WWEA Newsletter

I hope that everyone’s 2024 is wrapping up as well as possible. I know that this year has had both positive changes and big challenges stemming from our District’s budget situation. This message will focus on the somber reality moving forward and also a path to a more hopeful situation in the coming years.

First, we were very optimistic about the budget situation as the District’s ending fund balance grew to just over $25 Million. In talking to District leaders, the reason for the increase was higher tax revenue than expected and unused funds from buildings, programs and various funds (for example, our PDF fund is budgeted each year for our staff as negotiated but the unused portion goes back to the general fund) including the $1 Million as a planned contingency that was unused. Our hope was that a modest portion of this higher than expected income could be used to support schools with demonstrable needs so that our students are getting what they need and so that staff have the right level of support.

Unfortunately, our budget situation is still difficult this year due to some costs getting much higher. WLWV's budget deficit is currently projected to be $14.4 Million, down from last year with extensive cuts, but still a higher deficit than expected. Some of the new expenditures include statewide programs that didn’t come with additional funding such as the ability of some classified staff who work a 10-month contract being eligible for unemployment. The District is also facing increased costs due to inflation for new curriculum adoptions, heating and other maintenance costs, and higher costs with insurance and SAIF to name a few. A major funding and Equity issue is also the state capping additional funding for students receiving IEP services at 11% when our population is higher and students’ needs in general are higher. Some grants also have reduced amounts for WLWV this year, meaning some staff formerly paid for by those funds now come out of the general fund. Decreasing enrollment is also a headwind that we are concerned about and are working with District leadership to address as much as we can. As we know from the staffing cuts last year, the largest part of our general fund budget is staffing, and we, our classified staff, and our administrative staff are essential for running schools.

The path to hope is through advocacy for ourselves and for the needs of our students and schools. Oregon creates budgets every biennium, so the 2025-27 state budget must allocate essential funds, and we must make our voices heard as educators. This process will begin with a Governor’s Proposed Budget in December and the Legislative process starting in January and creating a final budget that goes back to the Governor in May or early June. State Legislators include several former teachers and administrators, a former OEA employee, and numerous advocates, and we must engage them all through conversations, emails, letters, and other ways to make sure that with the steep rise in tax revenue that has historically gone up, that the legislature does not assume the normal increase in our Education budget can sustain us.

Please continue to stay engaged in the advocacy process as OEA is hosting a Lobby Day, which is your opportunity to visit the Capitol in Salem and talk directly with Legislators, telling them what you experience and what we need as Educators. There is strength in numbers. Lobby Day will be Monday, February 17th, which we have off for Presidents Day. Please see Michael Sugar’s article below for more information, and I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Matt Bell

Article Language: Educators hired prior to July 1st, 2025 believing there were not credited with the appropriate number of graduate credits for salary schedule placement at the time of their hire shall be eligible to request an audit to review their salary placement by March 15, 2025 with the Human Resources Department. Any salary adjustments made based on the review will be effective July 1st, 2025.

Explanation: Some licensed employees earn graduate credits for education-related classes prior to or concurrently with their Master's degree programs. Under previous contract language, only graduate credits earned after a Master's degree counted towards advancement on the salary schedule. This new language allows eligible licensed employees to request a review of their transcripts which may result in advancement on the salary schedule starting 7/1/2025.

If you think this might pertain to you, check with HR about a initiating an audit. (Click here to see the emails from Shyla Waldern and Matt Bell with more details about salary schedule adjustment.)

Reminders:

• You may consider requesting transcripts now in order to submit them by the deadline.
• Salary adjustments are not retroactive, and go into effect on 7/1/2025.

Please check your paycheck stub to ensure that the correct amounts are being deducted from your paycheck - especially HSA and FSA amounts. We know that pooling was not as robust as it was in the past. With the huge increase in Kaiser and the big decrease in people waiving insurance, we did not have a lot to work with. It is what it is this year and we hope next year with an extra $100 in our cap and hopefully no increases in insurance premiums, we will be better off. That being said, we just don't know anything for sure!

--Christine Frisiras, Insurance Chair

WWEA will soon have a website for our members. Go to www.mywwea.org to find helpful resources, FAQ's, member benefits, and more. It is a work in progress, but we hope our members find the website useful.

Please email Alexis Harmon at harmona@wlwv.k12.or.us if you have suggestions or questions. Thank you!

You can RSVP here!

The Presidents' Day Lobby Day is an opportunity to talk to state legislators about what schools need as the legislature prepares to set the two year budget for schools in the long session. You are welcome to discuss any issue you would like, but as you can see in Matt's article, unfunded state mandates and the cap on special education funding have significant impacts on our district and others. The more our state leaders hear about these challenges, the more likely they are to take action. Your voice is critical to our future!

Please join us on February 17th! WWEA will provide transportation to Salem. Click here if you are interested in the Lobby Day in Salem on 2/17/2025.

Reminder: By law, NO WWEA/OEA/NEA dues ever go towards supporting any political candidates. Union dues may support advocating for increased spending on public education, but only PAC donations go to specific candidates.

Outside of work hours, please read this update from PAC chair Michael Sugar about how you can help by becoming a PAC member.

Not sure if you are a PAC member or interested in increasing your contribution, contact Michael Sugar outside of work hours at m.w.sugar13@gmail.com or 541-912-4981.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Below are some options:

Do nothing:

If you are in forbearance due to the court injunction, your loans are not accruing interest. They will still be there when this issue is settled. For now, just enjoy not having a loan repayment. However, please consider…

Save Your Repayments!

While on forbearance, consider SAVING what would be your monthly loan repayment. This will be helpful for a couple of reasons:

· You may be able to use the money to “buy back credit” and realize PSLF even during the court injunction (see below).

· Use this opportunity to save money that can be used productively for you – whether it’s building an emergency fund or paying down other debts!

Buy Back Credit:

Borrowers with 120 months of eligible employment can buy back (make payments to cover) past months that were not originally counted as qualifying payments because the borrower was in an ineligible deferment or forbearance status. Borrowers must submit a buyback request and make an extra payment of at least as much as what they would have owed under an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan during the months they are trying to buy back. Borrowers can buy back these months only if:

· They still have an outstanding balance on their loan(s),

· They have approved qualifying employment for these same months, and

· Buying back these months will complete their total of 120-qualifying PSLF payments.

If you think this may apply to you, read more at studentaid.gov - Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Buyback

Can I Switch to a Different Income-Driven Repayment Plan that WILL Qualify Towards PSLF?

According to studentaid.gov, it appears there is only one IDR plan that is not impacted by the court injunction – which means switching to it could potentially restart loan repayments that count towards your 120-qualifiying payments for PSLF. This IDR is called the Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR). Federal Student Aid is currently accepting applications to switch to the IBR income-driven repayment plan. Payments will be higher when on the IBR, so be sure to first understand how that could impact your payment…not to mention that interest accumulates in this plan (not an issue if your loans are forgiven). Remember, the goal of PSLF is to have your payment be low to benefit from the program.

And as always, if you have any questions, please reach out to your team at Voyager Wealth Management.

--Stef Agar, Voyager Wealth Management