The weather may be cooling down, but candidates’ races are heating up! I sometimes get questions from members asking why MEA endorses candidates. I know our members are really busy with all you do each day for our students, but just about everything that you are doing is impacted by the people who are elected to office, whether it be the local school board, town council, the state legislature, Governor, or Congress. State funding for our schools, first and foremost, finally reached the promised 55%! Meals are now provided to all of our students! Some of the previous setbacks to the retirement system have now been corrected! And so much more has been accomplished in the past few years that supports you, our students, and public education. That all has happened because of the elected officials who have listened to our members and have made decisions that support our public schools and educators. That is why MEA endorses candidates, following a process that includes members’ voices and shows where candidates stand on our issues.
Please be sure to see who these endorsed candidates are here https://maineea.org/endorsed-candidates/ and here https://educationvotes.nea.org/our-recommended-candidates/
Most importantly, please be sure to vote! You can request an absentee ballot here: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/voter-info/absent.html and information on where to vote is here: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/voter-info/index.html November 8th is just around the corner!
Your Career
This is happening TOMORROW: What Matters Most For Student Success From Parents’ and Educators’ Perspectives? This webinar is hosted by the Economic Policy Institute, featuring NEA, AFT and ParentsTogether. Thursday, October 6, 2022, 2:30–3:30 p.m. ET. Registration Link
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. You can find resources here: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/just-equitable-schools/core-values/preventing-violence-bullying and here: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/helping-students-deal-cyberbullies
It is also LGBTQ+ History Month. You can find resources here: https://www.nea.org/resource-library/nea-lgbtq-resources
And it is Higher Education Month, too! Connect with NEA on issues concerning higher ed here: https://www.nea.org/nhem
And thanks to the efforts of one of our higher ed faculty members at USM, Dr. Larissa Malone, and a grant from the NEA Foundation, here is a series of professional development opportunities, “Teach-In/Work-Out” (Teach-in/Work-Out).
Here is information about a conference sponsored by the Maine County and State Teachers of the Year Association and other organizations: Teaching Truth, Hope, and Creativity: How the Arts Can Deepen Curriculum
Your Association
For our Education Support Professionals, be sure to take a look at the ESP Learning Network Webinar Series (view full list of upcoming webinars) and register now for the next session: Equitable Discipline and the Role of an ESP – Thursday, October 20, 2022, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET Register Now
Check out the 2022-2023 NEA Read Across America Calendar here, featuring books monthly for young, middle, and young adult readers: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/read-across-america/2022-2023-calendar
And check out MEA Read Across America Incentive Grants—and other grants and awards!—here: https://maineea.org/award-grants/
If you are interested in National Board Certification, attend the first in the series of candidate support workshops, sponsored by MEA.
Your Support
The decision to retire is a major one and we want to be sure you have the information you need. If you are planning to retire in the next few years, please attend the MEA Pre-Retirement Seminars sponsored by MEA-Retired and MEA. The Fall sessions are full, but watch for the registration for others later this year. Information is here: https://mearetired.org/pre-retirement-seminars Meanwhile read more about planning for retirement here: https://mearetired.org/planning-for-retirement
Of Interest
A member requested this information be shared–this could be of help to you and you may have missed it in the news: Governor Mills Announces $5.1 Million Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan Initiative to Support Family Caregivers.
The Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MePERS) now has an additional retirement savings program called MaineSTART that your employer may offer. More information and a contact are here: MainePERS and Employer Flyer 457.
Have you heard about the Maine Children’s Alliance annual Giraffe Awards? Do you know dedicated volunteers, professionals, and organizations who “stick out their necks” for children? If so, here is the form to submit a nomination.
Reminders
The next Conversation for MEA Members of Color is TOMORROW at 7:00 p.m. on zoom. All MEA members who have self-identified as racially or ethnically diverse should have received the invitation, but if you didn’t, please contact me. Upcoming dates for these continuing conversations to support our members and to provide networking opportunities are: October 20th, November 3rd, November 17th, December 1st, and December 15th.
The next MEA President’s Virtual Office Hour for local association presidents and vice presidents will be Wednesday, October 12th at 7:00 pm on zoom. If you should have received the invitation but didn’t, please contact me. We are still updating the lists of local leaders.
If you have newly elected officers, please get those names to your UniServ Assistants, along with any other updated information and member enrollments. UniServ Directors are offering trainings this fall for building representatives and for negotiation teams. If your local association treasurer has not attended a recent treasurer training, please reach out to arrange that. It is wonderful to see more members engaging in their local associations, and we want to be sure you have the training you need.
AND REMEMBER: the deadline for the PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS waiver is—OCTOBER 31. For information: https://maineea.org/news/student-debt-support/ and Navigate Your Student Debt
Last but not least, some thank yous!
Thank you to our MEA Board of Directors who met recently and continued their important work on your behalf, including an important discussion about what is happening in some districts where there is talk of banning books and where those movements have caused some of our educators to be harassed on social media sites. The discussion led the Board to take this position on censorship. Please reach out to MEA if there are issues in your area.
Thank you to our NEA Director Rebecca Cole for her work during the recent NEA Superweek. She and I met with staff in our Congressional offices—and directly with Senator King—during the recent NEA Superweek in D.C.. We spoke with them about various topics–education funding, public service loan forgiveness, school meals, and marriage equality, as well as, of course the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. HR 82 to repeal GPO/WEP now has over 300 cosponsors—this is the most progress made on this issue in a very long time! We will watch this closely, of course, as it affects many of our members. (For information on GPO/WEP) Rebecca then attended the NEA Board meeting and shook hands with a very special guest—President Biden!—who came to speak to NEA and other labor leaders!
Thank you to the many MEA members who have stepped up to be on an MEA Committee, and to the Board and Staff liaisons as well! We had our first Committee Day this past Saturday—in-person at MEA Headquarters in Augusta! It was great to see everyone, to meet some new committee members, and to have everyone begin to engage in their committee work for the year. Although some committees are full, there is still room on the following: Educational Support Professionals, Instruction and Professional Development, Resolutions, Statewide Bargaining, Strategic Budget, and Structure & Bylaws. You can find more information about these committees and meeting times here: https://maineea.org/mea-committees/ If you are interested in joining, let me know—this is a great way to have your voice directly involved in the MEA, and is also a chance to share and network with colleagues across the state.
And thank you ALL for everything you do each and every day!
Remember to VOTE!
In Unity,
Grace Leavitt, President
Maine Education Association
