S-PACE

The activities of S-PACE are funded completely by voluntary donations made by association members. Such activities may include making contributions and expenditures on behalf of friends of education who are candidates for political office. No portion of the regular membership dues are used for this purpose.

SPACE SUMNER POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE FOR EDUCATION (The political action organization affiliated with SCEA) PURPOSE The purpose of the Sumner Political Action Committee for Education (SPACE) is to promote the cause of public education in Sumner County by responsible citizenship through political action. To this end, SPACE will help elect to public office, through a concerted bipartisan effort, those who have proved to be or are deemed to be friends of education. MEMBERSHIP Membership is open only to SCEA members that contribute a minimum of $5.00 to SPACE each fiscal year. SPACE contributors/members will elect its leadership, which includes a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer. All SPACE contributions must be placed in a separate account from SCEA and managed by the SPACE Executive Council which includes the President, President-Elect, and Past-President of SCEA. WE NEED YOU! Every decision that affects you at school and in your classroom is an education decision such as salaries, benefits, class size, class room supplies, tenure, evaluation, and retirement. We classroom teachers are the ¡°education experts.¡± We know what our schools and children need. In order for us to be heard, we need SPACE; an organized group of SCEA members who will provide a ¡°political voice¡± for educators of Sumner County. To be a part, and to join SPACE we need you to enclose a check for $5.00 with this form below, and send it to the SCEA office, 425, South Water Avenue, Gallatin, TN 37066.

SPACE MEMBERSHIP FORM ¨C 2006

Name ___________________________________
School _________________________________
Address _________________________________________________
Email ___________________________
Telephone _____________________
Signature ___________________________________________

State officials announced this week that Tennessee has collected approximately $267 million more than anticipated when the budget was proposed last year. A significant amount of the surplus is non-recurring monies, which makes it difficult to utilize for recurring expenses. Of the $266.5 million available, $170 million is from recurring funds and $96.5 million is from one-time (non-recurring) items.

Shortly after announcing the projected surplus, the Administration proposed a plan for spending the additional funds. One significant addition was a proposal to place $2.1 million in the budget to fund a “catch up” for TCRS retirees who retired prior to 1989. The increase in benefits would be a sliding scale ranging from 10% for those who retired prior to July 2, 1975 up to .3% for those who retired prior to July 1, 1989. There was no additional salary money for teachers in the proposed budget. Salaries for state employees would be raised to a total of 2% -- the same as proposed in February for teachers.

Due to the size of the surplus – and the great need to improve teacher salaries – TEA will work diligently over the next few days to get additional teacher compensation as part of the final budget which should be adopted within the next two weeks. Several options for increasing teacher pay could be possible, including a percentage increase or some type of “bonus” as implemented in 2004. Again, TEA members can be assured that your Association will be working on your behalf to see that a portion of the surplus funds go to increased teacher compensation! TEA members are urged to contact House and Senate Finance Committee members immediately. The message should be simple and include the following points:

■ While we appreciate the 2% budgeted for teacher salaries, this barely keeps up with inflation.
■ The state budget surplus contains enough funding to increase the 2% teacher salary proposal.
■ Any additional funds budgeted for salaries, must include some increase for K-12 educators.

Key votes on the budget for FY ’06-’07 will take place over the next few days. It is essential that TEA members communicate with legislators immediately. If your legislator serves on a finance committee, members should be a priority. Contact information for the Senate and House Finance Committees is listed below.

Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee Member Phone (Please include your name, postal address, and phone number in your e-mail.)

Chairman Douglas Henry 615-741-3291
Vice Chairman Randy McNally 615-741-6806
Secretary Doug Jackson 615-741-4499
Tim Burchett 615-741-1766
Ward Crutchfield 615-741-6682
Joe Haynes 615-741-6679
Roy Herron 615-741-4576
Rosalind Kurita 615-741-2374
Jim Kyle 615-741-4167
Jeff Miller 615-741-3794
Ron Ramsey 615-741-4524
Micheal Williams 615-741-2061

House Finance, Ways and Means Committee Member Phone (Please include your name, postal address, and phone number in your e-mail.)

Chairman Craig Fitzhugh 615-741-2134
Vice Chairman Harry Tindell 615-741-2031
Secretary Johnny Shaw 615-741-4538
Joe Armstrong 615-741-0768
Stratton Bone 615-741-7086
Rob Briley 615-741-2184
Tommie Brown 615-741-4374
Kent Coleman 615-741-6829
Charles Curtiss 615-741-1963
Eugene Davidson 615-741-3979
Bill Dunn 615-741-1721
Tré Hargett 615-741-8201
Jere Hargrove 615-741-1875
Michael Harrison 615-741-7480
Beth Harwell 615-741-0709
John Hood 615-741-7849
Mark Maddox 615-741-7847
Steve McDaniel 615-741-0750
Michael McDonald 615-741-1980
Bob McKee 615-741-1946
Kim McMillan 615-741-2043
Larry Miller 615-741-4453
Doug Overbey 615-741-0981
Phillip Pinion 615-741-0718
Randy Rinks 615-741-2007
Dennis Roach 615-741-2534
Charles Sargent 615-741-6808
Janis Sontany 615-741-6861
Nathan Vaughn 615-741-6867

“Physical Activity” Legislation Moves Forward $15 Million Budgeted for School Health Program

Legislation which would require every LEA to integrate 90 minutes of “physical activity” into the school week has passed the House Finance Committee and is headed to the House floor. The bill will be before the Senate Finance Committee the week of May 15. Student health issues have been a major focus during this session of the General Assembly. HB 3750/SB 3991 has two major components. First, it would require each LEA to implement a coordinated school health program by the 2007-08 school year. Gov. Bredesen has proposed adding nearly $15 million to next year’s budget to fund the Coordinated School Health program (CSHP). Secondly, it will require each LEA to integrate a minimum of thirty minutes of physical activity in the school week. This would apply to both elementary and secondary schools. Key excerpts from HB 3750/SB 3991 are as follows:

This legislation is pending in both the Senate and House Finance Committees. A complete listing of contact information is contained in this Report.

HOPE Scholarships for Math/Science Teachers?
TEA Strongly Supports as Excellent First Step

Legislation which would establish the Tennessee HOPE teacher’s scholarship program to enable educators seeking an advanced degree in math or science is still being discussed and will face key votes soon. While TEA would have preferred a scholarship program available to all teachers, budgetary constraints and the teacher shortage caused the proposal to be amended to be applicable to teachers in the areas of math and science. The legislation is SB 2724/HB 3720, sponsored by Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) and Rep. Les Winningham (D-Huntsville). The bill applies to tenured teachers and requires that they be admitted to, and attend, an eligible postsecondary institution seeking an advanced degree in mathematics or science or certification to teach mathematics or science. The teacher would have to agree to teach mathematics or science in a Tennessee public school system for two academic years for each year of funding provided by the HOPE scholarship -- the teacher would have to sign a promissory note that stipulates cash reimbursement if the teaching service is not fulfilled. The scholarships would be $2,000 per year but not to exceed a total of $10,000. The bill is pending in the finance committees of both the House and Senate.

Food Allergy Bill Will Pass Legislature School Systems to Develop Guidelines

Legislation which would require Local Education Agencies to develop guidelines to follow when dealing with students who have life-threatening food allergies in on track to pass the General Assembly. The bill requires the Department of Education to work in conjunction with the Department of Health to develop guidelines prior to July 1, 2007. The guidelines must include educating school personnel on the proper medication and care for students with such allergies, how to respond to allergic reactions, development of individualized plans for every student with such allergy, and protocols to prevent allergen exposure. The legislation, SB 2883/HB 2442, was sponsored by Sen. Joe Hayes (D-Goodlettsville) and Rep. Gary Moore (D-Joelton).

Several “Bad” Bills Appear to be Dead TEA Directly Involved In Their Defeat!

With the legislative session winding down, it appears that several negative education bills will NOT pass, largely thanks to TEA’s strong opposition Of course, in the waning days of the 2006 session, it is always possible that amendments could be filed to “caption” bills to try to breathe new life into some of these proposals. While nothing is officially “dead” until the legislature adjourns “sine die” later this month, listed below are several issues which have not passed this session.

* Vouchers (HB 2675/SB 2662) – this bill would have drained up to $7,500 per student from public schools to private and parochial schools.
* 65% “Solution” (HB 2681/SB 2789) – this bill would have reduced funding for a wide range of non-classroom education expenditures.
* Math/Science Differentiated Pay (HB 3529/SB 3720) – this bill proposed a short-term “fix” to the teacher shortage problem by going around salary schedules and the negotiations process.
* Medical Procedures (HB 387/SB 986) – this bill would have allowed school boards to solicit “volunteers” to be trained to assist diabetic students – including administering insulin injections.
* Special Education Lawsuits (HB 245/SB 268) – This bill would have made it much easier to sue school systems and educators regarding services provided to special education students. * Tenure Revisions (HB 3853/SB 33192) – this bill would have weakened the state tenure law by eliminating reference to the Code of Ethics of the Tennessee Education Association
* School Bus Advertising (HB 3547/SB 3659) – This bill would have made school buses moving “billboards” and expand over-commercialization of public schools.
* Student Referrals (HB3517/SB 3692) – This bill could have limited the rights of educators to refer students for various psychological/medical services.
* Pre-Kindergarten (HB 3528/SB 3194) – This bill would have “watered down” standards for Tennessee’s highly successful pre-K program by allowing for abbreviated summer sessions.

These are just some of the bills -- opposed by TEA – which did not pass this year. It should be quite clear that your Association looks out for the interests of members! Any TEA member who wants a copy of any of these bills can contact TEA Government Relations by emailing Sandra Stinson at sstinson@tea.nea.org.

Senator Diane Black District 18

Senator Mae Beavers District 17 (includes parts of Hendersonville)

Representative Mike McDonald District 44

Representative Susan Lynn District 57

Representative Debra Maggart District 45

Senator Bill Frist (R)

Senator Lamar Alexander (R)

Representative Bart Gordon (D)