April_2019

APRIL 2019 CEA ADVISOR 3

News Briefs

IN THIS ISSUE

Not Getting Full Access to CEA’s Website? Your membership ID, updated profile are key

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LEADING Diversifying the state’s teaching force to better reflect the ethnic and racial makeup of Connecticut’s students is a high priority for teachers and community leaders alike. Read what’s being done at the State Capitol, at the national level, at CEA, and in schools throughout the state—and how you can get involved. With proposals at the legislature impacting everything from teacher pensions and classroom safety to school counselor programs and regionalization, CEA members, leaders, and staff are lobbying hard to protect students, public schools, and the teaching profession. Learn how your voice is critical to our success. UNITING The #RedforEd movement that has swept the country has taken root in Connecticut too, with teachers across the state standing together for the benefit of their students and their schools. PROTECTING Thanks to strong union leadership, teachers’ contracts in one district now include clear protocol for classroom safety—serving as a model for districts throughout the state. No longer in the shadows, Connecticut teachers are opening up about the crisis of disruptive students and disrupted learning in their classrooms—and legislators are listening. Learn how you can support a bill that would ensure safer classrooms for all students. SUPPORTING Read how one teacher successfully fought a nonrenewal notice with her union’s help and turned a crushing experience into a passion for helping other teachers. From building reps to CEA staff, your union is here to ensure you have the support you need. PROMOTING CEA’s latest ad campaign showcases how Connecticut’s public school teachers unite all students. Take a behind-the-scenes look at the teachers behind the message, the impact teachers have on their communities, and how they embrace all cultures in their classroom to help students succeed. HONORING Read about two of your colleagues who earned prestigious national awards for their commitment to quality public education for all. REPRESENTING CEA’s 171st Representative Assembly is in the offing. Get the details and hear from candidates for CEA treasurer and CEA secretary. CEA-RETIRED NEWS By serving on their local boards of education, retired teachers are ensuring that educators have a strong voice at the table. Learn how you can stay active and make a difference for schools, teachers, and students in your community. CELEBRATING See how the Connecticut Education Foundation helped promote literacy and get students excited about reading through the year’s biggest literacy event— with a six-town Read Across America bus tour across eastern Connecticut.

As a CEA member, you have access to a wealth of member-exclusive resources online, including retirement information, organizing tools, teacher evaluation assistance, teacher discounts, and more. To be sure you are getting full access to these benefits, have your membership ID number handy. You’ll find it on your CEA membership card as well as the mailing label on the CEA Advisor that gets delivered to your home.

Trouble accessing your membership number? Log in at cea.org using our

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Membership ID Lookup. (Note: You will no longer be able to look up your membership number using your Social Security number, as this information has been removed from our system for your privacy and security.) For questions, contact CEA’s Cheryl Hampson at 860-525-5641 or cherylh@cea.org . Pension Planning for Early Career Teachers You may be years away from retirement, but it’s never too early to start planning.

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Come and gather the information you need to answer the following questions and more: • How does the retirement system work? • Can I get retirement credit for other work I’ve done? • What happens if I decide to work part-time or take a leave of absence? • What are my options if I decide to leave teaching? • How long do I have to work to collect a pension? • I have heard that my Social Security benefits may be affected. Is that true? Workshops run from 4:30 to 6:15 p.m., and light dinner will be served. To register, go to cea.org/ members/events/pension-issues.cfm . Thursday, April 25 Fitch High School, Groton Thursday, May 2 The Academy of Information Technology and Engineering (AITE), Cyber Cafe, Stamford Monday, May 13 South Windsor High School, South Windsor

CEA offers free, members-only workshops that provide an overview of the Connecticut Teachers’ Retirement System, with an emphasis on issues relevant to teachers in the early phase of their career (less than 15 years of service). All CEA members, regardless of years of service, are welcome to attend.

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Meet Molly Ferguson—CEA’s New Event Planner Molly Ferguson started her new position as CEA’s event planner on March 4. Her primary responsibilities are planning and organizing internal and external events and meetings, including the CEA Representative Assembly, Summer Conference, and New Teacher Conference. Ferguson’s background includes trade show management, corporate event planning, vendor relations, and managing event logistics from initial contact and planning through post-event feedback surveys. In March, she pitched in with CEA’s Read Across America Reading Bus Tour, where she had the opportunity to meet elementary school teachers from eastern Connecticut, and she’s currently at work planning new teacher orientations and preparing for the CEA RA. A graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, where she majored in theater, Ferguson holds an MBA from the University of New Haven as well as a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation.

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SUMMER CONFERENCE Mohegan Sun Earth Expo and Sky Convention Centers

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AUGUST 5-6 • Conference attendance is free • Many new sessions to choose from • Registration opens in early May at cea.org

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