WEAC-FOX VALLEY 921 W. Association Drive Appleton, WI 54914-7250 (920) 731-1369 Fax: (920) 731-1630 www.weac.org/weacfoxvalley OFFICE HOURS: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Weekdays OFFICE STAFF: Henry Krokosky, Exec. Director krokoskyh@weac.org Terri Trimbell, Exec. Director trimbellt@weac.org Debbie Armitage, Staff Assistant armitaged@weac.org Laura McCarthy, Secretary mccarthyl@weac.org

OFFICERS: Kim Jordan, President Corey Otis, Vice-President Patty Barrette, Secretary Barbara Traynor-Hayden,

Treasurer

Appleton Education Association ● Appleton Paraprofessional Association ● Appleton Secretarial/Clerical Association ● FVTC—Educational Support Personnel Association ● FVTC—Faculty Association ● Little Chute Education Association ●

Neenah Education Association ● Neenah Educational Support Personnel Association ● New London Education Association

February 2009

Get Out of the Cold By Corey Otis, WEAC-Fox Valley Vice-President

Around four o’clock in the afternoon, cabin fever set in. My eyes were blurry from reading essays and writing newsletter articles, so, despite the below-zero temperatures and dangerous wind chill, I decided to venture forth from my toasty home to the nearest corporate bookstore (I had a gift card from Christmas). After a shower of searing temperatures, I dressed. On went the long underwear, top and bottom. Then the sweater and jeans, the wool socks, the down jacket, the fleece gloves, and finally the dorky hat with the Pippi Longstocking braids. Staying warm trumps everything this time of year even if means looking like a swollen grape with pig tails. Fortunately, the other bookstore customers showed just as much fashion sense. We weren’t out to impress; we were trying to survive. In fact, I paid little attention to other people’s winter protection until two teenagers walked into the store. Neither wore a jacket; one merely wore a t-shirt. But neither shivered one bit either. When I was a teen in the early ‘90s, I probably could go without the down jacket and dorky hat, too. In 1993, a lighter jacket and baseball hat would have been enough for me to get from my car to the store’s entrance with shivering out of my skin. The cold didn’t bother me then as much as it does now. In 2009, I need the extra layers, and still my bones are frozen. My recent visit to the bookstore was a gentle reminder that things change. Things change, that is, unless you’re talking about Wisconsin’s arbitrary, antique revenue controls for public schools. Wisconsin’s revenue caps, created in 1993, are killing public education in our state. Instead of adding layers so our schools can endure the financial chill, the caps strip them away. And our teachers and students are left out in the cold. Revenue caps limit school districts’ ability to raise revenue locally. School districts may only raise their per-pupil spending by a specified amount, and this rate is based upon the districts’ expenditures from nearly 20 years ago. A conservative spending district, like Appleton, is basically punished by this formula: the district’s tight budgets in the ‘90s now amount to insufficient yearly revenue increases. Instead of raising money to cover necessary costs, Appleton must look at cutting teachers and programs. Even though costs have increased – health care, for example – the revenue caps freeze districts’ ability to keep up.

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CALENDAR

February 10 @ 6:30 pm WEAC-FV Board Mtg

February 11 at 9:30 am

Travel Committee Mary’s North

March 14,

7:30 am-4:00 pm PDP Training Liberty Hall

Issue 26 www.weac.org/weacfoxvalley

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Get Out of the Cold (continued) On February 17, the Appleton Area School District will ask voters to approve a referendum to exceed revenue limits for the next three upcoming school years and beyond. If approved, Appleton students will see smaller class sizes, more class offerings, updated curriculum materials. Voters will also have the opportunity to provide new technology and improved safety measures for Appleton students. Even if the referendum is passed, Appleton will be back where it was three years ago prior to the latest cuts in staffing, programs and curriculum. In any Wisconsin district, educators see the disastrous effects of revenue caps. Programs are cut. Teachers are laid off. Students suffer. We must fight for our schools on two fronts: long-term and short-term. Our long-term goal is to revamp, revise, or reject Wisconsin’s revenue controls and school funding formula. In order to do this, we must work together to put pressure on our legislators to fix the problem. In the short-term, we must support each other. The future of the Appleton Area School District relies on the success of this referendum. Please support public education in the Fox Valley by voting yes to the referendum and/or encouraging others to do the same. Your support will be much appreciated by educators and students in Appleton as you help the district get through another nasty winter.

You are invited! WEAC-Fox Valley is offering training to be certified to review other

Professional Development Plans.

March 14th, Saturday 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Liberty Hall, Kimberly

Continental breakfast provided/Lunch served at noon

This is Department of Public Instruction certified training and will be facilitated by Linda Helf from the Kettle Moraine UniServ Council.

Please feel free to invite others, even if they do not belong to WEAC-Fox Valley. It is open to

teachers, administrators, pupil services and higher education representatives.

Please contact the WEAC-Fox Valley office at (920) 731-1369 if you are interested.

Enrollment is limited to 42 participants.

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The Secrets of Successful Aging-Part II What Science Tells Us About Growing Older -- And Staying Healthy By TARA PARKER-POPE , Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL June 20, 2005; Page R1 Living to the Max Scientists estimate that the maximum potential life span of the human body is about 120 years, give or take. They came to this conclusion after observing the oldest ages achieved by a variety of organisms, noting that aging, no matter what the species, seemed to follow a consistent mathematical formula. The maximum age achieved by any species appears to equal about six times the number of years from birth to biological maturity. So humans, who take about 20 years to reach maturity, have the potential to live six times as long as that -- or about 120 years. Notably, the oldest well-documented human age is 122. Genetics likely plays some part in the ability to reach an extreme old age, and scientists are on a heated quest to identify the so-called longevity genes. But genetics can only take you so far. Studies of Swedish twins who were raised apart showed that only about 30% of aging can be explained by genes. In other words, successful agers aren't still around simply by luck of the genetic draw. They have far more control over the aging process than once thought. "One of the myths of aging is to choose your parents wisely," says John W. Rowe, who, before becoming chairman of Aetna Inc., served as director of the MacArthur Foundation Research on Successful Aging, one of the largest aging studies in the country. "People feel there is a genetic program they are playing out. But since only about one-third of aging is heritable, the rest is acquired -- that means you are responsible for your own old age." So, how do you age successfully? Aging researchers are beginning to get some answers. Numerous studies of rats, monkeys, nuns, British government workers and centenarians have unlocked many of the secrets of successful aging. Many of the answers were expected. People age better if they don't smoke, don't abuse alcohol, maintain a healthy weight and get regular exercise. But one of the biggest culprits in unhealthy aging also gets the least respect from both the medical community and individuals: stress. Increasingly, researchers are viewing stress -- how much stress we face in a lifetime, and how well we cope with it -- as one of the most significant factors for predicting how well we age. It may be hard to believe that stress, which most people view as an emotional state, can wreak such havoc on our physical well being. But aging studies consistently show that the healthiest agers are particularly adept at shedding stress. Stay tuned for Part III: How Stress Works and Measuring Stress.

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Market turmoil complicates retirement planning Careful planning is more critical than ever By Katie Day, WEAC Communications Coordinator The year 2008 will go down in history as one of the most difficult for financial markets. Stocks, bonds, money market funds—investments of all types were affected in ways that will resonate for months and possibly years to come. For those of you who are considering retirement, recent market turmoil has complicated the planning process and added considerable uncertainty. Can I still retire on schedule? If not, what do I have to do to get back on track toward a financially secure retirement? Are my investments properly positioned to help me through these uncertain times? Will I need to go back to work to make ends meet? Careful preparation can help ensure that you remain financially secure. Wisconsin public school employees and members of WEAC-Retired are eligible to receive a Retirement Income Analysis offered by WEA Trust Member Benefits. This fee-based service can provide you with:

Knowledge of whether you are on track to meet your goals. Suggested adjustments to meet your goals. Your Wisconsin Retirement System estimate. Your Social Security estimate. A retirement distribution and cash flow analysis. A tax analysis to help you anticipate your future income tax liability.

This service is provided by CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS™ who:

Understand retirement benefits available to public school employees. Are experts in coordinating those benefits. Have your needs and best interest in mind.

Call our Retirement Income Consultants at 1-800-279-4030, Ext. 2513 or 6967. Michelle or Rob can help you evaluate whether this service is appropriate for you. This Member Benefits service is fee-based, with no product sales or commissions attached. Investment advisory services offered through WEA Financial Advisors, Inc.

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On Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, I attended a WEAC Retired Legislative Coalition meeting in Madison. The majority of our time was spent with Legislative Program Coordinator, Deb Sybell. She asked that members cyberlobby Gov. Doyle to thank him for his leadership in calling for education funding to be included in the federal economic stimulus package. Members should also be watching for release of the School Finance Network Plan around February 3rd. WEAC, along with a number of other coalition members including the school boards and administrators associations, will be pushing for this to become legislation hopefully resulting in much needed school funding reform. Deb also encouraged everyone to join the Legislative Action Network (LAN). It involves nothing more than a commitment to cyberlobby your legislators when WEAC sends out Action Alerts. You will find a link for the LAN on the WEAC Members Only homepage. Friday morning I attended the WEAC Retired Board of Directors Meeting. The board was introduced to our new staff person, Dustin Bielke. Dustin has been a WEAC employee for ten years working in public relations and replaces Karen West. We also had a brief presentation from Collective Bargaining Manager, D.J. Holub on local negotiations trends in retirement and another from WEAC President, Mary Bell, on school funding reform. The majority of our time was spent with Dave Stella, Secretary of ETF, and Dave Stella, Executive Director of SWIB. Following the release of the final 2008 numbers from the WRS, their presentation was extremely timely and informative. Here are some of the major points you may find interesting and helpful:

• Worst market since 1931 • First negative core fund dividend in the history of the fund • If you are in the variable fund, 85% of your retirement investments are in the stock market • Core fund declined 26.2%; approximate annuity adjustment of -2.5 to -3% (equates to about -$25 on a

$1,000 monthly annuity) • Variable fund declined 39%; approximate annuity adjustment of -44% (equates to about -$250-260 on a

$1,000 monthly annuity) • 2008 core fund retirees will not see a reduction (guaranteed base amount) • 2007 core fund retirees who have received at least portion of last May’s 6.6% increase will see a

reduction, but nothing below the base at which they started; those retired the full year will have their annuity adjusted the full amount

• Because of the smoothing factor, there is the possibility of core fund reductions next year and beyond • If in the variable, you can: -Contact the WRS to see if you have variable excess or deficiency (wait until later in the year to do so) -Request an unconditional opt out and move into the core fund -Request a conditional opt out and move into the core fund as soon as your variable portion reaches whatever conditions you wish to delineate • If considering opting out, best to make the decision in Dec. to see where the market is. In the meantime

you can: -Call the WRS Call Center -Go to the website -Make an appointment with a counselor

Despite this year’s losses, we were assured that the WRS remains one of the most financially strong public retirement systems in the United States. Both gentlemen believe the market will come back and you need to stay in the market to get the benefit. When the turnaround happens, history shows it happens in a very short period of time. The problem is no one knows just when it is going to happen. As always, please feel free to contact me at any time, dlang@new.rr.com, 731-1710 (H), 427-6583(C).

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WEAC-Fox Valley Travel Committee http://www.athenet.net/~mesh

The above website has many links that you will find useful. If you have travel suggestions you would like to share, please email Thomas Kreif at mesh@athenet.net. (Subject “travel”).

The WEAC-Fox Valley Travel Committee has met for the past two years. Committee membership is open to all active and retired members. Our scheduled meetings are as follows: February 11, March 11, and May 13. All our meetings are scheduled for Wednesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. at Mary’s North in Appleton.

Jean F., one of our readers wrote: “We just did a road trip to the Northeast for two weeks, spending three days in the NYC area. Since my husband did not want to drive in NYC, we looked for a place in New Jersey to stay. We stayed at a Comfort Inn in Edgewater, NJ. It worked out just great. We walked out of the parking lot of the hotel to catch a bus that took us right to the Port Authority on Time Square. Our hotel was right on the Hudson River looking at the NYC skyline. It was beautiful at night. There was a nice walkway along the river. It was very easy to get around. The buses ran about every 10 minutes. Cost was less than $4 for the two of us one way.”

Joanne D., who taught in Appleton, but lived in Green Bay for 30 years: “My husband and I just returned from a week river barging on the Ohio River. It was a very good week. The company is the River Barge Excursion Line, Inc. We took advantage of the teacher discount—half price for teacher if she/he has a companion traveling at full price (also applies to retired teachers). It was very well organized with local stops and tour guides every time we did land tours, etc. It was much like an ocean cruise, but the barge is smaller with the staterooms being larger, which was a treat. Check it out at www.riverbarge.com.” Several years ago, we did this trip and thought it was terrific. When you look at the prices, please remember that all excursions and tips are included in the price. As of Nov. 30th, the River Barge cruises are your only choice as Seattle-based Majestic American Line’s Delta Queen, American Queen, and Mississippi Queen steamboats won’t be cruising in 2009.

Peter Nagan, an active member of the travel committee, sent me the following: “Walt Disney Parks and Resorts announced that in 2009 it will offer free admission on your birthday to its theme parks in California or Florida. The new policy follows up on 2008's popular "Year of a Million Dreams" promotion. Disney wants to focus on guests and the special occasions they're celebrating on their trips. ("Celebration vacation" is their term for these trips.) Guests will need to provide a valid ID showing their date of birth. For more details, visit www.disneyparks.com.

A flight attendant sent in a tip to Budget Travel: “Because flights can get bumpy, I carry a tin of strong peppermints with me and hand them out to passengers who are looking a little green at the gills. Peppermint oil, which is found in strong mints like Altoids, is one of Mother Nature’s best cures for an upset tummy.” Another reader sent in an idea that if you are planning vacation and want to bring cold drinks to the beach with you, use a six pack cooler as a toiletry bag. After reaching your destination, you remove the toiletries; the bag can now be use as a cooler for the rest of your trip. Lastly, discounts for single people abound in the less busy off-season especially in Europe.

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Interesting Website(s)

Surf this site if you’re an environmentally conscious consumer, or want to be, check out www.evo.com. This website has compiled a huge selection of green products, services and

information—all rated by how green they are (the higher the number of green leaves, the greener). Also hopefully, the site explains why they’re green: organic, energy efficient, etc.

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Hundreds of web entrepreneurs promote retailers’ discounts, but the best sites offer more

merchants to choose from and quickly weed out expired deals.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/5-favorite-sites-for-online-coupons.aspx?page=all

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Social Studies Resources is a new website that is available to everyone. It contains

information and teacher resources on many categories—from the Abolitionist Movement to Racism; from Reconstruction to the Women’s Movement. Go to

www.socialstudiesresources.org and see the variety of subjects available.

Travel Committee (continued) There was another excellent article in Budget Travel, written by Amy Chen describing the items travelers should consider taking with them. Pepcid Complete is great for heartburn. Band-aids and Neosporin can handle minor injuries and prevent cuts from getting infected. Advil, ibuprofen, not only reduces pain and fevers, but can relieve inflammation of muscles and tendons after a long hike. Ultrathon Insect Repellent has deet with a formula that last up to 12 hours. Dramamine is the old stand by for motion sickness, but must be taken at least 30 minutes before traveling. Imodium A-D can stop diarrhea within 30 minutes. Benadryl alleviates hay fever symptoms and can be used to treat hives and itchy nose or throat caused by food allergies. Neutrogena Sunscreen is an excellent long lasting sun block. Cortaid soothes rash and bug bites. Zithromax, according to Dr. Richard Wenzel: “…this prescription antibiotic is the most effective diarrhea cure—especially in places like India and Thailand where bacteria are becoming more resistant to Cipro.” For quick results, he recommends taking four 250-milligram pills with Imodium. Roundabouts are quite common out East, and now they are making their appearance in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, very few Wisconsinites, based on personal observations, know that a driver uses his signal lights to exit the roundabout. When drivers use their signal lights properly, the roundabouts become even more efficient.

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Is Your Computer Spying on You? Cookies--identification numbers that can track the websites you visit and your activities there are passed to your computer when you visit some Internet sites or click on some advertisements. A site that placed a cookie keeps a database of all the computers that visit that site. Some sites just track their cookies internally, but to better target advertisements those sent by as agencies often track your cookies wherever you go. Cookies are controversial. Sites control them and often don’t tell you what they are doing with the information they collect.

One myth is that cookies identify you. They don’t. They identify your browser and thus your computer. If you access the Internet from someone else’s PC, you are using his cookies and your browsing patterns are added to his. If several people use the same computer, all their habits are saved in one cookie file. Some cookies are useful. For example, Amazon.com tracks customers’ use of the site so that it can offer them merchandise similar to what they have expressed interest in before. This can simplify even enhance your shopping. Some sites won’t give you access unless you accept their cookies. Others give only limited service to users who refuse their cookies. To refuse all cookies or demand individual notification of them if you prefer that your Web activity not to be tracked....* In Internet Explorer, pull down the "Tools" menu and click on "Internet Options." Click on the "Privacy" tab...click "Advanced"....then click the appropriate box under "Cookies." In AOL, go to "My AOL,"select "Preferences," then "WWW," which opens "Internet Options." Then select "Security", click on "Internet", then "Custom Level" and scroll down to "Cookies." *Instructions given are for PCs. Macintosh users should consult the "Help" files for their Internet browsers. – Dana Blankenhorn, internet consultant, a-clue.com, Atlanta

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A way to cut costs of more serious conditions: Lose some weight. The U.S. is officially the fattest country in the world, with an obesity rate among adults of 34.3% in 2006. Mexico is second (30%) and the U.K., third (24%). That’s sure to mean a higher prevalence of illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma, which have been linked to obesity. Medical experts worry, but so far, there’s no national policy on how to encourage healthier lifestyles. Make a New Year’s Resolution to buy Union! Union-made goods and services are available online for the public to view and buy. The new Union Label and Service Trades Department of the AFL-CIO website now features links to union-made items that you can purchase online. According to the U.S. Department of the Census, personal consumer spending on items like clothes, toothpaste, food, etc., accounts for 68% (or $6.8 trillion) of the wealth created annually in the U.S. Image the impact if just a fraction of those dollars goes towards products made by our union brothers and sisters. You can save money and jobs by clicking on www.shopunionmade.org. Current offerings on the site include clothes, shoes, computers, sporting goods, toys, games, travel, and much, much more. Buying union means that you’re taking responsibility for what your dollars do, where your products are coming from, and it also invests in good jobs for U.S. communities. Take a stand...make a difference...buy union!

Second Call for Nominations in Teachers Retirement Board Election The Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) has issued a second call for nominations in a Teachers Retirement Board (TR Board) election.

The TR Board advises ETF Board on retirement and other benefit matters involving public school, vocational, state and university teachers; acts on administrative rules and authorizes or terminates teacher disability benefits and hears disability benefit appeals. Nine of the 13 members are directly elected.

The terms of current TR Board members Wayne McCaffery and Dennis Panicucci expire in May. They are not eligible to seek reelection for the two active teacher participant seats on the Board. Any active public school teacher participant of the Wisconsin Retirement System (outside of the Milwaukee Public School District) may request nomination papers by contacting Cindy Gilles, board election coordinator, Department of Employee Trust Funds, P.O. Box 7931, Madison, WI 53707-7931. E-mail: cindy.gilles@etf.state.wi.us.

Completed nomination papers must be returned to ETF by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 27, 2009. Voting will take place in April. The winner will serve a five-year term.

For more information, go to etf.wi.gov.

ESP Mentoring Manual—Supporting Our Own: A Manual for ESP Mentoring Programs is an on-line manual designed to help local associations and school districts to plan and implement mentoring programs specifically for and by ESP. Accompanying materials, downloadable as PDF files, can help program administrators prepare mentors for their important roles. The complete print version of this manual can also be downloaded from the “NEA Resources for ESP” section at www.nea.org

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Board of Directors Meeting—January 9-10, 2009 By Stephanie Malaney, WEAC Board Representative

REPORTS Mary Bell, President Statements in the newspapers and other media about attacks on educators, retirement packages, etc. One specific example was WASB’ s Executive Director, John Ashley’s editorial that QEO should remain in place because teacher compensation packages rise more than 4% each year which leaves districts unable to manage their budgets. WEAC is monitoring the media and determining when it is best to respond. Article on Wisconsin Way in Post Crescent. The printed information is only a Blueprint- is not recommendations or endorsements but topics for discussion. It is a collection or categories of ideas. At this time everything is on the table. The question will be how it is debated, deliberated, and organized around. President Bell spent some time responding to concerns brought up during open microphone. As we try to move our priorities forward we use coalitions who do not always agree with us on everything. In addition, we are forming new and unusual coalitions like the Wisconsin Way made up of realtors and county leadership. Since not all members have the exact same viewpoints we can only do work on issues we agree upon. Using coalitions is challenging work, but necessary if we are to be at the table for discussions. Betsy Kippers, Secretary/Treasurer Dues Structure update is that is continues to be challenging to collect information on ESP salaries. The unexpected outcome of gathering this ESP information is how valuable it has become for their bargains. Dan Burkhalter, Executive Director Dan reported out on the status of our 5 priorities. The two priorities that WEAC leadership and members have donated the most time on to date is health care and school funding. A third priority is membership involvement which is headed by Nathan Harper which is currently gathering information and then developing a plan with activities to achieve this priority. As part of communicating with members, the WEAC webpage is being recreated with a new look coming the first part of February partly due to be compatible with newer technology. UniServs will be linked, but will continue to use their current format. Our Health Care Principles states that “Our union believes all Wisconsin residents should have guaranteed access to affordable health care that protects choice of providers and the quality of services, providing security for Wisconsin’s families.” The benefits are that every Wisconsin resident should have access to preventive, diagnostic, routine and catastrophic care as well as health care coverage in Wisconsin must not be denied based on age, health status, occupation or pre-existing condition. Cost containment strategies must be implemented that reduce and contain costs to assure affordable coverage for all individuals and employers. Individuals, employers and government must be required to pay their fair share. In addition full, free, and fair collective bargaining rights must be established which will allow unions to negotiate over both supplemental coverage beyond that provided by the universal plan, as well as a share of the saving from health care reform. Phase 1 was around best practices within WEAC as well as state and national. Tool Kits available on weac.org/healthcare, engaging leadership for input/feedback, focus on me and my stories, and best practice in engaging members. Phase 2 was identifying union previous positions/efforts to help develop draft principles. Phase 3 is moving to action and mobilizing our members. School Funding Reform WEAC will be involved in launching school network plan. There were nine partners in the coalition with one recently dropping out but stayed through the development process. The statement from the coalition is promoting equitable funding. The school network has a logo, process for releasing information procedure, website, and brochure. Information will be released through UniServs and local associations involving community outreach, grassroots lobbying, and briefs on legislation. It will be early February before information is shared with newspapers. WEAC has been instrumental in getting the work done in the coalition because we have more staff. Ten cities are targeted for the major media markets. Hiring of General Consul The process of hiring is continuing after not finding a match in the first round of interviews. The position of General Consul requires expertise in laws covering corporate, labor, and school funding as well as being able to manage the legal department of WEAC.

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Board of Directors Meeting (continued) Bob Burke, Government Relations We are in a more favorable position to move forward our priorities. The three top Legislative Priorities are comprehensive school funding reform as our top, lobbying on state budget, and lobbying for federal assistance. Members have become active in moving our priorities forward. NEA Directors Several of Wisconsin’s representatives in Congress are well-positioned to effect change. Several NEA Directors attended Congressman Obey’s Committee hearing in December featuring three governors including Governor Doyle. One of the most dramatic bits of testimony came from John Corzine of New Jersey. He said his state had so many new unemployment claims he had to reassign 150 people from other departments to deal with the claims. NEA Directors were sent to Capitol Hill to lobby on two topics: a new economic stimulus package to include fiscal relief for states, increases in IDEA funding, nutrition assistance to name a few and increases. NEA Board Members selected five top legislative priorities: Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind), health care reform, 21st Century skills, education funding/appropriations, economic stimulus package, and pension issues (GPO-WEP). Education Votes thanks members for all their hard work around the country. NEA help to elect a pro-education president, a Senate which now has 56 Democrats-41 Republicans-2 Independents, and the House of Representatives has 257 Democrats-147 Republicans. NEA was successful in defeating 15 of 19 ballot initiatives that were anti-worker and anti-public education in Colorado, Oregon, South Dakota, and Massachusetts. The Education Votes focused on target your message, place education in dominant framework, be prepared to use more pointed negatives and layering communications. 2008 voter program was in part more successful than 2004 because of the increased ESP voters. NEA representatives met on Friday, November 11, 2008 with Obama’s transition team. It is hopeful that being invited to this meeting suggests that the incoming administration will be more inclusive than the previous one. Two additional meetings were set with Linda Darling Hammond and the process team. The choice of Arne Duncan, who has headed Chicago’s school system for 7 years, has a mixed record on issues of interest to NEA members. WEA Trust There will be some readjustment of administration as employees leave. The Trust rates will remain for next year. 2008 CAHPS Results CAHPS is a tool for comparing health plans using the same standard in the survey. It is administered by an independent vendor certified by NCQA (National Committee for Quality Assurance). 1,100 randomly selected Trust health plan members received the survey. The response rate was 58.5%. The WEA Trust rated the third highest in the nation. Areas they rated the best on were health plan rating, health care rating, personal doctor rating, customer service, claims processing, getting needed care, getting care quickly, and doctors communicate well. Retirement Funds The economy has caused a 2.5 -3% lost on the core fund or what use to be known as the fixed. Variable funds experienced a loss of 36-40%. The percentage of lost will come off dividends. Last year the core fund or fixed had a 5.6-5.8% increase. This is on effecting annuities of retired members. Action Items Recommended Candidates by the Interview Committee and Board of Directors were approved by the board with up to $8600 from PAC funds available only after WEAC members vote in favor of the candidates. Members should expect a mailing soon.

State Superintendent of Schools – Tony Evers State Supreme Court – Shirley Abrahamson Court of Appeals District III –no recommendations Approval of Our Health Care Principals Endorsement of Kay Hanson for ESP NEA Director at Large Approval of WEAC/AFT Interaction Committee-possibly of additional members From Contingency Fund · $3000 to Louisiana Educators for Hurricane relief with funding distributed using NEA-HIN guidelines · $10,000 to Institute for Wisconsin’s Futures · $2500 for WI Alliance for Retired Americans.

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID WI ED. ASSN.

COUNCIL

Wisconsin Education Association Council-Fox Valley 921 West Association Drive Appleton, WI 54914-7250 (920) 731-1369

The Propeller can be accessed on our website at www.weac.org/weacfoxvalley under Members Only.

Mary Block of Little Chute Earns Certification Mary is one of 74 teachers across Wisconsin to become certified in 2008 which is

part of 9,600 teachers across the country—Congratulations Mary!