New accountability regulations threaten school staff and programs
Local leaders need to be aware of new regulations instituted by the N.J. Department of Education (NJDOE) this summer. The regulations guide actions of the new executive county superintendents and restrict budgetary flexibility at the local school district level starting in 2009-10. This advisory summarizes information on the fiscal accountability regulations which have been issued to date, what NJEA

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Watch Classroom Close-up, NJ at a new time Classroom Close-up, NJ, NJEA’s award-winning show featuring members and students, airs on NJN Public Television every Monday at 7 p.m. and every Saturday at 9 a.m. Watch the current episode online.

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Attend Fall Focus for Leadership meetings

NJEA annually holds Fall Focus for Leadership meetings in each county for local and county leaders. NJEA officers provide insight into important educational and association issues. Each local association president should attend with members of his or her leadership team.
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Join the Committee of 1000
NJEA takes pride in its ability to organize its members to participate in grassroots politics. The Legislature makes decisions that affect our schools, our students, our communities, and our profession. Committee of 1000 members will contact only NJEA members by making phone calls, distributing campaign literature, organizing other NJEA members, and simply helping NJEA members get out the vote. You and your members can volunteer at njea.org.

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Elect pro-public education candidates NJEA’s 125-member political action committee voted to endorse Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in his bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate. In addition, NJEA has endorsed ten candidates for Congressional seats. They include two Republicans and eight Democrats. NJEA PAC made no endorsement in three districts: Congressional District 1, Congressional District 3, and Congressional District 7.

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Register to vote, apply for an absentee ballot
Oct. 14, 2008, is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election. Remind your members to register to vote or update their registration before Oct. 14. Members who choose to vote by absentee ballot must mail in a signed absentee ballot application so that it is received in their county clerk’s office no later than Oct. 28.
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Mark your calendar for NJEA’s UniServ conferences

Share this flier with your members. It provides the dates for each of NJEA’s conferences this year that are coordinate by UniServ.

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Register online for the 2008 Health and Safety Conference and win
To help local associations ensure their right to a safe and healthy work environment, NJEA is offering its seventh annual Health and Safety Conference on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Hilton, East Brunswick. Workshop details and a registration form can be found in the September 2008 NJEA Review. See this flier for details. Registered attendees will be entered into a drawing to win a gift basket valued at $150, but if you register at njea.org you get two chances to win.

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Attend the annual Higher Ed luncheon
Higher education leaders and members from across New Jersey will gather for their annual lunch program at the NJEA Convention on Friday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m., at the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel in Crown Ballroom 1. Members interested in attending this event may get more information by calling the Region 29 UniServ Higher Education office at 609-689-9580, or e-mailing Karen “Skip” Starkey at kstarkeynjeaorg.
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Purchase an ad in the Celebration of Excellence program

The NJEA Frederick L. Hipp Foundation for Excellence in Education has awarded over $1 million in grants to help NJEA members bring their creative ideas to life. This year’s honorees will be recognized at the Celebration of Excellence at the NJEA Convention on Friday, Nov. 7. Local and county associations can salute the winners by purchasing an ad in the Celebration of Excellence program. Ads range from $15 for a listing to $250 for a cover (Quantities are limited and subject to a first-come, first-served basis.) See this rate card for details.

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Book your room online for the NJEA Convention
Rooms are limited, so make your reservations now for overnight accommodations in Atlantic City for the 2008 NJEA Convention. You can make your reservations online at ACRooms.com.

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How FAST is your school?
NJEA’s FAST program (Families and Schools Together Work for Children) has an exciting showcase planned for Oct. 16 at NJEA Headquarters. The program begins with dinner at 5:30 p.m. Come learn how FAST organizers in local associations have successfully involved families in our schools. Eight programs will be on display: Family Involvement Training, MegaSkills, Creative Ways to Address Literacy, Working with Parents of Autistic Children, Addressing the Health Crisis, Internet Safety, Student Achievement, and Cultural Events. See this flier for more details and registration information. Learn more about FAST.

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Join Team NJEA for the Race for the Cure
Mark your calendar! Join Team NJEA at the 15th Annual Race for the Cure on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008. Team NJEA welcomes walkers and runners of all ages and abilities. If you are unable to walk or run on Oct. 5, you can still make a donation on behalf of Team NJEA.

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Nominate an ESP of the Year
NJEA will present the Educational Support Professional of the Year Award to an NJEA member whose activities reflect the contributions of educational support professionals to public education. Local associations are encouraged to select a nominee and submit an application bearing his or her name to their county association by Friday, Sept. 19. County associations select from among these nominees and nominate one individual for the state award. The county’s nomination form is due at NJEA headquarters by Friday, Oct. 17.

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Nominate a human rights advocate Nomination forms and documentation for the NJEA Human Rights Award are due Oct. 1, 2008. Awards will be presented at the NJEA Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Dinner in January.
Nominees must meet at least two of the five following criteria:
Initiated or engaged in human and civil rights activities which have a community-wide impact
Contributed to the motivation of individuals or groups seeking self-determination
Shown creativity, determination, and perseverance in achieving human and civil rights goals
Established an ongoing program or institution for the improvement of human relations and civil rights
Taken an advocacy position at personal risk in defense of civil rights.

Nominees may be an individual, group, or organization working in the area of civil rights, and if eligible, NJEA members. For more information and a nomination form, contact Syd Churilla at 609-599-4561, ext. 2296, or schurillanjeaorg. You can also request an application by mail at NJEA Human Rights Award, PO Box 1211, Trenton, NJ 08607-1211.

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Enter the Eagles Radio/NJEA essay Contest
NJEA and Eagles Radio WYSP have teamed up to encourage your students to write an essay about their New Jersey public school hero. Essays should be no more than 250 words. Three winners will be selected: one elementary student, one middle school student, and one high school student. Visit njea.org or Page 13 of the September NJEA Reporter for details.

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Get a FREE preview of Bodies… The Exhibition
Bodies… The Exhibition is holding an open house for employees of school districts on Thursday, Sept. 25 and Friday, Sept. 26 at its South Street Seaport location in New York City. To gain free admission you must register online by Sept. 22 at www.prxi.com/tristate-rsvp.You must also present your school/district ID at the door. Reservations for each date are subject to availability. See this flier for details.

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Order FREE Parent Materials
NJEA has free parent materials on topics ranging from online safety to bus safety to helping your child pay for college. Go to njea.org, click on Publications and go to Order Classroom Materials. You will have to sign in with your NJEA pin and password. Additional parent resources are available to the public at njea.org.

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New Member Benefits webpage
Encourage your members to visit NJEA’s Member Benefits page. There is a new format that makes consumer benefits easier to find. Be sure to enter the monthly web giveaway.

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NJEA-Sponsored Disability Insurance
The NJEA-sponsored disability insurance program is NJEA’s answer to protecting members from loss of income during periods of disability. New members can enroll in this program without answering health questions if they do so within the first 120 days of NJEA membership. The phone number for all aspects of the NJEA-sponsored disability insurance program is 1-800-727-3414.

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403(b) Regulations
NJEA has a webpage that contains information about how the new IRS regulations require compliance by school districts to maintain the tax-favored status of these accounts. Please click 403(b) Resources in the financial literacy section of njea.org to learn more.

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NJEA pensions consultants available
Remind your members that they are entitled to a free half-hour pension consultation at their regional UniServ office with a trained NJEA pension consultant. As soon as your members are considering retirement, they should call their regional UniServ office to schedule a consultation.

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N.J. State Bar Foundation offers resources
The New Jersey State Bar Foundation offers a wide variety of free law-related education programs and services for New Jersey teachers and their students. This flier provides more information.

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Report on Education

Share the Report on Education with your members, NJEA President Joyce Powell’s column in newspapers across the state.

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Delegate assembly notice
The Delegate Assembly (DA), NJEA’s elected policy-making body, will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13 at the Marriot Conference Hotel at Lafayette Yard, 1 West Lafayette St., Trenton. Nondelegates wishing to address the DA may do so at 11 a.m. by registering the morning of the DA meeting.

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