Open Enrollment Important Information

AASU Members,

As we approach Open Enrollment, I want to make sure everyone is aware of an important change to our health benefits for the upcoming plan year.

All bargaining units have received benefits information from CalVEBA, but there is one significant update that applies to everyone:

UCSD Medical Group and its affiliated providers will no longer participate in the UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Harmony HMO network. If you are currently enrolled in UHC Harmony and want to continue receiving care through UCSD Medical Group, you will need to select a different health plan during Open Enrollment.

The good news is that UHC CS VEBA Alliance and VEBA Direct will continue to include UCSD Medical Group as a participating provider.

As always, I strongly encourage everyone to take some time during Open Enrollment to review your current plan, providers, and anticipated healthcare needs rather than simply allowing your existing elections to roll over.

The Benefits Department will be hosting both in-person and virtual informational sessions during Open Enrollment. These sessions will be a great opportunity to learn more about the available plans, compare your options, and ask questions before making your selection.

And, probably to no one's surprise, rates are going up. This makes it even more important to carefully compare not only monthly premiums, but also copays, deductibles, provider networks, prescription coverage, and out-of-pocket costs when determining which plan provides the best value for you and your family.

AASU Benefits Committee

AASU is also looking for members who are interested in serving on our Benefits Committee. This committee provides an important opportunity for AASU to have a voice in reviewing benefits and helping select the health plans that will be offered during future Open Enrollment periods.

If you have an interest in employee benefits and would like to help represent AASU members in these discussions and decisions, please let me know that you are interested in serving on the Benefits Committee. We would appreciate having members from across AASU participate in this important work.

AASU will continue to share information as it becomes available and advocate for quality, affordable benefits for our members.

Dianne Huslin
President, AASU

Dianne Huslin, President

Administrators Association Sweetwater Union

[email protected]

ENDORSEMENT OF RICHARD BARRERA FOR STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. The AASU Board of Directors has endorsed Richard Barrera (a San Diego local) for the office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction. We urge you to vote for Mr. Barrera. For more information:  https://www.barreraforedu.com/about-richard

AASU WEBSITE. AASU has a website with important information and a copy of your collective bargaining agreement. The access the website: https://www.theschoolleader.org/administrators-association-sweetwater-union    AASU Collective Bargaining Agreement    AASU Contract.

AASU REPRESENTATION Over the past few months, AASU has provided representation and support to several of our members. If you find yourself in a situation where you are called to a meeting with your supervisor or Human Resources, ask the topic. If the topic could affect your employment in any way contact your AASU representative, Donis Coronel, and she will arrange for a representative to attend with you. Do not attend alone. [email protected] or 619-813-8792

DID YOU KNOW THAT UNION PLUS HAS DISCOUNTED PROGRAMS FOR COLLEGE DEGREES FOR MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES? Union Plus offers discounted tuition rates on hundreds of degrees and certificate programs. Top options include Business, Healthcare, Education, IT/Computer Science and Psychology — all fields with growing job demand and solid salaries. This benefit is available for all AASU Members in Good Standing. It also includes family members! Check it out! AASU is Local 150.    https://www.unionplus.org/benefits/education?utm_source=solo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=college_program_081426

UNION PLUS SCHOLARSHIPS. Since 1991, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $6.2 million to students of union families. Over 4,400 union families have benefited from Union Plus’s commitment to higher education. Deadline for applying is January 31, 2027. Award amounts: $1,000 to $4,000. One-time cash awards for study beginning in the Fall of 2027. Students may re-apply each year. AASU is Local 150.  

• Award date: May 31, 2027. During the first week of June 2027 award recipients will be notified by postal mail, and all applicants will be sent email notification.
• Current and retired members of unions participating in any Union Plus program, their spouses, and their dependent children (as defined by IRS regulations) are eligible. Grandchildren are not eligible unless they are legally dependent (as defined by IRS regulations). At least one year of continuous union membership by the applicant, applicant's spouse or parent (if applicant is a dependent). The one-year membership minimum must be satisfied by May 31, 2027.
• The applicant must be accepted into a U.S. accredited college, university, community college, technical or trade school at the time awards are issued. Awards must be used for the 2027-2028 school year.

Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply.

For more information, click the link:  Kaleidoscope

MARY LAWLOR PASSES AWAY. AASU has learned of the passing of Mary Lawlor on July 25. Mary started her teaching career in San Diego Unified and then became an administrator in Sweetwater Union High School District. After retirement, she was very active in ACSAR Region 18. Mary was a brilliant, knowledgeable, dedicated individual who spent her whole life learning and giving back to students, public education, and the community. She obtained a BS at the University of Wisconsin, an MA in Administration and Supervision at SDSU, and PhD in Leadership and Human Behavior at USIU. She was a teacher, mentor teacher, vice principal, principal, staff developer, and mentor for over 40 years.

Upon retiring in 2011, Mary continued her professional growth by training to be a certified coach in the Coaching Leaders to Achieve Student Success (CLASS) program and getting certified to supervise student teachers at National University. Her passion to help students achieve led her to coordinate and prepare students for the Academic Decathlon/Academic League at local schools for several years. Still dedicated to preparing the next generation of educators, she used her position as adjunct professor at National University to guide student teachers in attaining their credential and provide the best instruction. Always involved in the community and interested in local schools, she volunteered as a WASC Accreditation Visiting Committee Chairperson for 12 years and made 27 school visits. She participated on the SDSU College of Education’s Improving Futures Fund grant committee which awards faculty members start-up money for innovative projects, and hosted Kappa Awards Night to recognize outstanding individuals, organizations, and groups. She established an endowed scholarship for a new teacher in the educational curriculum at SDSU.

Mary continued to develop new and forward-looking ideas to the education profession. She contributed to educational research by writing articles on all aspects of education. She contributed to Phi Delta Kappan magazine, EdCal newspaper, ACSAR newsletter, SDSU Alumni Association newsletter, and other educational publications. Her ongoing interest and involvement in educational leadership and pedagogy made her a valued member of the local ACSA and ACSAR community. Mary’s community activities were wide ranging and across the spectrum of public benefit. She was an usher at many of the region’s theater and civic cultural events. She also served as the president of her homeowners’ association. She was a judge at SDSU’s Innovation Platform, judging new business ideas, supported SDSU’s Student Story Project, and was a faculty grant judge for the university. Mary coached many administrators through the years because of her well-known reputation as a successful and caring administrator. Because she was so well respected by her peers, she was entrusted as President of the ACSA Southwest Administrators Association for 4 years, Phi Delta Kappa (6 years), and ACSA, Region 18, Retired Charter (4 years). She was the ACSA Region 18 Lead Ambassador for the past 9 years.

Mary was an example of a knowledgeable and compassionate educator who dedicated her whole life to improving public education and educational leadership. Moreover, she went beyond her professional educator role to make her community better. Mary will be greatly missed.

There will be a private Celebration of Life in the fall of 2026 in San Diego.

Obituary:  https://www.legacy.com/legacy/mary-lawlor