HELP A TEACHER IN NEED
The Henry Barnard Memorial Fund was established to help needy teachers who have served but are no longer active in the teaching profession. Click here to find out how you can help.

The driving principle behind CEA-Retired is to provide retired members an organization that works in conjunction with CEA to improve retirement, pension, and health benefits. CEA-Retired provides its members a forum to continue a commitment to improve public education by working with active members. The organization encourages member participation at the political level by promoting CEA and NEA legislative agendas. CEA-Retired also offers its members opportunities to stay connected through social events and community service initiatives. Click here to learn more about CEA-Retired.

Early Bird Annual Retired Dues

Any Annual Dues members may send in his/her Annual Dues for 2008 – 2009 ($43.00) to CEA Membership (address it to Cheryl Hampson, Connecticut Education Association, 21 Oak Street, Suite 500, Hartford, CT 06106) as of now. By doing so, those members’ memberships will be absolutely continuous and there will be no interruptions in any mailings nor will they become ineligible for NEA and CEA Member Benefits such as the insurance programs or credit cards. Annual members who choose to take this action will be in “good standing” for the 2008 – 2009 membership year.

Spring business meeting set for May 13

Are you planning to join us at CEA-Retired’s business meeting this spring? The meeting will be held on May 13^th at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington. We are delighted that the keynote speaker is our NEA Vice President, Dennis Van Roekel, a long-time supporter of retired programs who will have the “latest scoop” on Congressional legislation including our campaign to eliminate the Social Security WEP-GPO provisions. Plans for the morning meeting include the usual business items that come before the body, the election of County Representatives and Alternates to the Advisory Council, and updated information on CEA’s political endorsement process and the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education. Members should be receiving a registration brochure in the mail soon. You can also download the brochure by clicking here.

Knowledge Is Power: Understand School Funding

School finance is complicated business. CEA-Retired is working with CEA as they are facilitating a chance to bring the topic closer to your home so you can continue to be an effective advocate for improved public school funding. It’s no coincidence that this new blog is named with the State Capitol postal zip code where state legislators, their staffs, and thousands of others do work that affects teachers and students across the state. When you join the conversation at 06106blog, you’ll feel the State Capitol has never felt closer to home. Visit 06106blog.org. and join the discussions.

Teaching Certificate Renewal for Retirees

While all of the members of CEA-Retired have left the classroom, some still have a valid teaching certificate which has not expired. They may find that some substitute positions ask for “certified” substitutes. They may, in fact, wish that the certificate did not expire and think that they will have to complete CEU’s as active teachers do to file for renewal. That is NOT the case.

Continuation of Professional Educator Certificate is available to retirees whose certification is about to retire on the State Department of Education Website at www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/Cert/certform/ed_179.pdf, or by contacting the Department of Education.

Requests for this form should be made 3 to 4 months before their present certificate is about to expire. Simply complete page one of this form and then on page two on Part II, check box A, “I have not served under my Professional Educator Certificate for a Board of Education.” Sign in the Signature of Applicant box and fill in the date. It’s that simple.

Be a volunteer for CEA-Retired!

Did you ever wonder how all of the materials are assembled for a mailing to potential and new members? It doesn’t happen just once a year nor it is a task that we ask our professional staff at CEA to perform for us. It’s a function of both our Membership Committee and some dedicated members who are willing to travel to CEA, work on some necessary project, and renew long standing acquaintances.

Seen in the photo below are some members who got together to assemble and send out a mailing to potential members. They are (left to right, Marilyn Ettman, Lucy Petrella, Membership Chair Vicky Greenberg, Barbara O’Keefe, and Marge Hubbard.

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