April_2019

SUPPORTING

10 CEA ADVISOR APRIL 2019

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

What to Do If You Receive a Nonrenewal Notice

2. Reference letters: Don’t delay! Ask at least two administrators if they will provide you with a reference letter. Keep your union representative in the loop. 3. Medical coverage: Consider taking care of medical appointments and concerns before your deductible resets. 4. Personnel file: Now is a good time to contact HR and request a copy of your personnel file. If you have any disciplinary letters on file, discuss with your union representative whether you should submit a rebuttal/response letter before your employment ends, to clarify gaps or inaccuracies. This is your legal right. 5. Association membership: CEA legal services, member discounts, and other key benefits can be maintained during your layoff through your continued CEA membership. For questions about your membership options, contact Cheryl Hampson at 860-525- 5641 or cherylh@cea.org .

in fact, she was highly qualified. Kolek requested a hearing that September. Though the case was challenging, by January Mulligan was back at work doing the job she loves. “We made sure not only that she was able to return to the classroom but also that she was reimbursed

Ellie Mulligan was

bylaws and amendments—something I never thought I would. I like being part of the decision-making that affects me and my colleagues.” What to Do If You Get a RIF/ Nonrenewal Notice Often because of uncertainty surrounding education budgets, teachers receive “nonrenewal notices” in the spring, notifying them that they will not be returning to their jobs the following school year. These notices must be provided in writing no later than May 1. While many educators who are initially nonrenewed actually return to their classrooms in the fall, the prospect of losing a teaching position you have worked so hard for can be extremely difficult. CEA is here to guide you through the process, protect your rights, and ensure the best possible outcome. If you receive a RIF/nonrenewal notice, here are five things to do right now: 1. Contact your union: Before signing any paperwork, talk to your UniServ Rep or local president about whether you should resign (in lieu of being nonrenewed), your eligibility for unemployment, getting references, and maintaining your union member benefits.

a 10-year special education teacher in North Haven when she received a

termination letter from her district—a notice of a reduction in force, also known as a RIF. It was the summer of 2012. “I couldn’t believe it,” she recalls. “I was stunned.” When the new school year started, Mulligan was out of work, with her health insurance discontinued. She was paying thousands of dollars for COBRA coverage to continue health insurance that would normally have been covered by her job. Mulligan contacted her UniServ Rep, who immediately put her in touch with CEA’s Member Legal Services team. Attorney Melanie Kolek handled the case. “This was a contractual dispute,” says Kolek, “and CEA went to great lengths to resolve the issue without protracted litigation.” At the heart of the case was a claim that Mulligan lacked the qualifications for her position, when,

the $4,000 she had paid out of pocket for healthcare coverage while her case was being resolved,” Kolek says. “Through our advocacy, we negotiated that deal for her and got her back into the classroom, where she belongs.” Mulligan admits she had not been active in her union before receiving the RIF letter. “Since then, I’m one of the most vocal advocates for our union. When I came back to work, I became a building rep and have been one ever since. CEA offers so many amazing opportunities for teachers to learn and grow both professionally and personally. I attend the Summer Conference almost every year, and I always participate in the annual CEA Representative Assembly. I love the process of listening and voting on

Laurel Killough, New Media Coordinator

After Starting Her Career in Virginia, Connecticut Teacher Sees the Difference a Strong Union Makes Mary Rao knows just how important a strong union is, because the place where she started her teaching career—Fairfax County, Virginia—provided a very different experience from the one she’s had as a Connecticut educator.

long hours giving their all to their students and receiving little recognition. Anything I can do to help increase respect for teachers and improve their job satisfaction is immensely rewarding.” When she was in high school, Killough read Jonathan Kozol’s Savage Inequalities , about racial injustice and socioeconomic factors that

If you’ve ever been to a CEA conference, a public hearing on education issues, or a teacher rally, chances are you’ve seen Laurel Killough. CEA’s new media

coordinator, Killough (rhymes with willow) is the one behind the video camera capturing the faces and moments that make education headlines. “In my position,” she says, “I get to do a little bit of everything communications- related. I write for our print and online publications, manage BlogCEA and our social media channels—including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram—and take photographs and shoot video of legislative hearings, news conferences, and various events going on in our public schools. It’s really a dream come true to be able to work on behalf of public school teachers.” Killough, who has been with CEA for 13 years, says her favorite days are when she gets to visit schools and see what’s happening in classrooms around the state. “Spending time with teachers and their students is what keeps me energized and excited about the work I do. One thing I really love about my job is being able to communicate to the general public about the wonderful work going on in our public schools, because people are oftentimes unaware of all that teachers do and how dedicated they are to their students. I also like that my work helps convince decision-makers to make teachers’ lives better. I had amazing public school teachers who shaped who I am today. I also see how much my daughter’s teachers do for her now, and I work every day with teachers who spend

“In Virginia, I don’t remember meeting anyone from the union. I belonged to our union, but the union couldn’t do much, because we had few rights. When I started teaching in Madison, Connecticut, it was so nice to meet our union leaders and learn how our union was there to help teachers in need. I didn’t understand how strong and supportive a union could be until I came here.” After her third year teaching in Madison, the Brown Middle School math and science teacher went to a contract ratification meeting and asked how she could get more involved. Someone suggested she become a building rep. Nearly 20 years later, she’s still serving in that role, as well as on the union’s executive board. Rao believes no problem is too small to help out with if it’s important to a member.

impact schoolchildren. “That book really awakened my desire to do what I can to improve schools for all children. I served as a student representative on districtwide committees while in high school and took education classes in college, so when I moved to Connecticut and was able to come work for CEA, it felt like the perfect fit.” As an undergraduate, Killough studied at Bates, where she majored in music and minored in Spanish, spending a year studying in Mendoza, Argentina. “That’s where I met my husband, Gustavo [Fernandez]. I had studied Spanish for eight years before I met him, but my language skills improved much more quickly after we met!” The couple’s two children, Romina (8) and Tiago (4), are bilingual. “My Spanish language skills come in handy sometimes at work. We recently filmed an advertising campaign in English and Spanish, and to complement our TV commercial I shot some interviews with Spanish-speaking students and parents. Being able to communicate with Spanish- speaking families expands the number of perspectives I’m able to include in the stories I write and videos I produce.” A lifelong learner, Killough is currently enrolled as a graduate student at Trinity College in Hartford, pursuing a master’s degree in public policy.

“I focus on being an active listener and addressing everyone’s concerns. More members need to remember that we’re here to help them. Come see us before you try to tackle a problem yourself.” She adds, “The best thing you can possibly do for your career is to be an active part of your union. Be aware of your rights, and know your contract. The more informed you are, the better it is for all of us.” In addition to her role as a building rep, Rao also serves as the Madison Education

Association’s treasurer and membership chair. “I make sure our teachers realize membership is important and that we’re only as strong as our members. We are all the union. Some members forget that, and I have to remind them: you are the union.” “There’s no job too big or too small for Mary,” says CEA UniServ Rep Gloria Dimon. “She’s really extraordinary. Anything you ask her to do, she pitches in to help. She’s very organized, she’s persistent, and she doesn’t give up on any project she takes on.”