Volume 19, Issue 1
September, 2011
MCALLEN AFT NEWS
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
TEXAS AFT PRESIDENT BRIDGES
In an article for the Rio Grande Guardian, Linda Bridges said seventy-five percent of Texans say our lawmakers should not have cut funding for public schools at all. In fact, 90 percent of Texans agree that our schools need more money from the state, not cuts.
The folks in charge in the state Capitol have unquestionably defaulted on their commitment to the schoolchildren of Texas. For at least two years, our students will get caught in the undertow of a grossly and inequitable and inadequate system of school funding, just when high-need, economically disadvantaged children are becoming the supermajority in our schools.
Our schoolchildren will have fewer teachers and educational aides to help meet rising state graduation requirements. Full-day pre-kindergarten classes simply will not be there for many thousands of eligible students. Services from reading specialists and academic coaches will be gone.
TEXAS COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION
As you know, the Texas Education Agency Administrative Law Judge issued a favorable ruling on behalf of teachers regarding the associational grievance on the salary step-increase we filed. The MISD district continues to file appeals to undo our win. Texas Education Commissioner, Robert Scott has not ruled finally in our case.
TRS-CARE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
According to the latest official projections, TRS-Care will have enough funding on hand to cover benefits without a premium increase in fiscal 2012-2013. But this program, which originated as a stopgap in the mid 1980’s and has never been pre-funded with dedicated revenue streams, and has always depended on biennial budget appropriations by the legislature. It is essentially a pay-as you-go plan, and that makes it particularly vulnerable to legislative curtailment whenever there is a general state revenue squeeze.
The TRS board of trustees will have an initial discussion of the purpose and scope of the study at the board meeting set for September 16 in Austin. The legislature cut the state contribution to TRS-Care in half for the second year of the two-year budget cycle (fiscal 2013, starting September 1, 2012) but also at the same time admonished the TRS board not to raise premiums. The rationale would be to limit size of potential premium increases in fiscal 2014 and 2015.
Texas AFL-CIO Wildfire Relief
Texas Workforce
Special rules apply that expand eligibility of disaster victims for Unemployment benefits. Call 1-800-939-6631
American Red Cross
1-800-928-4271
FEMA
Workers Assistance
1-800-343-3822
Union Plus Program
Union Plus Credit Card
1-877-761-5028
Union Plus Mortgage
1-800-472-2005
Union Plus Insurance
1-800-472-2005—Union Plus Mortgage holders may also be eligible to receive payment extensions or other special help. More information at UnionPlus.org/Disaster