Washington Education Association

Welcome to WEA's local leaders' newsletter co-op. Click on the titles below to view newsletter articles that your fellow local leaders are offering for you to cut-and-paste into your local newsletter. These articles may contain the opinion of local WEA members and were not written by the state WEA organization.

A NOTE TO LOCAL LEADERS: It is NOT necessary to give the original author credit. Before publishing, please read for timeliness (circumstances or context may have changed since the original publication), accuracy (sometimes individual districts are referenced; statistics may need to be changed to your district), and typos or local style. Feel free to add your own name to the finished article if you want. TO SUBMIT ARTICLES TO THE CO-OP: E-mail the individual article to post to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it --and-- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Include the author's name & local association. The subject line should read: TOPIC for posting (e.g. AYP Absurdities for posting).

Members of WEA and NEA who extend their membership to the WEA/NEA-Retired affiliate join in our advocacy for public education and the welfare of its employees through their retirement years.

WEA-Retired is the only retiree organization affiliated with the WEA. Download a WEA-Retired enrollment form (Adobe PDF format) 

Download a WEA-Retired recruitment badge (Adobe PDF format)

Purpose

WEA-Retired supports public education and the enhancement of the quality of life for WEA's active and retired members.

Goals

• To be the primary voice for public-education retirees in the state of Washington
• To work in partnership with WEA members to achieve public confidence in public education.
• To make the retirement years the best they can be for WEA/NEA-Retired members.
• To secure legislation that fully supports our purpose.

WEA-Retired elects officers, board directors and delegates at its own annual meeting and also elects delegates to the WEA and NEA Representative Assemblies. WEA-Retired has representation on the WEA and NEA Board of Directors

WEA-Retired Officers

• President: Carl Taylor
• Vice President: Sandra Koko 
• Secretary: Rick Chapman
• Financial Officer: Stacia Bilsland
• Immediate Past President: Kathy Wallentine

WEA-Retired Board of Directors

Board Directors elected at annual meeting:
Kent-Steve Tellari (06-08)
North Central-Doug McComas (06-08)
Rainier-Chuck Richards (06-08)
Sammamish-Mike Coleman (07-09)
Spokane-Shirley Hanson (06-08)
Summit-Karen Robbins (07-09)
Vancouver-Sandy Kokko (06-08)
Tacoma-Karin Goodro (05-07)
WEA-Cascade-Ken Mortland (06-08)
WEA-Eastern Washington-Judy Wooten (07-09)
WEA Fourth Corner-Bob Blum (07-09)
WEA-Olympic-Rick Chapman (06-08)
WEA-Riverside-Terri Frazier (06-08)
WEA-Southeast-Cindy Lancaster (07-09)

Board directors elected by their council:
Pilchuck-Elaine Hanson (06-08)
Puget Sound-Lee Ann Prielipp (06-08)
Seattle-Shirley Painter (07-09)
Tacoma-Karin Goodro (07-09)
WEA Chinook-Barbara Day (07-09)

Soundview, WEA Lower Columbia and WEA Midstate need a board director who lives or worked in the UniServ. Please call 1-800-622-3393 extension 7067 if you would like to be a representative.

Washington State Department of Retirement Systems

School employee pensions are administered through the state's Department of Retirement Systems. Because of the complexity and ever-changing nature of pension rules and procedures, DRS is a good starting point for your search for pension information. Find DRS online at http://www.drs.wa.gov/ or call 800-547-6657 (Olympia area call 360-664-7000).

The Health Care Authority administers four health care programs and oversees the Uniform Medical Plan. more

NEA Retirement Web site

The possibilities to extend and deepen learning are limited only by a teacher's imagination.

All over the Northwest, teachers are designing projects that breathe life into learning by breaking loose from the customary subject areas, teaming with other teachers, and launching kids into the world beyond the school's walls. They're finding creative ways to link national, state, and local standards to challenging tasks that cause kids to dig deeply into issues that matter in the real world.

Take a look at examples of how teachers across the region have helped their students learn, and read about what went into their projects.

Join writers from Northwest Education magazine as they take you to schools where kids are retracing the footsteps of Lewis and Clark, raising chickens, and creating forest products. Elsewhere, students are learning physics and ecology through projects on roller-coaster design and water quality. Projects can help bring history lessons to life about a long-ago war, or turn a local hospital into a learning laboratory. We hope you enjoy the journey!

Share your lessons with other Washington teachers. E-mail a description of the lesson, the age group, the skills and EALRs it addresses, the age range and any other details about planning, materials or outcomes. E-mail them to Lesson Ideas, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 

WEA's mission is to make public education the best it can be for students, staff and communities. But we know education doesn't stop at the classroom door. Our members lead by example, teaching students how to become part of the fabric of our communities -- by volunteering to lead youth sports teams, church choirs, Scout troops, after-school programs, charitable groups and more.

WEA also believes in being a good corporate citizen, promoting causes that reflect our members' values and enrich the lives of our students. These include WEA programs, such as the WEA Children's Fund charity to help students in need, and collegial seminars such as Sparks, to help newer school employees succeed, and Tuvalu, to offer resources and support to isolated local leaders.

At the root of these efforts, of course, is helping children. WEA is also proud to join with a number of worthwhile community organizations that are dedicated to helping students. And each March, thousands of children re-ignite their love of reading with Read Across America, an annual celebration that was initially launched in Washington state by the WEA.

Please join us in helping us help educators and students in your community -- and learn more about how you can give to students in need through worthwhile causes such as the WEA Children's Fund.

When you put the size and strength of the 80,000-member WEA to work for you, the result is some of the best benefits, service and rates in the state.

Finding a great job is easier than ever!

WEA partners with Teachers-Teachers.com to make it easy for you find the perfect job. Register at www.teachers-teachers.com/washington to view postings from districts throughout the state. The Web site allows you to post your application and submit it directly to school district recruiters. It's quick, easy and best of all ... it's free!

Teachers-Teachers.com/Washington listings include K-12 certificated, education support and administrative positions. WEA continues to post job information for other related opportunities as listed below.

Other Employment Opportunities:

• Educational Service Districts
• Other Educational Employment
• Public Colleges & Universities
• Community & Technical Colleges
• NEA & State Affiliates
• WEA Staff

Note to districts: Postings and updates can be filed online directly with Teachers-Teachers.com. Learn more about posting Washington school district job openings at the Teachers-Teachers.com Web site.

Related links:

OSPI Job Opportunities

OSPI K-12 Job Opportunities

Business and Support Staff Joblink - WA Association of School Business Officials

Higher Education Career Opportunities - WA State Board for Community & Technical Colleges

Administrative Positions- WA Association of School Administrators

Superintendent Search Information - WA State School Directors' Association

WAteach is an Interactive Education Recruitment Network

WA State Department of Personnel

Washington State Employment

Educator Career Fair: WA School Personnel Assn sponsors a career fair in Tacoma and Spokane during the spring. Registration form available online.

European Council of International Schools: A non-profit membership organization set up to assist international schools in a variety of ways, including the recruitment of professional staff.

Search Associates: A major recruitment organization assisting administrators, teachers and interns obtain positions in international schools.

Washington Education Directory
How to order list of public schools, private schools and state education agencies 

School District Web Sites Listed Alphabetically:

• A-E
• F-J
• K-O
• P-S
• T-Z

We welcome your questions or comments. E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

WEA/NEA Membership can pay you money with savings on insurance, travel, financial services and more. Take a look at what's available for virtually every need: 

WEA's Education Support Professionals (ESP) are the more than 12,000 support employees who work for the public schools in Washington. It's often an ESP member who is the first to greet your daughter in the morning or the last to say good-bye to your son in the afternoon. From before dawn until late into the evening, ESP are working -- sometimes visibly, sometimes not so visibly -- to make our schools great. The WEA believes all school employees are part of the family of dedicated educators serving Washington's public schools.

Voting rights: ESP members are full, active, voting members of the WEA and participate in all activities of the organization. Our ESP members are also full voting members of the National Education Association and participate in all activities and levels of the parent organization in Washington, D.C.

Bargaining: Every Bargain is a Living Wage Bargain: Find living wage research and how to calculate a living wage for your area.

ESP members are able to collectively bargain under Washington's Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act (Revised Code of Washington 41.56). RCW 41.56 predates the bargaining statute for teachers by 10 years. Most ESP units are also organized into bargaining units and negotiate collective bargaining agreements with their local school boards. The bargaining statute allows ESP to bargain wages, hours, terms and conditions of employment. Some local ESP units bargain along with teachers in the district and have separate contracts. One bargaining team in these units negotiates both the ESP and the teacher contracts at the same time. This process, called unified bargaining, is a goal for all ESP and teacher units of the Washington Education Association.

ESP local units: There are 129 local ESP units in Washington. There may be more than one local ESP unit within the same school district. For example, in the Kent School District there is a single unit of paraeducators, another unit for Head Start employees, a third unit for early childhood education employees and a fourth unit of coaches. Although the greatest number of units are found in the Puget Sound area, ESP members and units are found geographically throughout Washington.

Some ESP members, such as those in Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane and Mercer Island are full voting members of the local education association and do not have separate local units. Most of the ESP members are organized into local ESP units and receive service from their local or adjacent UniServ Council. Local ESP units have their own set of officers, bylaws, constitution and bylaws.

State structure: ESP local units and local UniServ Councils are the primary structures for ESP. The WEA/ESP Action Coordinating Team goal is to have a representative from each UniServ Council.

WEA ESP issues conference: The ESP Action Coordinating Team sponsors several regional conferences each year.

NEA annual ESP conference: The National Education Association holds an annual conference for ESP members.

WEA's ESP employee of the year: Each year, the WEA awards program honors an ESP member that is nominated by their peers. The recipient is also WEA's nominee for NEA's employee of the year award. The award recognizes outstanding work with the local, state and national organizations, outstanding work for schools districts and outstanding contributions with the community. Applications are now being accepted. Submission deadline is Feb. 13, 2009.

For more information, contact Sharon Closson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

What can we help you do today?

Looking for lesson plans? Help as a substitute teacher? Grants and scholarships ... or grant writing? Does it seem like you're all alone as a new educator, or overwhelmed as local association leader?

These WEA Resource pages are designed to help. Find links (on the navigation bar to the left, and in the highlighted features to the right) for many of the programs, services and databases available to WEA members, both online and in person. Did you see a great WEA publication, but can't find another copy in your building? Odds are you'll find it here, too.

To find information on educational topical issues and research tools, visit the Resource Center.

We welcome your questions or comments. E-mail  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it