The delegates to the Assembly are planning to wear pink that day to demonstrate our solidarity with the thousands of teachers across the state who are being RIFed (and getting “pink slips”) because of the budget crisis in Illinois.

We would like to urge ALL our members to join us in a show of solidarity and wear pink on Friday, March 19.

It would be great if we could get some pictures of our members wearing pink to post on our BEA website and send to our legislators to ask them to do the right thing and fund education.

Please help to get the word out in your building to WEAR PINK ON FRIDAY!

If you plan on participating, please let IEA know by following this link and voting in the poll!

A very important way that you can help is by spreading the word and educating other members about this crucial initiative.  Your Invest in Excellence team, along with the IEA Communications Department produced a DVD that we have made available to every 35 members in the organization. 

The DVD is less than five minutes long and features IEA President Ken Swanson who welcomes IEA members back to school and gives them a brief introduction to the IEA’s quest for fair school funding.  This video is brief, relevant and easy to understand.  Your Invest in Excellence team has included starter questions with the video as well.  The questions are intended to guide a brief discussion after the video. (DVD’s and discussion guides are available at the IEA office if you’d like to show a copy in your building)

A new initiative of the Invest in Excellence campaign is sponsoring house meetings.  Would you like the opportunity to host an informational social gathering for ten to twelve friends, neighbors, and IEA members in order to spread the fair funding message?

Your Invest in Excellence team will be with you and support you every step of the way.  We’ll help with the guest list; provide the invitations, the speaker, theme and refreshments.  If you are interested in opening your home to help educate others about the broken funding system in Illinois, or if you need further information about the Invest in Excellence campaign, please contact kathy.vigardt@ieanea.org.   

IEA MEMBER “TO DO” LIST

1) Circle May 29th May 31st, the General Assembly’s adjournment date, on the calendar.
By midnight on May 31st, it is expected the legislature will make key decisions that will affect IEA members, including whether to offer future members inferior benefits.

2) Go to the IEA Website and click on “My IEA Profile” and make sure your Association has the proper information on you, including the email address you check most often.
There could be a last moment “call to action” in which members are asked to contact their senators and representatives.  In that case, you would receive an email with an alert and talking points.

3) Circle May 23 and 24 on your calendar. On those days, your local legislators will be in their home districts participating in Memorial Day public events in your community.  They might also have home district office hours.  Call their offices, find out where they will be on Saturday and Sunday. Get a group of your colleagues together and plan to meet with your legislators to talk to them about your issues and how you expect them to vote.

Specifically, tell them to:

• Oppose any proposal that would reduce benefits for future education employees.  Education employees didn’t cause the problem and the current benefits are reasonable and comparable to those in other states.
• Oppose any proposal to under fund the state pension systems.
• Support an income tax increase that will provide adequate funding to all public schools at all levels, preK through higher education.

4)  Make a mental note to keep checking the IEA Website.
It will be updated regularly as new developments occur.

The following video contains an important message from IEA President Ken Swanson and Interim Executive Director Patti Hodges, recorded May 16, 2009.

You can also browse the contract online by visiting our Contract pages.