Dear Fellow WLEA Members,
I am writing today with a great sadness. I can not recall ever working in education and in association business at a worse time than right now. School funding issues have caused unprecedented changes in decision making and thus, in our district.
Today six of our fellow WLEA members were told they will be moved to new positions beginning second semester because their current job positions will be cut. This includes 1 elementary counselor, 4 media specialists, and 1 CRT. In turn, as a result of the elimination of positions and subsequent moves, another five WLEA members will be moved to lay off status.
On November 5th, the Board of Education held a closed session to discuss negotiations prior to the regular Board of Education meeting. The Board directed Dr. Hamilton to make mid-year cuts to abate the loss of revenues to Walled Lake dictated by the State Legislature. The parameters for the position cuts, as agreed to by the Board of Education and Dr. Hamilton, included: 1) not disrupting elementary classroom assignments for this year, and 2) not making any cuts that would involve more than 1 bump. I tell you this, just as a way to communicate how some of the decisions were made by the Walled Lake administration.
As we move ahead in the coming weeks, no one knows if the State Legislature will solve the revenue problems for our school. The future is uncertain. I will try to keep you updated as soon as I have available information. If you need to contact me, please feel free.
Terese
MEA
About Me
- Tfitzjake
- I wrote this introduction 6 years ago, and it is even more important today than ever. The voices of educational employees need to be heard above the roar of public school attacks in this country. We are on the front line; we are highly educated and trained professionals. Why are we being ignored? I am an educator. I was the president of the Walled Lake Education Association for over 6 years, and before that, the treasurer for 8 years. I have been on the bargaining team for 15 years. I am now the MEA UniServ Director for 7K and parts of IJ. I want our voice to be heard! Today's educational climate requires that we all stay informed regarding the issues affecting our chosen profession!