United Voices vol. 2 no. 1

Serving the public every step of the way!

UNITED VOICES VOL. 2 NO. 1

LESSONS FROM CHINA’S TOP SCHOOLS

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Cover Photo: Werner and the 2014 Global Fellow visit the Terracotta Warriors in Lintong, Xian, Shaanxi Province. The sculptures depicting Emperor Qin Hi Huang’s warriors and their horses are known to originate from the first Qin Dynasty over 2000 years ago.

They were discovered in 1974 by farmers who were digging a well and are regarded as one of the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century.

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Linda Harsche Director of Communications Kelly Hagen Director of Field Communications Image Printing Design/Publisher

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Most high school students have a teacher that they say really made a difference in their life. In Williston, – especially at Williston High School – students, friends, colleagues, and the community are still going through the pain of losing a remarkable English teacher, Jim Geiermann, or Mr. G. as most called him.

Mr. G. died unexpectedly on July 4, 2013. It was so unexpected that even today, students, colleagues, family and friends are posting their thoughts to Mr. G. on Facebook. They feel comfort that in some small way they can still connect to their Mr. G.

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DICKINSON TEACHERS WIN HISTORIC CASE AT SUPREME COURT

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NEA DELEGATES ELECT LILY ESKELSEN GARCIA PRESIDENT

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MILLENIAL MEMBER SERVES AS PRESIDENT OF JAMESTOWN LOCAL

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LESSONS FROM CHINA’S TOP SCHOOLS

United Voices is the official publication of North Dakota United, 301 N 4th Street, Bismarck, ND 58501.

Postmaster, send address changes to: North Dakota United 301 N 4th Street Bismarck, ND 58501

INFLUENCE OF MR. G. STILL FELT

The members of the Dickinson Education Association – as well as teachers all across the state of North Dakota – won a hard-fought victory from the North Dakota Supreme Court, in DEA v. Dickinson Public School District. This case that will likely go down in the history books as “Dickinson III,” as this is the third time in Supreme Court history that Dickinson teachers and school board have gone to the state’s highest court to argue about the imposition of contracts.

Toxic testing, accountability, and the common core dominated the issues faced by delegates at the 2014 NEA Representative Assembly in Denver in early July. But the change in the face of the organization is what most members will see first. Delegates elected Lily Eskelsen García as NEA’s next president by an overwhelming majority. Although she is neither the first woman nor the first minority to head the organization, she will lead a new team of officers that is all-female and all-minority—and that is a first for NEA.

Ranging in ages between 18 and 33, approximately, the millennials are the generation poised to take over America. By the numbers, there are about 80 million millennials in America right now, with approximately 10,000 of them turning 21 every day, according to statistics printed in Time magazine. They have eclipsed Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S. By 2018, they will have the most buying power of any generation. Statistics show they are expected to spend $2.45 trillion, which will increase to $3.39 trillion in three years, passing Boomers.

The 2014 Global Fellowship Program sponsored by the National Education Association Foundation culminated in June with a 10-day trip to China for the 30 Global Fellow recipients from across the United States. What an honor it was to join the 29 dedicated educators for this year of study and travel. Prior to the 6,000-mile trip across the Pacific, Global Fellows began learning online about China’s culture and education system and met in February in Washington, DC to study more about the educational curricular structure that has placed China’s high school graduates among the top performers on standardized tests in the world.

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President’s Post

HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE OF UNITED VOICES Thank you for the vital work you do educating North Dakota’s young people

By Nick Archuleta NDU President

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NDU is strong because of our members. Please

join me in helping to grow our Association and our influence by having a personal conversation with your colleagues who are not yet members. Help them to understand that their values of commitment to our children and to our communities are shared by ND United.

Let them know that their membership in NDU will pay dividends throughout their careers.”

My name is Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United. On behalf of the as well as the leadership of NDU I want to thank you for your membership and for the vital work you do educating North Dakota’s young people.

Ready or not, another school year is upon us and it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work! As educators and education support professionals, though, we know that what we do is more than mere work. Whether you teach pre-K -12 or in one of our colleges or universities, you know that teachers and education support professionals provide rich and meaningful opportunities for our students to learn not just the subject matter but the lessons of life, as well.

The English writer, G.K. Chesterson, observed, “Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” That simple observation says a great deal about how important education is to the continuation of our society. Public education in America is our commitment to our future.

Historically, when the United States of America has faced international or domestic challenges, our leaders have met those challenges by investing in education. For example, after WWII, the U.S. invested in the education of returning soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines when Congress created the GI Bill. The result of that investment was the greatest expansion of industry, goods, and services in the history of the world. It helped to drive research and development across the country as Americans sought to improve their lives by making work less demanding. The GI Bill was directly responsible for the meteoric expansion of the middle class in this country.

When Sputnik was launched by the former Soviet Union in October of 1957, it exposed a real weakness in American technology. Our response was to invest in education so that we would not be caught flat footed again. Twelve years later, we landed two men on the moon and regained our superiority in the areas of science and technology.

Across the nation since the 1980s, however, education has been under a relentless barrage of negative and largely false imputations from corporatists hell bent on privatizing public education, religious zealots who decry a science based curriculum, politicians doing the bidding of their corporate masters, and 24 hour cable TV and radio talking heads who rant negatively and mercilessly in search of higher ratings.

At NDU, we say, “Enough!” North Dakota’s teachers and education support professionals have a proven record of effective and professional service to the public. Parents overwhelmingly give high marks to N.D. teachers as well as to their children’s’ schools. At North Dakota United, we help teachers find their voice and give them strength so that they do not have to take the indignity heaped upon them by naysayers and knuckleheads.

NDU represents our members vigorously and effectively in the Legislature and at the negotiations tables as we strive to attain respectful salaries commensurate with the important work teachers and educational support staff do.

But we cannot do it alone. NDU is strong because of our members. Please join me in helping to grow our Association and our influence by having a personal conversation with your colleagues who are not yet members. Help them to understand that their values of commitment to our children and to our communities are shared by ND United. Let them know that their membership in NDU will pay dividends throughout their careers.

In closing, I want to wish each of you a very successful school year. Remember that your membership is important to us. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we may be of assistance.

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We could have been rocket scientists, insurance agents, brain surgeons, computer scientists.

We could have been flying out among the stars to discover new planets, mixing chemicals to increase our knowledge in plastics, or inventing a better napkin.

We could have found a job just counting beans, balancing budgets, making rules for people we would never meet.

Instead, we decided to get our hands dirty in the soil of young people’s lives‌

To plant the seeds.

...Jim Geiermann

So, teachers everywhere, it’s time to start planting the seeds for the students!

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It’s going be senior year soon. It’s hard to imagine you not being at graduation. You always used to say you would be. There are so many words

to say. There is so much to thank you for if you were still here. I could tell you everything on my mind.”

INFLUENCE OF MR. G. STILL FELT It’s now up to you to carry on his legacy!

By Linda Harsche, NDU Communications

Most high school students have a teacher that they say really made a difference in their life. In Williston, – especially at Williston High School – students, friends, colleagues, and the community are still going through the pain of losing a remarkable English teacher, Jim Geiermann, or Mr. G. as most called him.

Mr. G. died unexpectedly on July 4, 2013. It was so unexpected that even today, students, colleagues, family and friends are posting their thoughts to Mr. G. on Facebook. They feel comfort that in some small way they can still connect to their Mr. G. Some of his students think if he had to leave this earth at the young age of only 56, July 4 is an appropriate day for him to do so, as it is a day of celebration. As the fireworks explode each year, they all remember him with a smile. Others say, that even two years later, if they are having a tough day, they walk by his room, and they can still hear him say their name, and that helps them make it through the day! Those who will be graduating next spring wish he were still there to see them receive their degree. He made everyone feel special. One said, it’s going be senior year soon.

“It’s hard to imagine you not being at graduation. You always used to say you would be. There are so many words to say. There is so much to thank you for if you were still here. I could tell you everything on my mind,” said a former student.

If you can’t tell it by now, Mr. G. was not your ordinary teacher.

He was the type of teacher all aspire to be. You see, Mr. G. loved to teach, plus he inspired countless students and colleagues. As his friend and fellow teacher, Josh Finders said, “Mr. G. had a dedication to his profession and his students. He lived it. It’s who he was at school and in the community. He was intelligent, kind, caring, inspirational, enthusiastic, witty and convincing. He believed. He was a listener. Mr. G. was a big brother. It was always his pleasure to be with you.” ndunited.org

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Mr. G. graduated from Bismarck High School in 1974 and then attended Dickinson State College, where he graduated in 1978 with a degree in education. After college, Mr. G. taught in Fort Yates, Beulah and Dickinson before moving to Williston in 1987, where he taught special education and then later switched to high school English.

While in Williston, he earned his master’s degree from Minot State University in 2013. But, Mr. G. didn’t boast about finishing his degree. Instead, he thanked every one of his colleagues and friends for putting up with him while he completed his degree. He especially thanked his principal, Chris Kittleson, for urging him to pursue it.

According to Kittleson, who along with Joel Sikes, shared a love of James Bond movies with Mr. G. “He was a nurturing influence on the freshman class,” he said. “The transition from middle school to high school is challenging. Mr. G. was a teacher that could work with the freshmen and get them prepared for high school curriculum. He also developed a personal relationship with many if not all of his students.”

“You could go to Mr. G.’s classroom at any time, and he would drop whatever he was doing and chat,” said Kittleson. “I regularly asked his opinions on things from a teacher’s perspective in order to assist in the decisions of the school.”

“Mr. G. was more than a friend to me,” said Joel Sikes, “he was my big brother. He was a motivator, teacher, and a spiritual guide. Last year was very somber. It was hard for me to be in his classroom.

Every day, something would happen in school that would remind me of Mr. G.” Joel said he saw the looks on some of the students’ faces that he inspired, and it was hard for him to hold back the tears. “Mr. G’s impact on the school has been quite heavy,” he said. “Mr. G. was a person who always saw the positive in something. I would at times

accuse him of wearing ‘rose-colored glasses.’ Little did I know that his attitude in life was infectious. If it wasn’t for Mr. G, my outlook on everyday life would not be as manageable. He would always say not to take life too seriously.”

According to Sikes, at school Mr. G. made every student feel special. “In between classes, he would say hi to everyone,” he said.

“Not one student that passed by could escape a ‘good morning’ from him. He was always available to students for advice and guidance. It didn’t matter if the student was a senior or the student was one of his freshmen, Mr. G. was ready to help him or her with struggles in life. He didn’t treat his student as just kids; he was able to put them on the same level and make their lives feel important.

The reputation Mr. G. developed in Williston was that he would drop everything he was doing the second a friend needed help.

He put others’ needs before his own. Mr. G. will always be the standard of what Williston is and what its population should strive to be.”

Mr. G. was also very active in his local, state and national association. He served as Williston Education Association (WEA) president and was always the M.C. at the annual WEA Banquet at the end of the school year where he told more than one of his many jokes. “His sense of humor and quick wit was amazing,” said colleague and friend, Aaron Finders (Josh’s twin brother). “He always made everyone feel good about themselves.”

According to Aaron, Mr. G. was a great friend. “I truly miss him daily. … I have known Mr. G. as a teacher, an advisor, a coach, a mentor, a musician, a brother and a great friend,” said Aaron.

“It’s tough not having him around. He was the one guy that was a constant in our community. Mr. G was one of the guys I would seek out in the first minute of arriving at the first day of inservice. He was usually sitting and visiting with other friends about their summers at a table in the cafeteria where others were meeting after summer break.”

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Not one student that passed by could escape a ‘good morning’ from him. He was always available to students

for advice and guidance. It didn’t matter if the student was a senior or the student was one of his freshmen, Mr. G. was ready to help him or her with struggles in life. He didn’t treat his student as just kids; he was able to put them on the same level and make their lives feel important. The reputation Mr. G. developed in Williston was that he would drop everything he was doing the second a friend needed help. He put others’ needs before his own. Mr. G. will always be the standard of what Williston is and what its population should strive to be.”

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Aaron said that Mr. G’s passing was a huge loss for the school, staff and more importantly the students. “The man made countless relationships with those he was around. He was maybe the most caring person I have ever known,” added Aaron. “He was mentoring long before we had mentor teachers.”

“Mr. G. also played guitar, worked with the youth, and sang at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church during Mass on Saturdays,” said Aaron.

“I always looked to see if he was playing and singing right when I walked into the church. I still do.”

Another colleague and friend, Eric Rooke, said Jim cared deeply about his students and always pushed them to do their best. “He always had high expectations for them and held them there. His loss was hard because he cared so deeply about his school and his students.”

Eric especially misses his advice and friendship. “I miss seeing him in the hallways, having lunch with him, and talking about the latest episodes of our favorite TV shows. He was always there when I needed a friendly word. WHS will never to be the same. I can honestly say that without Mr. G., I would not be the teacher I am today. He was always encouraging and pushing me to be better at my job.”

A video of the concert conducted by Eric and played by the Williston band can be found by searching You Tube for Winds of Williston.

Another place Mr. G. is missed is at Books on Broadway, a local bookstore where he worked part-time and helped his students pick out books he thought they would enjoy. One of his friends said, “I think Mr. G. worked at the bookstore so he could get his books at a discount. He so loved reading.”

Mr. G.’s sister, Bonnie, a special needs teacher in Colorado said her brother was a man of many talents – teacher, musician, mentor, great friend, and poet. “I want to share a poem he wrote and hope all of the teachers, whose lives he touched, have a wonderful school year,” she said. (See Mr. G’s poem on page 4.)

According to Mike Geiermann, Mr. G’s brother, he was passionate about teaching, his students and his faith. “He was what we all strive to be. I think I can say this for everyone who knew him… he fought a good fight, he finished the race, he kept the faith. Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done.”

After Mr. G’s passing, Eric contacted Dr. Ed Huckeby of Southwestern Christian University about composing a piece in memory of M. G. “He gladly accepted, and we visited about what I would like the piece to be,” said Eric. “I told him that I would like the piece to be a celebration of his life, and he hit the nail on the head with the Winds of Williston. I received donations from the community to pay for the piece, and we had our world premiere at our final band concert on May 5, 2014. The piece was performed by all of my 10th-12th grade students who knew Mr. G. or even had him as a teacher.”

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Education Perspectives

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER ARE FADING FAST Welcome back to a new school year and Common Core Standards

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By Karen Christensen Vice President of Education

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The idea of common core standards weighs heavily

on the minds of educators as they plan to go back to school. Developing high standards is not a new concept.”

he signs that fall and the coming school year will soon be upon us are all around. As I drive between the borders of our growing state, I see golden fields of grain, corn that has tasseled, flax fields that look like oceans with their beautiful blossoms, and hay fields freckled with bales.

The idea of Common Core Standards weighs heavily on the minds of educators as they plan to go back to school.

Developing high standards is not a new concept. Educators have always pursued high expectations and programs that guide students to be well rounded adults.

The baseline expectation of Common Core is to create college and career ready students. This expectation aligns with educator goals. So why is there debate and controversy with the concept of Common Core?

Implementation, evaluation and testing have taken the topic of common core on a whirlwind ride. Educators are creative and have supplemented curriculum adopted by districts since text books were presented. Core classes will find ways to collaborate with noncore classes to reinforce the standards like no other time in education. The challenge will be finding the time to collaborate.

Mark Berntson, a music teacher from West Fargo, has developed a program in his school to keep students “hooked” on being in school. Mark contributes to meeting the district goals by keeping kids interested in a school activity that will take them beyond graduation. The students are given an opportunity to develop skills in music and music composition. Mark has

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collected donations from teachers, friends, family and businesses for guitars to be given away at his end of the year concert.

The students write an essay, and after review students that might not otherwise own a guitar may be awarded a guitar to keep skills fresh. The creative “hook” that keeps students in school reduces drop out, builds student self-esteem, and meets the common core distinction of being able to think creatively. Mark’s program skills may not be on the Smarter Balance test, but if they are in school the students are at least building on what they need to know.

Teacher evaluations are taking on a new look with the adoption of different models across the state. I truly believe that if we can work together to improve the education of our students, we will find a way to reflect that in evaluations.

The Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) process will be talked about more across the state with the evaluation process.

Using testing as a way to develop instruction has many more advantages than using testing to evaluate educators.

Development of curriculum and classroom strategies will continue to be productive and allowing these scores to determine employment will not be acceptable.

“Measuring teachers and developing teachers are different purposes with different implications.” – Robert J. Marzano I wish everyone a wonderful, successful and fulfilling school year! Remember your professional organizations for teaching resources and support.

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PUBLIC EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION DEBATED

Public Service Perspectives

Commission meets to make recommendation to governor

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lthough public employees in North Dakota do not have the ability to sit down and collectively bargain salary and benefits with the state, we do have the ability to have our voice heard through the State Employee Compensation Commission (SECC), which was established under the North Dakota Century Code 54-06-25. The SECC is comprised of four legislators and four public employees (three classified and one non-classified). The current members of the commission are Pam Sharp, Chairman, Senator Jerry Klein, Sen. Nicole Poolman, Rep. Robert Frantsvog, Rep. Ed Gruchalla, Kevin Marchus, John Gourde, Johnna Douthit, and myself. The role of the commission is to make recommendations on the appropriate levels of state employee compensation and fringe benefits for the Governor’s consideration in the preparation of the executive budget that will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly.

The commission may not consider conditions of employment other than salary and benefit issues.

The commission held its first meeting on June 18, 2014, to begin discussions regarding compensation issues and potential compensation proposals that might be recommended to the Governor. Sparb Collins, executive eirector of NDPERS, provided an update on the state’s health and retirement benefits and Ken Purdy from Human Resources Management Services (HRMS) provided compensation philosophy and detailed information on employment demographics.

Salaries and benefits, including a fully funded family health insurance plan, both factor into determining the state’s ability to attract and retain quality employees. There has been a lot a talk about health care over the past couple of years with the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA). The NDPERS plan is a grandfathered plan, meaning it does not need to offer all the provisions of other plans covered by ACA. In exchange for being grandfathered, the employer cannot assign more than 5 percent of any premium increase to its employees. The current monthly premium is $1,001.72 with a buy down of $20.04 for a net premium of $981.68 per contract. The increase in the monthly premium from 2011-2013 to 2013-2015 was 10.72 percent.

The twelve month rolling trend for NDPERS active members through Dec. 31, 2013, was 4.7 percent. Collins provided a chart showing possible trend lines of 5 percent, 7 percent, 9 percent and 10 percent for each year of the biennium. A trend of 7 percent would result

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in a monthly premium for 2015 -2017 of $1,143.66. NDPERS currently has the plan out for bids and hopes to provide the information to the SECC when it meets on Sept. 17.

Although many states require their employees to pay a portion of the monthly health insurance premium, the total cost of our health insurance plan that is fully paid by the state of North Dakota is still less than the monthly premium paid by other states. Public employees and the state have shared in the cost of the premium through co-pays and deductibles. With each legislative session, there is always discussion about requiring public employees to pay a portion of the premium – and there will be again in 2015.

Over the past several legislative sessions, the compensation of state employees has been reviewed and a study was completed by the Hay Group, which concluded what we all knew – state employee salaries lag the market.

The Legislature adopted a compensation philosophy, and HMRS made adjustments to the salary ranges and implemented a market policy point. While the state has struggled to be competitive with salaries for years, it seems the gap is only widening with the state’s robust economic growth and the low unemployment.

State agencies in the western part of the state are providing energy impact funding to employees as a way to attract and retain employees. Mr. Purdy provided information on the employment demographics which demonstrate the difficulty agencies are having in maintaining a full staff. Currently, 13.1 percent of classified employees are eligible to retire. Five agencies have more than 20 percent of their employees eligible for retirement with the tax department the highest rate of 28.1 percent. An additional seven agencies have more than 15 percent of their employees eligible to retire.

By Gary Feist Vice President of Public Employees

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With each legislative session, there is always

discussion about requiring public employees to pay a portion of the premium – and there will be again in 2015.”

The state must offer a competitive compensation package if it is going to recruit and retain the employees that are needed to provide quality services to the citizens of the state. Although there are many demands on the state’s surplus of revenue, public employee salaries must be part of the discussion of how the state moves forward to meet the needs of its citizens. The SECC will meet again on Sept.

17 to discuss and prepare a recommendation for the governor to consider regarding public employee compensation and benefits.

This is just the start of the process and I invite all of you to be part of it. If you have ideas on what the commission should recommend, please contact me and I will ensure your voice is heard.

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DICKINSON TEACHERS WIN HISTORIC CASE AT SUPREME COURT Case will likely go down in history books as ‘Dickinson v. Dickinson Public School District’ III

By Kelly Hagen, NDU Communications The members of the Dickinson Education Association – as well as teachers all across the state of North Dakota – won a hard-fought victory from the North Dakota Supreme Court, in DEA v. Dickinson Public School District. This case that will likely go down in the history books as “Dickinson III,” as this is the third time in Supreme Court history that Dickinson teachers and school board have gone to the state’s highest court to argue about the imposition of contracts.

At issue in this case was the Dickinson school board’s decision to impose two-year contracts to teachers after their negotiations for the 2013-14 school year went to impasse. The DEA argued that state law has already established the district can only impose contracts for a single year.

Attorney Mike Geiermann from Bismarck represented the DEA. “Clearly this case is a significant victory for teacher negotiations in North Dakota. The issue was whether a school board could unilaterally impose a two year contract upon its teachers. The Supreme Court said no. This ruling gives teachers the opportunity to negotiate every year if they choose to do so. That’s important, especially in these rapidly changing economic times. The imposition of a two year contract would be a huge disadvantage to teachers.”

The DEA and school board first went to impasse in May of 2013 over the issues of salary, additional professional development days and the length of the contract. Incoming president of the DEA, Lyle Smith, was an observer during negotiations, and felt dismayed by the actions and attitude of the school board at the table.

Smith said he is extremely pleased with the outcome of the Supreme Court case, and that the DEA will now prepare to go back to the negotiations table for the 2014-15 school year. “It’s disappointing that the school district had to spend so much money on something, I think, could’ve been totally avoided, if their heels weren’t dug in quite so hard into the sand.”

Brian Woehl was the lead negotiator on behalf of the DEA, and felt equally frustrated with the negative tone that negotiations ended on, following a June 2013 impasse hearing in front of the Governor’s Education Fact Finding Commission, which sided with the school board. When the parties went back to the table one more time after the Fact Finding report was released, Woehl was the person to issue the DEA’s response.

“The DEA had rejected the Fact Finding report and said we wanted to bargain more, and the board refused,” said Woehl. So when they unilaterally issued contracts, they issued a two-year contract. The DEA then decided to go to court in opposition to the action of the school board.

The case first went to Southwest District Court in October 2013. After a short hearing, the judge sided with the DEA and ruled that the school board did not have the authority to impose two-year contracts if the DEA did not approve.

“The school board said that was just the judge’s opinion on the law, and it wasn’t the decision,” Woehl said. “So they appealed it to the Supreme Court.”

In the Supreme Court’s ruling, which can be found online at www.ndcourts.gov/court/ opinions/20130350.htm, the court relied on two previous rulings made in court cases involving the Dickinson school board and education association. Prior to this case, the Supreme Court has issued two rulings against the Dickinson School Board and the unilateral issuance of contracts, one in 1977 and one in 1993. In 1977, the DEA I, the court recognized the school board’s right to unilaterally issue contracts after impasse.

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In 1992 the school board in Dickinson attempted to unilaterally issue contracts which contained terms and conditions for a future years.

The DEA, represented by Geiermann objected to the action of the school board. The DEA sued the Dickinson School District again in Dickinson II. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of DEA and stopped the action of the school board. “Both DEA I and DEA II served as a basis for bringing this action against the Dickinson School Board,” said Geiermann. “The Supreme Court recognized the unequal bargaining power between teacher associations and school boards.”

In its recent ruling in Dickinson III, the Supreme Court once again recognized the unequal bargaining power between teaching associations and school boards.

Geiermann noted that their argument in the current Supreme Court case rested on the court’s previous finding in Dickinson II. “The Supreme Court limited the ability of a school district to unilaterally issue contracts to one school year,” Geiermann said. “So that’s the way it’s been for the last 20 years, until we got to Dickinson last summer.

And in Dickinson, what the school board there did is they decided that they were going to unilaterally issue contracts for two years. We argued that violated Dickinson II, and the Supreme Court agreed.”

Woehl said he felt good about the DEA’s chances, going into the case.

“In the back of my mind I felt confident that we were going to win,” he said. “But I didn’t want to put that out there and count my chickens before they hatch, so to speak. But it’s a huge victory for all teachers across the whole state.”

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So that’s the way it’s been for the last 20 years, until we got to Dickinson last summer. And in

Dickinson, what the school board there did is they decided that they were going to unilaterally issue contracts for two years. We argued that violated Dickinson II, and the Supreme Court agreed.”

Mike Geiermann, NDU Council

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YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO TALK Members share stories on NDU

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By Kelly Hagen Director of Field Communications

oad tripping seems like as good an opportunity as any to meet new people.

I’m the kind of guy who grabs any opportunity the minute that he first realizes it is an opportunity to be grabbed. And so, when the opportunity was put in front of me, as a professional communicator for this great association of ours, to prepare a document that better displays what membership in NDU is and all that it affords our members, for the use in attracting new members, I recognized it.

I grabbed it.

Road trip.

Our website and data specialist, Kyle Locket, and I drove all across this significantly sized state of ours over two days recently, traveling from Bismarck to Dickinson to Flasher to Minot to Grand Forks to Fargo to Valley City, to talk to members. We had a short list of questions we wanted to ask: Why did you join?

What are the benefits of membership that you use? And why should others join? And we recorded their answers.

Why would we do that? And why am I telling you this story?

Well, I’m telling you because it leads to my larger point: No one can tell you better why you should join NDU than someone who has joined NDU. If you’re happy with your membership in our association – and we hope that you are – then you probably have some nice things to say about that. And what is the prime question anyone who is on the fence about joining NDU might be asking themselves? Will I be happy with my choice to join?

Yes! And I have proof ! Two hours of video footage, and growing!

We’ve recorded member testimonials to be posted on our NDU YouTube channel, at www.youtube.com/user/nodakunited. They’re not scripted. These are genuine people, telling their own stories about why they joined, what membership means to them, and why they

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think new members should join. We talked to K-12 teachers and college professors. We’re talking to education support professionals (ESPs), university staff, city, county and state workers, students and retirees. It’s a conversation we’ve started, and one we intend to keep going, as long as we can. Tell us why you are a member of NDU. More importantly, tell your colleagues why they should join NDU. These materials are being printed onto brochures, which will be available to any of our locals and chapters to use to recruit new members. Each brochure has a QR code, so that all you savvy smart phone people can scan it with your cameras, and some kind of magic redirects your phone’s screen to the YouTube channel I mentioned before. If you want some of those brochures, let us know at 1-800-3696332 or comments@ndunited.org.

You’ll find that same membership information in this current issue of United Voices, including that magical QR code I was telling you about.

We hope all this information is useful to you, in better understanding your membership in North Dakota United, and in better describing membership to your colleagues.

And, if you want to talk to us about membership publicly, in front of a video camera while I stand in the background, asking you questions and taking notes furiously fast, that’d be great! Just contact us – again, at 1-800-369-6332 or comments@ndunited.org – and we will take that opportunity to jump in the car and drive straight onto your town, so you can share your thoughts on why you joined, what membership means to you, and why you think others should join, and help us to grow our ranks.

This is your opportunity to lend your voice, and spread the word about North Dakota United. Tell us why U joined NDU.

ND United Voices

NEA RA DELEGATES ELECT LILY ESKELSEN GARCIA PRESIDENT

“

This marks the second year that NEA has chosen to

shine the spotlight on ways to improve public schools as part of the traditional RA activities.

This year’s events included a panel discussion moderated

by MSNBC’s Melissa HarrisPerry, table discussions around ideas such as National Board Certification, and TED-style talks highlighting great ways to improve student learning.”

Work on by-laws, constitution and new business items

By NEA Director Karen Askerooth

What a wonderful experience it was attending the 2014 NEA Representative Assembly in Denver, Colorado with 19 very dedicated North Dakota delegates.

RA OVERVIEW

Toxic testing, accountability, and the common core dominated the issues faced by delegates at the 2014 NEA Representative Assembly in Denver in early July. But the change in the face of the organization is what most members will see first.

Delegates elected Lily Eskelsen García as NEA’s next president by an overwhelming majority.

Although she is neither the first woman nor the first minority to head the organization, she will lead a new team of officers that is all-female and all-minority—and that is a first for NEA. As Dennis Van Roekel exits after six years as President, the officers will shift to include Eskelsen García, Vice President Becky Pringle, and Secretary-Treasurer Princess Moss.

The new group enters as NEA ramps up to a more aggressive approach to combat high stakes testing and the negative influences of so-called education reformers who seem more interested in monetizing public education than in improving student learning.

“People who don’t know what they’re talking about are talking about increasing the use of commercial standardized tests in high-stakes decisions about students and about educators…when all the evidence that can be gathered shows that it is corrupting what it means to teach and what it means to learn,” Eskelsen García told the Representative Assembly.

The former Utah Teacher of the Year challenged the more than 7,000 delegates from across the country — including 20 from North Dakota — to be fearless and take back their professions. “We will not be silent when people who for their own profit and political posture subvert words like ‘reform’ or ‘accountability.’”

Eskelsen García pledged to continue the focus on Leading the Profession, which was started almost four years ago under Van Roekel’s leadership. And at the Denver meeting this year, more than 1,000 educators participated in “Raise Your Hand” Day just prior to the start of Representative Assembly.

ND United delegates pose after an early morning caucus. ndunited.org

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This marks the second year that NEA has chosen to shine the spotlight on ways to improve public schools as part of the traditional RA activities. This year’s events included a panel discussion moderated by MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry, table discussions around ideas such as National Board Certification, and TED-style talks highlighting great ways to improve student learning.

Van Roekel emphasized that NEA’s focus on improving schools isn’t only a one-day activity. The NEA is putting its money into innovative ideas to improve public schools thanks to the Great Public Schools fund that was passed at last year’s RA. Every single member of NEA contributes $2 to the fund, and in its first year, the fund dispersed $6 million in grants to more than 50 locals and state affiliates to improve student learning.

Lily Eskelsen Garcia was elected President of the NEA.

The program provides strong evidence that NEA is willing to step up, Van Roekel said. “When we put our own money into these projects, (people outside the organization) sit up and take notice.”

As the delegates shifted their focus to the hottest educational issues facing schools across America, they generated plenty of ideas. Some 110 new business items were proposed, along with amendments to the NEA Constitution and Bylaws. Delegates approved 56 NBIs at a cost of more than $800,000.

The jump in spending was uncommon. Delegates approved less than $400,000 in total over the past three RAs. In 2013, roughly $197,000 was approved, and in 2012 and 2011 the totals were under $100,000.

ND United Student Board Member Patricia Lopez proudly wears the medal North Dakota students won for getting the largest percentage increase in membership.

The largest single item in Denver was a proposal to begin a comprehensive campaign to end toxic testing. With more than $160,000 in additional spending, NEA plans to form coalitions, survey members, and promote the idea that students should take only three tests during their schooling career—once in elementary, once in middle, and once in high school.

The high cost of the RA itself also received plenty of debate. A proposal to reduce the RA to once every three years and another proposal to hold a constitutional convention were not passed, but the backers of the proposals complained loudly that spending more than $21 million to hold a week-long RA each summer was not a sustainable cost for the organization.

The more than $800,000 in new spending generated this year did little to allay the fears of many state and local leaders. As NEA has lost membership from a high of over 3.2 million members to roughly 3 million, the organization has been reducing spending in many areas.

However, the change in focus for NEA to a more aggressive stance to combat bad education reform ideas is probably the most notable shift at this year’s RA.

Delegates listen intently to candidates running for NEA office.

Van Roekel challenged every single delegate to sign “An Open Letter from the NEA and Educators of America” calling for an end to toxic testing and the implementation of real accountability systems that results in equity and improved student learning in every school across the country.

“We need an accountability system that is centered on our students and their needs, not test scores,” the open letter reads. “As educators who have dedicated our careers and lives to our students and their success, we will not stand silent while commercial standardized testing is used to reduce our public education system to wreckage.”

But Van Roekel was careful to note that NEA is not against all testing, and he challenged teachers to differentiate between “okay and not okay tests.” And if NEA is successful in convincing politicians and education policy makers to roll back the overemphasis on testing, NEA has to be ready to put forward a new accountability system that puts meeting the needs of students front and center, he said.

“What are we going to put on the table?” asked Van Roekel. He pointed to NEA’s Great Public Schools frameworks as a start. The new system has to actually make a difference in the lives of all students, including poor and minority students.

Getting students ready for school is important, as well as having high standards and good curriculum, a high-quality workforce, and an equitable distribution of resources, Van Roekel said.

As he leaves the term-limited post after six years, Van Roekel was upbeat. “NEA’s leadership will be the national voice in advocating for what our children need to succeed to be college- and careerready.”

BRIEFS ND United President Nick Archuleta led the delegation during the 2014 RA in Denver.

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NEA completes close elections The NEA elected new officers and members of the executive committee. Lily Eskelsen García will take over as president with 94 percent support from delegates. Becky Pringle was elected vice president with almost 92 percent. Princess Moss was elected secretary/treasurer with over 53 percent. Earl Wiman was re-elected to the executive committee on the first ballot with 73 percent.

And in a runoff, George Sheridan of California defeated Shelly Moore by 67 votes.

ND United Voices

Constitutional changes proposed Three changes to NEA’s Constitution were proposed in Denver. They will come to a vote in 2015 in Orlando. 1) Repeal of proportionate delegate allocation in merged states; 2) Replace the requirement to have 75 percent classroom teachers on NEA committees with a proposal to have at least one teacher and one ESP on each committee; 3) Change the frequency of RA from every year to every other year starting in 2020.

ND United Retired President Gloria Lokken and delegate Alicia Bata of Cavalier attend the Candidate Forum.

Stocks fires up RA In his third address as Executive Director of NEA, John Stocks praised outgoing President Dennis Van Roekel for his strong leadership around a student-centered agenda, and he blasted so-called education reformers for trying to make money off public education. He also noted that more than a decade after No Child Left Behind, equity remains out of balance. “Public education is supposed to be about equal opportunity,” he said. “But today, the education a child receives depends largely upon the income of his or her parents. This is simply unacceptable, and we cannot let that continue.”

Candidates for 2015 Two candidates have filed for the NEA Executive Committee. There will be two open seats on the committee in 2015 as Joyce Powell and Greg Johnson are both termed out. Filing for the positions were Eric Brown, a biology teacher from Illinois, and Paul Toner, the outgoing president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. The filing period for this office remains open until the spring, but campaigning can officially start one year prior to the election. Toner did run for election to the committee in 2014 in a five-way race, but he finished fourth.

Catlin Draper served as ND United’s Resolutions Chair.

Friend of Education NEA awarded Malala Yousafzai, a 16-year-old girl from Pakistan the association’s highest honor, the Friend of Education A ward, on July 5 at the Representative Assembly in Denver. Malala was unable to attend, but her efforts to open education to all children were applauded.

OPEN LETTER FROM THE NEA AND EDUCATORS OF AMERICA The following open letter was signed by all the delegates at the 2014 Representative Assembly in Denver.

“A generation ago, our nation enacted the No Child Left Behind law (NCLB) which measured the quality of our schools by the state standardized reading and math test scores of students. Schools that did not make the required progress were labeled as failing and punished by being closed, turned into charters and/or having school staff fired.

These testing mandates provided critical information regarding students who struggle with basic math and reading skills, but the punitive sanctions they triggered have not improved our schools. These “test, label, and punish” policies have failed. We are no closer now to realizing educational opportunity for all students than we were when NCLB was enacted.

It is now 2014, the year that NCLB declared that all our students would be proficient. They are not. What they are is tired of testing, and we are too.

We now spend almost a third of our time in schools preparing students to take standardized tests, giving those tests, and reviewing the results of those tests. There are hundreds of subjects that are not tested. Many are no longer taught at all or have been defunded and de-emphasized. We did not become educators to drill students in standardized test taking.

Our children’s education should not be about learning how to fill in the bubbles on standardized tests In the last few years, rather than moving away from the failed policies of No Child Left Behind, our nation has doubled down on them. We now give standardized tests to students who have not been taught the subjects being tested. We use students’ test scores to evaluate teachers who not only did not teach the subject being tested, but did not even teach the students taking the test. The resulting evaluations are no better than flipping a coin.

It is time to end this toxic testing and implement real accountability in our public education system. We need an accountability system that is centered on our students and their needs, not test scores. As educators who have dedicated our careers and lives to our students and their success, we will not stand silent while commercial standardized testing is used to reduce our public education system to wreckage.

As educators, we know what works. Students thrive when they enter kindergarten ready to learn, are challenged by high quality teachers and other education professionals, are taught to high standards with aligned curriculum, are assessed to determine what they have mastered and what they need help with, and receive individual attention when needed.

We also know that our students need strong family support and deserve excellent resources and school facilities. Too many of our schools do not meet these criteria. Too often race and economic class demarcate the line between those students who receive a quality public education, and those who do not.

Join with us to take back our public schools for all of our students. With your help, we will: • end the excessive and toxic testing in our schools; • develop a real accountability system that prioritizes learning over labels; and • ensure that each public school is a place in which every student thrives.

Join our national campaign to put the focus of public education on student learning.”

In Solidarity — America’s Educators

So, that concludes the report of the 2014 NEA RA. Next year’s RA will be in Orlando, Florida. I hope to see more members interested in attending this important Assembly. As always I remind each and every one of you to be active in YOUR North Dakota United: Great Public Education…..Great Public Service! Have a great 2014-2015 Year! ndunited.org

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Conferences

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Left to right – Julie Staska, West Fargo; Paula Kruse, Nedrose; Karen Kraft, West Fargo; Julie LaFrance, Minot; Pam Kjonaas, NDU staff; Tyann Schlenker, Fargo; Connie Deutsch, Fargo; unidentified ESP member; Heidi Schostek, Dickinson; (not shown – Wanda Anderson, Dickinson).

This was the second time I went to the conference and

I learned something new and useful both times.”

ESP CONFERENCE PROVIDES IDEAS

To use back home in local Schools

T

he Education Support Professionals (ESP) National Conference was held March 7-9, 2014, at the Marriot Marquis in San Francisco.

The theme of the conference was “Ensuring Student and School Success.” Attendees from ND United included: Tyann Schlenker- Fargo – ESP of the Year Nominee; Connie Deutsch - Fargo– Advanced Leaders Nominee; Heidi Schostek – Dickinson- Emerging Leaders Nominee; Julie LaFrance and Paula Kruse – Minot; Karen Kraft and Julie Staska – West Fargo; Wanda Anderson – Dickinson. Staff member Pam Kjonaas also attended.

Karen Kraft of Minot attended the ESP national convention in San Francisco this year and had a great experience. “I met some really nice people and learned a lot,” said Karen Kraft.

“One session I attended was about handling behaviors on buses,” she said. “I was riding a bus for supervision this past year and the information was very helpful. I was already doing a lot of what they had to say but it was nice to see that I was doing a good job. I gave the info to my principal, and she loved the ideas and strategies. I hope we can get the ideas out to the bus drivers and see a change for the better on the buses!”

“This was the second time I went to the conference and I learned something new and useful both times,” said Kraft. “The national conference is a great way to network with ESPs across the country. San Francisco was awesome!”

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Conferences

From left to right: Jodi Nesemeier Sue Dokken, Judy Krause Pam Kjonaas and Gisele Thorson and Barb Dubord

FIRST-TIME EXPERIENCE AT AN AFT PRSP CONFERENCE Wishes all members could attend The Para-Professionals and School-Related Personnel (PSRPP) Conference was held April 11-13, 2014, at the Disney Yacht and Beach Club Resort in Orlando.

The theme of the conference was “Reclaiming the Promise: Uniting our Union, our Schools, and our Communities.” Our attendees were Sue Dokken and Judy Krause from Minot and Barb Dubord and Jodi Nesemeier from Kindred. Staff members Gisele Thorson and Pam Kjonaas also attended.

“

This conference gave me a much better perspective on

the ‘workings’ of what AFT and my local union, NDU, has to offer me and what I can do to make my ‘local’ stronger.”

According to Judy Krause of Minot, who attended the AFT-PRSP Conference in Orlando, Florida last April as a “new bee” to everything, the Conference was helpful to her work.

“I am a new member of NDU through the Minot Public School District in which I am employed as a Paraprofessional at Magic City Campus,” said Krause. “This conference gave me a much better perspective on the ‘workings’ of what AFT and my local union, NDU, has to offer me and what I can do to make my ‘local’ stronger.”

Krause said she appreciated how everything flowed together from the registration to the individual sessions and the big group sessions, with explanation of what was happening on a bigger scale across the country with Congress and how that affects each state in a way that I wasn’t aware of before the conference. “That information was priceless. I wish everyone that is a public school employee, especially in North Dakota, would join NDU just to understand how our educational system is affected on a local, state and national level.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed all the educational sessions and was very impressed by the level of experience and expertise each presenter offered,” said Krause. The question/answer time at each session was invaluable. I wish I had been able to attend more of the educational sessions as there were so many to choose from. I came away with pages of notes, names and email addresses from people I met across the country. I hope to see these new friends next year!” ndunited.org

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Member Profile

“

... there is always going to be a revolving door. That’s the nature of this whole organization. Because the weather changes, and the door keeps revolving, it’s a different temperature of air that keeps coming in.”

YOUTHFUL DIRECTION Millennial member serves as president of Jamestown local

By Kelly Hagen, NDU Communications Millennials are on the rise.

Ranging in ages between 18 and 33, approximately, the millennials are the generation poised to take over America. By the numbers, there are about 80 million millennials in America right now, with approximately 10,000 of them turning 21 every day, according to statistics printed in Time magazine.

They have eclipsed Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S. By 2018, they will have the most buying power of any generation. Statistics show they are expected to spend $2.45 trillion, which will increase to $3.39 trillion in three years, passing Boomers.

As millennials rise in prominence across this country, member organizations like North Dakota United need these young people to be not only members, but also leaders.

So … how do you get millennials on your side?

At age 30, Cody Mikkelson fits squarely into this group. He is a German teacher at Jamestown High School, and also a North Dakota United member. He also currently serves as the president of the Jamestown Education Association.

“When you have younger members in an organization, they can be intimidated by past practice,” Mickelson said. “Practice over time changes; nothing probably should stay the same, in large part.

But there are some practices that need to be refreshed from time to time, and I think that I felt it was the role of a younger member or a new member to bring an outside perspective into an existing organization and try to make it better, without taking away what it already was.”

When Mickelson speaks to past practice, he refers to one of the primary causes that has driven him during his time as a leader of the JEA, both in the presidency and as a membership chair: modernizing membership forms. Through his diligence, the JEA is currently able to sign up new members through online forms available at their local website, www.jamestownea.org.

This idea came to him during his third year of teaching, and first experiences as membership chair.

“I just saw the massive amounts of paperwork that I got in the mail – envelopes this thick, and everybody had to fill out. … And the biggest problem for me was that since I teach at the high school, I have a building representative in every building, and they would go around and they would have to get their teachers to sign off. And knowing that I’m a traveling teacher, from building to building, I don’t always see that building representative when they’re available. So when I have a free hour during this time of the day to get this signed, or after school, I might be in a building where I have a meeting at another school. So I would get paperwork turned in that wouldn’t have all the teachers’ signatures on it. And I would have to drive around and find them. That’s just a matter of inconvenience for everybody.”

He wondered why the process wasn’t online, and what it would take to do so.

“I got onto Google Forms; I decided I would use a form and try next year’s online,” he said. “It wasn’t painless, but it went much better than the year before. As far as being able to alphabetize or sort, that was great. So then the next year we did it again, and this will be our third year of doing it. I think it’s a lot faster now for teachers that are going to join anyway. You get correct information. You can spend your time on recruiting instead of on verifying the dots in e-mail addresses and that stuff.”

For Mikkelson, his path to teaching didn’t start at home. “The main reason I became a teacher, I think, is not really the teaching, itself, because no one in my immediate family is a teacher, but I really loved traveling. The first time I traveled anywhere was to Germany in high school. I’d never been that far from home, or away from home that long before, and it went really well for me.”

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ND United Voices

He enjoyed his experience in Germany so much that he would return two more times during his years in college, at University of North Dakota. “During my traveling on the first three trips, I realized that every time I traveled, I wanted to take somebody with me,” he said. “I wanted to show them these things that I thought were fantastic. It was just a matter of sharing those experiences with other people, and learning something new along the way. No one wants to do something alone, so having people with a common interest there or who were willing to learn was what really got me into teaching.”

He graduated from UND in 2008 with dual degrees in German and social studies, and he was able to do his student teaching in Jamestown, the town where he grew up, at the high school from which he graduated. “The German teacher decided that was going to be her last year, the year I was student teaching in the place where I now teach, which is really great because you get to know the people that you’re working with, and you get to know the students that are there,” he said.

“You’re familiar with what you’ve already gone through,” he continued. “So I think the familiarity for me, I was allowed to skip a few steps in terms of acclimating myself to a new place.”

He is entering his seventh year of teaching at Jamestown, and he has been a member of NDU and JEA since he started. He was a student member at UND, and took advantage of the student discount program on his first year of dues.

He admits, though, that as a student member, he stayed in the background and didn’t quite understand what membership meant.

“I hadn’t had any experience with an organization like this, or of the profession, for that matter, because I’m a first generation teacher in my family,” he said.

“Not really knowing the benefits or the importance or any of the resources I would be able to get … I was kind of on the fence about it. Then, several of the teachers, they tell you why you should join, and I think that’s a big thing that I use to get people involved. You have to remember, yourself, why you’re in it before you can tell someone else to do it.

“I think younger teachers, we’ve explored that kind of an issue of getting younger teachers to join, and I think it starts with the student association. I think that’s a great place; I know I was a member of that. Also, I think for my generation, being a member of something is kind of unusual in a lot of ways because we don’t have a face-to-face relationship with people like we used to in the past. A lot of things are done electronically. There’s a difference between liking the Facebook page and being an active member in an organization. The benefits that you get out of those two actions are reflective of what you put into them.”

The benefits that Mickelson says he receives from his membership in his association come most from his activism within JEA. He observed the contract negotiation process early on in his career, and then jumped into the role of bargainer the next time JEA went to the table. Negotiations were particularly tense during his tenure as a bargainer, leading to impasse, and Mickelson said that the public attention that was brought onto him as being a teacher negotiator from within his community was surprising, and almost overwhelming, at times.

“Being a negotiator is kind of trying to get the best you can for everybody, including your school district,” he observed. “And the nature of it comes off as sometimes unpleasant, because it is perceived by many to be a fight. … There’s one teacher in our district who is very conservative, but he put it best, that collective bargaining is the best way for taxpayers to get the absolute best deal for everybody. And I think having him said that to me, I realized that was the motivation for this: making sure that everybody gets the best for both sides.”

He has since then risen up within the ranks of JEA to president. Like his fellow millennials across the country, he is rising up to the opportunities that have presented themselves to him, and is proving himself up to the tasks. He says he is learning as he goes, and hopes that he is able to provide the right mix of youthful energy and enthusiasm, steady leadership and wisdom to defer to the experience of his fellow members.

“I just felt, overall, that younger members could bring a different perspective into an existing organization, and hopefully make it better for teachers,” he said. “Because you’re only in this until you retire, and there is always going to be a revolving door. That’s the nature of this whole organization. Because the weather changes, and the door keeps revolving, it’s a different temperature of air that keeps coming in.”

ndunited.org

Cody Mikkelson 19

Don’t Miss the Fall Conference

“How to Use Assessment to Inform Classroom Instruction” Oct. 16-17, 2014 Mandan Middle School Mandan, ND • Credit is Pending

Each local from outside the Bismarck-Mandan area that sends members will receive$50 in transportation assistance. In addition the local will be reimbursed $65 for each member needing a hotel room. To claim the $65 the local will need to submit a hotel statement.

The purpose of this assistance is to assist all our locals in sending participants to the conference. The locals are encouraged to augment the state funds with local dollars.

Thursday, Oct. 16

9:00 am - 9:15 am ........................................... Welcome, President Archuelta 9:15 am - 10:00 am ..........................................................................Keynoter 10:00 - 10:15 am .................................................................................... Break 10:15 am - 12:00 pm ..............................................................................TERC 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm................................................................ Lunch (boxed) 12:45 pm - 2:15 pm...........................................................Cont. TERC Group 2:15 pm - 2:30 pm..................................................Break (snacks or sundaes) 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm.............................................................Cont. TERC Group 4:30 pm - 4:45 pm.... Connection between today's event and Friday’s agenda

Friday, Oct. 17

8:30 am - 9:00 am ...........................................................................Discussion (use the posts from yesterday to help guide discussions) 9:15 am - 10:15 am .......................................................................... Breakout 1) Using Student Learning Objectives (SLO) - Karen Christensen 2) Formative Assessment & the Smarter Balance Digital Library - Mary McHugh 3) Using NWEA (MAP) Data to Inform Instruction - Billy DeMaree 4) Connecting Classroom Data to Teacher Evaluation - LeAnn Nelson 10:15 am - 10:30 am .............................................................................. Break 10:30 am - 11:30 am .............................................. Breakout Sessions Repeat 11:35 am - 12:15 pm ......................... How To Manage Stress – Ann Dolence

WATCH FOR SPECIAL ISSUE OF ND VOICES

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LESSONS

FROM CHINA’S TOP SCHOOLS

by Brenda Werner, Ph.D., Education Chair, 2014 Global Fellow University of Mary Liffrig School of Education and Behavioral Sciences

T

he 2014 Global Fellowship Program sponsored by the National Education Association Foundation culminated in June with a 10-day trip to China for the 30 Global Fellow recipients from across the United States. What an honor it was to join the 29 dedicated educators for this year of study and travel. Prior to the 6,000-mile trip across the Pacific, Global Fellows began learning online about China’s culture and education system and met in February in Washington, DC to study more about the educational curricular structure that has placed China’s high school graduates among the top performers on standardized tests in the world. Speaking with Minister Counselor Fang Maotian and Zhou Hui, Director of China-U.S. Bilateral Educational Relations at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, revealed numerous unique traits about the world’s largest education system.

Unusually clear skies surround the Great Wall of China on June 22, 2014, as Brenda Werner (pictured) and 29 Global fellows walked 8 miles along the wall at Mutianyu. Considered one of the greatest wonders of the world, China’s great wall stretches over 5,000 miles from east to west of China and served to protect China from impending invasions. Construction of the wall began in 221 B. C. by the Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.

The student population in China is 260 million, slightly less than the entire population of the United States. Ninety-eight percent of these students receive a nine-year compulsory education (grades 1-9) and eighty-five percent successfully complete grades 10-12. China spends 4.28 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on education compared to America’s 7.8 percent of GDP. Hui stressed that teachers are highly respected in China and parents and students immensely value education. It shows in their teacher salaries and the demanding class schedules which typically begin at 7:30 am and end at 5:30 pm…giving students just enough time to eat dinner, complete homework, and then, for many, attend evening tutoring. A full teaching load for teachers in China is three classes per day. The remaining time is spent on class preparation and tutoring. Students often elect to take extra classes, including English, on the weekends to prepare for the rigorous National Entrance Exam for Colleges and Universities. Fang identified the most significant recent educational reform as the move away from memorization toward more relevancy to their lives. Fang acknowledged that the shift has been gradual, with many reluctant educators who still believe that “repetition is the best teacher.” Albeit slow, the movement away from knowledge-based learning to more skill-based learning has been led most prominently by high-performing schools that have found success with innovations such as experiential curricula and project-based learning.

A key focus of the Global Fellowship is helping educators to learn strategies for teaching their students competencies needed in a global society. After collaborative study of the Chinese culture, language, education system, government, mores, religions, and economy, Global Fellows develop and share content area lesson plans that integrate their grade-level standards with global competencies such as international awareness, appreciation of cultural diversity, proficiency in foreign languages, and competitive skills.

Fernando Reimers of the Harvard Graduate School of Education noted that at the heart of global education, is preparing students to shape a future that appropriately addresses the global challenges and opportunities shared with their fellow citizens around the world. “Whether these are the challenges of collectively improving the living conditions of the global poor and destitute, of achieving sustainable forms of human environmental interaction, of finding fair and sustainable forms of global trade, of addressing health epidemics, or of creating the conditions of lasting peace

“

Prior to the 6,000-mile trip across the Pacific, Global Fellows began learning online about China’s culture and education system and met

Displaying her skills in traditional Manchurian dance, a young performer at China’s famous Summer Palace pauses her routine for a picture with Brenda Werner. The Summer Palace, located within the Haidian District, northwest of Beijing, was constructed in 1750 and is famous for its natural views and botanical gardens.

ndunited.org

in February in Washington, DC to study more about the educational curricular structure that has placed China’s high school graduates among the top performers on standardized tests in the world.”

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and security, few schools around the world today are equipping students with the skills and habits of mind necessary to collaborate with others across national boundaries in inventing and implementing lasting solutions to these challenges.”1 The National Education Association Foundation hopes to change that trend by joining forces with Education First and Primary Source to equip educators with the skills to lead programs that effectively teach global competencies to the next generation of students.

Education First, one of the partners in the Global Fellowship Program, demonstrates year after year that there is no better way to learn about another culture and broaden global perspectives than by cultural immersion. They team up with Primary Source to plan and lead engaging blended learning opportunities that are aligned to the cultural sites and educational objectives targeted for participants during their travel. While in Beijing and Xi’an, we had the privilege of touring Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, China’s Summer Palace, The Great Wall of China, The Terracotta Warriors, the Yonghe Lama Temple, Dashanzi Modern Art Zone, The Temple of Heaven, the Great Mosque in the Muslim Quarters, and the Drum Tower. Other highlights included Tai Chi lessons, Chinese calligraphy lessons, and dinner with Chinese families in a residential Hutong. It was a delight to meet our Chinese hosts and learn about some of the traditions cherished by their families. It was surprising to discover that within the bustling and densely populated city of Beijing, there are beautiful walledin green spaces, designed to provide an open and peaceful haven in which to exercise, socialize, and play. A small group of us ran each morning and no matter the day or the city, we were warmly greeted by hundreds of people gathered at 6:00 am to enjoy some recreation and camaraderie. It was truly amazing how many times these early risers of China invited us to join them in dance or in a game of badminton, Jianzi (similar to Hacky Sack), ring toss, or Mah jong (a matching game). I often considered the likelihood of a random foreign visitor in an American public park being invited by me or my family and friends to join us in a game.

First graders at Xi’an Foreign Language School celebrate the end of the school day as they prepare to head home to their families for the weekend. The boarding school is located in Xi’an, the ancient capital of China, and serves students in grades 1-12. With an enrollment of over 4,000 students, Xi’an Foreign Language School is the largest boarding school in northwestern China.

Speaking perfect English, a young Beijing student on her way to school is eager to greet American visitors near Chaoyang Park.

Photo to the Left: Brenda Werner practices writing Chinese calligraphy.

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In addition to the rich cultural experiences, some of the most memorable exchanges were related to schools and educational technology. Executives of the global company Intel in Beijing hosted a panel discussion on the role of technology in education. Intel’s technological advancements are impacting learning in educational institutions around the world. The company’s interface with textbooks and online learning platforms aims to promote best practices in teaching and learning while using technology to engage learners in higher order thinking and 21st Century skills. As standardized testing companies consider ways to assess these skills, they are looking to teachers and technology to make it possible. Traditional high-stakes paper and pencil tests such as the ACT and SAT do not test (nor do they claim to test) all important skills needed for the 21st century. Educators, however, do asses those critical skills in school to ensure that students are prepared for college and career. Testing companies are tapping into their expertise and using technology to create ways to replicate good assessment strategies in a standardized format. Intel Director of PRC Education Programs, Paige Johnson, assisted test developers for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to test collaboration. In classrooms, it can be done via a fishbowl format with assessors on the outside; Johnson helped NAEP test it with a computer simulation. Moreover, Intel’s Julia Zhu detailed the practice of extended internships for 4th year university students. In Shanghai, global companies—including Intel— are located blocks from Shanghai University and provide students with opportunities to work cross culturally.

Internships also play an important role in China’s vocational high schools. At Beijing Jinsong Vocational High School, preparing for vocational fields such as cosmetology and the hotel and restaurant industries 1 Reimers, F. (2012). Educating for Global Competency. Retrieved from https://www.neafoundation.org/ content/ assets /2012/11/Educating%20for%20Global%20 Competence%20by%20Fernando%20Reimers.pdf is serious business. The global fellows toured Jinsong’s state-of- the-art facilities and equipment and visited with teachers and students about their curriculum and coveted internship program that has China’s top companies competing for their highly-skilled interns. Admission into Beijing Jinsong Vocational High School, one of the oldest vocational schools in Beijing, is highly sought after by some of China’s best students; a scenario that abruptly contrasts with America’s tepid enthusiasm for vocational education. Despite the ability of American vocational schools to go head to head with China’s innovation and opportunity, many Americans continue to view vocational education as a default choice for their children. Not so in China. The hallway walls leading into Jingsong’s ultra-modern classrooms are filled with pictures of dignitaries visiting the award-winning technical school and images of famous chefs and eminent Business CEO’s who graduated from the distinguished institution. School administrators and teachers work closely with renowned companies to purchase the most current equipment and technology and to develop the professional course curriculum. Although the school is state operated, professional partners share in the teaching and funding of the programs. It should be noted that this level of collaboration and purposeful planning is possible partly because teachers are responsible for teaching approximately 12 hours per week, compared to a typical teaching load of 30 hours in the United States. During the first three years of high school, 50% of the curriculum is devoted to academics and 50% to professional courses. In the 4th year of high school, the ratio transitions to 1/3 academics and 2/3 professional courses. Students come to Jinsong from many different districts. In 2012, the school accepted 1,200 students from 11,000 applicants. The gravitas of China’s technical

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schools is most apparent in the eagerness of prominent global companies to employ these high school graduates in paid internships. While students can go on to attend university after completing technical school, they are exceptionally skilled and career ready when they graduate, as illustrated by the high number of students who stay to establish careers with the companies that recruited them for their senior internships. When asked what is the most rewarding part of his job, Mr. Wang, vice principal and teacher of Beijing Jinsong Vocational High School, stated, “There is nothing more fulfilling as when students begin to see that math is everywhere in the world. We know we have come full circle when we see our students working and leading in major companies and when we see our students grow into respectful and ethical human beings.”

NEA Foundation President and CEO, Harriet Sanford (left) is joined by Global Fellows Brenda Werner from North Dakota (middle) and Christy Rehm from Pennsylvania (right) in front of Tiantan or the Temple of Heaven which was built 600 years ago for worshipping the heaven. Located in Chongwen District, Beijing, it is famous for its impeccable Chinese traditional architecture.

Perhaps the most impressionable school visited by the NEA 2014 Global Fellows was Xi’an Foreign Language School. Located in Xi’an, the ancient capital of China, the boarding school of over 4,300 students in grades 1-12 indisputably buries the stereotypical image of Chinese education’s prescriptive drill test preparation. The school’s pupils are renowned for consecutively winning first prize in the high school entrance examination in Lian Hu District and posting the top scores on national English proficiency exams. Their road to prestige has no visible signs of rigid, rote memorization.

None, whatsoever. Xi’an Foreign Language School prides itself in extensive project-based learning, experiential education, performance-based assessment, and differentiated instruction. They recruit qualified and successful teachers from around the world and it is one of the top performing schools in Western China. Xi’an Foreign Language School is one of the seven early foreign language schools of China and was originally founded to educate foreign affairs working staff and diplomats. Later, it developed into a teaching college to train foreign language teachers, and in 1995, it became a lab school for the Department of Education in the Xi’an International Studies University. The school’s educational target is to produce high quality, talented students who are open, active, creative, and competent. They offer five foreign languages to students: English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. Students are required to learn English as their first foreign language and they choose one other language to study. Each student also chooses a specialty that aligns with his or her talent and then completes a concentration of courses to develop extended expertise. The school’s motto is “Two plus one is greater than three.” The two refers to the two required foreign languages and the one refers to each student’s chosen specialty. They integrate knowledge and hands-on practice and strive to follow the educational principals of humanism to cultivate the sense of students being the center of the classroom. As a result, they have achieved remarkable accomplishments. The school’s Director of International and Exchange Students, L.C. Grace, highlighted the large variety experiential learning opportunities to develop their abilities. These hands-on learning experiences are designed to allow all students to acquire content knowledge and applied skills by participating in activities such as performance reading, speech competitions, plays, field trips to experience the outside world, foreign language speeches and debates, and arts festivals. They have developed cooperative relationships with more than 30 schools abroad and currently partner with two American sister high schools, one in Maine (Good Academy), and one in Chicago (Stevenson High School) where they regularly participate in exchanges of teachers and students. The result is a splendid experiential and multicultural atmosphere.

Xi’an teachers shared their fervent belief in their school’s mission and philosophy and were excited to dialogue about the structure and instructional approaches used in American Schools. Notably absent in the Chinese schools we visited were special education programs. Teachers acknowledged that there were no students with disabilities attending their school; however, they were eager to hear how students with special needs are served in American schools. As elementary teacher Nanette Lechman, from Baker City, Oregon explained how she differentiates for students, she added, “Sometimes, if a student is struggling extensively, he or she might need support from a different teacher so that I can keep my other students moving forward.” It was a wonderful segue for special education teacher Kenneth Holzapfel from St. Louis, Missouri to share how he provides scaffolding and support for students with learning disabilities. “I help all of the kids who have a different way of learning, but my focus is to try to keep them with the other kids.” Xi’an’s first-year math teacher, Xue Yan listened thoughtfully and inquired, “Have you ever considered dividing them into different groups and teaching those in a lower group separately?” Lechman acknowledged her suggestion affirmatively.

“Historically, that has been done, and we still do that sometimes, but our theory is that if my students with learning disabilities do not have some models of higher-skilled learners, they don’t progress as much.” In perfect English, Xue Yan responded, “So, competition and learning from each other can help.” With a collective nod, the benefits of peer teaching and social constructivism were deliberated by teachers from both countries.

The importance of continued collaboration among educators across the globe cannot be overemphasized. Exchanging culture and sharing of the human spirit, open the way for an interchange of expertise, analysis of assessment data, and discourse of new ideas. The global fellowship certainly accentuates striking similarities in the challenges all educators face and the vision they have for their students. In the end, the goal is to prepare thoughtful, skilled students who are ready for a world that is getting flatter with each collective global intersect.

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ND United Voices

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Why Should U Be In NDU?

B

y becoming a member of North Dakota United, the state’s largest and most effective professional association of public educators and employees, you are uniting yourself in vision and focus with over 10,000 public workers and teachers across the state of North Dakota. Additionally, you are affiliated with over 4.7 million combined members of our two national affiliates, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. Those numbers add up. The foremost benefit of your membership in North Dakota United is the benefit of association. You benefit from your combined power, at the negotiating table with school boards, in the halls of the state Legislature, and in the decision-making process when elected officials and administrators are determining your pay, benefits and terms of employment.

You benefit from the combined resources available to you through your association, including expert assistance in negotiations, public relations, grievance procedures and legal matters; scholarships and grants available to members and their families; professional development opportunities through conferences and workshops presented nationally and locally; and insurance programs, including full-coverage liability insurance to protect you from the unforeseeable while you’re on the job. You benefit from your combined buying power, as you are able to receive discounts on insurance, health care, legal and financial services, travel, entertainment and shopping.

Through NEA and AFT+ Member Benefits, our members have access to home loans, credit cards, education and personal loans, savings and investment services.

By joining North Dakota United, you become a part of something larger than yourself. The U in NDU stands for United. The union of professionals in public education and public services, in 10,000 united teachers, school support staff, university faculty and staff, city, county and state workers is the power available to you through membership, and the greatest member service.

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Member Discounts Mean U Can Save Money

Audrey Haskell, school manager at Lewis & Clark Elementary School in Grand Forks and member of North Dakota United “I’ve used several of the discount programs.

One of the ways I did was when we remodeled our kitchen, we used the discount program for the appliances. So I got all my major kitchen appliances, and I was able to bundle them into a package that saved me quite a bit. Another way I used it was, three years ago, my family went on a trip to Alaska. And we had to rent a car once we got there, so I used the benefit of going on the association’s car rental discount, and it saved us, we figured, $250 for renting a car for nine days. That was a huge savings for our family.”

By combining the collective buying power of our large number of members statewide in North Dakota United, and with the millions of our fellow members of our two affiliated international unions – the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers – we are able to secure an enormous amount of savings programs for our members, to save money on the costs of insurance, classroom supplies, telephone services, entertainment, hotels, travel, car rental, new and used vehicles, restaurants, appliances, clothes, and on and on. If it’s a product you regularly buy, there’s probably a discount available to you, through your membership in NDU. Your member discounts are available through three different programs. First, through the NDU Access Savings Program, our members are able to log in to the Access Savings website, enter in your membership number, and have instant access to savings up to 50 percent on purchases you make every day, including restaurants, hotels, retail stores, golf courses, ski resorts, theme parks and everywhere else in between. With discounts at over 250,000 locations worldwide, you’ll be sure to find savings wherever you are – or plan to be!

Secondly, all our members have access to member benefits through our associations with the NEA and AFT. NEA Member Benefits provide 12 months of $15,000 Introductory Life insurance coverage at no cost to new members in good standing, as well as free lesson plans and classroom tips, along with discounted classroom supplies through the NEA Academy, cash back on the things you buy most with an exclusive member-only credit card, and great deals on products like new and used cars, restaurants, clothes and all products imaginable.

More information on NEA Member Benefits can be found at www.neamb.com.

AFT + Member Benefits can provide you with additional discounts to high-quality programs and services. Insurance for your home, auto, life and even pets, savings on classroom supplies, discounts on wireless phone plans, an AFT MasterCard that will save you money, dental, vision and prescription discounts, and entertainment discounts and lower fares on hotel rooms and car rentals are just some of the many benefits available to you through AFT. For more information on AFT + Member Benefits, visit www.aft.org/benefits.

Dues Credit Trust Helps U Make Your Pay Go Further Place yourself in control of when you receive the money you earn from your employer. The Dues Credit Trust Program helps you budget your salary while earning interest on your money. NDU’s Dues Credit Trust has been helping members since 1981 develop better budgeting techniques and giving them an opportunity to earn interest on their salary as they earn it. The interest they earn is generally higher than what an individual can earn because of the “investing power” of association members joining together to reach a common goal – earning a higher rate of return on their salary while balancing their paycheck over 12 months.

A participant whose salary is taken on a nine-month basis can invest a portion of each check in the Dues Credit Trust Program. The Trust will then deposit three electronic checks into the member’s bank account during the summer months. The program offers a great deal of individual flexibility. There are programs designed for members paid on an 8-, 9-, 10or 12-month basis. A special investor program can be tailored to an individual’s personal financial situation.

The August deposit will include interest earnings. From that check, NDU will automatically deduct any dues and a $10 service charge.

The plan begins October 1 of each year. All investments are handled through members’ personal checking accounts. They are not payroll deducted by the school district.

The funds received by the Dues Credit Trust are invested in U.S. government securities, FDIC-insured certificates of deposit, money market funds comprised exclusively of U.S. government securities, and in the Bank of North Dakota.

To enroll, contact the NDU office at 701-223-0450 or 1-800-369-6332, or send an e-mail to comments@ndunited.org, and we will help to enroll you.

ND United Voices

Be the Best U Possible with Professional Development As a union of professionals across the entire public sector, we are dedicated to providing the state of North Dakota with the highest quality workers in exchange for their tax dollars. That means giving all of our members equal access to professional development opportunities, in our state and nationally.

NDU regularly hosts workshops and conferences across the state of North Dakota, and brings in experts from the field to speak to, and work with, our members in attendance.

NDU hosts Higher Education Conferences, Public Employee Conferences, Instructional Conferences for Teachers, an Educational Support Professionals (ESP) Conference, and our Delegate Assembly, all to gather hundreds of our members into the same place, to learn what it is to be a great public worker and a great union member. Our team tours the state, presenting workshops on topics such as retirement planning, member advocacy, political action, local communications and workplace bullying. Outside of N.D., our members attend trainings and conventions of our two international affiliates, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.

All of these professional development opportunities are available to any of our members who are interested in participating. NDU offers financial assistance for the costs of travel and lodging, and covers the registration costs.

It is in our public institutions’ best interests to recruit and retain the very best workers for our public workforce. North Dakota United exists to provide those quality workers to our state’s students and citizens. By becoming a member of NDU, you are expected to perform at a higher level. Through our professional development services, you can achieve those higher expectations.

Dr. Kjersten Nelson, assistant professor of political sciences at North Dakota State University and North Dakota United member “The first thing that comes to mind is the Higher Ed Conference I attended this past winter in Fargo. And it was just great to have an organized place for faculty from all over the state to get together. These are people I probably wouldn’t meet otherwise. They were mathematicians and historians, all kinds of different disciplines that I don’t necessarily get to interact with on a daily basis. And to just get some perspectives around the state as to what’s going on at each institution helps me kind of know where I stand here when it comes to things like the legislative session or what to expect the next go-around.”

What U Can Do to Advocate for Your Profession By joining North Dakota United, your voice combines with over 10,000 other members to create a powerful noise and an unstoppable force in advocating for the interests of our members. NDU lobbies in the state Legislature for quality public education and great public services for every North Dakotan. We collectively act in pursuit of our organization’s goals, for fair compensation for workers, for collective bargaining rights, retirement and health care benefits, tenure rights and academic freedom.

North Dakota United has a comprehensive program to make sure our members’ voices are heard in political decisions on all levels — local, state, and national.

We help elect candidates who support you and the important work you do. And we work with officials once they are elected to make sure your voice is heard through our lobbying and advocacy.

Elections

NDU’s candidate recommendation process involves hundreds of hours of research, scores of members doing interviews, and an exhaustive process to bring you the best information — always party blind and issue driven.

The bottom line! NDU never tells members how to vote. Instead, NDU provides information members can consider when they decide how to vote.

Just as individual workers can’t challenge the power of their employer without collective bargaining, individual voters can’t change the political landscape without working together.

You can help elect NDU recommended candidates who support you and your work.

Here’s how: •

Sign up for a monthly payroll deduction...

•

Talk to fellow members, friends, and family about recommended candidates.

•

Volunteer. Whether going door to door, stuffing envelopes, putting up a yard sign, or hosting a coffee, there are many opportunities to help.

Tom Young, vocal music teacher at Red River High School in Grand Forks and president of Grand Forks Education Association “I look at my work as a choir director, and when someone’s going to join the choir, the first thing I tell them is to just sign up, join and become part of the roster. But you really haven’t joined anything in that choir until you start participating and do something. You’re not going to reap any of the benefits of that association without singing in the group, like you should be. Everything you do, everything you don’t do affects what happens. So if you want to be part of a vital organization, join it and then lend your voice to it. If you’re asked to do a little thing, say yes. My life gets bigger every time I do that. My plate doesn’t get fuller, but my life gets bigger.”

•

Run for office yourself! NDU members make great school board members, legislators and statewide elected officials.

Lobbying and Advocacy

Once the elections are over, NDU goes to work to make sure elected officials know where we stand on issues that affect our members.

Lobbying the legislature: When the North Dakota Legislature is in session, NDU President Nick Archuleta and NDU staff provide the North Dakota state Legislature with members’ issues.

Whether advocating for adequate funding for public education, public services, and members’ pay, benefits, and working conditions, or stopping legislation that would harm our members and their work, NDU’s lobbying team works gavel to gavel to represent members at the legislature.

Year-round representation: NDU’s leaders and staff work year-round to give you a voice in issues that affect you.

U Can Go Further With NDU Scholarships and Grants The purpose of the North Dakota United Foundation is to promote educational excellence and quality public service in North Dakota. The Foundation’s goal is to aid educators, public servants, and students in achieving greater educational success.

The Foundation accomplishes this by providing to individual educators, public servants, and college students various grants and scholarships designed to enhance their skills.

Audrey Haskell, school manager at Lewis & Clark Elementary School in Grand Forks and member of North Dakota United “I am the vice president of the Foundation, and so I’ve worked very closely with the scholarships and the grant programs over the last five years. I’ve encouraged and seen many ESPs apply for the ESP grant, and many of the students that apply for the scholarships are from our local area. So it’s been helpful knowing the background of some of those scholarships and grants, to be able to encourage students and colleagues in school to apply for those grants and scholarship programs, both for professional development and furthering projects for the students I work with.”

Thus, the Foundation is sowing the seeds for the future improvement of education and public service in North Dakota through a program of scholarships and grants.

It is with pride that the Foundation’s Board of Directors has established this special alliance with education and public service leaders who understand that their professional growth is the key to success.

For information and applications to NDU Foundation visit the NDU website at www. ndunited.org/benefits/scholarships-and-grants.

Building the Foundation

From less than $5,000 in 1991 to over $250,000 in 2014, the Foundation has relied on members and friends of North Dakota United to build its base.

In the beginning, members assessed themselves one dollar per year for three years to help the foundation›s principal grow. The $1 assessment is still in place today and applies to all classes of membership.

The Foundation is vitally interested in sustaining its growth in future years. It provides opportunities for individuals and businesses to recognize the important role that education and public service have in North Dakota’s future.

Individuals, businesses, and local associations are encouraged to consider donations toward the Foundation’s work as an incentive and reward for the role individual educators and public servants have played in their personal development.

Individuals or companies interested in supporting the Foundation through direct donations, endowments, insurance policies, or estates should contact the Foundation to make the necessary arrangements.

As a 401(c)(3) tax organization, gifts to the Foundation are deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Because each individual’s tax situation is different, individuals considering using this option should contact a personal tax adviser who is familiar with the North Dakota tax credit.

More information is also available by contacting the NDU Chief Financial Officer at 701223-0450 or at foundation@ndunited.org.

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ND United Voices

Horace Mann Offers U Discounted Insurance Through a long-standing partnership with our Association, Horace Mann Insurance Companies offer Educated Financial Solutions to all of our NDU members. As a member of our association, you can receive discounts and member-only coverage on your home and auto insurance. Horace Mann agents are specially trained to offer 403-B tax deferred investment opportunities designed to work with your Teachers Fund for Retirement or Public Employees Retirement System benefits.

Horace Mann Agents: Kirby Johnson 104 3rd Ave NW Mandan, ND 58554 Phone: 701-663-1707 Fax: 701-663-1439

Jason Rohrer 216 S Broadway, Ste 200A Minot, ND 58701 Phone: 701-839-4669 Fax: 701-852-8424

Shawn Rehm 4357 13th Ave S, Ste 107 Fargo, ND 58104 Phone: 701-232-7353 Fax : 701-364-0178

Lance Rustand 20 1st Ave E Dickinson, ND 58601 Phone: 701-4835789 Fax: 701-483-5729

Robert Tiller 100 N 3rd St, Ste 270 Grand Forks ND 58203 Phone: 701-787-8754 Fax: 701-757-0930

Amber Augustadt, music specialist at Northridge Elementary School in Bismarck and president-elect of the Bismarck Education Association “Both my husband and I are members, and so we are able to get a very nice rate on our insurance through Horace Mann. We have our homeowners insurance and our car insurance and our life insurance together, and because they’re bundled, we get a nice deal through that. They are knowledgeable, efficient and provide fantastic customer service.”

Liability Insurance Protects U from the Unforeseen It is the responsibility of all of our members to care for the well-being of the public in our jobs. We educate young minds, provide services for the sick, needy and elderly populations, and care for those who need assistance.

Performing the important duties required of your job can leave you vulnerable to unforeseen circumstances. You need protection for when the worst happens to you.

Membership in North Dakota United provides you with that protection.

Through your membership, you are enrolled into our association’s Educators Employment Liability Program. This plan is a professional liability insurance program that is provided

by NEA as a benefit of membership in NDU. Your Educators Employment Liability (EEL) Program cover s payment of court-ordered civil liability up to $1 million, payment of legal costs up to $3 million per member per occurrence, attorney fees for the defense of criminal proceedings up to $35,000 if you are charged with violating a criminal statute in the course of your employment as an educator and you are exonerated from the charges, bail bond reimbursement up to $1,000, and assault-related personal property benefit.

NDU liability insurance is there for all our members, to provide you with a sense of assurance that, if the worst were to happen, we have your back and will cover the expensive costs that come with lawsuits or personal injury. For more information about our liability insurance program, visit our website at www.ndunited.org and click on Member Benefits.

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Jerlyn Gabrielson, second-grade teacher and volleyball coach for Flasher Elementary School, and lead negotiator for Flasher Education Association “It’s huge. I can’t imagine coming to work in these kinds of situations, with dozens of kids, on playgrounds, in gymnasiums, going down the hallway, on field trips, in buses …. I wouldn’t want to go to work without knowing that I can get in and teach and instruct and help, and not hesitate, and know that any of the decisions I make at the time are going to be protected. That I have the security of knowing that I can interact with students and athletes, and instruct and help and assist, and not have to second guess some of my decisions, (so that I can) make the best decision at the moment, knowing that I have that kind of coverage and peace of mind. It was one of the main reasons why I knew, in a classroom setting, that I needed to be a member of an association, so I was protected from some of the more serious situations that could come along at any time.”

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NDU Offers U Legal Assistance All of our public educators and employees are vulnerable to litigation. Workers are taken to court over accidents on the job, or may seek legal remedy after being improperly disciplined or terminated. Our local associations have taken administrators through the legal system, all the way to the N.D. Supreme Court, over abuse of power.

Dr. Deb Dragseth, Professor of Business at Dickinson State University and member of North Dakota United “One of my first years here, I had a student who had a grade dispute, and it got a little nasty. I called the union, and they sent an attorney, gave me advice, and wrote me a letter.

It’s all included in your union dues. I think you can’t discount the million-dollar insurance policy, and the fact that you have a phone number. I have my union representative on my cell phone, and maybe I’m only going to call her once every two or three years, but when I’ve got a problem or issue or even a question, I know that there’s somebody there who, if they don’t have the answer, they will do whatever they have to do to find out the answer.”

Through membership in North Dakota United, you will have access to legal services from the state’s best-practiced, most-knowledgeable attorney in the arenas of education and labor law, Michael Geiermann, and his firm, Schulz, Geiermann, Bergeson and Gular Law Offices.

In addition, the NDU Attorney Referral Program provides members with legal advice on personal matters. Each eligible member is entitled to two free 30-minute consultation sessions during each membership year, provided the sessions are on different legal matters.

And if you need additional legal help, the Attorney Referral Program lets you get that help at rates below our participating attorney’s usual fees. Legal services under this program include wills and estates, real estate, domestic relations, consumer protection and traffic violations.

Please call ahead to make an appointment. Announce that you are an NDU member and wish to use the Attorney Referral Program. Then, determine the fees that would be charged before contracting for service.

Participating firm: Schulz, Geiermann, Bergeson and Guler Law Offices 425 N. Fifth Street Bismarck, ND 58501 701-223-1986

Use Technology Wisely All confidential data must be secured Acceptable Use Policy

Check if your employer has an ‘Acceptable Use Policy’ for using technology. If you are an educator, your employer likely has separate policies for students and employees. The Acceptable Use Policy should define where, when, and how long employees may use computers and network services.

“Do not send anything you wouldn’t want read by your employer, or possibly the public. Your employer owns and controls the email system.”

Be Prudent About Content

Don’t access, accept, or transmit anything that can be interpreted as obscene or pornographic. Review the Acceptable Use Policy about any other potentially objectionable material.

Non-Commercial Use

School and college networks usually prohibit using their network and computers for commercial purposes, such as promoting a personal business.

Protect Student Information

All confidential student data such as Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), grades, and all other private data must be secured, even on a computer. Establish a password that will limit access to computers you use for confidential material, and do not share your password with others (ask your technology staff for assistance if needed).

Your Employer Owns Your Email

Do not send anything you wouldn’t want read by your employer, or possibly the public.

Your employer owns and controls the email system. Even deleted email can be retrieved and used in lawsuits. Do not send any confidential or private email at work.

Monitoring Student Use

If you are an educator, you might be held responsible for inappropriate student use of technology. Because it is impossible to supervise student use at all times, check if your district has a “reasonable supervision” standard. If you have any questions about proper use of technology in your district, contact the NDU Help Line at 1-800-369-6332.

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ND United Voices

If U Need Assistance, Call the NDU Help Center Sometimes you just need to talk. As a member of North Dakota United, you are always just a phone call away from professional assistance from the expert staff of NDU on matters big and small. If you or your local needs assistance with negotiations, communication, public relations, professional development, event planning or fiduciary responsibilities, simply call the NDU Help Center at 1-800-369-6332 or e-mail helpcenter@ndunited.org, and you will have access to a staff member dedicated to assisting you in any way possible. We can answer your questions over the phone, put you in contact with the resources you need, or our dedicated field staff will come to you, where you live, and work with you for as long as it takes to get the positive results you are looking for.

With NDU Help Center, you can reach a UniServ director each work day from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (CST) by calling 1-701-223-0450 or 1-800-369-6332, or you can e-mail the NDU Help Center at helpcenter@ndunited.org.

Contact the NDU Help Center for: •

Reduction in force hearing/discharge hearing

•

Being placed on administrative leave

•

Bargaining impasse questions/hearing

•

Sexual harassment charge

•

Evaluation timelines/response

•

Social service complaint

•

Being accused of a crime

Kathy Lentz, fifth-grade teacher for Washington Elementary School in Valley City and president of Valley City Education Association “The staff at NDU have been phenomenal.

This past year, Valley City went through a really rough road with mediation and then impasse, and eventually a court trial where we ended up suing the school board. And at every step of the way, (UniServ Director) Deanna Paulson was with us. We could text her, or we could call her. She was in Valley City so many times, I think her car now knows the way without her having to think about it. Every time we had a question, they were right there for us.”

(Please note: these examples do not constitute an all-inclusive list.)

UniServ directors are responsible for answering members’ questions at all times, but they are also responsible for: •

Membership Promotion

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Negotiations and Contract Maintenance

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Teacher Rights

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Organizational Health

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State and National Programs

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The General Welfare of the Association.

So, those directors not assigned to the Help Center will be able to spend a great deal of time in the field, training and assisting locals to better meet the needs of the local membership.

Locals desiring a visit by a UniServ director or training in a particular area should also contact the NDU Help Center at 1-701-223-0450 or 1-800-369-6332, or you can e-mail the NDU Help Center at helpcenter@ndea.org.

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Recruit a New Member, and U Can Earn $50 Remember – Membership recruitment is a year-long process so forms may be submitted anytime.

As part of the effort to assist locals with the recruitment of Association members, ND United is offering a $50 incentive payment for enrolling any staff as new ND United member. To be considered an eligible new member, the person must not have been an Active* NDU member in the 2013-2014 year**. The $50 will be paid directly to the “recruiter” who signs the membership enrollment form.

Here are FOUR EASY STEPS to claim the $50 incentive: 1. Verify that the new member was not a member in the 2013-2014 year.

2. Be sure the local Association is aware of the individual joining and that all necessary payroll deduction forms, local dues, etc. are processed through the local.

3. Find and complete the form available online – www.NDUnited.org 4. Send the completed form to: North Dakota United ATTN: Incentive Rebate 301 N 4th St Bismarck, ND 58501-4020 Payments will be mailed in December 2014 and March 2015.

If you have any questions, please contact ND UNITED: State Headquarters, Bismarck, 701-223-0450 or 800-369-6332 Eastern Office, Fargo, 701-281-7235 or 800-304-6332 * Active membership includes K-12 Teachers, ESP, Higher Education faculty and staff and state, county and city Employees. ** NDU’s membership year starts on September 1 and ends on August 31.

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ND UNITED RETIRED CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE ASSOCIATION Help recruit all types of membership this fall

By ND United Retired President Gloria Lokken

“

I am asking you to promote North Dakota

United Membership this fall. We have a real opportunity to contribute in many ways during the back-to-school season and continue throughout the year.”

Back-to-school season begins in August and affects everyone. We see the promotions on our televisions, newspapers, store windows, and certainly in all our shopping malls. The purpose is a last-minute push to get everything ready in our communities and at home for school to start.

I can hear some of you saying, “Really.

Doesn’t affect me any more, I’m retired.” But I challenge you to actually think about it a little deeper. Whether our career was served in an education facility, a state service building or a machine operating on the roads, back-toschool season required an effort to get it done!

I have been retired for seven years, and I am still buying school supplies, however, now I donate them to “Fill the Bus” for students in need. Our members are buying supplies for their grandchildren, giving advice to their college bound family and friends, helping former colleagues prepare for another great school year, and staying informed of the “what’s happening” in our community and state.

I truly believe that people who choose to belong, contribute and promote their union, especially in a right-to-work state; are the folks who are willing to give their time, talent and resources to enhance many endeavors.

I am asking you to promote North Dakota United membership this fall. We have a real opportunity to contribute in many ways during the back-to-school season and continue throughout the year.

Engage folks in conversations promoting North Dakota United. Help newly employed and folks who have not joined understand the benefit of belonging to their union. Did you know the reason given most often for not joining is, “I wasn’t asked”? We can help end that problem, we have the time and the history – we just have to make a point to do it! Visit your former work sites, talk to the local leaders and find ways and times to help promote membership in the active ranks.

And let the folks know it is not too early to join life-time retired. A person can join any time after five years of membership and know that once they are no longer eligible for active membership, they will move into retired. How easy to continue to be part of the organization that makes a difference in the lives of public employees, active and retired.

Friends, retired have many ways to make a positive influence during the back-to-school season and every season. We are seasoned! So let’s use our experience to make a difference once again.

YES, SIGN ME UP NOW IN NDU/NEA/AFT-RETIRED Complete and mail with your check today, to NDU-Retired, 301 N 4th St, Bismarck, ND 58501-4020 Name: _______________________________________Social Security Number: __________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________________ State: ______________ Zip: ______________ Phone: ______________________________E-mail:_________________________________________ Local Association: ____________________________Signature_______________________Date______ _______ I wish to join as Annual Retired and pay $52 per year. Mail this form and your check to

NDU, 301 N 4th Street, Bismarck, ND 58501-4020. (NDU membership year is from Sept. 1 to August 31.) _______ I wish to pay a one-time payment of $412 for Lifetime Retired. Expected Date of Retirement ___________ (month/year) _______ I wish to pay one payment of $52 and have 9 (nine) electronic transfers of $40 from my bank account for Lifetime Retired. ndunited.org

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