END OF YEAR NEWS

Dear Staff:

JUNE 30 PAYCHECK: As per your request, the June 30 check will be issued on June 30 rather than the last day of school. It will be direct deposited. Your attendance will be emailed to you for report cards later this month. All unused personal days will disappear June 22, sick days carry over.

HEALTH & PENSION: NJ School Boards Association published a comparison of the two different bills being proposed in the legislature: http://www.njsba.org/sb_notes/20110329/pension.html
We will have to wait for the final outcome, but it does seem likely that some changes in our pensions and state health benefits plan will be enacted. We will keep you posted. We will have an employee committee on health benefits to study the changes and make recommendations to the staff regarding the possibility of switching health plans.

ORDERING: You all received printouts of the School Specialty and Staples catalogs. You may order from these and other contracts online at www.hcesc.com. Click on Cooperative Pricing to order; register first (don't forget your password, or just use "elysian2"). Classroom teachers get $500 to order from any vendor you wish (If the vendor is not on www.hcesc.com just fill out a paper requisition, which was attached to your package.) You may still use paper if you prefer it to online. Please submit orders to me by the end of June.

PROTECT YOUR CAREER: It came to my attention at the NJASBO conference that teachers should have their own private professional liability insurance. The school carries insurance to protect you but teachers in district schools also have their own policy provided by the union. There is a group called Association of American Educators that offers such a policy to many charter school teachers across the country for a membership fee of $15 per month. Please let me know if you would like to sign up; I recommend it.

GOOD NEWS: The Governor has made a temporary adjustment to next year's budget which will allow us to restore our emergency fund to avoid future layoffs. This is not a permanent increase but will add to our financial stability. We will select a staff representative to join the long-term financial planning group for the school, including the salary scale. The salary scale is frozen as long as the budget is frozen; there will be no moves up to higher steps or increases in the step amounts until there is a change in funding. The Board is exploring how to increase teacher pay.

PHONES: A new phone system will be installed this summer, since we discovered we can rent new phones for the same rental amount as the old ones.

PARTITION of ART/SPECIAL ED ROOM: The City approved our architectural drawing and the work will begin after school closes. Carmen will also rip up carpet and refinish floors in some rooms.