I am writing this while in Chicago, as your delegates from Maine are attending the 2022 NEA Representative Assembly. While we were safe, we were asked not to leave the convention center on the 4th while the shooter in yet another tragedy–the shooting at a Fourth of July parade in a nearby suburb–was still at large. I hope you all were able to enjoy the 4th without incident, and I hope we can see an end to these horrific events soon with better legislation, more supports—whatever will help to prevent the needless violence.
I want to thank those who joined me at the March for Our Lives in Portland and at the Portland Pride Parade last month, and to all of you who participated in these events around the state. There were many educators at the March—active members of MEA, retirees, and educators visiting here from out of state. Let’s be sure we keep the important issue of gun safety and reducing gun violence on the forefront. There have been frequent letters to the editor in the newspaper about this. If you have ideas about ways to keep this issue from fading into the background yet again, please let me know. Even though Congress has finally passed legislation, it is a first step. We know we need more to keep not only our students and staff safe in our schools and on our campuses, but also to keep all of our communities safe.
At the Pride parade, it was uplifting to hear the crowd clearly voice their support for our public schools and educators—there were numerous shouts of ‘thank you’ as we marched by with the MEA banner—even if we don’t hear this all the time, the appreciation and support are indeed there!
Meanwhile, here at the NEA RA, with recent events as well as the latest decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, you can be assured our Maine delegates are engaging in lively debate on a number of topics. I will share a summary in the August President’s message, but you can also see information on the NEA website at https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/conferences-events/annual-meeting-and-representative-assembly
Your Career
Be sure to register for the MEA Summer Conference, August 1-2, in Portland—don’t miss the chance to attend great sessions and to network with members from across the state!
Your Association
Whether you are or will be treasurer or president for your local association, be sure to attend one of the upcoming trainings this summer—these trainings are for both new and veteran officers. If you missed the message with the registration link, please contact MEA asap. Here are the dates and locations:
- Monday, July 11th – Bangor Savings Bank, Augusta
- Thursday, July 14th – Jeff’s Catering & Event Center, Brewer
- Wednesday, July 27th – University of Presque Isle
- Monday, August 1st – Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland (just before the MEA Summer Conference!)
- Thursday, August 11th – Virtual
Thank you to the MEA Representative Assembly Delegates, local association Presidents, GR Committee members and MEA Board of Directors who served recently on the Screening and EndorsementCommittee for the gubernatorial race. You time and work are appreciated! Remember we are holding the Screening & Endorsements for legislative races on July 12th and 13th. Depending on how many candidates submit their completed questionnaires, we may only need the committee to meet on the 12th. But if you are eligible to participate in this and haven’t registered yet, please contact us asap.
The MEA Board of Directors will have their summer training and meeting July 19th-21st. Be sure to contact your Board Director with any topic you want them to bring to our meeting, and when they reach out to you, please respond!
Your Support
I attended the recent School Safety Summit, as mentioned in last month’s message. There were a lot of good sessions on de-escalation, mental health, stress, trauma-informed practices, restorative practices, resilience, and more. Around 300 people attended—school administrators, school resource officers, other law enforcement, school nurses and social workers—as feedback, I recommended that we get more school staff—teachers and ESPs–to attend next year, maybe all (or at least some) of a district’s health and safety committee. If you have a district health & safety committee, hopefully you have representation from all stakeholders on it (including the association); and if you don’t have one (or don’t have the various representatives on it), that would be something for your local to consider working on.
Meanwhile, the Maine School Safety Center in the Maine Department of Education has a lot of information available: https://www.maine.gov/doe/safety#lanes A key message throughout the summit was the need for collaboration to help ensure we keep students and staff safe.
For members who have student loans, please be sure you have checked out the information from NEA about possible student debt relief: Student Debt Support | NEA We have been hearing of many who qualify and are saving a lot, but don’t delay!
MEABT Update
I sat in on the June meeting of the MEA Benefits Trust and I can assure you the Trust is working hard to encourage both Anthem and Maine Medical Center to find an agreement. Trust staff are continuing to meet with both parties, and at the meeting it was reported that both sides were back in discussions together. Since the meeting, as you have probably heard, one of the providers, Coastal Women’s Healthcare, and Anthem have indeed reached an agreement so that the provider will remain in network. We will continue to keep updated on this issue.
Of Interest
The summer edition of the Civil Rights Team Project newsletter went out last month. Here is a link for the latest issue of The Torch: https://tinyurl.com/torch-su22 and a link if you want to subscribe: https://tinyurl.com/torch-signup
In case you missed it, I want to share this with you:
Teachers reflect on a tough school year: ‘It’s been very stressful’ (Consider This / National Public Radio)
Last month in Uvalde, Texas, 19 elementary school students and two teachers were killed in their classrooms, renewing a national debate about gun violence, school safety and even arming teachers. For many, it’s too much. In a nationwide poll this year, NEA surveyed more than 3,000 educators, and 67 percent said burnout was a major problem. More than half of teachers said they’ll likely leave their profession sooner than they’d originally planned. NEA members Michael Reinholdt, a teacher coach in Davenport, Iowa, and Suzen Polk-Hoffses, a pre-K teacher in Millbridge, Maine, rejoined National Public Radio to reflect on all the challenges that have impacted teachers this school year.
Thank you, Suzen, for again being interviewed—you are a strong advocate for educators and students!
Reminders
I’ll be making the appointments to MEA Committees when I get back from the NEA RA. I am still taking names of members who are interested. You can find more information and a link to indicate if you are interested here: https://maineea.org/mea-committees/
The next MEA President’s Virtual Office Hour will be Tuesday, July 12th, at 7 p.m., on zoom. All local association presidents and vice presidents will be receiving an invitation. If you receive the message but are no longer the local president or vice president, kindly forward it to the officers who were recently elected.
The next Issues and Challenges MEA Members of Color Experience in Maine Schools Conversation will be Thursday, July 14th, at 7 p.m. on zoom. Watch for the invitation coming soon.
One last reminder—these past few weeks and the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court hopefully make it crystal clear that elections matter—they really matter! Please do what you can to help elect officials who support public education, educators, and our students. One way to help is by making a recurring donation to the MEA Fund in Support of Public Education, our PAC. Remember we can only use voluntary contributions to help support candidates. You can read more and make a donation here: https://maineea.org/mea-fund/
I hope to see many of you in the coming months—at the trainings, the conference, screening and endorsement, or at the upcoming membership meetings.
As always, reach out any time—
Meanwhile, stay safe and enjoy summer!
In Unity,
Grace Leavitt, President
Maine Education Association
