NEWSOctober 2010 Volume 52 No. 2

Loudoun Teachers ‘Work to the Rule’A

fter three consecutive years with no pay raise—and being forced to take two unpaid furlough days this year—

Loudoun teachers have said, “Enough.” Beginning September 13, Loudoun employees organized by the Loudoun Education Associa-tion (LEA) started to “Work to the Rule” to highlight all the extra work they regularly do outside their contracted school day—and to send a message to those holding the school budget’s purse strings. LEA represents more than 3,300 teachers and support profes-sionals. LEA President Sandy Sullivan said a member survey found that Work to the Rule was ranked as one of the top options for responding to the funding decisions made the past several years by the county Board of Supervisors. The board has consistently shortchanged Loudoun educa-tors and, just before the campaign launched, the board refused to issue funds to erase

the planned furlough days, even though operational savings had been found to cover the cost. “The many hours of ‘above

Published by the V

irginia Education Association

116 South Third StreetR

ichmond, VA

23219

Virginians Back Educators in PollBy large majorities, Virginians are con-

cerned about school budget cuts and the subsequent loss of teaching positions, according to a VEA poll that also found that the public believes Virginia teachers ought to be paid at least to the national average. According to the web-based survey carried out in August, 87 percent of Virginians voiced concern over the loss of full-time teaching positions. Nearly as many said they worried about possible elimination of classwork in music, art, and physical education. Three in four worried about possible cuts to ESP jobs. The survey was conducted among a representative sampling of Virginians and was completed by 504 adults, with a margin of error of 4.4 percent. Coming as local school 4

2 Fresh Start for VEA VEA has high hopes for the future, says President Kitty Boitnott.

3 Register for SPARKS New(er) members: be sure to check out our SPARKS conference at Wintergreen.

3 Locals Add Web SitesLocal Associations around the state are getting online with help from Blogger.

3 Ask a VEA AttorneyIf you’re facing furlough days, be sure to read our analysis of the implications.

Phot

os o

f Sul

livan

and

LEA

but

tons

by

John

O’N

eil. A

rt b

y Th

inkS

tock

.

Loudoun Education Association President Sandy Sullivan (top) said the work-to-the-rule campaign follows a pay cut ordered this school year. “We can no longer do more and more with less and less,” she said. For more, go to www.leaweteach.org.

Public Recognizes Damage Caused by Budget Cuts

The percentage of Virginians who say the following results of budget cuts would concern them:

• Eliminating full-time teachers 87%• Eliminating instruction in music, art, and physical education 84% • Eliminating ESPs 78%• Increasing allowable class sizes 75%• Delaying or eliminating purchase of textbooks and learning materials 73%• Postponing building maintenance 69%

• Delaying construction or renovation projects 57%

NBCTs, Read OnBecause the Virginia Department of Education

has changed its procedures, national board certifi ed teachers (NBCTs) need to take action im-mediately to make sure their school division knows if they are eligible for National Board Incentive Awards. In the past, the state education department required NBCTs to submit their own paperwork verifying their employment status in order to receive the incentive award. This year, the school division will submit this information. So it’s impera-tive that you make sure your school division is aware of your NBCT status and has a copy of the NBCT license. For more, go to www.veanea.org/classroom/nbct-2010-09-08.html.

and beyond’ work that all school employees have done in the past cannot be sustained on diminished resources,” said Sullivan. At a rally on September 13 to kick off the cam-paign, more than 100 LEA members gathered to learn more about it. VEA Presi-dent Kitty Boitnott was one

of several speakers invited to buoy the spirits of LEA members as they undertook the work ac-tion. “We must start speaking up for ourselves and our families, and we also owe it to students to say, ‘enough already,’” said Boitnott. “They don’t deserve to receive a second-rate educa-tion at just the time when they need to be more globally competitive than ever. They need to be given the best education money can buy, and it can be done: it means reorganizing our priorities, providing full funding for our schools, and having the political will to do what needs to be done.” “We will make it clear to the community, clear to the Board of Supervisors, that ‘We’re worth more,’” added Sullivan, quoting the campaign’s slogan. “While our salaries have been cut, more is being added to our jobs every day. More

expectations, more challenges…. We can no longer do more and more with less and less,” she said. Loretta Hall, who attended the kickoff rally, said she had just begun her 39th year of teaching. She’s never in that time been forced to take an unpaid fur-lough day. And she said she’s worried the stagnant pay and escalating demands will push employees away from Loudoun public schools. “We need good teachers!” she said. “But with declining 4

i

NEWS2

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

A Fresh Start for Schools, and VEAAs I traveled around the state in August

attending employee orientations, visiting with local leaders and staff, and helping out with membership recruitment, I was fi lled

with a sense of excitement and anticipation about the possibilities of a new school year—and a revitalized VEA.

As for the source of

excitement and anticipation, there

is no doubt that there is something special about the beginning of a new school year. Ours is the only profession that allows us to put a punctuation mark on one school year—whether it was good, bad, orindifferent—and then, after a break of either a few weeks or a couple of months, come back to start all over with a new set of students, new goals, and a chance for a fresh start—a clean slate—for everyone concerned, from children to parents to teachers and even administrators. There is no excitement like that of the fi rst day of school when everyone is feeling the potential inherent in new beginnings. You can feel the energy when in the midst of it. This year, I have good reason to be fi lled with excite-ment and hope for the future of the Virginia Education Associa-tion because we are also starting fresh with our new executive director, Philip Forgit, at the helm. If you haven’t had a chance to read the interview Philip gave when he started his new job a few weeks ago, I urge you to do so. (See www.veanea.org/press-room/forgit-interview-2010-08-13.html.) In that interview, Philip talks about his commit-ment to our need to organize and how an organizing mindset needs to fl ow through our entire organization. In my opinion, Philip is just what the doctor ordered for the VEA. He is energetic, has great ideas, and he is absolutely dedi-cated to creating a true culture of organizing for our Association. Philip agrees with me (something I always appreciate!) that we need to build a strong and viable Association Representative (AR) structure in each and every building in the Commonwealth if we are to build a strong and viable organization. We can

recruit members all we want, but once our new members get back into their buildings, they need the support of a knowledgeable and committed AR who can assist them when they have questions and steer them in the right direction if and when they need help.

Pensions and Performance PayWhile I’m excited about the new school year, I admit that I feel a little anxious as I think about the upcoming General Assembly session and consider all of the things that are happening in the world around us that will ultimately

impact our education profession and those who work in our schools every day. It is no secret that public pension plans are currently being scrutinized as never before. There is a growing sentiment among lawmakers, bloggers, and those who help shape public opinion that the day of the public pension plan has passed. These critics want to eliminate the public’s responsibil-ity to those who dedicate their careers to public service. And they suggest each person should become his or her own pensionplanner. Our members—especially our younger members—should beware of the simplicity of the message that is being directed at them. While it is true that some have been able to manage their own individual retirement accounts when times were good, most of those with 401(k) plans were battered during the market downturn in the past few years. Many closing in on retirement age face the

unenviable choice of either continu-ing to work long after their planned retirement age or accepting a much smaller nest egg to live on. The VEA is committed to protecting our Virginia Retire-ment System to the extent possible from those who would use that fund for balancing the

state budget on the backs of our dedicated public workers—those who have chosen to work in the public sector and have, therefore, not earned the salaries that might have been earned in the private sector. State and public education

employees have foregone higher pay with the an-ticipation that, at the end of a long and dedicated career, a safe if not overly generous

Dr. Kitty Boitnott

www.veanea.org

NEWSwww. v e a n e a . o r g

Philip Forgit, Executive DirectorWilliam Johnson, Communications DirectorJohn O’Neil, EditorLisa Sale, Graphic DesignerTom Allen, Contributing Editor

USPS 020-535VEA News is published six times per year inSeptember, October, November, January, March, and May by the Virginia Education Association at 116 South Third Street, Richmond, VA 23219.Annual subscription rate: $10.00.

Postmaster: Send address changes to VEA News, Virginia Education Association, 116 South Third Street, Richmond, VA 23219

The VEA is going to be monitoring efforts at the state level to create a merit pay or pay-for-performance plan that individual school systems will eventually be allowed to adopt.

(and it is not overly generous in spite of what some might try to tell you) pension that will last a lifetime as opposed to ending when the money runs out. We will stand behind them. The VEA is also going to be monitoring efforts at the state level to create a merit pay or pay-for-performance plan that individual school systems will eventually be allowed to adopt. We were able to gain seven VEA representatives on the work group that is studying a new evaluation model for teachers, and our voices will be heard throughout the discussion as we advocate on behalf of our members. It is going to be a busy year fi lled with challenges and opportunities. Once again, I ask that our members rally together and work collectively to make this a great school year for our children and a great year for the VEA. Together we can successfully meet all of the challenges facing us, and we can create new opportunities for a stronger VEA.

Kitty J. Boitnott, Ph D., NBCT

Because we value your membership, we’d like you to have two free magazines offered through NEA Member Benefi ts. No catch, just a year of enjoying publications like Instructor, Harper’s, or even Motor Trend.

Two magazines, for the price of…none.

Take advantage of this benefi t today at www. neamag.com/thankyou.

NEWS 3

Local Associations Launch Web SitesKellie Blair Hardt, vice-

president of the Manas-sas Education Association (MEA), was looking for ways to better communicate about her Association’s status and accomplishments when she attended VEA’s Local Presi-dents training at Wintergreen in May. She attended a session on setting up an Association web site using “Blogger” and, just a few months later,www.manassaseducation association.org was off and running. After a brief tutorial delivered by VEA Communi-cations staff, Hardt was loading content to the web site like a seasoned pro. In the late summer and fall, she posted a slideshow of MEA members at work at the NEA convention, updated her colleagues on back-to-school messages from the MEA president, Janice Mernin, and set up new links to instructional resources. MEA’s site has already gotten nearly 1,000 pageviews. “Once I learned the basics, designing the site was quick, easy, and fun,” says Hardt. “I wanted to explore it to make it very appeal-ing to members and nonmembers.” Among the features she’s added are current events, archived newsletters, photos from MEA happenings, and information about school board meetings. “All in a few clicks,” she says, modestly. Manassas is not alone. This year, a partial list of local Associations that have created new web sites using Blogger include Augusta (www.myacea.org), Floyd (http://fl oydeducationassociation.blogspot.com), Fredericksburg (www.fredericksburgea.org), Henry (http://hceaveanea.blogspot.com), Loudoun (http://loudounea.blogspot.com), Manassas (www.manassas

educationassociation.org), Mathews (www.mathewseducationassociation.blogspot.com), Nottoway (http://notto wayeducationassociation.blogspot.com), Pulaski (http://pulaskiea.blogspot.com), and Stafford (www.staffordeducationassociation.org). Some, but not all of them, received training from VEA Communications prior to launching their site. Blogger offers several advantages. The web hosting is free ($10 annually is charged if you want a custom domain name without “blogspot” in the title), the design is clean and simple to maintain, and posting news items is as easy as web publishing can be. One especially useful feature Blogger offers is posting via e-mail. This feature means a local leader could update the web site automati-cally simply by sending an email with the new content. Could your local Association benefi t from a simple web site? If you think so, contact John O’Neil in VEA Communications at joneil@veanea.org. Please include your name, local Association, your role or offi ce, and your personal email address. We can conduct training over the phone or, in some cases, on site.

www.veanea.org

Q

A

I am pleased to be returning to my teaching job but confused about being furloughed. When will I be out of work? Will my pay be cut? How much? Will the cut be permanent?

DEAR VEA MEMBER: The local school board employing you decides the nitty-gritty details such as the number of days teachers are furloughed. But the State Superintendent of Public Instruction provided guidance about furloughs in an August 20, 2010, Memorandum to Division Superintendents. The State Superintendent explained that furloughs are temporary and invol-untary leaves of absence without pay justifi ed by fi nancial exigency. Reducing the number of days school employees work reduces the amount employees are paid. The savings allows the school board to comply with state law and stay within the amount appropriated for schools by your city council or county supervisors. Your school division must provide students with 180 days or 990 hours of instruction to continue receiving state funding. Furloughs cannot reduce instruc-tional time. But your teaching contract obligates you beyond the time you spend delivering instruction. Regulations by the State Board of Education set 200 days as the standard length of a teacher contract including:• One hundred and eighty teach-

ing days or 990 instructional hours (minimum required by law);

• Ten days for activities such as teaching, planning for the opening of school, evaluation, completing records and reports incident to the closing of each se-mester or school year, committee assignments, and conferences;

• Ten days for a continuation of activities under subdivisions 1 and 2 of this section, and such other

activities as may be assigned or approved by the local school board. Guidance from the State Superintendent allows local school boards to furlough school employees up to 10 days in a single contract/school year. Teachers will still deliver and be paid for 180 days or 990 hours of instruction and will perform and be paid for 10 days of related activities. But the

school board can furlough teachers without pay for up to

10 additional days. Each day of furlough reduces a teacher’s salary by

1/200 with a maximum reduction of 1/20 of the annual salary. Any cut in pay hurts. Still the furlough guidance specifi es that school divisions should not adjust contributions to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) or change the salary reported to VRS for purposes of retirement and group insur-ance. The guidelines state: “Employees’ service credit and salary information reported to the Virginia Retirement System may not be adjusted for the unpaid furlough time. This will ensure that an employee’s average creditable com-pensation for retirement and life insurance benefi ts will not be adversely affected and ensures that VRS receives the requisite contributions to fund these benefi ts.” Following the guidance of the State Superintendent, local school boards can furlough to save money but not change VRS contributions, offering a slight but important advantage to the teachers. Contact your local Association President and UniServ Director for more information about whether your school board is imposing temporary furloughs, for how many days, and how that will affect your pay. Find out whether schools are closed and access to school comput-ers denied on designated furlough days. And work with Association colleagues before the local school board, govern-ing body and state legislature to improve school funding and teacher compensation in the years ahead.

— Dena Rosenkrantz, VEA Attorney

LEGAL ADVICE: ASK A VEA ATTORNEY

Facebook Fan Flips Over VideocameraMichelle Smith of the Tazewell Educa-

tion Association is our winner! Smith, a special education teacher, was one of the fi rst 2,500 “Fans” of the VEA Facebook page. She was chosen at random and won a new Flip HD Video camera. A few days later, she was back on VEA’s Facebook page, posting: “Thank you so much for the Flip HD video camera that I won. I received it on Tuesday and used it that same evening at my son’s football game. What a wonderful way to start my school year.”

Could you be our next Facebook winner? We’ll be giving away another great prize when VEA reaches 3,500 fans. We’ll announce the prize soon on Facebook. To learn more or to sign up as a fan, just go to www.facebook.com/VirginiaEducationAssociation. Tell your colleagues to sign up, too!

Phot

o of

Har

dt b

y Jo

hn O

’Nei

l. Oth

er a

rt b

y Th

inks

tock

.

Sign Up for Unique SPARKS ExperienceAre you a teacher

or other school employee with fi ve or fewer years of experience on the job? If so, consider taking part in our unique VEA SPARKS weekend, to be held February 25-27, 2011, at the Winter-green Ski Resort (near Charlottesville). Through VEA SPARKS, you’ll learn skills and make connections with other members that will help you in your job as well as assist in your understanding of the Association. And it’s free! (You do have to pay your own transportation and submit a $50 refundable deposit.) Kristen Crum, a 3rd grade teacher and member of the Northumberland County Education Association, attended SPARKS last year. “It was wonderful to know that you are not standing alone in facing the day-to-day

trials of a new teacher,” she said. “Lots of people shared great ideas, and in fact, we still keep in touch through e-mail.” SPARKS is not a one-size-fi ts-all program. VEA staff will survey you prior to the weekend to fi nd out what you want to learn. So the content will be relevant. And

we’ll keep in touch after the weekend is over. Interested? Don’t delay—applications must be received no later than December 13, 2010. For more information, contact VEA’s Sonia Lee at 116 South 3rd St., Richmond, VA 23219; 804-775-8333; slee@veanea.org. To watch a video clip of SPARKS 2009 or to download an application form, go to www.veanea.org/top-stories/vea-sparks-2011-retreat.html.

Kellie Blair Hardt updates the Manassas Education Association’s web site. After attending VEA training, she launched the site on Blogger over the summer.

trials of a new teacher,” she said. “Lots of people shared great ideas, and in fact, we still keep in touch through e-mail.” SPARKS is not a one-size-fi ts-all program. VEA staff will survey you prior to the weekend to fi nd out what you want to learn. So the content will be relevant. And Wintergreen skiing was great last year!

salaries and furlough days, we’re going to lose them.” She added that she already sees evidence that morale among school staff is suf-fering. Earlier, the fi rst day of the campaign found Vicki Petrosky and some 30 other teachers gathering outside their workplace, Little River Elementary, prior to the school’s opening. Most wore black. When the time to go to work arrived, they entered the building together. “It was a show of force on the fi rst day,” said Petrosky, who also serves on the LEA board. She said that she and her fellow educators need to begin educating the public. “We need to tell the public why we’re doing this, and what needs to happen to avoid facing another budget situation like this in the future.” The Loudoun campaign is scheduled to run over three peri-ods this school year: September 13-24, November 3-19,and February 22-March 4, 2011. For more about the LEA’s action, go to www.leaweteach.org. To watch videos of the primary speakers at the LEA rally, go to www.vimeo.com/vea/videos. To view a slideshow of photos, head over to www.fl ickr.com/photos/veacomm.

NEWS4

Loudoun Teachers ‘Work to the Rule’ ... continued from page 1

www.veanea.org

Loud

oun

phot

o by

John

O’N

eil. S

taffo

rd p

hoto

cou

rtes

y of

SEA

. Art

by

Thin

kSto

ck.

LEA member Matthew Gallelli passes out literature at September rally.

divisions struggle with sharply declining state funding and prop-erty tax revenues, the poll results show Virginians are deeply concerned about maintaining school quality. More than eight in 10 predicted that layoffs of experienced teachers will have a “signifi cant negative effect” on the quality of public schools. Dr. Kitty Boitnott, VEA president, commented on the poll fi ndings: “The loss of teaching positions, combined with reduced course offerings and increased class sizes, are alarming at a time when schools are expected to perform to higher standards.” The poll provides other evidence of Virginians’ support for school employees. More than two in three respondents said teacher salaries should meet or exceed the national average. (Virginia teacher currently make an average of $48,365, nearly $6,000 under the national average.) And only 10 percent agreed with a statement that “teachers have an easier job than I do” (63 percent disagreed). Looking at public schools more broadly, seven of 10 said public schools in Virginia provide a quality education. An equal share said public school education in Virginia “needs major improvements in some areas.” For more poll results, go to www.veanea.org/press-room/current-news.html.

The percentage of Virginians who agreed or strongly agreed with the following statements:

The ability to hire and retain quality teachers is directly related to the level of salary offered 76%

To attract good teachers, Virginia teacher salaries should be at least at or above the Mid-Atlantic states’ average 83%

The public school system in Virginia is losing too many good teachers to other states or professions 57%

Membership Drives Welcome New Faces VEA Airs Public Radio Spots VEA just concluded a highly successful back-to-school

public radio campaign that reminded Virginians about the important work you do. Virginia’s dedicated public educators were featured across the state during VEA’s new public radio advertising campaign that ran during August and September. The VEA sponsorships aired primarily during drive times on the state’s four largest public radio station/networks. The messages ran on popular programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, as well as Car Talk (on Saturday) and other public news and public service programming. For most stations, the sponsorship line announced, “This program is

supported by the Virginia Education As-sociation, the men and women working in Virginia’s public schools. VEA—Teaching. Learning. Leading. On the web at V-E-A-N-E-A dot ORG.” We plan to continue public radio sponsorship activities at various points this year. For more, go to www.veanea.org/top-stories/radio-2010-08-12.html.

What does Work to the Rule mean in Loudoun? Here’s the guidance LEA is giving members:

Hourly employees should work only their paid hours and not do any unpaid duty, such as car/bus duty.

Salaried employees should plan to work only the contracted 7-7.5 hours per day. Principals or other supervisors may schedule duties or meetings outside that time, but only “as necessary for the proper functioning of the school.” Back-to-School Night, bus duty, and staff meetings are activities that have been determined to meet these requirements.

When asked to perform additional duties outside the contract hours, LEA is advising members to state that they are “not available to do that.” If the supervisor

makes it a directive by stating “you must attend” or something similar, the employee should ask that the directive be put in writing, follow the order, and notify LEA. LEA will see if there are grounds to fi le a grievance.

Sandy Sullivan, LEA president, emphasized that Work to the Rule is meant to send the message that schools deserve adequate funding. “We will be challenged by individuals who say that our actions are selfi sh, that we are more focused on our wallets than our students. Things will be said in order to make us feel guilty. But there is no guilt to be felt in speaking up for ourselves and our students. There is no need to apolo-gize for standing up and expecting our voices to be heard and our school system to be appropriately funded.” For more, contact LEA, 19465 Deerfi eld Ave., Suite 206, Lansdowne, VA 20176; 703-858-7700 (tel); 703-858-7712 (fax).

LEA member Matthew Gallelli passes

Adelle Nofziger, being helped by Stafford Education Association (SEA) President Jannette Martin, is one of SEA’s newest members. SEA membership topped 1,200 in September for the fi rst time ever.

During August and September, VEA and Local Association

members and staff made huge efforts to make sure Virginia school employ-ees were welcomed and invited to join their professional organization. And the membership campaigns yielded many fi rst-time members. In Arlington, for example, 82 out of the 130 new teachers attending the new teacher orientation became members. Loudoun recruited 106 new members at the school division’s employee orientation and 34 more transportation employees signed up at a district orientation event. Stafford

added 96 new members and passed the 1,200 mark in membership for the fi rst time ever. Local Association members, supported by their UniServ Directors, led the way to the successes statewide. Their efforts were strengthened by the addition of VEA headquarters staff who were deployed to help with recruitment and organizing. VEA has created a new blog

focused on membership called “Our Next Member.” Learn more about VEA’s newest members at www.ournextmember.com.

Virginians Back Educators in Poll ... continued from page 1