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About e-source
VEA is proud to send you this e-source newsletter, a tip-filled resource to help you on the job and in your profession. These monthly dispatches will keep you informed about the latest news affecting your job and will help you take advantage of all the resources offered by your Association. If you'd rather not receive the e-source again, click the "Unsubscribe" button at bottom right.
For the latest information and resources for Virginia educators, go to www.veanea.org. Share this e-source! Click at bottom left to forward this message to your colleagues. |  |
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Take Action: Minimize the Impact of State Budget Woes |
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The Virginia state budget plays a key part in whether your school division has enough funding for textbooks, supplies—and your salary and benefits. That's why it's so important that every VEA member fight for fair school funding. Substantial, and potentially permanent, cuts to public education funding are being considered right now by Gov. Tim Kaine and lawmakers in Richmond. For more on the tremendous challenges facing Virginia students and educators, read VEA President Kitty Boitnott's letter to Kaine. Then take this important step: Send your own e-mail to the Governor using our easy-to-follow cyberlobbying tool. The Governor needs to hear from all VEA members that school children should not bear the brunt of budget cuts. Act now: the Governor delivers his budget proposal on December 17.
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A Sign of the Times? Teacher Sells Ad Space on Tests. |
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It's either an ingenious solution to an all-too-common problem or an uncomfortable statement about our country's priorities. A San Diego teacher is making headlines by selling ad space on his quizzes and tests. Math teacher Tom Farber, who gives frequent assessments to his students, was on pace to vastly outspend his $316 budget for copying (that's 3 cents per page). So he began underwriting his copying by selling small ads on the exams ($10 for a quiz, $20 for a chapter test, $30 for a semester final). He's covering his expenses, but critics say it's the kids who are being sold out. USA Today has one of many accounts of Farber's story. What do you think about it? Send your comments to John O'Neil (joneil@veanea.org) and we'll consider publishing them in the next VEA News.
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Deadlines, Deadlines, We've Got Deadlines |
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VEA training and award opportunities are yours for the taking. But you've got to hustle. Here are upcoming deadlines and links to the info you'll need to take advantage of these member opportunities:
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Dec. 12. Your deadline for applying for VEA Every Member Leadership Training, a top-notch opportunity to learn leadership, diversity skills, and more. The training will be held Jan. 9-10 in Richmond.
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Dec. 15. Act before this date to participate in the VEA's Fitz Turner Commission's contest for artwork on the theme of promoting human dignity.
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Dec. 19. Turn in your application for the SPARKS training, which takes new teachers and ESPs to the Wintergreen resort for a unique Association experience.
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Dec. 31. The last day you'll have free access to selected resources from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics through a special Association partnership. |
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Holiday Shopping? Your Membership Cuts Your Costs |
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How does up to 40 percent off at Barnes & Noble sound? Or freebies and/or discounts at Costco, Target, or Ann Taylor? You can find them through the main member discount page at NEA Member Benefits. And don't forget the VEA logo store, which has plenty of new gift possibilities, including sweaters, umbrellas, darling bibs, and more.
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Augusta Member Signs Up and Wins Bose Sound System |
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Ed Lovell, a member of the Augusta County Education Association (ACEA), was selected as the winner of a free Bose Sound Dock system. Lovell, who teaches 7th grade math at Wilson Middle School, was selected at random from all VEA members who registered for Members-Only access at the VEA web site during the month of October. More than 500 members registered during October. Bose offers special savings to VEA Members on many award-winning Bose products. VEA discount details are only available by calling 877-803-0838. To register for Members-Only content on the VEA site, just click here and follow the simple instructions.
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Dropout Prevention Programs Paying for Themselves |
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The VEA has made increasing Virginia's high school graduation rate one of its top priorities, and a new study by The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis underscores why: The lifetime benefits to the state for each additional high school graduate add up to three times the cost of the investment. The Commonwealth Institute's study, "A New Lesson Plan: How Increasing Graduation Rates Boosts Virginia's Economy," looked at six interventions proven to increase high school graduations: preschool education, class size reduction, increasing teacher salaries, the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan program, enhanced career/technical education, and the Jobs for Virginia Graduates program. The rate of return on investment was as high as 6.3-to-1 in some of the interventions and averaged three times the amount invested. The study provides key research backing for VEA's Legislative Agenda, which calls for supporting such programs.
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