Business Tax Initiative

    NSEA President Elaine Lancaster spoke at the March OCEA meeting at CHS.  She came to speak about the business profits tax initiative petition.  NSEA would like people to sign the petition to show support for getting a business profit tax into effect.  She informed those present that Nevada has no money left for education (including raises, which so many of us place as very important on negotiations surveys).  Nevada is one of the few states that does not have a business profits tax.

   Petitions for signatures are currently  being passed around.  There will be people at every building site with petitions to sign.  Lancaster explained they want to present the petition to the legislature February 12, 2001 to be voted on.  The feeling is it will probably be voted down, so that the initiative will get on the ballot for public voting in 2002. 

    The business profit tax would be over 3%, but below 5% of the net profit of said business.  (This would still be the lowest business profit tax of any state).  It would affect businesses that clear $40,000 or more profit after their overhead is paid.  It is projected to generate up to $220 million dollars.  Lancaster related that 52% of businesses in Nevada send their profits out of state, yet they hire employees whose children attend our schools.  We need to tap into that money.  (Taken from OCEA meeting minutes for March, 2000.)

 

Plan for Social Excellence

    Carson High Schools' Plan for Social Excellence is designed to provide quality, field-based experience for teachers using computer technology as a tool for learning.

The goals of the Project are five fold.

Goal 1: To increase teacher access to computers within their classroom from 12% to 72% by year 3 of the project.

Goal 2: To increase teacher proficiency in the use of technology by providing one year of computer training and use of personal computers to 60% of the teachers at CHS by year three of the Project.

Goal 3: To increase teacher communication and involvement in the project by increasing the number of teachers using telecommunications networks to 72% of the entire faculty by Year 3 of the project.

Goal 4: By the end of the Project 100% of all classroom and support services at CHS will use computers to report attendance data on a daily basis and report card grades every quarter.

Goal 5: To increase the percentage of teachers who integrate technology into at least three lessons each grading period to 72% by the end of year 3 of the Project.

    Spofford expressed pleasure in the way the project is progressing. He sees mutual cooperation with teachers helping each other. Last summer when teachers were chosen to participate in the project, It was determined that all departments should be represented.

    As a result teachers are getting to know what happens in other curriculum areas.  "Their eyes are being opened to the whole school."

    Spofford also sees that all teachers have increased their technical knowledge.  “They have more than met our expectations,” he said.

   Participating  teachers make a two year commitment to the project and are given the use of a laptop to accomplish the goals set for the Project.  The teachers who participated this year will in turn act as mentors for teachers who participate in the 2000-2001 school year. The project will continue to provide a support structure to ensure ongoing success with instructional technology in the years after the grant is completed.

    The technology specialists teaching the course are:  Anita Brooks, Marie Bellard, Kristi Gonzalez, Cheryl Laird and Brian Reedy.

    Also incorporated into this year’s program  was the Wisconsin Instructional System (WIDS).  This program is designed to illustrate the role of performance-based instruction in the teaching and learning process.  The WIDS program gives teachers both the strategies and tools to design learner-centered performance-based instruction. This part of the program was taught by Steve  Pradere and Cindy Sharp.

      The grant for the program is funded through the Plan for Social Excellence Inc.  Dr. Mario J. Peņa, Ed. D. is Executive Director for the Plan for Social Excellence Inc. which is located in Tampa, Florida.

    When Dr. Peņa visited the high school he stressed taking the technology beyond the envelope.  He wants teachers to really stretch and move forward. 

    The opening of the High Tech Center became the catalyst for a systemic change in instructional technology for the high school.  With this facility in place all that is needed to completely link all teachers to technology is a computer in each classroom and staff development focused on curriculum integration. 

    Applications for next years program were distributed to Carson High teachers on March  30.  The applications are due back to Vaughn Spofford in the High Tech Center by April 14, 2000.

CAMA Workshop

    Approximately 75 teachers, parents and therapists from Nevada attended the Communication Aid Manufacturers Association (CAMA) Workshop on March 3 at the Reno/Sparks Convention Center.

    The purpose of the workshop was to provide information to parents, service providers and administrators on the new technology available for students with severe communication disabilities.  The manufacturers demonstrate device features and practical examples of application for both home and school use.

   The conference was initiated by Liz Issacs, Coordinator of the Nevada Special Education Technology Project, and began in 1996.  It is co-sponsored with the Assistive Technology Center in Las Vegas.  The conference is held either in Reno or Las Vegas and is supported by the State Department of Education.

The next 3 articles were written by participants at the NEA PACIFIC REGIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE February 18-20, 2000 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Conference

By Sharon Lane

    Saturday’s meetings were “Best Practices” sessions, which focus on what’s right in education. Innovative, creative, and bold programs, projects, or activities that the NEA, state affiliates, local affiliates, and school work site groups are currently engaged in that establish meaningful, collaborative partnerships.  These partnerships then contribute to fulfillment of the Association’s strategic priorities–student achievement and teacher quality.

   Jessica Daniels and daughter, Alicia Daniels presented “101 Secrets to Celebrating What’s Right With Education.”  Jessica advocated spreading the “good news” about education.  Her presentation’s theme was look at the glass as 1/2 full.  She suggested drawing parents, the community, and legislators into the classroom as active partners.

   Caldwell School District Superintendent, Rick Miller and UniServ Director, Les Hall presented “Whose Side Are You On, Anyway?” concerning the Joint Administration-Association Network for problems in education.  They reviewed the process whereby school employees and administrators gain the trust necessary to encourage struggling teachers to accept help.

    Afternoon “Tools” sessions were designed to share thought-provoking concepts, innovative processes, and skills which the Association might want to explore further.

    Nancy Larsen, National Board Certified Teacher and Sharon Boudreau, NEA Board of Directors presented “National Board Certification 101.”  This was an information session on the “how-to’s” of successfully completing the rigorous program for obtaining National Board Certification.

    Russ Davis, Social Scientist and Renee Johnson, NEA Board of Directors, presented “U.S. Census: Implications for Public Education.”  The 2000 Census will have significant changes in racial and ethnic categories.  We learned about the changes, the implications for public education if there is an undercount, and what we can do to contribute to an accurate Census.

Conference

by Daphne Gammell

    This is the first time I have attended a leadership conference.  I found it to be quite interesting and enjoyable.  It was great sharing tables with other teachers from our region.  The presentations were very good and we listened to great speeches from NEA President, Bob Chase, and NEA Vice President, Reg Weaver.  The entertainment by the Coeur d'Alene High School Chamber Singers was exceptional.

I attended the following sessions:

Peer Mentoring: An Educational Compass

    The presenters were from two school districts in Washington who had merged resources and grants to build a mentoring program.  They have three full time mentors who service approximately 80 new teachers.  They funded their program through federal money and state association  grant money.  There is, and has been, a need to help new teachers.  With the challenges facing present educators, mentoring is essential.  This program helps new teachers by providing training before school starts, offering 1 on 1 assistance through the year and focusing on self-evaluation by the teachers.  Their main goal is to retain new teachers.

Connecting with the Community

    Message: Reach out to the community to help strengthen school and family.  Community partners help families and students feel valued and connected to the school and community.

Magnifying the Message

    Message: NEA and NCSEA (National Council of State Education Associations) pair up to enhance local association capacity to improve student achievement.

U. S. Census: Implications for Public Education

    Message: Help encourage parents to fill out the survey and mail it back in.  Getting an accurate count will benefit our community.

Conference

by Steve Fargan

   I attended the NEA Pacific Leadership Conference in beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho the weekend of February 18-20, 2000.

    I attended two "Best Practices" sessions.  One session was "Partnerships: A Legacy of Love," which was about community involvement at Kaiiulani Elementary School in  Honolulu, Hawaii.  The other session was "Connecting Classrooms and Communities Through Patriotism", which showed Montana's Huntley Project School's involvement in  a Veteran's Day celebration.

    I also attended two "Tools" sessions.  One session was "U. S. Census: Implications for Public Education", which covered the significance of the 2000 Census.  The other session, one of my favorites, was "Diversity Training."  This session was fantastic!  It was a great active experience in developing communication  skills, team building, and group decision making.  I left this session wanting more. 

    The good news is that more will be available.  One of the presenters, Charles Nelson, told me that an expanded version of "Diversity Training" will be offered at this years Summer Leadership Conference, in Lake Tahoe.  I would highly recommend attending this workshop.

    There were other highlights at the conference.  One was Saturday’s Keynote speaker, Reg Weaver, NEA Vice President.  His mixture of warmth and humor was inspirational.  He demonstrated a "standing O" cheer, which was done often by participants during the rest of the conference. 

   Another highlight, which I missed, was attending "101 Secrets to Celebrating  "What's Right With Education."  This session was presented by our own Carson Middle School teachers: Jessica Barlow Daniels, Alicia Daniels and Gaylea Manning.  The reason I was unable to attend this presentation was that the room quickly filled, and they ran out of space for this very popular "Best Practices" session.  I hope that this presentation will be offered at another conference.

    I appreciate the opportunity I was given in being able to attend the NEA Pacific Regional Leadership Conference.  I would be happy to share more details about the conference with interested teachers.

 

 

 

 

Winners -Good Ideas Grants

- Jordon Crittenden–robotics in the computer lab

- Mike Donahue–a multimedia unit

- Corine Callahan–a biosphere

- Joyce Gavin–early childhood special education software

 

Grants available – National Endowment for the Humanities

    The National Endowment for the Humanities, the Federal agency that promotes research, education and public programs in the humanities, has a new initiative to reach underserved audiences and promote greater collaboration between school teachers and scholars.

    As part of its “Extending the Reach Initiative,”  the Endowment has began a Humanities Scholar in Residence Program for the middle and high schools.  The grant program will allow a group of school teachers from a single school to work with a humanities scholar, most likely a college professor, for a sustained period of study and reflection on a particular humanities topic with an eye towards improving the teaching of humanities subjects - most often English/language arts, history/social studies, civics/government and foreign languages.

   The deadline for submitting this years application has passed, but applications and printed guidelines will be available in late February of 2001 for the April deadline in 2001.

    Questions about this program or other grants offered by NEH's Division of Education Programs can be directed to Jennifer Serventi, Division of Education Programs at (202) 606-8395 (phone), (202) 606 8394 (fax) or jserventi@neh.gov.

Upcoming Events

Teacher Appreciation Week–May 7-13

Light of Education Banquet–May 8

OCEA Golf Tourney–May 13

Retirement Seminar–May 17

Deadline for the last Quest of this school year– May 22

Web Sites

Are you worried about  Social Security benefits for your retirement years?  Check out the web, April 10-24 for a unique “virtual conference.”  www.nea.org/socialsecurity

Kid’s   Favorite Book List – www.nea.org/readacross

Safe Schools broadcast series – www.safeschoolsnow.org

NFIE Leadership Grants for Professional Development www.nfie.org

NEA’s PSA’s for Safe & Better Schools  - www.nea.org/audio/psa

National Teacher Day Information and materials www.nea.org/teachday