Seminole's Education Professionals
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Legislative Session begins January 10th!
We all want to be respected for the job we do. All too often
teachers, school employees, and the middle class are blamed for all
the problems we are facing in Florida and across the country.
Politicians backed by big corporations are still working behind the
scenes to gut funding for public education, privatize our schools,
and even make it harder for us to vote -- All the while doing
nothing to get Florida’s economy and our people working again.
You and fellow FEA members are the last line of defense to protect
your students, your rights, and our profession. The
Legislative Session kicks off Tuesday, January 10th and it is
important for you to stay informed about your future. Watch
for weekly
FRONTLINE
updates from the FEA and
important calls to take action, stand up and fight back!
Together, we will build a better future for Florida. |
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Important
Information for
Tax
Season!
Did you know that in many instances, your union dues are
tax-deductible? The following amounts represent the amount of
dues paid for full-time
employees in each of the bargaining units
from January thru December
2011:
SEA
$582.43
SECA
$302.28
NIPSCO
$308.29
SCSBDA
$305.31
If you were part time or only worked part of the year in 2011, you
might have a different amount to report. If so, please contact the
UniServ office for accurate information. |
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Current Frontline Report, 01/27/2012 |
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SPECIAL TO MEMBERS ONLY:
20% OFF TAX PREPARATION
It’s tax time again! Nobody likes it and it cannot be avoided, but
it can be a lot easier!
Jackson-Hewitt, a special benefits provider to Seminole UniServ and
one of the partners with Creative Benefits for Educators, is
offering specials on tax preparation services to
MEMBERS ONLY! You can get a tax refund estimate for FREE! FREE
electronic filing! 20% off the cost of tax prep for you! If you
prefer to do your taxes online, you receive 25% off the cost! You
need access to the FEA Member Benefits page to do this.
How do you access this service?
You must have a letter from your Union
to take advantage of this program. Just call the UniServ Office
(407/388-1131) OR e-mail (insert e-mail address) and request a
letter. |
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Several questions have come
from members regarding lowered pay in this week’s payroll. As
of this morning, the federal payroll tax cut extension has been
passed in both houses of Congress and is awaiting signature by
President Obama. This will extend the tax cut for two months,
January and February 2012.
Upon reviewing the issue of lowered paychecks with the SCPS payroll
department, it was made clear that this week’s pay – actually for
the first January payroll, was confirmed prior to the passage of the
tax cut extension. As a result, the next payroll will have a
reduction in the FICA amount to correct the “overcharge” in current
paychecks.
The payroll tax cut could again be extended in the coming
weeks/months, as there remains interest in Washington to do so.
Depending upon the outcome, there could be adjustments to reflect
future changes. |
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December 14, 2011
Contact:
Mark Pudlow 850.201.3223 or 850.508.9756 TALLAHASSEE – Florida Education Association President Andy Ford commended a ruling by Judge Terry Lewis in state Circuit Court in Tallahassee striking an amendment placed on the ballot by the Florida Legislature that would significantly alter the no-aid provision in the Florida Constitution. Judge Lewis said the ballot summary approved by the Legislature was misleading. Click to read more... |
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VOTING INFORMATION
Public education
is
shaped, in
very
large part, by decisions made at the state and national level by
elected officials. Whether you are
“into”
politics or not,
it is critical that we, as educators, make our voices heard in
Tallahassee and in Washington, DC so that schools are properly
funded, employees retain their rights, and
the
right
decisions are made for our students.
2012 is an election year, with a number of important races on the
ballots in the coming months. The first
opportunity
for voters comes on January 31st, as
voters may participate in
the Presidential Preference Primary. Florida’s primaries are closed,
meaning that only
voters who claim a party affiliation
may vote for candidates in the same
political
party. The only party
participating in the primaries this year is the Republican Party. Seminole County Supervisor of Elections |
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FCAT Scoring Changes
On Monday, December 19th, the Florida Board of Education
is scheduled to vote on a new scoring system for the FCAT, and it is
poised to adopt higher
cut off
scores for third- through 10th-graders. If the new standards are
approved, many more third-graders likely would face retention, while
many more high school students
likely would fail to meet the state's graduation requirements.
Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson is recommending new
scores for the high school FCAT reading exam that are two points
higher than the levels supported by a majority of the state's
superintendents.
These developments raise a
number of questions and concerns for students, parents, and
teachers: |
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Retirement Hearing Update:
Yesterday,
Circuit Court Judge Jackie Fulford heard oral arguments in the
retirement
lawsuit
filed by the
Florida Education Association. The FEA is
seeking to stop the 3 percent pay cut on teachers, school employees
and other workers imposed by the Florida Legislature and signed by
Gov. Rick Scott.
Our lawyers, led by
Ron Meyer,
told the judge that
lawmakers did not have the authority to make fundamental changes to
pensions of current state employees, arguing that the changes break
a contract with state employees and violate their constitutional
right to collective bargaining. The lawsuit further contends that
the actions by the Legislature to reduce the cost-of-living benefits
of those employees were also unconstitutional.
During the hearing,
Judge Fulford said the decision to cut state and local government
workers pay 3 percent and shift the money to the state’s pension
fund broke the state’s contract with employees. What remains at issue in the case
is whether that broken contract is illegal. |
 
Click the following links to:
View a 2-page overview you can print and share with other teachers!
Read a Q & A about the lawsuit.
To view the full complaint filed this morning go to
http://www.meyerbrookslaw.com/Litigation.htm.
PLEASE STAY TUNED TO
www.seminole-educators.org AS THIS LAWSUIT UNFOLDS! |
 In this year’s session, the Florida Legislature approved a constitutional amendment (Amendment 7) for voters to decide on in the November 2012 election that would substantially alter the no-aid provision of the Florida Constitution. This provision has been in effect more than 125 years and has protected the religious freedom rights of all Floridians by barring taxpayer-funded aid to religious institutions. Click Here to read the whole story
Click
HERE to read FEA's news release about the lawsuit.
For a
Q & A on this topic, check this
LINK.
STAY TUNED TO THE SEMINOLE UNISERV WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION! |
 July 1, 2011 FEA is seeking to stop the 3-percent pay cut on teachers, school employees and other workers imposed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott. The lawsuit asserts that the Legislature enacted legislation that was unconstitutional when they required the salary cut. The lawsuit further contends that the actions by the Legislature to reduce the cost-of-living benefits of those employees were also unconstitutional.____ For the compolete story click this link |
