AN EARLY START

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Going door to door so we
can talk face to face
Atlantic City EA member Phillip “PJ” Dollard is happy
to see NJEA President Wendell Steinhauer during a
door-knocking campaign in November.
On a sunny Saturday in late November, I was pleased to join about 50 NJEA
members and staff to conduct a door-knocking campaign in Atlantic City to
talk one-on-one with members of the Atlantic City Education Association.
ACEA members have been struggling as their city has descended into
economic crisis with the closing of four casinos and the layoff of more than
8,000 casino employees in 2014. The ripple effect of the city’s crisis led to a
reduction in force (RIF) among Atlantic City public school employees. At the
end of the 2014-15 school year, 125 members lost their jobs.
While ACEA worked hard to protect members’ legal rights, correct the
district’s inaccurate seniority lists, and provide every member with the information
and support they need, the climate in the schools remains tense,
since the district cannot guarantee that the RIFs will not continue. The ACEA
knew it wanted to engage with its members in a different way. Meeting at historic
St. James A.M.E. Church, the birthplace of many grassroots movements
in the city, the participants were nervous and excited about the campaign.
ACEA members expressed how grateful they were for having the opportunity
to talk about their concerns. One woman was so excited, she said, “I
cannot wait until Monday to tell everyone that you came!”
ACEA members shared their appreciation for their local president, Marcia
Genova, and all the work ACEA has done on their behalf. They continue to
be concerned about job security and their desire to take care of the students
entrusted to them.
Marcia said it was the best experience she has had as a local president. For
someone with 18 years’ experience, that says a lot.
Overall, the group knocked on 124 doors and had 42 conversations with
ACEA members in their own homes.
As NJEA continues to face many challenges with pension funding, standardized
testing, and coordinated efforts to undermine our ability to advocate
for our members and the students they serve, you can believe that we
will engage in many more of these door-knocking projects so that our organization
retains its close connection with members from Sussex to Cape May.
WENDELL’S PICKS
Twitter
@NJEA: Bergenfield EA member
@GabeTanglao is featured on
@edvotes: student advocacy
doesn’t stop outside school
door. buzz.mw/bam0k_f
Gabe Tanglao, the treasurer of
the Bergenfield EA, is featured in
a national online publication.
Event
Legislative conference
The 2016 NJEA Walter J. O’Brien
Legislative and Political Action
Conference is your chance to
speak directly to lawmakers to
fight for public education and
lobby for your economic security.
Register at njea.org.
Resource
NJCORE.org
The N.J. Department of
Education has made available the
Collaborative Online Resource
Exchange where educators can
find and contribute lesson plans,
classroom activities, assessment
items, videos and professional
learning resources.
News
NJEA backs constitutional
amendment on pension funding
The state Legislature is moving
on a constitutional amendment
that would require the state to
make its actuarially required
contributions to the state’s
pension systems. Learn more on
Page 18.
JANUARY 2016 7