Collective Barganing Victory for "Specialists"
Howard County educators far exceeded expectations! Although the timeframe was tight (a few days before the end of the school year), everyone jumped into action!
When asked about the benefit of being a member of the NEA/MSTA/HCEA family, here's what one member said: Paula Rivers, Speech Pathologist-"When folks team up and work together, the world turns our way. Our immediate world involved the related services and the related state organizations. We fought the Maryland State Dept. of Education and influenced the Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board's proposal to repeal a crucial aspect of COMAR related to school employment. Our world turned around and said ‘NO!’ Now because of the 2,000 responses supporting these related services, we can continue to use our certification to receive teacher association representation for collective bargaining, salaries, benefits, pensions, and the like! If we choose, we can seek posts in administration, which requires certification through the schools. We will continue to monitor any proposals submitted by Assistant State Superintendent John Smeallie. Go, Team. Go!!" Northfield Contributes to Help A Child
Money has been raised in the past for Cystic Fibrosis, the Red Cross on behalf of Tsunami victims and Brock Elementary School in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Math-A-Thon is held every other year, alternating with a Jump Rope for Heart. “We feel that it has been a very successful endeavor and are delighted that the children at Northfield are exposed to the problems of other children in the world and are able to help these children who are so needy,” said Rita McMullin. This year HCEA is pleased that Help A Child is the recipient of the generosity of everyone at Northfield Elementary! HCEA Members Take Time to Relax and Learn
Retirements Celebrated
Social Networking
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
May 4th started much as any Monday morning does in Ms. Brown’s kindergarten class at Talbott Springs Elementary. 
Unfortunately Read Across America activities on March 2nd were cancelled due to snow but Governor Martin O’Malley and County Executive Ken Ulman read to second grade students at Running Brook Elementary on March 5th. The reading of Diffendoofer School by Dr. Seuss was followed by a press conference. The event was attended by parents, school board members, Superintendent Dr. Sydney Cousin, RBES Principal Troy Todd, MSTA Vice President Betty Weller and HCEA President Ann De Lacy. 
HCEA sent seven members to the annual MSTA ESP Professional Development Day on February 28th. Participants participated in a number of workshops including Manage Your Stress, Credit Management and Advocacy and Problem-Solving Skills. Ongoing professional development for ESP is a commitment MSTA has made to the paraprofessionals across the state.
Several teachers and para educators from across the county gathered at HCEA recently to learn and exchange ideas on promoting a “Read Across America” project at their school. Mary Hattery from Longfellow Elementary, Pattie Phillips from Phelps Luck Elementary and Maria Moy from Running Brook Elementary shared ideas with the group on how to put together a successful program. Debra Garner from MSTA attended and asked everyone who puts on a program to make sure MSTA and HCEA are aware of it. If you plan a program for your school please send a quick email to Debra and Mary Jo Neville at 
Thank you to each of you who participated in our interview process, told friends and family about HCEA recommended candidates, voted and worked the polls on election day! Association recommended school board candidates Janet Siddiqui, Ellen Flynn Giles and Allen Dyer were all victorious on election day! Your support does make a difference!
Once again the annual HCEA Crab Feast was a huge success! Members picked crabs, danced a few steps and won tons of door prizes!! Thanks to the Membership Committee a good time was had by all. See 
Thanks to the groundswell of activism and support provided by related services "specialists" (occupational/physical therapists, speech/language pathologists, and audiologists) along with HCEA reps and leaders, members, colleagues, and community members, the Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board (PSTEB) withdrew from consideration a proposed rule change that would have removed these specialists from the Teachers' Collective Bargaining unit. The rule change was championed by Assistant State Superintendent John Smeallie as a reaction to licensure changes passed by the General Assembly. Although prior statements made by the State Superintendent's office to local superintendents and human resources directors suggested that the proposed changes were not substantive, MSTA legal staff, upon analyzing the proposal issued a warning to Dr. Smeallie that these changes had a negative impact on collective bargaining rights of these valuable educators. Once discovered, MSTA staff and the state associations representing these educators mobilized a grassroots effort to defeat the proposed change. 
Northfield Elementary School recently conducted a Math-A-Thon and raised $8388.32 for the Help A Child fund. According to Rep Rita McMullin, the event is co-chaired by Karen Geissler and Nancy Holmwood. Students find donors to pledge a certain amount for each correct problem they solve in a given period of time. Members of the PTA are also involved serving on the committee, checking problems and counting the proceeds. 
Social networking spaces like MySpace and Facebook may be a good way to keep in touch with friends but teachers and other education personnel should be careful in terms of creating personal profiles, communicating with students, and sharing sensitive information. For