Members turn schools into a sea of red

Red was the school uniform throughout Wisconsin last Friday. October 15 was I See Red Day, when school employees wore red to show their support for candidates who support great schools and to focus the public's attention on the growing funding crisis in Wisconsin's public schools. I See Red Day is one component of the Great Schools Statewide Action Plan created by the WEAC Representative Assembly last April.

NEA bus tour visits Wisconsin this week

The National Education Association's elected leaders are on the road this month, talking to members in six states about the need to vote for candidates who support great schools. The leaders are traveling by bus through Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

They will be in Wisconsin October 22-23. They will visit schools in Hudson and La Crosse, and participate in a rally at the WEAC Board of Directors meeting in Madison. WEAC President Stan Johnson and other leaders will ride the bus for the Wisconsin segment of the trip.

"The November 2 elections are critical for public education in Wisconsin and throughout the nation," Johnson said. "The people elected to public office will have a direct impact on the professional and personal lives of every WEAC member. We urge members to come out and visit the bus tour and encourage colleagues to vote for pro-education candidates."

Five members earn national honors

Five WEAC members were recently honored with national awards.

Three members were named to the USA Today Teacher Team. They are Sandy Swanson from Menomonee Falls High School, Mark Mueller from Stoughton High School, and Deb Tackmann from Eau Claire North High School.

Also, educators from Madison and De Forest received 2004 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards in surprise all-school assemblies on October 12. They are Andreal Davis, a Title I reading teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Madison, and Lisa Skeway, a 1st-grade teacher at Yahara Elementary School in De Forest.