Capitol Insider

March 15, 2022

It’s over…for now
You did it! It was you coming to the Statehouse, writing notes, making phone calls, and talking to others that gave us – the public schools and teachers – the wins this year. Thank you, thank you. But don’t stop there. First, there are elections between now and the next legislative session. You know what to do, and we are working on some step-by-step actions to help you get it done. These bad ideas will be back. Meanwhile celebrate your wins!

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AFT to host Public Service Loan Forgiveness webinar in Spanish

In partnership with the National Education Association, the AFT is hosting a webinar in Spanish on the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For those who want to learn about the relief available under this program—in Spanish—mark your calendars for Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. EDT. PSLF enables public service workers—teachers, firefighters, librarians, etc.—to have the balance of their federal higher education loans forgiven after 10 years. So far, more than 175,000 people have had more than $10 billion in loans forgiven. Register here.

Sharing more pathways to student debt relief

As the landscape of student debt shifts, and more and more opportunities allow borrowers to have their debt relieved, the AFT is using every avenue to ensure that the word is out. In affiliate meetings, telephone town halls, media coverage and social media, the union is spreading the news, and at a student debt clinic at AFT headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 31, AFT President Randi Weingarten vowed to reach as many people as possible with information that could save them tens—and sometimes hundreds—of thousands of dollars.

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AFT Partnership with Trine University is Offering Discounted 3 Credit Hour Online Education Courses

AFT Indiana has partnered with Trine University and VESi to offer members a yearly subscription to online graduate courses for $225 per year. You can enroll in one course per term or two courses during the summer (if you skip fall or spring), for a total of 3 courses per year.

Choose from over 30 online courses for license renewal and salary advancement

Learn online at your own pace from the convenience of your home

Three graduate courses (up to nine credits) per year for $225 -- a savings of over $1,000 per year

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Budget Proposal Reflects Investment in Education

Budget Proposal Reflects Investment in Education “Thanks to the advocacy and engagement of AFT Indiana members across the state, Indiana legislators have proposed a budget that invests in public education,” said GlenEva Dunham, President of AFT Indiana. “Our members have worked hard and long advocating for public school funding that provides for student needs as well as increases to our lagging teacher salaries,” she continued. The Governor and legislative leaders made the announcement Tuesday.

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Your vote is your voice

AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest column outlines the urgency of using our voices—our votes—in this life-changing election, when we will make a choice “between President Donald Trump, who has trafficked in chaos, fear, lies and division, and former Vice President Joe Biden, who seeks to reverse Trump’s failures on COVID-19 and the economy, and to unite and uplift the American people.” Besides the four crises we face—a pandemic, an economic crisis, racism and a climate emergency—democracy itself is on the ballot, as Trump continues to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election.

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