Posted 9-21-2018 (Dated 9-9-2018) Free magazines from NEA and HSTA; Teacher classroom grant program doubles; Know your rights as another storm threatens; Register on our new website

Credit union doubles teacher grant program The Hawaii State Federal Credit Union is doubling to $40,000 its annual Investing in Education program for public school teachers in Hawaii. DOE teachers are invited to submit their applications requesting grants to purchase supplies, books, furniture, electronic gear and classroom activities. The deadline is Oct. 31 or whenever all of the grant money has been disbursed. You must be a member of the credit union to apply. Click here for more information on Hawaii State FCU's teacher grant program. You must be a member of the credit union to apply. Eligible applicants are asked to submit an essay outlining how the grant will help them achieve classroom goals. Grant recipients will be awarded funds between $200 and $500 based on classroom needs. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so apply now! Constitutional Amendment campaign goes digital Our campaign to generate more funding for public schools moved forward this week with social media ads featuring teachers talking about what their students deserve. Next week, look for ads on social media platforms talking about the need for the constitutional amendment. A frivolous lawsuit by the city of Honolulu was rejected Friday. Last month, we unveiled a new campaign website called yesforourkeiki.com, where you can hear from teachers about why they support the proposal, read FAQs, news coverage and 20 reasons why voters should approve the measure. Also check out the constitutional amendment Facebook page and please share it with your friends, family and coworkers!

As Hurricane Olivia nears the islands, know your rights Because of the threat of Hurricane Olivia, HSTA would like to provide members additional information specific to their contractual rights for emergencies such as a hurricane.   Watch this HSTA Facebook Live answering teachers' storm-related questions.  Read these FAQs HSTA compiled to answer employment questions regarding the storm. Here is the most frequently asked question during Hurricane and Tropical Storm Lane: Q: I was scheduled to take leave (sick, personal or vacation), but the schools are closed because of the storm. Can I cancel my leave and get my leave back?  A: Generally the policy of the DOE is that you will not be able to cancel your leave after the announcement has been made for the closure. You will remain on approved sick, personal or vacation leave. If you cancelled prior to the announced closure, then you should have no problem with cancellation. See the latest updates from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center about Hurricane Olivia, which is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm. Here is more information about the DOE's leave policy. Read this personal leave flier from HSTA. Read the DOE's hurricane guidelines issued June 1. Read these FAQs HSTA compiled to answer employment questions regarding the storm. The safety of you and your loved ones is our top priority and we encourage you to take all necessary precautions to remain safe during the storm. Free training against bullying, cheating, teasing for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders  Sign up by Sept. 14 for the free anti-bullying training by clicking here. Coming Sept. 21: LaborFest Hawaii 2018 Oahu Teachers! Come out to learn about Hawaii's strong labor community and hear from one of your own: Darron Cambra, a creative arts teacher at Farrington High, is performing in the poetry reading that starts off the Friday pau hana event. Teamwork -- it makes the dream work. Here at the National Education Association we know first hand that in a classroom it takes a great team to ensure every student succeeds. Join our webinar to learn how to effectively collaborate with paraeducators to best meet the needs of your students. The webinar takes place on September 13 at 8 P.M. EST. Register today! The role of a paraeducator has evolved to become an even more integral part of a classroom's education team. Check out our panel of professional practice leaders as they share strategies to build the most effective teacher-paraeducator team. The NEA is here to help support, advocate, and guide you in your pursuit of professional best practices. So, make to take advantage of all the great resources we have available to new educators, and sign up for this informative webinar today! DOE, UH offer scholarship stipend to emergency hires, substitutes and EAs The state is offering a University of Hawaii scholarship stipend opportunity for emergency hire teachers, substitute teachers, and educational assistants on all islands at a secondary school with a bachelor’s degree.  Read about the UH scholarship stipend for emergency hires, subs and EAs. Deadline: Oct. 1. HSTA's new website is here; Members, please register for members-only content HSTA.org has undergone a major makeover! If you have not registered for web access since the website went live on July 18, 2018, you will need to go through a quick web registration process. Because it is a totally new site, you have to re-register. Registering on our site (same address — hsta.org) is simple and should only take a few minutes. After submitting your web registration request, an HSTA staff member will verify that you are an active member. That’s when you will receive a confirmation email granting you access to the new website. Verification of membership will be carried out during business hours, but most information on the website is available without the need to sign in. Maintaining accurate access to our members-only areas is important to us, and we hope you will understand our need to verify membership before granting that access. Read more about features of our new website, and members-only benefits once you register.               RSVP to these Are You On Track to Retire? events by clicking here. Benefits of Belonging: Sept. 13 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Maui High Library   Are you getting the most out of your HSTA membership?  Are you new to teaching in Hawaii and uncertain of the benefits you receive with your HSTA membership? Come to learn about ·  HSTA VEBA Trust and the affordable additional benefits that are only offered to members like Short-Term Income Protection and Long-Term Care. ·  How NEA Member Benefits supports members to reach their financial goals and evaluates programs to protect member investments.  ·  The HSTA Teacher Emergency Loan Program ·  Additional HSTA and NEA discounts Once we have finished discussing benefits, HSTA Members can stay behind for a "Contract Talk" with your UniServ Director and teacher leaders.  We want to highlight important aspects of your contract, help you understand how to navigate the often complex and convoluted DOE,and answer your questions about how to have a successful year teaching in Hawaii. RSVP https://mauibenefitsofbelonging.eventbrite.com   Degrees Not Debt: Nov. 15 from 4-6 p.m. at Baldwin High Multipurpose Room   The latest NEA Member Benefit research shows that recent graduates are leaving schools with greater debt. This presentation focuses on how teachers who teach in "high impact schools" can get a portion of their federal loans forgiven. In addition, we will cover the basics of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which applies to all full-time HSTA members who have federal loans. Basic financial planning tips on how to live with debt, save for retirement despite paying off debt and the importance of having a financial plan will also be covered. Please RSVP by November 10  https://mauidegreesnotdebt.eventbrite.com Have college loans deferred or canceled! The feds have designated the following subjects as teacher shortage areas, meaning Hawaii public school educators who teach these subjects could qualify to have their student loans deferred or canceled: Career and Technical Education Language Arts -- English Mathematics Science Special Education World Languages World Languages -- Hawaiian World Languages -- Hawaiian Immersion  Here are the details of several programs that offer loan deferrals or loan cancellation, as well as contact information. Degrees not Debt is a student loan forgiveness workshop presented by NEA Member Benefits that focuses on how teachers who teach in "high impact schools" can get a portion of their Federal Loans forgiven. This workshop also covers the basics of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which applies to all full-time HSTA members who have federal Loans. Save these dates for the next Degrees Not Debt workshops: November 15 on Maui at Baldwin High Multipurpose room -- 4 to 6 p.m. Please RSVP by November 10  https://mauidegreesnotdebt.eventbrite.com November 16  on Oahu (Virtual) at HSTA HQ -- time, other details to be announced. The Oahu workshop will be available by via video conference to members statewide who register in advance.   "Right now, Hawaii teachers are the lowest paid in the nation," said HSTA President Corey Rosenlee, who is spearheading the constitutional amendment proposal. "Hawaii schools are the only ones in the country that don't use real property taxes to fund their schools. What we're looking at specifically is to tax second homes over $1 million." From Hawaii News Now: City sues to block ballot proposal that would raise taxes to better fund schools   From Hawaii Public Radio: Hear HSTA President Corey Rosenlee refute the arguments of the city of Honolulu in its frivolous lawsuit against the constitutional amendment.    Popular HSTA Links: DOE's 2018-2019 official school calendar DOE's 2019-2020 official school calendar DOE's 2020-2021 official school calendar Classroom visit memo Please see this UPDATED MARCH 2018 chart for the EUTF and HSTA VB Health Benefit Premium Rates effective July 1, 2018. Hawaii Teacher Standards Board Read HTSB reminders here. Even if teachers haven’t taken any additional professional development credits, as long as they have been teaching more than five years, and are not already Class 7, they can still move up in class and give themselves a raise. Go to PDE3 to learn how. Read the full story about pay hikes, supplemental pay and stipends available for teachers. Click here to look at the salary schedules. HSTA members can find a PDF searchable copy of the new 2017-2021 HSTA Collective Bargaining Agreement (contract) at this link. More information about the 21 hours of job-embedded professional development can be found in these DOE FAQs. Guidelines for Reclassification of Teachers