West Virginia
Professional Educators
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W
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A Student’s Mind Is Too Precious To Be Bargained For
Website: wvprofed.org
Volume 23, No. 1
WEST VIRGINIA
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS
ERNEST & ALMA PAGE,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
(304) 586-3451
E-MAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: WVPROFED.ORG
CATHERINE MARINO,
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
SUSAN ADKINS,
GRIEVANCE MANAGER
CURRENT STATE OFFICERS
EXECUTIVE BOARD 2015-2016
PRESIDENT:
MARK HIGGINBOTHAM
1023 MARINA DRIVE #5, HURRICANE, WV 25526
VICE PRESIDENT:
ALICIA MULLINS
RECORDING SECRETARY:
JACQUELINE A. MCDANIELS
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY:
JANE YOKUM
TREASURER:
DIANA STEED
PARLIAMENTARIAN:
BETH POST
PAST PRESIDENT:
LIBBY SURFACE
LESIGLATIVE CHAIRMAN
ELIZABETH MOW
PRESIDENTS OF EACH LOCAL CHAPTER
ALSO SERVE ON THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
Legislative Update
By Bunny Mow
A special legislative session is
convening in Charleston as this article is being written. A $270 million
hole in next year’s budget needs to
be filled and this does not include
the $90 million in cuts which Governor Tomblin has already made
in his proposed budget. These negotiations are relevant to the funding of PEIA benefits. It is not clear
whether or not the draconian cuts
proposed for PEIA benefits will be
implemented. Much depends on
the outcome of the special session.
As you are aware, West Virginia’s
fiscal year begins on July 1st, so an
agreement among the Governor,
the Senate and the House of Delegates will need to be made soon.
One of WVPE’s legislative goals,
the full funding of PEIA, is still
uncertain.
Another legislative goal, a teacher pay increase, is obviously not
going to happen considering the
present strains on the state budget.
A further goal, the review and
revision of state-wide assessment
practices, will be made by order of
the state superintendent. This was
announced at the beginning of session.
Although a resolution to study
the use of accrued sick leave for
retirement did not get action, many
lawmakers are interested in look-
Spring 2016
ing at this issue with possible legislation next year.
The goals of a more flexible
school calendar and the protection of one day at the beginning of
the school year for planning were
both embodied in HB 4171 which
passed both houses but was later
vetoed by the Governor. The Governor objected to the deletion of
the requirement that the calendar
provide 180 separate days of instruction and also objected to the
requirement that the instructional
term shall begin no earlier than August 10 and end no later than June
10.
Another education bill vetoed by
the Governor, HB 4014, required
the State Board of Education to
discontinue the use of the state’s
current summative assessment
test in a very limited time frame
and prevented the State Board of
Education from implementing
common core academic standards
and assessments The Governor’s
(Continued on page 3)
In This Issue...
• Scholarship Winners An nounced
• Let’s Share the Wealth...of
Grant Information!
• Don Bucher Joins the WVPE
Staff
President’s Message
Mark Higginbotham
It is difficult to believe another school year has come
and gone. The WVPE executive board shares your concerns
about the future of education in
our state. Although we often feel
inadequate to meet the growing
demands, you can rest assured
that WVPE will be there for you.
Our goal is to be an advocate for
our members as we continue “to
put students first.”
This September, it will be time
to renew my national board certification. Consequently, I have
decided to step down as your
president. As several of you
know, the national board process involves a great amount of
time. However, I will remain a
member of the executive committee. It has been an honor to
serve as president of our organization and I have enjoyed meeting several of you personally. I
thank you for the wonderful opportunity you gave me.
In conclusion, I have one request. Please continue to recruit and recruit some more!
Remember, there is strength
in numbers! There are hundreds of educators across West
Virginia who share our educational philosophy. We just need
to share that philosophy with
them! Have a wonderful summer!
Scholarship Winners Announced
Editor’s Corner
Libby Surface
Let’s Connect! In this age of
posting, tweeting, Instagram and
being linked in, WVPE wants to
better connect with you. There are
several ways you can assist WVPE
as the organization grows and
makes future plans:
1. Send Jackie McDaniels
your preferred, current
email address.
2. Grow or start a county chapter, and send your president
to Executive Board meetings.
3. Submit your news, pictures, ideas and announcements for inclusion in the
newsletter.
4. Watch for WVPE surveys
and alerts. These may possibly be done electronically
in the future.
5. “Like us” on Facebook
The Wood County Professional Educators Chapter awarded three scholarships to
students at the college or graduate level in education. Pictured in the left photo
are Chapter President Libby Surface, WVU-P student Jim McClean, and Chapter Treasurer Virginia Haywood. In the right photo are Libby Surface, Marshall
student Abby Noffsinger, Marshall graduate student and WVPE member Kayla
Stanley, and Virginia Haywood.
We Need Your Email Address!
In order to serve WVPE members better, we need current emaill addresses.
The email list for legislative alerts, reports and other items will be updated
this summer. Please send your preferred, current email address to Jackie
McDaniels this month at [email protected].
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6. Contact Ernest and Alma
Page if you need information and promotional
materials such as
brochures, posters and new
teacher handbooks.
7. Help us find opportunities
to attend and present about
WVPE in your area.
I hope you and your loved ones
have a great summer with loads of
R & R … Relaxation and Recruitment for WVPE!—Libby Surface
Let’s Share the Wealth…
of Grant Information!
By Libby Surface
Do you need funding for a special
project or resources for your classroom? Who doesn’t? Summertime
is an ideal time to seek funds from a
variety of resources. Here are a few
options to consider:
Donors Choose
Submitted by Lisa Smith, WVPE
member, Blennerhassett Elementary
Donors Choose provides an excellent opportunity for public school
teachers to obtain materials for their
classrooms through community outreach. To begin a project, just log
on to www.donorschoose.org and
create an account. You are designated
a certain number of points, which
are used to post projects, and can be
earned by having projects funded.
Next, go shopping at one of more
than 18 possible vendors. Then, tell
possible donors about your students,
and the materials you are requesting.
The Donors Choose team will review
your project, and if it is complete, post
it within 5 business days. My favorite
thing about Donors Choose is that
once a year they provide you with a
match code. Any donors donating to
your project within the first two weeks
of posting can have their donations
matched, up to $100! This year I posted two projects, an
iPad for my students to use to create
iMovies, and a project for accessories
for the iPad. I divided the requested
materials into two projects to keep
the cost low, and increase my chances
of being funded. Donors Choose will
post to your Facebook page for you,
and cheer donors automatically. They
also encourage you to email possible
donors, such as friends, family, and
community members. Both projects
were funded within 48 hours, we received the materials within 5 business
days, completed a thank you package
for donors that requested one (pictures
and thank you letters), and enjoyed
our new materials. It was enjoyable
for our classroom, and our donors.
STEM Grants from First Energy
First Energy is offering grants of $1000
dollars to educators who teach in areas
of West Virginia served by First Energy companies, such as Mon Power.
These grants are for projects and/or
teacher professional development initiatives. Those eligible are teachers,
from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade
or youth group leaders. Applications
and further information can be found
at FirstEnergyCorp.com/STEM. The
submission deadline for 2016-2017
grants is September 23, 2016.
Other Sources
While I have not personally explored all of these, there were numerous opportunities listed on these sites
that may be worth investigating:
• West Virginia Division of Culture
and History
wvculture.org/arts/grants.html
• West Virginia Partnerships to Assure Student Success
wvpass.org/grants.htm
• GrantGopher
https://grantgopher.com/Grantsfor-Nonprofits/articleType/CategoryView/categoryId/147/West-Virginia-grants
Your Turn to Share
Please send in your ideas and experiences, good or bad, with grants
and funding sources. We would like to
share your successes in future newslet-
ters. Pictures of project would also be
welcome, as well as Do’s and Don’ts
for such projects. Let’s connect and
share!
Update (Cont. from page 1)
message stated that the legislation discounted the time and consideration needed to establish a
new statewide summative assessment test and also expressed his
concern about the potential disruption of the ongoing implementation
of the new A-F school accountability system.
A number of bills were passed
protecting home schooling.
Another education bill, HB
4301, establishes a career ladder
for master teachers with additional
compensation for specific assignments to achieve instructional and
school improvement. It also provides similar increments for principals.
Another significant bill which
will become law is HB 4566. This
bill changes many dates concerning the termination, transfer, and
W
retirement notification of of by
Pleasecompleteandsendtotheaddressb
school personnel
(see the March 21
[email protected]
Final Legislative Report).
WVPE2016-2017Ballot
Voteforone:
President
PleasecompleteandsendtotheaddressbelowbyJune25,2016.Ifyouwishtouseemail,youmay
_____ AliciaMullins,LoganCount
sendyourresponsetowvpe@aol.com.AllothermembersoftheExecutiveBoardareappointed.
Voteforone:
_____ Writein:______________
President
Vice-President
_____ AliciaMullins,LoganCounty
_____ BethPost,UpshurCounty
_____ Writein:____________________________
_____ Writein:______________
Vice-President
Secretary
_____ BethPost,UpshurCounty
_____ JackieMcDaniels,UpshurC
_____ Writein:____________________________
_____ Writein:______________
Secretary
_____ JackieMcDaniels,UpshurCounty
_____ Writein:____________________________
Mailto:ErnestandAlmaPage
10587CharlestonRoad
RedHouse,WV25168
3
Mailto:ErnestandAlmaPage
10587CharlestonRoad
Don Bucher Joins the WVPE Staff
We are pleased to announce that
Mr. Don Bucher has joined the ranks
of WV Professional Educators!
He will be working with Susan
Adkins, Grievance Manager, in the
area of providing representation for
our members and working with the
grievance process. We are fortunate
to have our membership expanding
which has necessitated adding Don
to our staff.
Don has a Master’s degree in
Education and additional degrees in
Psychology and Sociology as well as
advanced credit hours in the area of
counseling. He is well known in the
state of WV and has established good
working relationships with teachers
and administrators on the local and
state level. Additionally, he is well
versed in the Legislative process
having served as the Legislative
Chairman for WV Council of
Administrators of Special Education
(WVCASE) and WV School
WVPE Grievance Manager Susan Adkins and Don Bucher
Personnel Association (WVSPA) as
well as having worked on various
regional and state education task
forces and committees.
Don has worked for the past
several years with Pendleton County
Schools. Most recently, he has
served as the Director of Personnel
and Student Services. His career in
public education includes working
in multiple levels of the public
school system with many years of
administrative experience. He has
extensive training and experience
WEST VIRGINIA PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS
10587 Charleston Road
Red House, WV 25168
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
with personnel management, school
law, mediation, special education,
and has served as a Due Process
Hearing Officer and Accreditation
Team member for the State of WV.
This education and experience
uniquely qualifies him to do the work
our membership requires and he has
“hit the ground running” working
with Susan Adkins and is currently
working independently with several
of our members. So, please welcome
Don to WV Professional Educators!
He is very excited about his job with
WVPE and is already providing
excellent representation to our
members.
WVPE looks forward to continuing
to provide quality services to our
membership. The addition of Don
Bucher to our staff is just one more
way that WVPE is working for you
and striving to always provide you
with the high quality representation
you expect and deserve.
PRSRT STD
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Permit No. 1
Red House, WV 25168