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Student Debt Clinic
*Do you or a family member have student loan debt?
*Are you struggling to make monthly payments or worrying about student loans following you throughout your life?
*Are you tired of getting phone calls from loan servicers, or concerned about how to tell scams from genuine help when it comes to debt forgiveness?
This clinic is a valuable resource for JFT members who need to learn the landscape of free and underused federal programs that help many student borrowers lower their monthly payments, and in some cases, even have their debt forgiven.
JFT is hosting a Student Debt Clinic for members on, Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Please register at info@jft.org and place Student Debt in the subject line.
Know Your CBA
Article II Working Conditions
The teacher shall be provided with class rosters prior to the first student attendance day.
The teacher shall be provided with all reasonable and appropriate equipment and materials needed to implement the educational program at schools and/or support the academic development of the teacher’s students.
The teacher shall be permitted to prepare his/her classroom prior to the first workday of the school year.
The teacher shall be given at least three (3) days advance notice of faculty meetings held outside the school day as set forth in Article III below. A teacher’s attendance at any faculty meeting may be waived by the principal for good cause. Advanced notice shall not be required for emergency meetings called at the discretion of the principal.
The Board agrees to work collaboratively with school-based administrators and the Federation to implement professional development for all teachers.
The Board agrees to pay teachers a minimum of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per hour to attend mandatory in-services or professional development workshops, when held outside the normal workday as set forth in Article III below, payable in the pay period immediately following the in-service and/or professional development session.
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Paraeducator Reminders
Paraeducators cannot be taken from instructional time to serve duty and/or fulfill office responsibilities.
Paraeducators may be used as substitutes only in emergencies when substitutes, including teachers as substitutes, are not available. The unavailability of substitutes must be documented.
AFT President Randi Weingarten Hails White House Decision to Extend Pause on Student Loan Payments
WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement in response to the Biden administration’s announcement that it will extend the pause on federal student loan payments for borrowers until the end of January 2022:
“Millions of student loan borrowers across this country just breathed a massive sigh of relief. K-12 educators, nurses, higher education faculty and public employees work in fields that require college degrees, which have left them saddled with massive student loan payments. The temporary reprieve from these payments during the pandemic has allowed them to navigate the pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis. Today President Biden extended that much-needed break in their payments.
“As I testified in Congress recently, our next step is clear: make sustainable, long-term repairs to the broken student federal loan system so borrowers can access complete and accurate information about their debt and enroll in the appropriate repayment plans, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness. These fixes—along with the cancellation of up to $50,000 of debt per borrower—are critical to our recovery and will lift millions out of an affordability crisis and offer them an opportunity to participate in our country’s economy.”