Health care

NJEA: Union officers decry ACA repeal, pointing to the correlation b/w health care & academic success. Urge your U.S. reps to vote no today! http://njea.io/94

Over ride governors veto

NJEA: NJ Senate is voting to override the gov's veto of S-992, which would strengthen pay equality for women. Urge your senator to vote yes! http://njea.io/9

Christie wants to disregard teacher contracts

http://m.njea.org/news/2017-01-31/nj-supreme-court-rejects-christie-ploy

Is DeVos highly qualified?

http://m.njea.org/news/2017-02-07/message-to-members-regarding-devos-confirmation

NJ supreme Court rejects Christie ploy

http://m.njea.org/news/2017-01-31/nj-supreme-court-rejects-christie-ploy

Supporting our students

http://m.njea.org/news/2017-01-29/njea-officers-condemn-religious-discrimination

What has happened?

What do you think about this? Cousin Sharon sent it to me.

Warren Buffett is asking everyone to forward this email to a minimum of 20 people, and to ask each of those to do likewise.
In three days, most people in the United States will have the message. This is an idea that should be passed around.




The BUFFETT Rule

Let's see if these idiots understand what people pressure is all about.

Salary of retired US Presidents .. . . . .. . . . . .. . $180,000 FOR LIFE.

Salary of House/Senate members .. . . . .. . . . $174,000 FOR LIFE. This is stupid

Salary of Speaker of the House .. . . . .. . . . . $223,500 FOR LIFE. This is really stupid

Salary of Majority / Minority Leaders . . .. . . . . $193,400 FOR LIFE. Stupid

Average Salary of a teacher . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. .$40,065

Average Salary of a deployed Soldier . . .. . . .. $38,000

Here’s where the cuts should be made!

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:

"I could end the deficit in five minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election".

The 26th Amendment ( granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds ) took only three months and eight days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffett is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2017

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman / woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.

2. Congress (past, present, & future) participates in Social Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 3/1/17. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.

Congress made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and go back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people, then it will only take three days for most people in the U.S. to receive the message. It's time!

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

If you agree, pass it on.

Charter schools vs traditional public schools

http://m.njea.org/news/2017-01-04/njea-to-sboe-don-t-gut-charter-regulations

AFT, AFT New Jersey, Newark Teachers Union File to Intervene in Legal Challenge of State Education Statue Protecting Experienced Teachers

AFT, AFT New Jersey, Newark Teachers Union File to Intervene in Legal Challenge of State Education Statue Protecting Experienced Teachers

NEWARK, N.J.—Today, the Newark Teachers Union, AFT New Jersey and the American Federation of Teachers filed a motion seeking to intervene in a complaint filed by the Partnership for Educational Justice challenging New Jersey’s law that aims to protect experienced teachers. As the filing makes clear, the state education commissioner, the attorney general and the superintendent of Newark Public Schools have made public appeals supporting the plaintiffs in this case. It is imperative, therefore, that teachers’ and students’ interests have real representation in the defense of the existing statute. “Newark educators know the difference experience makes when it comes to providing a high-quality public education for all students,” said John M. Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union. “Our schools are already stretched thin by years of underfunding and political games from Trenton. Adding instability by removing experienced teachers will only hurt our students.” “The plaintiffs’ case is about ideology, not evidence,” said AFTNJ President Donna M. Chiera. “Anti-union partisans—whose evidence-free lawsuits have been dismissed in Minnesota—are colluding with the Christie administration to attack the experienced teachers who have the most to offer students. Parents, teachers and districts are working together to develop strategies to keep experienced teachers in schools rather than finding new ways to undermine and fire them.” “The evidence is clear: Attracting and retaining teachers, and teacher experience, matter for student outcomes,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “That’s why one wonders why these wealthy special interest groups have yet again resorted to attacking experienced teachers and stability for schools by pushing a scheme that’s already been rejected by courts in California and Minnesota. Indeed, in Newark, even after announcing the last contract with great fanfare, Superintendent Chris Cerf and the Christie administration refused to implement teacher development policies they negotiated, and as state defendants, they agree with the litigants in pressing to destabilize the workforce and public education. That’s why we seek to intervene on behalf of students and educators, especially those in our most vulnerable schools. It’s time to end these silly, ideological battles and get back to working on proven strategies for public schools.” AFT and the NJEA are standing in solidarity as interveners in this case. You can read the AFT filing online.

Pension payments

http://m.njea.org/news/2016-11-21/legislature-passes-quarterly-pension-bill-heads-to-christie-for-signature

Prescriptions

http://m.njea.org/Action-A-4328

Medical concerns

NJEA: Assembly to vote on A-4328, a bill to control prescription costs & save NJ $200 million w/o reducing benefits. Urge them to vote YES! http://njea.io/4328

Bill for pension

http://m.njea.org/action-S-2810

What should I tell my students?

I teach at a county college in New Jersey. Many of the professors have noticed that in some cases 1/3 of our students are missing from class since Nov. 8. Many of our Muslim students are no longer proudly wearing their covering. Several have come up to me to tell me that their parents have called them from their home country to tell them to come home. (This is a very international area). It's breaking my heart. I feel like crying. My friends and my family members are in suspended disbelief. I get phone calls with my friends and family members just sobbing. We understand that our 2 party system means that sometimes we have one political party or the other in office. That's life in America. That's not why the great feeling of dismay. The fact that a person has lied, used abusive language, bullied and slandered their way into the office of the president is shocking and devastating. Is this the decline of our society? how did this happen? So many of my little college students are so afraid. On Wednesday I walked into class with what was, I admit, a somber feeling, but the room was heavy and quiet. No one in my highly communicative classroom talked. Some of their eyes were filled with tears. One person commented, why do people tell us that certain behavior is unacceptable? He does it and now he's president.

I don't know what to tell them except to stay in faith. God is real and He sees. Throughout history there has been a struggle between right and wrong, love and hate, good and evil. Knowing God doesn't mean we won't have trouble, but knowing God does mean that help is on the way. In the meantime, my suggestion for my students is to listen to their family members and listen to God.

I don't want to be like the 911 operators who were telling people to remain in the twin towers and wait for help on that terrible day. The adherence to those words aided in the increase of the death toll.

Don't put off the vote on teacher pension

https://votenjpension.org/njea-statement-pension-amendment/

School Employees Health Benefits Commission

http://m.njea.org/news/2016-08-30/tell-the-governor-to-fill-the-seat-on-sehbc

NJEA wins SEHBC ruling

http://m.njea.org/news/2016-09-12/njea-wins-big-legal-victory-in-sehbc-dispute

Governor Christie lies to members again

http://m.njea.org/news/2016-09-23/letter-to-njea-members-on-christie-s-sehbp-lie

Phil Murphy is our guy for governor

http://m.njea.org/news/2016-10-08/njea-endorses-phil-murphy-in-the-democratic-gubernatorial-primary

Senate tries to limit health care choices

http://m.njea.org/news/2016-10-20/breaking-sweeney-pulls-bad-health-insurance-bill