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International President: Jill Levy; Executive Vice President: Diann Woodard; Secretary: Roch Girard; Treasurer: Jimmy Gittings
1101 17th Street, NW Suite 408, Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 986-4209 Fax: (202) 986-4211 e-mail: afsa@AFSAadmin.org

December 2008
PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT – On July 31st, the House of Representatives passed the Paycheck Fairness Act by a vote of 247-178. This bill seeks to regulate fair pay for workers by strengthening the government’s ability to identify and remedy wage discrimination. In response to this vote, AFSA President Jill Levy sent a thank you letter or a letter of dismay to each Representative according to how they voted. This measure is currently before the Senate HELP Committee. AFSA President Levy sent the Committee this letter urging its introduction in the Senate and the support of Committee members.

BUDGET LINGO Please see the CQ Weekly BUDGET GLOSSARY that defines some useful and common budget terms!

NCLB - Differentiated Accountability Pilot Programs On July 1, 2008, Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, announced the six states that were approved to implement the Differentiated Accountability Pilot. Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio were chosen out of 17 presented pilots and have been approved to begin their presented pilot programs for four years, from the 2008-09 through the 2011-2012 school years. When Secretary Spellings originally announced the “Differentiated Accountability” proposal, AFSA released a statement from President Jill Levy stating that “Secretary Spellings’ plan simply offers public schools too little help, too late and is a far cry from what is actually needed.” Click HERE to read the full press release. For more information on how the states were chosen, please refer to Secretary Spellings’ letter sent to State Chief School Officers at http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/secletter/080320.html. Also, to learn more about a state’s presented pilot program and the Differentiated Accountability Pilot, please visit the Department of Education’s website at http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/differentiatedaccountability/index.html.

SUPPORT THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT AFSA has joined its brothers and sisters in the AFL-CIO in pledging to have at least 10 percent of its members sign cards urging passage and signing into law of the Employee Free Choice Act. In 2007, the House of Representatives voted to pass the measure, though it failed in the Senate because supporters did not have enough votes to prevent a Republican filibuster or override a threatened Presidential veto. In its Million Member Mobilization, the AFL-CIO seeks to present the new President and members of Congress with one million signatures of supporters urging the immediate adoption of EFCA. Under EFCA, when a majority of workers vote to form a union, they get a union! AFSA strongly encourages you to complete this REPLY CARD and mail it to the National Office as soon as possible. Your support will help others improve their working conditions, earn fair wages, and receive the quality benefits they deserve!

FEA RECOMMENDED LEGISLATION AFSA is a participating member of the Forum on Educational Accountability (FEA), a working group from among the 144 signers of the Joint Statement on NCLB. With input from AFSA, the FEA has submitted legislative recommendations that will greatly benefit school administrators. Please visit www.edaccountability.org to read this legislation and to find out more!

September 2008
On Saturday, Sept. 27th, the Senate concurred with the House of Representative and passed legislation, HR 2638, to keep the government operating into the new fiscal year – FY2009 – which begins October 1st. President Bush signed the bill into law on September 30th. This measure does not keep up with the rate of inflation, essentially acting as a cut in funding. This is especially harmful for education programs that will be forced to operate at FY2008 levels through March 2009. In response, AFSA President Jill Levy sent this LETTER to every member of the U.S. House and Senate. It is also critical that YOUR voice is heard on this matter. AFSA urges you contact your Representatives in Congress and explain to them, as AFSA President Jill Levy stated in her letter, “We must commit to making education a national priority and demand that our federal government’s budgets reflect that commitment. The research demonstrates that an increased education investment will more than pay for itself by increasing earnings and tax revenues, and generating the knowledge and innovation that spark economic growth.” You can find contact information for your representative HERE.

FY09 APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE — The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations has completed markup of the largest of its 12 appropriations bills that sets funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. AFSA thanks Appropriations Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) for his comments about the current administration’s budget: “When it comes to investing in America, the President’s Budget is anemic. His request would cut funding for our children, for the elderly, for health care, and for job training… There are consequences for failing to invest in America. This committee will not look the other way. We will look forward.” To read the thank you letter AFSA President Jill Levy sent to Senator Byrd, with a copy going to all committee members, CLICK HERE.

In addition, progress on the spending bills in the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has stalled. This is extremely discouraging, as many of our nation’s essential programs rely upon this funding, especially school administrators who must budget their resources carefully. Recently, President Jill Levy sent a letter to Chairman David Obey and Ranking Member Jerry Lewis to express concern over the current status of the appropriations bills and the importance of passing these funding allocations as soon as possible. To read this letter CLICK HERE.

August 2008
AFSA's General Executive Board has voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for Pres ident. AFSA believes strongly that Senator Obama, as President, will support policies investing in early-childhood and public school education. Also, the members of AFSA are the ones ultimately held accountable under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and therefore s upport Senator Obama's pledge to fully fund and overhaul NCLB. Senator Obama responded to our endorsement: "I'm honored to have the endorsement of the American Federation o f School Administrators and grateful for the commitment they're making to help us win th is November. With AFSA's support, I'm confident that with this election, we're goi ng to begin bringing about a better future for all our children and for this country we lov e." Click HERE to read the full press release. You can also find it online at The HILL and at this AFL-CIO site .

Election Day is less than 3 months away! It is critical that all AFSA members get i nvolved now and support candidates that have pledged to support public schools and the educ ation professionals that lead them. Labor Day is just around the corner and presents the p erfect opportunity to get involved. Click HERE for a listing of Labor Day events in your area. A lso, use this list of key TALKING POINTS on Senator Obama to inform others of his position on critica l issues. Contact your local president for more information on what else YOU can do to mak e a difference this election!

School Supervisors and Administrators Endorse Obama PRESS RELEASE
AFSA officially announces its endorsement of Barack Obama. The unanimous decision was made by AFSA's General Executive Board. AFSA President Jill S. Levy stated, "There are man y reasons AFSA has elected to endorse Senator Obama for President. Unlike his opponent, Oba ma is an ardent supporter of exemplary public education and the education professionals who are accountable for the quality of teaching and learning. Unlike his opponent, Obama has pledged to fully fund and overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act and ful ly fund early childhood education. Unlike his opponent, he supports workers' rights- par ticularly the right of professionals to belong to unions and collectively bargain, and he w ill work to ensure that every working American in this country has the health care they need". More...

July 2008
Head Start funding increased by $223 million over the FY08 level, for a total of $7.1 billion. Title I grants to LEAs increased by $631 million over the FY08 level, for a total of $14.5 billion. Funding for job training grants increased by $25 million over FY08 levels, for a total of $2.9 billion. To ensure worker safety, the Committee increased funding for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), by $33.7 million over the FY08 level, to a total of $851 million.

CASINO WORKERS STILL CAN’T FORM A UNION — On June 21, thousands of union members, community leaders, and concerned citizens came together in a massive mobilization to support Atlantic City casino workers who are still fighting for fair contracts. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) held elections in six casinos for 5,000 workers to determine whether employees wanted to form unions. At four of the six casinos, 70-85% of the workers want to form unions. Despite these majorities, management at the casinos either will not come to the bargaining table or won’t do any real bargaining when they get there. Workers want affordable health care, fair wages, safe working conditions, a stop to unjust terminations, and seniority rights. To demonstrate support for the casino workers, AFSA President Jill Levy sent this letter to the CEOs of Trump and Harrah’s casinos. Click here to view the fact sheet with more information.

URGENT Contact Your AFSA Local President immediately AFSA President Jill Levy recent ly sent this letter to all AFSA Local Presidents info rming them how to get involved with the 2008 elections. The AFL-CIO is asking each union to participate in im portant Central Labor Council and State Federation meetings this summer. This is a perfect opportunity for AFSA members to get involved and for you to have YOUR voice heard during the upcoming elections! The meetings w ill be devoted to discussing the economy and the Million Member Mobilization for the Employee Free Choice Act . This, in addition to health care, will be crucial to which candidates are elected in November!

June 2008
H.R. 3021- MODERNIZING SCHOOLS – June 4, 2008 marked the vote of H.R.3021, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, within the House of Representatives. With a vote of 250-164, along party lines, the bill passed in the House and has been received in the Senate. This bill proposes a significant amount of funding, nearly $6.4 billion for the 2009 fiscal year, to be used towards the modernization, renovation, and general repairs of schools. Click here to view the funding amounts that your state could receive. President Jill Levy sent a letter to Chairman Kennedy and Ranking Member Enzi of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, while copying all other committee members, urging them to support this measure. Please take a moment to contact your Senator expressing your support for this measure, or download this letter of support to send to your Senator. Also, it is important to send this thank you letter to the Representatives that voted in favor of H.R.3021. See below for the press release recently distributed by AFSA President Jill Levy on HR 3021.

FY09 BUDGET RESOLUTION PASSED The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives reconciled the differences between their two budgets for Fiscal Year 2009 on June 4th and 5th by votes of 48-45 and 214-210, respectively. President Levy stated in a letter thanking members of the House and Senate who voted “yes” to the budget resolution, “This fiscally responsible measure provides for much needed increases in education programs that are vital to the well-being and future prosperity of our nation.” AFSA members should also note that this agreement sets the stage for increasing available funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $15 billion over the next five years. In response to the votes, AFSA President Jill Levy sent a letter to members of the House and Senate according to their vote on the measure.
It is critical that you contact your representatives to have your voice heard! AFSA has prepared this Budget Report Toolkit with information on how each member of Congress voted, links to their websites, and sample letters for you to mail and fax. AFSA will notify you about the progress of the appropriations process as it evolves.

URGENT - AFSA MEMBERS REVIEW THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FOR IMMEDIATE LEGISLATIVE ACTION
The U.S. House of Representatives recently adopted its FY2009 budget resolution by a vote of 212-207 and the U.S. Senate did the same by a vote of 51-44. The House budget provides an increase of $7.1 billion over the President’s FY09 request for education and training, while the Senate budget provides an increase of $5.4 billion.

The President’s proposed budget for FY09 is wholly inadequate, eliminated 47 Department of Education programs including School Leadership, underfunds NCLB and Title I grants to LEAs, and is riddled with privatization and voucher schemes.

The budget process is now well underway and it is absolutely critical AFSA members weigh in throughout the remainder of the process!! Contact your representatives in Congress now and urge them to support "AFSA's Recommended Enhancements for a More Effective FY09 Federal Education Budget" and press them to ask their colleagues to do the same. You can find contact information for every member of the House of Representatives where AFSA has locals HERE and contact information for every Senator where AFSA has locals HERE.

AFSA President Jill Levy sent a LETTER to all members of the House and Senate Budget Committee urging them to adopt a budget resolution that substantially increases the federal investment in education. It is important to remind your representatives, as AFSA President Levy states in her letter, “We are the professionals who are held accountable for the success or failure of our students to meet AYP goals. In too many instances our efforts are in vain because of the insufficient resources to carry out our mandates”.

Please see this CQ Weekly BUDGET GLOSSARY that defines some useful and common budget terms!

May 2008
INCREASING EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS While Congress passed a budget that authorized spending, laws require Congress to pass individual appropriations bills to actually allocate funding. Along with many members of the Committee for Education Funding, AFSA recently signed on to a bipartisan letter to Congress requesting a $15 billion increase in budget appropriations over FY 2008 levels of funding for education and healthcare funding. The letter requests this funding for three reasons: “(1) restore cuts of core program funding over the last four years, (2) more appropriately account for four years of inflation and population growth to maintain service levels and purchasing power; and (3) return these programs to the FY 2005 level, a high water mark for many.” More than 500 education, training, disability, public health, human services, medical research, child welfare, and labor organizations appear with AFSA’s signature on the letter. To read the letter, click here. Earlier this year, AFSA sent six “Recommended Enhancements for a More Effective FY09 Federal Education Budget” to Congress. AFSA recommended that Congress reject the current administration’s elimination of 47 Department of Education programs, including: School Leadership, Even Start, Elementary and Secondary School Counseling, Career and Technical Education state grants, and Arts in Education. Further, AFSA advised Congress that, since its enactment, NCLB has been under-funded by more than $85 billion. To read the full list of recommendations, click here

NEW NCLB REGULATIONS Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education, has proposed new regulations to, in the Department’s view, strengthen NCLB. AFSA President Jill Levy sent a letter to the Department of Education to oppose the proposed DOE regulations. In her letter, President Levy called the regulations “a piecemeal approach to salvaging NCLB” that “merely pander to parents and do a dance around the major regulations that require overhaul.” Specifically, the regulations provide technical assistance to schools to help determine their dropout rates, but AFSA believes that is not what school administrators need. As President Levy said, “Schools need advances in funding to help solve the national high school dropout epidemic and cradle-to-prison pipeline.” Further, the proposed regulations would require schools to notify parents of students’ transfer options 14 days before a school year. That regulation, President Levy said, “supports a flawed system that does not require private schools to be held accountable to the same standards as public schools.” In short, President Levy called for “real solutions” and not “more bureaucratic initiatives” like Secretary Spellings’ proposed regulations, and urged the DOE to consider AFSA's Top Six Revisions for NCLB.

April 2008
AFSA is also a participating member of the Forum on Educational Accountabi lity (FEA), a working group from among the 142 signers of the Joint Statement on NCLB. With input from AFSA, FEA has submitted legislative recommendations that wil l greatly benefit school administrators. Please visit www.edaccountability.org to read this legisl ation and to find out more!

March 2008
On Thursday, March 6, 2008 AFSA attended an event entitled “Whether Zero Tolerance Discipline Expands the Achievement Gap and Disproportionately Impacts African American Students?”. Several members of Congress and respected panelists participated, however no one discussed the importance of the work performed by organizations such as the Council for Unity. To bring awareness to this issue, AFSA President Jill Levy distributed this PRESS RELEASE. Also, at the event, Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ) spoke out against vouchers and privatization. President Levy sent Congressman Payne this LETTER thanking him for his very important comments supportive of public schools.

February 2008
FY09 BUDGET UPDATE The U.S. House of Representatives recently adopted its FY2009 budget resolution by a vote of 212-207 and the U.S. Senate did the same by a vote of 51-44. The House budget provides an increase of $7.1 billion over the President’s FY09 request for education and training, while the Senate budget provides an increase of $5.4 billion. AFSA has thanked Congress for rejecting the President’s wholly inadequate budget, which would have eliminated 47 Department of Education programs including School Leadership, under-funded NCLB and Title I grants to LEAs, and imposed privatization and voucher schemes. Contact your representatives in Congress now and urge them to support "AFSA's Recommended Enhancements for a More Effective FY09 Federal Education Budget," which AFSA sent to members of Congress earlier this year, and press them to ask their colleagues to do the same. Use this AFSA script and tips form to contact YOUR representatives on the FY09 Budget! You can find contact information for every member of the House of Representatives where AFSA has locals HERE and contact information for every Senator where AFSA has locals HERE.

AFSA has been very vocal of its support of SCHIP on Capitol Hill an d has received valuable feedback from Members of Congress. Congressman Charles Rangel (D,N Y-15) sent AFSA this letter suppor tive of SCHIP and Congressman Michael Pence (R,IN-6) sent AFSA this letter explaining his concerns with the expansion of SCHIP. Both letters are very important, as it is helpful for AFSA members to understand all sides of the SCHIP debate.

January/February 2008
AFSA would like to thank all Local Presidents for your leadership and participation in signing the AFSA NCLB Petition! It is continuously important to voice your disapproval of the NCLB law, and this petition allowed us all to voice these sentiments to Members of Congress. The AFSA NCLB Petition was presented to Members of Congress shortly after January 8, 2008, which marked the 6th Anniversary of the signing of NCLB into law. Included with the petitions were AFSA's Top Six NCLB Revisions and Why They Are Important to School Administrators . It is still important to send these recommendations, along with this sample letter, to your Congressional Representatives.

As a result of YOUR active efforts AFSA received this LETTER from Senator Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT). In his letter , Senator Lieberman states, "I noted, with interest, the six key recommendations of AFSA. Please be assured that, as Congress works to reauthorize NCLB, I will keep these recommendations in mind."

The Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, George Miller, released this statement acknowledging the many concerns he has heard across the country from school administrators, parents and other education professionals with the law. Chairman Miller correctly points out the President's false perception that NCLB is working, and that there is no way the law will ever work in any form, unless it is fully funded. Unfortunately, the President has threatened to veto the education bill, which would significantly increase funding for NCLB. Click here to read the letter AFSA President Jill Levy sent Chairman Miller, thanking him for his statement.

Also, President Jill Levy has submitted the following recommendation to the Senate HELP Committee, Highly Qualified Principals.

Please take a moment to contact members of the Senate HELP and House Education and Labor Committees in support of these measures.

January 2008
The U.S. House of Representatives again failed to override President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP). Although over 80% of the American public support expansion of SCHIP, House Republicans sided with the President again to sustain his veto. As a result, 4 million children will not receive health care coverage under SCHIP. This issue is extremely important to the members of AFSA, who often have children in their schools who become injured and do not have health care coverage. The vote in the U.S. House of Representatives was 260 to 152. Click on the following to find out how the representatives voted in YOUR area - YES, NO, ABSENT . Also, use these sample letters to mail or fax your Representatives - Thank you letter, letter of dismay, and a letter to the members who did not vote on SCHIP.

November/December 2007
The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 has been signed into law! Since 1965, Head Start has provided comprehensive child development services to millions of low-income children and their families to promote school readiness. The program combines education activities with important social services programs, such as health and nutrition, and has a strong emphasis on parental involvement. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support by a vote of 381 to 36 and in the U.S. Senate 95 to 0, and is reauthorized for five years. Congress rejected President Bush’s proposals to give states control over the Head Start program to allow faith-based hiring decisions. The measure also extends program eligibility to families earning up to 130 percent of the poverty level and included funding for early head start, which serves infants and toddlers.

June 2007
The Employee Free Choice Act. Although a handful of Senators denied passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, the fight is not over! Find out how YOUR Senator voted HERE!. Please take a moment to thank the Senators that supported this measure, and inform the Senators that opposed it that you are aware of their vote and it will be remembered! Although this legislation does not directly affect our membership, its implications relating to collective bargaining are of critical importance! Some areas in which school supervisors do not have collective bargaining rights are Boston, New Orleans, Dade County and the rest of Florida, St. Louis, Chicago, and Texas. All too often collective bargaining rights have been taken from them through legislation as a panacea for improving test scores. Click HERE! to read worker’s personal stories when they tried to join a union. If this law passes, perhaps it will open doors for colleagues to choose to join a union, and with your help it can!

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The information contained on the AFSA Web site is provided for information purposes only, and to assist persons in obtaining information about or related to AFSA. AFSA does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information. By using this Web site, you agree to use this information only for lawful purposes and that under no circumstances will you use this information to:(1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission of mass unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations via e-mail, telephone, or facsimile; or (2) enable high volume, automated, electronic processes that apply to AFSA (or its computer systems). The compilation, repackaging, dissemination or other use of this information is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFSA. AFSA reserves the right to terminate your access to this Web site at its sole discretion,including without limitation, for excessive querying of the Web site or for failure to otherwise abide by this policy. Benefits subject to change without notice.