focus

focus on educators is an award winning publication of the Pittsburg Education Association/CTA/NEA www.peateachers.org

California Teachers Association

Statement of Mission

The California Teachers Association exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to improve the conditions of

teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education; to ensure that the human dignity

and civil rights of all children and youth are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.

JANUARY 2016

Volume XXIV, Number 5

Dear PEA Members,

We’re back from our winter break and in the midst of January 2016. Happy New Year! Well wishes that winter break gave you the rest you needed to come back strong for the continuation of the school year. You’ll probably even notice a little increase in your pay check and a separate check for retro pay. That’s sure to give you a little smile. Smiling, one of those things that can show many types of emotion, though it is usually associated with happiness. I hope for more smiles in this new calendar year of my own and all around me. There is much to do and think on.

Noggin work ahead: 1. As you may know on January 11th

the Supreme Court started hearing arguments for the Friedrichs v. CTA case. This is something we should all be well aware of and does not just affect members of CTA, but stretches out to all working men and women in the United States. You can read more at cta.org/friedrichs and be part of the whole solution going forward. You’ll also find information in the December 2015/January 2016 California Educator magazine.

2. On January 13th the PUSD School

Board was presented with the Evaluation of Services Provided to Students with Disabilities by Dr. Frances Stetson. It is a comprehensive evaluation of the PUSD SPED program. All of us should read it and understand the findings. You can locate it through the Board docs on PUSD’s website.

3. The Local Control and Accountability

Plan (LCAP) meetings have started and you need to be a part of them. I recently went to the first meeting on January 7th that included parents, teachers, high school students, community leaders, CSEA, and

district administrators. We need to make sure that we see what has happened over the last year under the plan which has worked, needs to be fixed, or gotten rid of. Also, voice our opinions on what is needed. The LCAP determines what is funded in the PUSD budget. This includes educators, materials, programs, and many things that affect our work on a daily bases. The AAA department is heading these meetings. Here is a list of dates I received for upcoming LCAP Community Input Meetings

(held in school library at 7 p.m. at each site below):

Tuesday, February 2, Rancho Medanos Jr. High

Thursday, February 4, Pittsburg High School

Tuesday, February 9, Martin Luther King Jr. Junior High School

Thursday, February 18, Hillview Jr. High School

So smile! There is much to do and we’ve got to see the end to our great work as a positive for our students and our profession.

Sincerely,

Tammy Carr PEA President

On educators

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PEA Leadership 2015-2016

President

Tammy Carr

Highlands Elementary/PEA Office

Elementary Vice President

Chris Coan

Willow Cove Elementary

Secondary Vice President

Bertha Ramos

Rancho Medanos

Secretary

Michell Redfoot

Willow Cove Elementary

Treasurer

Vacant

Committee Chairs:

Grievance Committee

John Kleinjans – Pittsburg High

Chris Coan – Willow Cove Elementary

Negotiations Team

Mark Maselli - Chair

Political Action Committee Chair

Chris Coan

Elections Chair

Ruth Foster

Human Rights & Women’s Issues Chairs

Yvonne Burton

Najah Perkins

O-Team Chairs

Marissa Young-Padilla

CTA State Council Representatives

Mark Maselli – PEA

Arthur Pruyn (Alt.) - PEA

Membership Chairs

Lisa Gunderson

Yvonne Burton

Technical Editor

Susan Harrison – PEA Office Administrator

Focus on Educators

is a publication of the

Pittsburg Education Association CTA/NEA

159 East 4th Street

Pittsburg, CA 94565

Phone: (925) 432-0199

email: info@peateachers.org

website: www.peateachers.org

Rep. Council Meeting Calendar (Tuesdays)

January 19

February 16

March 15

April 19

May 17

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School Board Meeting Calendar

January – 13 & 27

February – 10 & 24

March – 16

April – 13 & 27

May – 11 & 25

June – 15 & 29

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Are You Getting Your PEA Information?

Having our Site Reps collect your input, attend the monthly Rep

meeting and then report back to you is vital in the

communication chain of our Association.

Roll call at last December 15th Rep Council Meeting:

Adult Ed. – present Stoneman – present

Foothill – present Willow Cove – present

Heights – present MLK Jr. – present

Highlands – present Hillview - present

Los Medanos – present Rancho Medanos – present

Marina Vista – present PHS - present

Parkside – present Black Diamond –present

Reminder: Please send PEA any updated

information such as: change of home address;

home email; school site change; name change;

etc., so we have your correct information! Thank

you!

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Announcements

Announcing…

2016 CTA Scholarships

CTA is accepting applications for the following categories:

Dependent Children

Del A. Weber for Dependent Children Attending Continuation High School/Alternative Education

Members

L. Gordon Bittle Memorial Scholarship for Student CTA

All applications must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on February 5, 2016. For more information on the individual categories, please go to: www.cta.org./scholarships

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Look Out! Opportunities Ahead!

NEA State Delegate (NEA RA) candidacy forms due January 29, 2016. Candidacy forms are in the current December 2015/January 2016 California Educator magazine as well as at www.cta.org/racandidacy.

Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarships are due February 19, 2016. Find information and applications at www.cta.org/mlkscholarships.

Join us at Pittsburg’s La Piñata on

Thursday, January 28th at 4:30 p.m.

Celebrate with your fellow PEA Members

on the passing of the ratification.

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Chris Coan was elected Elementary Vice-President for PEA!

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Read Across Pittsburg is March 3rd

We are seeking volunteers to read at various preschool and Head Start locations

around Pittsburg! Slots are available!

If you’re interested in reading to our future students, please e-mail Chris Coan at

chriscoan123@comcast.net by Friday, February 26

************************************************

Thank you to all who

made the 5th Annual

Winter Drive a success!

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Hello Wonderful Teachers,

Thank you so very much for the generous donation of

socks, scarves, gloves and other clothing items. I so

appreciated hearing about the student that sparked the

idea to begin gathering items for families in need. It

appears that our work is similar in some ways.

Educators and Homeless Service providers attempt to

create a valuable experience for every family that we

work with. However, sometimes the inability of

families to provide basic needs for their children, such

as socks, can be a distraction from the good work that

we are trying to do. Not only are you providing an

invaluable service to the community, you are also

making sure that their basic needs are tended to. Most

of the time when food, clothing and shelter are put into

place, the potential for that individual is limitless.

Thank you for the countless hours that you pour out

into your students, their families and your community.

You are making a wonderful impact in the world

around you. We are honored to be the recipients of

your clothing drive and hope that the New Year

provides many opportunities for you to continue the

good work you are already doing.

Kindest Regards,

Sophia Gavino

Transition Services Specialist

SHELTER, Inc.

1333 Willow Pass Road Suite 203, Concord, CA

94520

Mt. View House

P: (925) 313-0189

F: (925) 228-8697

Pittsburg Family Center

P: (925) 439-8559

F: (925) 432-4150

sophiag@shelterincofccc.org www.shelterincofccc.org

Ratification: How Sweet it is!

On the evening of December 15th the official results were reported about the ratification of the tentative agreement. The PEA membership had ratified the tentative

agreement our bargaining team negotiated. A new contract had been put in place for the 2015-2016 school year that included a 5% raise with retro pay from July 2015. In addition was a District contribution increase to employee benefits. Lastly, increases to specific signing bonuses and a new type of bonus referred to as “Celebrating Local Success”. Thank you PEA members, community leaders, MDEA, CLCC, and parents for your support during this bargaining session. We greatly appreciate the PEA Bargaining Team for your continued hard work on our behalf.

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This Month in Politics

By, Chris Coan Political Action Chair

and Jim Vaughan

We are getting ready for the 2016 November School Board election!

So far, Jim and I have received six (6) possible candidate suggestions. We will be calling these individuals and seeing if they are truly interested in running for the Pittsburg School Board election in November. We will then meet personally with each one, and give them a list of questions compiled by PEA to get a better idea of where they stand in regards to teachers and the teaching profession. We will then make our determination as to which two (2) candidates we would like to support. From there, we will move forward with our campaign.

We will continue to keep you updated!

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Know Your Contract

Who decides the content of our three Professional Development days? We do. Article 16.3.3

A. Content of Staff Development: It is the intent of the

parties to this Agreement that staff development

training opportunities be site-specific and delivered

at each school site. If however, there are

professional development issues, which would best

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be delivered at the district level, then the

Association and the District shall plan accordingly.

B. Site Staff Development Days: The teaching staff

and the administration of the site shall determine

the content of site staff development days. The

District may provide guidance and assistance, if

requested.

There are many ways to collect information from your site as to what you would like to have on your PD day. Here are a few possible examples:

I. Have members send their suggestions to the

principal via e-mail and cc the entire staff. The

Principal can prioritize these.

II. At a staff meeting, a poster can be put up and

members write their ideas or share out their ideas.

III. Members can tell their grade level leaders, and the

grade level leaders can share at their leadership

Meeting.

Don’t forget about specialized folks: School psychologists; librarians; counselors; speech therapists; and prep teachers in elementary.

Respectfully submitted,

Chris Coan, Elementary Grievance Chair

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“NEWS…”

SUPREME COURT HEARS HOW FRIEDRICHS V. CTA THREATENS FAIRNESS, PUBLIC

SERVICES, MIDDLE CLASS

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court today heard how Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association seeks to make it harder for educators to come together to bargain for smaller class sizes, safer schools, and better learning environments for all students. The plaintiffs seek to overturn common sense jurisprudence established in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education in 1977, which allows states and localities the freedom to choose whether all public employees should pay their fair share for the employment representation they receive. “As a classroom teacher, I see every day how collective bargaining is benefiting my students,” said Reagan Duncan, a first grade teacher in Vista, Calif. who was in Washington, D.C. today. “Through my union, we have been able to bargain contracts that provide smaller class sizes which allows us to provide more one-on-one instruction time and individualized attention to ensure our students succeed.” Witnessing the oral arguments first hand in the chambers was CTA President Eric Heins who describes the proceedings as intense, and a proud personal moment to be

able to represent his more than 325,000 colleagues and members from California. “The current fair share system is a good compromise and common sense solution, and that’s part of the argument we presented to the Supreme Court Justices today,” said CTA President Eric C. Heins. “This case is about our students, our public schools and our country’s economic future. Providing a quality public education for every student starts with educators having the ability to come together and make decisions for their students, as well as negotiating fair wages that attract the brightest minds into our profession. Undermining the collective bargaining process undermines the middle class.” Under the current system, every employee has the freedom to join a union. However, unions are legally required to represent all workers. It’s not fair for some workers to pay more than their fair share for the same services. This case is attempting to undo nearly four decades of sound, common sense law that has provided stability in the workplace and allowed public employees to provide quality public services to their communities. More than 24 briefs by hundreds of amici—representing all levels of government, public officials, civil rights organizations, academic experts, and others—were filed with the court in support of the respondents. Weighing in on the case have been 23 states and the District of Columbia, dozens of cities, nearly 50 Republican lawmakers, school districts and public hospitals in support of the value fair share fees provide in terms of the effective management of public services. “We are worried about our students, our communities and our families,” said Maya Walker, a library media technician in Hayward, Calif. who also traveled to Washington, D.C. representing California’s educators. “If our union is weakened, it will be harder for us to stand together to ensure our students have critical programs and support like school libraries. It will be harder for us to fight for the things our students’ need—which impacts families and local communities.” “Make no mistake about it, this case is an attempt to shift the balance away from workers and in the favor of corporate interests,” said Heins. “That’s apparent by the wealthy special interests funding the lawsuit. This case has nothing to do with what’s good for students or working families. It only hurts the middle class at a time when working Americans are finding it harder to get by. For our students and our future, we hope the Supreme Court upholds the current law.” For more information about the case, including links to friend of the court briefs, columns by experts opposing the deceptive lawsuit, and other data, go to www.cta.org/friedrichs. For more on national impact and background, see the America Works Together coalition site at www.americaworkstogether.us.

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Calendar

JANUARY 2016 1 New Year’s Day 5 PEA Executive Board – PEA Office – 159 East 4th St. – 3:45 PM 13 PUSD School Board Meeting – 2000 Railroad Ave. – 6:30 PM 15-17 Issues Conference, Rio All-Suite Hotel, Las Vegas, NV 17 PUSD School Board Meeting – 2000 Railroad Ave. – 6:30 PM 18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – No School 19 PEA Rep Council – PEA Office – 159 East 4th St. – 3:45 PM 23 School Board Breakfast, Double Tree Hotel, Pleasanton

FEBRUARY 2016

2 PEA Executive Board – PEA Office – 159 East 4th St. – 3:45 PM 2 Groundhog Day 10 PUSD School Board Meeting – 2000 Railroad Ave. – 6:30 PM 10 Ash Wednesday 12 Lincoln’s Day (no school) 14 Valentine’s Day 15 Presidents’ Day (no school) 16 PEA Rep Council – PEA Office – 159 East 4th St. – 3:45 PM 24 PUSD School Board Meeting – 2000 Railroad Ave. – 6:30 PM

Next Deadline for Articles is Tuesday, February 9, 2016

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