CAT Tracks for January 10, 2003

CAT Tracks for January 10, 2003

NEWS FROM IEA REGION 2

The following two articles are from the REGION 2 IEA/NEA FALL NEWSLETTER. They are IMPORTANT, so READ CAREFULLY!

ERO Must be Renewed in 2004

While 2004 may seem a long way off it will be upon us and we must prepare. The Early Retirement Option must be extended by the Illinois legislature in the 2004 session or it will expire and retirement laws will revert back to statute in 2005. And that means penalties for early retirement.

With forecasts of teacher shortages, problems funding health insurance for retired educators, a weak Illinois economy and budget problems overall, TRS has announced that they will not recommend ERO for an extension. Many believe that ERO is contributing to the problems mentioned.

What Can We Do To Prepare?

Don't panic. Lobby. We can't sit on our hands and do nothing. IEA faced opposition prior to the last extension of ERO. ERO was extended because teachers talked to their legislators and supported the IEA lobbyists in Springfield. It may be a tougher sell this time.

Make teachers aware so that they might plan their options. No one likes surprises. If ERO is not renewed, there will be a deadline date announced so that those that want to retire may do so.

Prepare in bargaining. The Trico Education Association bargained a fall-back position in the event that ERO is not renewed. The language of their previous severance provision again goes into effect. Most locals will bargain again prior to 2005.

(NOTE: Cairo does NOT bargain until 2005!)

State Teacher's Certification Board

The State Teacher's Certification Board has dealt with a number of issues in the past four meetings. One of the most important to teachers in Region 2 is the new ruling by Judge Gettleman that each regular education plan must now include 20% of the units dealing with Special Education. For most of you, this means no change at all to your plan. If your plan was approved prior to January 1, 2002, you need to prorate the 20% ruling for the remainder of the time you have to complete your plan (i.e.; if you have 2 years left for completion, you must have 8% of your plan dealing with Special Education issues.) If you have already completed your plan, you need to go over the completed coursework, workshops, etc. and pick out those parts that relate to special education. Most workshops and coursework contain some element of adapting the curriculum to meet the needs of all students, including how to reach your lowest achieving and highest achieving students. This meets the 20% Special Education requirement. You do NOT have to take Special Education courses to meet this requirement. Most of the current workshops being offered will point out whether or not they will help meet this requirement.

Another issue the Certification Board is working on is moving from the Initial to Standard Certificate. If anyone with an Initial Certificate completes four years of teaching by June 30, 2002, they automatically move from Initial to Standard with no further requirements. For those who are below four years of teaching on their Initial Certificate, they prorate the numbers required to complete the exchange based on the number of years they have remaining to teach four consecutive years. The choices available to an individual moving from an initial to a standard certificate include: A)Completing an approved program of induction and mentoring; B) Complete at least four semester hours of graduate level coursework on the assessment of one's own performance in relation to the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards; C) Complete at least four semester hours of graduate level coursework addressing the requirements for National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification; D) Receive an advanced degree from an accredited institution of Higher Education in an education-related field; E) Accumulate 60 Continuing Professional Development units; or F) Complete a nationally normed, performance based assessment IF such an assessment is made available. Currently, there is no nationally normed assessment available.

The current rules that the Certification Board is reviewing involve Administrative Recertification and whether or not the Initial to Standard plans are to be reviewed by the current LPDC's. There is a current cap on the number of plans an LPDC is required to review (200), but the Initial to Standard plans are exempt from the 200 limit. Many larger districts see a potential disaster for their LPDC's, so that is currently under review.

Questions involving recertification can be directed to Laura Lipe – Region 2 Representative – State Teacher’s Certification Board. (Contact your CAT building representative for Laura's telephone number.)