From Marylin
By Marilyn Plansky,
President
This is my last message to you as
president. At the October meeting we will be installing recently elected officers, and I’ll be handing the gavel to Bernie Brohaugh.
2015 will bring changes for RFArea
REA. The incoming officers and program
chair are incorporating changes in the
number and format of future meetings, and the
membership committee is having success in the ongoing
recruitment of new members. These changes address
the need to invigorate our unit, and we hope to
see an increase in attendance each month.
Thanks to everyone who made my term
a pleasant and positive experience. Now it’s
time to turn over the reins to a new team of
officers. I’ll continue on as a member
of the board, mainly in an advisory role and
to fill in for Bernie if needed. I do feel it’s the responsibility of all members to offer support
to those who strive to make our unit successful in
growth, quality, and value. All suggestions and ideas
are welcome.
Wine and Cheese Reception and
New Membership
On September 11, 2014, the
River Falls Area Retired Educators’ Association hosted a gathering for more
than 40 people at Junior’s Bar and Restaurant in downtown River Falls. Not only did the event give current members a
chance to catch up after a long summer of activities, but it also brought a
number of newly retired elementary and secondary teachers as well as university
professors and staff to see who we are and what our organization is all about. Welcomed by outgoing local president Marylin
Plansky and by incoming president Bernie Brohaugh, prospective members learned
about our unit and about WREA and were provided with lots of brochures and
information to aid them in their decision making.
The Membership Committee—Jane
Harred, Larry Harred, and Laura Zlogar—along with Program Chair Ruth Wood met
several times over the past few months to plan the event. Almost 200 hundred postcards were sent to
2012, 2013, and 2014 retirees within our area.
Follow-up phone calls were also made to prospective members.
Five new members have joined
us so far: Gorden Hedahl (UW-River
Falls), Robert Krey (UW-Superior), DeAn Krey (UW-River Falls), Jean Louden
(River Falls High School), and Wiliam Stuessel (St. Croix Central High School). Several more people have contacted us about
joining at our October meeting. We are
excited to welcome all new members and look forward to their new ideas, fresh
enthusiasm, and contributions to our unit.
Though our goal to add at least ten new members is likely to be
exceeded, we are not content. If each of
us contacts former colleagues and acquaintances to join us, we can’t help but
be successful. If Marathon County can
have more than 200 members, surely we can grow our numbers significantly.
Notes from the 2014 WREA
Convention: Keynote Speaker Julie
Underwood, Dean of UW-Madison College of Education
By Bernie Brohaugh
Julie Underwood, the keynote speaker at the WREA
Convention on September 23rd and 24t,h,
presented a cornucopia of facts to demonstrate convincingly that voucher
schools, on the whole, are markedly inferior to public schools in
Wisconsin. Underwood, Dean of the College
of Education at UW-Madison, made it clear that
swelling the voucher system, particularly at the expense of the public schools,
is a giant step in the wrong direction.
She began by presenting impressive evidence of
the superb achievements that Wisconsin public schools can boast of. Our public schools rank first nationally in
the rate of students graduating from high school. We have the second highest ACT scores with
71% of students taking the test in 2012.
We are well above the national average in reading,
writing, and math scores, the latter having increased every year since
1992. We are above the national average
in the College Boards. So far as our
teachers are concerned, Underwood says that ninety-eight percent of them have
been rated as “highly qualified.” (Editorial remark: The source of this information could not be
found.) And 52% of them have master’s
degrees, in contrast to 10% in the general
population. One assumes that if the
teachers were not included in that last figure, it would be lower still.
Despite this commendable record, Wisconsin
legislators have turned their backs on public education since 2011. Underwood says Wisconsin currently ranks
among the top pruners of funding (in the
company of states like Idaho, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Kansas). The present
allotment per pupil, she says, is $9574.
(Ed. spending per pupil, however,
is more than $11,000). To maintain the rate prior to 2011, the figure,
adjusted for inflation, according to Underwood, would have to be $10,400. To
make the matter worse, the legislature required school districts to reduce
their budgets, causing, among other travails, the loss of 3600 jobs in k-12
between 2010 and 2012.
To add insult to injury, as the legislature cut
funding to public schools, it increased subsidies to private education institutions. Currently, fifteen percent less is given to
public schools while voucher funding is increasing, and one of the most
exasperating developments is that nearly 75% of the recipients of vouchers were
already in private schools. What was
once the parents’ responsibility has been shifted to tax payers.
The outlay for the voucher system has increased
astronomically in 22 years. In 2012, the
bill in Milwaukee was $155 million. In
1990 it was $750,000. This money, by the way, is supplied by both
the Milwaukee school district and Wisconsin taxpayers in the form of the state
allocations to districts. One more
thing: private schools cost the state in tax deductions --thirty million in 2014.,
Voucher schools have serious problems. In Milwaukee,
public school students outscore voucher school students in reading and math at
all grade levels. Taken as a whole, voucher schools have a much higher turnover
rate and a lower graduation rate than public schools.. And far too often ,
voucher schools fold up. Why is it, I
wonder, that students who leave voucher schools to attend public institutions
achieve significant gains academically—particularly lower level achievers.
Still the American Federation for Children wants
every child to have a voucher so he/she has choice. My question is, who in his/her right mind would choose a voucher school in
Wisconsin?
It’s That Time of Year
Again
It is time to renew your annual
membership. You can make out a check to WREA and bring it
to the next meeting on October 15. State
dues are $50; local dues are $10. You
can renew your state membership online if you prefer by going to www.wrea.net.
Update on
Wisconsin’s Voter ID Requirement: No ID
Needed to Vote on November 4
By Jane Harred
The on-again, off-again Wisconsin voter ID law is now off again. Wisconsin citizens will not need to show an
ID to vote in the upcoming election on November 4.
On Thursday, October 9, a US Supreme Court ruling effectively blocked
the implementation of Wisconsin’s voter ID law, at least for the time
being. The law’s long-term fate remains
undecided.
In related news, a federal judge has ruled that Texas’s strong voter
ID law creates an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote, likening it to
a poll tax.
Please remember to vote on November 4.
Good
News: The Wisconsin Retirement System Remains Healthy
By Jane Harred
According to the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Fund’s
website, preliminary (estimated) Wisconsin Retirement System returns for 2014
have met or nearly met benchmarks for 2014.
The core fund is expected to see returns of 4.8%, meeting its benchmark. The variable fund is expected to see returns
of 4.7%, falling just short of its
benchmark.
Moody’s Investors Service recently noted that the 25 largest public
pension systems face as much as $2 trillion in unfunded liabilities, meaning
that their investment returns are not keeping pace with their obligations. Though these systems have seen fairly robust
returns of 7.45%, on average, over the last ten years, their unfunded
liabilities have far outstripped these returns, with disastrous consequences to
employee pensions and to state budgets.
According to Moody’s, there are only two bright spots among the 25
largest public pension systems, and these two systems are healthy largely
because they have seen little growth in unfunded liabilities. One is the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement
System. The other is Wisconsin’s
Department of Employee Trust Funds.
Our well-being in retirement depends on the continued health of the
ETF. So let’s all do what we can to make
sure no one tampers with the Wisconsin Retirement System.
RFArea REA Minutes
20 August 2014
Submitted by Ethel Johnson, Secretary
The meeting was called to order at the West Wind
by President Marylin Plansky at 10:45 a.m. The secretary's minutes were
accepted as printed in the Newsletter. The treasurer's report was accepted
and filed for audit.
Larry Harred gave the Legislative report.
He talked about the Common Core standards and the superintendent's in the
state that had rallied in support of them. He also discussed the loss to
Wisconsin because Governor Walker did not accept federal funds to support
Medicaid.
Committee reports followed:
Membership--Postcards
have been sent out to new retirees to attend the Wine and Cheese gathering at
Junior’s on Sept. 11th from 4 00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. All members
are invited to attend and asked to bring a potential member. The event
will be published in the newspaper.
Educational
Issues--Evelyn Klein gave a summary of education issues. Some of the
voucher schools were denying disability students entrance even though they were
taxpayer funded. She talked about the Common Core standards and the use
of technology in schools before readiness for this instruction was
achieved.
OLD
BUSINESS
The officers were to be installed at the October
meeting. In order for this to happen, a motion was made, seconded and passed that
rules be suspended so the election of officers could take place in August.
The officers were named and approved unanimously by those present.
They are as follows:
President:
Bernie Brohaugh
Vice-President:
Marylin Plansky
Secretary:
Larry Harred
Treasurer:
Laura Zlogar
Legislative Chair: Jane Harred
NEW
BUSINESS
Next year the Foundation Challenge Award will be
awarded at Elementary level. We are in District 3 and an award will
be given in each district in the state.
Ruth Wood talked about having meetings every
month. It was also suggested that the business meeting be held on the month when
we meet socially. A motion was made, seconded and passed that that this
would be the procedure for the 2014-15 year starting in October. The
September meetings were again announced:
September 11--Wine and Cheese at Juniors
September 24--Book Discussion/RF Public Library
The meeting adjourned at 11:35 a.m.
RFArea REA Calendar for
2014-2015
October 15, 2014—Recent retirees will share
impressions of what is working in Wisconsin schools and what issues RFArea REA
might take up as “action agenda” issues
November 19, 2014—Special topic: Volunteer Opportunities. Tony Pedriano will inform us about the Jump
Start to Literacy program he has initiated.
December 3, 2014—A quartet will perform holiday
music, and members will share holiday stories and readings.
January 21, 2015—Todd Savage, UWRF Professor of
School Psychology and President of the Association of School Psychologists will
discuss school diversity.
February 18, 2015—RFArea REA members will talk
about titles and features of books they loved to teach and projects they loved
to assign.
March 18, 2015—A school administrator and a
cooperating teacher will address the questions of whether someone can learn how
to teach and what good teacher training requires.
April 1, 2015—Members are invited to offer
examples of ways they keep retirement fulfilling and worthwhile: through community involvement, continuing
education, travel, or whatever else brings meaning and purpose to our lives.
April 2, 2015—Annual RFArea REA Bake Sale at
the First National Bank of River Falls.
Baked goods (excluding pies) can be brought to the April 1st
meeting or dropped at the bank in the morning.
This is the unit’s primary fundraiser for student scholarships.
May 20, 2015—Mary-Alice Muraski and Kathleen
Drechtrah will speak to us about how informational technology has changed
teaching, learning, and everyday life.
June 17, 2015—Our annual picnic at Hoffman Park
might include a musical creation performed by some of our members. Or we might reprise our version of the
Antiques Roadshow. The potluck picnic is
always a wonderful informal gathering of our members.
RFArea REA Book Discussion Meets Again
By Laura Zlogar
The
second meeting of the River Falls Area Retired Educators’ Association Book
Discussion met on Wednesday, September 24, 2014, at the local public
library. The group had read Richard Rodriguez’s
1982 memoir, Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, in
which the author discusses a range of topics from his linguistic transition
from Spanish to English and the effects acquiring a public language had upon
him, his family, and his place in the world to the Catholic Church to
Affirmative Action. Rodriguez, author of
several collections of essays, raises important questions in this book
regarding class, skin color, race, religion, and family, particularly as they
affect education in America. Thirty
years after the book’s publication, the issues Rodriguez raises are just as
poignant.
Even though we are no longer teaching,
many of us are still interested in American education, public schools,
teaching, and students. We continue our
lifelong engagement in educational issues.
The book discussion group is intended to provide us with an occasion and
a context in which to come together to talk about the conversation writers and
thinkers are having with their audiences.
The next book up is one that Tony Pedriana brought up in
discussion several months ago at one of our regular meetings, Amanda Ripley’s The Smartest Kids in the World and How They
Got That Way. Mark your calendars
for November 5, 2014, at 10:30 a.m.
in the River Falls Public Library. Tony
has agreed to lead the discussion on the book.
AFT President Randi Weingarten says about Ripley’s work: “This book
gives me hope that we can create education systems of equity and rigor—if we
heed the lessons from top performing countries and focus more on preparing
teachers than on punishing them." Publishers’ Weekly states: “In riveting prose . . . this timely and
inspiring book offers many insights into how to improve America’s mediocre
school system.”
Below is
a list of books that have recently been published about American education,
teachers, and students. We’ll circulate
a list at our October meeting to see if any of these books are of interest to
members for subsequent book discussions.
Please bring your own book suggestions as well.
How We Learn: The Surprising
Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens by Benedict Carey
Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and
the Way to a Meaningful Life by William Deresiewicz
The Teacher Wars: A History of
America’s Most Embattled Profession by Dana Goldstein
Building a Better Teacher: How
Teaching Works (and How to Teach It to Everyone) by
Elizabeth Green
Getting Schooled: The
Reeducation of an American Teacher by Garret Keizer
Improbable Scholars: The Rebirth of a Great American School System
and a Strategy for America’s Schools by David L. Kirp
Powers of Two: Finding the Essence of Innovation in Creative
Pairs by Joshua Wolf Shenk
Kudos to
Westside Elementary School
Westside Elementary
School in River Falls, represented by RFArea REA, has just been named a Blue
Ribbon School, one of only 8 Wisconsin schools and 337 nationally to be given
this great honor. In a press release,
State Superintendent Tony Evers said, “There are only a handful of schools in
each state that earn the Blue Ribbon honor each year,” Evers said. “Winning
this award is due in large part to the collaboration of teachers, school
leaders, and staff members as well as families and the school community. They
work together to put student learning at the center of daily activity.”
Superintendent Evers
nominated Wisconsin schools awarded Blue Ribbon status. Westside met the criteria as one of the state’s
“Exemplary High Performing Schools,”
schools that “are in the top 15 percent for performance levels on the state’s
reading and mathematics assessments and disaggregated results for subgroups of
students show similar academic achievement.”
How about
sending an email, a postcard, a letter, or a letter to local newspapers
congratulating Westside? Send it to both
the principal, Rita Humbert, and to the district superintendent, Jamie Benson,
and make sure to note that you are a member of RFArea REA and WREA.
Westside
Elementary School, 1007 W. Pine St., River Falls, WI 54022
Membership Directory
Updates Needed
RFArea REA’s 2014-15 is
currently being updated. Please send any
changes to your address, phone number, or email address to
laura.w.zlogar@gmail.com or to Laura Zlogar at 729 River Ridge Ct., River
Falls, WI 54022. The new directory
should be available by the November meeting.
Email addresses are
really helpful. If we can send the newsletter electronically
rather than through the mail, it saves the organization a lot of money in terms
of paper, ink, and postage. We can also
send quickly news, reminders, and other items that might be of interest to
members.
Political, But Not Partisan
By Laura Zlogar
I was
listening recently to an interview Bill Moyers conducted with Senator Elizabeth
Warren in which they discussed the dysfunction of government in
Washington. At one point, Warren
observed in regard to families struggling in the current economic and political
climate: “The only chance we've
got is if those families will turn back to their government and say, ‘I demand
that you work for me, not for the billionaires, not for the millionaires. That
you work for me. That you put a set of rules in place that give me a chance,
that give my children a chance, that give my grandchildren a chance.’ That's
our only hope for this country.”
Then I put that alongside a statement Dave Bennett,
WREA Executive Director, made in the organization’s last newsletter about an
experience he had lobbying in another state for another organization. He recalled that he was advocating a position
on an issue before the legislature and was told that, despite Dave’s claim that
this matter was of great importance to his membership, the legislator had not
“heard a single word from any of your members on this bill.”
Juxtaposed, the comments by Warren and Bennett
emphasize just how important our voice is in representing not only our own
interests as annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System but also the
interests of students, teachers, staff, and administrators who are part of
public education in Wisconsin. While we
don’t have the millions and billions of dollars that seem to be the only means
to many politicians these days, we do have our voices. And we need to exercise them about issues
that matter to us. WREA is not a
partisan organization, but it is political.
It is not a matter of Democrat, Republican, or Independent. It is a matter of advocating for issues that
we think are important for us and for those about whom we care in this state.
Bennett recommends that organizations like ours
create close ties with those elected to represent us. Some of us many know these representatives
personally and have access to them at church, in the neighborhood, or in other
organizations. The rest of us need to
contact them regularly (and to identify ourselves not just as their
constituents but as members of WREA and RFArea REA) on issues affecting WRS,
retirement, Social Security, education, voting, and other matters important to
us as citizens and former educators.
If you
belong to the state WREA, have an email address, and would like to be included
on their “legislative alert” list, just let me know so that I can notify WREA.
As a
unit, we may also want to follow Dave Bennett’s recommendation that we
coordinate our efforts and form telephone trees to call Madison
representatives, create a team who will visit representatives’ district
offices, and designate members who will write letters and send emails when
issues arise for which our voices are critical.
Legislation
from the 2013-14 session:
SB 286—accountability bill that
includes private, taxpayer-funded voucher schools in report card system
required of public schools
SB 584—requires that new voucher
schools undergo greater financial scrutiny before receiving taxpayer funding
SB 589—eased the 180-day mandate
for the school calendar allowing districts to meet minimum required hours in
more flexible manners
SB 598—allows some charter schools
to use an alternative teacher evaluation system from other public schools and
also permits recognition of principals’ out-of-state credentials with as little
as 3 years of teaching experience
SB 619—did not pass. It would have halted the implementation of
the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which Wisconsin schools have been
working on for several years.
