Our Union, Our Future

It has been a joy and a privilege to serve as your WEAC Region 6 president for the last three years. I am looking forward to my final few months in office and to the union's future. When my term is up, as past president I will continue to work closely with the Region 6 board of directors and new president Kirah Zeilinger, and, even more importantly, I am going to remain an active, engaged member of our union.

 

I am excited about the future of Region 6, even though my role within it is changing, and I am excited about my future as a social studies teacher at Oregon High School because our union makes that future brighter. 

 

Together, what we have built is strong and getting stronger. Our recommendations in school board and referendum elections carry a lot of weight, and we win an overwhelming majority of them. We have prevailed in all but a few union certification and recertification elections, and have earned more than 90 percent of the votes. Newspaper and television reporters call us regularly to ask for our perspective on the important education issues of the day. Region 6 locals have input and influence when it comes to their school districts' policies. This influence doesn't just benefit employees. It benefits students and communities, and makes everyone's future more promising.

 

I am proud of what I have done as a social studies teacher and as a union leader. But my contributions to the union will not end when and if I choose to stop serving as an elected leader. We are all leaders when we participate and speak up. I will continue to contribute to our union by maintaining my membership, attending meetings, lending my voice to the discussion, listening to the union's recommendations, and talking about the union with my colleagues and community members every chance I get.

 

Indeed, it might be kind of nice to sit in the back of the room for a change and let other people plan the meetings and field the questions. When that day comes, I will do what I have so many times throughout these last few years encouraged you to do: join the conversation and talk about our union.

 

Summer, fall or winter, your union and how you can get more involved are hot topics. Please don't hesitate to email me at region6.weac.wi@gmail.com or call the Region 6 office at 1-800-397-2287 anytime, any day. I am not going away, and our union is here to stay.

 

In Solidarity,

Mark Lindsey

President of WEAC Region 6

Region 6 RA Delegates Set the Union's Course

On Saturday, May 20, the 42 delegates at the 2017 WEAC Region 6 Representative Assembly in Madison determined the region's budget and membership dues for 2017-18, passed a new business item to institute a union leadership mentoring program, and elected a new Region 6 president, treasurer, and four zone representatives.

 

WEAC Region 6, consisting of more than 80 local education employee unions throughout southern and southwestern Wisconsin, provides elected leadership and professional assistance that local leaders and members use for community organizing, local advocacy, professional development, member representation, legal advice and collective bargaining. All of this together helps the members of Region 6 maximize their potential in their classrooms and their students' learning opportunities.

 

Region 6's next president will be Kirah Zeilinger, a four-year-old-kindergarten teacher in the Beloit School District and a member of the Beloit Education Association. Zeilinger will assume the presidency of the region this summer, when the term of founding President Mark Lindsey expires. Lindsey, an Oregon High School social studies teacher, served as president for the region's first three years after also serving as the director of the organization's transition from four smaller organizations to one large region of more than 4,000 union members. Zeilinger has served as the Region 6 treasurer since its inception in 2014. 

 

The RA delegates also elected Meredith Smith from the Belleville Education Association its next treasurer, and elected four zone representatives: Tracey Leider from the Oregon Education Association; Denise Engstrom, Fort Atkinson Education Association; John Buslaff, Fennimore Education Association; and Justin Kamp, Milton Education Association.

Full Slate of National Board Certification Workshops Set for 2017-18

WEAC Region 6 members are encouraged to explore the many professional and financial benefits of National Board Certification and the free support the union can provide to National Board candidates.

 

Starting again in October, a National Board Professional Teaching Standards support workshop will meet monthly in the WEAC Region 6 building in Madison. A general information session for members interested in national board certification will be held on September 21 in Janesville and September 27 in Madison. All Region 6 members are invited to join.

 

The benefits of National Board certification include:

Union support for National Board candidates includes:

 

To register for an informational session, email Rachel Schendel at schendelr@weac.org. If you have questions, call the Region 6 office at 1-800-397-2287.

Join the State Budget Debate: Restore Funding for Public Schools

With the state legislature preparing for the 2017-19 State Budget, now is a good time to remember that Wisconsin schools have lost $2 billion in state aid since 2011, while Governor Scott Walker and legislative Republicans prioritized tax breaks for special interests and out-of-state corporations. The governor's 2017-19 budget unfairly gives more money to wealthy school districts and private voucher schools instead of ensuring every child has an equal opportunity in education. It also continues to put more road funding on the state's credit card while delaying road projects. 

 

School Districts throughout Region 6 have been hit hard by Republican school cuts since 2011 including:

Republican transportation cuts have also had a negative impact on southwestern Wisconsin counties since 2011 including:

Now is the time to take action, as the debate intensifies over the 2017-19 state budget. Email your legislators today.

 

Email Your Legislators Today!

Tap Into the Union's Free Financial Planning Assistance

The Wisconsin Coalition to Address Student Loan Debt, created by the leaders and staff of WEAC Region 6, helped organize several events and services coinciding with national Money Smart Week, April 22-29.

If you were unable to take advantage of the Smart Money Week offerings, it is not too late. Members planning for retirement, struggling with student debt, planning for their children's futures, or trying to help their children manage student debt, can find a wealth of assistance on the Wisconsin Coalition to Address Student Loan Debt's web portal.

 

Sign up now for a free 30-minute consultation with a certified financial planner who can answer questions about a wide range of financial topics, including: