I guess “spring has sprung”—that is, it has sprung a surprise on us this year—with yet another ‘spring snowstorm’ headed our way as you receive this. I know it’s Maine—I get that—just saying…But in the event that you do have a snow day this week, please take a break from the snow shovel and take a few moments to do the following:
MOST IMPORTANT: We are watching legislative actions closely and need YOU to take action NOW to help get our priorities across the finish line! CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS NOW: Your Legislators Need to Hear from You! (ngpvan.com)
And please keep Thursday, April 18th open for a planned second MEA Lobby Day! We will get information out to you as the date draws near, but we are hoping to have one more in-person push on our priorities! Register here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/yP9tMDZTgEilKLuRB0fTzQ2
ALSO IMPORTANT (of course, everything else in this message is important, too, so keep reading!): with April, along with nor’easters, comes “EARLY ENROLLMENT”—the chance for you to talk with any colleague who maybe hasn’t yet realized the value of belonging to the Association and let them know they can join now, enjoy many of the benefits, and wait until September to pay dues. Have that conversation–tell them why you belong, and share this information: https://maineea.org/join/
MEA AND NEA EVENTS AND RESOURCES
April Observances & Major Events
- Autism Awareness Month – Educator Resources
- GLSEN Day of (NO) Silence 2024 – April 12 – Partner Resources
- Earth Day – April 22
- National Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) Appreciation Week – April 22-26
MEA Webinar on Be SMART for Kids—Wednesday, April 10th at 7 p.m. Learn about something we all can do to help promote safer schools and communities. Register here: https://maineea.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KjWrLQUhSSSXZR-XDOcNbg
Submissions for two MEA Contests—My Hero Works at School and What I Love About Maine—are due April 26th. Please engage your students in these! Details here:https://maineea.org/award-grants/
Join NEA Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria on April 23rd, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 p.m., for a fireside chat with partner and member experts in supporting migrant students and families. For more information and to register: Webinar Registration – Zoom
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education Monthly Webinar Series Continues: Wednesday, April 24th, 7:30-8:30 p.m. The series of webinars hosted byNEA and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to discuss the rise of AI in education continues. Register here.
An interesting report on AI: Time for a Pause: Without Effective Public Oversight, AI in Schools Will Do More Harm Than Good. | National Education Policy Center (colorado.edu)
New online courses from NEA for Educational Support Professionals: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/professional-learning/resources/online-courses-universal-standards-espsb
Applications for The NEA Foundation’s Summer 2024 Grants to Educators have opened up! Educators can apply on our website until May 1st for Envision Equity Grants, Student Success Grants, and Learning and Leadership Grants. Grantees will be notified in July.
SAVE THE DATE for MEA Summer Conference: July 29-30. Watch for details later this spring!
Update on GPO/WEP—the Government Pension Offset/Windfall Elimination Provision (social security offsets)—the U.S. Senate bill, S. 597, has 53 cosponsors—with just 7 more, it could get to the floor for a vote. Our Maine senators are again on board—but if you have family and friends in other states and their senators have not yet signed on, urge them to reach out and tell them how important this is! https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/597/cosponsors Meanwhile in the House, H.R. 82 has 311 cosponsors. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/82/cosponsors
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
Micael Zweig, author of Class, Race and Gender will give two presentations in Portland on Tuesday, April 9. For the USM community at noon in Luther Bonney Hall, Room 502, University of Southern Maine-Portland; for union members, labor leaders, & public at 6:00 pm. at the Maine Irish Heritage Center, 4 Gray St, Portland.
Free virtual unconference April 20—1:00-5:00—for educators in global education: The 2024 NEA Foundation Global Learning EdCamp (ringcentral.com)
For opportunities for support as you enter the profession or are looking to progress further, check out the Maine Teacher Residency Program: https://sites.google.com/maine.edu/maine-teacher-residency/home
The Maine Department of Education is seeking public comment on current Social Studies standards—more information here: Maine DOE Seeks Public Comment for Current Social Studies Standards – Maine DOE Newsroom
UMaine is offering three Educator Workshops this summer: Check them out here: https://umaine.edu/summeruniversity/summer-workshops/
The latest issue of the Maine Civic Digest had a lot of interesting information and resources: Subscribe to the Maine Civic Digest | League of Women Voters (lwvme.org)
REMINDERS
Student MEA members: reminder that applications for the NEA-Retired Jack Kinnaman Scholarship are due April 15th: NEA-RETIRED JACK KINNAMAN SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION (smartsheet.com)
Notice of intent to run for an MEA OFFICE is due no later than April 18th. https://maineea.org/mea-elections/
IF your local association missed the due date to send in certificates of elections for delegates to the 2024 MEA Representative Assembly, contact MEA asap. (Hey—this is my last RA as your President—you don’t want to miss it!)
Applications for The NEA Foundation’s Summer 2024 Grants to Educators are open until May 1st for Envision Equity Grants, Student Success Grants, and Learning and Leadership Grants. Grantees will be notified in July.
NEA professional learning resources—check them out! https://www.nea.org/professional-learning
The next Conversation for Racially and Ethnically Diverse MEA Members is tomorrow evening, Thursday, April 4th, at 7 p.m. Please join the conversation by registering via the link in the invitation you received. (Let us know if you should have received the email but didn’t see it!)
The next MEA President’s Virtual Office Hour for local association presidents and vice presidents is Tuesday, April 9th at 7 p.m. We will talk more about the “compliance policy” for local associations that as attached to the invitation you received. Please register via the link in the invitation.
Sign up to receive our MEA Government Relations Director’s newsletter, “Under the Dome” and stay up to date on important issues that affect you and our students: Take Action – Maine Education Association (maineea.org)
That’s all for now—here’s to warmer days, spring blossoms, safe viewing of the eclipse—and success on our MEA legislative priorities before the snow is gone!
As always, reach out any time.
In Unity,
Grace Leavitt, President
Maine Education Association
