Biennial convention coming up, By OEA-PIE Director June Buck

Our OEA-PIE Board meeting on January 7 overflowed with business relating to the OEA-PIE Convention coming up March 9-10, DoubleTree Hotel, Portland. Subcommittees reported on their work reviewing Bylaws and Policies, preparing questions for the candidates, both Legislative and statewide, and reviewing the Candidate Commitment to Positive Campaigning statement.

The last item was reviewed to avoid the negative activities that happened during the campaigning at our 2010 Convention.

Our members also are reminded that we only accept campaigning for a candidate and not against a candidate. Also, there was a lot of attention spent on details for the operation of the Convention, plus budget concerns and other items.

To attend you must have contributed to OEA-PIE before January. To get registered, go online to this website, www.oregoned.org/pie2012. Room reservations must be handled separately from registration so to be assured of a room call the hotel at 1-800-996-0510 and ask for the OEA Convention rate.

--------------------------------------------

Mark the date, By Dan Domenigoni

Have you marked February 20 on your calendar to be on the front steps of the Capitol in Salem? Formerly called OEA Lobby Day, this Presidents’ Day event is now A Day of Action.

The intent is to get as many people from all over the state to show up and really lean on our legislators to help them understand how important public education is to our state. The goal is to have each legislator booked with appointments from 9 a.m. to Noon, when we will rally on the steps of the Capitol until 1 p.m., then continue with appointments until around 4 p.m.

Contact your local UniServ office about buses, if you do not wish to drive.

--------------------------------------------

Annual event booked, By At Large Director Judy Richards

The OEA-Retired Annual Assembly will start at 9:30 a.m. on March 5 at the OEA UniServ Office, Salem. As usual we will have an interesting program for you. In the past, we have had Oregon’s Secretary of State and Attorney General, presentations on Oregon’s 150th birthday, the Oregon Trail and Oregon’s state parks and an adorable bob cat from Wildlife Images to name a few.

There will be door prizes, a chance to talk to old friends and make some new ones and good food, of course. So come to see what we have planned for you this time! We don’t think you will be disappointed. If you have questions please call me at 541-535-2329 or Greg Abbott at 503-620-6430 and be sure to fill out the Registration form on Page 7.

--------------------------------------------

Officers sought, By Nancy Giuliani

Not only are the national political elections looming on the horizon but also the 2012 OEA-Retired annual elections. Candidates are to be elected by mail ballot in March with terms beginning July 1, 2012.

Candidates are being sought for the following positions: president (two-year term), vice president (two-year term), Region I director (three-year term), at large director (three-year term) and OEA Representative Assembly delegate (22 or more positions dependent upon January membership, three year-term).

Nominations close with the adjournment of the March 5 Annual Assembly in Salem. Members who are interested in an electronic nominating form, which is encouraged by the Nominating Committee to avoid retyping and possible errors, should email Ardeth Woods at da37woods@molalla.net.

If you desire more information regarding any of these positions or a printed nominating form, contact one of the following committee members: Chair Nancy Giuliani, 541-265-8521; Jeanne Mackie, 503-659-3285; Marleen Wallingford, 503-526-1340 or marleenwong@gmail.com, or Woods.

The committee also is interested in suggestions of retired members who might be approached to serve as an officer or delegate.

--------------------------------------------

Will you be there!

OEA’s A Day of Action, on President’s Day, February 20, in Salem on the Capitol steps to give our message to our state legislators.

--------------------------------------------

Random remarks, By President Martin A. Bronstein

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy, Healthy New Year! Every time I greet a new year, I mark it off as a milestone of survival (I do that with birthdays, too!). As we have all remarked many times before (probably more times than we care to remember), this year should be an interesting one.

As you may have noticed, 2012 will be noted for the continuing saga of those who want to be President of the United States. They have essentially been running since November 4, 2008, when Barack Obama was elected as the 44th president. I’m certain that it wasn’t the first time that potential presidential hopefuls haven’t even waited for the last votes to be counted to start fantasizing about being the next president – and, I’m afraid that it won’t be the last!

If we all thought that the last several presidential and general election campaigns have been particularly nasty and downright ugly, watch the 2012 campaigns! I am certain that we will reach new lows when it comes to honesty, truth and the American way of life! Couple that with the voting public being bludgeoned into submission with 30-second sound bites and bumper stickers that are supposed to represent substantive presentations of the candidate’s real policy perspectives and deep thinking about the real issues that are impacting all of us on a daily basis, and we will wind up with the inept, partisan, entrenched nincompoops that we always seem to get – once, again!

I keep imagining (and hoping) that the American public will do what I always hoped my students would do, pay attention for longer than 30 seconds, do their own homework and be as informed as possible when voting, I mean when answering a proposed question or inquiry! I’m afraid that longstanding political ideological philosophies (whether real or imagined), contrived caricatures of political opponents, deep-seated belief systems and family histories all play a more fundamental role in our political decision-making than careful research, honest policy debate and, fundamentally, doing what is right to address and fix our most pressing needs and problems.

It is a system of our own creation. As for making a political resolution for 2012, I’m going to try to be more diligent in my political assessment of the candidates and their positions – and then do what I what I always do (what we all do), go with my instincts and my gut reactions to the candidates – and choose the lesser of the evils! Anybody have any better ideas out there?

On another note, I am hoping that 2012 will be another year for great things for OEA-Retired. This last year was noteworthy for the extraordinary number of books we distributed around the state with our ever-expanding Literacy Project, the funds we continue to raise for the OEA Foundation that directly help students and families who are in need of some basic things that many of us take for granted – our families and friends – for continuing to learn new things (ask me about my discovery of the joys of a smart phone) and for staying committed to maintaining good health and, for Pete’s sake (whomever the heck Pete is or was), having fun!

Reminders for 2012 events include OEA’s “Strong Schools, Strong Oregon - A Day of Action” event planned for February 20 on the steps of the Capitol. The goal is thousands of us (colleagues, students, friends, family) showing our strength in numbers and sending the message that we believe that strong schools support strong families, communities and a stronger Oregon!

It should be a great event and will send a great message that many of us believe that Oregon can do better in its commitment for more adequate and stable funding for our public schools. Feel free to bring as many other folks as you can.

Other great events are the March 5 OEA‐Retired Annual Assembly – it will be a day of great presentations – the March 9-10 biennial OEA‐PIE Convention and, finally, the April 20‐21 OEA RA.

Please log on to our OEA‐Retired webpages on the OEA website at www.oregoned.org for any additional information. Click on “Members” at the top of the home page and scroll down to “OEA-Retired” to find us.

--------------------------------------------

OEA Board meets, By OEA Director Paul Zastow

The OEA Board of Directors meets some five or six times per year, giving interim direction for OEA operations, programs and such. Some meetings are two-full days in length, while others just a Friday evening, Saturday day meeting time frame.

When we have the full, two-day meetings, we normally work on some aspect of our Strategic Action Planning process, affirmed at the OEA Representative Assembly last year. This year there have been a number of groups working to spell out how the collective OEA will respond and react to this mandate – with much more to come and be presented at this year’s Representative Assembly.

The Structures Committee has worked on such things as cost-cutting measures that could possibly be taken without overly negatively impacting OEA. Even so, there are controversial aspects to its report that will be dealt with by the OEA Board at its January 27‐28 meeting at the OEA Headquarters in Tigard.

One such recommendation may be to reallocate numbers for RA delegates, a change in Board and/or UniServ Districts, changes in how Goal Area committees operate and other potential changes.

Another committee, Reshaping Politics – that I serve on – may ask for a greater emphasis on becoming more proactive at all levels: the local district through the state level, with better coordination at UniServ, PIE, LAC and Cabinet levels.

Prior to the Board meeting, a summary report was to be issued about January 5 covering all four of the different committees and their recommendations. The Board will have the opportunity for two different teleconferences (January 17 and 19) to make comments and give insights on the different parts of the preliminary reports.

Any subsequent recommendations from these reports will first be approved by the Board for referral to the delegates at the 2012 RA. I am sure that a thorough vetting of each and every issue will precede any vote and adoption. However, we must be vigilant to ensure our voice is heard, that we never lose focus of the OEA being a member-driven organization and that whatever is undertaken is one with the best interests of members in mind – including not only equity but sustainability.

Collective bargaining with both of our employee unions is going slowly and has proceeded to the mediation level, asking for assistance to try to achieve equitable contracts that allow for sustainable and long-term understandings. With fewer OEA members and decreased funding, plus a projected deficit of about $1.4 million this year alone, overall OEA costs must be reined in.

OEA-Retired members have, in the past, been a very respected group of OEA members. I, at times, question how well we live up to our expectations and what others truly think of us. Seems there are some who only want service out of us – to do work they are unwilling to perform.

Then there are those who feel we are less than a member, thus need not be counted in the same way other OEA members are. Lastly, there are those who seem to fear what is perceived as our collective power – perhaps without thinking that our numbers of around 2,000 members has been fairly steady the past 10 years – and that our elected OEA-Retired Board members/RA Delegates have been the local, UniServ and statewide leaders of the near to far past – and as such, have a wealth of experience and advice that can be tapped.

At its November 4-5 meeting, the Board, approved several appointments to committees and task forces, asked Governor Kitzhaber to declare November 16 as ESP Day, ratified a declaration in opposition to Initiative Petition 3 – Sizemore’s latest effort, approved a proposed bylaw to change dues structure from .0084 to .00939 of the teachers’ average salary – it gives the same dollar amount – and encouraged all Board member to have correct contact information on the website for member use.

I remain your servant to communicate your wants, ideas and needs or at the very least, give you an answer.

--------------------------------------------

Goals set, By Dan Domenigoni

In preparation for the February session of the state legislature, the OEA Legislative Advisory Council met January 7 and decided not to make any changes to the legislative objectives for this year but to continue to solicit ideas for consideration for the next cycle.

Much was made of the OEIB, the Oregon Education Investment Board proposals, the new agency set up by the 2011 legislature to oversee pre-kindergarten through college education.

Vice President Hanna Vaandering, the only classroom teacher on the Board, said she was doing her best to remind the other Board members of what is really important to public education, education professionals and students.

Anyone who has questions about the OEIB should contact Hanna at hanna.vaandering@oregoned.org.

For those who like to keep track of legislation as it works its way through the somewhat convoluted process, the Bill Track Oregon page is a good place to go and it can be found at www.billtrackor.com, where you can sign up.

--------------------------------------------

Trip set for Down Under, By Nancy Lewis

Most of us have in our minds the trip we always have dreamed of taking but never got around to. If your dream trip has been a tour of New Zealand and Australia, your dreams are about to come true.

OEA-Retired, in its usual partnership with Collette Vacations, is promoting “From the Outback to the Glaciers” and is your chance to see both countries over 20 days. You will arrive first in Melbourne and have a chance to explore that beautiful city.

Next you will travel by air to Ayers Rock and Alice Springs, including a visit with a young aboriginal music group. And then, another hop by air to Cairns to visit the Great Barrier Reef in a glass bottom boat. The final stop in Australia is beautiful Sydney for a rain forest, Koala Park to see the different wild life of Australia and a tour of the unique Sydney Opera House.

On day 13 of the trip, you will fly to Christchurch, New Zealand, to tour the Southern Alps, Queenstown and Mt Cook.

On day 20, your tour ends in Christchurch to fly home or you can stay longer on your own. The 20-day tour includes airfare, 25 meals, a professional tour manager and baggage handling from quality hotel to quality hotel. The trip leaves Portland on November 8, 2012 and will arrive Down Under in their late spring.

The cost will be about $7,500 per person, double occupancy, and includes all of the above and optional travel cancelation insurance. Single traveler’s rate is $9,350. Reserved space can be made by making a refundable deposit of $250.

I traveled with Collette Vacations this year to South Africa and was impressed with the tour guide and the quality of the program and hotels. It was a great trip!

I have also been to Australia and New Zealand and highly recommend a visit there. Just writing this information brought back so many memories. Don’t miss this chance to fulfill a dream!

To sign up for this tour, you must contact me at 503-639-7050 to get signed up. Do not go on Collette’s website.

--------------------------------------------

540 books passed out, By Janet Jackson

We continue to distribute books to fulfill our mission of “puttng books into the hands and homes of Oregon children.” In the last few months we have given 69 books to Elmonica School Headstart (Beaverton), 105 to Cannon Beach Elementary School, 206 to Astor Elementary School (Astoria) and 60 to The School of Autism (Northeast Portland). But the most rewarding were the 100 books we sent to Dayville Elementary School.

I was planning a trip to Eastern Oregon, so I looked for somewhere along the way to drop off some books. I didn’t get a response in time but after my return, I received an enthusiastic email from first-year teacher Carrie Chouinard at Dayville. She sent a picture of the nearly-bare bookcase in her three-four- grade classroom.

The Literacy Committee decided to send books for the eight children to take home as well as to fill up the bookcase. We received a wonderful collection of photos and a letter from each student and the teacher.

Here are a few letter excerpts:

• Ms. Chouinard said, “Thank you for your kind generosity in providing books for our classroom. My students’ joy and excitement has settled into an earnest pursuit of reading ... The students were really touched by the fact that there are people whom they haven’t met that care about them and also want them to be good readers.”

• Sarah said, “I will cherish the memory of when the books arrived forever.”

• Beau said, “I feel great to have some high quality books to read. I love the books because now I have something to read.”

• Kaitlyn said, “The book I chose is “Ella Enchanted.” It has 232 pages. Now that’s a challenging book!”

• Frank said, “I like the science ones a lot. I learned the ribs of the turtle is the shell. And I also learned that our fingernails are the same as the scales of a snake.”

• Krystle said, “I appreciate what you have done for our class. I was excited that we got new books for our classroom.”

• Mercedes said, “I feel happy because I get to keep the book I chose from you.”

• Denali said, “When I saw the books I felt so excited!”

• Jake said, “I love the books you sent us. Now our bookshelf is almost full of books.”

There is clearly no doubt that we are having a positive effect on Oregon’s children. Thank you for your generous donations. If you have a place in your community that could use some of our books, let me know at 503-357-8753 or gogirl2@comcast.net.

--------------------------------------------

South Africa trip done

Editor’s note: The following article compiles the impressions by four of the individuals who traveled on the October 24-November 6 OEA-Retired-sponsored trip to South Africa.

Darlene Cook: As retired educators, a highlight of our trip was a visit to a preschool in Knysna. The preschool, which serves infants through ages six or seven, is one of 36 schools supported by the Knysna Education Trust. By concentrating at the pre-school level, the program insures that the children are well nourished and developmentally stimulated by the time they enter formal education. According to Trust personnel, many of the schools are in a shocking state of disrepair with leaking roofs, damp mud floors and poor hygienic facilities and many do not have running water.

The school we visited is in good shape, however, thanks to the Trust and support from the Collette Foundation. Classrooms are clean, furnished and colorfully painted. Students have access to well-balanced meals, a caring staff, age‐level curriculum and developmentally appropriate playground equipment.

But even with the support, each school is in constant need of materials and supplies. Many in our tour group brought supplies from home, while others contributed monetarily. Walking through the community to get to the school, we saw first hand the meager living conditions of the people.

The highlight of the afternoon was seeing the bright smiles of the children. They were eager to meet us and to share the songs and dances they had learned. They recited the alphabet, sang their national hymn and even performed "Happy Birthday" in English.

Not all South African children are able to attend preschool, but education is compulsory for all students from the age of seven to age 15 or the completion of grade nine.

The government has an obligation to make education available and accessible. With schools receiving approximately 20 percent of state expenditures, South Africa has one of the highest rates of public investment in education in the world.

Schooling is not free however. Families are expected to contribute to their children's educational needs.

Nancy Lewis: The Dutch who settled South Africa and became known as Afrikaners were Old Testament Bible followers who believed that the native African people were meant to be slaves and servants. And so in the beginning, they treated the indigenous people much as they did the animals and either killed them or tried to domesticate them.

Not all of the African people were willing to settle for this status and they fought for their land and their status but in the end the native peoples were subjugated.

When the British ended slavery and won the Boer War against the Afrikaners, they united the country and eventually obtained independence from Britain. But in 1948, the Africaners’ Nationalist Party took control of the country and began the process called Apartheid, of insuring the white population, which is about nine percent of the population, would control the rest.

At first Apartheid was just restricting the rights of black and brown people who never had full rights anyway so it did not seem so bad. But then it became an ultra extreme form of segregation.

African people were not allowed to own property and were expected to live on tribal reservations, established on the poorest land. A black person could not legally travel off the reservation without a passbook, so men traveled to find work in the mines and the cities while most women and children stayed home.

The single men were expected to live in slum barracks. Huge shanty-towns grew up on the outskirts of the cities where the women worked as house servants in the homes of the whites and the men at manual labor. Every job was classified as black or white. Always the white man had to be the boss/supervisor. The pay for blacks was a pittance of what it was for whites.

Work ended with sufficient time for the Africans to escape the city by nightfall as black person could be out after dark. The children were allowed to go to schools provided by the government (missionary schools were outlawed) but at great expense to the family so many did not. The curriculum was designed by the government to insure that black children would not learn beyond their station in life.

The police rousted people for minor or made up infractions of the many laws that restricted their rights. The bread winner of the household might end up in jail at anytime and then the family truly suffered. The white community might decide that the land on which the Africans squatted was wanted for other purposes and so the bulldozers would come in the night, wipe out homes and drag people to jail who resisted.

It was a hideous life and went on for almost fifty years. The pressure of the African groups within and without South Africa, and from the entire world, eventually brought the Afrikaner government to realize they could not sustain Apartheid without major loss and blood shed. So the process of freeing prisoners from jail and negotiating a peace and a new government began.

Nelson Mandela became the spokesperson for the African people and in 1994 he was elected President of South Africa. The Apartheid rules were abolished and equality before the law became the law but the transition to true equality was difficult.

The blacks were uneducated and unprepared to run a country. Old loyalties had to be rewarded and so patronage replaced appointment on merit. Tribal concepts of personal property and capitalism often conflict. And just because the government changed, it did not change the distribution of wealth in the country.

Today in South Africa you still see acres and acres of land filled with the shacks of African squatters. And you drive past acres and acres of prime farmland owned by white farmers with a squatters’ camp for Africans in one corner.

In hotels and restaurants black people are kitchen help, wait staff and bus boys and the white man is the chef or boss. There are schools today, but finding people to staff them among an uneducated population has been difficult. And children who run free in the slums are often not capable of adapting to the expectations of a school.

There is hope for the country. When you look into the faces of those earnest and eager children you know the capacity is there. We can just hope that given time, South Africa can become a country where people are truly equal and where life is good and the effects of Apartheid are no longer apparent.

Veronica Williams: We had lunch in Chinotimloa Township, Zimbabwe in a small, neat white home that sat back from the road by large mango trees, it is the home of Flater Neube, our host, just outside of Victoria Falls.

Most days she works as a maid for a family in the tourism business but this Sunday she and several of her nieces are hosting us for an authentic lunch in their homes. She began this side business several years ago and tells us it is going well. She said visitors enjoy meeting the people of Zimbabwe and learning a bit about their lives and she enjoys the opportunity to meet then and learn about life in their country.

Lunch was a variety of the familiar and the unusual. Served with a polenta made from maize, we enjoyed chicken, a beef stew, vegetables, as well as local delicacies of small, whole sardines and fried worms – a caterpillar a special tree. The most interesting part of our conversation was answering her questions about life in the US.

Cynthia Doran: Our Chobe safari included a morning on a boat on the river. Being afloat put us in an excellent position to see the animals as they came down to the river to quench their thirst or to play in the mud. Although I’m not known as an animal person, I was thrilled to see a herd of elephants, silhouetted among the trees, walking along the ridge above the river.

The adults strode carefully in single file, while the babies scampered along beside their mothers. It was like something out of the movies. As we continued to watch, the herd descended to the river. The leader waited as they came together at the edge of the water. They lingered only momentarily and then began to cross the river, again single file, right before our eyes.

The mothers tended to the young and eventually they all arrived at the island on the other side, where the grass was definitely greener. To have watched such a procession, and to have it be so near at hand, was an amazing experience. The elephants walked with such dignity and were so conscious of themselves as a group.

One couldn’t help but ponder the order of the universe and our place in it. It was truly an awe-inspiring experience.

--------------------------------------------

OEA-RETIRED ANNUAL ASSEMBLY REGISTRATION

March 5, 2012 ~ Salem/Mid-Valley UniServ Office
9:30 a.m.: Registration & Refreshments ~ 10 a.m.: Assembly Welcome

Directions To Salem/Mid-Valley UniServ Office
From I-5, take the Salem Market Street Exit. Go East and turn left onto Lancaster Drive, left onto Wolverine and then right onto Coral Avenue to 2540 Coral (on right side).

SEND THE REGISTRATION FORM AND CHECK, MADE OUT TO OEA, TO:
Barbara Hodgson
884 Win Way
Eagle Point, OR 97524
541-830-5090
bbhodgson@charter.net

CONFERENCE FEE INCLUDES LUNCH.
AFTER WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, FEE WILL BE $20 & $25.

--------Cut Here-----------------
OEA-RETIRED ANNUAL ASSEMBLY REGISTRATION
March 5, 2012 ~ Salem/Mid-Valley UniServ Office

Member Name(s) _______________________ $15 X _____ = ________

Guest Name(s) ________________________  $20 X _____ = ________

TOTAL ENCLOSED ________

--------------------------------------------

CAT fires up, By Don Colgan

The OEA Congressional Advocacy Team Team met in Tigard on December 3. It was a productive meeting because it provided the opportunity to get energized for the exciting but difficult political battles looming in 2012.

For one thing, we must continue to rail against the extreme positions taken by a sizable group within the Congress: draconian cuts to domestic programs, overturning most if not all of the health care bill, deficit reduction at the expense of the middle class and severely restricting the rights of workers.

NEA has developed a set of important priorities to focus on as we move forward. These fall under the following titles of: ESEA (relief from NCLB's flawed priorities), Educator Jobs and School Modernization, Funding (pre-K to post-graduate), Retirement Security, Protecting Public Education from Privatization, Support for ESPs and passing the DREAM Act for Higher Education.

Our own Senator Merkley has been instrumental in getting an amendment inserted into the ESEA markup which gives states more flexibility in creating turnaround models that focus on collaboration. He should be thanked for his efforts on our behalf. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for an ESEA Reauthorization discussion, possibly as early as February.

In addition to these highlights, we also received updates on a waiver package for states needing relief from NCLB's labels and one-size-fits-all interventions. More than 10 states have applied for such a waiver, including Oregon.

Another area of focus is an extremely tough fight against massive cuts to education (i.e. "sequestration") scheduled to begin in January 2013 as a result of the so-called Super Committee utterly failing to agree on a plan to cut 1.2 trillion dollars from the federal budget.

2012 is upon us! Let's gear up for the critical struggle ahead. The PIE Convention on March 9 and 10 will be an excellent opportunity for our voices to be heard as we decide which candidates best exemplify the ideals and principles of our organization. Regardless of your party affiliation, speak up! Let our candidates know how much we need their progressive leadership. Also continue to communicate with our members of Congress on our issues.

--------------------------------------------

Thought for the Day

When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty.

--------------------------------------------