Reporter May2010

8/9/2019 Reporter May2010

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NEW JERSEY ED UCAT ION ASSO CIAT ION 01

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NEW JERS EY EDUCAT ION ASSOCIAT ION

CIRCULATION: 200,000

VOL. 52, NO.4 NOVEM-

The time to ACT is NOW!Whats inside

VOL. 53, NO. 10 MAY 2010

New website coming soon!NJEA is excited to announce that coming

this June, there will be a brand new njea.org.Based on member feedback from surveysand focus groups, we are creating a new site

that is more dynamic and user-friendly, withlots of photos and graphic elements, as wellas easier navigation. Check out njea2010.orgto get a sneak peek at the redesign process,and give us your feedback.

he day is Saturday, May 22. Thetime is noon. Join your fellow

NJEA members and thousands

of other New Jerseyans for the Rallyto Protect New Jerseys Families andCommunities.

Bring your family, your friendsand your neighbors for what is ex-

pected to be one of the largest ralliesin Trentons history.

Gov. Chris Christies proposedbudget is not only a disaster for pub-lic education, it is an all-out assaulton New Jerseys most vulnerable:school children, senior citizens, work-ing families, the poor, the disabled,and the unemployed. It is an attack onhardworking school employees and

public workers.

The time has come to hold thegovernor accountable for the damagehis policies and rhetoric are inflicting

on this state and our public schools.

Standing between the governorand his disastrous budget are theSenate and General Assembly. Letsmake sure our legislators get the mes-sage that we are counting on them touphold New Jerseys commitment to

public education and the public good.

Bus and other transportation op-tions are being arranged. As nal

details are put in place, your localpresident will be provided with ev-

erything youll need to know.For up-to-the-minute rally details,

visit njea.org.

StandingUpStandingTogether

Saturday May 22, 2010W. State Street, TrentonBeginning at Noon

A rally to protect

NJs families andcommunities.

Show your support: wear a red, white or blue shirt!For more information, contact your local president or visit njea.org.

Momentum among members

has been building throughout New

Jersey to remind the governor and

the legislature that NJEA is not a

building in Trenton. It is more than

200,000 members making a dif-

ference every day in New Jerseys

public schools and proclaiming

I am NJEA.

See Page 3 for the full story, and

visit njea.org for more photos and

video from the rallies.

Members at the Newark rally remind legislators to fund public schools.

Legislative news 2Thank Sens. Lautenberg and Menendez

for co-sponsoring the Keep Our

Educators Working Act.

NJEA Convention 5Affiliated groups enhance the convention.

Health and safety 8Safe Schools project helps career and

tech-ed teachers.

In the spotlight 12Libraries promote Pennies for Peace

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NEW JERSEY E DUCAT ION ASSOC IAT IONMAY 2010

f a bill that is co-sponsored by NewJersey Senators Robert Menendezand Frank Lautenberg becomes

law, $628 million in much neededfunds could be headed to New Jersey

public schools. S-3206, the Keep OurEducators Working Act, was intro-duced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa),chair of the Senate Education Commit-tee, on April 14.

New Jerseys public schools areone of our states greatest strengths,Lautenberg said. New Jersey studentspay the price with bigger class sizesand fewer educational opportunities.This legislation can help school districtsavoid layoffs and keep middle-classworkers on the job. For the sake of ourkids and our economy, I will work withmy colleagues in Washington to ad-vance this common-sense legislation.

Nationwide, S-3206 would provide$23 billion to extend State Fiscal Stabi-lization aid from the American Recov-ery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

This would save or fund hundreds

of thousands of education jobs, and itwould be a tremendous help to states indire nancial circumstances, said NEA

President Dennis Van Roekel. But moreimportantly, it ensures that millions ofAmericas students will not be bearingthe brunt of the nationseconomic woes.

Faced with massivecuts in state school aidfor next year, the $628million New Jerseywould receive would not cover theentire loss, but would be a much neededinfusion of cash. Unfortunately, themoney would not be available beforethe start of the 2010-11 school year,but Sen. Menendez pointed out that thestate and school districts could planahead once they were guaranteed thatthe money is available.

This bill takes a proactive approachto ensuring that our education systemremains stable in the whirlwind cre-ated by millions of foreclosures thatmade parents relocate, and crippled

family budgets due to unemployment,Menendez said.

NEA and NJEA urge membersto visit www.educationvotes.nea.orgwhere you can write to thank Sens. Me-nendez and Lautenberg and urge Presi-

dent Barack Obama tosupport the legislation.Look for the link tothis bill under Con-tact Your LegislatorsToday!

According to NEA gures, most

states would receive more education

funds under S-3206 than they would ifthey were awarded grants under PhaseII two of the Obama AdministrationsRace to the Top competition.

Now is not the time for competi-tion, Van Roekel said. Competition isa luxury our states should have dur-ing a budget surplus, not when theyare facing record decits and slashing

jobs. Our childrens future should notdepend on whether their state or districtreceives a competitive grant.

Budget passagerates drop in most

counties

Legislative news

2

s New Jerseys public schoolsgrapple with more than $1.5billion in cuts, private and reli-

gious schools in the state could counton a $360 million boostat taxpayerexpenseover the next ve years if

the so-called Opportunity ScholarshipAct becomes law.

Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union)introduced S-1872, the OpportunityScholarship Act, in March. SenateMinority Leader Tom Kean (R-Union)is the second prime sponsor. The gov-ernor has indicated his support for the

legislation.The bill retains many of the same

elements of last sessions voucherbill, S-1607, withat least one notabledifference: S-1872does not designatespecic cities for the

program. Instead, thebill creates an Op-portunity ScholarshipFund Board composed of politi-cally appointed members who select ascholarship organization in each of thecounties where a chronically failing

school is located.

UnderS-1872, a chronically fail-ing school meets one of the followingtwo conditions: over 40 percent of thestudents score partially procient in

both language arts and mathematics onthe state assessment in each of the priortwo school years, or over 65 percent ofthe students scored partially procient

in either language arts or mathematicsin each of the prior two school years.

The bill, however, does not limitvoucher eligibility to students inschools deemed to be chronically

failing. If one school in any districtis labeled chronically failing, everylow-income student in that district

is eligible for avoucher, even ifthe student attendsa school that ismeeting or exceed-ing adequate year-ly progress. Lowincome is dened

as a household income no greater than2.5 times the federal poverty level.

$360 million giveawayWhile the funding for the scholar-

ships is purported to come from corpo-rate contributions, the legislation coststhe corporations nothing. Participatingcorporations would make contribu-tions to the Opportunity ScholarshipFund and receive in return a dollar-for-dollar tax credit.

Ultimately, every dollar to pay forthe voucher scheme comes from publicfunds, up to $360 million over the lifeof the ve-year pilot program.

Hidden lossesS-1872 further burdens school

districts by cutting the full amountof per pupil state aid for any publicschool student leaving the district for avoucher school. That money is creditedto an Educational Innovation Fund,which will award competitive grants tochronically failing schools to nance

innovative educational practices.

The bill does not take a districtsxed costs into account. A classroom

with 25 students losing one studentto a voucher school would still haveto operate, including paying staff,utilities, maintenance, supplies, andother services on 24 students worth ofschool aid.

Voucher legislation reintroduced

If one school in any districtis labeled chronically failing,

every low-income student in thatdistrict is eligible for a voucher,

even if the student attends a schoolthat is meeting or exceeding ad-equate yearly progress.

This legislation can

help school districtsavoid layoffs and keep mid-

dle-class workers on the job. -Sen. Frank Lautenberg

A $1.5 billion dollar cut in state aid toschools leaves a huge gap and on April20, voters rejected the property taxincreases that resulted from Gov. ChrisChristies budget cuts. For the first timesince 1976, less than half of all schooldistrict budgets were successful.

Only 41.4 percent were approvedstatewide.

There were some bright spots. Thepassage rates in Bergen and Essexcounties nearly matched last yearshigh rates, and more budgets were

approved in Hudson County this yearthan last year. But in most counties,passage rates were dramatically lower.

Percentage of budgets approved,by county (preliminary)County 2010 2009

Atlantic 22.2 66.7

Bergen 73.0 74.3

Burlington 12.8 74.4

Camden 50.0 73.7

Cape May 64.7 76.5

Cumberland 28.6 86.7

Essex 75.0 75.0

Gloucester 33.3 77.8

Hudson 71.4 57.1

Hunterdon 17.9 51.7

Mercer 50.0 87.5

Middlesex 31.8 73.9

Monmouth 28.3 72.2

Morris 42.1 69.2

Ocean 39.3 75.9

Passaic 33.3 33.3

Salem 53.8 92.3

Somerset 11.8 89.5

Sussex 41.7 88.0

Union 57.9 73.7

Warren 31.8 78.8

U.S. Senate bill would send $628

million to New Jersey schoolsI

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NEW JERSEY ED UCAT ION ASSO CIAT IONMAY 2010

Association news

3

housands of members ralliedin four counties during April

to protest Gov. Chris Christiesover $1 billion in budget cuts. These

protests followed on the heels of ral-lies over pension and benets cuts in

March in Bergen, Passaic, and Morriscounties.

Mays Landing greets governorMore than 400 teachers, educa-

tional support professionals (ESP),retirees, parents, and other supportersof Atlantic Countys public schools

protested outside an event Gov. Chris-tie attended at Mays Landing CountyClub on April 9. They braved frostytemperatures for four hours to greet

the tardy governor.Were here to let Gov. Christie

know that we are angry about the hav-oc his cuts will wreak in our schools,said Madeline Avery, president of theGreater Egg Harbor Regional Educa-tion Association. His cuts are hurtingour kids.

Chanting Save our schools! andholding signs that read I am a teacherlike your mother and Gov. Christieand Educationnot perfect together,the protestors were stationed along theBlack Horse Pike and outside the en-trance to Mays Landing Country Club.

When the governor arrived, he wastaken into the event via a side entranceso he would not have to face the pro-testors, but he certainly heard them.

State police who were called in tomanage the crowds found familiar facesamong the protestors. One trooper wasloudly greeted by his former teachersat Absegami High School and anothertrooper quickly located his wife andtwo small children who had already

been protesting in the chilly weatherfor hours.

Thousands rally in WoodburyNearly 2,000 NJEA members

from ve counties marched through

downtown Woodbury on April 15 at aRestore the Funding rally.

The members called on legislatorsto oppose any budget that cuts fund-

ing to public schools and also calledon legislators to insist that the Mil-lionaires Tax on New Jerseyans whoearn more than $400,000 per year bereinstated in order to help offset edu-cation cuts.

NJEA President Barbara Kesh-ishian and NJEA Secretary-TreasurerMarie Blistan attended the rally andgave high marks to the protestors.

In spite of the governors at-tacks on NJEA, our members, andthe students we serve, this rally reallygets to the heart of the issue, said

NJEA President Barbara Keshishian.Our members see the damage thesecuts are doing to our schools and ourstudents. No matter what anyone says,we will never stop advocating for ourmembers and our public schools.

I am proud to be part of thiswonderful event, said NJEA Secre-tary-Treasurer and former GloucesterCounty Education Association Presi-dent Marie Blistan. I know rst-hand

how much our members care about thestudents of this state. We will not per-mit anyone to make our students, ourstaff, or our profession the scapegoatfor the states economic crisis.

Somerset lines 206A week earlier, Somerset County

school employees took to the streets ofHillsborough to send a s imilar message.

We have been put into a posi-tion where it sounds as though we areoutsiders in the communities wherewe work, said Somerset CountyEducation Association President Bar-

bara Parker. But people forget thatteachers are also parents, we live inthe community, and we pay the sametaxes. We are the same.

During the two-hour rally, partici-pants encouraged drivers, who rubber-necked to look at the protest signs, to

honk their horns in support. Many ofthem did, including a school bus lled

with a girls high school lacrosse team

who cheered from the buswindows.

Even Santa weighed in onthe controversy.

Dressed in his traditionalred and white suit, Santawalked up and down Route206 telling passersby his takeon the governors behaviortowards NJEA members.

Wagging his nger, Santa

declared, Gov. Chris Chris-tie has been a naughty boy.

Essex takes a standNick Galante, president

of the West Orange Educa-tion Association is not happy

that Gov. Christie refusesto reinstate the millionairestax: a modest surcharge onthose with an annual incomeover $400,000. It would have

brought nearly $1 billionback into the state budget andaverted a crisis that leavesno school district in the stateuntouched.

The middle class is beingtargeted for taxes, Galantesaid. Christie took moneyfrom education and gave it tothe rich. It is our rm belief

that the governor is pickingon teachers and all schoolemployees.

This treatment spurredGalante and several hundredmembers of the Essex CountyEducation Association to rallyoutside the Education LawCenter in Newark last month whereGov. Christie was expected to speak.Christie was a no-show.

This just shows that Gov. Christiedoes not want to face those he at-tacks, declared NJEA Vice PresidentWendell Steinhauer at the rally. Buthe is going to nd that no matter

where he goes, NJEA members will bethere to face him.

NJEA Vice President WendellSteinhauer speaks at theNewark rally.

NJEA members in Atlantic County greet the governor at the Mays LandingCountry Club.

Members at the Newark rally remind legislators to fund public schools.

An NJEA member expresses her frustration.

Members lined Route 206 in Hillsborough.

NJEA members bring their mes-sage to the rally in Woodbury.

NJEA President Barbara Keshishian, holding megaphone, and Secre-tary-Treasurer Marie Blistan, on Keshishians right, address membersat the Woodbury rally.

Members from five South Jersey counties protest on Broad Street inWoodbury. Logan Township Education Association members camedecked out in their locals yellow shirts.

NJEA members take to the streetsagain!

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Taking a stand

4

An official publication of the

NEW JERSEY EDUCATION [email protected]

Barbara Keshishian, President

Vincent E. Giordano, Executive DirectorEditor: Patrick Rumaker

Layout Artist: Gregg Poserina

Editorial Director: Stephen K. Wollmer

Contributing Writers:Rich Brown, Kathy Coulibaly,Martha O. DeBlieu, Sean Hadley, Dawn Hiltner, ChristyKanaby, Phil Lomonico, David Sciarra, Eileen Senn,

Wanda Swanson, and Elizabeth Weisholtz.

The NJEA Reporter (ISSN-0027-674X) is published by the NewJersey Education Association, 180 W. State St., P.O. Box 1211,Trenton, NJ 08607-1211. Periodicals postage is paid at Trenton,NJ, and at additional mailing offices. Published monthly exceptJuly and August, with two issues in October. Membership duesinclude $2.25 for the NJEA Reporter. Circulation: 200,000. Post-master, send address changes to: NJEA Membership Processing,180 W. State St., P.O. Box 1211, Trenton, NJ 08607-1211

Telephone: (609) 599-4561

Copyright 2010

Governing by deception is not leadershipNJEA Research presents:

Delving into data

American parents back theirpublic schools74% parents in 2009-10 who gavean A or B grade to the public schooltheir oldest child attends.

69% parents five years ago (2005-06)who gave an A or B grade to thepublic school their oldest child attended.

91% parents this year who gave a Cor higher grade to the public school theiroldest child attends.

90% parents five years ago (2005-06)who gave a C or higher grade to thepublic school their oldest child attended.

Public: Biggest problems facingpublic schools#1 Lack of funding: citedby 32%, up from 17% in2008 and 26% in 2007.

#2 Lack of discipline:listed by 10%, same percentage as thelast two years

#3 Overcrowding: singled out by 9%,up from 6% in 2008 and 7% in 2007

#4 Drugs: cited by 5% up from 4% thelast two years.

What parents say are biggestproblems#1

Lack of funding: identified by 30%,up from 19% in 2008 and 26% in 2007

#2 Overcrowding: cited by 10%, com-pared to 11% in 2008 and 9% in 2007

#3 Lack of discipline: listed by 8%,compared to 3% in 2008 and 5% in 2007

#4 Fighting: mentioned by 6%, downfrom 8% the last two years.

High school dropouts seen asnational issue71% See the dropout rate as one ofthe most important problems in U.S.public high schools

46% View the dropout rate as one ofthe most important problems in theircommunitys public high school.

No Child Left Behind supportdeclining29% portion of the public that believesNCLB is hurting performance of localpublic schools, up from 22% in 2008 and27% in 2007.

43% portion of the public that believesthe NCLB has made no difference inperformance of local public schools, upfrom 34% in 2008 and 41% in 2007.

Source: The 41st annual Phi Delta Kappa/

Gallup Poll of the Publics Attitudes Toward the

Public Schools, 2009.

To the editor:

Do not let Gov. Christie, Commis-sioner Schundler, and the rest of thatcrowd frighten you into their way ofthinking. They will nd money for

what they want. There are many waysto raise money for schools if you have

the intelligence and interest to do it.Christie and his followers are in a

sense attacking the children of NewJersey with the budget cuts. Withoutquestion, there will be fewer resourc-es. We will have to do much morewith larger class sizes and with fewerresources. The state will certainly fall

behind in testing.

Under Christie, teachers will belabeled as the cause of this failure.He and Schundler will point a nger,

telling the citizens of New Jersey that

the lazy, overpaid, unionized teachershavent done their jobs and the kidssuffer as a result. They will confront

NJEA, accusing it of being the causeof all kinds of dreadful problems.

Some budget cuts are necessary,

but to gut the education system in aneffort to get at teachers, who havedone nothing wrong and have raisedour state education system to the topve in the nation, is very wrong.

Perhaps the governor should tryteaching a seventh- or eighth-gradeclass in any of the large urban districtsin New Jersey under his own budgetcuts, while having his feet held to there regarding test results. My bet is

that he wouldnt last a month.

-James K. Aumack, retiredCape May

n April 20 we saw the lowest

passage rate of school budgetssince 1976. Only 41 percent

of budgets passed. The governorhad the audacity to claim this wasa victoryas if additional layoffs,larger class sizes, program cuts, andthe loss of extracurricular activitiesare something to celebrate.

That so many budgets weredefeated is not a reflection on our

public schools. It is a reflection ofhow voters feel about property taxes,which will rise steeply thanks to ChrisChristies budget.

Prior to Election Day, the gov-ernor urged voters to defeat budgets

where members declined to take asalary freeze. Days before the electionhe said that our members were usingchildren as drug mules to get outthe yes vote. For a governor to tellresidents to vote down their school

budget is wrong. Using inflamma-tory language calibrated to dominate

press coverage and insult students andteachers is beneath the dignity of theofce he holds.

But after his rst fourmonths in ofce, it no lon-ger comes as a surprisethat Gov. Christietakes every opportu-

nity to mislead thepublic and deflectattention from theimpact of his draco-nian budget.

His biggest decep-

tion to date is his call for every school

employee to take a pay freeze. Andhis cronies are backing him up on thisdistortion of the facts.

In a post-election, chest-thumpingradio commercial released on April23, the Republican State Committee

joins in the celebration of defeatedschool budgets. The ad claims:

Gov. Christie asked the NJEAthe teachers unionfor reasonablesacrice: a one-year wage freezeand help in paying some health care

benets. Just 1.5 percent of theirsalariesjust like private-sectoremployees.

Then comes the lie:

With these changes, not oneteacher would lose their job.

Maybe before the nonpartisanOfce of Legislative Services (OLS)released its analysis of the state

budget, the Republican State Com-mittee could have plausibly believedthe governors claims about the salaryfreeze, but not after.

According to the OLS, even ifevery school employee agreed

to the pay freeze and the1.5 percent contribution,

school districts wouldstill have to address abudget shortfall of at

least $849.3 million.In a state budget thatreduces direct school

aid by $1.09 billion, itturns out a salary freeze

recoups less than one-

fourth of that amount.

Jobs would still be lost. Programswould still be cut. Class sizes wouldstill increase. And property taxes willstill go up.

We cannot allow the governorto turn our members or our publicschools into scapegoats for the statesscal condition and his destructiveresponse to it. We did not cause therecession and cutting services toschool children is not the solution.

Nor is pretending that a salary freezecompletely offsets the damage.

NJEA members have stepped upto the plate. Youve shown up by thehundreds for lobby days in the State

House, and in the thousands for ral-lies in county after county.

Now were asking you come toTrenton in the tens of thousands onSaturday, May 22. The front page ofthisNJEA Reporterprovides the basicdetails. Over the next few weeks youwill be getting more informationthrough your local president about the

best way to nd your way to Trenton.

In the meantime, stay involvedand stay informed by checking njea.orgoften.

Our strength lies in our unity. Wemust stand together to ght for ourmembers and public schools. You

have kept your promise of providingthe children of New Jersey with the

best public schools in the nation.

Now it is time for our legislatorsand this governorto do the same.ACTagainst cuts toNJs families andcommunities

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NJEA ConventionShow off your news-letter or website at

the NJEA Convention

5

Dont miss your chance to showoff your local or county associationnewsletter at the NJEA Conventionand maybe even win a valuable prizejust for participating. Make sure yourassociation is represented at the 2010NJEA Newsletter Display, Nov. 4-5 atthe Atlantic City Convention Center.

Its easy. Submit an issue of yournewsletter by Oct. 18, 2010, to:

NJEA Newsletter Display

PO Box 1211

Trenton, NJ 08607-1211

Attach a card to each submission listingyour affiliates name, the editors name

and address, and the county in which

the local is located, the unit (higher

education or non-classroom teacher), or

the affiliated groups name. Indicate ifthe newsletter is designed for associa-

tion members or the community.

An entry will be randomly selected toreceive a valuable prize, which willbe awarded at the convention. Lastyears winners, the Wayne EducationAssociation and the Burlington CountyRetirees Education Association,received Canon digital cameras.

Display your websiteTo make sure your website is represent-

ed, webmasters should send the link for

their websites to [email protected] or county association website link

will be added to the growing list of links

that can be found at njea.org.

All websites listed at njea.orgwill bepart of a slide show presented at theCommunications Division area on theconvention floor in the NJEA ServicesCenter. Participating local and countyassociations will be entered into adrawing to receive a valuable prize.

Local associations are randomly selected to win prizesfor their participation in the newsletter and websitedisplays at the annual NJEA Convention. Above NJEAEditorial Committee Chair Susan Shrott presents Bur-lington County Retirees Education Association Presi-dent Irma Lorenz (center) and BCREA Vice President

Jacquelin McNaughton with a Canon digital camera.

Promote your writing in Authors Alleyuthors Alley is an area onthe exhibit floor that provides

NJEA members a chance toshowcase materials that they have

published that enhance and add valueto the teaching profession or can serveas useful educational resources forteachers and parents.

Members interested in exhibitingin Authors Alley must be willing tooffer members advice on how to goabout publishing their authored works.Only NJEA members are to completethe application found here and returnit to NJEA by Oct. 1, 2010.

Member authors will be respon-sible to exhibit on both days of theconventionThursday, Nov. 4 andFriday, Nov. 5displaying and sellingtheir published works and speakingwith members. You must be a memberof NJEA to participate.

Space is limited and assigned on arst-come, rst served basis.

Return the completed applica-tion, payable to NJEA Authors Alley.Please send copies of your publishedmaterials with the application. Sub-missions must meet NJEA criteria.Your fee will be refunded if we cannotfulll your request.

Authors Alley ApplicationI am interested in being a vendor at the 2010 NJEA Convention at the Atlantic City Convention Center,Nov. 4-5. I understand that I must be an NJEA member to participate in Authors Alley, and I agree toparticipate for the entire convention.

Name ______________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________

City _____________________________ State _______ Zip _____________

Phone Number ___________________ E-mail __________________________

School District _______________________ County ______________________

Published materials _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Return to: Cindy Vannauker, NJEA-PDII, PO Box 1211, Trenton, NJ 08607-1211

Affiliate groups enhance NJEA Conventionore than 20 professional edu-cation associations afliated

with NJEA will provide over100 of the nearly 300 programs offeredat the 2010 NJEA Convention. TheNJEA Convention Program, which ismailed to members in late September,includes a Sponsor Index that listsall of the workshops brought to theconvention by afliate groups.

Cross-content learningDont assume that if youre not a

media specialist you should skip pastlistings for the New Jersey Associationof School Librarians, or if youre a sci-ence teacher the New Jersey Associa-tion of School Social Workers doesnthave something planned for you.

Among offerings from the N.J.Council of Teachers of English at the2010 NJEA Convention, for example,is Science Poetry: 21st-Century Toolfor Interdisciplinary Literacy and

Learning. At that workshop, sci-ence teacher Erin Colfax and Englishteacher Nancy Gorrell will show howwriting poetry in science enhanceslearning in both science and literacy.

You dont have to be a polyglot forthe Foreign Language Educators of

New Jersey to help you expand yourstudents global awareness. Lookfor Norah Jones session Authen-tic Media: Connecting Lives and

ContextsClassroom to World.

You dont need to be a readingspecialist to implement learningclubs as part of your classroom in-struction. To learn more about them,check out Learning Clubs: UsingLiteracy to Learn Across Content

Areas sponsored by the New JerseyReading Association and presentedby Heather Casey.

More about afliate groups

Throughout the year, NJEA-af-liated groups provide their mem-bers with opportunities to interactwith colleagues from around thestate, sponsor professional devel-opment experiences, and in somecases, professional and studentrecognition programs.

You can nd a comprehensive

list of the groups at njea.org. Justclick on Professional Develop-

ment in the left-hand sidebar and thenlook for PD Partners under Profes-

sional Development Resources.

In one of the nine workshops sponsored last year by the Art Ed-ucators of N.J., Shadow Puppets: Stories that Move, presenterEllen McGuff-Silverman (r) assists a member with her creation.

At the 2009 convention, the N.J. Association for Health, PhysicalEducation, Recreation, and Dance sponsored eight workshops,including this one that provided research-based movement activi-ties to enhance content-area learning for all academic disciplines.

M

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6

Leaders strengthen skills for

challenging timesn the current economic climate,strong association advocates aremore important than ever in making

sure that NJEA members are treatedfairly. That motivation drove hundredsof local leaders to attend one of threeannual NJEA Winter Leadership con-ferences held across New Jersey.

The rst conference was held in At-

lantic City on Jan. 29-30, the second inParsippany on March 5-6, and the thirdin East Brunswick on March 26-27.

As educators, weoften engage in pro-fessional developmentto help us become

better teachers andeducational support

professionals, NJEALeadership CommitteeChair Justin Dolci-mascolo said as heopened the Atlantic City conference.But its just as important to build ouradvocacy skills to keep our unionand our professionstrong.

Conference seminars train mem-bers on a wide variety of leadershiptopics: collective bargaining, griev-ance procedures, representation at the

building level, and new member andminority leadership. The conferencealso provides a mid-year opportunityfor round-table discussions for localassociation presidents.

Photos by I. George Bilyk

UniServ field representative Myron Plotkinexplains the three tests that define a pastpractice during the seminar Grieve, DontGripe Contract Enforcement.

From left, Lisa Rajeski of the Plumstead Township Education As-sociation develop strategies to represent members with BurlingtonCounty Institute of Technology member Jacqueline McGuinness,and Bridgeton Education Associations Kimberly Cosby and CherieDouglas during the seminar, Association Representative (AR) Keyto a Strong Organization.

UniServ field representative Tom Predale facilitates discussion at the OrganizingYour Local seminar.

Darryl Lloyd (r) of the Willingboro Education Associationdiscusses a hypothetical situation with Larry Zahn ofthe Camden Education Association during the LegalIssues Affecting School Employees seminar.

Washington Township Education Association memberConnie Meeks asks a question during the BargainingHealth Insurance seminar.

From left, Fairfield Education Association SecretaryDeborah Ingersoll, President Lisa Niemi, and Trea-surer Tracey Hayman prepare a description of their76-member local during a seminar titled Tuvalu forSmall Local Associations.

UniServ consultants

NJEA announces the following NJEApart-time consultant vacancy:

Region 21 (Essex County)

DutiesConsultants assist UniServ and otherNJEA staff members as assigned in:

Securing and retaining local

association recognition.

Helping local associations to develop

proposals and negotiate contracts.

Helping local associations to adminis-

ter contracts and process grievances.

Providing consultation and assistance

to local/county association leaderswith respect to training activities.

Providing training experiences as

assigned.

Helping local/county associations to

handle organizational managementresponsibilities.

Performing such other duties as may

be assigned.

Active or active-supportive membersof NJEA currently employed in publicschools or colleges who may be interest-ed in these positions may request the jobdescription, summary of qualifications,and an application form by contacting thefollowing NJEA UniServ office:

NJEA-NEA Region 21

UniServ Office76 South Orange Avenue, Suite 302South Orange, NJ 07079-1727E-mail: [email protected]

Inquiries should be sent immediately.Completed applications must be returnedto the appropriate UniServ regional officeby May 31, 2010.

*NJEA is an equal opportunity/affirmativeaction employer.

Association news

Essay contest: students honor school heroesJEA and the Trenton Thunder

professional baseball team aresponsoring a student essay

contest open to all New Jersey publicschool students.

The topic of the contest is MyHero Works at School. Students areencouraged to write a short, thoughtfulessay about a school employee that hashad a positive impact on them. Essaysshould be no more than 250 words.

Three winners will be selected.Each winning student, the schoolemployee he or she writes about, anda total of eight of their family mem-

bers and friends will be guests ofNJEA and the Trenton Thunder at theWednesday, Aug. 25 Thunder homegame, the annual NJEA Back-to-School game.

Each winning student and theschool employee he or she writesabout will participate in pregame

ceremonies and receive commemora-

tive certicates. Participants shouldbe available to attend the game. Nosubstitute dates are available.

Entries must include the studentsname, home address, home phonenumber, school name and address,and grade level.

Send entries to:

NJEA-Thunder Essay Contest

Attention: Dawn Hiltner

PO Box 1211

Trenton, NJ 08607-1211

The deadline for submissions isFriday, May 28, 2010.

Special ticket oerNJEA members and their familiesand friends can purchase discountedtickets for the annual NJEA/ TrentonThunder Back-to-School game onWednesday, Aug. 25, 2010.

You can purchase the tickets onlinewhere youll need to use the PromoCode (all caps) NJEA2010 to get thespecial rate of $8 per ticket.

Visit njea.org, select Family &Community from the left-hand side-bar click on Sports & Contests andlook for the Trenton Thunder logoto take advantage of the special offer.

I

N


7/12


NJEA conferences

7

PD ConsultantsSNJEA Conference highlights digital

awarenessichard Guerry, the executivedirector of Institute for Respon-sible Online and Cell-Phone

Communication (I.R.O.C.2), held up acandle and a lighter as he delivered thekeynote address at the Student NJEAConference on April 17.

When a new tool comes out thatuses a flame, you dont have to relearnthat playing with re can burn, he said.

You learn how to use the new toolsafely because you are already aware ofthe dangers of re from an early age.

Guerry said that social networkingsites are no different. They are simplydigital tools and using them safelyrequires a similar awareness.

Two years ago it was MySpace.Now its Facebook. Tomorrow it willbe something else, Guerry said. Whatmatters is using a digital tool responsi-blyto have a digital consciousness orawarenesswhether that tool is with ustoday or ve years from now.

He dened digital awareness as

a mindset that every action taken ina digital environment is public andpermanent. Guerry noted that publicdoes not mean just the neighborhood.

It means the world. Permanent doesnot mean something that goes awaytomorrow.

Your great-great grandchildren aregoing to see what you leave behind,Guerry said.

Prior to his remarks, Guerry pre-

sented the I.R.O.C.2 Responsibility2.1C Award of Excellence to NJEASecretary-Treasurer Wendell Steinhauerfor NJEAs proactive efforts to pro-mote 21st-century digital responsibility,safety, and awareness.

Best oot orwardStudent NJEA members were of-

fered workshops that encompassedthe conference theme, Putting YourBest Foot Forward. In addition to aworkshop on electronic communica-tions that expanded upon the keynoteaddress, members attended workshopsthat helped them prepare for a tight job

market, a workshop on the rewards ofteaching, and a look at the changing

face of professional development.

Watch or ballotNominations were taken at the

conference for the SNJEA ofces ofpresident, vice president, and secretary.More than one person was nominatedfor each ofce, resulting in an election.

Student NJEA elections are conductedby postal mail.

Nominees have the opportunity tosubmit an essay and a picture to pro-mote their candidacies. Those submis-sions will be mailed along with theStudent NJEA ballots no later than May15. The ballots must be returned bear-ing a postmark no later than May 31.

Those nominees who receive themost votes will be declared the StudentNJEA ofcers for the 2010-11 school

year. They will assume their positionsSept. 1, 2010.

hile NJEA and its membersare still ghting for additional

state funding to protect publiceducation, it is likely that Gov. Christies

budget cuts will result in many lost jobs.If you are facing a potential reductionin force (RIF), there are many questionsyoull need answered.

On the Members Only page ofnjea.orgyoull nd some answers to the

question, What do I do if I am RIFed?The page directs you to detailed answersconcerning health benets, your pen-

sion, unemployment insurance, disabilityinsurance, 403(b) Supplemental Savings/Investment Accounts, and Life Insurance.

If you have an outstanding pensionloan, the page provides guidance con-cerning Internal Revenue Service (IRS)requirements as well as options concern-ing repayment or a taxable distribution.

Finally, the page provides links tojob search sites to assist you in securing

a new position.

You can only access the page on theMembers Only side of the website. Login to njea.orgwith your PIN and pass-word. Your PIN is the two letter-twonumber-two letter code found on yourmembership card. If your e-mail ad-

dress is registered with NJEA, that willalso work as your PIN number. Yourpassword is set as the last four digits ofyour Social Security number unless youhave changed it.

Once youre logged in, click onMembers Only in the left-hand sidebarand look for the article titled Importantinformation for RIFed members.

Are you nontenured?By May 15, all nontenured teachers

must be notied of re-employment. If the

school board fails to notify the non-tenured teacher, he or she is entitled tocontinued employment for the next year.

In addition, many locally negotiated con-tracts include similar requirements foreducational support professionals (ESP).

If a nontenured teacher wishes to ac-cept employment, he or she must notifythe board in writing on or before June1. ESP staff members should consult

their collective bargaining agreementsto determine if they have similar re-sponse requirements.

Members who have been notied of

their nonrenewal should contact theirUniServ eld ofce.

Changing school districts?Did you know that placement on a

salary guide is negotiable for membersmoving from one school district toanother?

According to Statute 18A: 29-9,Whenever a person shall thereafter ac-cept ofce, position, or employment

as a members in any school district ofthis state, his initial place on the salaryschedule shall be at such point as maybe agreed upon by the member and theemploying board of education.

In other words, if you are leavingSchool District A for School District B,

you have the right to negotiate place-ment on your new salary guide with theboard of education. Some locals havecontract language to this effect. Con-tracts may require the board to give fullcredit to an employee moving from onedistrict to another while other contractsmay spell out limitations.

So if you are accepting employ-ment in a different school district, youmay want to contact the local presidentthere before you agree on salary guideplacement.

What do I do if Im RIFed?

NJEA announces two part-time

Professional Development consultantvacancies. Preference will be given toapplicants who can provide service inGloucester and Salem counties.

Visit njea.org, click on Resources,and then NJEA Career Opportunitiesfor a more complete posting.

DutiesFacilitate professional developmentopportunities at district, county, andstate programs

Provide consultation and assistance tolocal association leaders

Assist in the design and developmentof learning modules

Qualifications Bachelors degree

Active NJEA member

Knowledge of or experience indesigning, planning, and facilitatingtraining activities

Requests for application should besent no later than May 14 to MichaelCohan, Director, Professional Develop-ment & Instructional Issues, NJEA, POBox 1211, Trenton, NJ 08607-1211

You may instead e-mail Felicia Davis,administrative assistant, for a full jobdescription and application, at

[email protected].

Completed applications must bereturned by May 28.

From left, Student NJEA members from Ru tgers-Camden Jamie Sia, Eugene Grear, and Jennifer Hoffman alongwith participant Thomas Hirschlein proudly display last years and this years conference tote bags.

PhotosbyAndreaKaneR

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8/12


8

Health and safetyTeacher input valued Safe Schools project helps career

and tech-ed teachersareer, vocational, and technicaleducation programs in publicschools present many of the

same safety and health hazards tostudents and staff as do actual work-

places. Such programs can be in awide variety of occupational elds,

including agriculture, auto repair, con-struction, cosmetology, culinary arts,and graphic arts, and they can be onor off school grounds. The 21 techni-cal school districts and many K-12districts in New Jersey offer workexperience courses and programs.

Safe Schools, a New Jersey project

to reduce occupational injuries andillnesses among both students andteachers, provides a variety of supportservices for the teachers who super-vise or coordinate work experience

programs. These include trainings,the Safe Schools Manual, guidance indeveloping a school safety and health

plan, the collection and analysis ofreportable incidents among studentsand staff in these programs, and avail-ability as a resource to teachers andschools running these programs.

John Hillard, coordinator for In-dustrial Education at Pemberton HighSchool, a former Abbott district school

that has severalcareer and techni-cal programs anda wide variety ofwork experienceopportunities,sees how these of-ferings affect thestudents.

At Pember-ton High Schoolthis collectionof programs hashelped signicant-

ly, Hillard said. Career andtechnical education keeps kidsin school and gives the studentsoptions and allow them to leavehere with a trade.

But work experience pro-grams do introduce students to

potential workplace hazards,and youth are particularlyvulnerable. Reasons for youthinjuries at work include lack oftraining, lack of experience or matu-

rity to recognize hazards or deal withemergencies, and lack of adherence

to regulations.According to Siobhan Kelly,

Ed.D., director of Job Develop-ment at Camden County TechnicalSchools, Safe Schools is important

because it tells us whatthe students need to besafe on the job. It playsa vital role in protectingstudents at work.

Sae Schools ManualThe Safe Schools

Manualprovides guid-ance on the manyregulations relevant to

work experience pro-grams, mostly from the

New Jersey Departmentof Education (NJDOE),the federal Occupa-tional Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA),and the New Jersey Public Employ-ees Occupational Safety and Health(PEOSH) program.

The manual explains how totranslate regulations into a schoolsafety and health plan and provides82 walk-through checklists to help

evaluate possible hazards from asbes-tos to exits to ladders to welding.

Training

Safe Schools trainings include ave-course program over eight daysthat is required for any teacher whowill supervise or coordinate a Struc-tured Learning Experience (SLE), onetype of work experience program. Be-cause of the time commitment and fee,$80 per day, most teachers who attendthis training are sent by their districts,but any teacher who is interested maycontact the Safe Schools project forguidance on how to approach the dis-trict or NJDOE to get started.

Safe Schools also offers free,shorter trainings related to variousworker safety topics, attended mainly

by teachers seeking continuing educa-tion credits or people hoping to entera career track involving supervisingstudents in a work environment.

Additionally, Safe Schools can helpfund registration for atrain-the-trainer courseseries offered at theOfce of Public Health

Practice in the School ofPublic Health at the Uni-versity of Medicine andDentistry of New Jersey(UMDNJ). Courses en-able teachers to providestudents and other teach-

ers at their school withthe OSHA 10 training- a 10-hour course in gen-eral industry safety andhealth hazard recognitionand prevention.

To learn moreTo get on the Safe Schools news-

letter mailing list (biannual printand monthly e-newsletter), sign upfor trainings, or download the SafeSchools Manual, visit www.njsafe-

schools.org.Students wear hard hats, safety glasses and safety shoes while participating in theConstruction Technology program at Salem County Career and Technical High School.

Derek Shendell, D.Env, MPH, an as-

sistant professor at UMDNJ-SPH andthe director of Safe Schools, is quickto point out the priority he places onbeing responsive to the needs andrequests of teachers. Dr. Shendell aimsto expand and modify Safe Schoolsofferings based on teacher feedbackon course evaluations.

We want people to know what theSafe Schools program is and that wewant it to be more, said Shendell.

The Safe Schools folks actually lookat different careers each year and goover different health and safety issuesyou would want to address in thefield, said Dr. Siobhan Kelly, the direc-

tor of Job Development at CamdenCounty Technical Schools. She notedthat Safe Schools has focused onspecial needs students and agricultureand will focus next on human services,including cosmetology.

Agencies collaborateSafe Schools is supported by theNJDOE Office of Career and TechnicalEducation, and multiple other agencieswith an interest in student and teacheroccupational safety and health. SafeSchools facilitates the New JerseyOSHA Alliance, which supports itstraining program, refines the cur-riculum as necessary, and makes SLEtrainings possible by providing trainerswith materials and field experience.

The alliance includes several divisionsfrom the federal Department of Labor,including OSHA and the Wage andHour Division, and the state Depart-ment of Labor and Workforce Develop-ment, NJDOE, and UMDNJ.

Any time you can have a programthat works together with the NJDOE,its one of the best situations Ive seenin my research around the country,said John Hillard, coordinator forIndustrial Education at Pemberton HighSchool. I think Safe Schools has done

a wonderful job.

This student at Middlesex County Vocationaland Technical School wears flame-retardantclothing, and eye and face protection. Note thelocal exhaust ventilation in upper right.

This student in the biotechnology lab at BergenCounty Academies works inside an exhaust booth.

Career and technical education programs often includeoff-campus experiences. This student (l), from MetEastHigh School in Camden, gets a first-hand look at CooperUniversity Hospital with one of the doctors.

These students, in the Culinary Artsand Hospitality program at SalemCounty Career and Technical HighSchool, wear aprons, hats, andgloves to protect their customers.

C


9/12


A closer look

9

Classroom Close-up, NJ airs onNJN Public Television every Monday at7 p.m. and every Saturday at 9 a.m.

The Emmy-winning show is a co-production of NJEA and NJN PublicTelevision, with additional fundingprovided by PSE&G.

Hosted byNJEA Vice President

Wendell Steinhauer

Physics, art, and leadership

Civil Rights Museum Third graders from Man-chester Township Elementary School create a liveCivil Rights Museum.

Eagle Academy Eagle Academy in Egg HarborTownship, operates a radio and television web-broadcast company.

* Young Leonardos Kindergarten and first-gradestudents from New Egypt Primary School realize theirunlimited learning potential in the spirit of Leonardo

da Vinci.

alt.fuel.ed Memorial High School students in WestNew York build alternative-fuel vehicles and discoverthe science behind them.

STANJ Students from across the state participatein the Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey(STANJ) Governors Award in Art Education competition.

Watch May 1, 24 and 29Tomorrows Teacher Students at

Memorial High School in West NewYork who want to become teacherscan start their training early. They re-ceive an abbreviated overview of whateducators learn in college, includinglessons on multiple intelligences,learning barriers, and pedagogy. Theycan also observe classrooms and expe-rience student teaching.

Eagle Academy A small al-ternative high school in southern

New Jersey, Eagle Academy in EggHarbor Township, operates a radio andtelevision web-broadcast company.The students produce local sports andculinary shows and public service an-

nouncements.Meditation in the Classroom

Wall Township High School psy-chology teacher John Altobelli usesmeditation in the classroom to fosterstudent success.

TREP$ Students at Walter T.Bergen Middle School in Bloom-ingdale become young entrepreneursthanks to a program called TREP$.The program teaches children the ba-sics of business ownership. Througha series of engaging workshops, theclassroom and the afterschool programtakes on a professional environment as

students are exposed to topics such asproduct development, nance, market-ing, advertising and sales.

Watch May 3, 8 and 31Progressive Science - The New

Jersey Center for Teaching and Learn-ing is launching a new science teachercertication program designed for

educators with great teaching skillsand an interest in science education.Three teachers demonstrate this pilot

program at Dickinson High School inJersey City.

Civil Rights Museum - Thirdgraders from Manchester TownshipElementary School create a live CivilRights Museum. The students researchfamous African-Americans, write aspeech and dress up as characters inthe museum.

Asian Fest - Freshmen from HowellHigh School transform a classroom intoan Asian Fest! The students conductresearch, design costumes, create artwork, prepare Chinese food, and per-form a play to honor the Asian culture.

Physics Alive - Patrick Callahan,science teacher at Delaware ValleyRegional High school in Frenchtown,was a New Jersey state-level nalist in

the 2008 Presidential Awards for Ex-

cellence in Mathematics and ScienceTeaching Program.

Watch May 10 and 153D Fifth graders at Cherry Hill

Elementary School in River Edgelearn about Earth Science through 3Dimagery. Teacher Kristen Crawforduses a NASA 3D-VIEW (Virtual Inter-active Environmental Worlds) curricu-lum for this interdisciplinary project.

Brothers and Ladies Ladies asLeaders and Brothers of West Cam-

pus (BoWC) are after-school clubsthat instill positive behavior in thestudents ofTrenton Central High

School West Campus. The goal ofeach group is to change negative ste-reotypes, promote academic success,encourage community service andteam building, and demonstrate posi-tive school leadership.

African-American History Toprovide students a meaningful wayto learn about the history of African-Americans, students at MillstoneRiver Elementary School in WestWindsor-Plainsboro create a play thatthey take on tour to the districts sixelementary schools.

* Young Leonardos Kinder-garten and rst grade students from

New EgyptPrimary School realizetheir unlimited learning potential inthe spirit of the great Renaissanceman Leonardo da Vinci. The YoungLeonardos celebrate the union of artand science.

Watch May 17 and 22alt.fuel.ed Memorial High

School students in West New Yorkbuild alternative-fuel vehicles anddiscover the science behind them.Technology education teacher RonGrosinger combined his engineeringand automotive classes with MargaretStegmanns science classes to createthis alternative-fuels program.

STANJ Students from acrossthe state participate in the Speech andTheatre Association of New Jersey(STANJ) Governors Award in ArtEducation competition. Each individu-al or team is judged based on comedy,drama, and a variety of criteria todetermine the best actors in the state.

Superheroes of Safety DanielleKovach, a second-grade teacher atTulsa Trail School in Hopatcong, cre-ated a Superheroes of Safety programand was awarded a $10,000 classroommakeover from Honeywell.

High Tech Hall Moodle,

Google, SMART Boards, Delicious,Skype, Twitter, and Wikistheseare all a part of the expanded HighTech Hall at the NJEA Convention.Theres so much to keep up with,

but thanks to the largest educationalgathering in the world, New Jerseyeducators gain hands-on experiencewith latest and greatest technologicaltools to enhance their instruction.

* These programs are funded

through the NJEA Frederick L. Hipp

Foundation for Excellence in Education.


10/12


Member benefi ts

10

NJEA Web Giveawaysfor May

Be sure to register online each month

for the NJEA web giveaways!

*Member Discount Program and Access:

Products and services listed in the NJEA Member

Discount Program and Access are provided as a

service to NJEA members and do not constitutean endorsement by NJEA or a representation

regarding the products quality or characteristics.

NJEA makes no warranties, expressed or implied,

including the warranties of merchantability or

fitness for a particular purpose regarding any

products or services listed in the NJEA Member

Discount Program and Access.

**Sponsored Vendors:

Products and services that are sponsored by NJEA

Member Benefits are believed to have broad-

based appeal and provide superior quality and

value. To the best of NJEAs understanding, these

products and services are worthy of sponsorship.

However, NJEA cannot be responsible for the qual-

ity or performance of these products and services,

which ultimately is the responsibility of the vendor.

Two tickets to any Worlds ofDiscovery* park

Save on tickets to SeaWorld, Busch

Gardens, Sesame Place, Adventure Island,

Aquatica, and Water Country. Purchase

tickets at the Theme Park and Ticket Dis-

counts section of njea.org. Click on Member

Benefits and Leisure Time Opportunities to

access the link to Worlds of Discovery*.

Overnight Getaway at The GoldenPlough Inn* at Peddlers Village

Win an overnight getaway in a deluxeroom at The Golden Plough Inn, locatedin Lahaska, the heart of Bucks County,

Pa. Dinner and breakfast for two are in-cluded. Peddlers Village is situated on 42acres and is home to five restaurants andover 70 specialty shops. NJEA membersreceive seasonal discounts from 10 to 50percent off.

Gift Basket from Vitamin World atJersey Shore Premium Outlets*

Win a supply of vitamins and other itemsfrom Vitamin World. Show your NJEA cardat the information booth in the food courtto receive a free VIP coupon book withdiscounts in many of the outlets.

Recent Winners:

March NJEA Web Giveaway Eileen England of the Holmdel Twp.EA won:

Free suite for 20 people at the SunNational Bank Center* for May 12 at 7p.m., featuring Ringling Brothers andBarnum & Bailey Circus BarnumsFunundrum!

$100 credit at Contact Fill*

Family four-pack of tickets to MadameTussauds NY*

Testimonials on Auto InsuranceChris from Salem County reports

saving $500 by switching from anothercompany to NEA-sponsored auto insur-ance with California Casualty**. Be-sides being less expensive, Chris reportsthat her coverage is now better and herdeductibles are lower.

Jeff from Monmouth County recentlyswitched to NJEA-sponsored auto insur-ance with 21st Century**. He added hisnew wife to the policy and the total oftheir annual premiums went down from$2,900 to less than $1,600 with bettercoverage than Jeff had before the switch.

The message is clear. You cannotlose anything by getting rate quotations

from both of the Association-sponsoredauto and home insurance programs. It isespecially important to review insurancecoverage when circumstances change. Ifyour current insurance provider provesto be your best choice, then you should

be pleased that you have been gettingcost-effective coverage all along.

Contact information for the aboveprograms follows:

21st Century**njea.21st.com - 888-261-8890

California Casualty**www.calcas.com - 866-680-5142

Clementon Park Splash World* NJEA week

ACCESS DiscountsHere are the simple steps to reachACCESS Discounts:

1. Go to njea.org.

2. Log in with your PIN or e-mail ad-dress and your password, which wasinitially set as the last 4 digits ofyour Social Security number.

3.Conrm your contact information.

4. Click Member Benets(under Quick Clicks).

5. Click ACCESS Discounts.

Be sure to check out all thatACCESS Discounts offers,including:

SearchlocalbusinessesbyZIP code or city

Grocerycoupons

Productsearch

Travelservices

Nationalbrands

New Jersey Education Association

Present this coupon at the Main G ate Ticket Booth to receivediscount. Family & Friends Coupon valid for up to four (4) guests.Coupon valid 7/12-7/17, 2010 ONLY. Not valid with any otheroffers. Not to be resold. Expires July 17, 2010. PLU 3716

EachEach

FAMILY & FRIENDSFAMILY & FRIENDS

17.50$17.50$

Sunday, July 11th - Friday, July 16th, 2010

NJEA MemberNJEA MemberNJEA MemberAdmission

NJEA MemberAdmission

A Valid NJEA Member ID must be presented with coupon toreceive discount. NJEA Member coupon valid for one (1)admission ticket ONLY. Coupon valid 7/12-7/17, 2010 ONLY.Not valid with any other offers.Not to be resold.Expires July 17, 2010.PLU 9203

A portion of all tickets sold will benefit the H.I.P.P Foundation

www.CLEMENTONPARK.com

144 Berlin Rd., Clementon, NJ 08021(856) 783-0263

You can $ave on things

that you really use!


11/12

NEW JERSEY ED UCAT ION ASSO CIAT ION

For your information

11

NJREA/NJEA/NEA Retired MembershipRENEWAL/APPLICATION

Name

Address

City State Zip

Phone ( )

Cell ( )

E-mail Address

Please check amount being paid: Checks are payable to NJEA

A. I enclose payment of annual duesfor New JerseyRetirees Education Association (state), NJEA, & NEA-Retired for

September 2010 August 2011 membership year as follows: PROFESSIONAL

$ 72 if retired on or after Sept. 1, 1973

$ 52 if retired before Sept. 1, 1973

$ 5 if retired before Sept. 1, 1973AND annual pension is less than $5,000

EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL

$ 49

B. I enclose payment of life retirement membershipdues as follows: PROFESSIONAL

$905 for LIFE retired membership in theNJREA/NJEA/NEA-R

EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL

$560 for LIFE retired membership in theNJREA/NJEA/NEA-R

Please send me more information on life dues in

three installments. (Professional-$905 or ESP- $560)

NJREA: An investment

in your securityFor active members considering retirement,notions of sleeping late, globe-trotting, and l ifewithout school bells ll the mind. But before you

throw away your alarm clock and consult yourtravel agent, make sure to join the NewJersey Retirees Education Association(NJREA).

Standing up or ourselvesIn todays economic climate,

there are some who feel that yourhard-earned pension is an entitle-ment that should be eliminated.As the crisis deepens, those voices

seem to grow louder. But NJREAmembers know that there is power innumbers.

Time and again NJREA members have stoodtogether to protect our rights, the rights of activemembers, and the rights of those just embarking ona career in public education.

It is sad that we have to ght so hard to keep

what we have earned. But when we assume we areinvulnerable, we forget that change is only a fewlegislative votes away.

NJREA keeps our legislators aware of who weare and how many we are. We need you to writeletters, send e-mails, make phone calls, and evenattend rallies to protect and enhance the benets

you earned serving New Jerseys students.

Benefts o membershipBut theres more to NJREA than securing our

rights in Trenton. As a retired school employee,membership in NJREA, NJEA, and NEA-Retiredenables you to continue your membership benets

and participation in:

NEAterminsurance

Accidentaldeathinsurance

Homeownersandautomobileinsurance

NJEAtravelservices

NJEA/NEA-Rno-feecreditcardprogram

BuyersEdgediscountbuying

MemberCare,Medicaresupplements and in-hospital plans

Magazineservice

NJEA/NEAFDIC-insuredmoneymarket account

NEAHigherEducationLoanProgram

NEAGoldCerticateCDProgram

Youll also enjoy these benefts:NJEAandNEApublications

ThequarterlyNJREA Newsletter

Avoiceinassociationaffairs

30percentdiscountonlegalfeesthroughtheNJEAattorneyreferralservice

DiscountsatGreatAdventure/SixFlags,MagicKingdom, and other theme parks

Discountsoncarrentals

Additionally, you can attend the NJREA Con-vention in Atlantic City, fall and spring NJREAluncheon meetings, and special sessions for retir-

ees at the NJEA and NEA conventions. Countyretiree associations also hold monthly social andinformal meetings.

When one o us is threatenedNJREA needs you because it takes all of us, not just someof us, to protect what weve earned. Consider the tale ofthe mouse:

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmerand his wife open a package. What food might this contain?the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was amousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning:There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap inthe house!

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said,Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is ofno consequence to me.

The mouse turned to the pig who said, I am so very sorry, Mr.Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it. Be assured thatyou are in my prayers.

The cow, in her turn said, Im sorry for you, Mr. Mouse, but itsno skin off my nose.

The mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, toface the farmers mousetrap alone.

That very night, the sound of a mousetrap catching i ts preywas heard throughout the house. The farmers wife rushed t osee what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it wasa venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snakebit her.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home witha fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chickensoup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for thesoups main ingredient.

But his wifes sickness continued, so f riends and neighborscame to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmerbutchered the pig.

Sadly, the farmers wife died. So many people came for herfuneral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provideenough meat for all of them to eat.

From his crack in the wall, the mouse looked upon it all withgreat sadness. If only they had listened to him, they wouldhave realized that when one of them was threatened, theywere all at risk.

By joining NJREA, you are doing your part to protectyourself and your retired colleagues. NJREA urges you tobe one of the many, instead of one standing alone.

Signature:X(Dues include annual subscriptions for NJEA Review; NJEA Reporter; and NEA Today.)

C. Credit card payment AMEX VISA MasterCard

Card Number:

Valid Through:MONTH YEAR

Complete this section to ensure your right to vote in NJEA elections:Were you an NJEA member at the time of your retirement?

NO YES If yes please indicate:

Retirement Employment Year/Month Position

RetirementDistrict

RetirementCounty

Dont forget to join your County Retired Educators Association!

IMPORTANTBE SURE TO indicate (check Yes or No) whether you

were an NJEA member when you retired?

Mail this application to: Lockbox 512413New Jersey Education AssociationP.O. Box 37649Philadelphia, PA 19101-9724

MAY 2010


12/12


In the spotlight

12

NJEA membersget free admissionon Teacher andEducational Sup-port ProfessionalAppreciation Nightwith the Camden Riversharks baseballteam, Friday, June 4 at 7:05 p.m. TheRiversharks will play the BridgeportBluefish.

At 6:20 pm, all teachers and ESP will beinvited on to the field to be recognizedfor all their hard work. The game will befollowed by fireworks.

Games are played at the beautifulCampbells Field, which offers dramaticviews of the Philadelphia skyline andthe Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

Upper box tickets are free for teachersand educational support professionals(ESP). To upgrade to a field box, pay $2per additional ticket. Additional upperbox tickets are available for familyand friends for $8, or $11 for field boxtickets.

To order tickets go to njea.org, selectFamily and Community from the left-hand sidebar, then click on Sports andContests. There youll find a link to the

form needed to order your free tickets.

All orders received after May 31 willbe placed at the will call window of thebox office.

If you have questions, call IrenePastorino of the Riversharks at 856-583-0026, or e-mail her at [email protected].

See any Riversharks gamefor only $5NJEA members can enjoy a specialdiscount on tickets to any Riversharksgame for the 2010 season at only $5a ticket!

Heres how to order:

Go to www.riversharks.com.

Click on Buy Tickets.

Select a game to attend.

Select any 200 level seat, then clickBuy Tickets.

Enter promotional code NJEA.

Proceed to checkout.

If you have questions contact TimSeidler at 856-583-0039 or [email protected].

Camden Riversharksappreciate NJEA

members

Students, libraries promote pennies

for peacen our society, a penny is usuallyconsidered worthless, but over-seas, pennies can move moun-

tains. Thats what Greg Mortensen,founder of the Central Asia Instituteand author ofThree Cups of Tea, hasto say about childrens donations tothe Pennies for Peace program. The

book is Mortensens story of howhe was moved to address poverty,

promote education, and overcomecultural divides between the West andPakistan and Afghanistan.

Pennies for Peace is a program that

plays a key role in that story.

New Jersey school and public li-braries are playing a key role as well.Across the state, public librarians,school librarians, and other schoolstaff have encouraged children todonate their pennies to help childrenin Pakistan and Afghanistan have achance to go to school. For the statesschool children, the program is anopportunity to broaden their culturalhorizons and learn the value of theirgenerosity.

On April 14, New Jersey State Li-brarian Norma Blake found that those

pennies add up. At the State Library,Blake, accompanied by students andlibrarians from every region of New

Jersey, presented a check for $14,000to representatives from the CentralAsia Institute.

We are really pleased to see thatso many children and teens are spear-heading this campaign in their schoolsand libraries, said Blake. By learn-ing about what their pennies can dofor children on the other side of theirworld and by taking an action to dosomething, they have become globalcitizens and library champions.

After the check presentation, theschool and public libraries that raisedthe most money were recognized. The

New Providence SchoolDistrict raised $3,270.30.Students there designed

posters promoting the pro-gram and displayed themthroughout the community,according to Amy Nagel,media specialist at NewProvidence High School.

Christian Fraehmke, asecond grader in New Prov-idence, donated $100 thathe had initially receivedas a Christmas gift from afamily friend. His parentsthought he was being too

generous, and insisted that Christianwrite the check himself to be sure heknew what he was doing. Christian

was undeterred.

I wanted to be generous to thechildren of Pakistan and Afghani-stan, he said.

Also receiving recognition wereBridgetons West Avenue School,Glen Rocks Academy of Our Lady,Medfords Cranberry Pines Elemen-tary School, Hamilton TownshipsMorgan Early Elementary School ActClub, and South Hunterdon RegionalHigh School. Public libraries in Rock-away Township and Woodbridge werehonored as well.

As a librarian, nothing is more

rewarding than joining books topeople, Patricia Tumulty, executivedirector for the New Jersey LibraryAssociation told the students present.You have made a connection withstudents in another part of the world.You have given them the gift of booksand the gift of learning.

You can learn more about thePennies for Peace program at www.

penniesforpeace.org, where youllnd the Pennies for Peace Toolkit.

The toolkit provides many resources,including curricula for elementary,middle, and high school classrooms.

New Jerseys students and librarians presented a $14, 000 check to the Pennies for Peace program. Holding thecheck is New Providence second-grader Christian Fraehmke.

As part of a March 2 Read Across America rally, Wanaque media special-ist Mary Horst (not pictured) combined the reading celebration with amessage about literacy around the world. Classroom teachers ceremoni-ously brought together each classs Pennies for Peace donations.

I

The Minority Leadership andRecruitment Conference, originallyscheduled for late May, has been post-

poned to June 18-19. It will be held atthe East Brunswick Hilton.

The conference program remainsas described in the MarchNJEA Re-

porterwith one exception: there

will be four electives to choose fromon Friday, June 18. The elective titledWorking in a Diverse School Envi-ronment has been cancelled.

A revised registration form canbe found on Page 1 of the MayNJEAReview. Youll also nd a form at njea.org. Click on events in the right-handsidebar and scroll down to June 18.

MLR Conference rescheduled

Documents

Reporter May2010