september advocate

8/9/2019 September Advocate

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Advocate

OFFI C I A L P UBLI C A TI ON OF THE 133,000 MEMBER I LLI NOI S EDUC A TI ON A SSOC I A TI ON-NEA

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 9

w w w . i e a n e a . o r g

Decatur teacher wins

presidential award

Sept.7, 2009 -- NolaWilkinson, a fifth-gradeteacher from Decatur

Bus drivers local

stops outsourcing

p 3

IEAs new website,

facebook contest

p 4-5

Meet several award-

winning colleagues

p 6-7


2/12

| 2 | Advocate | September 2009

AdvocateIEA Advocate, Volume 6, Issue 1, Sept.2009.T

Advocateis published five times annually by the Illin

Education Association-NEA. Send correspondence

[email protected] or IEA Department of Commu

cations, 100 East Edwards Street,Springfield,IL 6270

1999. The IEA-NEAAdvocate (ISSN #1540-482X) is t

official publication of the Illinois Education Associati

NEA as a benefit of membership. A non-member su

scription is available at $10per year. Periodicals postapaid at Springfield, IL.

The Illinois Education Association

NEAs mission is to effect excellenc

and equity in public education and t

be THE advocacy organization for a

public education employees.

Ken SwansonPresident

Robert BladeVice President

Cinda KlicknaSecretary-Treasurer

Patti HodgesInterim Executive

Director

Charles McBarronDirector of Communicatio

Bob RayMedia Relations Director

Sarah AntonacciCommunications Special

Mark RitterbuschGraphic Designer

Denise WardAdministrative Assistant

Linda RiceSecretary

Christina WilliamsSecretary

Postmaster:Send address corrections to Illinois Education

Association, attn: membership processing, 100East Edwards, Springfield, IL 62704-1999

Use your membershipcard to save $$

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CommentaryKens

As I ponder the challenges we find be-

fore us, I am reminded of Jimmy Buf-fets song Changes in Latitudes,

Changes in Attitudes.IEA must rethink how we approach can-

didate recommendations for federal andstate offices. We need to review how we canhold incumbents accountable for their per-formances, how we evaluate the viability ofchallengers, and how we then use IPACE re-sources to impact elections.

Let me be specific, your IPACE committeeis considering significantly changing how wespend IPACE dollars to ensure those dollars

promote our mes-sage, leverage sup-por t fo r ou r keyissues and mobilizemembers and thepublic to support can-didates who supportus. Conversely, weneed to leave behindthose who dont walktheir talk when it is time to put a vote behindtheir rhetoric.

There are also significant changes com-ing to IEA itself. As many of you know, for-mer Executive Director Jo Anderson left inApril to become senior advisor to Arne Dun-can. Field Services Director Patti Hodges hasbeen ably filling in as acting exec, while thehiring committee looks for a successor. I amconfident we will have a great candidate torecommend to the IEA Board of Directors forapproval at our September meeting. Thenew exec will bring to the job some newideas and new approaches to the job. I amexcited about partnering with our new execin the coming months as we continue thework of ensuring IEA is there for you support-

ing the work of your local as well as beingyour advocates here in Springfield and Wash-ington DC.

In addition, we will soon begin the processof evaluating and (I hope) implementing rec-ommendations of the Committee to EnhanceOrganizational Effectiveness (CEOE), thecommittee created by the 2006 contract ne-gotiated with IEASO, our staff union. CEOE

is charged with studying the entire organiza-

tion with the goal of recommending changesthat can enable IEA to do its work on yourbehalf more effectively and efficiently. CEOEmembers have been meeting, often fordays at a time, for more than two years andhave sought input from members, leadersand staff. They will soon present their finalreport.

The CEOE committee has been encour-aged to be bold and visionary in formulat-ing their recommendations. It will be theresponsibility of governance to give carefulconsideration to the recommendations, con-

template how theirideas can make usa better organiza-tion and act uponthe recommenda-tions we believewill make us moreeffective and effi-cient. This wontbe easy, cant be

accomplished quickly, but, if done thought-fully, will be a powerful guide to all of us mov-ing forward. We must all be bold inembracing positive changes in how we dobusiness as IEA.

So, as you begin another year with stu-dents and colleagues I want you to under-stand it will be a year of both dauntingchallenges and, I believe, great opportunitiesfor us all.

Rahm Emanuel, President Obamas chiefof staff, likes to say: Never waste a good cri-sis. For all of us, the budget crisis, legislativesession, 2010 elections and opportunity forinternal change present an incredible oppor-tunity to work together to make this a goodcrisis, in the sense that we rise to the occa-

sion, build on the momentum from ourlegislative action last spring, and find theways and means to be a better IEA than everbefore.

The CEOE committee has

been encouraged to be bold

and visionary in formulating

their recommendations.


3/12

www.ieanea.org |Advocate |

do something many thought couldnt be ac-complished, they won back jobs that the school board attemptedthree years ago to outsource.

How did they do it? By showing school board members ofDistrict 203 their strong ties to the community; by being politi-cally savvy; and by committing themselves to providing fantastic

service.I told the local that when they go out on the streets, it says

Naperville in six-inch letters on the side of your bus and for thenext three years you are auditioning for your job. Take care of thekids, the parents and the traffic. Take care that youre the guy be-hind the wheel, said Max Bochmann, a 38-year NTA veteran andits president, as well as an IEA executive committee member.

We did. We won. And, were thrilled.In the spring of 2006, the school board decided it wanted to

take a look at subcontracting its bus drivers under the guise thatthe district wouldnt know whether running its own program wasfiscally competitive unless they put it out for bid.

In the initial bid process, the NTAs numbers were millions be-low competitors, Bochmann said. But the board wasnt satisfiedand was still considering outsourcing the drivers.

Bochmann said he then circulated a survey among his mem-bers that detailed their ages, where they lived, where theyshopped, where they went to school, etc. Naperville is an affluentcommunity.

The survey showed that many of the District 203 drivers eitherbought their homes there years ago, or came to work as an em-ployee of one of the areas major employers and then retired earlyand came to drive a bus as a second career.

The net result was we have a very high ownership percent-age in our local of homeowners and community members,Bochmann said.

Ultimately, the board decided to subcontract less than 20 pecent of the jobs. But in making that decision, they also proposea contract to the existing District 203 drivers that slashed thepay by 20 percent, took away their holidays and made other sinificant changes.

So, the bus drivers had to decide if they wanted to stay an

fight. Bochmann said he told them that while they were takingcut in pay, they still had their pension and they still had health isurance two big items. About 75 percent of the associationmembers ratified the contract.

In a sense, they cut the union brotherhood business to thcore. But our people stood in and our people stood tall and wcontinued to meet the need.

So, the bus drivers set their minds on the future. They putbig emphasis on customer satisfaction.

And, they actively campaigned against the three anti-tax members who were so against keeping the jobs in District 203. Thdrivers got behind three other candidates and the three canddates the bus drivers supported won the election.

My local stepped up and did a wonderful job. If you want plitical action, a near-death experience is a great thing for that.

Ultimately 15 to 19 percent of the District 203 drivers were sucontracted, first to Laidlaw and then after Laidlaw was sold, First Student.

The contract expired this year and the board decided to end thsubcontracting and let the NTA members have their routes bacThat became official July 1.

I have a functioning, integrated local for the first time eveThese people are pulling together. We have a need, a goal ansomething we want to achieve, Bochmann said.

This spring, Naperville TransportationAssociation bus drivers were able to

Local unites, strategizes, win


4/12


Local presidents provideinput on training at summit

In a one-of-a-kind gathering July 30-31, local association presidents gottogether to help shape the future direction of IEAs statewide con-ferences and training.In March, delegates to the Representative Assembly authorized

putting the Summer Leadership Academy and Winter AdvocacyConference on hiatus for one year and funding a study of IEAstatewide conferences.

As part of the study, local presidents were invited to the Train-ing Assessment and Development Summit to provide feedbackabout what members need and are interested in and to brain-storm ideas to help shape the future of statewide conferences.

Local presidents were able to observe and discuss a vari-ety of conferencing ideas at the Training Delivery Fair.

The theme of the fair was Welcome to the Future of Train-ing, and local leaders were eager for hands-on opportunitiesto try out technology that was new to them, said Tim Craw-

ford, IEA interim director of program development.Some items featured at the fair included video calls with

Skype, online learning opportunities and examples of how otherstates are doing their statewide conferences.

The evaluations from participants indicated that they ap-preciated the discussions about the types and relevancy of train-ing sessions and they highly valued the opportunity to networkwith other presidents, Crawford noted.

The Committee to Review IEA Statewide Conferences is lookingat the data collected at the summit, launching a follow-up survey tocapture data from local presidents who were unable to attend thesummit and continuing to pursue its charge to make recommendationsto the IEA Board of Directors this fall.

Yo u m ay re c a l l that thecommunications department of the IEA this spring offered a Kindle 2 to mem-

berswhotold usin 25wordsor lessWhat my IEA membership means to me

We picked a winner this summer. It is Linda Bilobran of Dundee Midd

School in Community Unit School District 300.

Bilobran raised five children and spent half herlife working in the corporate w

Now, as a teacher of the learning disabled at Dundee Middle School she said shes

to work in her chosen profession.

The IEA means many things to Bilobran.

It provides an immediate resource,a welcoming family, an incredible support sy

It has given me pride and encouraged me to give back to this worthwhile group o

cated associates.Her local president, Kolleen Hanetho, and region chair, Dan Palombit, gave Bi

the device at a representatives kick-off meeting Aug. 18 where their picture

snapped.

I cannot thank you and IEA enough for EVERYTHING you do and have done

me, Bilobran wrote in a note. Thank you again, and again, and again.

The Kindle is a portable device about the size of a paperback book th

allows you wireless access to read your favorite books, newspapers an

magazines.

Memberswere asked in the insider, theAdvocateand atthe IEA Rep-

resentative Assembly in March to submit their entries. In all, more

than 200 did.

Congratulations, Linda!

We think youll agree. The new IEA website site at www.ieanea.orgis an effort by the association to ramp up its ability to communicate with itsmem-

bers through Web 2.0 technology.

Come visit and you will see a mash up of several technologies,includingWord-

press, Google, Blip, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, facebook, Feedburner and several

more, said Dan Billingsley the sites webmaster.

It was way back in October 1997 when IEA gave birth to its very first websiteand while the site has changed over time, alongwith the sites content, the newest

version will offer members more than its ever been able to before.

With the new website, members will be able to comment on posts, e-mail,

Tweet, share on facebook, Billingsley said. Our post can also be added to your

favorite RSS reader or homepage, such as Google Reader or MyYahoo.

It will feature videos that will do everything from relating great things your

fellow members are doing to giving you updates on education-related item

moving their way through the state legislature.

In a new feature, parents and guardians will be able to find an abundance o

information on how to make their students educational experience a successfu

one.

All of these changes are meant to bring the website to life, to

better serve IEA members and to help you find out infor-mation about your association in the quickest,

most helpful and easiest-to-read way possible.

Please take a moment to check it out. If you

have any feedback youd like to share, just

head to the contact us section in the toolbar

and drop us a line. Wed love to hear it.

Date: September 2009 Size: Ever growing with information suited to its members. Awww. Isnt it love

Kindle 2 winner

announced


5/12

www.ieanea.org |Advocate | 5

Will you be our friend?

The IEA is hoping to garner 10,000 facebook fans.

Sign up today and you will be eligible to win one of two iPhones were giving away!

Its no riddle: The Illinois Education Association facebook page.

The one-stop shop for all your education-related news and networking needs.


6/12


Afifth grade scienceteacher from De-catur was awarded

the Presidential Award forExcellence in Mathemat-ics and Science in Teach-ing, the nations highest

distinction for teaching inthese fields.Nola Wilkinson teaches at Johns Hill Mag-

net School and was the only science win-ner from Illinois and one of 87 teachersnationwide to receive the award.

Shes always doing special things, es-pecially in the science area, said RobPrange, the schools principal. She hasmade presentations at the Illinois ScienceTeachers Association and at the nationalscience convention, too. Shes very innova-tive in her teaching and shes a nationalboard certified teacher, too.

He noted that recently Wilkinson and an-other Johns Hill teacher have partneredwith ADM on a large-scale project aboutgoing green.

Johns Hill is the Decatur school districtsoldest magnet school and also houses thedistricts English as a Second Language pro-gram. The school also offers enrichmentopportunities in Spanish, technology, the-ater, choral and instrumental music.

According to a press release from the

President Obama administration, of the 87teachers nationwide who received theaward, 41 were science teachers and the re-mainder were math teachers. Winners rep-resented 49 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S.territories. The awards alternate each yearbetween elementary (K-6) and secondary(7-12) teachers.

Obama said in the release that: Thereis no higher calling than furthering the ed-ucational advancement of our nationsyoung people and encouraging and inspir-ing our next generation of leaders. Theseawards represent a heartfelt salute of ap-

preciation to a remarkable group of individ-uals who have devoted their lives andcareers to helping others and in doing sohave helped us all.

Wilkinson will receive a cita-tion signed by the President, apaid trip for two to Washington,D.C., to attend a series ofrecognition events and profes-sional development opportu-nities, and a $10,000 award

from the National Science Founda-tion. Therecognition ceremonies will includa visit to the White House and visits witmembers of Congress and science agencleaders, the press release indicates.

This is the 25th year for the awards anNSF Director ArdenL. Bement, Jr. noted thexcellent teachers are crucial to ouchildrens success in science and mathemaics andthat teachers have a tremendous impact on their students future interests anpursuits.

Each year award applications areviewed at state and national levels by s

lection committees of scientists, mathemacians and educators. Nominees are thesent to the White House Office of Sciencand Technology Policy for final selection

When Claudia Rueda-Alvarez was calledinto her directors of-

fice at Maine Township HighSchool West and he put thephone on speaker, she as-sumed it was so she couldtranslate for him.

Instead, the call was to in-form the 18-year veteran school counselor that shehad been recognized by her peers as the 600-mem-ber Illinois School Counselor Associations coun-selor of the year.

I was surprised and very humbled, Rueda-Al-varez said. I have met wonderful counselors alongthe way, people whoare deserving of this award, andeven more so.

Judgingfrom a nomination letter sent to the ISCAby Ruth Soil, a counselor at Maine East High School,Rueda-Alvarez is right up there with the best of them.

Soil described Rueda-Alvarez with words repre-senting each of the letters in her first name: C for

caring and compassionate; L for leader; A foradvocate; U for unbelievable; D for determined;I for innovator; and A for admired.

She has nothing but the utmost respect of hercolleagues, students, parents and the community.In the 14years I have known her, I have never heardone ill word used to describe her or her abilities andlevel of commitment! Soil wrote.

I can think of no one more deserving of thisaward than Dr. Claudia Rueda-Alvarez. She is trulywhat all of us aspire to be as school counselors.

Rueda-Alvarez had been a co-worker of Soils atMaine East where Rueda-Alvarez worked for 11 yearsbefore moving to Maine West where shes been forfour years.

Over the course of her career she not only workas a counselor, but also originated the Latino Summit, an annual conference that has grown exponetially and exposes Latino students to positive romodels college students and professionals help them understand a bright future canawait theIt is free of charge to the students and schools ponly for transportation.

I thought we should put students together ando an entire day devoted to motivating them and lting them know, she said. We had Latino profesionals come and serve as panelists and talk abohow they made it to become doctors, nurses, etand (the students) loved that part most. Then thlistened to Latino college students.

In addition to that program, she also startedprogram to help students bridge gaps they have their education and another to help Latino parentsparking the district to open a family center.

While doing all of those activities, she also wearning her doctorate and being a wife and mothto two.

Im really very blessed that I get to do whalove to do. The kids have been my energy, saRueda-Alvarez. She took a two-year break fromcouseling to teach as part of an education program swas participating in.

After one year, I missed the kids and my couseling and couldnt wait to go back. I really love mkids, she said. All of us always have people alonthe way who have helped us, supported us, metored us and I have been blessed with an excellehusband, great colleagues and friends and evenmoblessed to have adolescent kids and their stories astruggles. And, when I do things, I think of them

Decatur teacher wins national award

MaineWest school

counselorrecognized

for work

Im really very

blessed that I get todo what I love to

do. The kids have

been my energy.


7/12

Kathy Fuller, a seventh and eighth grade teacher at UnityPoint in Carbondale, has been named the 2009 historyteacher of theyear by the Illinois State Board of Education,

which awarded Fuller the Gilder Lehrman Institute of AmericanHistory prize.

Fuller is a 24-year teaching veteran who prides herself on mak-ing history come to life. She has had her students form Native

American tribes and builddioramas based on their re-search. Pupils dressed inCivil War costumes basedon biographies theystudied of political fig-

ures, slaves, spies orsoldiers and madepresentations totheir classes.

Theyve alsoparticipated in his-tory fairs, createdpublic service an-

nouncement podcasts as if they were promoting Pres-ident Roosevelts programs and did news broadcastsin iMovie that spotlighted their research on impor-tant dates in history.

All of these activities engage and excite the stu-dents while teaching them the importance of history,she said.

In addition, she believes strongly that studentslearn the positive and negative aspects of history. So,she has made it a personal goal to travel and experi-ence history herself, making to more than 35 states and10 countries walking over the Civil War and World WarII battle grounds, Native American burial grounds and vis-iting the gas chambers at a Nazi concentration camp.

Seeing me in pictures and videos at historical sites andholding artifacts really gets my students excited about his-tory and the world, she said.

To enter the contest, Fuller submitted a 10-minute video, ex-amples of things her students had done and an outline of howshe goes about teaching her charges.

She will now competein a national contest with teachers across the

country who have won the same honor in their states.

TheAdvocateasked IEA members in July what they were doing during their summer vacation

Its no news to us that educators are 100 percent dedicated professionals who work hard not o

during the year but whose dedication lasts throughout the summer.

We heard from several of you who used those months off as an opportunity to do some great th

Shawn Collins from Yorkville Intermediate School in Yorkville District 115 took his daughters on

to New York City.

As a fourth grade teacher, I was excited to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to get a real f

the way immigrants felt as they approached freedom.

Collins noted that one daughter is starting fourth grade this year and will now have the background

edge to relate better to the conversations that will take place in her classroom about the history of E

land and of America.

I am confident that my lesson will be enhanced tremendously with the photographs and the hi

learned while visiting this incredible piece of our heritage.Kathleen Voboril, a high school culinary arts teacher at Thornton Township High School in Sout

land in suburban Chicago, intended to tutor her two college-aged sons in algebra but wound up lea

a few lessons herself.

The boys took an intermediate algebra course together over the summer. Voboril said she ne

thought I would learn so much from mentoring them through this course.

She doesnt teach the subject but now sees ways that she can help her students learn it.

It helped me re-learn what I learned over 35 years ago and to see how it can be incorpo-

rated into todays classroom.

And one of IEAs retired members made the most of her summer by taking an 11-day

trip to Iceland over the summer to continue expanding her ever-growing horizons.

Janet Kilgus said she traveled with her husband, Dave, and enjoyed

the trip.

W H A T Y O U

D I D L A S T

S U M M E RAn historic win

2009 NEA Representative Assembly

Illinois loses oneof its own, createsscholarship in hermemory

This years National Education Association Representative Assemblyproved memorable for many reasons, including the fact that President BarackObama addressed members and in an historic first U.S. Education Secretary

Arne Duncan had a roundtable discussion with NEA members to talk about

the future of education.But the early July gathering proved to be especially memorable for the Illi-

nois contingency in particular after the wife of Gary Miller, one of our states

directors, was killed in a tragic pedicab crash.Sharon Miller, 60, a retired teacher from Sherman, located just outside

Springfield, was thrown from the pedicab she was riding in with a friend and

suffered a severe head injury. She died later that same weekend.

The mother of two and new grandmother to her first gran

child was remembered fondly by her husband Gary as one

the most caring and unselfish people one could ever meet an

promised that shed live on in the hearts of those who knew h

as a favorite niece, cousin or aunt; a kind and loving daughte

wife, mother, and for far too brief a period of time, grandmothe

He noted that his family owes a tremendous amount of gra

itude to not only emergency personnel and hospital staff wh

treated them so kindly, but also to friends and family from hom

IEA members and staff, the NEA and his colleagues on the NE

board of directors, as well as countless people from their hom

town and school district.A scholarship has been created in her memory.

It is available to any senior or graduate of an IEA Region 11 or Region

district (which includes the Springfield area) who has attended high school

either region for at least one year, or to a student whoseparent or legal guardi

is an employee of an IEA Region 11 or Region 47 school, provided the stude

is enrolled in a public school.

This scholarship is designed to assist a deserving student who plans to bcome a public school teacher.

Donations and inquiries can be sent to the Illinois EducationAssociatio

Region 47 Office, 3440 Liberty Dr., Springfield, IL 62704.

www.ieanea.org |Advocate |


8/12


Hinsdale retiree casecan serve as a lessonfor the futureBy James Crandell, Hinsdale High School Teachers Association leader

After 25 years of association activism, Id thoughtId seen it all.

But the Hinsdale District 86 school board blew that smugness awaywhen it reneged on 30 years of contract history to change retirement benefits for teach-ers who had already retired.

The prospect of having their insurance costs double or triple did not sit well with ourretirees. The administration stonewalled mercilessly, and in the beginning, I came un-der enormous pressure as negotiations spokesperson.

Fortunately, I was able to access two fantastic, talented people, Feliz Berlanga, IEAassociate general counsel, and Cathy Wyzykowski, paralegal. Throughout the next 30months, 900-plus e-mails, countless meetings and two arbitration hearings, these twolabored tirelessly to get the positive outcome reported in the July Advocate (Vol. 5,Issue 4).

We often hear teachers complaining about where their dues dollars go, but IEAswork on our behalf, as personified by Berlanga and Wyzykowski, clearly illustrates thevalue of IEA membership.

Now that this issue has been settled and our retirees are being compensated nearly$500,000 for what they paid in the interim, Ive had time to think about how thishappened.

Initially, all I could do was fend off some who blamed the negotiators for the situa-tion while trying to get straight answers from the board lawyers who had misled us.

Today, I can see how we could serve as a cautionary tale for other locals who canlearn from our situation. Post-contract retiree benefits have become board targetsacross the state, so Im sure our battle wont be the last.

Some lessons:

First, be very careful with the latest trend in negotiations: Interest-BasedBargaining (IBB).

Im not anti-IBB, but it can lead to a false sense that everyone is working toward sim-ilar ends. That is NOT necessarily true.

Plus, you should never have the board lawyer double as IBB facilitator, unless youhave an experienced IBB facilitator working for your team. IBB is a useful bargainingtechnique, but this more relaxed process shouldnt lull negotiators into letting downtheir guard. Trust must be earned.

Second, we neglect public relations at our peril.

By the time this boards betrayal occurred, our locals main function had narrowedmainly to bargaining, and we overlooked the more nebulous task of relationship build-ing. Things went well for years, but when this crisis occurred, we had no way to pres-sure the board, save litigation.

Sure, we had our outrage, but what we needed was community members, parent or-

ganizations and the media to help our board realize that destroying teacher trust wouldNOT result in better schools. This seems obvious in retrospect, but Im sure many lo-cals are like ours the only time most teachers are aware of their association is dur-ing negotiations. Good working conditions wont result only from talented bargainers.

No contract can cover every eventuality, so cultivating public support creates morethan just positive feelings; it provides persuasive tools other than filing grievances,which can take years to resolve, with no guarantee of a positive outcome.

In the end, our local has learned from this situation, but yours could learn just asmuch without going through the stress of squaring off with your retired members orengaging in endless litigation.

IEA will be there, whatever comes up, but with a little team building with all parts ofyour school community, you can save everyone from the crises we just endured.

Special educationteacher continuesto fight forher rights

Its taken more than fouryears, countless hoursof preparation, reams of

paper, a hearing before anadministrative law judge, appeals to the state eduction labor board and court, who have all agreed thaformer teacher at the SPEED special education cooerative in the south Cook County suburbs should given her job back.

But the district keeps on fighting it.And, after several lost rounds andthousandsof d

lars in legal fees and court costs, SPEED has decideddo so again, deciding in July to appeal the case to thIllinois Supreme Court.

Rachel Warning had already spent 25 years sering the needs of special education students when s

went to work for SPEED in 2001. She was excited get the position and was happy in the job for the firthree and one-half years she was there. But just befoshe was to gain tenure, a new principal came on atrouble started (Advocate, May 2008).

After one positive evaluation after another, Warnisuddenly got a bad one. She turned to the IEA. JanZitzer, her uniserv director, and Beth Wierzbica SPEED association representative, helped proviguidance.

There was escalated conflict between her and hprincipal, said Paul Klenck, IEA deputy general cousel. He would assign duties. She would complete theand he wouldnt acknowledge she had.

The principal and other administrators made no scret of their disdain for the union, once refusing tunion rep be allowed to speak on Warnings behalf ding a meeting. On May 1, 2005, the principal deliverto Warning a letter saying her contract would not renewed for the following school year.

IEAs legal department stepped in. Over the courof the past several years Mike Lamb, who was an IEattorney at the time, and Klenck fought on Warningbehalf.

In that time, Warning first filed an unfair labor pratice complaint and won. The district appealed that ring and the case went to the full labor board, which aruled in Warnings favor sayingsheshouldbe reinstatto her position, with back pay, and receive tenure.

Apparently not satisfied, SPEED took the case the appellate court which ruled 2-1 that Warning wdismissed because of her union activity and said thshe should be reinstated to her job with tenure. Thdecision came down in June.

In July, SPEED decided to appeal that courts desion to the Illinois Supreme Court, which will issuedecision at some point in the next few months as whether it will consider hearing the case. The SupremCourt takes only a fraction of the cases appealed toeach year.

Based on the districts past history, it does not sprise me that they will continue to fight rather than pRachel back in theclassroom where she excels, Klen

said.


9/12

Legislative Platform OutreachPlease use this form to share your ideas with the Legislative Committee to assist in the development of IEA-NEAs Legislative Platform.

Please indicate which section of the Legislative Platform your suggestion applies to (Employee Rights, Retirement, School Finance, Quality Education, or ElectorProcess). If you would like to read the 2009-2010 Platform, please log on to the IEA web page (http://www.ieanea.org/page23001839.aspx). Also, each RegionOffice was e-mailed this document and should be able to give you a copy. Copies have not been printed for distribution.

My IEA-NEA legislative platform comment is:

Section:

Suggestion:

Rationale:

Use additional sheets if necessary.

Please return your comments to:

Legislative Platform Illinois Education Association Government Relations Department

100 East Edwards Street Springfield, IL 62704 Fax: 217/544-0691Email: [email protected]

D E A D L I N E SDo you know a member who deserves recognition,or are you planningto nominate a student for an IEA scholarship? Take a moment to reviewdetails of the awards that will be presented at the 2010 IEA RepresentativeAssembly.

IEA-NEA Human Services and Civil Rights Award

An individual IEA-NEA member or an IEA-NEA group may be nomi-nated for this award, which recognizes those who have performed an

outstanding humanitarian/civil rights activity or community service aboveand beyond normal association endeavors. An application for this award,presented by the IEA Human and Civil Rights Committee, will be avail-able on the IEA website, www.ieanea.org in October. Nomination in-quires before October may be directed to Ina Lloyd at (312) 407-0227,ext, 211. Send completed applications to IEA Human Services and CivilRights Award, Attn: Bryant Warren, Spec. Higher Ed, Illinois EducationAssociation-NEA 230 W. Monroe, Suite 2640, Chicago, IL 60606-4902,by Monday, January 18, 2010.

ESP of the Year

This award is meant to emphasize the contributions of education supportprofessionals to their association, their schools and their communities. Adownloadable application and complete rules are available at

www.ieanea.org. Nominations must be mailed to Stacy Burroughs, IEAProfessional Development Center, 3440 Liberty Drive, Springfield, IL 62704-6520, and be postmarked by Oct. 24, 2009.

IEA-NEA Scholarship Applications

The deadline for the 2010-11 IEA-NEA Education Grant is Dec. 4. Lastyear, this program offered 36 scholarships of $1,250 to children/legal wardsof IEA members. The scholarship program was designed to support thosewho wish to go into teaching as a career.

Applications are available now on the IEA website, from your local pres-ident, from your IEA region chair or from your field office.

IEA-Retired Awards

Mary Lou and Keith Hauge Retiree Award Given in honor of the lateMary Lou Hauge, first chair of the IEA Council of Retirees, and her husbandKeith, former editor of the IEA-R Informer, this award recognizes individuals

who have made outstanding contributions to the IEA-NEA Retired organiztion. Applications must be postmarked by Jan. 8, 2010.

Bob Haisman Teacher of the Year Award This award, named in honof former IEA President Bob Haisman, recognizes the individual contributioof a new teacher (a teacher with at least one years experience and not mothan five.) Applications must be postmarked by Jan. 8, 2010.

Haisman Student of the Year Award This award honors aundergraduate Student Program member working toward a degree in edcation. Applications must be postmarked by Dec. 4, 2009.

Applications for all of these awards, as well as details regarding eligibil

and qualifications, are available at the IEA Web site, www.ieanea.org.

Nominations and supporting data for the Retiree award and Teacher of tYear award should be sent to Dave Bishop,Awards Chair, 3440 Liberty DrivSpringfield, IL 62704, Attn.: Stacy Burroughs.

Nominations and supporting data for the Student of the Year award shouldsent to Dave Bishop,Awards Chair, 137 Pecan Street, Canton, IL 61520.

PROPOSED Bylaw Amendmentsfor 2010 IEA RA

Proposed bylaw amendments must be received by the IEA Bylaws and

Resolutions Committee, in care of the Presidents Office, Illinois EducationAssociation, 100 East Edwards, Springfield, IL 62704-1999, no later than5 p.m. Central StandardTime, Dec. 11, 2009. This will enable the Bylaws

and Resolutions Committee to prepare the proposed bylaw amendmentsfor presentation to the executive committee and for publication in theAdvocate. Proposed bylaw amendments submitted after this deadlinewill not be printed in the Advocate, and, therefore, will need a three-

fourths vote for passage at the Representative Assembly. Forms are be-ing sent to the board of directors in September and also will be availablefrom the Springfield Legal Services office at Headquarters. The IEA

Bylaws,Values and Vision can be found in the About section of the IEAwebsite, www.ieanea.org.

If you have questions, please contact Vickie Mahrt, Chairperson,

Bylaws and Resolutions Committee, 1316 Ironwood Drive, Normal,IL 61761 or (309) 452-6926.

Submitted by:

Phone:


10/12

Social security number or membership identification number

Region Student Chapter

Address

City State: Zip:

Home Phone ( ) School Phone ( )

Fax E-mail

Student Signature Name of College/University

ELECTION NOTICE: Student Delegates to IEA RAArticle VII, Section 2 of the IEA-NEA Bylaws states that student members shall be allocated one delegate for every 100 student members for theMarch 2010 IEA-NEA Representative Assembly in suburban Chicago. Our membership records as of October 2009 will determine the number

of delegates to be elected. Only student members who are enrolled for a minimum of 12 semester hours may be elected to positions

representing student members. Delegates will be elected by open nomination and secret ballot. Please use the nomination form printed below

and fill in all information.

Timelines for the election:

Nov. 6, 2009 ......................................................Nominations dueNov. 10, 2009 ..................................Sample ballots and bios sent

Nov. 17, 2009..............................................Deadline for changes

Nov. 20, 2009 ........................................................Ballots mailed

Dec. 9, 2009 ..............................................................Ballots due

Dec. 11, 2009 ......................................................Ballots counted

Please type or print your name below exactly as you wish it to appear on the ballot. INCLUDE SPACES AND PUNCTUATION. ONLYONE CHARACTER PER BOX.

NOMINATIONS MUST BE CERTIFIED BY REGISTRARS OFFICE AND SENT BY CERTIFIED MAIL. PLACE ONLY ONE FORM PER CERTI-FIED ENVELOPE. SEND TO: PRESIDENTS OFFICE, IEA-NEA, 100 E. EDWARDS, SPRINGFIELD, IL 62704

Please type or print your candidate statement in the space provided below. ONLY ONE CHARACTER PER BOX. SPACES AND PUNC-

TUATION COUNT AS CHARACTERS. Candidate statements are limited to no more than 100 characters. Statements must not includean exhortation to vote for the candidate and must be nonpromotional, factual and objective.

TO BE COMPLETED BY REGISTRARS OFFICE:The above-named student is enrolled for a minimum of 12 semester hours.

Signature Date and Seal

Timelines for run-off election: (if necessary)

Dec. 23, 2009 ........................................................Ballots mailedJan. 13, 2010 ............................................................Ballots due

Jan. 15, 2010 ......................................................Ballots counted

|10|


11/12

ARLINGTONHEIGHTS

Ilene Siegel (34)

#

NAPERVILLE

Terrie Tudor (50)

#

ELECTION NOTICE: Retired Delegates to IEA-RAArticle VII, Section 2 of the IEA-NEA Bylaws states that Retired Members shall be allocated one delegate to every 500 retired members for the March 20IEA-NEA Representative Assembly in suburban Chicago. Our membership records show present membership at 7,637, which indicates there willfifteen (15) delegates selected. Delegates will be elected by open nomination and secret ballot. Please use the nomination form printed below and fiall information.

Please type or print your name below exactly as you wish it to appear on the ballot. INCLUDE SPACES AND PUNCTUATION. ONLY ONE

CHARACTER PER BOX.

Please type or print your candidate statement in the space provided below. ONLY ONE CHARACTER PER BOX. SPACES AND PUNCTUATIOCOUNT AS CHARACTERS. Candidate statements are limited to no more than 100 characters. Statements must not include an exhortation to votfor the candidate and must be nonpromotional, factual and objective.

Social security number or membership identification number

Former Region Retired Chapter

Address

City State Zip

Home Phone ( ) Cell Phone ( )

Fax ( ) E-mail

NOMINATIONS MUST BE SENT B

CERTIFIED MAIL. PLACE ONL

ONE FORM PER CERTIFIED ENV

LOPE. SEND TO: PRESIDENTS O

FICE, IEA-NEA, 100 E. EDWARD

SPRINGFIELD, IL 62704

SPRINGFIELD

President Ken Swanson (54)Vice President Bob Blade (7)

Secretary-Treasurer Cinda Klickna (11)

#

The IEA Budget Committee is requesting your participation in preparing a proposed budget forpresentation to delegates at the March 2010 IEA Representative Assembly (IEA RA). You willhave the opportunity to give the committee direction through an input survey to be distrib-uted this fall. Broad-based member input is critical in assisting the committee in develop-ing a proposed budget aligned with member priorities.

We welcome as much member input as we can possibly get, said Bob Blade, IEA vicepresident and budget chair. Broad-based member participation in the survey is criticalto the committees ability to align the proposed budget with what members want IEA todo for them. The more survey responses we get, the better we know what members

want the budget to fund.The survey will be available electronically through the IEA Board of Directors

and local presidents. Inaddition of seeking memberinput via the survey, budgetinput may be submittedthrough the IEA website(www.ieanea.org).

Once again, two non-voting members of the Illi-nois Education AssociationStaff Organization (IEASO)will participate as part of thecommittee. This inclusion re-

flects IEA and IEASOs com-mitment to collaborativelycarrying out the work of theAssociation.

Its Time for 2010-2011 Budget Input

Budget Committee Members

BLOOMINGTON

Elston Flowers (62)

#

CHAMPAIGN

Jenny Barrett (9)

#

MURPHYSBORO

Mary Bess Williams (2)

#

ELGINKaren Westerman (63)

#

LAKE BLUFFKurt Kurtzhals (6

#

Timelines for the Election:

Oct. 2, 2009.............................Nominations Due

Oct. 9, 2009 .........Sample Ballots and Bios SentOct. 16, 2009....................Deadline for Changes

Oct. 28, 2009 ...............................Ballots MailedDec. 2, 2009.....................................Ballots Due

Dec. 4, 2009 ..............................Ballots Counted

Timelines for Run-Off Election: (If necessary)

Dec. 17, 2009 ...............................Ballots MailedJan. 6, 2010 .....................................Ballots Due

Jan. 8, 2010 ..............................Ballots Counted

B U D G E T T I M E L I N E SNovember 6 ................Submission of completed input surveys due

December ..............................Committee adoption of proposed budget

Week of January 25 ....................Distribution of proposed budget with

open hearings held around the state

February ................................Adoption of budget by Board of Directors

with appropriate modifications

March........................................Final budget acted upon and approved

by delegates at the IEA Representative

Assembly

Two non-voting IEASO representativesto be assigned.


12/12

Illinois Education Association-NEA

100 East Edwards Street

Springfield, Illinois 62704-1999

Non-Profit OrgU.S. Postage

PaidILLINOIS EDUCATION

ASSOCIATION

Register online at www.ieanea.org

October 16-17, 2009

24th Annual IEA-ESPProfessional Conference

October 16-17, 2009Doubletree Hotel Chicago-Oak Brook

1909 Spring Road Oak Brook, IllinoisPhone: 1-630-472-6000


R i t li t i

I l l i n o i s E d u c a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n R e t i r e d

OCTOBER 3, 2009Professional Development Center Springfield, Illinois

Old State Capitol in Downtown SpringfieldOld State Capitol in Downtown Springfield

Lincoln Memorial Garden

in historic Springfieldin historic Springfield

Lincoln Memorial Garden

Historic Route 66 Landmarks

Mark Your

Calendar

Mark Your

Calendar

IEA HigherEducation Conference

October 2-3, 2009Doubletree HotelBloomington, Illinois

IEA HigherEducation Conference

October 2-3, 2009Doubletree HotelBloomington, Illinois


september advocate

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