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Updated 5/8/2008
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2008 DAY AT THE
CAPITOL
As most of you have probably already
heard, we had an exceptional, exciting, and successful Day at the
Capitol on April 29! The number of attendees from around the State
exceeded our wildest expectations! We were hoping to have 100 people
show up, and we ended up with over 200. At one point when we looked up
from the table, all we saw was a "sea of red"! All of you who were able
to be present that day can understand our being so thrilled by the turn
out this year.
Just by chance, the House
Appropriations Committee was meeting on April 29, and hearing public
testimony regarding HB1. Theresa Rodgers from ASHA, and two parents
with children in speech therapy, spoke on behalf of all SLPs and
Audiologists working in Louisiana schools. They urged the
Representatives to fund the salary supplement for nationally certified
SLPs and AUDs. For those of you who were unable to be at the Capitol on
that day - you can "catch" some of the excitement of the day by
accessing the video of this meeting at
http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/2008/Apr2008.htm.
You can also view it by going to the House of Representatives homepage,
click on "Video on Demand Archives," go to April 2008, scroll down to
April 29 and click on Appropriations.
We were
not able to be present in the meeting of the Appropriations Committee,
because we were busy in the Rotunda of the Capitol answering questions
and dispersing information. However, we saw how excited and energized
the SLPs and Audiologists were when they joined us after the meeting.
They reported that the testimonials given by Theresa Rodgers and the
parents were very moving. They also noted that several Representatives
made very positive and supportive comments about the work we do, and
these Representatives stated they would vote to fund our salary
supplement! Although it is not the same as being present for the "live"
proceedings, we urge all of you to take the time to view the video and
try to imagine what it felt like to be in that room at that moment in
time.
The
efforts of all of us have had positive results - Representative Joe
Harrison has authored an amendment to obtain funding of the salary
supplement! Representatives Patrick Connick and John Schroder have
agreed to be co-authors, and Representatives Page Cortez, Elbert
Guillory, Patricia Smith, Karen Peterson, and Simone Champagne have
offered their support.
Although
we have made great strides, we must remain diligent in our efforts and
continue sending emails, making phone calls, and meeting with
Representatives and Senators. The budget will be discussed in the House
of Representatives and the Senate. The regular session will not be over
until the end of June. In the meantime, we must make every effort to
have as many representatives and senators as possible support our salary
supplement when it comes up for a vote.
Thanks to
all of you who have become involved and contacted your legislators. As
we have said since the SPALS conference last October - there is POWER IN
NUMBERS!
Cindy
Chauvin and Kristi Roya
SPALS Legislative Action Co-Chairs
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The following are proposed
changes to the SPALS Constitution/Bylaws which were submitted at
the General Meeting on October 4, 2007. These proposals were reviewed by
the Executive Board Members on November 9, 2007. Please take a moment to
review each of these proposals and make plans to vote for your choice at
the conference on October 2, 2008 during the General Meeting. The current
Constitution/Bylaws may be reviewed through this website using the link
provided.
1. Duties of President-Elect shall include but not be
limited to being program chair for SPALS conference.
2. Proposed change to Article 6 Section 1-A of the
Constitution to read:
“There may be a maximum of two (2) regional
representatives for each region with both representatives sharing one vote.”
3. Nominees for president-elect must have previously served
on the SPALS board.
4. Proposed for change in Article III, Section l of the
SPALS Constitution - Membership:
“Active membership shall be open to all speech
pathologists and audiologists who are employed or have been employed by the
public or private schools in Louisiana. An active member must also hold a
current LBESPA license. Active members shall have all the privileges of the
association including the right to vote and to hold offices.”
Using Inexpensive
and Motivating Therapy Materials that Reflect Your Theory of Learning
(handout in pdf format) - Mary Lobdell, PhD, CCC-SLP & Holly
Howat, PhD, CCC-SLP
Additional Information from Dr. Laura Justice (download
zip file or individual pdf
files below)
As
S.P.A.L.S. celebrated our 15th
Conference it seemed only fitting to recognize our Past Presidents! Pictured
from left to right are Nancy Proctor, Cora Monroe, Judi Washington, Steve
Harris, Rosemary Kerrin, Vicki Voitier, Carol Harer and Susan Caldwell. Not
pictured; Greg Dubois (First President), Annie Mouton, Carol Selfridge,
Natalie Robottom, Joan Lucky and Nancy Reed.
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Cora Monroe was awarded the prestigious
Liz Borel award. Pictured is Varron Joseph, presenting Mrs. Monroe her
plaque, as Carol Harer looks on
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The 2007-08 SPALS Scholarship recipient was
Melanie Derry. She is a student at Southeastern La.University in Hammond.
Pictured is Cheryl McDaniel, Melanie Derry and Carol Harer after presenting
Melanie with her $1,000. award.
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Lafayette City/Parish President
Joey Durel, welcomed over 800 therapists to Lafayette and enlightened
all of us on Fiber Optics. When he saw just how many were in
attendance, and how many were women, his comment was “Is this
Heaven?” Here he had Carol Harer and Cheryl McDaniel laughing!
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Gift baskets are
always a big hit!!! Thanks to all who donated…take a look at that
Tiger, or how about the bath get-a-way, OH wait…did I see CHOCOLATE?? |
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Everyone had a
great time, and had great things to say about SPALS 2007. Here are a
few comments:
“Always the best bang for your
buck”
“Able to obtain my ceu’s at one
location at one time”
“Physical facilities—the BEST
EVER!”
“Presenters were AWESOME!” |
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This is what we heard from our
presenter Susan Stokes:
“I wanted to again thank you for
inviting me to present at such an excellent conference. As you know, I
travel all over the country doing training and presentations, but I
have to say, I'm extremely impressed with your SPALS conference. It is
obvious that the time and effort that you all put in to this
conference has truly made it a first class and top-quality opportunity
for your SLPs for professional development. The school-based SLPs in
Louisiana should feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to attend
such a top-notch conference, directly applicable to their field - at
such a discounted price! :-) Again, you all were wonderful to work
with, extremely organized and professional, and everything ran very
smoothly from my presenter's perspective”
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Past-President Carol Harer and
President Michelle Barra sign the contract to bring SPALS 2008 back to
the Lafayette Cajundome Convention Center. |
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