mountain echoes - california retired teachers association · 5/5/2018 · soon as i retired. i am...
TRANSCRIPT
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Your partner in
pension protection
Mountain Echoes
May-June 2018
This month’s luncheon meeting will be on
Tuesday, June 5th
Please call Molly Morton at 951-925-7001 by Wednesday, May 30, to make
OR CANCEL a reservation.
The cost is $17 per person. Vegetarian meals are available if requested in advance.
Please make a reservation so we can order an accurate number of meals. We have to pay for every meal ordered.
Cancel early if you can’t make it.
Remember
a reservation made is a reservation paid.
Contact List
Area IX Director Ron Breyer
President Gayle Mattson
Vice-President Bob Parish
Newsletter Editor
Marty Langley
div33.calrta.org
CalRTA Sacramento
www.calrta.org
916-923-2200
CalSTRS
www.calstrs.com
800-228-5453
June 5th Agenda
Nominations, election and installation
of officers for 2018-2019
Luncheon Menu:
Chicken Marsala with rice, green salad,
rolls, and dessert
Presentation of Scholars
Please bring bagged or boxed non-perishable items for donation to
the Community Pantry.
2018 Scholarship Winners
Each of these graduates will receive a $1,000
scholarship
from CalRTA Division 33
Tahquitz HS—Sadie Chaffee
Hemet HS—Mariah Harper
West Valley HS—Raelee Taylor
Hamilton HS—Samantha Binger
Wester Center Academy—Kaitlyn Chadwick
Alessandro HS—Mariah Celis
Mountain View HS—Cassidy Seibert
San Jacinto HS—Misty Niesl
To new member
Jeannine Harrell
of Murrieta
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Mission Inn Tour
CalRTA friends enjoyed their tour of the Mission Inn, May
15th.
Inside the St. Francis chapel is a two-story, gold-covered altar
and seven Tiffany stained glass windows. Fran Franke sang
here at a wedding, and Marty Langley's wedding reception
was in the lovely Spanish Art Gallery. If you haven't taken a
tour, you should! Our docent was great and the Mission Inn's
history is fascinating!
Afterward our tour, a few friends lunched in the Patio Din-
ing Square, while 10 of us lunched at the Old Spaghetti Facto-
ry in its 1800s bordello decor! It was a beautiful spring day,
flowers bloomed everywhere, and we had a great time to-
gether during our second annual field trip!
Introduction to Sue Breyer
In 1962, when my father accepted a job
as a professor of English at UC Riverside,
he moved our family from Detroit, Michi-
gan to Grand Terrace, CA, where I lived for 16 years. I graduat-
ed from Colton High School in 1973, attended UCR for two years
but received my BA in English from UCLA in 1977. After earning
my secondary English credential from UCR in 1978, I was re-
cruited by Hemet High School to teach composition and coach
girls swimming and both the cheer and dance squads. It was at
Hemet High that I met my husband, Ron Breyer, and we were
married in January 1982. I continued to teach English and coach
cheer and swimming until fall of 1982 when our first child, Jo-
seph, was born, followed by son Greg (1984) and daughters
Heather (1986) and Amanda (1988). Wanting to spend more
time with my young children, I left HUSD and worked part time
at Baptist Christian School teaching 9th, 11th and 12th grade Eng-
lish until 1992. I took two years off and coached the Hemet
Valley Dolphins community swim club before returning to
HUSD, bouncing between West Valley HS and Hemet High be-
fore returning permanently to Hemet High School in 1997.
Between 1997 and 2011, I taught virtually all levels of English,
from remedial to Honors to Advanced Placement and coached
swimming from 2002-2006. I left the classroom in fall of 2011
and accepted a position in Professional Development as a dis-
trict TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) Instructional Coach
where I spent six years mentoring English teachers in the dis-
trict, conducting trainings and workshops and working closely
with our BTSA/CTI probationary teachers, prior to retiring in
June 2017.
I have been a member of CTA (and HTA for all my years of em-
ployment with Hemet Unified) since 1978 and remember vividly
the power of political action in the teacher strike of 1979 (yes, I
walked out as a 2nd year probationary teacher). I spent a few
years on the HTA rep council and participated in rallies and pick-
eting during some tug-of-war negotiations over my nearly 40
years as an educator. My husband Ron, who was Division 33
president and now Area IX Director, spoke often of the “good
folks” in CalRTA and the “good things” the organization does for
current and retired educators and brought me into the fold as
soon as I retired. I am honored to serve as an officer for CalRTA
Division 33 and look forward to advocating on behalf of all edu-
cators, both local and statewide.
Election of the 2018-2019 Board
by Gayle Mattson, President
As of publication, there was one nomination: Sue Breyer for
Vice President. A final call for nominations from the floor will
be made at the luncheon. If none, the following Board Officers
will be approved by acclamation:
President: Gayle Mattson
Vice President: Sue Breyer
Secretary: Elizabeth Midyett
Treasurer: Jeannette Goar
Member at-large: Bob Parish
Other members are Board appointed and have agreed to serve
again: Marty Langley/Newsletter Editor and Webmaster,
Sandy Kasper/Scholarships and Grants Chair, Molly Morton/
Luncheons and Reservations Rep., Hilda Guilin/Ways and
Means Rep.
We could really use a Membership Chair or Co-Chairs!
I am thankful to work with this great group of dedicated
CalRTA Division 33 members!
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Division 33 President
Gayle Mattson
Hello CalRTA Friends!
May is a beautiful, but busy month! Flowers and trees bloom everywhere, along with the weeds on my hillside. At Division 33 we’re presenting teacher grants to five middle school AVID Coordinators and $1000 scholarships to eight high school seniors. Plus, we distributed treats and CalRTA packets at eight elementary schools during Teacher Week. Many thanks to Sandy Kasper (Scholarships/Grants Chair), Elizabeth Midyett, Molly Morton, Frank Siebke, Ron and Sue Breyer.
Division 33 accomplished a lot this year! (I still think in school years, September to June, although now they’re August to May.) Last semester, CalRTA members joined DKG members and other teachers for the annual NAMI Walk at Domenigoni Lake. Some walked energetically, while others of us sat enthusiastically at the CalRTA booth!
This semester, we added community donations to our luncheons: diapers for My City Youth, stuffed animals for Boo Bears (first responders), and next month, boxed/bagged non-perishables for the Community Pantry. It’s an easy, effective way to support valuable community services, and we plan to continue at our luncheons next year.
Last month was our fun Birthday Bash to honor members 80+ years old and next month we’ll honor our scholarship recipients. What nice bookends for our educational association!
Two members attended Advocacy Day in the state capitol, and four members attended the annual CALRTA Convention in Sacramento. We lost our Legislative Rep who is moving to Texas, but we gained a candidate for Vice President. Thank you to Bob Parish, who despite an injury and Idyllwild commute, will remain on the Board as a Member At-Large. We could really use a Membership Chair/Co-Chairs! (And if you’re nominated from the floor at the June luncheon, you will very probably win!)
One last note: you’ll read in this issue about building our CalRTA Political Action Committee (PAC). Although no initiative against pensions is the November ballot, there will be another one eventually! CalRTA does not use dues for political action, so the PAC is financed by donations. I’ll explain how we can each donate $5 quarter-ly, without losing money! Imagine – 40,000 members x $20 annually --$800,000 per year! Pension protection is our first goal, so we need to be prepared!
‘See you at our Scholarship Luncheon June 5th with
bagged/boxed non-perishables!
Gayle
From Sue Breyer
New to CalRTA and not quite sure what I was getting myself
into, I agreed to attend the CalRTA State Convention at the in
Sacramento from April 27 – 29 and serve as a delegate for Divi-
sion 33. I didn’t know what, exactly, that meant, but I felt
lucky to be asked to join Gayle Mattson, Jeannette Goar and
my husband, Ron, for four days of workshops, dinners,
meetings and, of course, the election of new CalRTA officers.
On my first full day I was drawn to a workshop titled “Engaging
Younger Members,” which discussed location and tone of divi-
sion meetings and successful outreach opportunities in
attracting new members, especially recent retirees (like me).
Workshop attendees shared their strategies for recruiting new
younger members via social media, such as Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram, and emphasized that division meetings should
be considered “activities” with member involvement and not
“presentations” with passive attendance. I scribbled notes as
fast as I could and the “wheels started turning” as these
shared strategies triggered new and exciting ideas in my mind.
Over the following two days I attended a presentation on
GOOGLE Apps – Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Forms and
Google Slides – and various strategies in using all things
Google to make connecting with veteran and new members
easier and faster.
But beyond the workshops and strategies for growing and
maintaining division membership was the information pre-
sented by finance consultant, David Walrath, who spoke at
length about retirement security, pension protection, afforda-
ble healthcare, Medicare and Medi-Cal funding, the repeal of
WEP-GPO, and consistent, persistent, focused ADVOCACY. He
reminded us of the importance of “Take Charge Thursdays”
and “Fairness Fridays,” of connecting with our Assembly Dis-
trict staff, and the importance of growing membership. He
reminded us that Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a
beginning, staying together is progress, and working together
is success.” Great words.
On Saturday, convention attendees and delegates gathered to
cast their vote to approve the new state budget before ventur-
ing off to their Area caucus meetings where delegates cast
their vote for Area Director and Area Chair of Nominations and
Elections. The best part of being a “first timer” at the conven-
tion was meeting so many incredible educators from all over
the state, including members of the CalRTA state board, area
directors, division officers and delegates. These people are
passionate, dedicated, and true advocates for education and it
was my honor to be a first time delegate for Division 33 .
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The Core Purpose
of the California Retired Teachers Association
is to enhance and protect the benefits
of retired educators.
The Major Goal of CalRTA is to be the
dominant, authoritative voice for
all retired educators.
Next Year’s Calendar
Luncheon meetings at the Presbyterian Church will
be at noon on second Tuesdays, except for the June
meeting, which will be on the first
Tuesday. Doors open at 11:30.
October 9
December 11
February 12
April 9
June 4
Board meetings are on second Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.
at the HTA Office. All CalRTA members are welcome to
attend. The Board meetings for 2018-19 will be on Sep-
tember 11, November 13, January 8, March 12, and
May 14.
FAIRNESS FRIDAYS
Are you fighting the unfair WEP-GPO? Are you op-
posing cuts to Medicare? Are you battling federal tax
increases for the middle class? Together, we can make
a real difference! When CalRTA sends emails on Fair-
ness Fridays (or immediate Action Alerts), they ex-
plain whom to contact, what to say, and how to do it.
Usually, it’s for Congress, sometimes it’s for state poli-
ticians. But it takes only five, fast minutes! When you
see a CalRTA email or a notice in the CalRTA Connec-
tion, please take action! Together we are over 40,000
voices – and that’s a very strong message for our rep-
resentatives!
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.
Mailing Address for CalRTA
1750 Howe Avenue, Suite 630
Sacramento, CA 95825
. If you are a California
voter, please remember
to cast your ballot in the
California primary elec-
tion by Tuesday, June 5. (Yes, the same
day as our meeting.) If you are unable to
get to the poll, you can ask your county
registrar to be added to the permanent
vote-by-mail list. Your vote is important!
Don’t leave your family wondering or arguing ...
Are your "five affairs" documented? Do you know what
they are? Will, POA, HCD, beneficiaries, HIPPA (A written
will, power of attorney form, health care directive, list of
who gets your stuff, health insurance portability and ac-
countability authorization.) If not, the Human Rights Cam-
paign Office in Washington D.C. offers free, basic explana-
tions online. You can read or download them at
hrc.org/planning
Remembering CalRTA
friends who have passed
on
Jack Stuckeman
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Board Notes
from
Elizabeth Midyett,
Secretary
Board meetings are held on 2nd Tuesdays of alternate months at 11:30
a.m. at the HTA office, located at 2920 East Florida in Hemet.
All members are welcome to attend.
Attending: Gayle Mattson, Hilda Guilin, Sandy Kasper, Molly
Morton, and Elizabeth Midyett
Treasurer’s Report March 12, 2018
General Fund: $15,416.75
Foundation Fund: $55,658.88
Ron and Sue Breyer, Gayle Mattson and Jeannette Goar
attended the CalRTA convention.
CalRTA requires that divisions must have four Board posi-
tions: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The
Board may appoint other positions as needed.
Because of a miscommunication, this year’s middle school
AVID grants were for $275 rather than $250. The Board ap-
proved the change for this year only. Next year’s grants will
be awarded in the Fall.
In recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week, canisters of Red
Vines, CalRTA Info packets, and Division 33 pens will be dis-
tributed to eight elementary schools.
The cost of the Mission Inn tour was $13 rather than $11 be-
cause of lack of signups. Moved, seconded and approved that
the Division will pay the additional $2.
Sue Breyer has agreed to serve as Vice President if elected,
and Bob Parish will be a Board Member at Large. Other nom-
inations can be made at the June meeting.
Gayle will order cups for the scholarship
winners and badges for new officers. Mol-
ly has arrange the menu for the luncheon
and Hilda will take care of décor. Gayle will
be in charge of the election and installation
and Sandy will handle the presentation of
scholarships.
Legislative Updates from the CalRTA Convention
by Gayle Mattson
One Convention session I never miss is David Walwrath’s,
our Legislative Analyst. This year, CalRTA and affiliates
blocked bills in the California Legislature that would nega-
tively affect our pensions. And at this time, there are no
initiatives for pension reform on the November ballot. But
they will return! So we must increase donations to our PAC
(Political Action Committee). CalRTA does not spend dues
money on political actions and does not endorse candidates.
CalRTA supports AB 2808 which calls for raising school fund-
ing to the national average. In fact, the state constitution
actually calls for per pupil expenditures to be the average of
the ten states with the highest per pupil spending! The gov-
ernor’s budget also calls for increases.
The word “pension” can have negative connotations, espe-
cially when lumped with CalPERS or other pension pro-
grams. So Walwrath suggests that CalRTA stress
“retirement security” which includes our pensions, fair so-
cial security, access to affordable/quality health care, and
the preservation of Medicare.
Suzie Dixon, the CalRTA Government Relations Chair, recent-
ly met with 10 members of the House Ways and Means So-
cial Security Subcommittee in Washington D.C. They’ve re-
ceived thousands of calls and emails regarding the unfair
WEP/GPO – so keep up the good work on Fairness Fridays!
Our local Congressman, Dr. Raul Ruiz, does not serve on this
committee, but opposes the WEP-GPO and advocates for
seniors, veterans, and their benefits! Dr. Ruiz staffs an office
at Hemet City Hall and you can review his website at
ruiz.house.gov .
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Photos from our April meeting. We celebrated our
80-years+ members with a cake that was meant to have “friends” after CalRTA. And we collected
stuffed animals for donation to kids in need of sup-
port in emergency situations. And we had a good
time chatting with friends old and new.
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Please Report your
Volunteer Hours
You can include free child care, taking a
neighbor to a doctor, shopping for an in-
valid, serving on a board or committee or
any organization, telephone trees, addressing envelopes
for collection of donations, or any other non-paid ser-
vices that you do for your community, including CalRTA.
No need to be specific — just tell us how many hours
that you have volunteered and which month(s) you are
reporting. Send a note to
Melinda West-Melrose
18160 Cottonwood Road, PMB 496
Sunriver Oregon 97707
Or send email to (deleted)
Keeping in Touch
Do you know someone who should
receive a card of good wishes, con-
gratulations, sympathy or ??? from
our members? Please contact Sherri
Domenigoni at 951-925-4007 with the
information or send it by email to
(deleted).
The San Jacinto Mountain Scholarship Foundation
Division 33 is proud of its Scholarship Foundation which provides $1,000 scholarships to Hemet and
San Jacinto seniors annually. As the number of high schools has grown, so has the number of schol-
arships! We currently honor students at five comprehensive and two alternative high schools.
Please help us continue this great tradition. Donations in all amounts are welcome and we have four easy ways to contrib-
ute. Your checks are tax-deductible.
1) Place cash or check donations in our blue scholarship cups at each luncheon meeting.
2) Mail personal checks to our treasurer, payable to San Jacinto Mountain Scholarship Foundation Address:
Jeannette Goar 3239 Pachappa Hill Riverside CA 92506
3) Honor the memory of a fellow member or educator with a check. Please let Jeannette know where/to whom to send an
honor card.
4) Bequeath funds from your estate. Our foundation is a 503(c) non-profit, EIN #64-096-2759. It was established using a
member’s generous bequest. Your future contribution will help to ensure that Division 33 continues to fund our valley’s
scholarships.
Please share this information with your financial planner and email Gayle Mattson, Division 33 President at (deleted). She
will consult with our Morgan Stanley advisor to make your bequest process as easy as possible. Thank you for your ongoing
contributions! Division 33 members continue to impact the future!
Ride Sharing
Please don’t miss a meeting because
you need a ride. Just contact one of the following people on
Monday, who will be glad to have you ride along with them.
For the West Hemet area, call
Gayle Mattson at 951-929-5592
For the Central Hemet area, call
Sandy Kasper at 951-927-1427
For the Valle Vista/East Hemet area, call
Molly Morton at 951-925-7001
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California Retired Teachers Association
San Jacinto Mountain Division No. 33
Mountain Echoes
2920 East Florida Avenue, Suite 101
Hemet CA 92544
NON-PROFIT ORG
U. S. POSTAGE PAID
HEMET CA
PERMIT NO. 549
Please be with us on Tuesday,
June 5th
Come at 11:30 so you’ll have time
to visit with friends old and new
before the meeting begins at noon.
First Presbyterian Church
515 Kimball Street
between Buena Vista and Franklin
n Hemet
It’s okay to use the parking lot across
Kimball Street.
Our 2018-19 Calendar
Can be found on page 4.