I think the unreasonable and dictatorial behavior of the SCF Board of Trustees in doing away with faculty's continuing contracts and cutting the pay and adding hours to the staff's contracts is an object lesson for us all. Most of us are retired from the Manatee County Schools, but I had experience in both MCC ( as it was then known) and the Manatee School System. When I was hired at the college, I was surprised to discover that faculty and staff relied on the administration to set wages and benefits. The only representation they had was an elected faculty senate who would troop over to the president's office in the springtime and listen while he told them what he would do for them the next year. I think the staff did not even have that. Hiring was individual in that the applicant was offered a salary which could be discussed, but most did not know that, so they accepted what they were offered. Often, in the same department, teaching the same load, with the same credentials, salaries were all over the map. Now faculty and staff is being told that they no longer will have the protections of continuing contracts, that salaries will be decided by the ability of the instructor, that applicants must name the salary which they will take, and staff will lose pay and work more hours. And there is nothing they can do about it. This is called "running the schools like a business".
I think the situation at SCF should give us impetus to support FREA, the organization which protects our retirement and our benefits. It should also give us a deeper respect for MEA and the FEA which protected us when we were still working. We must be mindful of those who are entering the profession and help them realize the same benefits we did. Writing letters, emailing, and calling our legislators can help, not just us, but them as well.
Okay, end of harangue and on to more pleasant things in MCREA.
We had a wonderful turn-out for our first meeting. Elaine Graham spoke about Take Stock in Children and told us about her experiences mentoring students at Southeast High School. She has seen some from 9th grade through college. She urged us to join her in mentoring a student one day a week. Call her if you are interested. 756-1470
Diana Buell, Chair of the Volunteer Services Committee, visited the Salvation Army Men's Homeless Shelter and found a great need for our help. The men come there to sleep, eat, and shower. They need small individual sizes of shampoo, bar soap, razors, toothbrushes, shaving cream, deodorant. Clean, used towels and washcloths are also needed. The family homeless shelter there needs the same things in addition to diapers, baby wipes, kids and women's socks, pillow cases, and twin size sheets. Please bring these items to the meeting and Diana will see that they get to the Army.
We are also still collecting books for Feeding Empty Little Tummies. This is the program which fills backpacks on Fridays with food for needy kids to take home for the weekends. The books which we donate are distributed at Christmas and in June as an addition to the backpacks. Books should be new or clean used ones for grades K-6.
Another of our outreach projects is collecting food for the Manatee County Food Bank. You can bring a can or two and deposit it with us. Renaissance on 9th is a depository for that food.
Dr. Moira Hendricks, Director of YMCA Reads is asking for our help with tutoring. Please call her at 941-798-9622, ext. 408, if you would like to find out more about volunteering there.
Our meeting on October 15 should be an interesting one. The speaker will be Rick Bowes, FREA State Field Director, who will speak about FREA Health and Retirement Benefits. And then the event we all love, Sandra Stephenson will run her Halloween Bingo game. Please bring 20 quarters to play with. They will be a donation from you to the MCREA Scholarship Fund. Then there is the costume parade and prizes for the best, the most beautiful, the scariest, the.... Please come in costume and get into the holiday.
As always, if you do not hear from your caller by Friday, Oct. 9, please call Mary Ann Jensen to make a reservation, 756-7603.
See you soon,
Ellen
