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#StrongerUnited

March 15, 2020

Yesterday, the Illinois State Board of Education held a series of “town hall” meetings all day Sunday with superintendents and other public education stakeholders from around the state to provide information and answer questions about the upcoming emergency-ordered school closings.

Another meeting with stakeholders will be held in the morning to try to finalize some details and give closure to several issues. One thing is very clear, all regularly employed school employees will be paid for Act of God days regardless of whether they are salary or hourly.

And, one other lingering question answered Sunday that will be important for Monday (because the closure does not officially start until Tues., March 17), is that the day can be considered a regular school day, an emergency day or a teacher institute day. If a district has used all of its emergency days, it can be taken as an Act of God day.

Here is the update from State School Superintendent Carmen Ayala for Sunday. Please watch for Monday’s Covid-19 update on this page as it should be full of important information.

Also, on Sunday, the State of Illinois announced the number of Covid-19 cases jumped another 23 cases and added the counties of Champaign, Clinton, Whiteside and Winnebago.

Please feel free to provide any feedback or questions to COVID19Guidance@ieanea.org.

I know the next few weeks are going to be extremely stressful times for many ESPs, students, and communities. As we face this time together your ESP Council is continuing to do its important work of bringing you quality, relevant, and engaging sessions to be offered at this years One Conference. Please fill out the form below with your suggestions of topics that you would like to see offered that will benefit you, your members, and your students.

I know we are in unsettling times. We have so many questions and not enough answers. These questions cause fear and stress of the unknown. If you are like me you are use to being in control, fixing, planning, organizing, and making sure everyone is taken care of. Lists of things to do and not enough time to do them. Oh, I have a lot of lists.

The news has been bombarding us all. The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the fear of the unknown, stats, CDC, school closings, what happens next? This can be debilitating. I believe ESPs by nature are giving people, sometimes to a fault. I want to share with you this Self-Care Challenge. You deserve to take care of yourself. You deserve time to breathe, rest, and heal. I challenge you to choose a few self-care suggestions from the list below and spend some time for your self. You DESERVE it!

Today we need to breathe, and stay safe. I am adding the button below because I believe knowledge is power. As more information emerges and evolves over these next few days and weeks I will update this site. Please do not lose the main reason for this post by reading more information and not take time for you.

Thank you for all you do for your students, your school, and your community. Now I ask you to take some time and do for you. We are ESP!!

As the COVID-19 situation continues, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker has made the determination that schools across Illinois will close, we have made the decision to follow suit in the best interest of the health and safety of our staff and members.

Starting Tuesday, IEA offices in Illinois will close and remain closed until Illinois public schools reopen. IEA staff will be working from home during this time. Public health officials have determined that social distancing, along with common sense measures such as washing your hands and covering your mouth when you cough, are some of the best ways to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.

This decision was not made lightly and it is in conjunction with other states, including Michigan. The National Education Association is doing a trial run of this on Monday and if all goes well, it may choose to do the same.

There are several things we’d like to share with you.

Please note the offices are not contaminated and are not unsafe. Our goal here is to prevent human transmission of the Coronavirus and we are taking this extraordinary measure to try and limit human interaction, as is being suggested by the Centers for Disease Control. Offices may still be entered and work may be done inside them, if it is absolutely necessary, or of a crisis nature, although we strongly encourage our staff to remain at home during the time of the school and office closings.

In addition, this is not the same as a holiday closing and staff will be working regular work hours. They may intermittently be in offices to check for mail or do other routine office duties. And, IEA Connect will be available to answer questions, if you have any, by phone at 844-432-1800, by chatting on the website in the bottom right corner or through email.

We are asking that few, if any, face-to-face meetings take place and will help you set up technology if you need to have meetings by setting up conference calls through your region offices.

Please check the COVID-19 Update Page for new information added today.

Thank you for your patience and understanding in this unprecedented time. We will revisit the closure policy, as necessary.

Kathi Griffin
President
Illinois Education Association

Governor Pritzker just closed ALL K-12 IL Schools 3/17-3/30

This is a crazy time right now. Please be patient and safe! Each school district will have different procedures during these next few weeks. This is new for us all. We are staying vigilant and watching to make sure ESPs are not lost in this event. If you have any questions, please stay in close connection with your union local executive team, Uniserve Director, and Region Office.

Welcome to the Illinois Education Association’s Covid-19 information page. Here you will find links to some of the major information clearinghouse sites where you will find the most helpful and frequently updated information regarding the pandemic.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has gathered public education stakeholders and informed them that any decisions regarding school closings, feeding students, etc. will be made in conjunction with school administrators and local public health officials.

For information on what is happening in your local area, please reach out to your local association leaders. If you don’t know who those people are, feel free to contact IEA Connect through the chat button at the bottom of this page, by email or by phone at 844-IEA-1800.

Standard links to crucial information:

• Illinois Department of Public Health
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• Illinois State Board of Education
• Illinois Board of Higher Education
• Illinois Community College Board
• National Education Association

Do you have federal student loans?
Do have federal Parent PLUS loans?
Do you have family or friends burdened with student loan debt?

If you answered, “Yes!” to any of the above then Degrees Not Debt is for you!  The National Education Association recognizes the burden student loans debt is putting on public educators and developed a campaign called “Degrees Not Debt.” This campaign is intended to inform student loan borrowers of their rights and options in the repayment process.  Many borrowers are unaware of their eligibility for programs that can make their monthly payment affordable and provide loan forgiveness.

What is Degrees Not Debt and how does it work?

5 Steps to Kick Student Debt

• Step 1: PledgeEvery American deserves a fair shot at higher education, but student debt has become a barrier to accessing the American Dream. Raise your voice for college affordability.
  Take the pledge
• Step 2: Get a Federal Student Aid IDWhy? It provides you access to your Federal Student Aid and Loan records and allows you to apply for lower student loan repayment programs.
  Get your FSA ID
• Step 3: PaymentAre you an educator or education support professional eligible for lower payments? There are different plans that may help you lower your monthly student loan repayments. The most common are Income Based Repayment (IBR), Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) and the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) plans. Many other plans exist that could potentially save you money. A calculator is available to help you find out which one is right for you.  If you are ready to get started sign in and complete a repayment plan request.
  Sign into StudentLoans.gov
• Step 4: Public Service Loan ForgivenessDo you want to be in the best position to have your student loans forgiven after working 10 years in public service?Borrowers who work in public service jobs (such as education) often qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This means that loans could be completely forgiven after ten years of working and making payments. Use the Employment Certification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) form to keep track of your eligible employment and qualifying loan payments.Download and complete the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Employment Certification Form. Make a copy for your records then mail or fax the form to FedLoan Servicing. Your form will be reviewed and based on the information provided by your employer, determine whether you qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
• Step 5: Promote Degrees Not DebtStart and advance the conversations about NEA Degrees Not Debt and solutions to college affordability and student debt.
  • Talk about Degrees Not Debt with your colleagues, friends, students & parents
  • Support NEA recommended solutions / pass resolutions calling for college affordability
  • Write a letter to the editor or opinion piece in a local newspaper
  • Contact senators and congressional representatives at NEA/Legislative Action Center
  • Visit NEA Degrees Not Debt

Department of Education Public Service Loan Forgiveness Help Tool – Walkthrough

Access the Department of Education PSLF Help Tool here.

The final Public Service Loan Forgiveness Application for Forgiveness has been released by the Department of Education. Complete this application after your 120 qualifying payments.