WEA Website:

http://wyoea.org/

NEA Website:  http://www.nea.org

Wyoming Education Portal:

http://www.k12.wy.us

Wyoming Legislature:

http://legisweb.state.wy.us/

School Finance Information:

http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2005/

nterim/schoolfinance/schoolfinance.htm

Inside this issue:

·        WEA Members Have Their Moments of Fame!

·        Last Few Days to Nominate for Arch Coal Teacher Awards

·        NEA Offers School Readiness Guide

·        Stowers to Retire from PTSB; Position Announcement Released

·        Congress Votes to Cut Education Spending

·        Pay for Houston Teachers Could Soon Be Linked to Test Scores

WEA Members Have Their Moments of Fame!

Eric Lee, a member of Cheyenne Teachers Education Assn., will be a contestant in the “hot seat,” as they call it, on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”!  It was filmed on November 9th in NYC and will air on February 3^rd (6:30 p.m. on KGWN Cheyenne and KGWC Casper—check local listings for other stations).  Tune in to see how he fares! 

Brendan O’Connor, president of the Powell Education Assn., demonstrated his mettle in the Dec. 19^th broadcast of “Jeopardy.”  Brendan walked away with $1,000—way to go, Brendan!  Read more about his experience (and also about major honor he has received in another realm) in the Jan./Feb. 2006 issue of WEA NEWS, set to arrive in your mailbox in late January.

Last Few Days to Nominate for Arch Coal Teacher Awards

Nominations close Jan. 16, 2006 for the Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards.  Teachers may be nominated by students, peers and members of their community, and compete for $2,500 annual awards.  Why not submit the name of a worthy WEA member you know?!

The nominee must be an active, full-time teacher with at least three years of experience.  Only teachers of grades K-12, including Vocational, Special Education and Title 1, in West Virginia or Wyoming, are eligible.

You can submit a nomination online at: http://www.archcoal.com/community/teachernomination.asp.

NEA Offers School Readiness Guide

The National Education Association has prepared a school readiness guide for parents, including simple pointers for academic readiness, social readiness, independence, and communication skills. NEA's brochure encourages parents to read, sing, and play with their children. The brochure concludes with additional parenting resources for encouraging young children in reading, science, and math.   To view the guide online, visit http://www.nea.org/parents/preparechild.html.

Stowers to Retire from PTSB; Position Announcement Released

WEA congratulates Linda Stowers, executive director of the Professional Teaching Standards Board, on her upcoming retirement in the summer of 2006.  Linda is also a former WEA state president.

If anyone is brave enough to want to tackle her job J, here is the link to the vacancy description on the State Website: http://statejobs.state.wy.us/JobSearchDetail.aspx?ID=9097.  Applications are being accepted only until Feb. 1, 2006.

Congress Votes to Cut Education Spending

NEA reports that the final Fiscal Year 2006 (money for school year 2006-07) Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill (HR 3010), one of the last items passed by Congress before adjourning for the year, cut ESEA/NCLB funding by over $1 billion. The Senate approved the cuts by voice vote on December 21. The House had narrowly approved its bill on December 14 by a vote of 215-213.

An additional 1% across-the-board cut for all discretionary funded programs was mandated in the Defense Appropriations bill. This additional cut reduces overall U.S. Department of Education funding for the first time in 10 years by $624 million.

The ESEA/NCLB funding cuts total $1.017 billion, 4.1 percent below the funding level set three years ago. Virtually every NCLB program, including Title I, will receive less next year. The following sustain the deepest cuts:

• Even Start (-56%)
• Comprehensive School Reform (-96%)
• State Innovative Grants (Title V-A) (-50%)
• Education Technology State Grants (Title II-D) (-45%)
• Star Schools (-29%)
• Safe and Drug-Free School State Grants (Title IV-A) (-21%)

To see the anticipated impact on Wyoming, click here.

Pay for Houston Teachers Could Soon Be Linked to Test Scores

“Student performance could soon be the main factor that decides which teachers make the most money in the Houston school district. … Denver’s merit pay plan and others around the country measure teacher performance not only on standardized test scores, but on their subject certifications and other factors…. “This plan is nothing but test scores. It’s not well thought out,” [Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers], said.” 

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/TX_Houston_Teacher_Pay.html