NWPE News Notes

• NWPE VIDEO NOW ONLINE!
• TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP/CLASSROOM MINI-GRANT APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED
• WEA OPPOSES NWPE SCHOLARSHIPS/MINI-GRANTS
• NWPE FALL NEWSLETTER NOW POSTED ONLINE
• DISPELLING MISINFORMATION ABOUT NWPE
• NEA SPENDS MORE THAN $1 MILLION TO BACK KERRY

  NWPE VIDEO NOW ONLINE!

  Please visit www.nwpe.org to view a brief, informative video introducing Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE).  This new five-minute video (available in Windows Media Player or Quicktime) features interviews with NWPE leaders and members who explain NWPE's philosophy, benefits, and services.   

TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP/CLASSROOM MINI-GRANT APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED 

Due to the many requests for NWPE teacher scholarships and classroom mini-grants ($200-$500 awards) so close to our fall review deadline of October 31, NWPE is extending the application submission deadline to November 6, 2004.  Applications may still be requested by e mailing info@nwpe.org with name, school district, school, address, and phone number.  For those who miss the November 6 deadline, NWPE will hold the applications for our spring review.  (See 2003-2004 winners in our Fall newsletter posted online.) 

WEA OPPOSES NWPE SCHOLARSHIPS/MINI-GRANTS 

In past years, NWPE teacher scholarships have funded a variety of educational opportunities including Spanish classes for a science teacher interested in improving the science skills of her limited English students; attendance at the National Science Teachers Association convention; and continuing education courses in history, math and reading strategies.  Examples of the mini-grant awards have included funds for a laptop computer for a school journalism/yearbook program; books for an all-school reading program; science laboratory equipment, fitness walking pedometers; geography/social studies software; and "books on tape" for a school library.   

Much of the success of NWPE's grant program relies upon getting the grant information out to the thousands of schoolteachers in Washington and Idaho.  Unfortunately, some administrators and many union leaders view such grant opportunities as a threat to their control of the education system.   

The dissemination of NWPE grant information has met with hostile action at more than one campus.  For example, the Moses Lake Education Association (MLEA), which is part of the Washington Education Association (WEA) and the National Education Association (NEA), took disruptive action.  The teacher that distributed informational flyers to teacher mailboxes was confronted by teacher union co-presidents and told it was against the union contract to distribute such information, claiming that NWPE is a competing union prohibited from using school mailboxes.  Fortunately, Moses Lake school administrators backed up the teacher's free speech rights.   

It was a different story for an NWPE member in Omak, WA.  After granting permission to distribute NWPE information in teacher mailboxes, school administrators backtracked under pressure from the teachers union.  The Omak teacher union president contends that the union has authority over who uses the mailboxes and what information can be distributed to teachers.   

Last year, a union member in eastern Washington was called on the carpet by her union boss and told she should have never accepted NWPE's teacher scholarship for classes to improve student achievement in math and science.  

Professional organizations like NWPE and Phi Delta Kappa are not competing labor unions; they are professional associations promoting opportunities for professional development with the goal of increasing student achievement.  NWPE does not represent teachers in collective bargaining and is, therefore, not a labor union.  NWPE offers members legal services, $2 million liability insurance, professional development, and a voice on education issues.  NWPE welcomes both nonunion and union educators. 

NWPE will continue to fund deserving teachers and projects and make money available again this year.  All educators are eligible for the awards.  In 2003-2004, 65% of the award winners were not NWPE members.  Sadly, because of the union, not all educators will hear of the opportunity.  

NWPE FALL NEWSLETTER NOW POSTED ONLINE 

NWPE's Fall newsletter is now posted online at http://www.nwpe.org/PDF_Files/NWPE_News_Fall_2004.pdf.  Articles include "Teachers or Teamsters, Creating a New Vision for Professional Educators," "NWPE Members Serve on American Board Panel Certifying Teacher Excellence," "Teacher Pay is Being Taken to the Next Level," "Teacher Unions in Education," "2003-2004 NWPE Teacher Scholarship/Classroom Mini-Grant Award Winners," and "Dear NWPE: Gratitude for Teacher Sanity!" 

DISPELLING MISINFORMATION ABOUT NWPE 

Misinformation continues to be spread about Northwest Professional Educators.  These include accusations that NWPE is a competing union (NWPE is not a union; it is a 501(c)(6) professional association.); NWPE is affiliated with Evergreen Freedom Foundation (It is not.); and NWPE is anti-union (NWPE does not oppose collective bargaining and supports teacher choices for representation including local only teacher unions; how can NWPE be anti-union at the same time it is accused of being a competing union?).   

NWPE is a nonprofit, professional educators organization founded by educators wanting a professional association that is focused on students as its highest priority, accountable to educators, committed to the community, and ethical, responsible, and professional.  NWPE welcomes nonunion and union educators without discrimination.  All professional members receive $2 million liability insurance, legal services, professional development, scholarships/mini-grants, a voice on education issues, newsletters, and practical education resources.  

For additional information rebutting the misinformation being levied against Northwest Professional Educators, please see http://www.nwpe.org/answering_union.htm.  We invite educators to check the facts out for themselves and invite all educators, both nonunion and union, to join NWPE for professionalism and protection!  Please contact NWPE at info@nwpe.org or 800-380-6973 if you have any questions. 

NEA SPENDS MORE THAN $1 MILLION TO BACK KERRY
 
"The National Education Association (NEA) pumped more than $1 million into 67 mailings for the Kerry-Edwards presidential ticket and against President Bush in the past four months, Federal Election Commission reports show. Twenty-one NEA mailings in behalf of the Kerry campaign, produced by an Arlington firm whose clients include the Democratic Party, went out to hundreds of thousands of public school employees across the country this month at a cost of $468,333. The union paid for all the mailings from its general operating budget, not its political action committee, the reports show. . . NEA is being audited by the Internal Revenue Service, said Mark R. Levin, president of Virginia-based Landmark Legal Foundation, who said his group is 'actively investigating' political spending by the tax-exempt union.  'Despite the fact that the NEA is being audited by the IRS for using its tax-exempt funds for political purposes, it seems that this election cycle it's spending more than ever,' Mr. Levin said."