|
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. |  |
 |
Budget Battle Is On |
|
VEA is fighting to protect K-12 funding as the General Assembly convenes this month. Cutbacks in state funding will reach deep into every school in Virginia, raising class sizes and forcing job cuts. Help minimize the damage by educating yourself about school funding and contacting your elected representatives to urge no permanent cuts to K-12 funding.
- Check out VEA's analysis of Gov. Kaine's Budget Amendments.
- Listen to VEA President Kitty Boitnott's take on what budget cuts will mean for Virginia schools.
- Contact your Senator and Delegate with a message to protect school funding. (Our online tool makes it easy!)
- Join thousands of your colleagues by signing our online petition.
|
|
Is Your Job Safe? |
|
With the economy in a tailspin, layoffs of education employees in counties across Virginia are possible. Do you know what a RIF is, and what laws and policies guide localities as they contend with budget shortfalls? VEA Attorney Dena Rosenkrantz explains all this and more in a special report. The purpose is not to cause you excessive worry, but to let you know the facts about your employment rights, and to urge you and all VEA members to stand up for education funding. (See story above for ways you can take action.)
|
|
Hampton Programs Grooms New NBCTs |
|
When the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards announced in December the names of teachers who had just become board-certified, 27 of them hailed from the Hampton city schools. It was no accident. The Hampton Education Association, NEA, VEA, the city school system, and other groups partnered over the past three years to provide intensive support for board candidates. Learn more about it here. Also, check out our complete listing of VEA members who just earned their board certification.
|
|
Take Your Learning to the Next Level |
|
With winter weather upon us, warm yourself with thoughts of next summer spent studying abroad. Sound farfetched? Not at all. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) offers 31 summer institutes for teachers in the U.S. and abroad. NEH also is promoting its 20 Landmarks of American History and Culture workshops for K-12 educators. Get the details at www.neh.gov/projects/summer09.html. Looking for a longer program? Apply for a prestigious Fulbright Award in Teaching and you could be on your way overseas for study and a life-changing experience. Applicants must have five years of teaching and possess a graduate degree. Learn more about the Fulbright exchange at www.fulbrightteacherexchange.org.
|
|
Book Your Savings with NEA Member Benefits |
|
Are you crazy about books? Then make sure to take advantage of savings that NEA Member Benefits has negotiated with Barnes & Noble. The new "American Journey of Barack Obama," for example, is now just $15.49 (compare to $24.99 retail cost) at Barnes&Noble.com with your NEA member discount. Meanwhile, NEA Student Members are entitled to 10 percent off textbook prices. Get the details at www.neamb.com/bn. For the full lineup of NEA Member Benefits products and services, visit www.neamb.com.
|
|
E-Source Readers Weigh In on Testing Story |
|
In last month's e-Source, we told you about a San Diego teacher who made headlines across the country by selling ad space on tests. The math teacher, Tom Farber, dealt with his minuscule copying budget by selling small spaces on quizzes and tests. (Click here for the account in USA Today.) VEA e-Source readers, by and large, thought Farber was just being resourceful. Said Brenda Turner, an art teacher in Gloucester County: "Kudos to this teacher for figuring out a way to cover the costs rather than spending his own hard earned cash to meet his student's minimum needs, when the government isn't doing its job to provide for the students." Read more comments on the story here.
| |
