Lubbock Educators Association Applauds Dr. Garza and
LISD School Board for Employee Pay Raises
As a result of today’s meeting of
the Lubbock ISD Board of Trustees, employees of the Lubbock
Independent School District will receive a much needed increase
in pay. This raise will help Lubbock ISD become more
competitive with other districts around the state. The Lubbock
Educators Association (LEA) applauds Dr. Garza and the LISD
School Board for their tireless efforts to provide a raise while
also adopting a balanced budget with no tax increase.
“Many of our new teachers graduate
with a burden of college loans to pay off. It is understandable
that they look for the job that pays the best. Lubbock ISD has
ceased to be a top competitor in the job market. Schools around
the state are paying their beginning teachers a starting salary
of $47,000 or more,” said Clinton Gill, President of the Lubbock
Educators Association.
Gill adds, “Locally, it has become
hard to compete with Amarillo, Midland, and Odessa as their
salaries have kept more in line with other districts in the
state. As an educational organization, we want the very best
teachers and support staff hired for the Lubbock schools as our
district strives for excellence. Our current educators have
shown that they are willing to do the hard job as evidenced by
the increased ratings on the state accountability system and the
progress being made on the federal accountability system.”
The Lubbock Educators Association
is excited that the new administration recognizes the importance
of being competitive in the job market and is willing to address
this issue early on. The moderate increase in salaries is a
good step in the right direction for attracting the best
teachers coming out of preparation programs. While Lubbock ISD
is not on the same salary schedule with surrounding districts,
LEA understands that the administration is making the best use
of the dollars that are available. LEA supports this increase
in salary and appreciates the direction the new administration
has taken. Our community can take pride in the fact that the
elected school board chose well in selecting the new leadership
that will assist our schools in becoming some of the best in the
state
Lubbock Educators Association Praises Mr. Havens Leadership
Lubbock Educators
Association President, Clinton Gill, released the following statement to
the media after the retirement announcement of Mr. Havens.
*For
Immediate Release*
December 5, 2008
Lubbock Educators
Association Praises Mr. Havens
Leadership
The Lubbock Educators
Association is disappointed that
Mr. Havens has decided to
retire, but it is an event that
comes to each of us in our
turn. Mr. Havens has sought to
lead the schools in such a way
that the community could always
be proud of their achievements.
He cares deeply for children and
has always stressed putting boys
and girls first in decision
making. Like any leader who is
effective, he has made decisions
that everyone could not agree
with, but circumstances sometime
demand those kinds of decisions.
He has tried to lead the
schools with the same resources
that the state gave the schools
in 2005, which is an almost
impossible task and certainly
not one that can be accomplished
without giving up a lot of
things. It has been a pleasure
to have a man who is honest,
ethical, and caring lead the
Lubbock Independent School
District. The Lubbock Educators
Association always appreciated
the close working relationship
with Mr. Havens. We understand
that 41 years of service is
certainly enough time to ask of
one man, nevertheless, his quiet
leadership will be missed.
Join Raise Your Hand Texas!

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well!
August 20, 2008
LEA
President Testifies before Joint Select Committee on Accountability
Today, the LEA President, Clinton
Gill, testified before the Joint Select Committee on Public School
Accountability. LEA was one of only 2 education employee
organizations that testified before the committee.
LCTA and
Lubbock AFT did not attend the hearing nor provide testimony. The
testimony of LEA President Clinton Gill is below.
April 28, 2008

TSTA honors LISD teacher and AJ Editor!
At the 129th
annual TSTA state convention, Beryl Waddell from Brown Elementary, was
chosen as the best Editor of a local association’s electronic
newsletter. In the picture, Beryl receives the award along with Lubbock
Educators Association President, Clinton Gill, from Whiteside
Elementary. The award was presented by TSTA Vice President(on left),
Ann Heuberger, and TSTA President(on right), Donna New Haschke. LEA
President Clinton Gill states, “Beryl does an outstanding job of editing
our local newsletter to keep all LEA members informed on important
education issues at the local, state, and national level. It is an
honor for her work to be recognized as the best in the state!” One
local association is presented with the award each year at the state
convention.
Joe
Hughes, Lubbock AJ Editor, was also recognized at the state convention
with a School Bell Award for Outstanding Editorial on an education
issue. LEA President Clinton Gill nominated Hughes for the award based
on an editorial he wrote in November encouraging support of public
schools during American Education Week. LEA President Clinton Gill
states, “Joe’s always been a positive influence on public education. We
wanted to recognize and thank him for his tireless efforts of promoting
public education in this community.”
February 8, 2008
Lubbock Educators Association Endorses Delwin Jones!
At a press conference Friday, Delwin Jones was endorsed
by the Lubbock Educators Association for his re-election in the House
District 83 Republican Primary. Representative Jones was presented
with a $5,000 check from TSTA's Political Action Committee for his
outstanding support of public schools!

TSTA
honors Nancy Sharp and Haley Burks for Outstanding Continuous Coverage
of Education Events!
At the annual TSTA
Convention, Lubbock ISD Director of Public Information, Nancy Sharp, and
Fox 34 reporter, Haley Burks, were honored with a School Bell Award.
Journalists from around the state choose the School Bell Award
recipients each year based on very strict criteria. This year, the
Lubbock Educators Association nominated Nancy and Haley for their
Outstanding Coverage of Education Issues. LEA is proud to have a
great working relationship with the local media! Shown above is
Haley Burks (Fox 34), Clinton Gill (LEA President), and Nancy Sharp
(Lubbock ISD Director of Public Information). Congratulations
Nancy and Haley!

Legislative Political Action Team meets with legislators!
(Pictured above L to R: Russell Teeter, Representative Joe
Heflin-District 85, James Harris, Clinton Gill, and Cherie Jenkins)
A
team of local leaders attended the TSTA Legislative Issues conference
January 5-7th in Austin. While there, they learned about many
important issues that will be brought up in the legislative session for
2007. Also, they met with newly elected officials to the House and
Senate. Above, LEA leaders met with Joe Heflin, who recently
won the open seat of Pete Laney. LEA worked very hard on Mr.
Heflin's campaign and came out victorious!

LEA/TSTA
honors local reporter with School Bell Award
Fox 34
reporter, Christal Bennett, has been chosen to receive a School Bell
award by the Texas State Teachers Association. TSTA honors journalists
from around the state each year for journalistic excellence in the
reporting of public education news.
The Lubbock
Educators Association nominated Ms. Bennett for an award in Outstanding
Continuous Coverage. The nomination was based on a number of broadcasts
dealing with public education and how the legislature tried to deal with
those issues. Each segment dealt with a variety of topics and how they
would impact students and teachers in Lubbock. Ms. Bennett conducted
in-depth investigations into how proposed legislation could affect
Lubbock and the surrounding communities.
Lubbock
Educators Association President, Clinton Gill, praised Ms. Bennett for
her outstanding work. Gill states, “Christal is always willing to air
stories that will have a true impact on the lives of students and
teachers. Whether the legislature was trying to pass bills that would be
harmful to the educational community or LEA was conducting activities to
make the public aware of important issues, Christal was always ready and
willing to cover the story. We value the close working relationship
with Christal and the entire Fox 34 staff.”

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