MEA-MFT Legislative Program
Adopted, April 2, 2011 – MEA-MFT Representative Assembly
Quality Public Schools
MEA-MFT supports legislation to:
1. Adequately and equitably fund quality public elementary, secondary, and university system education.
2. Enhance state funding of the k-12 quality educator payment.
3. Support and expand state funding of adult basic education.
4. Expand state-funded voluntary public education opportunities to all pre-k school age children.
5. Qualify classified public school employees for unemployment compensation when not working.
6. Adequately fund “Indian Education for All.”
7. Increase funding for “students at risk” including gifted and talented.
8. Adequately fund full day kindergarten.
9. Provide incentives for school districts and bargaining units to mutually develop and implement systems of peer mentorship and peer review.
10. Expand state funded incentives for teachers to pursue National Board Certification.
11. Fund incentives to encourage school district consolidation.
12. Eliminate the 3-mile limit for state funded reimbursement of k-12 school district transportation costs.
13. Provide all Montanans access to affordable, quality post-secondary education through increased state funding.
14. Secure full, on-going state funding of the Montana Digital Academy.
15. Mandate compulsory enrollment from age 6 to age 18 or completion of High School Diploma or equivalent.
16. Create a board of regents nominating advisory council to prepare a list of nominees from which the governor may choose a new regent.
17. Provide state funding for the education of 3, 4, and 5 year old special education students.
18. Eliminate school district “flex” funds.
MEA-MFT opposes legislation to:
19. Amend or repeal Article X, Education and Public Lands, Montana State Constitution.*
* Article X, among other things:
• guarantees equality of educational opportunity, free quality public elementary and secondary schools, public school funding equity;
• recognizes and promises to preserve the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians;
• creates an inviolate public school fund, a board of land commissioners to administer state school lands, and dedicates revenue from the school fund to public education;
• prohibits public aid to sectarian schools;
• prohibits the teaching of sectarian tenants in public schools;
• creates and empowers a state board of education, board of regents, and a board of public education;
• empowers elected local boards of trustees with supervision and control of the schools in their districts.
20. Divert tax revenue to private and/or sectarian schools, including “charter” and home schools.
21. Establish alternatives within the k-12 public school system, including "charter schools”, that do not guarantee equitable student access, teacher licensure and endorsement, employee collective bargaining, and local school district accountability and control.
22. Abolish compulsory school enrollment.
23. Dictate school accreditation and teacher licensure standards, curricula, and methods of instruction.
24. Authorize school districts to license who shall teach.
25. Permit school districts to employ non-licensed persons as professional educators.
Quality Public Programs & Services
MEA-MFT supports legislation to:
26. Adequately fund quality public programs and services.
27. Require adequate staffing ratios at public health care facilities, schools, corrections, and other public services.
28. Prevent degradation of the quality of public programs and services through vacancy savings, temporary employees, non-tenured track teachers, emergency hires, and modified positions.
29. Fund state agency budgets formulated as a result of employee contract negotiations.
30. Encourage and invest in quality public services
through career ladders and educational opportunities.
31. Provide Employer reimbursement to employees for costs associated with education, licensure, or certification associated with employment.
32. Reimburse state employees reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred while on state business or at mandated state professional development.
33. Prohibit vacancy savings in 24/7 institutions and limit vacancy savings to no more than 3% at state agencies with 100 or fewer full-time employees.
34. Cap at 640 annual hours of work retired public employees may contract for services.
MEA-MFT opposes legislation to:
35. Privatize public programs and services.
36. Limit or deny opportunities for public employees to serve in public office.
37. Legislative referendum to cap state employee salaries and benefits.
Public Services/Private Contractors
MEA-MFT supports legislation to:
38. Hold private contractors of public funds to the same standards and accountability established for public entities.
39. Require adequate staffing ratios at private residential treatment facilities and privately operated, publicly funded facilities.
40. Provide for increased Medicaid reimbursements for services provided at privately administered facilities.
Head Start
MEA-MFT supports legislation to:
41. Help fund Montana Head Start programs.
Union Rights
MEA-MFT supports legislation to:
42. Protect the right and opportunity of all employees to organize and bargain collectively.
43. Adopt a Montana specific “employee free choice act.”
44. Require neutrality agreements whenever the state or local governments, including school districts, privatize a public program or service.
MEA-MFT opposes legislation to:
45. Establish "right-to-work" and "paycheck protection" or diminish or restrict in any other way what it means to be the exclusive bargaining agent empowered to negotiate fair share, representation fee, or agency fee.
46. Prohibit or restrict union participation in initiatives and referenda.
Taxation
MEA-MFT supports legislation to:
47. Create and maintain a state tax system that is adequate, equitable, balanced, simple, and universal.
MEA-MFT opposes legislation to:
48. Legislative referendum to eliminate property taxes or income taxes.
Retirement
MEA-MFT supports legislation to:
49. Repeal the requirement that school districts and
special education cooperatives fund retirement benefits of federally funded employees.
50. Protect and enhance teacher and public employee retirement opportunities and benefits.
51. Increase direct state funding of the Teachers’ and Public Employees’ Retirement Systems.
52. Increase direct state funding of university faculty “optional” retirement plan.
53. Allow annual conversion of leave benefits to retirement accounts.
54. Provide a 2% multiplier for teachers who earn 30 or more years of creditable service in the Teachers’ Retirement System.
55. Require government entities to make both employer and employee contributions to the proper state defined benefit plans for all retired part-time employees.
MEA-MFT opposes legislation to:
56. Amend or repeal Article II, Declaration of Rights, Section 31. Ex post facto, obligation of contracts, and irrevocable privileges, that states:
No ex post facto law nor any law impairing the obligation of contracts, or making any irrevocable grant of special privileges, franchise, or immunities, shall be passed by the legislature.
57. Amend or repeal Article VIII, Revenue & Finance, Section 15, Public Retirement System Assets, that states in part:
(1) Public retirement systems shall be funded on an actuarially sound basis. Public retirement system assets, including income and actuarially required contributions, shall not be encumbered, diverted, reduced, or terminated and shall be held in trust to provide benefits to participants and their beneficiaries and to defray administrative expenses.
58. Eliminate public employee defined benefit retirement plans.
59. Reduce state funding of the university system faculty “optional retirement” plan for any purpose.
Health Care
MEA-MFT supports legislation to:
60. Create a mandatory statewide school employee health care insurance risk pool.
61. Establish a state funded incentive for school employee insurance plans that provide coverage for all school employees working 20 hours or more per week.
62. Create a national or state-based single payer health care delivery system.