Glastonbury Education Association

Dear GEA Members,

I hope you are loving the new newsletter format. Shout out to our Communications Chair, Stacey Pinto, for trying new things! The newsletter can now be easily viewed on mobile devices, have embedded video, be translated into other languages, and have built-in surveys. For instance, if you plan to retire soon, there’s an embedded form for you later in this issue.

With this new format, you’ll be receiving the newsletter automatically to your home email address. If you change your email address, make sure to inform your building rep so that you’re always in the know.

In this issue, you’ll learn about voting for the upcoming election, Holiday Bear, the amazing checking account rates at the new NEA Credit Union, union-friendly options for your holiday planning, winter discounts from CEA, the new CT electronic certification system, and entering the correct times for Frontline for ¼, ½, and ¾ days at every school.

Stay informed, GEA!

In Solidarity,

Kristen Basiaga

GEA President

The Connecticut Educator Certification System (CECS) is getting an overhaul that will make maintaining your teaching certificate easier. However, that means the system will be offline for several weeks as the new platform gets up and running. The system will be down on Thursday October 29th at 12:00am until November 10th.

During that time, the office will continue to accept and date-stamp paper applications, but will not be able to enter them into the system until the new CECS is fully operational. If you have a certification that needs attention during the down time, please contact that Bureau of Educator Standards and Certification for assistance (click the button below).

Maintaining your certificate is of the utmost importance to your work in a Connecticut public school, impacting both your work and pension eligibility. Make sure to maintain an active certificate at all times.

Our state offered three options for voting. Here’s information on how to make sure your vote is counted for each of the three ways!

• Absentee Ballots must be received by the clerk no later than 8 PM on Tuesday, November 3rd. Towns have drop boxes that can be used to deliver your completed ballot. Before returning it, make sure you follow all the directions on how to complete your ballot.

• Early Voting ends on Sunday, November 1st. You can find your town’s Early Voting Polling Place here.

• Election Day In-Person Voting will be open from 6 AM - 8 PM on Tuesday. You can look up your polling place here.

Election Day is fast-approaching! There are several resources available to help you learn more about your local candidates before you cast your ballot.

• Check out some of the educators running for office across our state here.

• If your legislator is an incumbent, you can view their CEA Legislator Report card here. This tool allows you to see how they voted on key education bills last session.

• You can find information from all candidates here. CEA sent candidates for state office a questionnaire and offered them an opportunity to interview with members of the union to share their vision; this tool shows you where they stand on different issues.

What time does a quarter-day start? When is the latest time you can leave for a half-day absence? Well, it depends on the school! Entering a few minutes difference could change how much time gets documented in Frontline. Check the chart below so that you can make sure you always take the correct amount of time for your absences.

Fill out the Google Form below!

Did you know that NEA has a credit union? NEACU, a part of BCU, offers financial services from checking accounts and CDs to auto and home loans at rates that might just be worth looking into if you are in the market for these kinds of financial services. As an NEA member, you are eligible to apply.

See below for some of their highlighted services.

CEA Login Required

Kristen Basiaga: President's Letter, Frontline Info, Retiring Soon? Union Made Thanksgiving

Austin Longendyke: Election Day Information

Miles Lubben: NEA Credit Union
Stacey Pinto: Holiday Bear, Educator Discounts, Editor