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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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Where Do You Rank in Pay and Benefits? |
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VEA just published a new report on compensation, and Arlington is the top-ranked school division in the Commonwealth for pay and selected benefits for a teacher with a B.A. degree and 10 years experience. The top 15 also include Alexandria, Fairfax County/City, Loudoun, Manassas City, Manassas Park, Falls Church, Franklin City, Prince William, Franklin County, Chesapeake, Spotsylvania, Isle of Wight, Fauquier, and Caroline. Among other findings, the study says that, on average, the cost of family health insurance eats up more than 16 percent of a teacher's paycheck. Read the study yourself here (member login required).
Take Note! We're hearing more chatter these days about merit pay and tying teachers' pay to test scores. Check out why such proposals miss the mark here.
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Tell Us About the Wackiest Gift You Ever Received |
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We'd like the VEA's new fan page on Facebook to be an area where VEA members can share ideas—or a few laughs. To that end, we encourage you to go to our fan page and respond to this question: What's the wackiest gift you ever received from a student or parent? If you've not yet "fanned" VEA, you'll be asked to do so. And if you do, you'll be one of the 600 who have become fans with VEA since we launched the page in October.
Last Chance! If you're new to the profession, consider signing up for a VEA Sparks weekend in Wintergreen or Virginia Beach. Get all the details here. Deadline to receive your application is December 11.
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Why Your Retirement Benefits May Be At Risk |
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Suppose that after dedicating yourselves to students for three decades, you decide to call it quits and enjoy your golden years—only to find that your promised retirement benefits don't measure up? That's the situation that could face teachers in Virginia, where lawmakers in the General Assembly session that begins next month are expected to weigh proposals to cut retirement benefits for participants in the Virginia Retirement System, which covers teachers and other state employees. A recent study commissioned by lawmakers outlines options ranging from raising the minimum retirement age and slashing cost-of-living-adjustments to pushing new employees into risky 401(k)-style accounts that would cut the benefit of the current, traditional pension in half. Forewarned is forearmed! Read more about the potential changes here and learn why a secure retirement is something all public school employees deserve. Sign up to be a VEA cyberlobbyist and we'll let you know when legislation threatening your retirement benefits comes up.
Take Note! If you help plan local activities to commemorate the NEA's Read Across America events, sign up to receive the new 2010 RAA calendar, while supplies last. The big day is March 2, 2010. More info here.
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NEA Member Benefits Saves You $$$ on Holiday Shopping |
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Educators love books, and the NEA bookstore, a joint arrangement with Barnes & Noble, can save you 10 percent or more on books this holiday season. (Discount applied at checkout; go here and click on "Start Shopping.") Gift-buyers have other options as well. For example, the NEA Member Benefits Click & Save "buylights" for December include up to 60 percent off Home Depot products and 15 percent off already-low prices at Smart Bargains. Check out Click & Save here.
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Nine Ways to Stop Bullying Behavior |
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Bullies can harm your classroom environment and bring learning to a halt. Put a stop to bullying behavior with nine strategies spelled out by school and family psychologist Kenneth Shore in the December issue of the Virginia Journal of Education. And if you want to learn more about the fast-growing issue of "cyber-bullying," be sure to read this informative piece in NEA Today. Would it surprise you to know that one-third of all teens using the Internet say they've been the target of cyber-bullying via emails, text messages, or web postings?
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ESPs Shine During American Education Week |
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VEA President Kitty Boitnott served up lunch—and got a taste of ESP duties—at John Adams E.S. in Alexandria on Education Support Professionals Day, November 18. Joined by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Boitnott gave thanks to the many hard-working support professionals at John Adams and around the nation. ESP Day is one of the highlights of American Education Week, held this year November 16-20. Watch a short video on ESP Day and the John Adams celebration here. Boitnott serves as narrator for the shoot.
Take Action! If you have not already done so, please consider nominating an exemplary school custodian for a C.L.E.A.N. award. Details here. The deadline for returning an application is December 7.
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