WHERE’S CHUCK?
| Nov. 12 | -Doug Wilcox, MEA Staff
Attorney at Alpena EA & Alpena ESP II meeting re school violence
(AHS Large Commons) -14A Coordinating Council (MEA Office) |
| Nov. 13 | -MEA-Retired Luncheon -Rogers City EA Bargaining (Rogers City) |
| Nov. 14 | -Meeting with Jeannie O’Callaghan (Soo Office) |
| Nov. 5-22 | -Chuck hunting in the U.P. |
| Nov. 28-29 | -Thanksgiving (MEA Offices closed) |
| Dec. 3 | -Alpena ESP II Bargaining
(MEA Office) -Region 14 Council Meeting (BJ’s in Gaylord) |
| Dec. 4 | -Michigan Works Consortium Meeting (Alpena) |
| Dec. 5-6 | -IPD Conference (Dearborn) |
| Dec. 9 | -MESSA Tune-Up (Alpena Holiday Inn) |
| Dec. 10 | -14A Coordinating Council (MEA Office) |
| Dec. 11-13 | -14A Staff at Northern Zone Meeting (Traverse City) – Office closed |
MEA Scholarships
Applications are in! Check with local high school counselors. If no luck there, we have copies of the application in the office. Last year MEA gave away $26,500 to 15 applicants. One thing is for sure—if a student does not apply, they will get no money! I always explained to my sons and daughter, that at no time in your life will you have the potential to make as much money per hour as you can filling out scholarship applications.
ESEA
If you are tired to hearing about it, just wait—it’s only going to get worse. The latest has eight instructional assistants from this Coordinating Council heading for Gaylord to be interviewed as to exactly what their job entails and taking the Work Keys Test to determine the cutoff for successful completion for the test (Level 2 or Level 3).
Another issue came up in Hillman at the elementary school. The principal is requiring staff, parents and students to sign a "contract". NEA, MEA and this office are holding that your local bargaining agreement takes precedence over the "contract". The administration is stating that the "contract" supercedes the bargaining agreement. This comes from a directive from the U.S. Secretary of Education,
Paige, that federal law supercedes a local bargaining agreement. The MEA and NEA have taken exception to that opinion and have taken Mr. Paige and the Department of Education to court. Just in—The Department of Education has backed away from Mr. Paige’s directive and the local contract supercedes ESEA guidelines.Election 2002
Well, there are some new faces going to Lansing to represent us. Alpena local, Andy Neumann, lost to Tony Stamus (Midland). Tony accepted a great deal of $$ from the DeVos camp (voucher proponents) to get elected. We’ll have to wait and see how he treats public education with that huge marker hanging over his head.
To the North, MEA recommended candidate, Michael Estes, lost to Jason Allen of Traverse City. Having never dealt with Allen, he is an unknown to me but the screening and recommendation must have seen something as they did not recommend him as a Friend of Education.
Alpena local, Matt Gillard, defeated the mayor of Grayling, Dave Wyman. Wyman was also heavily funded by the Devos’. Matt interviewed very well on our issues and we’ll have to see that he follows through.
So to make a long story short, it ain’t over yet! Now that we have placed these people in office, it is our responsibility to see that they vote as we direct them.
Future Search
There will be a conference this summer. We will be looking for participants with ten or less years of experience in the field of education. This is your opportunity to determine the direction the Northern Zone and the MEA will be heading in the future. Watch for further details!
Insurance
New type of health insurance could raise costs for the sickest workers, we hear from health-plan expert Alan Mittermaier. These health plans pose risks—particularly for those with chronic illnesses. The plans now being offered can cost employees 10% to 25% less than HMO
plans and allow plan members to see any doctors they choose. Problem: Once you use up the plan’s basic annual medical allowance—perhaps as much as 2,000 to $3,000—you must pay all medical costs yourself until you reach a much higher spending level. Above that amount, medical costs are covered according to your plan’s provisions. Some insurers now offering these plans: Cigna HealthCare and Humana Inc. Alan Mittermaier is president of HealthMetrix Research, Inc., managed-care research firm, 3070 Riverside Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43221Stump Hugging
I will be hugging a stump for the week of November 18-22. Since most of you would not be interested in meeting in the Hulbert Swamp, I have asked Jeannie O’Callaghan to cover for me during this time. Try to postpone any "disasters" for one week – Thanks.
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