 Happy Holidays to All
"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."
Edith Sitwell, English Poet, 1887-1964
This year, as we approach yet another holiday season, our minds are pulled toward the uncertainty of the months and year ahead. In such times we should always remember that the holidays, above all else, are for sharing joy with family and friends. It is a special time for our spirits to be renewed, to share good cheer, and to appreciate the country we live in and the time we have together. We, the officers of the LMEA, are grateful for your membership and the opportunity to lead such an outstanding organization. We hope that you enjoy the upcoming holidays and have a safe and joyful New Year!
Need a Personal Day?
There are three basic limitations to the use of the five personal days under our contract.
- No more than ten (10) percent of the total number of employees in the School District shall be granted personal leave on the same day.
- Requests for a personal day must be made on AESOP at least one week (7 days) before the date of absence.*
- Requests for days immediately preceding or following school holidays must be made in writing using the Special Considerations Form. This form can be found on the District website: For Staff/Forms and Documents/HR (scroll down). The superintendent will review the requests as they come in and his decision on approval or non-approval is binding. The following remaining dates on the calendar will require special consideration: Dec.23, Jan.5, Jan.16, Jan.20, Feb.12, Feb.17, Mar.12, April 3, April 13, May 22, May 26, June 16.
*If unable to meet this deadline the day should be recorded as emergency personal and a follow-up email explanation sent to Moira Egan at HR within three days of your return.
Next Meeting of CNC to be held on December 17th
This fall CNC has been systematically reviewing each article of the contract for later development of revisions and new proposals. The committee welcomes the input of our members. Email your suggestions or concerns to lmeacontract@comcast.net and in doing so your home email will be placed into the distribution list for important updates and communications during the bargaining year.
A Message from the PSEA President on 403(b) Rumors
“You may be hearing concerns from your members about new IRS regulations governing 403(b) tax-deferred savings accounts and the resulting potential loss of some Vanguard investment products. Please tell your members there is a great deal of misinformation circulating.
PSEA is actively working to ameliorate the impact of these changes. We are asking Vanguard to reconsider its refusal to sign the necessary information sharing and hold harmless agreements indemnifying districts and their third-party administrators. Absent such agreements, districts are unable to approve Vanguard’s products in their 403(b) plans” - Jim Testerman, PSEA President, November President to President newsletter
The LMEA has formed a new ad hoc 403(b) Committee to monitor developments and seek additional plan vendors. Members with questions or concerns should contact Peter Kaczmar, chair of the committee, at kaczmap@lmsd.org.
New Report on Public Pensions Should Counter Recent Myths
As individual retirement accounts, 401(k), and other private pension plans having been absorbing huge losses tied to the declining stock market attention inevitably turns to public pension plans and the temptation to label them archaic and a drain to the taxpayer. A new report from the National Institute on Retirement Security, however, shows that public pensions outperform their private counterparts. The report finds “that public plans exhibit prudent investment behavior even during turbulent market conditions” and that “public pension plans are suitable for employees and taxpayers alike whether financial markets are tranquil or volatile, on the rise or falling.” Read key all the key findings and the full report at www.nirsonline.org
Your Questions Answered Regarding Fair-Use and Copyright Law
A recent article appearing in the November 12th edition of Education Week discussed the difficulty educators face in keeping up with copyright compliance in an age of increasingly easy access to various forms of instructive media. Finally, someone has put together a comprehensive website to address all facets of the Fair-Use doctrine and copyright infringement in the YouTube Era: http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/fair_use This excellent resource comes via the School of Communication at American University and includes a Code of Best Practices and several examples.
Unit Meetings
Once each year the president of the LMEA holds a unit meeting in each of the schools and major departments. These meetings are an opportunity to share issues and have questions answered directly by the LMEA leadership. The schedule for the remaining 2008-09 Unit Meetings is as follows:
Lower Merion……….Dec. 16 @ 2:45 Trans - Matsonford…...Feb. 5 @ 1:15
Administration………..Jan. 14 @ 4:45 Welsh Valley…………Mar. 5 @ 3:15
Trans - Connolly……...Jan. 14 @ 1:15 Penn Wynne………….Mar. 17 @ 3:45
Gladwyne……………..Jan. 8 @ 3:45 Merion………………..Apr. 23 @ 3:45
Operations…………….Jan. 28 (TBD) Harriton………………May 6 @ 2:45
LMEA•306 Parsons Ave Bala Cynwyd, Pa 19004 •610-664-5450•
Fax 610-664-5451•www.lmeaonline.org
REMINDER TO EMAIL YOUR CONTRACT COMMENTS AND CONCERNS
The LMEA has established a web mailbox to collect comments and concerns from our members as we approach the next round of contract bargaining in 2010. Your message will be delivered to the Combined Negotiations Committee (CNC) which is in the process of reviewing every article of the contract this year. Please use your home email account to send your comment so that we can build a distribution list for further communications. The next meeting of CNC is scheduled for November 20th. Email your comments and concerns to: lmeacontract@comcast.net.
LMEA•306 Parsons Ave Bala Cynwyd, Pa 19004 •610-664-5450•
Fax 610-664-5451•www.lmeaonline.org |
