe mission of the Nebraska State

Reading Association is to lead in the promotion of literacy in the state of Nebraska through collaboration, advo-cacy and professional development.


Dates Set for 2010 Conservation Meet

Mark your calendars now for the 2010 conference of the Nebraska Alli-ance for Conservation and Environment Education.

The theme will be ‘Coming into Fo-cus: Conservation and Environmental Education in Nebraska.’ The conference will be held at Camp Carol Joy Holling near Ashland, on Sept. 9-11, 2010.

For details, contact Lindsay Rogers at this e-mail address:

[email protected]

Foundation Web SiteHas a New Look

The NEA Foundation has given its Web site a facelift!

The new site represents the energy and spirit of the Foundation and the educators and students the Foundation supports. The site is designed to share important information about work to close achievement gaps and to pro-vide new ways for members to help the Foundation help kids.

Among the many new features: n Grantee success stories.nVideos on Foundation programs.nA new online donation system.nResources for educators.To see the Web site, go to:

neafoundation.org

Nominate a Colleague for an NEA Award

The Swedes and Norwegians have their Nobel Prizes, and NEA has its Human and Civil Rights Awards. Oc-casionally the two intersect.

Greg Mortenson, who wrote the bestseller Three Cups of Tea and builds schools for boys and girls in the remot-est parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, won this year’s NEA Mary Hatwood Futrell Award, and he is under serious consideration for a Nobel Prize.

Unlike the Nobel Prize, NEA mem-bers have the power to nominate some-one for an NEA Human and Civil Rights Award. NEA specializes in un-sung heroes, but will also honor a Greg Mortenson. The next NEA Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner will be in New Orleans on July 2, 2010.

The process is simple: Download a

nomination form and instructions from:www.nea.org/hcrawards

Submit the form and documentation to NEA Human and Civil Rights on or before Dec. 10. The NEA Human and Civil Rights Committee will carefully review all nominations and recommend selected candidates to the NEA Execu-tive Committee for their fi nal decision.

By honoring a man or woman who works for human and civil rights, we af-fi rm our commitment to equal opportu-nity and a just society.

NEH, ALA Offer Bookshelf Grants

The National Endowment for the Humanities, in cooperation with the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Programs Offi ce, has opened applications for the seventh We the People Bookshelf project.

The project will award 17 books in the We the People project to 4,000 K-12 libraries across the country.

Resources You Can Use

NEA Foundation Sows Green GrantsApplications for Environmental Education Projects Due

Oct. 15; Grants Awarded Beginning in JanuaryWith $150,000 in new grant funding designated for projects that

integrate green-related topics and experiences into the classroom, the NEA Foundation is growing its Learning & Leadership and Student Achievement grants program for individuals and teams of educators. The expansion of the grants program was made possible by unprecedented back-to-back fi nancial commitments from Nickelodeon and Staples Foundation for Learning.

Public school educators are eligible to apply for individual grants worth up to $5,000 for the development and implementation of ideas, techniques and approaches for teaching ‘green’ concepts.

The fi rst application deadline is Oct. 15, and the fi rst grants are slated to be awarded in January. The Foundation will award two more rounds of these green grants in 2010, with deadlines for applications on Feb. 1 and June 1.

Interested educators can view application guidelines and a sample application, watch an instructional video guiding them through the application process, fi nd descriptions of recently funded grantees, and apply online at:

neafoundation.org


Drawing winner: NSEA Member Dan Zoucha, a social sciences teacher at Boone Central High School, was one of several attendees at the Nebraska Coaches Clinic in August to win a prize at the NSEA booth. NSEA UniServ Director Midge Dublinske gave Zoucha a Nebraska t-shirt as NSEA Associate Staff member Kathy Hutchinson looks on.

This year’s theme, ‘A More Per-fect Union,’ invites reflection on the idea of the United States as a ‘union,’ a ‘One’ as well as a ‘Many,’ and will complement library programs observ-ing the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. To stimulate programming, the Bookshelf features a DVD edition of The Civil War, the award-winning documentary by Ken Burns, including the rights to show the series to public audiences.

Public school K-12 libraries are in-vited to apply online through Jan. 29, 2010. For details, go to:

http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf

IRS Releases 403(b) Plan Video Courses

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released two video train-ing courses about 403(b) plans. The courses may be of interest to Nebras-ka educators.

The first presentation is for em-ployers and discusses recent regula-tory changes. It can be found at:

http://www.stayexempt.irs.gov/ep/403b_employers/player.htmlThe second is for employees and

discusses how 403(b) plans work and their advantages. To view the slide show and listen to the training, go to:

http://www.stayexempt.irs.gov/ep/403b_employees/player.html

Math Trust OffersHistory Stipend

The Mathematics Education Trust (MET) of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has announced a new scholarship — the Professional Development Scholar-ship Emphasizing the History of Math-ematics for Grades 6–12 Teachers. The scholarship will award a maximum of $3,000 to an individual currently teaching math in grades 6–12.

The scholarship will provide fi-nancial support for completing credit-bearing course work in the history of mathematics, creating and field-testing appropriate classroom activities incor-porating the history of mathematics, and preparing and delivering a profes-sional development presentation.

The application must be postmarked by May 7, 2010. For details, visit:

www.nctm.org/met

NEA Seeks Applicantsfor UniServ Intern Program

Program Focus is Minorities, WomenNEA is seeking eligible candidates

for the 2010 UniServ Intern Program for Ethnic Minorities and Women.

Individuals must complete a four-and-one-half week summer training program, and a three-month field experience as a local UniServ director.

Applicants must be a female or ethnic minority as designated by the U.S. Census, and must also have been an active NEA member for at least one year. Applicants must be willing to resign from all association positions at the local, state and national levels.

A letter of interest, including an

e-mail and street address, must be received no later than Dec. 15 at this address:

Denard Earl, NEA UniServ Intern ProgramAffiliate Learning and Effectiveness Dept.National Education AssociationSuite #4131201 16th Street, NW.Washington, DC 20036Beginning on Dec. 15, application

packets will be e-mailed to applicants. The deadline for formal applications is Jan. 31, 2010. For details, contact Earl at 1-202-822-7620, or at:

[email protected]

The Census in Schools: It’s About UsThe U.S. Census Bureau has created a Census in Schools program called ‘2010

Census: It’s About Us.’ The program will provide educators with resources to teach the nation’s students about the importance of the census, so children can help deliver the message to their families. It will also help ensure that every child and every household member is counted in 2010.

Age-specific educational materials for students in kindergarten through 12th grade will include maps displaying population counts and other demographic information, and lesson plans grouped by grade and correlated to national standards for math, geography and language arts. Every school principal should have details about the census, and teachers can now access online census resources.

For more information about the Census in Schools program, visit:census.gov/schools/

For details about the 2010 Census, visit:2010census.gov


In each of our lives, when change occurs, we may have to make decisions for ourselves or family members about health and dental coverage.

If you have a spouse who has lost a job; a child graduating from school; if you have been recently married or di-vorced; if a spouse has died; or if you have retired; there are options provided through the Educators Health Alliance that may be able to help you continue with your coverage. These are options to consider, if you are covered under the EHA health and dental plans.

COBRA

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives workers who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances, such as voluntary or involuntary job loss; re-duction in the hours worked; transition between jobs; death; divorce; and other life events. Qualified individuals may be required to pay the entire premium for coverage up to 102 percent of the cost to the plan.

There has been a change in the CO-BRA law that helps individuals who have been involuntarily terminated. Under the federal stimulus package, employees who were involuntarily ter-minated may have 65 percent of the health premium paid for by the employ-er for up to nine months. The employer then would receive a tax credit from the Federal Government for the amount of premium they pay on behalf of the in-voluntarily terminated employee.

Early Retiree CoverageIf you’ve been on the EHA health

and dental plan for at least five consec-utive years, and are eligible for retire-ment through your school district, you can continue coverage through the EHA on the Direct Bill Health Plan. The cov-erage is for early retirees of the school until they reach Social Security age (age 65 currently).

This plan is another benefit of your membership with NSEA. Only NSEA-R members are allowed to continue on

the plan through the EHA. The current available plan is the $600 deductible option, with a PPO dental option. A member can select single, two singles, employee/spouse, employee/children or family coverage. Selecting two singles could save money when compared to the employee/spouse rate. If a member or spouse turns 65 before the other, the younger spouse may continue on the Early Retiree Coverage individually until reaching Social Security age.

NSEA MedicareSupplement Coverage

If you are age 65 or older and qualify for Medicare Part A & B, the NSEA-R has an outstanding plan that includes a dental option.

No individual supplemental plans of-fer a dental option like the plan through the NSEA-R. A member can select this Supplement option even if they weren’t on the Early Retiree coverage (COBRA,

Spouse’s Coverage). It’s available to NSEA-R members and others who pay dues to be eligible for coverage. Phar-macy coverage (Part D) is available on an individual basis through BCBS of Nebraska, and not through the NSEA offering.

Children Under 30 CoveredLB551 passed in May. It will go into

effect on Jan. 1, and allows dependent children, up to age 30, to keep cover-age through their family’s group health insurance plan. The child does not have to be a full-time student to remain on the plan. As long as the child is a depen-dent, they are eligible for the Section 125 Flexible Spending Account, and are eligible for COBRA after age 30.

The educator’s Health Alliance has contracted with Kurt Genrich to serve as the EHA plan advocate. As such, Genrich will work with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska plan participants to answer questions and promote the plan. The EHA Board of Directors is composed of six NSEA representatives, and three each from the Nebraska Association of School Boards and the Nebraska Coun-cil of School Administrators. NSEA Ex-

ecutive Director Craig R. Christiansen chairs the EHA Board of Directors. To reach Genrich, e-mail him at:

[email protected]

Genrich

BCBS Q&A

Looking to Retire? Child Graduating?You May Need to Review Your Health Insurance Options


Most of us can pay cash for our dai-ly living expenses. But when it comes time to make a major purchase such as a house or car, we need a credit fi le with a history of responsible payments. Credit is a convenience that keeps us from hav-ing to carry large amounts of cash, and allows us to buy now and pay later.

Higher rates, lower spending lim-its, increased minimum payments, and closed accounts can put your fi nances at risk. If your account terms have been altered, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) says:

Ask for an explanation. Everyone deserves to know why their account terms were changed. Creditors may close an account due to inactivity, be-cause you’ve become too much of a risk, or you’re no longer profi table.

Fight to get your terms reinstated. If you’ve had a sporadic pay history, are at or near your credit limit, or rarely use the card, this may be tough. However, if you’ve been a good customer, it’s worth it to call the issuer and plead your case.

Build your case before calling. Know how long you’ve been a custom-er, how much you charge each month. Know your good payment history.

Prove you’re worth having. Get your free credit report. Review it for ac-curacy. You want to make sure that you

and the creditor are seeing the same in-formation. Pay the few dollars it costs to get your credit score. Your free credit report is available at:

www.annualcreditreport.comNegotiate. Before calling, know

what you want. Be willing to negotiate. If your interest rate has been raised and your credit limit lowered, ask that both be returned to previous levels. Know which is more important: do you need a low rate because you carry a monthly balance, or is a high line of credit vital? If you end up in a stand-off with the creditor, you’ll know where to give.

Ask for a supervisor. If you’re not getting answers, move up the ladder un-til you get what you’re after, or are con-vinced they’re going to stand fi rm.

Inquire about an opt-out. If it makes fi nancial sense, ask to have your account closed, with you continuing to pay the balance under the former terms. If it will be a hardship to meet the new terms, it’s better to close the account.

For help making sound fi nancial de-cisions, building a budget, or aid in dig-ging out of debt, call a trained, certifi ed counselor at an NFCC Member Agency. To fi nd an agency near you, call toll-free to NEA at 1-866-479-6322, or go online to the special Web page at:

www.neamb.com/debtadvice

Snookie’sSnippets

The Welcome Back page in the Professional Resources Channel at neamb.com offers these discounts:nTalbots will offer,

through Oct. 12, a special members-only 20 percent discount. Members are requested to sign in and/or register on the neamb.com Web site, and print out their discount coupon to take to their nearest Talbots. A store location fi nder is available on the Web site.nOn the Web site, check out the

many helpful and informative articles on today’s economy, including, “Tips on How to Negotiate with Your Creditors.”nFind out how your NEA dues

dollars are spent, by viewing the NEA Dues Pie Allocation Chart.

Also, discover the NEA Academy. Online learning through the NEA Academy is designed for today’s busy educator. The programs offered are supported with credibility, experience, commitment, practicality, fl exibility and value. For details, go to:

www.nea.org/academy

Early Warning!First alert: Watch for exciting new

discounts in next month’s column!

Reminder ChecklistLast month’s column highlighted

Life Insurance Awareness Month. Don’t put it off, don’t forget. The time to think about life insurance is now!

New Association members must register a benefi ciary for the free, one-year $15,000 NEA Introductory Term Life Insurance. Current members need to register a benefi ciary for the no-cost NEA Complimentary Life Insurance.

Visit neamb.com, or call the Member Service Center for details.

October PrizesCheck the NEA Member Benefi ts

Web site for the chance to win Subway gift certifi cates and $200 Shell Gas cards. Register to win at:

www.neamb.comSnookie Krumbiegel is Nebraska’s

NEA Member Benefi ts representative.

Krumbiegel

Negotiate WithYour Creditors

These Tips Can Help You Reduce Debt

NEA Member Benefi ts

NEA Member Benefi ts has joined with the Progressive Book Club to offer NEA members deals on a wide range of current books — without the hassles of-ten associated with book clubs!

Through a special arrangement, NEA members who join Progressive Book Club can select two free books from hundreds of titles, paying only a small shipping and handling charge. Mem-bers are required to buy only two more books within the next year at regular club prices, which can refl ect savings of up to 80 percent off the cover price!

Progressive’s editorial board re-views and selects the best titles in fi c-tion, history, health, education, politics

and more. Each month, members who sign up receive an email that lists rec-ommended authors and specials. It’s up to the member to initiate purchas-ing a book — or not! Unlike most book clubs, members will not automatically receive books they do not order.

Add this great member bonus: For each regular club price book of $10 or more purchased, Progressive will do-nate $2 to a benefi ciary organization that the member designates. The NEA Health Information Network and NEA Foundation are options!

Learn more at the NEA Member Benefi ts web site at:

www.neamb.com

A Book Club You Can Love!


I recently re-visited one of my favorite western steak houses. The food and atmosphere always ensure a fun time. When I go to this restaurant, I think of two young friends who began teaching this fall in our public schools. My fun, relaxing time is their work time. They are both servers at this restaurant.

Like all new teachers, they are excited about their fi rst jobs in the profession. They are both Mid-dle School teachers. Erica teaches Social Studies and Reading and Russell teaches Social Studies, Eng-lish and Communi-cations. They are in great school districts that support good teaching. They both talk proudly of being a teacher. Both are eager to experience the great satisfaction – and the reality – of what it means to be a teacher.

The hard fact is that part of what it means to be a beginning teacher is that it is often nec-essary to supplement a beginning teacher’s salary with income from a second job. In addition to the great learning curve that accompanies the fi rst years of teaching, they are learning that a pub-lic system that is unwilling to pay professional salaries to newly inducted teachers relies on subsidies to boost those salaries to adequate levels. Who provides those subsidies? The teachers themselves.

The Best to Offer?Teaching and the ministry may be the only professions

that require its practitioners to provide part of their own salary to be able to afford to remain on the job.

The consequence for education is that, at the very time when new teachers should be spending their time planning, preparing and studying their new craft, they are using that valuable time to wait on tables, paint houses, clean offi ces at night, mow lawns, babysit or bake cakes. The lucky ones work at retail stores where they get discounts on the clothing they need for school. Russell talks about “supple-menting” his teacher salary. Erica calls it “stretching” her

monthly salary to make it to the next month. And the real cost? Ask if their students are getting the best these teach-ers have to offer when our new teachers have to spend time subsidizing their own employment.

This nation laments the fact that it loses about 50 percent of all new teachers in the fi rst fi ve years of their careers. They simply leave. If that happened in most industries, the

market would respond by raising the price of that labor to meet the market demand and reduce turnover. Education has found another way. Teach-ers raise the money for their own sal-ary needs by getting a second job. Some labor economists sug-gest that the lack of mobility by teach-ers contributes to the problem of low pay. After all, they sug-gest, if the job doesn’t pay enough, move to a better-paying dis-trict.

As ExpectedThe fact is that

teachers are doing exactly what we expect them to do. They become deeply-rooted members of their communi-ties and establish themselves as valuable contributors to the quality of life wherever they teach. No, they don’t easily move to better job markets. And society is lucky teachers don’t – especially a society that only reluctantly pays even inadequate salaries that teachers have to “supplement” or “stretch.”

Sadly, salaries are not the only part of a school district’s budget that teachers routinely subsidize. The average teacher now spends between $500 to $600 from his or her personal account each year for classroom teaching materi-als. When I explained that fact to a local businessman, he looked puzzled and said “I go to work to make money, not to spend it.” What he did not understand is how much teachers already subsidize local district coffers.

The next time that someone complains about the cost of education, let them know that the real cost is even higher. The truth about the cost of public education is that teachers help pay the bill.

Telling the Truth:The Cost of Education

The real cost of education: NSEA Executive Director Craig R. Christiansen, center, fl anked by new teachers Erica Nuzzolillo and Russell Bradley.

From the Executi ve Director


Warm this winter: For the past several years, the NSEA Retired has raised money for the NSEA Children’s Fund through a raffl e for a quilt, handmade by retired Lincoln teacher Lorene Behrends. This year’s winner was Linda Brown of Lincoln, and the Children’s Fund, which received the $1,281 in proceeds. From left are Behrends, Brown, and NSEA-Retired President Roger Rea.

Elections for NSEA-Retired offi ces of secretary, treasurer and for district directors from the Metro, Panhandle and Tri-Valley Districts will take place in March 2010. Nomination forms will be printed in the January 2010 issue of The Voice.

Current NSEA-Retired Secretary Ruby Davis is completing her fi rst term in offi ce, and is eligible for re-election. Treasurer John Jensen is completing his second term, and is not eligible for re-election.

Panhandle Director Kent Harvey and Tri-Valley Director Jan Barnason are completing their fi rst terms and are eligible for re-election. The September 2009 issue of the NSEA-Retired Advocate incorrectly listed Sandhills District Director Joyce Huggans, whose term expires in 2011, as being up for election in 2010.

NSEA-Retired will adopt new NSEA District boundaries for elections in the spring of 2010. The new Metro District is the two-county Learning Community consisting of Douglas and Sarpy counties. Current Metro District Director Arlene McFall does not live in the Metro District Learning Community, so her director position will be an open seat in 2010.

For the purpose of voting, NSEA-Retired members are assigned to NSEA-Retired Districts based on their current home address, not where they taught prior to retirement. A current map for NSEA Districts is on the NSEA Web site:

http://www.nsea.org/members/districts/index.htm

NSEA-RetiredMembership Video

NSEA-Retired has a new seven-minute video that promotes and explains the member benefi ts for NSEA-Retired. We hope you use it to promote retired membership for your active members. It’s available through your UniServ director. For more information, call NSEA at 1-800-742-0047.

SEAN Outreach to Teach 2009The Student Education Association

of Nebraska (SEAN) has set its third

annual Outreach to Teach activity for Saturday, Oct. 10, at Kellom School, 1311 N. 24th St., Omaha. The project will include painting and landscaping the campus. Look for details on the SEAN Web site at:

www.nsea.org/members/seanNSEA-Retired contributed $500 in

support of the project, and will deliver a number of volunteer retired members to the school that day. All volunteers are welcome to lend a hand!

Local Affi liatesFollowing is more information

on some of NSEA-Retired’s local affi liates.

Platte Valley RetiredEducation Association

Guy Roggenkamp, 308-383-3579, is president.

Other offi cers are Rita Lammers, vice president; Linda Dahlstrom, secretary; and Stanley Urwiller, treasurer. Other local leaders: Don Britton, past president; Jim McMagan, communications chair; and Jan

Barnason, Tri-Valley NSEA-Retired director.

Meetings start at 2 p.m., and are set for Nov. 4, to hear about the Veterans’ Honor Flight; Feb. 3, to learn more about the public teacher retirement fund; and May 5, for a legislative update. Meetings are held at the Platte Valley State Bank in Grand Island.

Elkhorn/Sandhills Education Association Retired

Francis Rohrich, 402-371-9096, is president. Other offi cers are LuEtta Clark, vice president; Mary Ann Wright, secretary; and Patricia Monson, treasurer.

Meetings are set for Nov. 9 at ESU No. 8 in Neligh, for a Christmas Social; Feb. 24 at the Norfolk Senior Center for lunch, a meeting and a tour of the Elkhorn Valley Historical Museum; and June 17 at Green Gables Restaurant in Royal for lunch, a meeting and a tour of Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park.

— Tom Black, [email protected]

Board Elections Set for MarchTreasurer’s Post, Several District Directorships are Open for Balloting

NSEA-Reti red Corner


Several deserving notables who have contributed to the betterment of public education in Nebraska will be recognized at NSEA’s 2010 Delegate Assembly — but only if they receive your nomination!

Any NSEA member may nominate an individual or group for the awards. In all cases, send nominations by Friday, Feb. 12, 2010, to: NSEA Awards, Suite 200, 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68508-2742. Nominations may also be submitted online, with any required supporting material mailed to the NSEA. The online forms for the awards will soon be found under the ‘Call for Nominations’ link on the NSEA Web site at:

www.nsea.orgNSEA members are eligible for these awards:nNSEA Rookie of the Year.nAward for Teaching Excellence.nEducation Support Professional of the Year.Finalists will be notified in March, with winners announced at

Delegate Assembly in Lincoln April 16-17, 2010. Each winner receives a $250 cash award, and each finalist receives $100. The winner of the Award for Teaching Excellence will compete for NEA’s Teaching Excellence Award.

Though there are no cash awards for these honors, NSEA members are also eligible for these awards:nCommunity Service: Recognizes individual NSEA

members and/or local associations who are actively involved in non-paid volunteer work outside of classroom duty hours. nLocal Public Relations: Recognizes local associations for

outstanding communication within the association, and promotion of educational excellence within the community.

Nominations are also sought for these awards:nFriend of Education: Local associations are encouraged

to nominate either an individual or organization that has made a statewide contribution to education/educators.nMedia: Recognizes a newspaper, television or radio station

for outstanding work in covering education issues and promoting community involvement in education.

For details, contact the NSEA at 1-800-742-0047.

Do You Work WithExcellent Teachers?

Of Course You Do!So Why Not Nominate a Colleague

for an NSEA Teaching or ESP Award?

After school fun: Members of the Westside Education Association enjoyed the association’s first-ever Barbeque Bash to celebrate the end of the first full week of school. More than 100 teachers, education support professionals and family members took advantage of great weather to socialize, eat and to learn more about the benefits of membership in the Westside Education Association and the Nebraska State Education Association.

A longtime Omaha teacher, administrator and NSEA member died Sept. 5 at the age of 97. Thresa Clark worked for the Omaha Public Schools for more than 36 years.

Clark taught sixth grade at Webster Elementary, and moved to Rosewater School as principal seven years later. She also later took over as principal at Robbins and Corrigan Elementary Schools. In 1956, she became principal at Benson West Elementary, and remained there until her retirement 20 years later.

Clark was a regular at NSEA functions during her career. She was one of the founders of the Omaha Education Association Thrift Store, which raised money for OPS and OPS students.

Clark is in the Omaha South High School Hall of Fame, and graduated from Omaha University. She is survived by several cousins, and good friend and retired teacher Mary Moberg.

Omaha Educator Clark Dies at 97

Media, Technology WebinarsPresented by PBS TeachersTopics Include Science, Geography,

Social Studies and StorytellingPBS Teachers has introduced a series of free webinars

featuring education technology experts, authors or producers of PBS programs who will share ideas on using digital media to engage students in rich learning experiences.

Teachers can participate in the webinars after signing up for free membership in PBS Teachers. Membership provides preK-12 educators with access to the PBS Teachers online community, all of PBS’s educational services, and a searchable library of more than 9,000 free local and national standards-based teaching activities, lesson plans, on-demand video assets, and interactive games and simulations.

PBS Teachers was recently named a “Landmark Web Site for Teaching and Learning” by the American Association of School Libraries, which cited the Web site’s dynamic content and curricular relevance.

Topics covered in the fall/winter schedule of webinars include elementary and middle level science, geography, social studies, digital storytelling, education in the digital age and online professional development. To sign up or for more details, visit:

www.pbs.org/teachers/webinarThe schedule:Wednesday, Oct. 7: Teaching About Place with Ken

Burns’ “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”Thursday, Oct. 22: Welcome to the New PBS Teachers

Site.Tuesday, Nov. 10: Education in the Digital Age:

FRONTLINE’s “Digital Nation.”Thursday, Dec. 10: PBS TeacherLine: Online Professional

Development for Educators.Tuesday, Jan. 26: Middle Level STEM Education with

“Design Squad,” “Fetch” and “DragonflyTV.”


Mailed By: The Nebraska State Education Association Suite 200, 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68508-2742

Speakingof Teaching

“There is only one thingthat costs more

than education today:the lack of it.”

— Anonymous.

Decoratingfor High SchoolFrom [email protected], a high

school English teacher:

“I’ve taught English in both middle and high school, and fi nd that there’s a serious lack of tasteful educational posters and decorations for high school students.

“There’s nothing worse than a student recognizing a poster, worksheet game, etc., that is intended for use in a middle school classroom but has been used in his/her high school instead.

“I buy very little from the educational stores. Instead, I buy plants, fresh fl owers and artwork. Plants not only clean the air in the room but they provide a caring environment. Many students can relate to plants as living things. I always have fresh cut fl owers on my desk, and it’s amazing how sometimes the most agitated student will calm down after gazing at the fl owers.

“I go to garage sales and buy all kinds of art work to display in the classroom. I also make my own posters and put up a lot of the students’ work.”

Sign up for Works4Meat this link:

http://www.nea.org/tools/Works4Me.html

Family of Teachers

Recker family of teachers: Mike and Pat Recker and their four children have more than 70 years invested in the teaching profession.

Seated, from left, are Lisa Crane, a teacher at St. Vincent DePaul School in Seward; Pat Recker, a secretary and librarian at Howells Community School; and Michelle Roberts, a second grade teacher for the Osceola Public Schools.

Standing, from left, are: Jon Recker, a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in secondary education; Mike Recker, who has been the elementary guidance counselor at West Point Public Schools for the past 16 years; and Brian Recker, who teaches elementary health and physical education for the Syracuse-Avoca-Dunbar Public Schools.

If you have a Family of Teachers, send your photo to Family of Teachers, c/o NSEA, Suite 200, 605 S. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68508.

The Voice- October 2009

Documents

Transcript of The Voice- October 2009