TEACHER ORDERING and End of Year Update 2012

Each staff member will again receive a budget of $500, except for specialists.  You are being provided today with the vendor contract information for the Hunterdon County Educational Services Bidding.

You may go online at www.hcesc.com.  If you registered last year, use your email to login.  Click on “competitive bidding”.  If you forgot your password, try “elysian1” or “elysian2”.  If that does not work, click on “forgot my password”.  If you have not registered, click on “register”.

Click on the bid name (Office Supplies, School Supplies, Science Supplies, etc).  Click on the items you want and select quantity.  When you are done go to view cart and then you can submit the order and we will process it.

If you wish to use a non-contracted vendor that accepts public school purchase orders or you prefer to work on paper rather than online please fill out the requisition form.  Paper catalogs are available in the office.

Staples no longer contracts with HCES but they have a state contract.  Pick out what you want online and enter it on the paper requisition form.

Your final June paycheck will be direct deposited on June 29.  New health deductions begin July 15. I will be sending you the amounts shortly.  There will be no summer pension deductions or flexible spending account deductions for teachers.  New Flex participation forms for next year are in your mailbox.  Please fill it out and sign it even if you do not wish to participate, we need proof that it was offered to everyone.  Please return via Tracey’s mailbox by June 15, 2012.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Tracey and Kathy

Proposed IRS Charter School Pension Rules

Here's a link to the Education Week article. Within it are links to comment to the IRS. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/02/hill_lawmakers_concerned_about.html?print=

The Board has enlisted Professor Charles Auffant of Rutgers University Law School to do a pro-bono review of the bylaws. The revised bylaws will be voted upon at the Annual Meeting. They are posted on the school website for your review. http://www.ecsnj.org/board/board.aspx
The most significant changes are:
1. To formalize the voting rights of part time employees
2. To formalize the fact that employees on leave do not vote
3. To update the bylaws to include electronic notifications
4. To substitute "Finance Committee Chair" for Treasurer as per recent changes in State Law
5. To clarify requirements that no candidates may have a business/financial relationship with the school
6. To clarify that board candidates may run for public office but must withdraw/resign if their campaign is successful
7. To clarify election rules in case of tie
8. To clarify requirements for calling a Special Meeting

Wednesday January 10, 2012 Staff Meeting

Harry has asked me to address the staff meeting so I am also putting the information I will give you Wednesday in writing for your reference and for those unable to attend.

Please note: due to problems with our bank, you will receive a paper check Friday. Direct Deposit should resume for the Jan 30 check. We apologize for this inconvenience.

1.Charter School Advocacy: last Wednesday night parents from all 3 Hoboken charter schools attended our PTSO meeting to learn how we can fight for more funds for charter schools. Our budgets are frozen (new charters are receiving even less money) and we need funds to be able to keep up with rising costs.

Three lobbyists spoke:
Jay Wright from the NJ Charter School Association
Derrell Bradford executive director, B4kidsNJ
Kathleen Nugent, executive director, NJ Democrats for Education Reform
They encouraged us to write and call our legislators.
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp

State Senator Brian Stack 5801 Palisade Ave., West New York, NJ 07093
Phone: (201) 861-5091
301 45th St., 1st Floor, Union City, NJ 07087 Phone: (201) 558-7926

State Assemblyman Ruben Ramos 70 Hudson St., 7th Floor, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Phone: (201) 714-4960

The above website has names and contact information for your legislator. Please call, email or write and ask for more funding for charter schools. Ask them to vote for new Legislation proposing a new charter school funding formula. Tell them:
All students deserve a quality education
Charters should receive equal funding
Charters should receive facilities funding
Charters should receive autonomy in exchange for accountability

2. Health
We have made some budget adjustments to allow us to maintain health care contributions at the current rate temporarily. However, rates will increase in the fall and increase yet again next January.

We have solicited proposals from private health insurance companies. Several companies were unable to submit a quote lower than our current State Plan. Several companies submitted Private High Deductible Plan quotes lower than our current plan. A committee has been established to review the proposals. Susan Gilbertson, Diane DeSombre, and John Rutledge are currently members, other staff are welcome to join.

The main advantage to joining a private plan is the lower price. The school takes the risk of absorbing the higher deductible for the employee, gambling that most employees will never reach it.

Disadvantages are:
1. Private plans offer only 1 insurer by law. State plan offers 3. This will mean that 2 out of the 3 insurers will be dropped, forcing employees to switch doctors.
2. Private plans offer lesser benefits, such as paying only half of emergency room, hospitalization, scans, X-rays, mammograms etc. Staff would need to be willing to risk higher out of pocket costs in return for lower premiums.
3. Small group plans are known for coming in low and rising astronomically in future years. (Ethical went up 50% in the second year).

For these reasons the committee will be considering alternatives to our current health plan very carefully. The results of the recent staff health survey are also being compiled for the committee's use.

We also can control costs by making a change in how much the school pays toward health benefits of employees on maternity leave. The school has been paying 100% of the health costs up to 9 months, which runs up to $13,000. If that is reduced to cover only disability and family leave, which lasts 4.5 months, the cost would be half. If the employee wished to stay out longer, they would pick up the entire health cost of $1700 per month. This is the policy in other charters and NJ school districts.

The committee will also consider moving out of Direct 10 into Direct 15, which is slightly cheaper.

By working together as a group to understand our financial options we can make decisions together in the best long term interest of the school, rather than having decisions imposed on us. We are all in this together!

Health Benefits Mobile Phone Applications

State Health Benefits Program and
School Employees' Health Benefits Program

HEALTH BENEFITS MOBILE PHONE APPLICATIONS
Personalized information in the palm of your hand

Aetna, CIGNA, and Horizon have developed applications for the iPhone, smartphones, and other web-enabled mobile devices to provide State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) or School Employees’ Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) members with plan information "on the go."

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. has also developed the Medco Pharmacy mobile app for its Prescription Plan, now available at no cost on BlackBerry® and Android™ smartphones using the Verizon Wireless network.

Reminders

Dear Teachers and Staff:

As you know, a new law has been passed to fund the New Jersey pension system. Although we will have to contribute an additional 1% beginning in October, it also means the state will be required to make contributions to the pensions, which had not been happening in the past. The state requires us to make pension deductions on a 10 month basis. PLEASE NOTE: Some of you have divided up your salary so that you will get more during the year and not have bigger summer paychecks. Please feel free to see me to make those arrangements.

Also please note that President Obama is increasing our Social Security payments back to 7.65% in January 2012.

Health Insurance: The new law also required increased contributions by employees to their premiums, but Elysian employees are already paying a sufficient amount to meet the new rules. We are hoping that there will be no increase in health premiums in January due to the new options being offered in the School Employees Health Benefits Plan.

Dropbox.com and Google.com Documents: Dropbox is a free storage website where you may upload and save documents. Google documents is the same. This may be an efficient way for students to maintain their documents rather than on a flash drive, which is often lost. Open Office.com is a good source of free word processing and spreadsheet software. Tutorials on all of these websites show you how to use them.

Note from our Stevens Work Study Student, Matt Witowski:
"Google Tools is an excellent replacement for computers missing Microsoft Office. It has everything that Microsoft Office has, but in a lighter form. This means that it will run a lot faster, becaus it has some features that are not needed, such as macros. When you save documents you have the option of saving them to your google account so they can be accessed and downloaded from anywhere. You can also upload any Microsoft Office documents and save them to your google account. Google Tools also allows you to edit any uploaded files. You have to have a gmail account, and it is recommended to use the Google Chrome browser. In my opinion Google Chrome should be used over any other internet browser just because it is much faster. "

Microsoft Office Equivalents:

Google docs = Microsoft Word
Google presentation = Microsoft Power Point
Google spreadsheet = Microsoft Excel

Nutshell
PROS
Faster than all Microsoft Office software
Documents stored online automatically
Documents can easily be uploaded and downloaded
No problem with documents on lost flash drives
Free!

CONS
You need a gmail account
You need internet access
Google chrome recommended
Some advanced features not available

Thanks Matt for your analysis. Gaby Khoury is also assisting us from Stevens with IT work. And Damian Pizzo is on call as our IT professional. Dont forget to fill out a form and give it to Mike if you need help. That's how the IT people get their to-do list. They are also available for computer tutorials.

Website forms: Additional forms and information for parents are now posted on the school website, www.ecsnj.org, along with other documents and forms for staff. Please send me anything you would like parents to be able to access online. And don't forget to submit class trip forms promptly so they can be posted on payschools for payment.

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.

Proposed Changes in Elysian Bylaws

Dear Staff:

On January 28 at the Chili Dinner, the Board of Trustees has called a Special Member Meeting to vote on 2 changes to the Bylaws:
1. To increase the term limits of Board members from 2 to 3 terms (terms remain at 2 years)
2. To allow nonparent Board members to vote in Board member elections

At our staff meeting the changes were discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Why can't this wait until the regularly scheduled March meeting?
Because we need to know who will be eligible to run before the meeting so the ballot can be prepared.
2. Will this result in the Board members becoming entrenched?
The community retains the right to reject this proposal and to vote against individual board candidates. The tradeoff of keeping more experienced, better informed and more knowledgeable Board members is balanced by the benefits in trustee knowledge gained over 6 years versus 4. This is a relatively minor increase in Board member longevity. We are not talking about unlimited terms. (By the way, many NJ charter schools have appointed, not elected, Board members with unlimited terms. Often this longevity and depth of experience results in successful facilities aquisition.) There are many discussions of the pros and cons of term limits for trustees of nonprofits online if you care to research it in the next three weeks.
3. What is the issue of nonparent Board members voting?Pam Cushing, as a retired and not a current staff member or parent, was not eligible to vote in the last board election. The board agrees that Pam or any other nonparent Board members should be eligible to cast her vote in the elections given her dedication to the school.
4. Why is the Special Members meeting being held at the Chili Dinner?
Since it can be difficult to obtain enough attendees for a quorum it seemed an opportune time, since the Chili Dinner is expected to be well attended.

If anyone has other thoughts and comments, please feel free to submit them and I will post them on the blog so that they may be shared with your colleagues.

Kathy Mone

Charter School Reform Agenda

Dear Staff: Below please find reforms being proposed in Trenton which will be very helpful to our charter school, particularly in requiring public school districts to identify unutilized space in public school buildings and allowing charter schools to have the first opportunity to rent the space:

The Reform Agenda: Education is the Civil Rights Issue of Today Challenging the system to grow high-quality charter schools, spur innovation and create public school choice “First of all its about more charter schools in New Jersey…a robust public interdistrict choice program…the Education Opportunity Scholarship bill…that will permit, over the course of time, thousands and thousands of children to pursue educational choice…A single mom in Newark, working two jobs to keep a roof over her child's head, should have no less of an ability to make that choice than my wife and I had to make that choice for our children. Her child's life is no less precious than ours. Her child's future is no less promising than ours. And the great things that her child will do with his or hers education, will mean just as much to the great state of New Jersey as what our children will do with their education.” - Governor Chris Christie, Remarks to the American Federation of Children National Policy Summit Dinner in Washington, D.C. 5/3/10 Giving All Children the Same Hope and Opportunity that Comes from a Top-Notch Education The need for improved school choice could not be more urgent. New Jersey public education continues to grapple with the serious challenges of failing schools, a wide achievement gap and a lack of choice – and hope – for families. Today, 104,000 students are trapped in 205 chronically failing schools in New Jersey. In 2009, forty percent of New Jersey’s African-American and 32 percent of Hispanic students were unable to meet basic standards on a national test. Likewise, New Jersey’s education system has failed to prepare vast numbers of students with the critical skills required to be competitive in college or the workforce. In 2009, nearly 30 percent of all 8th graders statewide lacked basic math skills. Generations of families, throughout the state and in urban communities, have been promised meaningful change and given hope that their children would receive the educational opportunities deserve. Yet, decade after decade, these promises have failed to materialize and the hope for a better future has been stolen from generations of New Jersey families.
To change these unacceptable results, Governor Christie’s Reform Agenda removes hurdles and roadblocks to expanding and growing high-quality charter schools, empowers parents with greater choice and provides flexibility for charter school to adopt innovative and creative teaching methods that meet the needs of the community.
Fulfilling New Jersey’s Obligation to Children and Parents: Providing an Alternative to Failing Schools
In order to change the status quo, parents must be given options. It is unacceptable for children to be trapped in failing schools without any hope. Despite some of the highest levels of education spending in the entire nation, New Jersey’s public schools continue to confront a critical achievement gap that shortchanges our children. The achievement gap between wealthy and low-income 8th graders in math is nearly the same today as it was 19 years ago; the gap between at-risk 4th graders and those not at-risk has remained nearly unchanged over the past 13 years.
The Christie Reform Plan removes barriers to growing and expanding successful charter schools already in New Jersey, opens the doors to world-class charter school operators and increases the ability to innovate in the classroom.
Overhauling New Jersey’s Charter School Laws to Encourage Growth and Expansion. Sweeping changes to New Jersey’s charter school laws are needed to remove barriers and roadblocks to growth. Today, the laws and rules governing charter schools act as a deterrent to growth instead of fostering expansion. It is time to aggressively encourage some of the nation’s most-respected and successful charter school operators, such as Mastery, Achievement First and Green Dot, to
Charter Schools in New Jersey
73 charter schools are operating in New Jersey, serving 26,000 students.
Over 11,000 students are on charter school waiting lists.
New Jersey charter schools serve roughly 1.4% of the K‐12 student population in the state.
Cities with the largest number of at-risk children have large concentrations of charter schools. Camden City Public Schools has the densest concentration: 17.5 % of Camden students attend charter schools. Trenton has the second highest market share with 14.6% of students enrolled in charter schools. In Newark, 10.2% of students attend charter schools.
Source: NJDOE
come to New Jersey while making it possible to implement the same model of innovation and results in other new and existing charter schools. Growing and Expanding High-Quality Charter Schools Developing a list of qualified charter management organizations for designation as “preferred providers” to streamline partnerships, expansion and replication of the best charter schools. Removing barriers to private and parochial schools converting to charter status by eliminating the one-year delay and grandfathering currently enrolled students automatically; Removing hurdles for public schools to convert to charter status by changing the rules related to parent, community or staff support required for conversion, as was recently done in California; and, Assisting the growth of charter schools by expanding the universe of potential affected students to enroll by shifting from a designated number of districts to a mile-radius pool of students, no matter the number of eligible districts. Establishing a rolling application period for charter applicants.
Increasing Charter School Authorizing Capacity Through The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) Approving new and high-quality charter school authorizers, while continuing to operate as a charter school authorizer itself. Expanding the pool of potential authorizers to all public entities, including school districts. Basing authorizer selection on a demonstrated commitment and capacity to grow high-quality charter schools.
Implementing Best Practices for Charter School Management
Creating performance contracts for charter schools.
Spurring Charter School Innovation and Creativity
Allowing single-sex charter schools. Allowing charters with a special education focus. Encouraging cyber and virtual charter schools.
Encouraging Greater Cooperation Between School Districts and Charter Schools
Enable closing of failing schools and converting them to charter schools. Providing for facilities assistance and sharing of space. The NJDOE will develop a program to encourage coordination and space sharing between charters and their local school districts.
Charter School Performance
70% of New Jersey’s charter high schools had a higher 2009 graduation rate than their local district average.
Grades 3-8 Assessments in ’08-’09 Outperform Traditional Public Schools
71% of charter schools outperformed their local district on Language Arts.
61% of charter schools outperformed their local district on Math.
High School Assessments in ’08-’09 Outperform Traditional Public Schools
60% of charter schools outperformed their local district on Language Arts
66% of charter schools outperformed their local district on Math
Source: NJ Charter Schools Association
Taking Immediate Steps Right Now to Improve Education for New Jersey’s Children
Providing Rapid Relief for Children in Failing Schools. Every child deserves a high-quality education, but too often, low-income and lower middle-income children are trapped in failing schools. The Governor will sign the Opportunity Scholarship Act that is currently moving through the Legislature. As written, the Opportunity Scholarship Act will help between 2,500 and 3,800 children leave their chronically failing public schools in the first year; up to 7,600 in the second year, and as many as 19,000 when the program is at full capacity. Introduced in March 2010 with bi-partisan sponsorship, the Opportunity Scholarship Act will establish a five-year pilot corporate tax credit scholarship program to fund scholarships for low-income students trapped in the state’s lowest performing public schools. The scholarships will enable students to attend out-of-district public schools, or non-public schools anywhere in the state, that choose to participate in the program. At least 75 percent of the scholarships will be awarded to current public school students who may choose to attend a better public or private school.
There is no time to waste as children continue to wait for a solution. The legislature must take immediate action on this bill.
Giving Children Hope By Making the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program Permanent. Full implementation of the Interdistrict School Choice program that Governor Christie signed into law earlier this month will enable hundreds of families to send their children to high quality public schools in nearby neighborhoods.
The new law makes the Interdistrict School Choice program permanent. Schools decide whether they want to participate in the program. Preference for enrollment may be given to siblings of students who are enrolled in a designated school to keep families together.

Report on Transitions in Charter School Leadership

This report is recommended reading for all staff and board members:  http://www.crpe.org/cs/crpe/view/csr_pubs/350

Health insurance increases take effect January 2011

Dear Staff:

During the month of December I will be meeting with each of you individually to go over the increase in health insurance premiums that will take effect on January 1, 2011. As you remember, my September memo had a chart showing the increases by plan and provider. Several of you made changes in your coverage based on this information during the open enrollment period in October.



I also want to go over the general financial condition of the school with you. The budget continues to be frozen for the third year in a row as per the School Funding Reform Act of 2008. This means our salaries must remain frozen next year. When you were given the raise last year, it was clearly explained that this was the final salary increase, and that health insurance costs would go up for you.



The Board has voted to freeze all salaries at Elysian Charter School indefinitely. As you may have heard, President Obama has recently frozen all salaries of Federal employees, so we are not alone.



As the list below shows, Elysian Charter School has the highest median salary of any charter school in the State of New Jersey. Only one other school comes close but since they are in Newark they receive more than twice as much per pupil as we do.  86% of charter schools in New Jersey have a median teacher salary below $50,000.  So we are frozen at a much higher level than other charters.


Elysian Charter School Of Hoboken $65,421

Team Academy Charter School $65,045

North Star Academy Charter School Of Newark $60,000

Jersey City Comm. Charter School $56,946

Princeton Charter School $56,688

Greater Newark Charter School $56,175

Robert Treat Academy Charter School $55,400

Freedom Academy Charter School $55,165

Englewood On The Palisades Charter School $53,519

Gray Charter School $53,000

Teaneck Community Charter School $52,000

Emily Fisher Charter School Of Advanced Studies $51,242

Foundation Academy Charter School $50,400

Marion P. Thomas Charter School $50,283

Capital Prepartory Charter High School $50,000

Unity Charter School $49,960

Sussex County Charter School For Technology $49,878

Oceanside Charter School $49,519

Soaring Heights Charter School $49,480

New Horizons Community Charter School $49,053

Discovery Charter School $49,000

East Orange Community Charter School $48,101

Learning Community Charter School $48,076

Jersey City Golden Door C. S. $47,867

University Heights Charter School $47,750

Village Charter School $47,750

Create Charter School $47,685

Academy Charter H.S. $46,750

University Academy Charter School $46,586

Hope Academy Charter School $46,500

Lady Liberty Academy Charter School $46,312

Camden Academy Charter High School $46,000

Community Charter School Of Paterson $46,000

Pride Academy Charter School $46,000

Greater Brunswick Charter School $45,600

Red Bank Charter School $45,457

Charter-Tech High School $45,318

Liberty Academy Charter School $45,179

Camden's Promise Charter School $45,000

Paterson Charter School For Science & Technology $45,000

Trenton Community Charter School $44,243

Leap Academy University Charter School $43,622

Schomburg Charter School $43,491

Central Jersey College Prep Cs $43,300

D.U.E. Season Charter School $43,163

Pace Charter School Of Hamilton $43,020

Galloway Community Charter School $42,901

Bergen Arts And Science Charter School $42,578

Union Co Teams Charter School $41,333

Pleasantech Academy Charter School $40,806

Central Jersey Arts Charter School $40,625

Hoboken Charter School $40,333

Queen City Academy Charter School $40,314

Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School $40,000

Burch Charter School Of Excellence $40,000

Camden's Pride Charter School $40,000

Maria L. Varisco-Rogers Charter School $39,374

Paul Robeson Cs For Humanities $39,300

International Charter School Of Trenton $38,996

Environment Community Opportunity Charter School $38,480

Ridge And Valley Charter School $36,745

Classical Academy Charter School Of Clifton $35,510


 

I hope it is clear that our finances will not permit further salary increases. As our rent and other expenses increase we will be forced to make further cuts since our funding will remain level.



However, as long as employees continue to absorb the increases in health insurance, the rent increases should be sustainable and the school is expected to remain in good fiscal condition. We can and will operate within our budgetary constraints. We can operate on $4 million, even if that amount does not increase.



Some staff mentioned concern about lack of supplies. There is no financial reason for a lack of supplies. Any teacher who needs supplies should submit a requisition, even if you have already expended your supply budget. We will make every effort to supply the classrooms as needed. These costs are miniscule in a $4 million dollar budget.

We are hopeful that at some point, funding will be increased.  Here's a great letter to the editor in the Jersey Journal.  Please note that due to the complexities of the formula, some charter schools in some cities in New Jersey are not adversely affected.  Those which expanded to buy a building, like Learning Community Charter School, did not receive any more money even though they took in more students.

Imagine earning only 52 percent of your salary while doing as good or better than the rest of your co-workers. How would you feel? Would you talk to your boss to correct the injustice? Would you look for a new job? Would you go to a newspaper with this story? This feeling of thorough and objective injustice is what parents and students at Learning Community Charter School (LCCS) and other Jersey City charter schools have felt for the past three years. Since 2007, Jersey City charter schools have only received 52 percent of the funding of the local public schools. In dollar terms, each child in charter school has received $10,300 from the state per year, while his or her peer in a public school "has earned" $17,200 per year.









New Jersey's original law mandates that charter schools are to get 90 percent of the educational aid of public schools. However, charter schools receive 90 percent of only two portions of the educational funding pie. What the charters sorely miss out on is 90 percent of the over $100 million in adjustment aid. This aid, thanks to old-fashioned New Jersey state pork barrel politics, is now kept in the district. All apparently due to legislation quietly passed in Trenton over the 2007 Christmas holiday.










Despite the extreme financial odds placed on all the charter schools, the beautiful silver lining is the great academic success that LCCS and other charter schools have witnessed over the years. For example, in spring 2010, 50 percent of the LCCS eighth grade class was accepted into McNair Academic High School. LCCS outperforms the district on all the state standardized tests each year and offers a rich and progressive education. A number of other Jersey City charter schools can speak to similar academic results. So can anything be done? The state school funding formula determines the amounts/ratios/percentages of money allotted within the adjustment aid and is up for renewal in February 2011. Many charter schools across the state are lobbying their representatives in the state and county legislature -- fundraising, blogging, texting and tweeting, writing to newspapers and generally speaking about the issue.










Please support Jersey City charter school parents and concerned local citizens as we rally to correct the funding formula and help create a more equal educational experience for all Jersey City public school children.










ANNE MARUSIC


JERSEY CITY

Prepaid Legal Service Signup at Wed Nov 10 Board Meeting

Dear Staff:
Tanisha Cook of Prepaid Legal Services will be visiting at our Wednesday November 10 Staff Meeting.  We will be offering a reasonably priced contract to the employees which will give you telephone access to an attorney.  You can learn more about it in advance at https://www.prepaidlegal.com/
Kathy Mone

Open Enrollment for Health Plan Changes Oct 1-30

Any changes in your plan (NJ Direct 10, 15, Cigna, Aetna) must be made before October 30.  Find the form at http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/epbam/exhibits/pdf/ha0800.pdf and fill it out so I can sign it and send it in before the deadline.  When the rates go up in January it will be too late to change plans.  Also, this is the time to add anyone or delete them, otherwise you cannot without a "qualifying event" such as birth, marriage, etc.

All those enrolled in the new Flexible Spending Accounts for Health, Dependent Care and Transportation should go online to http://www.ezflexplan.com/resourceone/home.asp  There you can find claim forms and instructions on how to fax in your claim.  Don't forget to fill out a direct deposit form so it goes right into your bank account.

Insurance

The school will be offering employees the opportunity to purchase additional insurance through payroll deductions.  Long term disability and other insurance will be offered from AFLAC (The website is http://www.aflac.com/ or http://www.knowquack.com/ might be more informative).  We all have short term state disability insurance but you might want to buy long term disability.  We will also be offering prepaid legal services.  This is a service where you have access to an attorney for a small monthly fee:  http://www.prepaidlegal.com/.  Representatives of both vendors will be attending a staff meeting in the future to sign up interested employees.

Those who joined the new flexible spending account program have been given the information about the website. Go to www.ezflexplan.com/resourceone for further information.

Kathy

More on parking

The new permits are not yet available, please bring in your documentation so we are prepared to get them when they come out later this month.  The City's website has the following warning:   Don’t park in or too close to crosswalks.  Did you ever see the sticker on the back of large trucks that says “If you can’t see my mirrors, I can’t see you.”? The same line-of-sight argument is true for drivers and pedestrians. If vehicles are parked in or too close to crosswalks, then drivers cannot see pedestrians entering crosswalks until it’s too late, and vice versa. That’s why there is a state statute that prohibits parking within 25 feet of crosswalks, and of course in them as well. With the extremely high volumes of pedestrian traffic in Hoboken, enforcement of this law is especially important. We all agree that a good parking space is tough to come by in Hoboken, but convince yourself now that any curb space less than 25 feet from the crosswalk is certainly not safe parking found. Don’t look for white marks on the curb and don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re “not that close”. The fee for this violation is a painful $54.00.

Flexible Spending Accounts (Flex Section 125 and 132 for Health, Dependent Care and Transportation):  We have been informed that our administration of our own Section 125 Flexible Spending Accounts is not in compliance with the laws. We are in violation of HIPAA, IRS Regulations and ERISA. In order to comply with the law, we will be outsourcing our Flex Accounts at no additional cost to the school (employer tax savings will exceed costs) . Please fill out and sign the attached form if you wish to continue the Flex Plan. If not, your deductions will end in September and you may submit receipts to claim for reimbursement of the balance in your account.


Starting October 1, 2010, employees will need to send their receipts for Flexible Spending Plan health and dependent care expenses to the vendor. You will receive a welcome packet with instructions. We are switching from calendar year to school year plan. There will be a 2 ½ month grace period from July 1 to Sept 15 for you to submit receipts to use up your 2010-11 deductions. After that, any money remaining in your account will be returned to the Internal Revenue Service, as it was in the past.

The Flex Plan will continue onto a School Year Basis on July 1, 2011. At that point, deductions will be taken from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012.

Transit and parking reimbursements, (rather than the old TransitChex) will also be issued by the vendor. This will be based on a monthly payroll deduction. Also, please note due to Obama’s new Health Care Legislation, over the counter medications are no longer eligible for reimbursement under the health care flexible spending account, and the total allowable will be reduced to $2500 effective 2012.

Parking Permits

The City of Hoboken has made some changes to the parking permits for schools and other businesses.  The permits are still $200, you still pay $100 and the school pays $100, however, you will no longer be able to park on the resident side unless you pay another $100. 

If you wish you renew your parking permit, please bring me a copy of:
registration
license
Aug 30 paystub
check to Hoboken Parking Utility for $100 or $200
Kathy

Summer Paychecks

To save money, I will not be mailing you your paycheck stubs during the summer (payrolls of July 15 and 30 and August 13 and 30). I will place the stubs in your inbox. If anyone would like to see your paystub right away, let me know and I will scan it and email it to you.
Also, John Mercado wanted to alert you of the great in-store deals at Staples, where you can get stuff for a penny! If you want to do that, save the receipts and I will reimburse you. Please feel free to contact me at school if you need anything, I am in Mon-Fri all day except will be away Aug 2-4. Kathy

Summer Information:

Summer paychecks will be issued on the following dates: July 15, July 30, August 13 and August 30. Stubs will be mailed out; all checks are now direct deposit. New contracts take effect for 10 month employees on September 1 and will be reflected in the Sept 15 paycheck

Orders: Please send your orders in as soon as possible. We cannot guarantee that your supplies will arrive before the opening of school if you do not send in your orders soon. You may fax your order on a requisition form to 201-876-9576. Please fill in all vendor and product information to avoid delays.

New email: Kathy Mone can be reached at kathymone@gmail.com or office@ecsnj.org. Her old emails kplm12000@yahoo.com and elysiancharteroffice@yahoo.com were hacked into and had to be closed.

Painting starts on July 4: Painting volunteers start Monday and will be working all week. Over $1000 of paint was donated to City Hardware by parents!

New internet: We are saving money by bundling our internet and phones with one provider, Verizon. The package comes with faster internet service, which will be installed Tuesday. We will be able to use internet currently installed at Demarest.

Board meeting: July public board meeting Monday July 26 7 pm
August meeting Monday August 23 7 pm
Summer meetings are ususally in the 2nd floor conference room
call my cell phone for access 201-960-2007


An interesting article on what to expect with state funding from the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/nyregion/09njbudget.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

April 2010 Elysian Charter School News

Salary Guide and Contracts
A new salary guide based on the Hoboken Board of Education 2010-2011 Salary Guide has been issued and is attached to your new contract. The new contract details your entire compensation package, including the additional step which equates to nearly a 3% wage increase. Please note that according to the Star-Ledger, Elysian has the highest median salary of any charter school in New Jersey: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/nj_teachers_pay_freeze_salarie.html?appSession=97362648416888


Health Benefits
The new state law requires that all employees contribute 1.5% of their salary towards their health benefits. The new deductions will begin in September for teachers, July for 12 month administrative employees and will be reflected on your contract. For frequently asked questions about the major changes in your health and pension plans, see: (www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/coltr10.shtml#ch2faq)

We will find out later this year how much the health insurance will increase effective January 2011. The rates went up 25% for 2010. The school absorbed most of the increase; however, the employees will need to absorb some of the increase in 2011; please be prepared for this.

Most of the other changes will affect new employees hired after May 21, 2010, not current employees, if you want to read more, see www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/coltr10.shtml#ch3perstpaf and http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/coltr10.shtml#ch2shbpsehbp also
http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/coltr10.shtml#ch1perstpaf


Classroom Supplies

All teachers have received copies of the order booklets from the bidding cooperative we joined. I think you will find you can get a lot more for your money and it's easier to order, because you don't have to write very much, just check off what you want, no requisition necessary. They also have specialized booklets for art, physical ed, science, etc. Teachers can still order from other vendors for those items that are not in the booklets, just fill out a requisition. However, you will notice that the vendors in the booklets offer us discounts even on items not in the booklet. Please note that you will still be able to make a separate order for office-type supplies with John Mercado via Staples. We have a new contract with them for better prices.


Your own pension and health accounts
As a condition of employment in the state, all employees are REQUIRED to have an MBOS account so you can conduct transactions (such as applying for loans) online. Here's how to register:
HOW TO ACCESS YOUR PENSION ACCOUNT
ONLINE THROUGH MBOS
REGISTRATION FOR FIRST TIME USERS
BECAUSE REGISTRATION REQUIRES SEVERAL STEPS,
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY!
REGISTRATION FOR MBOS IS FREE. YOU MUST HAVE A VALID E-MAIL ADDRESS.
STEP ONE
Register for a MyNewJersey account at: www.state.nj.us
NOTE: If you already have a MyNewJersey account, use your existing account.
1. Click on the “Register” link and complete the registration information.
(Choose your own Logon ID and Password)
2. Create a Logon ID;
Logon ID you chose: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3. Create a Password;
Password you chose: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Remember: Never share your Logon ID or Password with others.
4. This will open your personal MyNewJersey online account.
STEP TWO
Have an Authorization Code e-mailed to you by registering for MBOS at:
www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/mbosregister.shtml
1. Click the “Begin MBOS Registration” button on the Web page and complete the online MBOS
registration form.
2. When registering, you will need your pension Member ID number.
Your Member ID number can often be found on your payroll statement. It can also be obtained from your employer
or by contacting the Division's Office of Client Services at (609) 292-7524 or pensions.nj@treas.state.nj.us.
3. After you complete the MBOS registration you will receive an e-mail with the Authorization Code.
STEP THREE
1. Logon to your MyNewJersey account and then click “Enter Authorization Code”
2. On the page that opens, enter your MBOS Authorization Code and click the “Finished” button.
3. Delete the e-mail with your Authorization Code: it can only be used once.
STEP FOUR
Log back onto your MyNewJersey account and you will see the Pension and Benefits section along the left
side.
Click the “MBOS Logon” button to go to MBOS and your account information.
If you need help, call the MBOS Help Desk at: (609) 777-0534

Elysian Charter School Business Administrators Blog

Welcome to the Elysian Charter School Business Administrators Blog. This blog is designed for the Teachers, Staff, Administrators, Board Members, Parents and Friends of Elysian Charter School in Hoboken, NJ. I hope that this blog will keep you informed of business matters that affect our school and serve as a source of information on the business related developments and changes that are going on, as well as keep you up to date on what is going on within the national and state charter school movements as well as proposed changes in state and federal legislation and regulations that affect us.

Payroll: Just to let the staff know, payroll is my number one priority! This reflects the core belief that staff satisfaction is paramount to the success of the school. Great employee morale makes for a great school. That is how we meet our mission to provide a great education for our children. The payroll submissions have been moved up a day to ensure that we meet all deadlines. We were very happy that we had made these plans when we were hit by the snowstorm that closed school for two days last week. As a result of our new system, all employees received their pay on time.

Fiscal Compliance: We are moving to be in compliance with all fiscal requirements of the State of New Jersey. We have begun the transfer over into the new State-mandated Fund Accounting Software, CDK. We have set up the accounts and posted the transactions from the old system into the new system. There is much work to do to establish all the subsidiary accounts but we are well on the way to having a more technologically up to date accounting system which is already giving us a better picture of our financial situation and more control over our budget.

Another area which we have moved to be in compliance is with the appointment to the State-mandated position of Treasurer/Custodian of School Monies, Tracey Calvanico. Tracey is a very well qualified and hard working person who served as PTSO president here at Elysian. She was also a bank Vice-President and a consultant for the Ethical Community Charter School. This is a part time position, and my position as Business Administrator will also be part time although I will be working more hours than before. (I will continue to work on NCLB, IDEA, NJSMART and other state reports, everything except Special Ed and Test Coordination, which will be taken over by our Director, Carol Stock), The challenges at Elysian necessitated that I resign my position at the Ethical Community Charter School. My replacement there begins in March, I will continue to work there daily from 7:45 to 9:45 until she is thoroughly trained, and after that I will be here until 2:15 p.m. daily (at least). You can always email me at kplm12000@yahoo.com if you need me, as you may know I read my email on my iphone constantly! Or you can call my cell at 201-960-2007, although I prefer email because the specifics can be worked out better in writing!

Procurement: We were visited by State Inspectors from the Department of Public Contracts on January 21st and as a result, we are moving to ensure that we follow state purchasing rules. We would be faced with fines of $1000 per day for each violation, so we want to make sure this does not happen. Fortunately, I obtained a Qualified Purchasing Agent certificate from the State, so the Board appointed me in that capacity as well as Public Agency Contracting Officer. The Board also approved my request to join two large purchasing cooperatives which will allow us to use their purchasing power to access very competitive prices on their contracts. You can find out more about them at www.hcesc.com/cooperative_pricing.html and http://www.mresc.k12.nj.us/

What this means for teachers is that I will be giving you a catalog from these contracted vendors. School Speciality, a very popular vendor among educators, will be our contractor for general school supplies. We receive between 5 and 10 percent of their list prices. I invite all teachers to view their website at http://www.schoolspecialty.com/ and let me know what you think. There are contracts for nursing supplies: http://www.mooremedical.com/ , science supplies: http://www.carolina.com/ and http://www.fisherscience.com/, sports: http://www.cannonsports.com/ . I will give you paper catalogs as well. We should not be using vendors that do not accept purchase orders according to state regulations.

Pensions and Health Benefits: The best way to get any information on pensions and state health benefits is by logging on their website at www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions. Everything you need to know can be found on the website, in fact, most transactions, including loans, can now only be done online. I have been calling them on the phone but keep getting the message that they cannot take any phone calls due to volume. As you may have read, there is a mass exodus going on because everyone knows that the pensions laws will change, and so everyone who can retire is rushing to do so.

By the way, the proposed changes will also mean that we will all probably be required to pay a portion of our health benefits. I refer you to the Star-Ledger article for more information: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/wide-reaching_pension_and_bene.html

State Aid Cuts: You have also probably heard that all school districts reserves have been seized by the state and a 15% cut is being enforced. This will eventually affect charter schools because our funding formula is based on district budgets. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/gov_chris_christie_plans_to_cu.html

Technology: Now for some good news! We have joined http://www.schoolpay.com/, a service offered by the National School Board Association for online payments of various school fees by parents using their checking account or credit cards. We will soon pilot this program with our afterschool program. My experience in using this program at Ethical Community Charter School has been that collections of funds owed is better and errors or loss of cash or checks are avoided.

Fundraising: In these times, charter schools will not survive without fundraising. We are all in this together, and we need to reach out to our friends and relatives to contribute to the Annual Appeal. Why not send an email to your friends and relatives with the link to our website: www.ecsnj.org? The DONATE link that accepts online donations is in the upper right hand corner. Even if you cannot attend the fundraiser March 6, please consider a small donation to show your support for the school. We cannot raise taxes like a district and we need more funds.

Please feel free to write me if there is anything else you would like to see on the blog. One charter school blog that is very interesting is written by Whitney Tilson, a hedge fund manager who supports charter schools. edreform.blogspot.com/ and I also like www.dfer.org (Democrats for Education Reform), run by Joe Williams who wrote "Cheating Our Kids", the best book I ever read in favor of charter schools.

Other favorites: www.publiccharters.org
www.njcharters.org
http://cesp.rutgers.edu/CSRC/CSRC.htm

Kathy Mone
School Business Administrator
Elysian Charter School of Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey