January 30, 2012-
BREAKING NEWS-Contact your legislator NOW about your HEALTH CARE!!!
Late last week, you should have recieved a flier regarding the proposed state-over of the K-12 employees health care system. Here are some of the facts about this bill and why it is SO BAD for us! Here are the facts that you can use and share about Senate Bill (SB) 6442 which would allow a state takeover of K-12 health care.
• A state takeover of K-12 educators' health benefit plans will provide no cost savings and will actually cost taxpayers millions of dollars. That's why educators oppose the takeover proposed in SB 6442.
Imposes higher costs:
• Adds more than $21.5 million in NEW taxpayer costs:$12 million for start up costs in 2011-13, plus $9.5 million for additional start up costs in fiscal year 2014. The ongoing cost is then estimated to be $7.1 million per year.
• Requires an additional $25 million per year paid by employees through higher premiums and "point-of-service cost sharing" (higher fees). Members could find themselves paying hundreds of dollars in additional premiums each month.
• Shifts all future cost risks to school districts for costs above the state allocation.
• Abandons a system that today costs less and provides more: Currently, the state pays $768 a month per full-time equivalent K-12 employee vs. $850 per full-time state employee, yet K-12 employees get coverage that is as good or better than what state employees receive.
Reduces and/or eliminates benefits and healthcare provider choice:
• Requires lower overall benefits to avoid immediate cost increases.
• Wipes out healthcare coverage entirely for thousands of part-time employees who work less than half time.
• Members could lose their choice of healthcare providers.
Abandons K-12 employee collective bargaining and local decision-making:
• Transfers all decision-making authority to the Health Care Authority and a newly created board; the proposal stacks the board membership in favor of the administration resulting in only token membership for employee groups.
• Removes employee health benefits from the scope of collective bargaining for all school employee groups.
Eliminates competition and expands state government:
• Replaces competition among plans school districts select from with a state monopoly that selects one carrier for all K-12 employees.
• Adds another costly function to the state bureaucracy at a time when vital funding for K-12 education and other services is being cut.
Rewards poor customer service:
• HCA had a recent 9-month backlog in paying state employee health insurance claims.
• Courts ruled against HCA for illegally barring some Medicaid patients from emergency room care.
• Recent Seattle Timesexposé highlighted how the agency's cost-cutting practices were harming patients.
• Adding over 100,000 enrollees to a K-12 program administered by the HCA would likely mean customer service problems for K-12 employees.
• K-12 employees have had the option to enroll in the state employee health care plan since 1995, and less than 1 percent of the K-12 employees have made that choice.
The HCA proposal is a plan based on higher costs, bigger government, less competition, and poor customer service.
Please use and share these points. And take three minutes to send an email to your legislators opposing SB 6442. Please do that now. This is a time sensative issue! What part of "NO!"do they not understand?
January 13, 2012- Just one week ago, the State Supreme Court ruled that the legislation has, over many years, failed to live up to its paramount constitutional duty: Amply funding public education. The Court made it clear to legislators: No more excuses; no more delays; no more cuts. Yesterday, Sen. Rodney Tom and Rep. Eric Petigrew, along with 25th Legislator Sen. Jim Kastama, chose to ignore the Court's ruling. Instead, they want to dip into the same pool of funding the Court has said doesn't measure up, and siphon off millions of dollars for charter schools.
The people of Washington have rejected charter schools at the ballot box- the last time in every single county in Washington. That's three strikes. Charter schools are little more than an unfilled promise to our students. They simply skim off those children whose parents have the time and capability to fill out endless applications.
"As educators," WEA President Mary Lindquist commented yesterday, "WEA members are deeply committed to making sure all our students receive a quality education - an education that both inspires and equips them for the challenges of the 21st Century workplace. Across the state, there are countless examples of innovative schools doing exactly that. What we're seeing in these innovative schools is a return on investment we can all get behind."
Senator Tom and Representative Pettigrew "..should be working on the full funding challenge presented to them last week by the state Supreme Court. The people of Washington are demanding full public education funding for our children and neighborhood schools," stated Lindquist. "Charter schools are a distraction from the real debate and not a full funding solution."
The truth is: According to a 2009 study of charter school released by Stanford University examining 70 percent of students enrolled in charter schools:
• 17 percent of charter schools provide superior education opportunities for their students.
• Nearly half of charter school nationwide have results that are no different from local public schools. • Over a third, 37percent, show learning results that are significantly inferior to public schools. The Focus of our Legislators should be on kids and educators, not failed legislation! Contact your Legislators today and let your opinions about Charter Schools be known! January 5, 2012 BREAKING NEWS: VICTORY!
Students are the big winners in NEWS lawsuit ruling!
The Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state is not meeting its constitutional obligation to "amply fund" public education. The Court also made it clear that funding public education is the state's highest priority -- and the state Legislature cannot delay or sidestep any longer.
The 85-page opinion also said that the judiciary would keep an eye on lawmakers to make sure they fully implement education reforms by 2018.
"The court cannot idly stand by as the Legislature makes unfulfilled promises for reform," Justice Debra Stephens wrote in the majority opinion.
This is a big win for Washington students and schools!
For nearly a decade, WEA and its partners (which include PEA and PSD) in the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools (NEWS) have been arguing that public education in our state is woefully underfunded. Our students and schools can no longer bear the impact of further funding cuts. Today, the state Supreme Court agreed.
Now the responsibility for taking action and correcting this injustice to our students is where it belongs: With the state legislature. The legislature can no longer punt on full funding for public education. The Supreme Court has made it clear: No more excuses; no more delays.
Lawmakers convene Jan. 9 for a 60-day session.
Contact your legislators today- explain how further cuts will affect you and your students.
Call 1-800-562-6000, or send an email from your home computer by going to www.ourvoicewashingtonea.org.
Don't EVER do this from either your school computer or during your school day! 2011-12 Bargaining Team Named
The following members have agreed to serve on the 2011-12 Bargaining Team:
Elementary Rep: Lisa Elliott (Zeiger)
Junior High Rep: Larry Swanson (Aylen)
High School Rep: Molly Susee (ERHS)
Special Services Rep: Rosemary Thomas (Fruitland)
Specialists Rep: Claire Ellis (Firgrove)
Please thank these members in advance for all of the hard work that they are going to be doing on our behalf!
PEA Exec Board Members: President: Karen McNamara (PEA Office) 253-845-4535 Vice-President: Jennifer Oliver (Edgerton) 253- 840-8809 Secretary: Lisa Elliott (Zeiger) 253-841-8663 Treasurer: Terry Addison (Zeiger) 253-841-8663 UniServ Rep 1: Heidi Eshpeter (Woodland) 253-841-8747 UniServ Rep 3: Kelley Lee (Pope) 253-841-8755 UniServ Rep 4: Larry Swanson (Aylen) 253-841-8723 UniServ Rep 5: Amy Tutty (Edgerton) 253-840-8809 UniServ Rep 6: Angelo Mills (Firgrove) 253-841-8733 UniServ Rep 7: Kim Petty (Shaw Road) 253-841-8675 UniServ Rep 9: Katie Fralick (Stewart) 253-841-8743 UniServ Rep 10: Sheila Whittingslow (Meeker) 253-435-2592 UniServ Rep 11: Julie Harding (Sunrise) 253-841-8744 UniServ Rep 13: Tawana Bens (Ferrucci) 253-841-8756 | 