April 12, 2019
WEAC Region 3 represents public education employees in a large territory stretching from Florence to Port Washington,
and from Menominee to Washington Island.
Important Union Stuff
Attention all WEAC Region 3 Retirees!
You're invited to WFV-Retired's Annual Spring Meeting on Wednesday, April 24. They promise a good lunch and good conversation! Will they promise Spring? PLEASE RSVP TODAY!
There is a special meeting planned for April 24th at noon. It will start with a luncheon at Liberty Hall in Kimberly (800 Eisenhower Dr., Kimberly, WI 54136). Lunch will include a sandwich buffet, soup, and fruit salad. 
Getting Ready for the April 27 WEAC Representative Assembly

WEAC has posted some important information and documents ahead of the April 27 RA. Go to  weac.org/ra for information that includes:
  • The agenda
  • Statements from candidates for office
  • WEAC Board of Directors' recommendations on proposed amendments to the WEAC Constitution and Bylaws
  • Proposed changes to the WEAC Governance Documents

Check out the raffle basket (pictured above) donated by Region 3 for the Children's Fund drawing -- and then   DONATE .
The WEAC Region 3 RA is scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2019. Delegates to the RA will be electing the following positions to the WR3 Executive Committee: Secretary, Treasurer, and ESP Member-at-Large. In order to be elected to one of these positions, nominees must be a local delegate (either the local president or their alternate, or elected by the local) or delegate-at-large to the WR3 RA.  Application process can be found here.

A Leader/Zone meeting will be held at the conclusion of the WR3 RA. Please contact the Region 3 office by May 6 if you are interested in running for a Zone leader position. Zone leaders are not required to be a local president.
Take this Quiz!

What is the importance of the following dates?
A. April 30, 2019
B. May 15, 2019
C. June 15, 2019
 
Here is an opportunity to lead! The WEA Academy will be electing three new Board members for 3-year terms. The nine-member Board of Directors is committed to providing all educators quality, needs-based professional development during approximately 4 meetings per year. The term starts September 1, 2019.

For details about the Academy, the Board's functions, and how to be considered for these open positions, please click here.

If you know you'd like to run for one of these positions, please contact the WEAC Board member from Region 3, Dean DeBroux.
CELEBRATE SUCCESS!
THE WRITING OF POETRY AS HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING
with Sylvia Cavanaugh
Friday, June 21, 2019
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Old Gibraltar Town Hall, Fish Creek

Wow! This sounds like a fun place to be on a June morning - a fun place to kick off a summer weekend!

A Kohl Fellow, Sylvia Cavanaugh teaches social studies at Sheboygan North High school. She prefers an inquiry-based approach to the study of history, and her students participate in the National History Day program. Cavanaugh is also a Pushcart Prize nominated poet and has published two collections of poetry.

Complete details here.

For more information about Write-On Door County and to register, click here.
WEMTA PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

Sue Salzsieder, Chilton Elementary & Middle School Library Media Specialist, was recognized as the WEMTA Professional of the Year at the Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association’s spring conference, "Many Choices, Many Voices," on April 1st at the Kalahari Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells. More than 500 Wisconsin library media and technology specialists, the state treasurer – Sarah Godlewski, and the state superintendent of schools - Carolyn Stanford Taylor, were present to honor her at Monday’s luncheon. The award is given to a WEMTA member who has demonstrated individual excellence in the library, media, or educational technology profession through service to students, teachers, and the community at the K-12 level. This award recognizes outstanding leadership and professionalism.

Political Action
This is an 11.0101(10)(b)(1) communication with WEAC members. 
State Representative Jim Steineke Public Listening Sessions
All are 5-7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 16
Freedom Town Hall, W2004 County Rd S, Freedom

Wednesday, April 17
Ellington Community Center, N3802 WI-76, Hortonville

Tuesday, April 23
Muehl Public Library, 436 N Main St, Seymour
JFC Budget Hearing
10:00 am
Wednesday, April 24 – Public Hearing – UW-Green Bay Union, Phoenix Room
Professional Development
National Board Certification Informational Session
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Explore the professional and financial benefits of National Board Certification and the supports your union can provide to National Board candidates. This session will be held at the WEAC Region 3 Office, 1136 North Military Ave, Green Bay. We have added the option of joining us via Zoom if you are unable to attend in person! Pre-registration is not required but appreciated - light dinner will be served.


SAVE the DATE(s)!

Region 3 will hold a 1-day Membership Drive Workshop on Thursday, August 8 and nearby Regions will hold their workshops on August 6 and 7 - - any member can attend any meeting.

Why Go?
You and a team from your Local can acquire some basic skills and have time to create a plan for a FANTASTIC back-to-school membership drive.

Stay tuned for details. For now, talk to your friends about this and put the date(s) on your calendar!
 It's YOUR Lifetime Teaching License    
As a teacher, it is YOUR responsibility to pay attention to timelines, respond to correspondence from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and/or your school district, and do all that is necessary to keep your teaching license current.

With the advent of a "lifetime" license in Wisconsin, it is no longer necessary to complete a PDP or take college credits to renew your license every five years.

Those teachers with LIFETIME licenses must complete a background check every five years.

The DPI has added a feature to License Lookup - when you look up your license, it will now show the most recent background check submitted to the DPI. For more information, click here .

Do you need a background check? The DPI has added a video to help explain the process. Click here .

Do you have a provisional license and, at the end of this school year have six (6) successful semesters of teaching under your belt? For information about the Lifetime license application , click here .

And, if you'd like to learn more about the process in the company of other teachers learning about applying for and maintaining Lifetime licenses, attend our May 16th "Nuts and Bolts" workshop - either in person or by ZOOM video-conferencing. Register by clicking the image above or here .

For a flyer advertising our "Nuts and Bolts" workshop, click here .
Member Benefits
Don't forget to set up your financial consultation

Make an appointment for a financial planning service with Member Benefits.  Or call 1-800-279-4030.  Summer appointments fill up fast.
Live Webinars Scheduled for April/May
ETF is offering a series of 30-minute, live, interactive webinars designed to increase your understanding of Wisconsin Retirement System benefits. Individuals can also ask questions at the end of these sessions. Visit their webinar page to learn more about any of the following sessions. 

Hello all,

“Divide and conquer” is a phrase that we’ve all heard before, but what does it look like? Sometimes co-workers are unfairly rewarded because they have gone “with the flow” or acted in a way that made the administration’s work easier. Essentially, they’re rewarded because they’re a favorite. And yeah, sometimes people game the system or do a little boot licking but ultimately the decision to reward someone is made by the administration. It does us no good to police or belittle each other when we are not the ones making the final decision. Fighting each other won’t do us any good.
 
As a Building Rep it’s important that you frame these instances through this lens. This article really spoke to me when I read it.
 
It sums up how powerful the role of the Building Rep is. How and who you communicate with shapes how the union approaches issues in your school.
As this article importantly points out, “Divisions and personal issues, if left unresolved, can grow into conflicts that make it easier for the boss to manipulate the group.” Who we decide not to talk to because of our history could be potentially dangerous.

I can’t tell you the number of times someone has been labeled as “anti-union” because of a small disagreement that was never addressed and grew into a huge schism. Communicating is the heart of organizing and if we wall each other off we are only hurting our own efforts. I know it’s easier said than done but the idea of “keeping the door open” is especially important as we grow our union. Unfortunately, some people don’t realize the importance of collective action until it’s too late but I feel we can build a culture that is always welcoming and helping people make that realization. 


Solidarity
Kristin Lytie
UniServ Director
Region 3 WEAC