Issue 10  Dec. 21, 2006

Don't wait for Santa!
Act now to protect your benefits and public schools!

Ho Ho Ho & the Legislature is considering bills that could leave a lump of coal in your stocking.  Please take a moment to send your legislators holiday greetings and a message about how you feel on each of the issues below. 

Here's how:

Go to www.njea.org. Click on Legislative Action/Cyberlobbying and enter your PIN (it's on your membership card) and password (the last 4 digits of your Social Security number) to log in. Click Take Action and follow the instructions to send an e-mail to your legislators today! 

Proposals to seek property tax reform at the expense of public schools and hard-working public employees!

Many of the recommendations from the Legislature's Special Session on property tax reform would gravely damage public education in New Jersey, undermine collective bargaining, and make it more difficult to attract new teachers and school employees.  Some of the proposed changes to pensions and post-retirement medical benefits could result in a mass exodus of teachers and school employees who are eligible for retirement. To contact your legislators about this issue, follow the directions above and click on Fight for your benefits! Fight for our schools!

Amend A-16/S-8 to protect our pensions and benefits!

This bill would threaten the retirement security of younger members and new hires.  It would also eliminate the coordination of benefits between spouses who are both enrolled in the State Health Benefits Plan.  Finally, it would reduce the incentive for employees to waive health insurance coverage.  NJEA and CWA have worked with Assemblymen Malone and Baroni to amend this bill.  Please tell your legislators to support these amendments or oppose this bill.

To contact your legislators about this issue, follow the directions above and click on Support public employees: amend A-16/S-8!

10-year pilot program would create a county administrative school district

A-8 is a bill that would establish a 10-year pilot program to organize a county administrative school district in one county selected by the Commissioner of Education.

If your county is eligible under the bill, your Board of Chosen Freeholders and county superintendent of schools could decide to apply for the program by adopting a resolution.  If the Commissioner picks your county the deal is done.  There is no opportunity for public input at all.  The people who live there would not get to vote for or against their community's participation in the program and the county is not required to hold any formal hearings for the public to share concerns or ask questions.  That's not democracy! To contact your legislators about this issue, follow the directions above and click on Pilot program would force establishment of county school district!