March 25, 2011

Let’s Fight for Our 3 R’s: Rights, Retirement and Revenue

 

1. Rights
Limiting due process is one step closer to becoming law. Due process bills will be heard in the House and Senate Education Committees this Monday and Tuesday. TAKE ACTION NOW: Click here to call or email Education Committee Members. Remember, calling and leaving a voicemail message over the weekend is an effective way to communicate with your legislators. Tell them:

• A political body should never get to decide if a teacher is terminated. A school board is a political body that makes political decisions. Teachers deserve the right to appeal to a non-political body.

Click here for specific information on Due Process bills being considered next week.

2. Retirement
OEA and OREA presented information for the Special Senate Task Force on Public Pension this past Thursday. OEA was the only teachers association that was AGAINST:

• Raising the retirement age
• Raising teachers’ contributions to TRS

OEA supports a defined benefit with Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA’s) for current and future teachers. OEA also suggested potential funding sources including:

• Increasing our percentage of Income Sales Use Tax from 5 to 6 percent
• Increasing our percentage of gross production taxes.

3. Revenue
Common Education is facing funding cuts of up to 7.5 percent. Because of reduced funding at the state level, OEA opposes:

• Any bill that would lower local revenue such as property tax caps.
• Sending kids to private schools at the taxpayer’s expense.
• Any bill that diverts money from the classroom.

 

February 23, 2011

House Retirement Bills Pass Out of Committee
House Bills 1002, 1007 and 1011 all recently passed out of the House Economic Development committee and are headed to a vote on the House floor. While all of the house bills will preserve the defined benefit system for school employees, they will eliminate cost of living increases.

Currently, educators generally receive a 2 percent COLA, compared to 4 percent for public employees.

The retirement house bills will:
• Eliminate your already reduced cost of living increase.
• Diminish your spending power overtime.

Oklahoma school employees deserve a defined benefit plan
that provides for cost of living increases.

TAKE ACTION: Tell your house member to preserve cost of
living increases.

No More Defined Benefits: SB 892 Does Away with Public Pensions
SB 892 just passed out of the Senate Retirement committee. The bill is bad for all public employees. SB 892 would eliminate defined benefits and switch over to a defined contribution
system. Also, the employer would contribute a lower percentage
to the fund. Currently, school employees contribute 7 percent of
their salary to retirement, while the district contributes 9.5
percent. The bill would allow employers to pay “up to” 10 percent.

TAKE ACTION: Tell your senator to vote no on SB 892:

• Changes the retirement calculations, resulting in lower
retirement checks. Note: It reduces the retirement factor
from years of service+ final average salary + 2 % to years of service + final average
salary + 1.5%.
• Increases retirement age
• Eliminates defined benefits
• Reduces employer contributions

SAVE THE DATE!
March 15, 2011
Rally at the Capitol for your Future!
Details coming soon...

Retirement 101
Characteristics of your Defined Benefit Plans (more like a traditional pension)

• Paid a definite amount upon retirement based on years of service and your average
salary.
• Eligibility is determined by your age and years of service.
• Retirement is permanent and guaranteed for your lifetime.
• Cost of living increases usually occur.
• The employee contributes 7 percent and the employer contributes 9.5 percent.
• The state manages your retirement fund.

Tell your senator to vote NO on SB 80. Let your senator know the school district should be obligated to spend state funds to educate our kids. With the state facing a massive budget
shortfall, districts should not be able to save large sums of money.

February 18, 2011

Be There! Attend Next Week’s Education Committee Meetings
Have you ever stayed awake thinking about the future of public education? If so, you have the opportunity to be a part of the changes as laws are being made. You are invited to join the OEA Lobbyist and Political Organizing team at the weekly Education Committee meetings at the state capital.

Why come to the committee meetings?

• Hear lawmakers debate and discuss our most important priority bills.
• Know what education laws are being made as they happen.
• Being present at committee meetings enables you to counter or support the rationale lawmakers use to pass education legislation.

Education Committee Meetings for the week of February 21-25

Senate Common Education Committee
9am, Monday, February 21, 2011
Room 419-C, Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK
View the Senate Education Committee members.

OEA Priority Bills on the agenda:

·       SB 1 removes "career teacher pre-termination hearing" requirements related to the "Teacher Due Process Act of 1990"; strikes the term "probationary", making all teachers subject to the same disciplinary process; EMERGENCY. This bill eliminates trial de novo. Read the entire bill.

·       SB 534 modifies the grounds for which a career teacher can be dismissed; removes the two month minimum for a time of improvement in response to a poor evaluation score. This bill adds new reasons for dismissal including insubordination. Read the entire bill.

·       SB 969 creates the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act; allows a tax credit for any taxpayer who makes a contribution to a scholarship granting organization. This is a voucher bill. Read the entire bill.

House Common Education Committee
10:30am, Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Room 412C, Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK
View the meeting agenda. View the House Education Committee members.

OEA Priority Bill on the agenda:

• HB 1457 redefines "career teacher pretermination hearing"; Provides protocol for the recommendation for the dismissal or non-remployment of a career or probationary teacher; Provides the rights for career and probationary teachers; EMERGENCY. The bill provides employees with the right to appeal to a panel of attorneys if terminated by the local board of education. OEA supports this bill. Read the entire bill.

House Appropriations/Sub-Education Committee
3pm, Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Room 432-A, Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK
View the meeting agenda. View the House Appropriations Committee members. 

OEA Priority Bills on the agenda:

·       HB 1317 authored by Morgan modifies definitions of Education Leadership Oklahoma Act; outlines the number of teachers allowed to be selected for the Act and the fees expected to be paid for the scholarship recipients; EMERGENCY. Read the entire bill. OEA supports this bill.

·       HB 1746 authored by Nelson requires at least sixty-five percent (65%) of school districts' total yearly spending to fund direct instructional activities in district; requires State Board of Education to set manner for calculating amount expended; EMERGENCY. Read the entire bill. OEA is monitoring this bill. While we are not supporting or opposing HB 1746, but we are supportive of getting more money in the classroom.  

Retirement Attacks
There are several bills moving through House and Senate committee attacking the teacher retirement system. We need you to let your legislators know that Oklahoma teachers and support professionals deserve a defined benefit plan that provides for cost of living increases. Click here to tell your lawmakers that you deserve your retirement.

Call now and OPPOSE HB 1651
Effective July 2012, payroll deduction of Association dues will be eliminated. HB 1651 is an unfair and unnecessary attack on school employees. In Tulsa Public Schools, more than 80 groups are allowed to make payroll deductions. Lawmakers want to single out and silence our organization.

HB 1651 reads School districts shall be prohibited from making payroll deductions for either professional organization dues or political contributions. Read the entire bill.

The bill only targets school employees. Click here to tell your house member HB 1651 threatens your ability to act collectively and advocate for your profession.

How this hurts our Association:

• 99 percent of all Association dues are payroll deduct.
• This is an effort by the legislature to diminish or destroy your Association.
• Those in power at the capitol want to silence your voice, both individually and collectively.
• Although we are the current target, anyone or any organization who voices opposition against the legislative leadership is at risk.

Click here to view contact information for all House Education Committee members. Give them a call or email and let them know you will not be silenced.

Stop SB 80
The Senate Appropriations and Budget Committee approved SB 80 that would remove caps from school district carryover funds. A district’s carryover is the amount of money a district can save from year to year. When school districts are able to save an unlimited amount of money, this could result in less money going to the classroom.

Currently, a quarter of the funds dedicated to common education, about $550 million, are held in carryover funds. In the past few years, the amount of money districts can store in savings has increased an average of 4 percent. Taxpayers expect their education dollars to educate children, not sit in a savings account.

Unlimited carryover could lead to:

• Fewer teaching positions
• Fewer support jobs
• Less money for classroom expenses
• No money for the bargaining table

Click here to tell your senator to vote NO on SB 80. Let your senator know the school district should be obligated to spend state funds to educate our kids. With the state facing a massive budget shortfall, districts should not be able to save large sums of money.

February 7, 2011
Senate Education Committee

No Caps on Carryover: Senate Bill 80 Passes Committee

The Senate Education Committee voted 12-3 to remove the caps from school district carryover funds. A district’s carryover is the amount of money a district can save from year to year.
When school districts are able to save an unlimited amount of money, this could result in less money going to the classroom. As of 2008-09, school districts had over $500 million in carryover, despite a $600 million state budget shortfall and a call for a 3 percent cut in the education budget.

Unlimited carryover could lead to:
• Fewer teaching positions
• Fewer support jobs
• Less money for classroom expenses
• No money for the bargaining table

Kudos to Senators Judy Eason McIntyre, Richard LerBlance and Susan Paddack for voting no on the bill.

It is important that you stay in touch with your senator. Let your Senator know that the school district should be obligated to spend state funds to educate our kids. With the state facing a massive budget shortfall, districts should not be able to save large sums of money.

Senate Bill 718 Changes State Board’s Role: Passes Committee

The Senate Education Committee approved SB718 by a vote of 12 to 5 to change the role of the State Board of Education from supervisory to advisory. The bill transfers more power to State Superintendent Janet Barresi. Proponents of the bill pointed out that the superintendent position is elected by the people, while board positions are appointed. The intent of the bill was to give more power to the elected official as opposed to the appointed board members.

Senate Bill 718 - Full Text.pdf

Oklahoma Education Bills Introduced as of January 21, 2011