We Honor Ours “WHO” was celebrated on Friday, May 8th at the San Bernadino Fair Grounds. San Jacinto Teachers Association honored June McCullough of the Pre-School, Doug McCasey from SJHS, and Harry Ebeling from MVHS. We are all so thankful for the hard work they do for our association and particularly the teachers at their school; we are all stronger because of them.
It was especially nice to celebrate after all of the sacrifices we have been forced to make these past two years. Although most of our RIFS will be called back, they will remain on temporary staus. CTA continues to protest this move, as we are united in thinking cuts could have been made elsewhere.
As a result of the unprecedented challenges facing financial institutions in these difficult economic times, NEA and CTA were recently advised by Bank of America (BAC) of the need to modify certain aspects of the NEA/CTA Credit Card Program to ensure the Program remains stable and competitive. In response, NEA sought and received assurances from BAC that no changes would be made to a) the practices BAC has historically employed to manage account holders’ credit lines or b) the preferential criteria presently used to review and approve NEA/CTA members’ applications for credit.With these assurances in place, NEA MB and BAC worked collaboratively to create the fairest possible scenario for affected NEA/CTA members.
I’m sure that you have heard reports of other financial institutions that have already implemented significant changes to their credit card and loan programs in response to the economic downturn. The tempered nature of the changes cited in this bulletin assures that the NEA/CTA Programs remain highly competitive and continue to provide true value to NEA and CTA members and their families. The new APRs and fees also continue to compare favorably with rates and fees on similar products in the marketplace.NEA/CTA Credit Card Program ChangesApproximately one quarter of existing NEA/CTA cardholders will be impacted by rate and fee pricing changes that take effect June 1, 2009. BAC will begin notifying these members of the changes in April 2009 by letter and through statement messages and inserts. Members wishing to opt out of these changes will be instructed to call or write Bank of America. However, any use of a card after opting out will be considered an acceptance of the new terms and conditions. If you have any questions regarding the information contained in this bulletin, please feel free to contact Member Benefits at 650-552-5200, or Diane Morte, Member Benefits Consultant, at 650-552-5430.
Department Of Education Poised To Distribute First Round Of School Stimulus.
The AP (4/2) reports, “Secretary Arne Duncan released the first $44 billion in economic stimulus money directed to schools Wednesday but said strings will be attached to the next round of aid.” He also “outlined a series of steps that states must take to get the next round of dollars.” Duncan announced the stimulus news at Maryland’s Doswell Brooks Elementary School. He “chose the school because it has significantly boosted achievement despite high numbers of poor and special education children, a challenge that often overwhelms urban schools.”
“Nationwide, the first batch of stimulus funding includes $11.4 billion targeted largely to help students who live in poverty and those with disabilities,” The Washington Post (4/2, Glod) reports. “That money, doled out based on formulas that consider factors such as the percentages of children from low-income families, is available immediately, federal education officials said.” But “states must apply for a piece of the larger share of the first batch, $32.6 billion.” Of that amount schools, “$26.6 billion must be used to prevent layoffs and improve public schools and colleges.” The Post notes that “federal education officials today sent applications and guidelines to states.”
According to the Detroit Free Press (4/2, Higgins), “The nation’s top education leader said today he wants ‘absolute transparency’ in the way states and schools spend stimulus money.” In addition, he gave more details “about $5 billion in Race to the Top grants states will be able to apply to receive.” The grants “will go to states that have shown improvement, or shown a willingness to make improvement, in areas such as teacher quality and developing high standards.”
Reporting on the impact of federal education stimulus funds on schools in California, the Los Angeles Times (4/2, Mehta) reports that California education officials are “worried that the state’s share won’t be enough or come in time to stave off widespread teacher firings and program cuts.” The state expects to receive “more than $4 billion…in the first round of education funding from the stimulus package.” Charles Weis, superintendent of Santa Clara County schools, said “Given the cuts we’ve experienced in education this year, this won’t even get us back to where we were last year.”
The AP (4/2, Gruver) reports in a story appearing on USA Today’s website on Wyoming’s $26.5 million share of the first phase of stimulus funding, that will go toward “special-education students and students from low-income families and neighborhoods. Once that money is allocated, the department will be allowed to apply for another $26.5 million for those same purposes.” The Wyoming Department of Education expects to receive $144 million.
“In all, Utah schools are set to grab more than half a billion dollars in education stimulus money over two years,” the Salt Lake Tribune (4/2, Schencker) reports. State “lawmakers decided this past legislative session to use about $298 million in stabilization money to plug education budget holes.” Education Week’s (4/1, Aarons) Politics K-12 blog also covered the story.
NEA Member Benefits and NFCC:
Offering Solutions to Help You Manage Debt
In light of the current economic situation and the worsening
of the economic crisis, many members are wondering what to do
and where they can find help.
A great place to begin is http://www.debtadvice.org/nea/.
From there, members can search on the NEA Member Benefits and
NFCC web-sites for solutions that best fit their particular
financial situation.
- NFCC Homeowner Crisis Resource Center
- Free consumer video, “Avoiding Foreclosure”
- Find a Counselor Now: Find an NFCC Agency Near You
- Consumer Debt Advice
- And a Newsroom with updated information
In addition, NEA Member Benefits offers a wide variety of
information at www.neamb.com then click on the Tools & Tips
link and go to the section that is most pertinent to your
needs.
If your district asks you to sign a statement verifying your seniority date and credentials, BE CAREFUL.
Make sure the information is 100% correct before you sign. If you sign and the information is not accurate (for example, the statement credits you with too little seniority or some, but not all, of your credentials), the district will use the statement against you in the RIF hearing to undermine your seniority and credential claims. RIF hearing officers also often restrict individuals from contesting incorrect credential or seniority information at the RIF hearing, especially when the individuals already have had an opportunity to set the record straight.
Make sure that ALL of your credentials and certifications are on file with the school district, especially certifications to teach English language learners. If you hold a credential or certification but it is not on file with the district by March 15, you will not be credited with that credential or certification in the RIF hearing. If you need to check on your credentials, look them up on the CTC website at http://www.ctc.ca.gov/lookup.html.
Check your personnel file. Copy any documents from the file that you will need to prove your first day of paid service with the district as a probationary employee. Remember, your first in-service day may count, even if it was not mandatory, as long as you were paid for the day. Collect the documents now that will let you prove that date if need be in the RIF hearings.
If you are an agency fee payer, join CTA so that you will be represented by CTA in any RIF hearings that occur in your district. CTA provides representation to all members in RIF hearings, but does not provide representation to agency fee payers in RIF hearings.Contact your SJTA or CTA staff person immediately if you receive a layoff notice. There are very short and strict timelines that begin to run from the date any teacher receives a layoff notice. It is very important that you contact SJTA right away once you receive a layoff notice, so that SJTA can help ensure that all of the statutory deadlines will be met.
5 STEPS TO TAKE NOW
California Teachers Association
1705 Murchison Drive
Burlingame, CA 94010
Legal Services 650-697-1400 • www.cta.org
Thanks for taking the time to review this material. A little time now preparing for possible RIFs in your district could make all the difference later.
Everyday across the San Jacinto Valley, thousands of teachers, support staff and administrators are ensuring that our students receive a world class education. We owe it to all San Jacinto Students to give them the access to an education that will best prepare them for today’s global environment.
But bigger classes, less time for student-teacher interaction, mandated paperwork, inadequate resources, staff cuts and fewer choices will have a lasting negative impact on our students.
We can stop this from happening be making our schools a priority!
We need to make sure that our students receive a well rounded education.
We need to make sure that we keep our veteran teachers.
We need to make sure that our students receive the individualized attention they deserve.
We need to ensure that our classrooms are not over-crowded and that the class size amendment is implemented.
We need to give our teachers the time to teach and our students the time to learn.
Now is the time for us to get involved. We cannot afford to wait for a “fix” from our elected officials. Talk to your school board member, your state representative and our state senator and ask them to make our schools a priority.
The following are questions which De Anza has asked regarding the budget short fall and its impact. Here are the answers to the best of my ability.
How does the union prioritize the issue of taking a rate reduction or temporary salary freeze in relationship to class size reduction? Class size reduction will mean more RIFs, a salary rollback or freeze is not guaranteed to save jobs as the district is loosing students and is overstaffed. Salary is also a negotiation item and whatever may be agreed on at the table would have to be voted on by the entire SJTA membership.
Does the union have a list of how many teachers there are in the district that are not NCLB or CLAD certified? If not, why? No, Alicia Peel and the Personnel Office have this information. NCLB and CLAD are tie breakers. RIF is based on the 1st day a teacher worked, seniority, then credentials, certifications, Master’s degrees, etc. are used as tie breakers.
Is it the position of the union to fight for highly qualified teachers and the release of teachers meeting a lesser standard? As teachers it is not our position to evaluate teacher qualifications.
Is it correct that the union chooses to not be involved in the tie breaker criteria? If so, why? Yes, CTA has advised all unions to steer clear of the tie breaker criteria as it may put us in a libel position. The District is the organization which hires and fires.
When will the union provide those concerned with the preliminary lay off list that you will be provided with next week? We are waiting on the District to give us their list, which will determine when it can be passed on.
Are budget reports available upon request? Yes, some have received them if they have attended one of Jayne Christakos budget presentations.
It will be impossible for anyone concerned to be assured fair and equal treatment during the lay-off process without all the facts. Will the union take the position to ensure that all those concerned receive complete ranking lists? Last year during the process a lawyer came to represent unit members (if you are a fee-payer CTA does not represent you) during the process. SJTA’s Executive Board is not versed in all the ins and outs of Ed. Code. We depend on CTA to help in those areas. After the list is put together the lawyer looks at it, but can only go by the information the Personnel Office gives him/her.
How are the positions of the union being steered by all of its members? Each site has a minimum of 2 site representatives who attend monthly meetings, and who should in return be passing on information to the unit members at regular site meetings. Site Representatives are also encouraged to bring site concerns to the monthly meetings. The Executive Council takes those concerns to a monthly meeting with Dr. Fox and the DO Cabinet. Any unit member is also welcome to attend the site rep meetings. Members are also encouraged to attend School Board meetings
