I know it will likely take much more time for many members to feel some sense of normalcy. We will heal and we will move forward. As we do, I wanted to be sure you have important updates, information, and reminders in this monthly message.
First and foremost, you don’t want to miss the MEA Conference, MEA Winter Edventure—Dec. 2.
REGISTER HERE: https://maineea.org/winterconf23/. There is something for everyone, no matter your role. Be sure to check it out—You’ll be glad you did!
And don’t miss the upcoming MEA webinar next week, November 9th, on Effective Communication Strategies for Union Educators.
REMEMBER TO VOTE! ELECTION DAY IS NEXT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH!
MEA AND NEA EVENTS AND RESOURCES
November is Native American Heritage Month. There are lots of resources here: Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month | NEA
American Education Week is November 13-17, with a very special day on November 15—National Education Support Professionals Day—or ESP (for Extra Special People!).
Upcoming NEA webinars for ESP:
Relationships as ESP Leaders–Thursday, November 16, 2023 7:00 p.m.
https://www.mobilize.us/nea_espq/event/582290/
ESP Mentoring in Oregon-Thursday, December 7, 2023–7:00 p.m.
ESP Mentoring in Oregon · NEA ESP Quality (mobilize.us)
Thinking of retiring any time in the next few years? Don’t miss the winter or spring Pre-Retirement sessions, hosted by MEA Retired! The schedule is on their website (where you can also read more about the benefits of joining MEA Retired once you do retire!) https://maineea.org/pre-retirement-seminars/. Watch for registration for the winter session in the coming weeks.
For members who don’t receive our Government Relations Director’s newsletter, “Under the Dome”, here is the 2023 MEA Legislative Scorecard: MEA Scorecard 2023 – Maine Education Association (maineea.org) You can sign up for “Under the Dome” here: Take Action – Maine Education Association (maineea.org)
The deadline to nominate a member for the NCHE/NEA Higher Educator of the Year Award is Feb. 5th. nche-higher-educator-of-the-year-award-application-22-23final.pdf (nea.org)
Student Loan Forgiveness: President Biden recently announced another $9 billion in student loan debt relief, bringing the total approved debt cancellation by the Biden-Harris administration to $127 billion. We were told that Maine educators have shared that at least $60,000 has been cancelled for them— (this is only what people have shared with NEA). For information: Get Public Service Loan Forgiveness | NEA
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
The Maine Department of Education is taking public comment through November 14th on proposed revisions to the science and social studies standards of the Maine Learning Results. Information is here: PUBLIC COMMENT: Rule Chapter 132: Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Education; Science and Social Studies Standards – Maine DOE Newsroom
NEA shared the USDOE’s Newcomer Toolkit with us: Newcomer Toolkit (ed.gov)
MEA is a member of the Maine Labor Climate Council as part of our vision of a great public school for every student. For those interested, I thought I’d share the following resource that was shared with me recently: Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops (feedbackloopsclimate.com)
Related to this, please note the information that NEA shared with us recently that you may want to make your district administrators and school boards aware of:
EPA Grants – The Environmental Protection Agency is offering Environmental Education grants to school districts, colleges and universities, and non-profits, to fund environmental projects and programming. The applications are open now!
Electric Bus Rebates – Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $500 million is set aside to equip schools, states, and districts with new clean energy buses. Applications for rebates are open through January 31.
If you are interested in participating in the 2024-2025 Maine Teacher Residency (google.com), be sure to sign up to receive information about this great program that is helping to address the educator shortage.
REMINDERS
Lots of MEA elections will be happening this year. Be sure to check out the timeline and information here: https://maineea.org/mea-elections/
Also there will be an informational webinar on Nov. 29th for local leaders to help explain and answer questions on the various MEA elections. Watch for the invitation coming soon.
Be sure you have read the information on the MEA website about Dangerous Student Behavior – Maine Education Association (maineea.org). Reach out to your local leader and your UniServ Director if you encounter an issue regarding this.
We hear every so often about problems with accuracy in payroll. Please be sure to review your paycheck and raise any questions or issues.
This month’s MEA President’s Virtual Office Hour for local presidents and vice presidents will be Wednesday, November 15th. Watch for the email invitation to register.
In closing, thank you to our veterans and their families as we recognize Veterans’ Day this month.
And thank you all for everything you do as we rise again to meet this latest, most tragic, challenge and do what is needed to support our students and one another.
Take care, stay safe, and reach out any time.
Best wishes for a relaxing Thanksgiving later this month–and remember to vote next Tuesday!
In Unity,
Grace Leavitt
President
Maine Education Association
