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In the last Notes, we challenged buildings to help Brian Williams by buying a $70 radio ad. You more than answered the call. The Adopt-An-Ad campaign raised $5,857! Listed below are the buildings that participated in the campaign and the number of ads they adopted:

Building Rep. # of Ads

Sam Salem Dawn Brannan 7+ Buchtel Ben Terril 5+ Kenmore M. Papp, B. Beck 5 Child Study Aileen Mullaney 4+ Essex Lisa Feist 4 East Jim Patterson, Kathy Krieger 4 Betty Jane Barb Dolensky 3+ Firestone T. Saal, M. Reaman 3+ Voris Madeline Corvington 3+ Garfield Denise Vittum 3+ King Debbie Hendryx 3 Findley Kathleen Shippy 2+ Lincoln Harry Cameron 2+ Litchfield Dee Williams 2+ Riedinger Phil Livengood 2+ Leggett Carrie Evans 2+ Pfeiffer Ranay Hatherill 2 Smith Beth Cook 1+ Hotchkiss Georgene Kalapodis 1+ North Bob Herceg, Larry O’Neil 1+ Kent Dale Hartwig 1+ Lawndale Andrea Lambo 1+ AEA 1+ Innes Marv Conner 1+ McEbright Sally Hodge 1+ Ellet P. Jawyn, J. Cochran 1+ Heminger Alice Sharkey 1+ Miller-South Ellen Beldean 1+ Barber Carol Caughron 1+ Goodrich Jeff Moats 1+ Goodyear Joe Findley 1+ Rankin Gina Hohman 1+ Mason Judy Lalli 1 Ritzman Marian Steinert 1 Jennings Randy Crane 1

An Open Letter to AEA Members

Dear AEA Members:

I am writing this 'Thank You' on Election Day (March 2) without knowing the results of my first-ever involvement as a candidate for political office. Bill and I talked about my running shortly after my retirement as Superintendent, but the timing just wasn't right. Two years later, and nothing in the way of progress with the Ohio General Assembly regarding the school funding crisis or Community/Charter Schools, convinced me that the time was right, and thus the initiation of my campaign.

Bill said I could be assured of support of Akron Teachers with votes and with finances and BOY was he correct!! Many of you sent donations for my fund raiser in early February, and I was grateful! However, when donations trailed off, Bill sent out a request for help and you really stepped to the plate!! Because of this response, we were able to more than double the number of radio ads we planned and we were really able to be a presence in the Akron Beacon Journal. Our half page ads were most visible and I hope will make the difference!!

I also appreciate the contacts made by Bill and Mike with teacher leaders in other school districts in the 41st House District...this should help greatly!! Win or lose, I want you to know how very much Sue and I appreciate your votes and every dollar you sent to us to help get out our message. The children of Akron and of Ohio deserve better than they are getting and I hope our efforts result in a more vocal Akron voice in Columbus!! Your President (Bill) and Vice President (Mike) realize the importance of quality representation in the Ohio House and went the 'extra mile' to assist with campaign support and we are eternally grateful.

Assuming a positive vote on March 2, I will need your support again in November in the General Election, and based on this primary experience, I am confident we can take the 41st House seat and begin making a difference for the children of this state.

Thanks again to you and to your officers, and I look forward to working with you again in the near future."

Sincerely, Brian G. Williams Democratic Candidate 41st House District

Board to Vote Monday on Spending Reductions

The Akron Board of Education will meet Monday to vote on budget cuts being proposed by the administration. The cuts are intended to address an estimated $18 million deficit in FY06 and to keep the district out of “fiscal caution.” Fiscal caution is a condition defined by the state in which a school district is showing an operating deficit of between 2% and 8%. In FY06, APS’s total budget is $297 million. The $18 million deficit is roughly 6% of the budget. Under Ohio law, a district could fall into “fiscal watch” and even “fiscal emergency” if corrective action isn’t taken under fiscal caution.

In a meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of all employee groups, Board President Loretta Haugh, VP Paul Allison, the Superintendent, the Treasurer and counsel for the Board advised that cuts would occur across the board and would include more than just personnel reductions. District leadership also notified bargaining units that they would be requesting “in-term bargaining” at some point this year to attempt to negotiate cost-shifting concessions in the health care plans.

We will keep you informed of further developments in the days and weeks after the Board’s vote on Monday.

4.01 (a) Saves Thousands in Taxes Planning to Retire? Read This

Last year we negotiated a 4.01 (a) Plan. These plans allow members to tax shelter all of their severance pay. Retirees who qualified for the Plan in 2003 were elated by the thousands of dollars in tax savings they realized through the Plan.

We will host a meeting for all members who are planning to retire this year to explain how the 4.01 (a) Plan works. The meeting will take place at the AEA office on Thursday, April 1, at 4:00.

4.01 (a) Plans are IRS-approved. Participation is non-elective; everyone who meets eligibility requirements must participate. In order to be eligible, a member’s last day of employment must be after the year in which s/he attained age 54. The member must also be entitled to a minimum of $1,000 in severance benefits.

Mark your calendar now for April 1. The details of our 4.01 (a) Plan will be thoroughly covered at that time.