 |
WEAC Summer Conference
|
Putting it into action
We’re all supporting each other
As you prepare to head home today from this important training session, WEAC President Terry Craney and Executive Director Michael Butera want to leave you with this message: Every one of you is a key player in the future success of the Great Schools initiative.
“WEAC is fully committed to making sure Great Schools accomplishes its goals,” Craney said. “We are working at the state level to give individual members as much support as they need to develop a powerful Great Schools program at the local level.
“Let’s keep the lines of communication wide open so that we can continuously respond to your concerns and needs. We have set up a carefully organized interactive network of staff and members to accomplish this. Let’s take full advantage of it.”
Butera thanked participants not only for attending this conference but for helping to shape materials and share ideas for the future direction of Great Schools.
“This is a two-way street,” Butera said “You not only learned about the many things WEAC is doing to help you in the field, but you are giving us at the state level the input and feedback we need to successfully help you move this project to the next level.
“Remember the three key messages of the Great Schools initiative – quality, involvement and support,” Butera said. “We already have quality schools, but we need to preserve that quality and improve upon it. In order to succeed, we need the involvement of our own members, parents, citizens, and community leaders. Through that involvement, we can build support in the community, at the school board level, and in the Legislature for Great Schools.”
“Ultimately, the children of Wisconsin benefit from Great Schools,” Craney said. “And that makes it all the more worthwhile.”
Great Schools Timeline
September - December 1999
- Begin “Click,” the Great Schools newsletter
- Provide additional education on-site
- Begin member-to-member phase
- Develop Great Schools Committees
January - May, 2000
- Continue member-to-member activity
- Begin school/community issue work groups
- Form GS Committee issue work groups
- Make activity decisions
- Member-to-member activity (April - Solicitation for “Great Schools legislators”)
June - August, 2000
- Continue Great Schools activities (issue work group meetings, county fairs, recruitment of additional participants)
- Political Action (screening committees)
- Summer Conference (training theme assessment, Great Schools Committee member attendance)
Visit the Great Schools Web site at: www.greatschoolswi.org
Nuts and Bolts
The Summer Conference includes its share of social activities and entertainment, but participants spend most of their time in groups such as these, discussing the nitty gritty of implementing the Great Schools initiative and other topics. Lori Blakeslee (top) and Ellen LaLuzerne (bottom) were two of many trainers who facilitated discussions Wednesday on building power through knowledge, unity, community action, and leadership at the local level. |
Today's Bulletin Board
Events
- 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. Core Session V - Building Power for Action in 1999-2000
- 11:30 a.m. Closing picnic, tent outside Carlson Hall
No new progress on budget, retirement talks
While you’ve been here at the Summer Conference this week, there has been no new progress in Madison on either the state budget bill or in negotiations for improving state pensions, WEAC President Terry Craney said.
Members are urged to e-mail legislators on these topics. Although the Summer Conference Cyberlobby is now closed, you can access the Cyberlobby any time via the At the Capitol area of OnWEAC at www.weac.org.
At the Cyberlobby site, you will find helpful information regarding the state budget. Retirement talks are separate, but are running parallel to the budget.
Craney said pension discussions focus on three major areas. The first is a possible increase in one of the factors in the formula used to determine pensions. This could, for example, increase the formula multiplier from the current 1.6% to perhaps 1.7% or even 1.8%.
Second, he said, negotiators are looking at prospectively removing the 5% interest earnings cap on retirement benefits for employees hired after 1982. The third area is a return to some type of variable option system.
“We’re doing everything possible,” Craney said, “to improve retirement benefits for our members by creating a comprehensive plan to make the system more modern and more relevant to participants’ needs.”
Great Schools Coordinators
Karen West - State
Fran McNett - Educational Support Personnel
Doug Lueck - WEAC-Retired
Nancy Clark - New members/Student WEA
Mike McNett - Southeast Region
Sarah Kissel - South-central Region
Angela Dawson - Southwest Region
Karen Alexander - Northeast Region
Nancy Gray - North-central Region
Pete Roller - Northwest Region
Steve Smith - Far north
Linda Gaston-Mounger - Milwaukee
Notices
IMPORTANT: Check-out is from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. only. Upon checkout, you must return sheets, pillow, pillow cases, towels, washcloths and your blanket to the reception desk. They must be folded and stacked. Also return your dorm key.
• • •
Congratulations to the first-place volleyball team, made up of Betty Altenburg, Todd Strommen, Whitney Manderle, Jill Van Nuland, Steve Miller, Sarah Kissel, Adam Winrich, and Lynette Stansfield.
WEAC Office
Carlson Hall - Room 4041
414-472-1057 Daytime number
414-472-1427 Night and emergency number
Office staff
Gerene Nelson
Becky Adams
Posted August 5, 1999
Return to main Summer Conference page
 |
 |