 Thanks to the work of our members and our state and national union, major changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program were recently announced. We are celebrating the incredible news that one of the loan forgiveness programs our members depend on but that is exceptionally hard to qualify for has just gotten easier to access thanks to decisive action by the Biden Administration and thanks to tireless advocacy from our members and our national affiliates. Public Service Loan Forgiveness is getting some incredibly necessary changes that will be in place for the next year. The Department of Education announced that they are providing a temporary waiver to some of the requirements that have been most difficult for borrowers to meet, frequently because of the inaction or misconduct of loan servicers, who you will recall now have to meet much higher standards in Minnesota after we passed our Student Borrowers Bill of Rights this June. A great article on this from NPR helps to explain what was announced: https://www.npr.org/2021/10/06/1043332307/public-service-loan-forgiveness-education-department-overhaul In order to ensure that our members have the most current information and support in accessing this opportunity, Education Minnesota will hold a webinar at our upcoming MEA conference Thursday, Oct. 21 covering this news and how folks can access this expanded PSLF opportunity: NEW offering! Expanded Loan Forgiveness for Educators: Unpacking New Public Service Loan Forgiveness rules The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program has always sounded simple: work in the public sector, pay your loans for 10 years, get the rest forgiven tax free. But every borrower who has interacted with the program knows that it’s anything but simple. The Department of Education has recently announced sweeping changes to the program that will make it easier to qualify and easier to achieve forgiveness. This live Zoom session will cover what we know about the new rules, offer specific guidance on how to access the loan forgiveness, and update participants on the overall student loan landscape. 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 21 REGISTER HERE As ever, please continue to ask your very good questions via [email protected]. Your union membership made this possible; our national partners at the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association have relentlessly pushed the Department of Education to make good on their commitments to public educators and our public sector union family. Thank you for making many new opportunities possible for current and future educators! Education Minnesota, 41 Sherburne Ave., St. Paul, MN 55103 | 651-227-9541 | 800-652-9073 Education Minnesota is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.www.educationminnesota.org | Update email | Privacy policy | Contact us | Unsubscribe |
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Education Minnesota’s 2021 MEA conference will be hybrid this year! Attend in-person Oct. 21 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre to check out our lineup of 65 workshops and dozens of educational exhibits. Or you can log on from home to watch the general session and about a dozen select sessions virtually. New relicensure courses will also be available on Education Minnesota’s MEA Online for members to complete at their own pace. Courses at MEA and MEA Online are always free to active Education Minnesota members. In-person and virtual livestream attendance is limited, so register early! In order to create a safe in-person learning environment, Education Minnesota will require proof of vaccination before registering, masking for all attendees, regardless of vaccination status, and social distancing. Deadline to register is Oct. 19. There will be NO CHILD CARE available this year due to ongoing COVID concerns. QUICK FACTSWhen: 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 Where: Saint Paul RiverCentre; some live sessions will be available via webinar. Admission: Free and open to Education Minnesota members and aspiring educators only. Registration: edmn.me/mea2021 General session: 9-10:30 a.m. Workshops: 10:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Exhibits: 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
hanges by the 2021 Legislature will affect your work as an educator and a union member.
On Thursday, July 15, our lobbyists and education experts went live via Zoom to explain what happened — and what didn’t — on these issues and more:
- Funding
- Licensure
- Higher ed
- ESP issues
- Education debt
- Recruiting and retaining educators of color
Couldn’t make the live Q&A? Watch it below:
Roseville was one of a handful of districts across the country participating in the AFT’s Teacher Leader Program. Congratulations to the six EM-R members who formed a cohort and recently completed the program. Much thanks also to Jodi Kyllonene, the group facilitator. As part of the course culmination, the six participants developed and presented an action research project and the links to these projects can be found below:
Brooks Hidaka, RAHS “Public School Funding” https://youtu.be/4PCK7Ck9QkY
Shauna Kidimu, Harambee “Positive Impact of Restorative Practices” https://youtu.be/_eYQeHWIUe4
Anne Robenhorst & Brittany Stahlman, RAHS “Underrepresented Students in Advanced Classes” https://youtu.be/vnmsT9951qE
Ken Henry, RAHS “The Role of Student Voice in District Class Size Policy” https://youtu.be/6-KqjmjPpTo
Jessica Prenzlow-Morgan, Harambee “Class Sizes: Enough Already!” https://youtu.be/Co95btHjxU0
| State funding for our public schools hasn’t kept pace with inflation — it’s at least 11.8 percent less than in 2003 in real dollars. Now, many districts are cutting budgets and laying off staff once again. It’s past time to raise the revenue we need to fully fund our schools. Join hundreds of educators and community members for a fun, family-friendly rally to fund public education!We Make MN Rally: Fund Our Futures 2 p.m., Saturday, May 15 Leif Erikson Park (Minnesota Capitol grounds, on the north side of the State Office Building, at the intersection of University Ave. and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) Sign up now!Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders are expected to attend. Mileage and meals will be reimbursed. |
Join us May 15 to rally for public education!
Gov. Tim Walz and House DFL leaders are taking strong first steps this session toward fully funding our schools, increasing state aid by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Senate Republicans? Not so much. Their plan puts no new money on the general formula, siphons money from public schools via vouchers and will force districts to make harmful budget cuts and lay off staff.
Join hundreds of Minnesota educators and community members at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 15 at the state Capitol for a fun, family-friendly rally to support public education.
Sign up now!
2021 Share My Lesson Virtual Conference
All of the sessions from Share My Lesson’s 2021 virtual conference are now available on demand for free. Check out the remarkable lineup of webinars to support your upcoming needs, including how best to reopen schools safely, support social and emotional recovery and learning recovery, strengthen a foundation of anti-bias education, increase civic engagement and incorporate trauma-sensitive practices.
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| Professional Learning OpportunitiesThe Culturally Responsive Dilemma, Wednesday, April 21, 6-7:30 p.m. ET Educators are being asked to be culturally responsive, but sometimes it seems like just another layer added to existing structures, which may not support culturally responsive constructs. So how can educators survive these mandates and still meet the needs of students? Let’s explore these challenges during our next session in the new teachers series. The AFT’s Rosalind LaRocque, a senior associate director in the Educational Issues Department, will host the session to help you discover ways to overcome these challenges. |
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One of the many things Education Minnesota ESI Member Benefits provides for members are informational seminars. With the Covid-19 pandemic, we have transitioned our seminars online. We will be holding a When Can I Afford to Retire seminar for locals serviced out of the Woodbury field office on Thursday, April 22, 2021 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. This session will focus on those with a TRA pension. When thinking about or planning for retirement, we encourage members to do the following: 1) Attend an ESI seminar, topics to be discussed are listed below. 2) Schedule a meeting with a TRA and/or PERA counselor to provide you with individualized options. 3) Schedule a meeting with a financial advisor to help you in making the decisions that are the best for you. If you don’t have one, check out our sponsored partner, EFS Advisors. You can find your local advisor here. |
| Register today |
Topics to be discussed include: Pension education Learn how benefits are calculated Understand defined benefit pension plans Financial planning What can you expect from Social Security? Tax-deferred and tax-free savings Asset allocation and asset management/diversification/performance and fees 403(b) match and severance payment options |
Safety Guidelines – Ed MN recently updated the COVID safety guidelines for classrooms. EM-R has worked with the district COVID Coordinator to refine these to reflect Roseville’s implementation. Please read the bottom of the document for steps to take if you feel any of the guidelines need addressing in your classroom.
Vaccinations – Yesterday, Education Minnesota sent Gov. Walz and Commissioner Ricker the following letter requesting the state revert to a system that prioritizes educators doing in-person work and those with underlying health conditions for early vaccination access. EM-R continues to have conversations with union leaders across the state regarding this issue and we have also encouraged Superintendent Sicoli to raise the concern with the state-wide superintendents’ group in hopes that pressure from multiple fronts will reinstate some type of prioritization program.
COVID Related Sick Leave – as you may be aware, the 80 hours of paid sick leave allowed under the FFCRA Act for COVID related illness/quarantine expired on Dec. 31. As an alternative, EM-R has negotiated an agreement with the district that will allow anyone who has exhausted their own sick leave to use up 80 hours from the Sick Leave bank for quarantine or COVID related illness. If the Sick Leave Bank becomes depleted EM-R will send out an email requesting donations to cover our colleagues in need who have exhausted all of their sick leave.
-Dan Beck, EM-R President
