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TEXAS AFT LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE--MONDAY, JULY 27,
2009 * July 28: Call-In Day to Congress for Health-Care
Reform Now! Call Congress Tomorrow for Health-Care Reform Now! Thanks to many AFT members and activists like you, legislators in Congress are hearing a rising chorus of support for health-care reform. You and your colleagues have generated thousands of calls to Capitol Hill. Congress is taking notice. Lawmakers now are in an intense debate over what form the final health-care legislation will take. We need to keep up the pressure! Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 28, AFT members and our allies, including HCAN (Health Care for America Now), are having another national call-in day. The toll-free number to call is 877-264-4226. Press 1 to contact the U.S. House of Representatives. When prompted, enter your 10-digit telephone number to be connected directly to your representative. Urge your member of Congress to support health-care reform now. Make no mistake: People who prefer the status quo and oppose health-care reform are contacting Congress, too. We cannot let them kill the best chance in a generation for health-care reform that will hold down costs, protect benefits, and assure everyone of access to decent health-insurance options. There is just too much at stake. Take a moment and urge Congress to do the right thing and pass health-care reform NOW. Thank you! Education Commissioner Welcomes Federal Approval of Stimulus Funds for Pay Raises: Some district financial officers and consultants this summer have stalled local action on pay scales for the coming school year, counseling a wait-and-see stance pending U.S. Department of Education action on the Texas application to use federal stimulus dollars for district aid and teacher pay. Now that decision has been made, approving the state's use of the federal aid, in part, for a state-directed pay raise that districts must pass through to their teachers, counselors, librarians, school nurses, and speech pathologists. Friday's okay from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was welcomed by Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott, even though some of those same school-district financial consultants were so hostile toward the state-directed pay raise that they have been urging the commissioner to refuse to take "yes" for an answer from the feds. Commissioner Scott threw cold water on that idea, though. On Friday Scott's press release included this flat statement: "Schools will be required to spend the stabilization funds and other funds in accordance with state and federal law, including a provision that requires districts to provide an $800 across-the-board pay raise to all teachers and professional school district employees." The $800 figure is actually the minimum required pay raise. The actual amount for most districts will be higher. As the state law enacted this spring requires, the amount is the greater of $800 or the uniform amount a district can provide with $60 per weighted pupil of the district's new state aid. The average state-directed pay raise, we estimate, will be at or above $1,000. Check Out the Back-to-School Issue of Texas Teacher: For a description of how the pay raise came to pass, along with much else that did and didn't happen in the legislative session this past spring, take a look at the July back-to-school edition of Texas Teacher, Texas AFT’s flagship publication. The July Texas Teacher is full of useful information on many other topics as well, including a ringing defense of the work you do from a spokeswoman for the Friends of Texas Public Schools. The theme of the July issue: Thanks to You, Texas Public Schools Work! Go to www.texasaft.org and click on "Publications" to check it out. |
