BLOOMINGTON FEDERATION OF TEACHERS

Retirement and pension talks have been in the news lately. With COVID and the number of teachers leaving the profession, teacher unions are making a case that we need better retirement options to retain our teachers. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not stopped in the halls or receive an email from a teacher advocating for changes because they are tired and need to have options. Below I share what is Rule of 90 and how to get information on pensions.

FIRST, we must take advantage of the surplus the state has. In the last session, the politicians left a budget surplus on the table. Why? They were hoping for the elections to shift control away from politicians that were pro-public education. Well, that didn't happen AND we have even a larger surplus.

So now it is up to us. Each individual teacher can make a difference by sharing their personal stories from the classroom to their legislators in their community. I have included information shared with me from the leaders of Education Minnesota so you can see their plan. However, the BFT will be making a plan, too. I hope that you will take the opportunity to participate. It means so much to BPS students, teachers, and families, including our own!

Wendy

Budget surplus provides opportunity to do more for education
Last week's news of a projected $17.6 billion state surplus provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in Minnesota's public schools.

But one-time money isn't enough. We believe increased, ongoing funding is necessary to meet all of the challenges facing public education.

The governor and state Legislature have a huge budget surplus because, at the end of the last session, they failed to spend billions of dollars on the things that benefit all Minnesotans, including public education. It is time for Governor Tim Walz and leadership in the House and Senate to invest our state’s resources to improve the lives of working Minnesotans.

Read our full statement here.

What is Rule of 90? This is a simplified explanation. If you started your career before July 1, 1989, you most likely qualify for Rule of 90. The Rule of 90 provision allows a person to retire with an unreduced retirement benefit when the person's combined age and years of service total at least 90. For those of us that started after this date, Rule of 90 no longer applies. For this group, the matching to our 403Bs was the plan for retirement. What this has done has forced many teachers to work more years to get closer to medicare age.

We will not get Rule of 90 back to exactly what it was. We can fight for something similar. Education Minnesota has a plan. Your TRA board members are advocating for you. If you want accurate information AND want to advocate for change, please sign up for the pension newsletter with Education Minnesota. The information below was sent out to members from Education Minnesota.

Pension advocacy a top union priority in 2023
As we prepare for the 2023 legislative session, we know (among our many priorities for funding schools) there is a lot of member energy and passion around pension advocacy.

Pensions provide educators with a guaranteed, reliable source of income in retirement. They are also a tool to attract and retain qualified, experienced educators to the profession.

We have developed a 2022-23 Pension Advocacy Plan outlining how your union is fighting to improve educator pensions in Minnesota. We also encourage members to sign up for our Pension Updates e-newsletter to get the latest on this important issue.

Registration now open!

When: Friday, Jan. 20, 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Where: Saint Paul River Centre

Who: Any BFT member that wants to attend!

Every two years, Education Minnesota hosts the CBOB to prepare us for the upcoming negotiations season. Our contract expires June 30, 2023 and we need to negotiate another two year contract. This conference isn't just for members that sit at the table. It is open to anyone that is interested in knowing more about negotiations, organizing and leadership. BFT covers the registration cost. We always need members that are willing to learn a little bit more and get involved.

Some of our newer teachers might want to come along and see what it is all about.

You don't have to be a "lifer" like me. If you have questions, contact Jeff Bunkert, Jennie Huss, Josh Coval, Chris Tollefson or Wendy Marczak.

The metro area is experiencing a significant substitute shortage that is putting a huge strain on the public education system. Even though our new daily subbing rate is $200 (one of the highest in the metro), it will not solve the shortage issue.

We need to find a different solution moving forward because the problem is not just about COVID anymore. Many of you are called upon to cover because of the shortage. The good news is the pay rate is higher. That is not much of a consolation, as I know we are all exhausted.

We have an MOU in place as of December 1 to deal with paying teachers that cover classes. Mary Klempke has created a cheat sheet to guide us. I know this isn't the perfect solution and we will bring this issue to the negotiations table in the spring.

Subbing Cheat Sheet

If you have a situation that doesn't fit well within the guidelines, please contact Wendy Marczak directly. We couldn't cover each unique situation on the cheat sheet so we continue to meet with the district on individual situations that arise.

It is time to update the BPS strategic plan and the district is organizing a group of stakeholders. It is a large time commitment, but the work is necessary to keep our district moving forward. I have included a tentative schedule and timeline. If you would like to participate, please email bftpresident@gmail.com and put Strategic Plan in the subject line.

Orientation: January 10 Virtual 4-6PM

Data Retreat: February 7 In person all day

Vision Retreat: February 28 In person all day

Goal Setting Retreat: March 28 In person all day

Recommendations: April 18 Virtual 4-6PM

Meet & Confer is a tool that the majority of school districts use to discuss topics of concern unrelated to contract negotiations. Four times a year the district and union can meet to work on issues instead of waiting until bargaining every two years.

Bloomington did not do this for decades, but we are attempting to do this with new leadership. Our current topic scheduled for discussion on December 20 is the inequity in the sub coverage for some of our east side schools. In particular, representatives from Indian Mounds and Valley View Elementary will be meeting with district leadership to go over the data and start to make a plan in an attempt to improve the situation. This meeting includes teachers and administrators from the sites.

Jeremy Kersten is adding to the great things BFT can do for members. Keep your eyes open for the new BFT retirement newsletter. This is NOT just for members close to retirement. It is for our NEWER teachers, too. There are helpful reminders for all of us so we can take advantage of our negotiated benefits in our collective bargaining agreement specific to Bloomington.

An archive of the monthly BFT Retirement Newsletters will be posted on the BFT Retirement Website soon.