Although I am writing this before our long awaited and well deserved break, you will not be reading this until after the long awaited and well deserved break! The dilemma is what to say that is timely now and will be timely two weeks from now.

May I just say that given all we have been through over the first thirty weeks of school, and all that we face before ending on June 23rd, I still believe that our strengths are greater than our differences. And, it is not just from our collective agreement on issues, but also from our differences that we can grow stronger.

Truthfully, it’s not too difficult to get people stirred up about contract proposals, BOE antics, Cross Pointe, construction problems, uneven enforcement of building and district policies and procedures, etc., etc. What is difficult is to get members stirred up enough to become more involved in their union.

Between now and the middle of June there will be ample opportunities to come forward and join in an activity or two. It could be taking in a Board of Education meeting, working on the political action committee, attending the MTA sponsored Board Candidates’ Night, contributing to VOTE-COPE, spending an afternoon at the MTA social in June, or perhaps giving serious thought to running for a building rep position in May. There is a place for everyone and we welcome (and need) your participation.

For those of you who think I may have gone “soft” with this edition have no fear! A little down time for the “three r’s” (rest, relax, and re-charge), and I’ll be back to take on whatever is before us!

Janet Myruski
DON’T BE A WEAK LINK … SUPPORT YOUR POLITICAL ACTION FUND
GIVE TO VOTE-COPE
VOTE-COPE is the Committee on Political Education, the non-partisan political action arm of New York State United Teachers. VOTE-COPE is used to support those candidates and campaigns that support education and labor.

WHY SHOULD YOU CONTRIBUTE TO VOTE-COPE?

1. Your pension, your pension, your pension - Every time you read the newspaper more and more corporate pensions are dwindling or are being eliminated altogether. By increasing our contributions to VOTE-COPE, NYSUT will be able to lobby against any pension reform task force which would look to change our pension plan from defined-benefit to defined-contribution such as the Bush administration is trying to do with Social Security. VOTE-COPE funds were also used to successfully lobby for a permanent cost-of-living-adjustment for retiree pensions.
2. Local Issues - Many of the funds contributed to VOTE-COPE by our members are actually returned to the MTA. These funds are used for political action initiatives which are important to the local. Every year, funds from VOTE-COPE are used by the MTA for political action. A recent example of this was the “postcard blitz,” sponsored by the MTA, which ultimately resulted in the restoration of funds to education in the state’s budget. The school budget vote and Board of Education elections are coming in May. You can trust that the MTA has been carefully monitoring the situation and will be involved in the process.
3. Greater Tier Equity-Thanks to the actions of VOTE-COPE, members in Tier 3 and Tier 4 are now only required to contribute towards their retirement for 10 years. For those who contributed for more than 10 years, VOTE-COPE is working to gain service credits for those contributions.
4. Fiscal Equity-NYSUT is striving for statewide fiscal equity for needy schools similar to the victory that was won for NYC schools in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court cases.

This year’s campaign will run from May 15- May 31. More information will be coming to you at that time. If you don’t already do so, PLEASE consider contributing to VOTE-COPE in May. If you already contribute, please consider increasing your contribution.

I received my TRS Profile and noticed that the amount reported as salary earned was incorrect. What should I do? I suggest that you check with the payroll department to see what amount was reported to TRS. If the correct amount was reported than there was a data input error on the part of TRS. Contact them as soon as possible. If you have difficulty in getting the error corrected just contact the MTA office and we will secure assistance for you from Sheila Salenger.

When must I send in my retirement application to TRS? You can send it in no sooner than 90 days prior to the effective date of retirement. Be sure to send it certified return receipt requested.

When I retire do my unused personal days get converted into reimbursable sick days? No, any personal days that are not used at the time of retirement are forfeited.

If I am granted tenure during the school year rather than at the end of the school year when do I start to receive the tenure increment? You start receiving the tenure increment as soon as tenure is effective. If it is during the school year the increment will be pro-rated for the portion of the year that you are tenured.

Any questions regarding retirement, salary, or the Benefit Fund, may be e-mailed to: questions@middletownteachers.org. All questions will receive a reply; some may appear in future newsletters. Visit our archives at: middletownteachers.org!

Former NYSUT President Tom Hobart always told union leaders and NYSUT delegates that there were 3 things union members could do each year to make their local better and stronger. The 3 things were:

• Contribute to VOTE-COPE, the non-partisan political action division of NYSUT
• Vote in all elections, including local school budget and Board of Education elections
• Volunteer for at least 1 hour in a local union activity.

Well, the time is here to be able to do all 3 of these things within the next 4 weeks. The VOTE-COPE campaign will be run in each of the buildings from May 15 – May 31, the school budget voting day throughout the state will be May 16th and the MTA will be gathering members at the union office after school on May 11th to organize an election mailing to the nearly 1,000 NYSUT members who reside in our school district.

Make every effort to become part of all 3 activities; complete or increase a VOTE-COPE payroll deduction form, be sure you are registered to vote May 16th and contact your senior building rep to sign up for the mailing committee.

Rochelle Weiler
Scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors who are dependents of current or deceased members employees of the Middletown School District (not substitute teachers). A minimum of 75% of the awards will be given to dependents of NYSUT members.

April 28
Applications must be postmarked by this date.

May 5
Deadline for completed applications to be received at the MTA office via U.S. Mail (applications cannot be hand delivered).

June 14
Scholarship award winners to be announced at Rep. Council meeting.

Election notification letters were mailed this week to all MTA members. The letters were sent to the most current home addresses on file at the MTA office. The mailing was completed by the election committee that is co-chaired by Monica Alderman and Lucia Weier of Truman Moon.

Elections will be held on May 17th and 24th. All positions, except for President and Vice-President, are up for election. To have your named printed on the ballot you must send a notice (no e-mails) to the election co-chairs by the close of school on May 8th.

One of the new contract provisions that takes effect on July 1st is a payment for declining dental insurance. However, to decline coverage and receive the payment you must be covered by the dental plan as of June 1.

Therefore, if you currently do not carry dental insurance and you wish to decline next year you must immediately sign up for dental and then at the end of the school year decline the coverage as of July 1st. If you currently are covered by the plan you need only notify the board office at the end of the school year that you wish to decline as of July 1st.

Contact the benefits department at the Board Office (ext 5316) to secure enrollment forms.

Thursday, June 8th, the MTA will hold its annual end of the year celebration. This event is an opportunity to socialize, congratulate and recognize our colleagues. Our retirees come as guests of the MTA and are recognized for their professional efforts, dedication and hard work through out their careers. Also invited as guests are our new teachers and their buddies. This too, provides an occasion for recognition for a job well done this first year in our district. And, of course the get-together is a wonderful opportunity to socialize with your colleagues from other buildings – a chance to catch up and share experiences from this past year. It has certainly been a busy year and we all have so much to talk about; do it at the party!

Good food, good company, good times – who could ask for more! A flyer with all of the particulars will be coming out the first week in May. Retirees, new teacher and buddies will also be receiving invitations at the same time. Reserve the date! We look forward to seeing all of you!

As you know, last month all districts across New York administered the new Mathematics tests for students in grades 3 – 8.

NYSUT needs feedback from you and other union members if you had any role in preparing, administering or scoring the tests.

The NYSUT on-line survey can be found at www.nysut.org/standards. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to complete the survey. Your response will help NYSUT recommend improvements in future tests.