Clear Creek Educators Association

CCEA News

January 15, 2004

The January meeting of CCEA’s Association Reps was very productive.  President Linda Pringle reported on the most recent meeting between representatives of the CCEA Executive Board and Dr. Sandra Mossman, CCISD Superintendent.  Dr. Mossman recently revived the practice of meeting with leaders of local associations at the request of Linda, Earl Dredge, CCEA Treasurer, and Pam Moak, First Vice President.  Although the invitation was extended to all local professional organizations, CCEA is the only local meeting with the Superintendent at this time.  Dr. Mossman assured CCEA officers that working for teacher salary increases is a top priority.  She also indicated that she would consider concerns about scheduling issues in secondary schools.  CCEA is excited to have regained the ear (and respect) of the highest level of administration in CCISD.

ARs heard reports about January’s NEA conference in Washington, D.C., from Linda Pringle, Mike Buckner, Assistant Principal at Hall Elementary and Administrator at Large on the NEA Board of Directors, and Linda Michaels, 2003 winner of TSTA’s Ermalee Boice Instructional Advocacy Award and Texas’s candidate for the NEA Teaching Excellence Award and Texas Association for Gifted and Talented Teacher of the Year for 2003-2004 (WOW!  Our local, CCEA has a member on NEA’s Board, an AR who was named top teacher in Texas by TWO professional organizations, and a member who is President of TSTA!).  Pringle spoke about the grants available to member educators through the National Instructional Excellence Foundation of NEA.  She was impressed by the amount of money made possible by dedicating one dollar from each NEA member’s dues…much of which went unspent during the current fiscal year.  Members, get your applications in!  You, too, could receive funds for innovative learning projects.  Michaels and Buckner described their visits with members of Congress, time spent sharing their concerns with the men and women who make education policy for the nation.  They were excited that NEA is steadily gaining support for repeal of the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision.

Linda Pringle was also privileged to hear Linda Michaels’s acceptance address at the TAGT conference and was most impressed with her comment about NCLB legislation:  We must be careful not to be so busy looking out the back window to be sure that No Child is Left Behind that we fail to look forward to be sure the bus has a competent driver (paraphrased).

CCEA concluded the January meeting with resolutions to take action on two important issues in CCISD.  The first was to publicly declare CCEA’s support of the Bond 2004 initiative, slated for election on February 7, and to work through phone banks and other local efforts to encourage its passage.  The second states the CCEA will approach CCISD administration and the Board of Trustees about working together to develop a bereavement leave policy that will allow employees to use the Friends Helping Friends program for absences related to death in the family.  Linda, Earl, and Pam will present this proposal to Dr. Mossman at their next monthly meeting.

The next regular meeting of the Clear Creek Educators Association is scheduled for 4:30 P.M. on Thursday, February 19, at Brookside Intermediate. All members are welcome to attend.