At West Virginia Public School, AFT President Rips Trump Budget Cuts

For Immediate Release: May 22, 2017

Contact: Janet Bass

301-502-5222

jbass@aft.org

www.aft.org

 

At West Virginia Public School, AFT President Rips Trump Budget Cuts

WAR, W.Va.—Following a tour of a McDowell County, W.Va., community school that provides essential services to help lift its disadvantaged students, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten blasted President Trump’s proposed budget cuts, which would directly impede the ability of the school to provide many of its programs.

One of the most recent accomplishments of Reconnecting McDowell—a 125-member public-private partnership created by the AFT and Gayle Manchin, now secretary of the West Virginia Education and the Arts Department—is the conversion of Southside K-8 School into a community school with wraparound health and social services and academic support.

“Southside K-8 is a public school in rural, poor McDowell County, whose students depend on federal funding for the additional resources and supports they need to thrive. Today we saw programs that would be axed under the cruel, catastrophic budget cuts the Trump administration wants,” Weingarten said.

Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have proposed a $10.6 billion cut in federal education funding and a more than $1 billion increase for vouchers and other school choice options.

“If Trump and DeVos bothered to venture out to rural McDowell, they would see that public schools are the only choice and that slashing vital investments that directly help students like those at Southside K-8 is like a dagger to the heart,” Weingarten said.

Weingarten noted that McDowell County went for Trump in the November election because voters believed his promises to help the struggling residents economically.

“If education is the economic development engine, which I believe, then cutting public education to smithereens puts the brakes on any possible progress,” she said.
Examples of the impact of Trump’s education budget cuts on McDowell County and the state of West Virginia:

•   West Virginia now receives $6 million for after-school programs through 21st Century Community Learning Center grants, which the Trump budget would eliminate. McDowell County receives two grants through the program to provide after-school academic, artistic and cultural enrichment, and supper for students and their families, at all county schools. Southside K-8, for example, uses the money to operate after-school programs four days a week, two hours a day.

•  The Trump budget would eliminate all Title II funding, cutting more than $19 million to West Virginia. This funding stream pays for professional development for more than 1,500 educators, funds 71 teaching positions and reduces class sizes. The loss of funding to McDowell County would mean losing 13 full-time teachers or ending professional development programs for nearly 100 teachers. 

• The Trump budget plan would eliminate the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program. Just this year, more than 6,000 West Virginia students have received $4 million in tuition assistance.

Since the December 2012 launch of Reconnecting McDowell, the county’s public schools have shown steady improvement:

• · In a 2013 county audit, all McDowell public schools were rated as either “emerging” or “accomplished,” and every school was rated “fully compliant” on measures of academic progress.

•  The dropout rate fell from 4.5 percent in the 2010-11 school year to 2 percent in 2014-15.

• The high school graduation rate significantly increased from 74 percent in 2011-12 to 80 percent in 2014-15.
   

At Southside K-8, Weingarten and others saw kids getting dental checks in the SMILES dental van, robotics and yoga classes, a food program, a “shoes and socks” program, mentoring services and an explanation of mental health services that are provided.

Sustainability, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Workshop

Sent to: Faculty Development Network, Academic Affairs Council, Deans

***Please share widely***

This workshop is for faculty, administrators and staff of all disciplines, as well as community organizers and city officials and planners, who wish to interconnect and integrate sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion into their campus, curriculum and departments, with particular goals of:

1. Closing the opportunity gap for students of color and indigenous students; 
2. Connecting diversity and sustainability offices and initiatives on campus; 
3. Creating community partnerships and collaborations; 
4. Increasing equity, access and inclusion in organizations, programming and culture 
5. Standing in solidarity with students and community members; and 
6. Experiencing new ways to look at sustainability and diversity. 

Through an intensive, lively and fun three days of presentations, exercises, discussions, reflection and planning, participants will become familiar with approaches to recognize the interconnections of sustainability, diversity and equity. Participants will also experience a range of workshop strategies, be exposed to diverse perspectives and dialogue with colleagues from other disciplines and campuses as they gain skills in incorporating sustainability, diversity and inclusion in their syllabi, lesson plans and campus projects. Participants will also learn about community engagement projects that have created successful collaborations between higher education, K-12, tribal nations and city government.

Conference meals will be fresh, locally sourced from small businesses, including Fat Chance Food (Southern, Home-style cooking) and Root to Rise Kitchen (vegan deliciousness). The workshop will create space for discussion of how sustainability intersects with #blacklivesmatter, police reform, immigrant student rights, Dakota Access Pipeline and indigenous sovereignty, city government, planning and visioning, as well as other topics brought forward by participants. The workshop will include time outside in the campus gardens, farms and outdoor places, including a 5 acre student-run organic farm, the American Indian Medicine Garden and conventional agricultural research plots. Space and time will be devoted to discussion and reflection on place and on different ways of knowing and acting in the world.

The workshop will include presentation and Q&A about several diversity & sustainability models:

• Bemidji State University’s Sustainability Model 
• North Hennepin Community College’s Vision for Sustainability, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, including Student Diversity Affinity Groups and Community Organizing Class Partnership with the City of Brooklyn Parks 
• University of Minnesota’s Sustainability Leadership Program – Place, Relationships & Expression 
• Minnesota’s American Indian Civil Rights Tour (a joint project of presenters) 

General Information

Retreat Dates: The event will last three days from June 28-30, 2017. The program starts at 4 p.m. on the 28th and will end at 2 p.m. on the 30th. All participants are asked to be present for the duration of the event.
Location: University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment – St Paul Campus, 1954 Buford Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108
Registration Fee: $350 (AASHE members), $450 (AASHE non-members) – Includes programming and meals (starting with dinner on June 28; breakfast, lunch and dinner on June 29, breakfast and lunch on June 30)
Registration policies: deadlines and policies are listed here
Lodging: participants will book their own lodging. Suggested accommodations are available here
Event agenda: is available here.
Registration Deadline: June 2, 2017
Register today to secure your spot!

Participant Engagement:

This workshop is designed for attendees to participate fully throughout the three days in exercises, discussions, personal reflection and planning so that they come away from the workshop with an understanding of potential next steps they can take on their own campuses. The format will include opportunities for participants to bring forward topics from their own experiences to inform the discussion and gain insight from the perspectives of the presenters as well as fellow participants.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will leave the workshop with:

1. A clear understanding of the connections between Diversity, Sustainability, Equity and Inclusion 
2. How to increase representation and engagement of people of color and indigenous people in this work 
3. Knowledge and understanding of language and terms related to the interconnections of the work 
4. Understanding the importance of Coloring Sustainability 
5. A plan to execute on their own campus 
6. Ideas for funding 
7. The importance of building connections with student and community leaders 
8. Knowledge of working examples of successful partnerships between Higher Education, K-12, tribal nations, community organizations and city and county government 
9. Sample curriculum, diversity plans, affirmative action plans, diversity and sustainability models 
10. How to develop a support system and network of like-minded peers

2017-2018 MSCF Committee Opportunities

MSCF Members,

MSCF has the following opportunities available for members to serve on a state level MSCF committee for the 2017-18 academic year.  If you are interested, please forward your name, contact information, and the positions you are interested in to Jennie at jennie.howard@edmn.org, with a copy to me, kevin.lindstrom@edmn.org by Friday, May 26. 

MSCF Standing Committees

Academic Affairs Committee – 2 positions available

Faculty Rights Committee – 1 position available

Membership Recruitment and Engagement Committee – 1 position available

Racial Equity and Diversity Committee – 1 position available

Technology/e-Learning Committee – 1 position available

Joint Committees with MN State

Assessment for Course Placement – 1 position available

Defined Retirement Contribution – 1 position available

Meet and Confer – 1 position available

Transfer Oversight – 4 positions available

For the MSCF,

Kevin

Groundbreaking AFT Report Shines Light on Excessive Fees Crushing Workers' Retirements

For Immediate Release
May 15, 2017

Contact:
Andrew Crook
607-280-6603
acrook@aft.org
www.aft.org

Groundbreaking AFT Report Shines Light on Excessive Fees Crushing Workers’ Retirements

Halving Unjustifiable Fees Charged by Wall Street Fund Managers Would Save Billions, Boost Retirement Security

WASHINGTON—A new report released by the American Federation of Teachers has revealed billions in potential savings if pension funds slashed fees paid to Wall Street fund managers who invest in risky “alternative” assets such as hedge funds and private equity.

The report quantifies, for the first time, the massive wealth transfer from workers to Wall Street that has placed Americans’ retirement security in peril and led to fiscal crises on state balance sheets, with the cost ultimately borne by taxpayers.

“The Big Squeeze: How Money Managers’ Fees Crush State Budgets and Workers’ Retirement Hopes” documents the harm to pension funds and state budgets caused by the standard fund manager fee structure, where managers are paid up to 2 percent of assets under management, plus a “performance fee” (also known as carried interest) of up to 20 percent of annual profits.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said: “Rather than following Wall Street’s actions, which erode working people’s pensions by charging unjustifiable fees, this report provides a blueprint for retirement security that fuels economic growth and creates good jobs.

“By calling out these pernicious practices and working closely with pension trustees and legislative allies, we’ve begun to see fees cut and fee structures for hedge fund and private equity managers exposed.

“This is a win-win situation—revealing these practices means would-be fees are redirected back into retirement systems to address the so-called underfunding of the system and to ensure retirees can get the retirement security they’ve been promised.”

The report finds that if the fee structure had been halved, the 12 funds examined would have saved $3.8 billion per year in alternatives fees, for a total of $19 billion over the last five fiscal years. The average pension fund would have saved an estimated $317 million per year by cutting alternatives fees in half, or $1.6 billion over the last five fiscal years. In the future, the average pension fund will save an additional $1.8 billion after five years, $8 billion after 15 years, and $30 billion after 30 years.

In a majority of states, public pension funds are severely underfunded: According to a 2016 study, the average U.S. public pension fund is only 75 percent funded, and the total unfunded liability of state and local pension plans stands at $1 trillion.

The report recommends that pension funds divest from risky investments, properly disclose fees, adopt fee limits, establish a nonprofit organization to report fees, and develop and support legislation that mandates the publication of fees by fund and asset managers.

The report is the third in a series of investigations into excessive fees, following the publication of “Ranking Asset Managers” and “All That Glitters Is Not Gold.” On Friday, the report was reviewed by the AFT Trustee Council, the group that oversees AFT members’ retirement assets across multiple funds.

The full report is available here.

Board Policy and System Review & Comment Notification

TO:

Inter Faculty Organization

Minnesota State College Faculty
Minnesota State University Association of

     Administrative and Service Faculty
Minnesota State College Student Association
Minnesota State University Student Association

Minnesota Association of Professional Employees

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

Middle Management Association

Colleagues,

On behalf of Senior Vice Chancellor Ron Anderson, please share this correspondence with your leadership members, constituents, and other appropriate personnel for review and comment. The proposed amendments to Board Policy 3.32 College Faculty Credentialing and the proposed new System Procedure 3.35.4 World Language Credit Equivalencies are located on the new Policy and Procedure SharePoint site.  This site will be used by all divisions in the system office to disseminate proposed new or amended board policies and system procedures for review and comment.  Please submit all comments and feedback through this site which can be accessed with your StarID.

I appreciate your attention to this request and ask that you direct comments and questions to Gary Hunter at gary.hunter@minnstate.edu, 651-201-1659.

Responses are requested by June 8, 2017 

Best regards,

Gary

Gary Hunter, JD

System Director for Policy, Procedure, and Intellectual Property

Academic and Student Affairs

Minnesota State

30 East 7^th Street

St. Paul, MN 55101

Ph: (651)201-1659  I  www.minnstate.edu

AFT’s Weingarten on the AHCA

For Immediate Release

May 4, 2017

Contact: Michael Heenan

202-577-3941

mheenan@aft.org

www.alt.org

 

AFT’s Weingarten on the AHCA

WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten released the following statement on the American Health Care Act:

“Today is a dark day in the Republican-led House of Representatives. They have perpetrated a cruel hoax on America’s families and their quality of life.

“Seven years ago, Congress acted to create a healthier America. Today, President Trump and House Republicans turned back the clock to a time when many families were one illness away from bankruptcy or destitution and unable to access affordable healthcare.

“Without reading the bill or knowing the cost to the American taxpayers, Trumpcare strips healthcare coverage from millions of families to create new tax breaks for the wealthy.

“Let’s be clear: This bill robs millions of Americans of essential benefits like maternity and pediatric care, makes deep cuts to Medicaid that disproportionately punish low-income Americans and special needs students, and maintains the excise tax on working families’ group plans. And for the half of all Americans who obtain insurance through their employers, this bill puts them at risk of losing the current legal protections that cap out-of-pocket costs.”

Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten

Announcing See Educators Run

At NEA, we advocate for great public schools for every student. Recently, thousands of NEA members and millions of Americans marched, talked with their neighbors, and called their Senators to protest Betsy DeVos's nomination as Education Secretary. In her Senate hearings, DeVos proved what we all knew--she is completely unqualified for the job. She showed a complete lack of understanding of disability laws, performance standards, and the conditions educators and their students face each day. It is because she has never spent a day in a classroom.

Despite DeVos's confirmation, I have heard from NEA members across the country who are ready to do more to advocate for their students and community. I want to take this opportunity to ask you to join them and run for your local school board.

NEA is holding its first See Educators Run candidate training for members and family members who are considering running for public office. In this training, you will learn the fundamentals of how to prepare to become a candidate, fundraising, and communicating with voters.

Please use this link to apply for the training, which will take place June 2-4, 2017, in Dallas, Texas.