February 12, 2021
Hello friends,

I hope you are all staying warm! February is upon us and in order to ward off the “February-ness” of it all, I’ve started taking a virtual class called Leadership, Organizing and Action: Leading Change taught by the established and well-respected organizer Marshall Ganz. He began his career by organizing with the United Farm Workers and creating models that have been used throughout so many workers’ campaigns. I’m excited and a little intimidated since the course is through Harvard. No pressure Kristin. Even this early in the class I have been inspired by the readings. In our first reading Ganz laid out that:

“Learning to organize is like learning to ride a bicycle. You can read good books about it, watch exciting videos, listen to learned lectures, but your learning doesn’t really begin until you get on the bike and begin to peddle. And, no matter how good the scaffolding - training wheels or parents holding the back wheel - sooner or later you will fall. And that’s the real moment of truth when you either go home, give up, and go to bed or you find the courage to get back on the bike and try again, even though you know you’re likely to fall, because you’ve discovered it's the only way you can learn to keep your balance.”
 
And as Valentine’s day approaches, I can’t help but feel it’s the same attitude we have about love. In fact we organize and try to make things better because we love. We love our students, our coworkers and ourselves. That's something I like to remind myself of.

You know what else I love? Voting for pro-public education candidates! (That in the biz is what we call a transition.) Don’t forget to vote for Jill Underly for State Superintendent this Tuesday in the primary!

And if you have questions about your local races, don’t hesitate to send an email to your director-we’ve got the scoop! 

Happy Valentines Day! 

In Solidarity,
Kristin Lytie
Regional Director
WEAC Region 3
Upcoming Events:
 
Thursday, February 18, NBCT, 5PM

Tuesday, February 23, Zone B Meeting, 5:30PM

Wednesday, February 24, Executive Committee Meeting, 6PM

Wednesday, March 10, WR3 Virtual Gathering, 4:30PM

Wednesday, April 7, WEAC Pre-RA, 5PM & WR3 Executive Committee Meeting, 6PM

Friday-Saturday, April 23-24, WEAC RA

Saturday, May 8, Region 3 RA




SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday
May 8, 2021

The WEAC Region 3 RA will be held virtually. Delegates to the RA will be electing the following positions to the WR3 Executive Committee: Treasurer, Secretary, ESP Member-at-Large, and Zone Leaders. 

Watch for more info and nomination forms in the coming weeks.
Important Dates for WTCS Locals:

April 7 - 27, 2021
Voting period (complete details to follow).
CPI for Total Base Wage Negotiations
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) has advised the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) that the CPI-U increase applicable to one-year collective bargaining agreements with a term beginning July 1, 2021, is 1.23%. That applies to all K-12 and WTCS contracts, and is a decrease from last year's 1.81%.
Wisconsin State Statute 118.22 governs the renewal and NON-renewal of full-time teacher contracts
 
This important deadline is approaching: 
 
For full-time teacher contracts that a District does NOT want to renew for the 2021-22 school year, the school board must notify with a preliminary notice of non-renewal on OR before Friday, April 30th, 2021.  This timeline applies regardless of the reason for non-renewal, i.e., performance, economic reasons, declining enrollment, etc.

A preliminary notice of non-renewal must be voted on and issued by the school board (not an administrator).
 
Many teachers have already been given some kind of indication that the District is thinking about non-renewal. These teachers may be on a plan of improvement. For teachers under this scrutiny, the preliminary notice of non-renewal may come well before the deadline of April 30th. 
Union members who may be in danger of non-renewal, as well as leaders and building reps working with those members, should contact the Region 3 office as soon as possible. 

Once preliminary notice of non-renewal is given to an educator, they only have five calendar days to request a hearing before the school board.

Please do not wait until the preliminary notice has already been issued!
Individual Contract Deadlines:
  • April 30 - preliminary notice of nonrenewal
  • May 15 - final notice of nonrenewal
  • May 15 - issuing individual contracts
  • June 15 - accept or reject individual contract
Background Check Applications are Open
 
The DPI background check application is now open for teachers whose license would have expired in 2021. Members can check to see if they are due for a background check by logging into their Educator Licensing Online (ELO) account. Background check applications are due no later than June 30, 2021. It is advised that members submit their application sooner rather than later. Remember this is your responsibility! 
Vaccination For Educators Planning Resources

"The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has published the Vaccination Planning for Educators Checklist designed to assist school district administrators and school nurses prepare for the vaccination of educators. The Department of Health Services (DHS) anticipates educators will be eligible for the vaccine around March 1 (pending Wisconsin’s vaccine supply from the federal government). This checklist was developed in consultation with the DHS to assist school districts in coordinating with their local public health departments in vaccination efforts.

"In addition, the DPI recently published a non-branded PowerPoint to be used and adapted by school nurses and school districts to provide general information on COVID-19 vaccines to promote vaccine acceptance. Multiple resources are listed at the end of the PowerPoint that can be used by school nurses and school administrators to increase knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines. It is anticipated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be publishing a COVID-19 vaccination toolkit for educators that will also be useful for vaccine promotion and planning."
WEAC Join Now ONLINE
Member Sign Up
WEAC online member sign-up, Join Now, is now available to provide a convenient and fast way for educators to become members of our union.


In a series of simple screens, educators can enter their information to become a member. This feature is especially useful during one-on-one membership conversations. While the process is entirely online, it is recommended that organizers and leaders stay with educators through the sign-up process to answer any questions that might arise.
For an overview of the Join Now experience, click here.
WEAC
NEA
You are Invited!
WR3's ALL-MEMBER
Virtual Gathering

Wednesday, March 10
4:30 - 5:30 pm

Please note that you need to PRE-Register for the meeting by clicking on the link above. Then an email will be sent to you with the login link.

We look forward to SEEING you!
On Wednesday, February 17, be sure to register for Phenomenal Science - centering your K-12 science instruction around phenomena can build student engagement and understanding, even in a virtual or blended classroom environment. Explored will be key aspects of science instruction, share NGSS-aligned resources, and consider strategies (like Driving Question Boards) that support science in your K-12 (including virtual) classrooms.

The registration link can be found HERE.

Along with their Weekly Wednesday Webinars, WEAC has a full slate of professional learning opportunities for members this winter. They've included upcoming courses and more on a handy flier you can save or print out.
2021 NEA ESP Conference

The 2021 NEA ESP Conference will be held virtually March 19-21, with a special ESP of the Year celebration on Friday, March 26.
Registration for the 2021 NEA ESP Conference will open February 15-26, and will be offered FREE of charge to NEA members! NEA has increased their capacity to 2,000 participants. Spaces will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Conference participation is limited to NEA members only.

Watch for the registration link.

Region 3/GBEA National Board Support Sessions
WEAC, Region 3 and GBEA have organized ongoing monthly National Board Support for the 2020-2021 cycle. Sessions will be held virtually until further notice and facilitated by Sarah Johnston (Marinette).
Find the schedule with registration links HERE. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the meeting. Please save this email. 
WEAC
Attention Local Treasurers

The new and improved WEAC Local Treasurer Training Videos are now posted, along with accompanying documents, on the WEAC website for your use. 
To access the videos you can simply click:


These seven separate training videos cover various topics that may be of interest to you and will serve as a resource to use in navigating the responsibilities of being a local treasurer. We hope you find them useful! As always, if you have any questions or need any help, please just let us know.
Thank you for your work for our members and for what you do every day with our students.
WEAC is working in partnership with UW-Stevens Point to host the 2021 Educators Rising-Wisconsin Summit and Competition. Formerly Future Teachers of Wisconsin, Educators Rising-Wisconsin aims to inspire and equip a future generation of educators to serve Wisconsin’s public schools. It works to encourage young people to explore the benefits of a career in education and embrace the calling of teaching as a profession.
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. 
This is an 11.0101(10)(b)(1) communication with WEAC members.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s agent or committee. 

  • Jan 27 - Register by mail
  • Jan 27 - Register to vote online
  • Feb 2 thru 14 - In-person early voting*
  • Feb 11 - Request regular absentee ballot
  • Feb 12 - Register at municipal clerk's office
  • Feb 16 - Register at polling place
  • Feb 16 - Return absentee ballot

  • Mar 17 - Register by mail
  • Mar 17 - Register to vote online
  • Mar 23 thru Apr 4 - In-person early voting *
  • Apr 1 - Request regular absentee ballot
  • Apr 2 - Register at municipal clerk's office
  • Apr 6 - Register at polling place
  • Apr 6 - Return absentee ballot

*Check with your municipal clerk for specific days and times.
Spring Elections Are
Right Around the Corner!
Let's build on the Presidential Inauguration to help elect the candidates for local school boards, and State Superintendent, who will fight for healthy, safe, and well-funded public schools and the educators that make those schools great!

Go to MyVote.WI.gov to:

Region 3 encourages Locals to get involved in their district's school board elections and/or referendums. Please contact your Region 3 Director for school board candidate screening questions and information on the types of assistance available through Region 3 PAC.