2010 AERA Annual Meeting

The 2010 Annual Meeting will be held on March 30th at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel in downtown Montgomery.  Plans are underway for an exciting day of guest speakers, local unit awards and presentation of scholarships to active educators.  Registration will start at 8 am, the business session will begin at 9:30, and the luncheon will be at noon.  If you would like to attend the meeting and are not part of a local unit, please call Veronica at the AERA office at 1-800-537-6867.  Click here for directions to the meeting.

 AEA Begins Campaign to Tell the Devastating Truth About Charter Schools

Members, You may be wondering why AERA and AEA are not supporting the Charter School Bill. We believe that charter schools will take money away from already underfunded school systems and negatively impact the Education Trust Fund Budget. AERA President, Charles Smith, stated, “It is important to keep our members informed even if members take different stands on issues.” I hope you will find this email informative.

Janice J. Charlesworth
Alabama Education Retirees Association
Executive Secretary

Today AEA is telling all Alabamians why charter schools are dangerous for our local public schools through an advertising campaign in the state's largest media markets, with television, radio, and a new Web site.

 www.nocharterschoolsalabama.org http://capwiz.com/nea/al/utr/1/CYLPMDGMOO/EUECMDGMTG/4777188306

Charter schools drain money from our already underfunded schools and put at risk our students. AEA has responded to a constant effort by several politicians to force the Legislature to create charter schools, although all of the education associations – all made up of professional educators – have strongly opposed the efforts.

President Obama and Washington bureaucrats are trying to force charter schools in Alabama by threatening to withhold money that our students desperately need to be successful. It is time to take a stand to protect the integrity of our community schools and say "No" to charter schools.

AEA believes it is time to stop political gimmicks that will hurt public schools and get back to the basics of our unique American educational institution, the common school, where every child can receive a great public education.

In every state, charter schools hurt public schools, operate without adequate oversight, and fail to show that they are more successful than public schools.

Did you know that all teachers do not have to be highly qualified to teach in charter schools?

Did you know that lawyers are suing local school systems to take money away from them to give to charter schools?

Did you know that 600 charter schools of the nation's 5,000 charter schools have been closed because of corruption, financial abuse, or poor management?

Did you know that almost one-fifth of all charter schools are operated by for-profit companies?

Join the fight to protect our public schools. Go to www.nocharterschoolsalabama.org http://capwiz.com/nea/al/utr/1/CYLPMDGMOO/ONFYMDGMTH/4777188306  to learn the truth and to join in AEA's effort to stop efforts to federalize our community schools.

Fight Fraud – Shred Instead!
AARP Shreds Personal Documents Free of Charge April 21st in Montgomery

AARP Alabama and Montgomery Clean City Commission will offer free shredding of personal documents 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 21^st in Montgomery, at Patterson Field (1201 Madison Avenue) in Montgomery. An industrial-sized shredder, provided by Recall Secure Destruction Services, will be on-site, and individuals (no businesses) may shred as much as three boxes of personal papers at a time. For more information call (866) 542-8167 or visit www.aarp.org/al.

We will be there from 5:30 am to 1:30 pm
We will have shifts for volunteers (8 each)

5:30 to 8:15am
8:15 am to 11am
11am to 1:15

Anna Merrill Pritchett / AARP Alabama
Associate State Director / Advocacy Outreach
201 Monroe Street / RSA Tower Suite 1880/ Montgomery, AL 36104
334-954-3065 / 334-462-3011 (cell)  apritchett@aarp.org

Teachers Retirement System Responds
Most Frequently Asked Questions from Retired Members

click here for article from the Retirement Systems of Alabama

Are You Planning to Retire?

The Retirement Systems of Alabama has published a helpful guide for anyone planning to retire within the next year.  Click here for the article.

Birmingham Reads:
Will you join us?

Better Basics is teaming up with The Literacy Council, The Junior League of Birmingham, and the Children's Literacy Guild of Alabama for Birmingham Reads, a program that will distribute books to low-income children while raising awareness of child and adult literacy services.

We are looking for volunteers to read to K-5 graders at all 37 Birmingham City elementary schools on April 14^th between 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Your participation will make a difference in a child's life, by helping to foster the love of reading and giving him or her a book to take home and keep. A book drive, called Birmingham's Biggest Book Drive also will be taking place for Birmingham Reads, from April 1 - 15^th.

If you are interested in reading to children during Birmingham Reads, click here or contact Lauri Rogers with Better Basics at volcoord@betterbasics.org or Debra Des Vignes at 205-326-1925.

Sign up to volunteer at http://www.betterbasics.org/id5.html today!

Lauri Rogers
Volunteer Coordinator
Better Basics
200 Beacon Parkway West, Suite 200
Birmingham, AL  35209
944-2928; ext. 323
Fax: 945-8159
volcoord@betterbasics.org

Auburn University Retirees Association Newsletter
Winter 2010

Report of AURA Legislative Affairs Committee

State of the State

Since 2008, Alabama has endured the largest decline in state education revenues in the history of the state, a decline of some $1.4 billion. During this period, while the education budget was prorated twice, retiree health and retiree benefits, funded from the Education Trust Fund, have been protected with only incremental out-of-pocket increases.

The most recent data indicate that the bottom in the economic downturn may have been reached and 2010 may have a one or two percent growth in the Education Trust Fund.  The FY 2011 education budget will be forged in the Legislature in the upcoming weeks without any reserve funds and with very modest economic growth.  The session will be the last before elections for governor and members of the Legislature.  The 2010 elections will have heightened importance and partisanship as each party tries to capture control of the Legislature and thereby control of the reapportionment process that will establish legislative party control for the next decade or longer.

Unlimited Demands and Limited Options

Every state program, from public safety to roads and bridges to health to education, has a legitimate demand for funds to provide the services and programs for which they are responsible.  Thus, retiree services and programs will compete for limited funds.

The Governor and the Legislature have limited options to meet these demands—greater efficiency, cut budgets, raise taxes or increase revenues through other means.  To the extent that inefficiencies existed, two years of proration have exhausted this option.  Budgets have been cut.  Raising taxes in any year, much less an election year, is highly problematic.  Increasing revenues through non-tax means appears to provide a feasible option for some programs, including those for retirees.

In the last legislative session, retiree services and programs were protected from cuts or substantial out-of-pocket cost increases.  To maintain current levels of service some $150 million will be needed in the PEEHIP health care program.  Some $50 million will be needed in the retirement program unless the 20 year payout on retirement is increased to 30 years, as recommended by the TRS Actuary.  If this recommendation is approved, TRS funding requirements for 2011 will remain the same as for 2010.

PEEHIP Options for the 2010 Legislative Session

PEEHIP funding needs are greater and the option that will most likely be addressed will be to increase out-of-pocket health care costs.  This past summer the Capital Survey Research Center (CSRC) conducted a survey of active and retired education personnel to determine which options are most acceptable for increasing out-of-pocket costs.  The following data show the results of the survey.

To avoid a reduction in PEEHIP health care services, which of the following actions would you recommend be taken first? Second? Third?

                                                                Top Three Choices

                                                            Total Teach. ESP     Ret.

                                                              -----   ------      ----       ----

Increase co-pay office visits              38%  42%    27%   37%
Increase co-pay outpatient surgery   31%  32%    27%   31%   
Increase co-pay prescriptions           25%  27%    17%   28%
Add a monthly spousal surcharge     25%  26%    24%   12%
Increase major medical deductible   20%  23%    15%   11%
Increase inpatient admission costs  19%  24%    12%   18%  
Increase monthly premiums               16%  20%      8%   16%

While all options receive some support, the data show greater support across all categories of education personnel for increased co-pay options than for premium increases.  Increased co-pay costs for office visits received significantly higher support than other co-pay options.  

What Does It Mean?

In December, the AEA Delegate Assembly, rather than adopting priorities for PEEHIP increases, adopted a resolution supporting PEEHIP Board action to keep PEEHIP fiscally sound and to keep member out-of-pocket expenses at a minimum.  PEEHIP Board action will be governed, in large part, by legislative action.  AEA and AERA will play critical roles in shaping those policies that provide the best chance of continuing adequate services and programs for retirees with the least impact on out-of-pocket increases.   AURA’s active and informed participation in these efforts will be of utmost importance.

Gerald W. Johnson
Emeritus Professor of Political Science

Alabama tax collections back down for state education, general funds

Members, Don’t believe everything you hear on TV. You may recall in January Governor Riley stated in his State of the State address that “there is no financial crisis in Alabama.” Well figures don’t lie. (See story listed below)

This is just one more reason why AERA members must be ready to lobby when legislators begin work on the Governor’s budget.

Janice J. Charlesworth

Alabama Education Retirees Association
Executive Secretary

Alabama tax collections back down for state education, general funds

By David White -- The Birmingham News
February 02, 2010, 5:30AM

Taxes collected by the state Education Trust Fund continue to jump around from month to month, with tax collections in January dropping 17.5 percent, or $80.7 million, compared to January 2009, the state finance department reported Monday.

That followed a gain of 13.5 percent in December compared to December 2008 and a drop of 6.7 percent in November compared to November 2008.

Overall, taxes collected by the trust fund, the main source of state tax dollars for public schools, colleges and universities, totaled $1.364 billion in November through January, down $58.7 million, or 4.1 percent, compared to the same period a year before.

Net personal and corporate income taxes in those three months totaled $807 million, a drop of $41.1 million, or 4.9 percent, compared to the same period a year before.

Net sales tax collections for the trust fund in those three months totaled $367.5 million, a drop of $4.9 million, or 1.3 percent, compared to the same period a year before.

The state's 2010 fiscal year began in October. But acting state Finance Director Bill Newton has cautioned about using tax collection data for the first month, saying comparisons for October were artificially rosy because reported tax collections for October 2008 were artificially low.

A decline in trust fund tax collections of 4.1 percent for November through January isn't great news, but it's a lot better than the result for the 2009 fiscal year, said state Rep. Richard Lindsey, D-Centre. Trust fund tax collections last year fell 11.8 percent, or $702 million, compared to the year before.

"The fact that we're falling at a much slower pace than we were at the end of last year, I guess that's good news. Not great, but good news," said Lindsey, who chairs the Education Appropriations Committee of the state House of Representatives.

Gov. Bob Riley in September cut budgeted trust fund spending for this fiscal year by 7.5 percent, a reduction of about $431 million, as falling tax collections made the amount appropriated by lawmakers look unrealistic. Trust fund spending for this year now is forecast to reach $5.32 billion. Bill Newton, the acting state finance director, said he didn't expect any change in that spending level based on tax collections so far this fiscal year.

Paul Hubbert, executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association teachers' lobby, said he doubted there would be robust growth in the trust fund until more people are working. The unemployment rate in Alabama in December was 11 percent.

"We're still in an unsettled economy. We're not yet out of the woods. It's not too encouraging, frankly," Hubbert said.
 
General Fund

The Finance Department on Monday also reported that revenues for the General Fund, a major source of money for Medicaid, prisons and other state functions outside education, totaled $133.1 million in January, a decline of $24.7 million, or 15.6 percent, compared to January 2009.

For October through January, the General Fund collected $444.7 million, a drop of $101.7 million, or 18.6 percent, compared to the same period a year earlier.

A big reason for the drop is that the Legislature last year transferred to the General Fund money that had been reserved to pay potential refunds to companies disputing past payments of business privilege taxes.

That one-time money could account for about $45 million of the drop in General Fund revenues for October through January compared to the same periods a year earlier.

The General Fund this year is budgeted to spend about $1.6 billion.

Join in the conversation by e-mailing White at dwhite@bhamnews.com.

AEA members urged to take action now! Contact your legislator today! Gov. Riley plans to veto SJR9 Take Action! SJR9 is the resolution that stopped implementation of the Educator Code of Ethics!   TO: All AEA members with email, UniServ staff, and LCT members FROM: Dr. Paul Hubbert, AEA Executive Secretary URGENT!        URGENT! The Legislature adopted SJR9, which stopped implementation of the Code of Ethics adopted by the State Board of Education to be put into law. We expect the governor to veto the resolution and need the House and Senate to override his veto. Please contact your representative and senator and ask them to override his veto for some of the following reasons. No other group of professionals has the Code of Ethics written into law. The Board of Education's Code uses words such as "including but not limited to." This means an education employee is held to a standard that is not clearly defined. An employee must assist in "developing a professional and supportive teaching environment" without being told exactly what such an environment might be. One must be "developing professionally in order to promote student learning." Who measures this and by whose standard? "Unethical conduct is any conduct that impairs the certificate holder's ability to function in his or her employment position..." Might different evaluators differ on their opinion about employee conduct? Provide "environment that does not needlessly expose students to unnecessary embarrassment or disparagement." Too vague to apply. Is there a way to assure this can't happen? Prohibits teachers from sharing information about students. This seems contradictory to laws requiring IEP's on students and could be so severely enforced that it would prevent collegial collaboration. These are just a few of the many other objections that were raised in testimony last year by AEA. This code also requires teachers to report certain behavior of other teachers. Violation of this code can result not just in termination of one's job but also the revocation of one's certificate for life, tantamount to professional capital punishment. We must act now to stop this subjective code from being put into law where it can be used based on someone's judgment of what the code means. Write or call your House and Senate member today and strongly urge them to override the governor's veto of SJR9. This will put this issue to rest and then perhaps the next Code of Ethics will be done in an objective manner. Your contact with your legislators to override the already announced veto is critically important.

     

      January 15, 2010

In response to this tragedy in Haiti, AARP Foundation is proud to be working with HelpAge International USA and its international parent organization HelpAge International to rush emergency relief to the older and aged victims of the quake. AARP will match any gift you make to the AARP Foundation Haiti Relief Fund dollar for dollar up to $500,000. Any amount you give will be automatically doubled and go twice as far to providing relief.

 

For those older victims of the quake, your contribution will help provide life-saving, basic needs like water, food and shelter to those who are unable to reach emergency relief centers due to age, injury or infirmity. It will also provide for the special needs seniors require like medicines, walking sticks, eyeglasses and appropriate clothing that often go unmet in the midst of a disaster of this proportion.

 

If you would like to make a donation through this special AARP Foundation effort, please click here.

It is also AARP’s hope that you will share this information with your members, family and friends so that they too will consider joining NRTA and AARP members in offering help to older victims of the Haiti earthquake.  If helpful as you share this opportunity with others, the full URL to reach the AARP Foundation’s site (which is hidden behind the “click here” option above) is:

https://secure2.convio.net/aarp1/site/Donation2?idb=1521899666&df_id=4125&4125.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=ojiovfo5n3.app44a

As always, thank you for your support.  I know that you and your members have a tradition of helping others and perhaps this effort will be an option that they will choose to support.

With best regards,
Megan
Megan Stevens Hookey
Vice President
NRTA: AARP’s Educator Community

AERA Community Service Awards Program
Yes, We CAN Feed Alabama!

The deadline for submitting forms for the Community Service  and Yes, We CAN Feed Alabama Awards Programs is rapidly approaching.  Please click on each of the following links for information and forms.

Schedule for Community Service Program
Local Unit Reporting Form (BLUE)
Local Unit Reporting Form (GREEN)
Deadline - February 28, 2010
 

Yes We CAN Feed Alabama!
Deadline - March 1, 2010