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IN THIS ISSUE... January 13, 2012
- Negotiations Survey---
- THIS IS IT!! SPEAK UP, USE YOUR VOICE!!
- Survey closes Tuesday January 17th
- First Semester Membership Survey Results
- LEA Elections
- NEA Directors Report
- John Heineman and Jenni Absalon
- Power in Numbers--MEMBERSHIP
- Just Ask---Get Rewards for signing a new memb
MEMBER RELATIONS
- Member Needs Help
- Retirement Seminar
- LEA Foundation Scholarship
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield Scholarships for Members
- Classroom Grants Available
COMMUNICATION
- Media/Articles of Interest
- NSEA/NEA Updates
COMMUNITY
- LARSP (Lincoln Area Retired School Personnel) Annual Used Book Sale
- Read Across America
- Job Opportunity with Bright Lights
SAVE WITH MEMBER BENEFITS
- First Nebraska Educators Credit Union
- Horace Mann
- New LEA Discount Provider
- LPS Employees Credit Union
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All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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LEA President, Jenni Absalon |
- Negotiations Survey---
- THIS IS IT!! SPEAK UP, USE YOUR VOICE!
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You have received the email below with your link to the Negotiations Survey. This is your opportunity to have input into what may be a very difficult negotiations year. You all know the economic climate, your workload, your situation...it is your right and your responsibility to be a part of the process. Please exercise your membership benefit and complete the survey. The link is confidential and for your one time use. If you have deleted your link please email taina.radenslaben@nsea.org for another link.
Dear LEA Member,
Negotiations between LPS and LEA will begin this spring. Your salary, benefits and contract will be determined. The Negotiations Survey is your opportunity to share what is important to you. If you have already completed the survey, thank you. Please check with your fellow members and encourage them to take the time to share.
When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.---Albert Einstein
If you have not taken the survey you will be receiving a reminder email this week with your secure link. It is vitally important you take a few minutes to complete the survey. The survey link will close Tuesday January 17th.
Thank you for all you do each day to help children be successful.
Jenni Absalon
LEA President |
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First Semester Membership Survey |
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But communication is two-sided - vital and profound communication makes demands also on those who are to receive it... demands in the sense of concentration, of genuine effort to receive what is being communicated.
Thank You for taking the time to complete the surveys sent to you. Nearly 1,000 members completed the survey with nearly 1,500 individual comments. There is collective strength in numbers. The more input we have the better we are at advocating for our members. It is the role of the Lincoln Education Association to communicate with our members and the District in the most effective way possible. These surveys provide us with valuable information to communicate in a fair and confidential way.
Click Here for Survey Results
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YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED!
When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.
---Albert Einstein
Dear LEA Members,
The Nebraska Legislative is now session, democracy at work. The decisions the Legislature makes impacts our lives on many levels. Education funding is on the top of the agenda this year. The lack of adequate funding continues to impact children and educators across the state. Resources are limited at the expense of our children.
This is a negotiations year for LEA. We need members to run for positions who are willing to step up and speak out. There is power in collective action. We need your voice and experience. As one of the over three million members of the National Education Association, you have the opportunity to participate in the democratic decision making process on three levels. We have over 25,000 members in Nebraska and nearly 2,500 members in Lincoln.
You are the NEA, the NSEA and the LEA. Your Voice Matters!
Each year we hold elections for local, state and national association positions. Members are encouraged to become more involved in the decision making process by running for any of the positions available. Please click on the link below for more information about the positions available, the process, the election timelines and the paperwork necessary to run. An Elections Information packet has been sent to every building to post.
I appreciate the work you do as educators every day. Every day you are making a difference in the lives of children as your work load continues to increase and resources decrease. I know it is difficult to add one more thing on your plate. However I also know the more people who are active and involved, the more influence we have as an association. Your voice and experience are needed to make a difference.
Thank you for taking the time to read the information and consider the possibilities of participating more in the association.
With regard,
Jenni
Click Here for Elections Information |
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Nebraska NEA Director's Report
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An LEA Member needs help from colleagues in the form of donated annual leave. As per the provision in the negotiated agreement pertaining to the voluntary transfer of leave for catastrophic illness, I am forwarding this appeal on to LEA Members.
Individuals may voluntarily transfer any amount of their annual leave (not accumulated leave-- IRS regulations won't allow that) to a colleague in need within the bargaining unit. Leave that is not used by the individual this school year will be returned to the donors.
Please contact LPS Human Resources directly by calling Kyla Jensby at 436-1593 to request a Voluntary Leave Transfer Donor Application or e-mail her at kjensby@lps.org.
*** When you contact Kyla, be sure to let her know what site you are at so she can send you the form.
Dear LEA members,
I have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and have had difficulty tolerating chemotherapy. As a result, I have spent time in the hospital and will be unable to teach during third term. I am asking for donated leave so that I can make it to fourth quarter while keeping my health insurance. If you are able to help, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.
Lorrie Ford (Lorraine Ford)
English Teacher
Southwest High School
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LARSP (Lincoln Area Retired School Personnel)
Annual Used Book Sale
January 19-22, 2012 - Mall Hours
Wednesday, January 18th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Early Bird Sale ($10 per person)
Sunday, January 22nd from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- $5.00 Bag Sale - General Public
- Teachers may select books from regular books for classes or self at NO COST (Free!!). Must show a school I.D.
Also featuring Selected/Better Books/First Edition, etc. - individually priced.
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JUST ASK!!!
We have set a goal to add one new member per building this month. Research shows people join the Association because someone asked them to. Please ask the nonmembers in your building to join LEA. If you need a list of members and nonmembers in your building please email taina.radenslaben@nsea.org
We are running an extra $$incentives$$ reward for members who recruit new members. Please put your name on the top of the application form to receive credit for the new member. We will be awarding grants to buildings with the largest membership increases. Also if you have recruited a member in your building since the school year began please complete the registration link below.
Click to Register for Incentives for Recruiting a New Member
New membership enrollment must be a priority of the Association this year. We cannot afford our membership to decline, especially given all of the challenges that LEA/NSEA/NEA are currently dealing with and that loom on the horizon. This is a negotiations year, it is especially important that LEA go to the table with a solid voice and large percentage of members among the educators we will be representing. It is within this current and expected on-going environment that we ask for your concerted effort and challenge you to please do all you can to get current non-members to join.
Please contact taina.radenslaben@nsea.org for a membership packet or download the membership form CLICK HERE
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| Job Opportunity with Bright Lights |
Bright Lights Education Coordinator
Bright Lights, a unique 25 year summer non-profit organization for elementary & middle school students in the Lincoln area, seeks a 12 month, full-time Education Coordinator (EC). Five plus years experience in education preferred. The position is open due to retirement. Start time is negotiable.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience: The ideal candidate must have strong leadership/people skills as well as excellent written and speaking communication skills. Good networking in both university & K-12 schools is important as well as the ability to manage and delegate effectively. Candidate should have good visionary, planning and organizational skills and should be a self-starter. Administrative skills, teaching certificate, basic MC Office knowledge with Excel experience and non-profit experience helpful. The EC will:
- Provide leadership by implanting an effective instructional program.
- With BL staff and BL Board Education Committee, plan the teacher orientation meeting.
- Share responsibility for the administration of a three-week, six-session program.
- Hire 100 teachers, with 20 new instructors, each summer.
- Build the summer schedule (50% offerings math, science & technology)
- Help modify the program evaluations for teachers, assistants and students/parents.
Benefits: health/dental (EHA w/ $350 deductible), disability & life insurance; 403 (b) plan; holidays & paid time off. Must pass background check prior to employment
Apply online at resumes@brightlights.org.
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Important Dates to Remember
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Planning for Retirement
with
Candy Specht and Brian Nieman
Nebraska Retirement Information Sharing Presentation
Wednesday February 1st
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
LEA Office
4920 Normal Blvd
CLICK HERE TO RSVP
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Scholarships and Classroom Grants Available |
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NSEA Members -
Are you taking a Spring graduate class that will apply towards salary advancement, professional growth,
an additional endorsement or degree?
Check out this opportunity!
The Professional Development Fund Scholarship is available to certificated NSEA members enrolled in single or family Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Nebraska health care who are taking a Spring semester graduate course for credit.
For details, or to apply, go to: NSEA.org
Online submission deadline is Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012.
Questions? Call NSEA's Sally Bodtke at 1-800-742-0047,
or e-mail her at sally.bodtke@nsea.org
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska offers college scholarships to NSEA members
Since 1986, financial aid has been provided to college-bound certificated Nebraska educators through the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Nebraska Professional Development Fund.
To be eligible, these certificated NSEA members must be covered by either a single or family Blue Cross/Blue Shield health care policy. Scholarships can be used by educators to pursue an advanced degree, seek an additional teaching endorsement or to take course work to meet certification requirements. All courses must be taken for credit.
There are generally three application periods each year, to coincide with the end of Spring, Summer and Fall college sessions. Interested association members must complete the official application form that appears online on a regular basis in The Voice. All application forms will need to be submitted online.
Each applicant may apply for scholarship dollars for no more than three hours of college course work during any session. Books and other supplies are not covered. Previous scholarship applicants, whether successful or not, are always eligible to re-apply. Applicants may be recipients of only two of the three scholarship cycles during each school year.
The Scholarship Committee's continuing goal is to award stipends to the largest possible number of NSEA members from all seven districts. The Committee follows set criteria in judging each application. Applicants need to follow directions completely when filling out the application form. The committee will discard application forms that are not completely and accurately filled in. Each of the four criteria questions must be answered specifically and will be screened carefully. Applicants need to check their work carefully to ensure an optimum consideration by the Committee for their request.
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The Christa McAuliffe Scholarship
The Lincoln Education Association Foundation (LEAF) offers a scholarship in the amount
Space Shuttle flight in January, 1986. The Christa McAuliffe Scholarship is an LEA member
funded program open to all active LEA members (certificated or classified).
Christa McAuliffe Scholarship Information Sheet (PDF)
The Barbara Buckingham Patronsky Scholarship
The Lincoln Education Association Foundation (LEAF) offers a scholarship in the amount of
$500 to honor the late Sharon Christa McAuliffe, the teacher astronaut on the Challenger
member funded program open to all active LEA members (certificated or classified).
Barbara Buckingham Patronsky Information Sheet (PDF)
SOAR Scholarship
The Lincoln Education Association Foundation (LEAF) is offering a scholarship of $1,000 to a
senior who has attended at least his/her senior year and is a graduate of a Lincoln Public
Schools high school. This scholarship is awarded to a student who shows an The scholarship
will be paid to the institution after the completion of the first grading period.
SOAR Scholarship Information Sheet (PDF)
Each year the Lincoln Education Association Foundation makes available
scholarships to LEA Members and LPS Seniors.
STAR Scholarship
The Lincoln Education Association Foundation (LEAF) is offering a scholarship of $1,000 to a
child of an LEA member. The child must have attended at least his/her senior year and be a
graduate of a Lincoln Public Schools high school. This scholarship is awarded to students who
show an interest in continuing their education at an accredited Nebraska educational institution.
The scholarship will be paid to the institution after the completion of the first grading period.
STAR Scholarship Information Sheet (PDF)
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Opportunities for Educators, Students, Schools, & Communities
GRANTS AVAILABLE---Click Here
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Happening Now
NSEA Legislative Update
NEA Education Votes
Keep Up to Date on education Issues----Click Here
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Check out the LEA website for up to date information
Click Here for the LEA Webpage
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Save With Member Benefits
Your LEA member discount providers:
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Is Your New Year's Resolution
to Save Money??
Why not start saving more on something you are required to have,
Auto Insurance
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Get the Educator Advantage® with your auto policy
Educators with a Horace Mann auto insurance policy get special benefits and features at no additional charge through Educator Advantage®.
Learn more about Educator Advantage
Ready to see how much you can save?
Request an Auto Quote
Horace Mann is an LEA endorsed auto insurance company where you receive a 10% payroll deduction discount on your auto premiums on top of your other educator discounts.
Candace Specht Bryan Nieman
402-480-1785 402-960-9529 or 402-318-7216
Candace.specht@horacemann.com Bryan.Nieman@horacemann.com
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Click Here for LEA Member Cupcake Special
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Click Here for the Latest Information for the LPS Employees Credit Union
After months of using folding tables and chairs we finally have our permanent furniture and are so excited for all of you to check out our new space!! Along with having a great teller area, we now have two separate offices for loan business, an on-site storage room, enough space for board meetings, and a waiting area almost as big as the entire size of our former location!! To celebrate our new wonderful office we are having an
please stop by and enjoy some refreshments on us!!! Any new member who also takes out a loan will have their membership fee waived and receive a free gift and any current member who refers someone will also receive a free gift!
We offer savings and checking accounts, 6-month and 12-month CD's, as well as personal, vehicle, and home equity loans. Our loans come with absolutely no fees and our share account rates are among the best in town!! We hope you'll be able to come out and meet the staff and some of our board members...we know we look forward to meeting all of you!!
https://lpscu.com//
Since 1938, the LPS Employees Federal Credit Union purpose has been to promote thrift among its members by affording them an opportunity to accumulate their savings and to create for them a source of credit for provident or productive purposes.
CONTACT:
Bruce Healey, Manager
Cathy Maestas Graham, Asst Mgr.
custaff@lpscu.com
486.3644 486.3646 FAX
Call Bruce and tell him you are an LEA member for excellent Rates on all loans!
486-3644
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Click Here for GREAT DEALS--Save Money!!
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Jenni Absalon, LEA President Lincoln Education Association 4920 Normal Blvd. Lincoln, NE 68506 (402) 489-7500 jenni.absalon@nsea.org |
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