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What a way to start the year! It was a very challenging opening of the school year. First we had a hurricane at the end of August that left some of us with flooding, massive clean-ups and losses, then the first day of school we were faced with technology issues that made it very difficult to do our jobs, and then in October we had a snow storm which again left many of our members without power for days. Hopefully we have seen all the bad weather for the year and will have a calm winter.
I hope that you have all checked your paychecks to make sure that you are being paid correctly. The increase in the pension deductions to 6.5% began on October 1. If there is a problem you need to contact me.
NJEA conducted a survey of the public, members and their own staff. The results gave NJEA leadership a good idea of how the public and members view them and based on those results NJEA has began to make changes to meet the needs of their members. The results indicated that members view NJEA as an insurance policy; similar to something that is needed but not used until things become catastrophic. In this NewsBEAt there is a lengthy article written by NJEA on education reform. I hope you all read it because it will address the issues that are important to us as educators and show how NJEA is going to take the lead on these reforms.
We all feel the impact of the 1.5% deduction for healthcare costs in our paycheck every month. This is not going away and next year the impact may even be a greater. This is the law and the way new law reads we are stuck with it for a few years. That is why your vote is very important. I want to thank all of you that voted. The message was clear throughout New Jersey that we cannot afford to have any more laws passed that impact our paychecks. We need politicians that are friends of education to be elected and we need a voice with these legislators so that they understand the devastating impact that these changes mean to us. One of the impacts that our members are feeling related to the healthcare law is when they are out on leave. If you are on (Family Medical Leave Act) FMLA you are still responsible to pay the 1.5% each month for health insurance coverage. When you are out on FMLA you do not get paid, but your health insurance is covered for 90 days; that is why the law was created to maintain health coverage. But in NJ public employees are still required to pay the 1.5% contribution to healthcare costs as required by law whether you are getting paid or not because you are continuing to get insurance coverage while out of work. This is causing a hardship for some of our members because it is difficult to pay the 1.5% when you are not getting a paycheck. This issue was brought up to NJEA and they confirmed that Boards of Education are within their rights to collect the 1.5% while employees are on leave because it is the law.
So next time you wonder where some of our dues money goes, remember all the legal services that we are requesting from NJEA attorneys because of all the new laws and regulations coming from the State. Every time there is a new law or regulation passed we get a legal opinion through NJEA. Which brings me to the new policy for signing in and signing out that the Board is proposing. The association has been asked for input into the system. Some of the building association representatives have volunteered to be part of this meeting which hasn’t been scheduled to date.
Mr. Kaplan came to the November Rep Council meeting. He was asked to explain what the Board is planning since there are so many rumors floating around. He explained that the Board is looking at a swipe system with your ID card and finger recognition system which measures the density of your finger that identifies you to the system (it is not a fingerprint). He also stated that there is nothing written and no system has been purchased yet. He answered questions that reps had. The one thing that was clear is that the current sign in/out system will change. It sounds like the ID/finger system provided by ADP is the one being seriously considered; he did say that the association will be included in the presentation by ADP. I asked NJEA for a legal opinion on the information regarding the ID and finger recognition system as I described; the opinion was that there is nothing illegal about this system and that the Board is within their rights to implement such a system. We will have to wait and see what the final decision and policy is and when the implementation will begin. Mr. Kaplan had an open forum with the reps at the meeting and he responded to all their questions.
This is also the time for evaluations to begin. Please remember that if you receive anything in writing that is negative you need to respond with a rebuttal in writing. The evaluation process is clear in the contract. Please review it and if you have questions ask your building reps or call the office. The administrator must comply with the timelines in the contract.
There are 11 districts that are piloting the new teacher evaluation system developed by the State. The goal was to pilot the system this school year and then roll it out to all districts next year. Acting Commissioner of Education Cerf just released a memo stating that as part of this pilot the State in on track to develop Student Growth Percentiles (SGP) by next September for each student, teacher and school in the state in grades 4 – 8 in LA and Math. The teacher evaluation system will continue to be a pilot for next school year with the statewide roll out to all schools planned for the 2013-14 school year. It sounds like the system is very cumbersome to administrators and teachers and needs some refinement before it becomes mandatory for all.
I would like to congratulate Cynthia Brown, Special Education Paraprofessional at the NBMS and Executive Committee Member at Large for being chosen as the MCEA ESP of the Year. This is very exciting for New Brunswick. Cynthia’s name will now move forward to NJEA where she has a good chance of being awarded as the NJEA ESP of the Year. Congratulations Cynthia, we are all so proud of you!
I hope you and your families enjoy a wonderful, healthy holiday season. See you in the New Year!