Wyoming Education Association’s Electronic Newsletter

November 6, 2006

The WEA produces this electronic newsletter in an effort to share timely information with our members. Please forward this newsletter to members you believe would like to receive it. If you are not an original recipient of this e-mail, please consider subscribing by clicking here. Please send feedback regarding this E-newsletter to Ron Sniffin, WEA Communications Director, at: rsniffin@nea.org. This newsletter can also be viewed online at: www.wyoea.org.

Inside this issue:

VOTE November 7!

WEA Leads campaign to pass Amendment C

Hathaway Scholarship Success Curriculum Discussed

2006 Retirement Fair

Fulbright Exchange

**VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE**

One in every 88 Wyoming citizens IS a member of the Wyoming Education Association.

IMAGINE the POWER!

If we all, along with our families, friends and neighbors within our sphere of influence, voted for our endorsed candidates!

We can strengthen our voice and increase the power education personnel can wield in the legislature.

Please review the postcard and other information WEA’s Political Action Committee has provided you regarding endorsed candidates, or contact the WEA to find out our recommendations.

WEA leads campaign to pass Amendment C

The WEA has taken the lead in promoting the passage of Amendment C. “No one else was educating the public about the importance of this amendment, we felt obligated to fill this void,” said WEA President Kathryn Valido.

The Amendment C campaign included television and print advertising.

This amendment would do two things for the trust fund for the Hathaway Scholarship and the endowed chairs at UW and the community colleges. First, it would make the trust fund corpus inviolate, meaning the legislature could never take principal funding out of this account to spend on anything else. Secondly, it allows the legislature to authorize the investment of the funds in areas that can earn a higher rate of return, which cannot be done without passage of this amendment.

Hathaway Scholarship Success Curriculum Discussed

WEA’s Professional Standards and Practices (PSP) Commission appeared before the Legislature’s Joint Education Committee (JEC) on Oct. 25 to voice support as well as express concerns regarding the proposed Hathaway Scholarship Success Curriculum.

Based on feedback received by WEA from our members throughout the state, PSP Chair Joel Kuper of Greybull reiterated to the JEC that WEA is very appreciative and supportive of the Hathaway Scholarship opportunities being provided for Wyoming’s youth. He also expressed that WEA members are in full support of high expectations for our students, but that we do have concerns in several areas of the proposed curriculum:

1) Course availability—the potential difficulty of small schools (including alternative schools) and small districts offering all of the required courses every year in every high school so that every student has an equal opportunity to earn the scholarship.

2) Staffing issues—the difficulties of schools in hiring and retaining highly-qualified teachers in the appropriate subject areas. There is a nationwide shortage of highly-qualified teachers for particular courses in math, science, social studies, and foreign language.

3) Possible short-changing of career/vocational (technical) and fine and performing arts courses, which are integral when preparing students for life beyond high school, especially in Wyoming. WEA therefore suggested reducing the proposed number of required courses in math and science so as to allow more time in students’ schedules for career/vocational and arts courses and other graduation requirements.

Kuper expressed that WEA believes that more flexibility is needed in meeting the intent of the Success Curriculum and offered the following recommendations:

a. Language Arts 4 years, as per the current proposal

b. Math 3 years

c. Science 3 years

d. Social Studies 3 years, as per the current proposal

e. Foreign Language 2 years, as per the current proposal

No decisions regarding the proposed curriculum were made by the JEC at the Oct. 25 meeting. WEA will continue to monitor the situation and offer input to the legislative committee as needed. The next JEC meeting will be Dec. 4 and 5.

Wyoming Retirement System

6101 Yellowstone Road - Suite 500

Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002

Phone: (307)777-7691 Fax: (307)777-5995

2006 Retirement Fair - Wednesday, November 15th

Don't miss the 2006 WRS Retirement fair being held in conjunction with Wyoming Save for Retirement week.

For more information, please visit the WRS website. http://retirement.state.wy.us/

Fulbright Exchange

The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program is currently seeking elementary; secondary school, and two-year college administrators, and teacher training institution administrators to participate in six-week job-shadowing experiences with an international counterpart during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Application Deadline - November 30, 2006

For more specific information about this Administrator program please visit the OTHER OPPORTUNITIES page our website:

http://www.fulbrightexchanges.org/View/ViewOtherOpps.asp