We've reached a Tentative Agreement for the 2023 Negotiations! Below you will find a PDF of the what was presented at the May 10 AR Meeting about the Tentative Agreement.
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We were all shocked to learn that a 6 year old student shot his elementary school teacher in Richneck, Virginia on Friday, January 7th. The very next day, NEA hosted a small convening of educators from around the country, including GEA member Deborah Gatrell, to discuss Gun Violence Prevention in schools. While the event was scheduled well in advance, the Richneck incident gave it even greater urgency. Gatrell was surprised to be invited to participate given her position as a classroom teacher, but her work speaking out on education and school safety issues since 2018 caught national attention and her experience at Hunter High, where a shooting between students just off campus during lunch took one of her students just last year, made everything personal. Her military experience made her insight even more interesting to NEA as a unique perspective on the topic. This convening was a direct result of a National Business Item (NBI) voted on by the NEA Representative Assembly (RA) in July 2022, including GEA’s delegation, requiring the NEA to “issue a National Call to Action to ensure that all students, educators, schools, campuses, and communities are safe from gun violence.” The first step in the call to action was “a cross section convening of national, state, local leaders, and staff to create a unified, national set of strategies and tactics at every level of the association that keep the threat of gun violence to our students and educators at the forefront of policy discussions until we can ensure the safety of our communities.” As part of a panel of educators sharing their experiences responding to gun violence, Gatrell talked about the 2018 Utah Safe Schools Commission and the hope, then, that things would change and her frustration that things did not improve. She spoke about the horror of losing Tiavani Lopati to gun violence when a school fight moved off campus and escalated last January. She also expressed hope, stating “Some people are on the extremes, but most are somewhere in the middle” and we need to engage them in meaningful dialogue to build support for meaningful solutions. Other panelists came from across the country and represented a range of experiences. Zachary Martin, a social studies teacher from Columbine High School in Colorado, was a freshman at Columbine in 1999 when the “first” school shooting (we remember) happened. Now he is involved with the local chapter of March for Our Lives. Ovidia Molina is the president of the Texas State Teachers Association and was heavily involved in the aftermath of the massacre at Uvalde last year. Kevin Marvin is a Michigan Education Association staff member who was deeply involved in supporting staff members impacted by the shooting at Oxford High, MI in 2021.Mary Jane Cobb is the Executive Director of the Iowa State Education Association and was also involved in responding to a drive by shooting outside a high school in Des Moines, IA. It will take all of us. None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something, and together, we can change the world. Whether it is meaningful conversation and positive social media action as an individual, school-community narrative development at the building and local level, or more direct actions to advocate for specific policies from the local to the national level, this work is essential. What we’ve been doing obviously hasn’t been working, so it’s time for deliberate action to change things for the better. We owe it to our students, ourselves, and our communities. You can read more about the convening in the NEA Today article “Help Us Stop the Attacks:” Educators Urge Action on Gun Violence. This work is just getting started, and Deborah is working with GEA and UEA on some action plans. Stay tuned to learn more ways you can engage in the work through your association. Congratulations to this year's Retirees!Cheryl Aggers
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The Granite Education Association announces elections and encourages all interested members to run for office. As a member of GEA, you have an opportunity to be actively involved and be a voice for teachers and our Association. You may run for only one (1) Board position. Board members and officers elected by the general membership qualify as voting delegates at the NEA Representative Assembly (RA)* and as a delegate to the UEA House of Delegates. If you are interested in being involved, but not on the Board of Directors, you can run for the NEA Representative Assembly Delegate position. Members elected by the general membership to attend the RA qualify as voting delegates to the RA, the governing body of NEA. Elected delegates travel with members of the GEA Board of Directors to the RA during the summer to make policy for the NEA.* *GEA Board members’ travel to the RA is funded in the middle year of their term of office. Members elected as delegates to the NEA RA shall be selected in the order of the number of votes received. All interested candidates should submit the following items to Jessica.Dunn@myuea.org by 5:00 pm on February 24, 2023:
Dr. Nye is once again scheduling Teacher Town Halls. This year he has scheduled 3 dates:
You can go to the meeting most convenient for you. We encourage you to take advantage of these Town Halls to voice your ideas and concerns directly to Superintendent Nye. Below is a snapshot video from last year's 2021 Town Hall Meetings: The U.S. Department of Education has released the Student Debt Relief Application. You must fill out the Student Loan Debt Relief Application to qualify for up to $20,000 of Federal Student Loan Debt Relief. Deadline to file is December 31, 2023. To access the very short application, or for more information, use this link. Brought to you by Horace Mann: Accelerate your path toward loan forgiveness You only have until Oct. 31, 2022 to take advantage of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Waiver. The Waiver, which went into effect Oct. 6, 2021, is allowing many student loan borrowers to receive credit for past payments made on loans that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF. You may need to take action on your student loans now in order for them to qualify for forgiveness under the limited-time Waiver. Our Student Loan Solutions program can help you get your loans in order and also provide guidance on next steps so you can take advantage of this opportunity before it expires. Sign up for your complimentary account or check out this article for more information. Schedule time with me. Matthew Long Horace Mann Ins Co (877) 363-0603 matthew.long2@horacemann.com We know you have choices - thanks for choosing us
Just like you choose to make a difference in the lives of your students, we choose to make a difference in the lives of educators. You already know how educators benefit from our homeowners insurance, but are you aware we also provide auto insurance? With Horace Mann’s auto insurance, you may be eligible for: • Educator discount • Multiline discount • Multicar discount • Benefits customized for educators — like coverage when transporting students, no, or reduced, deductible for vandalism losses on or near school property, additional road service coverage and more You’ve chosen Horace Mann before — why not do it again? Get an auto quote today, and we’ll send you a $10 Amazon gift code! Matthew Long Horace Mann Ins Co (877) 363-0603 matthew.long2@horacemann.com Click here to schedule |