WWPEA LAT FOCUS: 2012-2013

1. WWPEA LAT FOCUS: 2012-2013 Tenure reform, protecting public money for public education, and the November elections

2. Tenure reform: What was at stake • Due process • Seniority • Mutual consent • Merit pay • Increase in standardized testing • Collectively bargaining our pay scale

3. Tenure reform: Thanks to NJEA and member lobbying (that’s you!), we retained our rights • Due process: Protected! Tenure cases will now be heard by an arbitrator with a defined timeline and at less cost. • Seniority: Protected! But we must keep fighting for it… • Mutual consent: No mutual consentprovisions! • Standardized testing: Student performance may NOT be the predominant factor in determining a teacher’s effectiveness • Merit pay and Collective bargaining: Protected! No value added formulas; no mandated pay differences for subject areas or where you teach

4. Tenure reform: Where we are right now • If you already have tenure, you still have it! • If you are in your second or third year in the district, you are still eligible for tenure after three years. • If you are beginning your first year in the district, you are eligible for tenure after four years. • The district must pick a framework by 1/1/13 • District and school committees will be formed to review and implement framework. • The evaluation component will take effect at the start of the 2013-2014 school year. • Your role right now: Keep accurate records of your observations and evaluations; stay tuned to information from your Association leadership; be ready to participate in a committee on behalf of your colleagues if asked.

5. New evaluation system: The basics • There will be four categories to rank teacher quality: highly effective, effective, partially effective, ineffective. • First year teachers will be mentored their first year. Then they must achieve rankings of highly effective or effective at least twice in years two through four to earn tenure. • Tenured teachers will have tenure charges brought against them if they are rated ineffective or partially effective in one year and are rated ineffective in year two. • Tenure charges may be brought against teachers if they are rated ineffective or partially effective in one year and are rated partially effective in year two. • If tenure charges are not brought against a teacher in the above situation, that teacher must be rated effective or highly effective in year three otherwise he/she will face tenure charges.

6. Education reform: The fight continues… • We must continue to fight to keep public money in our public schools. • New Jersey still does not have laws that require local approval for charter schools, leaving the door open to for-profit groups and duplication of services that starve traditional public schools. • Charter schools are not required to admit a representative group from their sending district(s), often leaving traditional public schools with needier students and less money. • Virtual charter schools are beginning to open in New Jersey, with the threat of a statewide virtual school on the horizon.

7. We can’t afford any more fiscal starvation • The State budget already does not fully fund our schools, leaving the neediest students in ALL districts to suffer. • WW-P has been underfunded by over $14,000,000 in the last three years. • We face an estimated underfunding of an additional $11,000,000 over through 2017. • Each student in our district may be underfunded by almost $2,600.

8. We can help the situation by participating in the November elections.

9. US Senate Race

10. US House Races

11. US House Race (cont’d)

12. NJ Assembly Race LD-16

13. Get informed, get involved, vote! • Register yourself and eligible members of your household to vote by 10/16 • Apply for Vote-by-Mail Ballot by 10/30 for family members who can’t get to the polls • Learn about the candidates, support them (People + Time + Money = Votes) • Begin or increase your NJEA PAC contribution • VOTE ON 11/06