Volume 36, Issue 3 United in Excellence Spring 2015 IN THIS ISSUE A Message from Our President 1 Wall of Honor 2 Committee Reports 3-5 Maternity LOA 6 PRIDE 7 Philanthropic Events 7 MBOS 8 Contract Corner 9 Retiree Corner 10 District Retirement Celebration 10 Cheers and Tears 11 Staff Awards 12 SAVE THE DATES Cheers and Tears 11 March 24th Spring “Get Lucky” Social March 27th NJEA Winter Leadership Conference March 31st EBEF Partners in Excellence Dinner April 1st EBEA Elections March came in like a lion and we can only hope it goes out like a lamb. The month of March provided new challenges for our members. Our English and math teachers received SGP scores which changed their annual summative rating, PARCC tests were administered for the first time to our students, pension reform ideas were discussed by our governor and NJEA leadership, and our vehicle drivers, custodians, maintenance and grounds workers had to navigate numerous wintery conditions in order to provide a safe environment for students and staff. March certainly has been a lioness month! Every February SGP scores are released and need to be verified to the state in March. For this school year, SGP scores count for 30% of the teacher’s annual summative rating. Next year, the SGP score will decrease to 10% of the annual summative rating. Eighth grade math scores will not count for the 2014-15 school year as there is not enough reliable date due to the PARCC test. I encourage our members to continue to view resources under the “evaluation page” of the EBEA website – www.my.ebea.org. You will need to use your NJEA user id (found on your NJEA card) and your password is the last four digits of your social security number if you have not changed it. The new PARCC tests created anxiety for many as this new examination system required our members to experience a new test setting. I would like to applaud our members for approaching this test with a professional attitude. Your professionalism in administering and preparing for this test is another example of what makes the East Brunswick Public schools a “Blue Ribbon” district. Certainly the PARCC test has numerous potential repercussions on education and on teaching staff. On February 23, 2015 the Assembly voted 63-7 to pass A4190, a bill to stop most high-stakes uses of PARCC for three years. I encourage you to stay informed of current legislation regarding PARCC by visiting www.njea.org or by visiting our website. There are many informative articles on both sites and opportunities for you to use the “take action” button at this link http://www.njea.org/issues-and-political-action/take-action. Please write to your legislators expressing your concerns as an educator. During Governor Christie’s State of the State address, he implied the leadership of NJEA has reached an agreement concerning pensions with the State. Shortly after that statement, Wendell Steinhauer (NJEA President) released a statement explaining this is simply not true. Wendell then attended the Middlesex County President’s meeting to further explain the position of the NJEA leadership regarding pensions. To summarize, the NJEA has two plans, A and B. Plan A is to continue legal action against Governor Christie to ensure he fully funds the pension system. On February 23, 2015 Judge Mary Jacobson ruled Governor Christie must fully fund the pension system and required a $1.57 billion payment by June 2015. Continued on page 2 Volume 36, Issue 3 EBEA Newsletter Page 2 Continued from page 1 The NJEA is working on additional legal action to ensure this happens. However, if underfunding of the pension continues, the pension fund will be bankrupt as of 2027. Therefore, the NJEA leadership began looking at additional options to ensure our members have security in retirement. This is plan B. Plan B would provide a pension freeze at the current rates for all members. Therefore, your pension would be frozen at the current rate. For example, if you are in tier 1 (hired before July 1, 2007) and you have been working for 10 years, your pension formula would be frozen using this calculation: 10 years divided by 55, multiplied by the average of your last 3 years of salary. Your annual pension would be $12, 182. You would receive this amount when you become 55. You then would be immediately placed into a new pension system which would be created based on a constitutional amendment. The constitutional amendment would require full funding of this pension. At retirement you would collect money from both pension systems. Retirees currently collecting a pension would not see a change in their annual pension benefit. Plan B also talks about changes to the State Health Benefits fund which could impact current retirees. The details of Plan B are still being determined. This topic is certainly one that will affect all members. I encourage you to visit the following link on the NJEA website: http://www.njea.org/issues-and-political-action/pensions-andhealth-benefits/penben-resources Please visit this site regularly in order to stay informed. The month of February and the first week of March were certainly unprecedented when it comes to weather. Record snowfall and cold occurred and our custodians and maintenance/grounds workers were provided with incredible challenges. Many of our members worked around the clock to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Kudos to our custodians and maintenance/grounds workers for keeping us safe! As I write this article in mid-March, I am optimistic that March will live up to the old saying and it truly does “go out like a lamb.” I hope for all our members, a restful spring break and renewed energy as we finish out the school year. Thank you for your hard work, continued passion in your daily routines, and for your incredible professionalism you have exhibited during this lioness time. It is certainly an honor to represent all of you! Congratulations to Our 2015 Wall of Honor Honorees Murray Chittick Dr. Paul Kimmel Dr. JoAnn Magistro Barbara Maier Gladys Sroczynski Superintendent, East Brunswick Public Schools Science Teacher, East Brunswick High School Superintendent, East Brunswick Public Schools Social Studies Teacher, East Brunswick High School Secretary, Curriculum Department You are invited to help honor these outstanding individuals at a ceremony on Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. in the Jon R. Kopko Administration Building, 760 Route 18. Volume 36, Issue 3 EBEA Newsletter Page 3 Teacher Evaluation Advisory We are a group of your fellow educators who meet monthly to compile and analyze data from EB teacher observations. We hope to identify trends and share our analysis with you. We will use this data to make sure all our members are being evaluated fairly and to determine future professional development topics. Based on scores from the first semester, we have already discovered the following: • Domain 2a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport. This is our most successful category as a group! We averaged a 3.59! Keep up the good work! • Domain 3a: Communicating with Students. This is another highly successful category. In this Indicator of Domain 3 we averaged a 3.4! Well done! • Domain 1f: Designing Student Assessment. Our average was 3.08 in Domain 1F. Be aware that this is a challenging area in which to earn a 4! This is possibly because a highly effective score in this category is only possible when students have contributed to their own assessments or rubrics. • Domain 3b: Questioning and Discussion Techniques. We have earned a 3.09 average in this category. Continue to develop your questioning techniques through reflection and professional development. Thank you so much to everyone that has supported our cause by submitting your evaluations! Keep the data coming! The second round of observations is already underway, so hopefully you have already shared your first with us. It’s easy to submit electronically through the EBEA website (my-ebea.org), or with a hard copy through interoffice mail. Our work is done without judgment of individuals; it’s about identifying specific observation trends in order to help you prepare for your next evaluation. However, you are more than welcome to white out your name if you wish! Remember, EBEA encourages everyone to write a response to every evaluation! Since this can be a daunting task, we are working to create a pool of sample responses to assist you. Eventually these will be available online, but for now don’t hesitate to ask one of us for help if you need it. EBHS: Liz Soder, Stacey Powers CHJS: Beth Shobe HMS: Jessica DiBenedetti, Joann Mariani, Diane Heilman Irwin: Fatima McKinnon, Lisa Citron Warnsdorfer: Lauren Broderson If you have questions (or would like to represent a school that is not listed), please contact [email protected], or the EBEA office directly and we will try to help in any way possible. But remember, you also need to be proactive and help yourself! The TEAT Committee EBEA Newsletter Volume 36, Issue 3 Page 4 Health & Member Benefits Vision Reimbursement Delta Dental Are You Seeing Clearly Yearly? The plan under East Brunswick allows members to seek treatment with a provider in the Advantage, Premier, and PPO networks. Members should register at www.deltadentalnj.com. At the website you will be able to find a participating dentist, obtain claim forms, check on the status of a claim, obtain benefit and eligibility information, and print additional ID cards. Benefit determinations are based on the calendar year Jan 1 - Dec 31. Our plan allows members to have two (2) cleanings and two (2) exams per calendar year. Keep in mind that during your cleaning if you see the dentist at all you can be billed for an exam and a cleaning during that visit. Emergency or problem oriented visits are covered as long as the visit results in a dental treatment. If no treatment is given the exam is not covered and you will be billed. Participating dentists have agreed to accept the least of their actual charge, their prefiled fee, or Delta Dental maximum allowable fee as payment in full and to not charge patients for amounts in excess of those indicated in the "patient payment" portion of the Explanation of Benefits. Questions? Call 1-800-DELTA-OK (1-800-335-8265) By Charlene Delaney Effective in March of 2007, the Board of Education agreed to provide a vision plan for each employee and covered dependents enrolled in the Board’s medical plan. This vision plan provides up to $100 reimbursement for hardware coverage including frames, lenses, and contact lenses for each covered person per calendar year. Are you taking advantage of this plan? Social Affairs At our Spring “Get Lucky” Social, the EBEA honored 29 members for receiving tenure from September 1st until March 24th. Twelve newly tenured members joined in the fun at the social and were awarded certificates to acknowledge this milestone in their careers. The EBEA congratulates you on this amazing accomplishment, and hopes you feel the freedom to try new techniques within your profession, be open to mentoring others, speak up for the voiceless, be proactive within your schools, and become involved in your Association. On May 6, 2015, join 2 Chicks with Chocolate for a "Painting with Chocolate" class on Rt. 18, East Brunswick. Check back soon for more information - 40 member limit. The EBEA is making arrangements to reserve a picnic area next to the Monmouth Park Raceway track. More information coming soon! EBEA Newsletter Volume 36, Issue 3 Page 5 District Wide Council Scholarship District Wide Council is a forum comprised of members and administrators. It serves as a place where non-grievable district issues can be voiced, discussed, and hopefully remedied. In such a large district with so many locations, job titles, and duties it is important to communicate amongst one another to improve the district's well-being. The Association has two Philanthropic Funds that are awarded annually. The Association is still collecting tax-deductible contributions toward both of these funds: This year, District Wide Council has addressed issues related to substitutes, class coverage, PARCC, student attendance, and changes in board policies. If you have an issue in your building, please make sure you communicate it to your building rep. and/or faculty council as soon as possible. If association leadership finds that problems are arising in multiple locations, it may very well make it to District Wide Council. By Michael Wildermuth • The East Brunswick Philanthropic Scholarship is awarded to an East Brunswick High School Senior pursuing a career in education. Your contribution can be done through payroll deduction, or a one-time donation with checks can be made payable to the EBEA Philanthropic Fund and mailed to the EBEA office. • The Shelli Fishman Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding graduating East Brunswick High School Senior who will be continuing his/her education at a college, university, trade school, technical school or other institution of higher learning. Checks can be made payable to the Shelli Fishman Philanthropic Fund and mailed to the EBEA office. Thank you for your support, Deborah Toth Volume 36, Issue 3 EBEA Newsletter Page 6 Going out on a maternity leave can be a very overwhelming process. The EBEA office is here to help you! Please reach out to Janine Mirenna, EBEA office manager, for information. After you receive the packet of information you can make an appointment to go over the maternity leave process. The following are a few facts about maternity leave. • You may use your sick day balance for up to four weeks prior your due date and six weeks after the birth for a regular delivery or eight weeks for a caesarian section. • If you carry the benefits for your family you can apply for up to 12 weeks of FMLA (Federal Family Leave Act). • You can also apply for up to 6 weeks of NJFMLA (New Jersey Family Leave Act) in which you receive a payment for six weeks. • If you enrolled in the Prudential Disability Insurance program, you can collect disability insurance. The amount and time you collect depends upon the insurance you selected. • Once your FMLA runs out you can then go on a “Maternity Child Rearing Leave.” According to our contract, “A child rearing leave shall be granted upon request to any tenured employee for a period which shall not extend beyond the second June 30th for twelve (12) month employees, and August 31st for ten (10) month employees, after the date on which the leave is granted. All such leaves shall end on the last day of a marking period, or the last day of the school year in the case of the last marking period.” • Once the baby is born you have 30 days to place the baby on your health insurance. Failure to report the birth within 30 days will result in loss of health care benefit until the next open enrollment period. These are a few of the highlights regarding maternity leave. Call the EBEA office for more information. Volume 36, Issue 3 EBEA Newsletter Page 7 PRIDE, an East Brunswick Education Association Committee, stands for Partnerships Result In Dynamic Education. This year our PRIDE chair, Jo-Anne Bijas along with her committee, has organized and participated in seven events. The EBEA is excited about our Spring PRIDE events. In May, the EBEA will host a dessert reception at the Teacher of the Year and Support Staff of the Year Board of Education meeting. We welcome the community, students, and families of the awards recipients to join us at this very special event. Following the ceremony the PRIDE committee welcomes you to Hammarskjold Cafeteria to enjoy desserts and socialize. Also in April, the PRIDE committee will sponsor the Senior Citizen Prom by providing a lunch buffet and small gift. The Senior Citizen Prom is organized by the EBHS advisors, Kim Giambrone and Kerri Mcquade. Audrey Domond, English teacher at EBHS, is the senior citizen liaison. Our last event of this school year will occur in June as the PRIDE committee participates in the annual East Brunswick Relay for Life. EBEA will have a booth at the Relay for Life and will provide water bottles for the participants along with a small gift. Diane Heilman, PRIDE member at Hammarskjold School, has organized a class project where students create poetry about cancer. The poems will be organized and published in a booklet. This booklet will be on sale at the Relay for Life with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. EBEA is rendering the cost of the poetry booklet. The EBEA PRIDE committee would like to thank everyone for their support this school year. NJEA PRIDE grants are awarded to EBEA and can be in conjunction with EBEA member projects, PTA/PTO events as long as parents or the community are involved. If you are interested in joining this committee or have future PRIDE ideas please call the EBEA office or contact Jo-Anne Bijas or your building PRIDE committee member. St. Jude’s Research Hospital A huge thank you to our members who graciously donated $247 during our Spring “Get Lucky” Social. This money will be donated to St. Jude Research Hospital. As of 2012, 81 cents of every dollar donated to St. Jude goes directly to its research and treatment. Your donation assists St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to continue its lifesaving mission of finding cures and saving children. St. Jude founder Danny Thomas believed that "no child should die in the dawn of life," and your donations help bring us closer to the day when every precious life can be saved. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. They believe all a family should worry about is helping their children live. Additionally, because the majority of St. Jude funding comes from individual contributors, the hospital has the freedom to focus on what matters most, namely, saving kids regardless of the families’ financial situation. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. A warm thank you goes to Lauren Ankosko and Erin Saunders who helped to organize this philanthropic event. Bridge to Asia The East Brunswick High School Asian American Studies Club reached out to the EBEA as a “community service partner” in order to provide books for underprivileged children in Asia. Our members collected over 40 higher level learning books to be donated to over 1000 libraries in China. Volume 36, Issue 3 EBEA Newsletter Page 8 Are you wondering how much you will earn in retirement? Are you planning to spruce up your home and need a loan? Do you want to ensure the State has you credited for the correct number of years of employment? These are all important reasons to log on to the Member Benefit Online System. Since the inception of the Division of Pensions and Benefits Member Benefit Online System approximately seven years ago, TPAF and PERS members were encouraged to register for online access to their personal benefits account. While many of our members are now registered MBOS users, others are not. In order to view your pension account information, to apply for a pension loan, to designate your beneficiary, to purchase service credit, and to apply for retirement, you must do so through MBOS. The following information is provided to assist our members in using or registering for the member benefit online system: • If you are a registered MBOS user, simply log on to your account at http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/mbosregister.shtml. For help logging in follow the instructions under the link “Log On Instructions for Registered Users.” If you forgot your Log On ID or Password the “LOG ON HERE” link will bring you to additional links to retrieve your ID or password. • If you are a first time user of MBOS, you must register with both MBOS and the myNewJersey web site. Registration is free but requires several steps. Registration instructions are provided for you using the link “REGISTER FOR MBOS” provided at the Division of Pensions and Benefits link above. • If you have difficulty registering for MBOS or using MBOS, call the MBOS Automated Help Line at (609) 777-0534. Calls can also be made to the Division of Pensions and Benefits at (609) 292-7524, Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Scan the QR code to access the Member Benefits Online System (MBOS) Volume 36, Issue 3 EBEA Newsletter Page 9 Article XX D.8. Unless an emergency meeting is required, no meetings shall be scheduled on Fridays or on any day immediately preceding any holiday. In case of any emergency meeting, the appropriate building administrator shall notify and confer with the Association building representative(s) prior to calling said meeting. Article XX D 9. The notice for any meeting shall be given to the teachers involved at least five (5) school days prior to the meeting, except in an emergency. The notice of an agenda for any meeting shall be given to the teachers involved at least two (2) school days prior to the meeting, except in an emergency. Teachers shall have the opportunity to suggest items for the agenda. Article XII D. Notification of Vacancies 1. Certificated and non-certificated employees who desire a transfer or reassignment of position or to another building may file a written statement of such desire with the Superintendent or his/her designee. Such statement or request shall include the specific change or changes in order of preference, if such exists. Requests for transfer or reassignment shall be submitted not later than May 1 of a school year. 2. A list of known vacancies that will exist the following year shall be posted at all worksites by May 15 so that employees may apply for open positions. This list should be kept up to date throughout the year. A copy of said list shall be furnished to the Association. Article XVI – Employee Evaluation Procedures a. Teachers have 5 days from the Annual Summary Report to sign it. b. Teachers have 15 school days from the signing of the Annual Summary Report to submit a response. c. The end-of-the-year summary evaluation shall be submitted to staff members by June 15th. Article XXC.10 - Workshop Presenters - Employees who are pre-approved to present for an in-house summer or in-service workshop shall be paid for the length of their presentation at the rate of $56 per presentation hour in 2012-13, $56 per presentation hour in 2013-14, $56 per presentation hour in 2014-15 and shall be subject to pro-ration for any fraction thereof. The employee shall first obtain pre-approval from the Superintendent or his/her designee. a. Employees who are pre-approved to present for an in-house summer or in-service workshop shall be paid for one (1) hour of preparation time for each presentation session at the rate specified in Article XX.C.10. above. b. Payment at the contract rate is made to a staff member as a presenter under the following circumstances: (1) A staff member(s) is asked by a district administrator and agrees to plan and present all or part of a workshop on an in-house summer or in-service workshop day, or other scheduled workshop; (2) The staff member(s) presents a written plan using the district’s Prior Approval Presenter Form, and (3) The workshop has been approved in advance by the Superintendent or his/her designee. (4) Payment is provided at the contract rate specified in Article XX.C.10. above for one (1) hour for workshop preparation plus pre-approved full or prorated presentation time, following receipt by the Human Resources Department of a list of actual workshop participants and signed voucher. EBEA Newsletter Volume 36, Issue 3 Page 10 Join NJREA to Stay Connected Subsequent to my July 2014 retirement, I immediately became a member of the NEW JERSEY RETIREES’ EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. This professional organization is NJ’s largest and most effective organization of retired educators and education support professionals. More than ever, NJREA membership is now critical during these unprecedented times. Being a member of the NJREA allows me to have immediate access to the latest information about important legislative issues, my pension, my health benefits and Medicare premium reimbursement eligibility via the Members’ Only website or by calling (609) 599-4561. Membership for a retiree is “unified,” include membership in the (Middlesex County Retired Education member, I continue to receive all well as the NJREA Newsletter and the which means that annual dues NEA/NJEA/NJREA and the MCREA Association). As a dues paying national and state publications as MCREA News Brief. Not only does my NJREA membership work to protect security in my retirement, I am entitled to the same consumer-oriented benefits that my active NJEA colleagues enjoy. There are numerous locations that offer savings in NJ and throughout the country. I often check www.njea.org to access these benefits. Membership is affordable and includes membership from September 1st through August 31st. A “lifetime” membership option is also available to interested retirees. Please call (609) 5994561 x4123 regarding all questions about your NJREA membership choice. As a former president of the EBEA, I knew that our strength came from our unity! If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to join the NJREA. Together, we will continue to strengthen our advocacy for all retired school employees. Sincerely, Ruth Davitt, MCREA Recording Secretary C a l l i n g Al l V o l u n t e e r s ! In conjunction with Administration and the EBPSA, the East Brunswick Education Association will host the annual District Retirement Celebration. If you would like to help plan this event, please call the Association office at 732-390-6600. EBEA Newsletter Volume 36, Issue 3 Page 11 Congratulations to: Condolences to: Ashley Eisenberg, Central teacher, on her marriage (in December) Kelly Carle, Irwin teacher, on the birth of her son Braden Leonard (in December) Ann Mullane, EBHS child nutritionist, on the birth of her grandson Jon Michael (in January) Katherine Herberger, EBHS math teacher, on the birth of her son Aiden Adam (in January) Erica & Argiris Hristofis, HMS English teacher and EBHS health teacher, on the birth of their daughter Olivia Lee (in January) Barbara Carr, Frost teacher, on the birth of her grandson Christopher Andrew (in January) Daniel Nemeth, HMS family and consumer science teacher, on the birth of his daughter Daphne Audrey (in January) Priscilla McLarty, HMS science teacher, on the birth of her daughter Cosette Jane (in February) Dee Contrares, retiree, on the birth of her grandson Nico Michael (in February) Eryn Prado, CJHS history teacher, on the birth of her son Everett James (in March) Dee Contreras, retiree, on the death of her father-in-law (in January) Shirley Neary, retiree, on the death of her brother (in January) Janice Waring, Lawrence Brook aide, on the death of her father (in January) Christine Sulva, CJHS English teacher, on the death of her brother (in January) Lisa Scarano, EBHS PE teacher, on the death of her father-inlaw (in February) Jennifer Sislian, EBHS counselor, on the death of her grandfather (in February) The family of Thomas Clark, retiree, on his death (in February) Joseph Iannelli, CJHS health teacher, on the death of his mother (in February) Linda Bortnick, HMS math teacher, on the death of her father-in-law (in February) Robert Manetta, EBHS art teacher, on the death of his father-in-law (in February) Jean Louis, Admin vehicle driver, on the death of his brother (in February) Katherine Colon, CJHS special ed. teacher, on the death of her father (in February) Matilde "Matty" Melendez, HMS custodian, on the death of her brother (in February) Karen Keegan, Admin secretary, on the death of her motherin-law (in February) Michele Bellantoni, Child Study Team, on the death of her mother-in-law (in February) Karen Fordham, CJHS social studies teacher, on the death of her father (in February) The family of Martin Pachman, Board of Ed attorney, on his death (in March) Carina Cosio, Chittick child nutritionist, on the death of her mother (in March) Janet Fessel, CJHS instructional assistant, on the death of her aunt (in March) Lisa Zaloom, Irwin teacher, on the death of her mother (in March) Cheers to: Lisa Scarano, EBHS PE teacher, on being selected as a 2015 Teacher Who Makes Magic Jeffrey Sundberg, EBHS PE teacher, on being named GMC 2015 Man of the Year Frank Noppenberg, retiree, on being named GMC Coach of the Year Get Well Wishes to: Kenneth Wnorowski, Admin groundsman Janice Rana, Warnsdorfer teacher Richard Aikens, EBHS aide Darrell Jicha, EBHS aide Diane Shinkle, EBHS instructional assistant Irene Strapko, HMS science teacher Volume 36, Issue 3 THE EBEA NEWSLETTER Official Publication of the EAST BRUNSWICK EDUCATION ASSOCIATION PARC Cranbury 575 Cranbury Road, Suites B1 & B2 East Brunswick, NJ 08816 (732) 390-6600 www.my-ebea.org EBEA OFFICERS President: Dana Zimbicki, Ed.D Vice President: Mike Wildermuth Support Staff Director: Joan Hickman Secretary: Beth Berzanskis Treasurer: Norma Comerford Editor: Bobbi Tu EBEA Newsletter Page 12
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