Janesville EA members help deliver groceries to needy families and individuals

Janesville Education Association members took leadership roles over the weekend in the School District of Janesville’s Bags of Hope event, delivering groceries to needy families and individuals. The event provided approximately two weeks of groceries to 350 families and students who qualify for free lunch. The Janesville Education Association posted the photos below on its Facebook page.

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‘Bags of Hope’ brings holiday groceries to hundreds of Janesville families

JANESVILLE, Wis. – The Dollar General warehouse in Janesville was busy with work on Saturday morning as hundreds of volunteers packed food as a part of the 10th annual Bags for Hope event. The event, put on by the School District of Janesville, delivers roughly two weeks of groceries to 350 families of students in the district who qualify for free lunch.

62 WEAC members earn National Board Certification in 2018

Sixty-two WEAC members recently joined the ranks of Nationally Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in Wisconsin, and 26 renewed their certification. Known as one of the top honors in the profession, NBCTs are assessed by their peers on 5 core propositions of accomplished teaching. WEAC is the state leader in providing candidate support; WEAC supports include intensive summer Jump Start training, monthly in-person cohorts, an online prep course, virtual mentors, and a winter writing retreat.

“The support that I received from WEAC was so instrumental that I do not believe I would have passed without it. It’s hard to believe that it was all free to WEAC members,” said Sarah Schnuelle a recently certified NBCT and educator in Jefferson.

If you’re interested in information on becoming Nationally Board Certified please click here or e-mail nbctsupport@weac.org.

2018 New NBCTs

TAMMIE ALEKNA
HOLLY BAUKIN
MEGAN BERGER
MOLLY BILSE
JILL BOECK
CARLA BONSIGNORE
KATHERINE BONTEMPO
BARBARA BORRE
RACHEL BURKEL
NATALIE COOK
SAMANTHA CRUZ
ANNMARIE DAHL
ANDREA DINNDORF
TRACY DOBKOSKI
AMANDA DOHMS
EMILY DRAIN
VIRGINIA ELSEN
BRENDA ERDMAN
MARY ANN FEUTZ
KARLY FRISCH
MARGO GOFF
ERICA GRETEBECK
SARAH GREY
LAURA GROCHOWSKI
MATTHEW HARMON
ANITA HARRISON
KATHRYN HATLESTAD
KARI HEDEMAN
SARAH HILL
ANDREW HOLDMANN
CHRISTINE HUMBERG
EMILY INSTENES
ABIGAIL KEAN
AMY KLEIN
AMY KLINE
LEIGH KOHLMANN
ERICA KOHLMEYER ZENKE
CHRISTINA LADURON
DIANA LEHNHERR
DAWN LEMIRAND-POEPPING
ELLEN LINNIHAN
ANDREW LIPSKI
ANN MARCHANT
SARA MCKITTRICK
JESSICA NARLOW
CORYNN NORDSTROM
ERIN PETERS
SUSAN PETERSON
KEVIN PODEWELTZ
JESSICA REED
JEAN ROBINSON
SHANON RODENBERG
LINDSAY RUDEBUSCH
AMY SCHAEFER
SARAH SCHNUELLE
LEXA SPETH
HEATHER STERNITZKY
DIANA STRATTON
MICHAEL TAMBLYN
DAVID WALKER
NATHANIEL WEISS
JOSIE WIESER

2018 NBCT Renewals

DANA ACAMOVIC
CHRISTINE AHRENS
CATHERINE ANDERSON
M GILLIAN ARBUCKLE KING
EMILY CHERONE
JAMI COLLINS
MOLLY COUGHLIN
MARY FASSBENDER
RACHEL GROVE
THOMAS GRUNDER
ELLEN GRUNDER
JAY JOHNSON
ERIN KRASE-MINCHK
ANN KRONCKE
ANDY KRUGER
REBECCA LETTER
PAUL MAJORS
CHERYL MIRACLE
KAREN REHORST PORRAS
JENNIFER SECOR
KIMBERLY SERENE
MARY SILVA
NICHOLAS SIREK
KATHRYN STEEDMAN
KIMBERLY TRENDEL
THERESE URBEN

We apologize if we missed you. If so, please send an e-mail to nbctsupport@weac.org.

Spotlight on Locals: Reedsburg Education Association

WEAC Vice President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen presents Reedsburg Education Association President Rachel Burkel with the WEAC Strong Local Affiliate Recognition Certificate. They are joined by Reedsburg Education Association leaders (left to right) Corrine Fish, Ann Schmitt, Chris Christensen, Debbie Schell, Trista Henke, Sarah Speich, and Jenny Fish.

By Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, WEAC Vice President

Trista Henke, seventh-grade social studies teacher and Reedsburg Education Association past president, told me, “The strength of the Reedsburg Education Association is its foundation. Labor conflicts between the Reedsburg School Board and the Reedsburg Education Association dating back to the 1960s and 1970s built the base of our union. Leaders before me, like Bill Gronley and Joe Ketter, deserve credit for building this solid foundation. Now, it’s up to us to keep it strong.”

“We stay strong as a local because we support each other,” said Ann Schmitt who has had many roles in the district in her 28 years there, but currently serves as an interventionist; she is also the Reedsburg Education Association’s current treasurer. “While we may not be the largest local in Wisconsin, we continue to support one another, which keeps us strong,” Ann told me.

“Our membership is just over 50%,” Trista said, “and there is room for us to grow as a local association.” The Reedsburg Education Association recognizes that membership growth requires trained leaders, and they have taken advantage of free trainings offered by WEAC by attending WEAC’s Organizing Institute for Anchor Locals last January. They are building plans for their future and finding ways to create membership growth.

As far as successes for the Reedsburg Education Association go, Trista said that maintaining their seat at the table is important.  Trista shared, “We continue to meet monthly with our administration to discuss our needs and concerns, and they listen.”

Ann echoed that sentiment saying, “We have a good relationship with administration and our school board. They listen to us. And while we don’t always see eye to eye, they hear us. Many of our members who teach here, also live here. Many of us grew up in this community or nearby. We care about our students and this community.”

Another strength of the Reedsburg Education Association is its connection to the community. During recent flooding, Ann said, “The members volunteered their time in the areas surrounding Reedsburg by helping local businesses and the library in filling sandbags and removing books and other items before the waters rose. This led to much less damage in many areas.”

“In our area, the school is the core of the community,” Ann added, “and it extends out from there. Our teachers are known and recognized in our community as an integral part.”

Read all of Peggy’s ‘Spotlight On Locals’ columns at weac.org/Spotlight.

Lindsey Guenther of Tomah is latest WEAC Badger Red for Public Ed winner!

Lindsey Guenther

Congratulations to Tomah teacher Lindsey Guenther, the latest winner of our WEAC Badger Red for Public Ed promotion! The honor goes to WEAC members in appreciation for their dedication to students. Recipients are treated to a UW Badger athletic event.

Lindsey will get VIP treatment at the November 30 UW Badger hockey game against Penn State at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Lindsey is entering her seventh year of teaching at LaGrange Elementary school in Tomah. She is a fourth grade teacher and works with a variety of students each and every day.

“I became a teacher mainly because I wanted to pay tribute to the efforts of all of my amazing teachers in the past,” Lindsey says. “Growing up, I had several teachers who made things hands-on and exciting. I have a similar approach to how I do things. I make sure I show my compassion for the topic and the relevance to history or everyday life and try to tier learning for my students.”

Lindsey shared the picture below of herself and her students from this past October when they were able to take a self guided tour of the State Capitol and meet their state representative, Nancy VanderMeer.

Lindsey was nominated by parent Nicole Renaud and colleague Kathleen Schoot.

Nicole said: “We had the pleasure of having Lindsey as our 4th grade teacher. My daughter is autistic and that year was a huge transition year for us, and Lindsey consistently went above and beyond to make sure that my daughter was prepared the best possible way for everything. She made social stories, extra directions and prepped alternative things for her when she didn’t have to. She did it all with a smile on her face, even when my daughter would be struggling and having a difficult time. We are thankful for her and the impact she had on us. She made a very difficult transition year bearable, and we can’t thank her enough.”

Kathleen said: “Lindsey is a fantastic teacher! She is SO enthusiastic about learning! She guides students to learning, each in their own individual way. She is loving and sets boundaries that each student is aware of to ensure each child has the right to learn in his/her own way. She adjusts learning material for all sorts of special needs students and just for those who need that little extra reassurance of their potential. She is very positive and happy. Every time you walk past her classroom someone is laughing with excitement!”

Visit weac.org/badger to nominate yourself or another deserving educator for a chance to win a drawing for Wisconsin athletic events throughout the school year.

WEAC locals are successful in 98% of recertification elections

Ninety-eight percent of 2018 fall recertification elections for WEAC locals passed, according to results released by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. In all, 229 of 234 elections were successful.

The overwhelming support for local unions mirrors similar results in recertification elections since 2011.

“In the local associations holding recertification elections, educators show tremendous support for the union,” said WEAC President Ron Martin, a middle school teacher. “Unions play a very strong role in their local schools and partner to ensure the best for students.”

Recertification is a hoop created by the Legislature to limit employee rights. It requires that an association interested in being named the district “bargaining agent” pay for an annual election and the threshold for victory is half of the eligible voters voting yes, plus one. That’s a bar even the American president doesn’t have to reach to be elected. All educators, union members and non-members, vote in recertification elections and, if an educator does not vote, the state counts it as a vote in opposition.

Local associations across Wisconsin determine whether they will seek recertification based on their own unique circumstances. Whether or not a local chose to participate in recertification, and whatever the outcome of the vote, it’s important to stress that the union still exists. The union exists anywhere educators unite collectively to improve their schools for their students, expand their professional skills, and advocate for shared interests like school safety and opportunities for all children. No legislation can take away that right.

The complete election results are posted on the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission website.