15-B Insider -- March 2004

Cyndi Austin Uniserv Director caustin@mea.org
Judy A. Pullen Uniserv Secretary jpullen@mea.org

What an Insurance Cap Could Mean to Your Members!

Some things are so good that they are worth repeating. Parts of this article ran in last year’s Insider, and still are appropriate to today’s bargaining climate. If you haven’t already guessed, the topic is Insurance Caps.

Caps are a Double Whammy to ESP employees who pay a percentage of their insurance premium. These employees are often referred to as part-time employees. These individuals could find their portion of the insurance bill going up much more than the announced insurance rate hike.

For example: The 2003-2004 insurance rate is $900/month. Your Employer pays 80% of the premium, and you have agreed to an 8% cap. The Employer at 80% pays $720/month and you pay 20% or $180/month. Let us say the rates for 2004-05 go up 18%.

18% rate increase means ($900) (1.18) or $1062/month.

8% cap means ($900) (1.08) or $972 maximum for Employer (if they pay 100%).

80% Employer contribution means ($972) (.80) or $777.60/month.

The Employer pays an additional $57.60/month, which now figures out to 73.2% of premium.

You pay $1062-$777.60 or $282.40/month, which is an additional $102.40/month.

Your cost just went from 20% of the premium to 26.8% of the premium. This example is just for one year, and it gets even worse if rates exceed the cap. Caps are ugly to teacher employee groups as well. The Cadillac and Manton teachers are well-acquainted with the loss of spendable income due to insurance caps. The real bottom line is how much of a dent an 18% increase puts in the district’s total expenditures.

For example: In Cadillac for the period 1995 – 2001, the non-mandatory insurance (employee insurance is here) expenditures have gone from 7.76 % to 9.49% of total revenue.

The McBain EA and ESP have a different type of cap. They pay a fixed percentage of the total bill. (EA is 5% and an ESP bus driver that needs full family coverage pays 32%). So if rates go up 18%, the member’s contribution goes up 18%.

The school districts claim they want qualified professional staff, but they want them at the bottom of the barrel prices. Having good benefits is a good incentive for attracting and keeping talented people. The bottom line here is: If you don’t have a cap and don’t want it, don’t agree to it. If you have one, get rid of it.

BARGAINING UPDATE

Settled: Evart EA; Wexford-Missaukee ISD

Bargaining 2003-04: TAS of Cadillac; Evart ESP and Transportation; Marion EA & Transportation

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

March 17: ABC Meeting – Big Rapids MEA office
March 24: Second Bargaining/Negotiation Training - RSVP
April 9: Office closed – Good Friday
April 15: OPIE Banquet – Timber Wolf
April 21: ABC Meeting
April 26-30: Cyndi gone – Uniserv training

CONGRATULATIONS

This year we will be honoring 15 individuals as Outstanding Persons in Education and five individuals as Friends of Education at our 28^th annual OPIE Banquet to be held April 15^th. Congratulations to each honoree for your exemplary efforts toward the cause of educational excellence. What you do every day helps students understand the world they see, and what they have the potential to be. Thank you for your dedication, enthusiasm, and willingness to go the "extra mile" for our children. Our schools’ success depends on people like you

Outstanding Persons in Education – Leta Corwin, Cadillac EA; Rita Dontje, TAS of Cadillac; Mitzie Boyer, Cadillac ESP; Ed Hubel, Evart EA; Sherri Bancroft, Evart ESP; Todd McLean, Forest Area EA; Chuck Fales, Manton EA; Carrie Powell, Manton ESP; Heather Deighton, Marion EA; Brian Forcelle, McBain EA; Thomas Scarbrough, McBain ESP; Christi Hulett, Mesick EA; Penny Lipar, Mesick ESP; Tim Jones, Pine River EA; and Diane Parkes, Pine River ESP.

Friends of Education – Patty Wallenstein, Cadillac; Alicia Michell, Marion; Judy Gilde, McBain; Jeff & Kim Ellens, Mesick; and Terry Oyster, Pine River.

We will again be holding our banquet at Timber WoIf Lake, located just four (4) miles north of Lake City on M-66. This is a beautiful lodge in a scenic location. If you haven’t already made your reservation, why not do it now and join us for a wonderful evening of celebrating education. Reservations are coming in fast. Remember, space is limited.

Include the Association in the Evaluation Process

Section 38.83a of the Teachers' Tenure Act states that probationary teachers:

Will get an individualized development plan (IDP) if they are not in their first probationary year.

Will have at least an annual year-end performance evaluation each year based on at least two classroom observations held at least sixty (60) days apart.

Will be assessed on their progress in meeting the goals of the IDP.

Your mentor and association reps and leaders are around to make sure these provisions are followed, but they are also available to make sure you receive a fair and objective evaluation. You can help the association help you by following these tips:

Read the article on evaluations in your contract to become familiar with the process.

Have conversations with your mentor, colleagues and association reps about how best to handle your evaluation. Share any concerns you have about your performance so far.

If you think that the evaluation may not go well, begin to document any conversations you have had with your evaluator. Note the day, time and topic of those conversations and any negative comments.

Make note of how long the evaluator observed your performance.

In most cases, the evaluation process includes a post-observation conference at which time you should receive a written copy of your evaluation. Review it carefully, paying close attention to negative comments and/or suggestions for improvement.

If your evaluation is unsatisfactory, discuss the report with your evaluator. Make sure you clearly understand his/her evaluation of your performance. Check your contract to see if you can bring an association rep with you to the conference.

If problems are noted, ask for specific guidelines about what needs improvement. Ask your evaluator to name someone he/she considers a model of good teaching so that you can observe that teaching style. Don't assume that any negative comments mean your job is in jeopardy, but do take the comments seriously.

Notify your mentor and the association of any problems or issues you have with your evaluation. Don't try to go it alone. They may advise you to respond in writing to the evaluation, and they can provide guidance on how best to do that.

Be sure you are familiar with your contract rights when it comes to signing the evaluation report. Don't be pressured into signing the evaluation. You can request to take it home to read it more carefully. Don't refuse to sign the document; you could be considered insubordinate.

Talk to your mentor and association rep about how this issue is handled in your district. Remember, teaching is a journey. Just when you think you've arrived, you find that there are other places to go.