The AFL-CIO has launched its 2012 AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch site—now called CEO Pay and the 99%—which includes the most comprehensive data available on 2011 executive pay. All the data available is searchable by industry, by state and by the top 100 highest-paid CEOs.

In her latest column appearing in the New York Times, AFT president Randi Weingarten describes how the AFT Innovation Fund is providing an alternative to school reform efforts that ignore the expertise of educators and their unions. The fund supports AFT affiliates that engaged in collaborative efforts that focus on promising ideas and proven programs that can be scaled up. Read the full column.

Many studies over the years have documented the need for smoother transitions from prekindergarten to the elementary level. A new AFT report reinforces that conclusion—and does it in a manner that puts frontline voices at the heart of the dialogue.

Superior schools deal with brutal budget cuts, more to come

Recent budget cuts have been brutal, according to Janna Stevens, district administrator of the Superior School District.

By: Maria Lockwood, Superior Telegram

Recent budget cuts have been brutal, according to Janna Stevens, district administrator of the Superior School District. People have broken down in tears in her office -- teachers retiring earlier than planned or staff members who made the choice to drop their health care plan to meet family bills. The 2011-13 Wisconsin state budget cut $1.6 billion out of education revenue. That left the district with nearly $3 million less than expected this school year and led to some tough choices.

“We had an incredible amount of retirements,” Stevens said. “We looked at every one of those positions to see ‘Can we absorb that and not fill that position?’

“Well the truth is we needed every one of those teachers but we knew we had to trim back.”

At Superior High School, an art position, at-risk educator and a part-time technology education position were cut. Two assistant principals retired, one at SHS the other at Superior Middle School, to be replaced with 40 percent support. Custodial and secretarial staff was trimmed and an elementary school position cut. Meanwhile, class sizes have swelled to nearly 30 in many grade four through 12 classrooms.

The point of a Wednesday morning press conference by Stevens and Rep. Nick Milroy, D-South Range, was to make the public aware of the impact the budget has had.

“I just want to … have a level of honesty across the state about what’s really happening,” Stevens said. “Let’s not pretend that districts aren’t suffering.”

Superior isn’t alone. Milroy said that most of the schools in Northern Wisconsin are absorbing budget cuts of more than 10 percent. According to a survey by the Wisconsin Association of District Administrators, there are 1,655 fewer teachers, 1,551 fewer support staff and aides and 173 fewer administrators serving students in kindergarten through grade 12 across the state this school year.

“Now that’s going to have a direct impact on every child’s education in Wisconsin,” Milroy said. “And our educational system is really the foundation of our economic future.”

He blasted Gov. Scott Walker’s decision to cut education funding while providing tax breaks to big corporations.

“It’s essential for people to understand these are choices that politicians make,” Milroy said.

In Superior, the $3 million drop in funding was cushioned in part by what could be termed as Gov. Walker’s budget “tools” – having employees paying half their retirement costs and more for health care. The district saw approximately $1.5 million in savings from those two moves. But they had an unintended consequence, driving many people from individual to family health plans and forcing some people off the plan entirely.

“They simply cannot afford to have health care along with paying their bills,” Stevens said. “It’s been brutal but sadly that was a savings for us but I wish it wasn’t …” Two of her close friends are among those who now have no health care.

Walker’s tools, she said, just didn’t close the funding gap.

“My understanding is that very few districts across the state were able to really come out of this and say ‘This is going to work out better for us,’” Stevens said. “We’re with the majority. It didn’t work out for us.”

The district also trimmed back budgets, made the staffing cuts and tapped into an old building fund to cover the $3 million loss.

More cuts are expected next year, Milroy said, leading to even more drastic consequences.

“Our objective is ‘We have to protect the kids,’” Stevens said. She expects the district will face a shortage of up to $500,000 next year, and options are in short supply.

The district writes “an incredible number of grants” to foster support, she said.

They could try to pass an operating referendum, asking taxpayers to choose whether to provide the funds it will take to make payroll and meet bills.

“We’ve never done an operating referendum,” Stevens said.

Another option is to cover the deficit with a loan.

“We’ve never been a district that’s ever done short-term borrowing,” Stevens said. “We do not want to go down that path.”

That leaves them sitting at the table, looking at more cuts.

“I’ll be honest with the entire public, we can’t see where we can cut any more staff,” Stevens said. That puts programs on the chopping block. Anything not mandated by the state could be trimmed – technical education courses, foreign language offerings, additional art, music and physical education courses.

Math, science and social studies are important, Stevens said, but so are the non-mandated courses.

“All of these other offerings that help to create a well-rounded human being are essential,” she said. “It can’t be just about reading, writing and math.”

Milroy said parents will have to step up to take an active part in their children’s education.

“With this budget I’m very concerned for students in the Superior School District and all across Wisconsin,” he said. “It is unacceptable and irresponsible to put our children’s future in jeopardy by crippling our public school system.”

Stevens urged people to learn what’s really happening with education in the state.

“Get educated so when you go to the voting booth, you know what’s really happening,” she said.

Thanks to everyone for supporting Wisconsin!!!

 

Wisconsin Wears Black

 

The Wisconsin Wears Black promotion encouraged by the Superior Federation of Teachers is an effort to show the solidarity of Superior teachers with the rest of Wisconsinites being negatively impacted by the current economy, urging economists and politicians to work collaboratively to come to a solution that does not unfairly target any sector of Wisconsin citizens, public services, schools or students.

 

Since the 2008 Wall Street crash the United States has been struggling to return the health of the American economy.  Since 2008 the financial crisis has spread worldwide.  While many economists and politicians have claimed to know how to improve the economy, many Americans are not trustful of their methods or motives. 

 

In the past 15 years while 90% of American taxpayers saw a wage increase of only $1.50 an hour, the top 1% saw an increase of $10,000 an hour.  This is but one illustration of the recent vastly increased flow of money from those with the least to those with the most.  To add insult to injury, during that same period corporate wealth has increased exponentially.

 

Some claim the economic crisis can be solved by accelerating the flow of money from those with the least to those with the most and that the money will trickle back down in the form of jobs as corporations become more wealthy and need more employees.  They claim that the very wealthy will share their wealth if they become wealthy enough. 

 

There are those that claim the answer lies in drastically reducing funding to public schools and public services.  Note that Wisconsin depends on the infrastructure that schools and public services provide to support and stimulate the economy.  This same group claims that the economic recovery should be paid for by selectively reducing the wages of teachers and municipal workers.  As a result of this mentality Wisconsin public workers have seen a 10 to 13 percent cut since August 2011.  When taking into account the fact that Wisconsin has about 65,000 public workers, that amount of loss in spending power amounts to over $120 million over just the next year.  Interestingly and coincidentally enough, the annual cost of providing tax breaks and incentives to Wisconsin corporations is about $124 million.  

 

By wearing black Superior teachers hope to spread the awareness that we stand together with the rest of Wisconsin in our support of reformed economic policy that provides jobs as well as the strong infrastructure of public schools and public services while respecting the right of all Wisconsinites to have a voice in their place of employment.

 

 

 

 

Several SFT members have already stopped into the recall office to offer their support with the recall effort. There is still a great need for volunteers to help in the office doing various support work.

 

Anyone interested should contact Kaeleen Ringberg via email at kaeleenr@wisdems.org

 

 

Recall center location and contact information:

 

1810 Belknap St (there is a parking lot and door behind the building.)

 

715-817-6579

kaeleenr@wisdems.org

 

 

 

 

 

The citizens of Ohio took back their state with a historic vote on Nov. 8 to repeal Senate Bill 5. The vote, which marks the first time that the collective bargaining rights of public employees have been upheld on a statewide ballot, sends a clear signal that Ohioans will not sit idly by while politicians scapegoat hard-working public employees for an economic crisis they did not create.

 

 

MADISON – With over 200,000 pledges already under its belt, United Wisconsin PAC will officially begin its mammoth petition drive to recall Scott Walker on November 15th. Its goal is to collect at least 700,000 signatures—well over the required 540,206 needed to force a recall election—in the 60-day period allowed by law.

The acknowledged leader of the massive grassroots Walker recall effort, United Wisconsin has recall centers across the state and thousands of volunteers on the ground. Working with several other grassroots groups as well as unions and political leaders, United Wisconsin’s success is all but guaranteed.

United Wisconsin is collaborating with numerous other grassroots groups, political leaders of all stripes, seniors, educators, veterans, and religious leaders of all faiths.

United Wisconsin is guided by a Board of Directors with Functional Directors in Fundraising, Legal Affairs, Information Technology, Publicity, Marketing, and other areas. The PAC was founded by Michael Brown.

 

 

 

President Obama's bold plan—the American Jobs Act—is the right antidote to help solve our persistent economic problems, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.

Two longtime union activists and education reformers are assuming new roles in AFT's leadership, AFT president Randi Weingarten announced on Sept. 9.

Every day, educators and other public employees, and the services they provide our communities, are being attacked. From challenging collective bargaining rights, to undermining the quality of public education and higher education, to decimating pensions and trying to put healthcare coverage further out of reach, working men and women across the country are under assault. And if this has taught us one thing, it's that Elections Matter.

The AFT is looking for young teachers to join our Generation Y online community. This supportive network of young professionals is a place to discuss issues that affect you and your work. You can interact with other members through the forums and member pages, learn more about what is going on in schools across the nation, and find out about upcoming events and activities you can attend.

Generation Y teachers—those in their mid-30s or younger—say that to keep them in teaching, schools should be transformed into workplaces that support high-quality teaching and learning, so eager but nearly overwhelmed novices will stay in the profession and can become highly effective, according to a new report by the AFT and the American Institutes for Research.

In a March 28 speech sponsored by the Commonwealth Club, AFT president Randi Weingarten challenged those who have blamed public employees and their right to collectively bargain as a cause of their states' fiscal problems.

Workers' fundamental rights are under attack in a growing number of states. But as we have seen in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere, those attacks have inspired and motivated tens of thousands of union members to stand together for their rights. The challenge now, as AFT president Randi Weingarten put it in a recent e-mail to more than 1.5 million AFT members and allies, is to take this moment and turn it into a movement. One step in that direction is a "We Are One" Week of Action, starting April 4, that will bring together members from the AFT and other unions, along with our allies, to participate in events around the country. First, take the pledge to help make a difference. Once you take the pledge, you'll see lots of ideas for how to join in the week of action.

AFT president Randi Weingarten on Feb. 24 proposed a new way to align teacher development and evaluation to due process for tenured teachers. Weingarten laid out a three-step process consisting of clear standards for what teachers should know and be able to do, a time-limited improvement and support plan for teachers deemed to be unsatisfactory according to the evaluation standards, and a hearing process that can take no longer than 100 days, which in many cases would be even more expedient.

On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy captured and crystallized a moment in history when he told America, "the torch has been passed to a new generation." To mark the 50th anniversary of this landmark inaugural address, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has created a new website filled with groundbreaking multimedia that invites young visitors to explore the JFK legacy through such core themes as public service, civil rights and innovation.

Check out our "Recent News" section in the menu to your left. You'll see a summary of news from across the state and nation and commentary as to its impact on education.