WEAC leaders celebrate reading with children

Read Across America, an annual celebration of reading, was launched in grand fashion at a Milwaukee school on Friday. WEAC leaders, First Lady Jessica Doyle and local businessmen celebrated the kickoff of at Clement Avenue Elementary School in Milwaukee. "Reading to children is one of my favorite things to do," said Bell, a library media specialist for 30 years, who read Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat" during a school assembly, and later shared "The Lorax" with 3rd graders. Read more

Members learn, share, network

More than 300 WEAC members came together at the WEAC Winter Conference in Appleton last weekend to learn, share and network. OnWEAC coverage includes a photo gallery and these highlights:

  • In a keynote address, WEAC President Mary Bell talked about the recent controversy over virtual school funding, noting that responsible, fair legislation for virtual charter schools will serve the children and taxpayers of Wisconsin. Read more
  • The Denmark Education Association, Denmark Education Support Professionals and their Joint Action Team; and Miguel Salas, director of Lakewood UniServ Council, were honored as winners of the Paul Bierbrauer Awards for excellence in bargaining. Read more
  • Five educators were honored as the first-ever recipients of the WEAC Collective Bargaining Certificate. They are David (Skip) Niedfeldt, Northland Pines Education Association; Dawn Leslie, Wausau Education Support Professionals (CWUC); Britt Hall, Waukesha County Technical Education Association; Peg Bestul, Wausau Education Support Professionals; and Alice Gore, Wausau Education Support Professionals. Read more
  • Dozens of teachers seeking National Board Certification took advantage of an opportunity to work with mentors. Read more
  • The Wisconsin Technical College System has an important role to play in shaping and advancing WEAC's priorities, a panel of leaders said. Read more

    Read NEA candidate profiles

    Ballots for statewide election of delegates to the 2008 and 2009 NEA Representative Assemblies must be in the WEAC executive director's office by April 2. Each local affiliate will receive ballots by March 1. Candidate profiles were included as an insert in the February issue of OnWEAC In Print and are also available on the OnWEAC Members Only site. Read more

    Can we get $1 million to promote MPS?

    Milwaukee educators e-mailed and made phone calls in late February to Tim Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce (MMAC), requesting that the business community step up and conduct a $1 million campaign to promote Milwaukee's great public schools.

    The action was a response to the $1 million campaign spearheaded by the MMAC and School Choice Wisconsin to promote voucher schools in Milwaukee. The campaign is funded by the Bradley, Kern and Walton Foundations. Read more

    Explore ideas for closing achievement gap

    University of Wisconsin-Madison education professor Gloria Ladson-Billings, one of the nation's foremost experts on best teaching practices for students of color, will discuss strategies for closing the achievement gap in a free presentation, "Keeping the Dream Alive," on Tuesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art lecture hall. Read about this and other events, professional development opportunities and classroomm resources on the
    OnWEAC Educators' Bulletin Board.



Members speak out
on revenue caps

Revenue caps are "ripping the community apart" in Merrill and other communities throughout the state, according to WEAC members who talked about the impact of revenue caps at the WEAC Winter Conference.
Watch videos


Succeed and grow
Listen to WEAC President Mary Bell's March radio address to hear her talk about how Wisconsin public schools benefit kids by providing all students the opportunity to succeed and grow with a well-rounded education.
Listen now


Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program (CAM)
Find out how you can save on health and wellness services such as fitness centers, personal trainers, nutritional counseling, and vitamins.
Read more.

Cartoon Corner
by George B. Abbott



"Go ahead, ask me any question. I'm pretending you're Regis Philbin."
Cartoon Corner



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