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| Tom Possley and Nancy Peters read "news" account of Old Mother Hubbard's child care |
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| Members enjoy socializing at the December meeting. |
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| Bernie Brohaugh, Jane Harred, Ruth Wood, Kathleen Drecktrah, and Tom Gunderson perform. |
We know that some of our members have already retreated to warmer climes (Cheryl Maplethorpe off to the West Coast), and some are enjoying an around-the-world cruise (Gorden Hedahl and Jean Loudon). Some are substitute teaching and have other commitments on Thursdays. But it would certainly be nice to see more members at our monthly meetings.
Some units across the state see as many as 50 to 75 members at each of their regular meetings. And many of those units have more than 100 members. We have a total of 73 members, including emeritus members, in our local unit. We also have 6 new members this year so far! However, we have many members who still have not paid their annual dues. We will be finalizing our unit directory, and any member who has not paid dues by December 30th will be dropped from our membership list.
We have had great speakers and programs over the past months--and great ones are scheduled for the new year. We wish more of our members would come out to enjoy the speakers and programs. Additionally, we hope that you are sharing with friends and former colleagues just how important WREA is in protecting our pensions and public education. Membership supports a presence and a voice in Madison that represent us!
More former educators, staff members, and administrators need to know that their pension checks are not necessarily guaranteed forever--at least not at the levels they may be expecting. The tax bill currently under consideration in Washington will tax pension organizations like ETF, which will, in turn, mean lower rates of return for people like us. Medicare and Social Security are also threatened by recent Congressional actions. WREA is vigilant in protecting our interests as retirees. It also serves as a watchdog against threats to public education. For these reasons, your membership and that of your friends and colleagues are so important.
State WREA dues are $50 annually. Local dues are $10. Active teachers can also join WREA as associate members for $30 per year. Please renew your membership if you haven't done so already and encourage others to join us, especially your friends who taught in area public schools. We promise to quit nagging you if we hear from you soon.
