president’s report – may 2015 mitch hettinger…..president
TRANSCRIPT
President’s Report – May 2015
Mitch Hettinger…[email protected]
With professionalism and integrity, we fight for our teachers and those students we teach... IMPROVISE, ADAPT, OVERCOME
POLITICS is PERCEPTION…PERCEPTION is REALITY
WHEN the LEGEND BECOMES FACT, PRINT the LEGEND
REPs…now more than ever we need updated building census w/updated phone numbers and home
email addresses PURPOSE: Negotiations Organizing for a Potential Job Action
Eastern Region/PSEA The ER House of Delegates was held on Saturday 18 April 2015 @ Bear Creek
Mountain Resort. REA is allocated 32 ER delegates and had 28 attend. We, REA, had a candidate for
an ER office. Lori Sherman had put her name into the arena of PSEA/Eastern Region politics to run for
the position of Eastern Region Vice-President. And lo and behold, out of the blue of the western sky
didn’t come Sky King, but rather Bryan Sanguinito. Bryan was nominated by Bethlehem EA for
President. It was a well-guarded secret that Bryan was running. There was some attempted nonsense
but that was squelched by the democratic process. I gave Lori’s nomination endorsement. Joelene
Vitalos, President of BEA, gave Bryan’s. There was many a raised eyebrow. However, the vote was
taken and counted. Bryan was elected President. Lori was elected VP. It was awesome, baby! But
now that we won, now we need to put our money (figuratively!) where are our mouth is. We need to
step up and be a part of it. I have informed Bryan that I would be willing to serve as ER treasurer, to
complete the term of AEA’s Tim Kearney, whom REA supported, who defeated EEAs Kevin Deeley
for ER 3rd Rep. We need to be there to support Bryan and Lori as they start their new duties on 1
September. Committee chairs and memberships will be needed. and those that we have thrown REA’s
support behind. Congrats to Bryan and Lori. And yes, Virginia, democracy works!
Members should not be making verbal or written statements without inquiring with REA first.
Wally, Trudi, and I along with a team from central admin attended a presentation at Easton HS/MS on
Communities in School (www.cislv.org). We were impressed with the presentation of their student help
programs and their successes. We feel we need this in Reading and now!
COMMENTARY:
Ah yes, the Pennsylvania State Legislature, suffering from Coal Mineritis, has once again started
to roll out their anti-PSEA, anti-public school teacher, anti-public education agenda a little early
this time around. Apparently a bill has come out of committee rather suddenly that has as its
focus, the idea that when furloughs come around, school districts will be allowed to use your
evaluations to determine who gets furloughed. Think about that one for a moment. The most
obvious play is “well of course, if I have a better evaluation than someone else, they should be
furloughed before me”. Now stop and think about what now happens…YEP! You need to
contact your state rep, and I mean NOW to kill this one before it ever gets to a vote. I have no
idea when this crap will end. Perhaps when the PA voter starts to elect politicians with half a clue.
But in the mean time, we need to be VIGILIANT and do what is asked of us by PSEA when it
comes to writing letters or sending emails or making phone calls. And as I was writing this, along
comes another Republican brain child in attacking our pension plan, AGAIN! Please contact your
state senator to hold back this plan. It’s amazing how many stupid ideas can come out of one
political party who is hell-bent on snuffing us out. Also, if you read the Reading Eagle on 5/7,
Republicans are mounting a move to fund private and parochial schools through use of our public
tax dollars to allow for more scholarships for students to attend these schools. As you spend the
summer resting and recharging, please keep your guard up for these nonsense bills that come out
of the State Capitol. Right now it seems like an assembly line of stupid bills flowing from the most
corrupt legislature in the United States. Could there be a degree of connection between the two?
Oh, and by the way, PSSAs are over…..yea!
MAY/JUNE HAPPENINGS 5/5 Easton SD visit for Community in Schools Lehigh Valley presentation
5/6 Millmont Building visit
5/7 Southwest MS & 10 & Green building visits
SAC (rescheduled from 4/30)
5/11 10 & Penn & 16 & Haak building visits
REA Elections workshop
5/12 NEA reporter, Amanda Litvinov visits
REA Executive Board @ 4 pm
5/13 T. Schoener & AE Stout building visits
5/14 REA Elections
Lauer’s Park building visit
REA Rep Council @ 4 pm
5/16 PSEA House of Delegates in Philadelphia
5/18 Vo-Tech & NEast MS building visits
5/19 RIHS building visit
Negotiations session
5/20 NWest MS building visit
NEA conference call
RSD Committee of the Whole @ 6 pm
5/21 PSEA World Café @ Bear Creek Mtn Resort @ 5:30 pm
5/25 Memorial Day vacation
5/26 Safety Committee meeting @ 8 am
NEA Presentation
5/27 BEAR Dinner @ 6 pm
RSD School Board meeting @ 7 pm
6/4 Executive Board/Rep Council meeting @ Vo-Tech @ 4 pm
6/9 Last Day for students
6/10 Clerical Day
6/11 In-Service Day #5 (fr. 2/15)
6/12 In-Service Day #6 (fr. 6/8)
Executive Board Meeting/Picnic
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER! \
Thank you for doing the important work of our noble Association!
www.facebook.com/ReadingEducationAssociation
www.ReadingEA.com
Treasurer’s Report May 2015 Submitted by Lisa Herbinko
Date Description Amount
May 06 1427 De lage laden Office Expenses: Copier (lease for copier) ($674.99)
May 06 CARRABBAS Grievance & Negotiations: General Mtg Exp ($44.34)
May 06 Southwest Airlines Governance & Conference: NEA/RA ($352.00)
May 06 Southwest Airlines Governance & Conference: NEA/RA ($352.00)
May 06 Southwest Airlines Governance & Conference: NEA/RA ($352.00)
May 05 1426 Lori Sherman Governance & Conference: ER House of Delegates: travel reimbursement
($25.30)
May 04 1421 Trudi Westley Governance & Conference: ER House of Delegates: travel reimbursement
($35.65)
May 04 1417 Eileen Rearden Governance & Conference: ER House of Delegates: travel reimbursement
($20.70)
May 04 1415 Rebecca Titus Governance & Conference: ER House of Delegates: travel reimbursement
($44.85)
May 01 1420 Brian Miller Governance & Conference: ER House of Delegates: travel reimbursement
($33.20)
Apr 30 PA Unemployment Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation:Unemployment
($306.91)
Apr 30 Commonwealth of PA Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: PA taxes
($330.61)
Apr 29 PSEA Dues installment ($234.96)
Apr 27 1406 RSD Reimbursement for PACE deduction ($52.00)
Apr 27 Comcast Office Expenses: Telephone, Internet, Television ($349.48
Apr 23 1391 Priscilla Knight Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: Priscilla: April 27 – May 8
($1,174.46
Apr 23 1328 RHS External Communications: 2015 ad ($50.00
Apr 23 Homestead Internal Communications: Website ($15.99)
Apr 21 1413 RMCTC Governance and Conferences: Rep Council: Invoice #4769
($212.50)
Apr 20 1411 Trudi Westly Governance & Conference: PSEA: travel reimbursement ($69.10)
Apr 15 IRS Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: Federal
($822.77)
Apr 14 1402 Rebecca Titus Governance & Conference: PSEA: travel reimbursement ($82.84
Apr 13 1390 Priscilla Knight Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: Priscilla: April 13 – April 24
($1,174.46
Apr 13 1331 RMCTC External Communications: Car Show Ad ($85.00)
Apr 13 Staples Office Expenses: Office Supplies ($31.79
Apr 10 1395 Priscilla Knight Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: Priscilla: March 30- April 10
($1,174.46)
Apr 06 USPS Office Expenses: Postage ($19.60)
Metro Bank Account Balances
Checking 17,754.67
Savings 32,483.19
Dues 336,747.97
FairShare 9,424.42
Scholarship 4,613.91
PACE 7,710.22
Petty Cash 100.00
Reading Berks CU 64,467.85
Grievance Chair May 2015 Monthly Report
Getting plenty of May flowers even though we were and are lacking in the April showers. So,
the good news is that grievances are being settled quickly, in most cases. We have too many
teachers who are still policing their brethren and it has to stop, it isn’t your job! (And, yes, this
will be in every report until I no longer need to put it in the report!)
Email me at [email protected] or [email protected], or call me at 484-
706-2902; if you have any questions as to what procedure is.
Active Grievance List
11/14 – 1/15
Level II
G1415-10: RIHS
REA vs. RIHS Administration
Punishment w/o Just Cause
Won at level II, withdrawn by Administration
G1415-11: RIHS
REA vs. RIHS Administration
Inequitable distribution of section 30s
In discussions to settle
Level III
G1415-12: RSHS
REA v RSHS Administration
Unsafe working conditions
G1415-13: RIHS
REA vs. Central Administration
Lack of pay for section 30s
Settled at level III
Level IV
Level V
Active Complaint List
None
Please keep in mind, due to privacy rights you only are allowed in-depth knowledge if you are the grievant, the
representative, or the REA officer involved. The only exception to this rule is a class action grievance/complaint.
Thank you.
There is a new grievance form available that will be posted online at www.ReadingEA.com for any representative that
needs it; it will be available in both Word 97-03 and PDF format.
Respectively Submitted on this twelfth day of May, Two-thousand Fifteen,
David E. Immendorf David E. Immendorf
Grievance Officer of the REA
RHS Vice President’s Report
May 2015
Keystone test and preparation for finals will be our schedule for the rest of May.
Nerves will be frazzled. Try to remain calm and professional with students.
Students are writing incident reports if they think they have been spoken to in any
way that hurts their feelings. Do not use sarcasm, do not use put downs, and do not
engage the students in any “playful” banter. The students do not understand the
word play.
Thank you for everything you do for the students! Please talk to the reps if you
have a problem. Little problems need to be handled before they become big
problems. Let’s solve them this year so that they are not sitting on our plate next
year.
Trudi Westley
610-334-3947
RIHS VP Report
May 2015
We are in the home stretch!
We will have a building meeting on June 1st at 4 p.m. This will be the final meeting of the
year.
If anyone would like to run as a rep for next year, please get your name and room number to
me by May 22nd. I will create a ballot that will be distributed on June 1st in the morning in the
lobby and after school at the building meeting.
A few updates…
Coverages—I know there are an excessive number of coverages recently. We have
shared ideas with administrators as to ways to help Please continue to keep track.
Security—Building REA met with security to discuss some of the concerns brought up at
the meeting with Dr. Mumin.
Hallways and class cuts—the doors near the café and the ones near the guidance suite
have alarms. They are working on fixing them, since they became inoperable within a
week or so.
Clearances—please hand-deliver downtown once you receive your copies. Also, a
flowchart will be posted for anyone who has questions about the timeline for obtaining
these clearances.
Please contact reps with any questions or concerns.
Please try to use our home email addresses for REA concerns. District email is property of the
district.
Respectfully submitted by
Jennifer Gagliardi Skoraszewski [email protected]
Middle School Vice President’s Report
May 2015 Thanks again for those that were able to attend the School Board Meeting in April. I asked for
the Reading Intermediate High School, 16th and Haak, and 10th and Green to attend the April
22nd School Board meeting. About 35 members attend and greeted our School Board as they
arrived. I am asking Southwest Middle School, 12th and Marion, and Lauers Park to show up
for our May 27th meeting. Once again it should be at the Admin Building. We ask you to be
there around 6:00 P.M. and you may leave as soon as the meeting starts at 7:00 unless you
would like to experience a School Board Meeting.
As the year starts to wind down, it seems the students are getting a little more wild. This
includes assaults on teachers. This could be physical or verbal. If this happens contact your
building rep and Administrator immediately. You may also file charges with the police dept.
Don’t expect a pound of flesh if the student has an IEP, the districts and unions hands seem to
be tied.
Last month a mother came to the School Board Meeting, upset that her 12 year old son was
handcuffed at school. She failed to report that her son had punched a teacher in the mouth. The
school district doesn’t handcuff the students the police officer does if he believes it is necessary.
The Superintendent has a goal of 88% for feeling safe at school. Speaking with the teachers
now, I feel we have a long way to go to feel that safe. Let’s hope we can head in that direction
with help from administration and downtown.
The next report will be the last of the year, then hopefully, most of us will be off for rest and
relaxation.
Remember to report all problems to your building reps, so that they can forward them to me
in a timely fashion, if they can’t be handled in your building.
Respectfully submitted,
Wally Wilkinson
May Report
Elementary VP West
1. Email Address- My email address is [email protected] or you can call me
at 610-914-4666.
2. REA Website- Please visit our website at www.readingea.com 3. Building Rep Elections- Please let Rebecca or me know if you or anyone else in your building
is interested in becoming a building rep for next year via e-mail. We will hold elections in the
buildings shortly. I would like to set up the time before you leave the meeting today.
4. Level 1 Certified Teachers- Teachers are waiting too long to get the paperwork in to attain
their Level 2 certification. Don’t wait!
5. Solidarity Color- Wear BLACK on Friday, May 16th. The color black means power and
control.
6. Facebook- Be careful when and what you post.
7. Sick Days- Sick days are to be used when you are sick. You have 5 family sick days as well.
That means you can state that your sick day is to take care of a family member.
Respectfully submitted,
Lori Sherman
May Report Elementary East
Contact Info- Please feel free to call or text me. My number is 717-519-7759. I only ask that you refrain from calling after 10 pm. You may also e-mail at my home address [email protected]. Building Reps- Thank you for all you do. Please continue to let me know of any concerns from your building. As always, let me know when you are having a staff meeting so I may stop by and say hello. Substitute Coverage – It seems like there are fewer and fewer subs across the district. This leads to split classes and lack of coverage. Please keep a log of the times you lose services, house extra students, or have your class split due to no coverage. Clearances- PLEASE make sure that you have your new clearance taken care of before December or in some cases prior to that. This is YOUR responsibility. Hand deliver these to admin to make sure everything is turned in and accounted for. Meetings- If at any time you are called into a meeting please bring a Rep with you, it is your responsibility to ask! If no one is available you may respectfully ask to reschedule the meeting. If you are asked to write anything down, you may enact your Weingarten rights. This means you may ask to have REA review what you have written before submitting it. Many times we write with our feelings instead of facts. Solidarity and School Board Meetings- To keep things simple the solidarity color will be black from now on. It is important that we continue to show our solidarity and attend school board meetings. To help in this process Wally has created a schedule of buildings that have been given to your Rep’s. Facebook- As always please refrain from getting on during the school day, this does include your prep period. Please also refrain from any negative comments about the district, your principal, or fellow staff members. When administration gets a report of abuse, it is usually from one of your fellow staff members. Insurance – PLEASE make sure you have submitted your election of health insurance to Lisa Hoffman by May 15th. Regardless if you select our insurance, don’t elect our insurance, or have no changes to your insurance you MUST submit the paperwork and all supporting documentation. Conferences/Comp. Time – If you have not received your comp. time from conferences please let your reps know. Comp. time is on an individual basis and may be used towards 10 hr. time or traditional comp. time. Respectfully Submitted, Rebecca Titus
Communications Officer
May 2015 Hello All!
I attended a PSEA Website Training on 4.13.15.
Results from the training:
o The PSEA website hasn’t been updated in years.
o It will serve as free advertisement to members who search for REA online.
o Both websites (PSEA and REA) are FREE!
o Kevin Kauffman (IT Support) was paid a one-time fee to create the website.
o The REA is paying an ongoing hosting fee (domain name, emails…etc.) who is a
different provider from Kevin.
o I will maintain our current site and have basic information on the PSEA page to
link (redirect) members to our readingea.com website.
Contact information, updates, news and resources can be found on readingea.com.
Respectfully Submitted,
Stephanie Ruiz-Smith
May 12, 2015
REA Health & Safety Report
Submitted by Sandy Madeira
The hot weather is upon us. Many of the buildings are experoencing difficulties with the HVAC units. This has
been addressed at SAC and we have contacted Facilities. It has also been discussed at the Health & Safety
meeting. The AC in the Citadel was not working on one or two floors and that has been fixed. There are 26
schools that need to be worked on.
Open enrollment ends mid-May. Several notices have been sent out to the employees. The necessary
documentation must be sent in or a loss of benefits will result.
As always, births and marriages must be reported promptl. Failure to do so could resut in denial of benefits.
Rememebr, if an employee get married, the spouse must purchase coverage from their employer if it is offered.
Instructional and Professional Development Report May 2015
Submitted by Lindsay Evans ALL school employees are now required to renew their State Police record check, their FBI record check, and their Child Abuse clearance statement. Visit www.psea.org/backgroundchecks for more information. Visit the REA website, www.readingea.com, for links to information about Level 2 certification. Please contact me if you have any questions about your Level 2, or if you’d just like another set of eyes! Please let me know if you have any suggestions for professional development topics for future inservice days or if you have any instructional concerns. Email me at [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions or for more information!
Labor Relations Officer
May 2015 Monthly Report
Please remember to watch your email over the summer months for updates regarding the “beginning of the school year” Reading-Berks
Labor Day Parade. More details in the June report.
United Labor Council has made endorsements for the primary election, on
May 19th. The complete list can be located on the ULC’s of Berks County’s
Facebook page listed below. The list includes endorsements for mayor,
district judges, Judge of Common pleas Court, and county commissioner.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/United-Labor-Council-of-Reading-Berks-County/163804696982119
Upcoming events:
1) Berks Encore Leadership Breakfast – Wednesday, June 3rd at 7AM.
Crowne Plaza, Wyomissing.
2) 26th Annual ULC Golf Tournament – Sunday, June 7th, 7:15AM. Manor Golf
Course, Sinking Spring, PA.
3) Annual Reading and Berks County Labor Day Parade - Monday,
September 7th. Tentative time 7:00AM. Tentative meeting point – 700
block of Penn Street.
Anyone interested in tickets to the first two events listed, please contact me at [email protected].
United Labor Council will begin selecting candidates for a new president to
take over the organization in January, 2016. Lori Mieczkowski announced her
resignation effective December 31, 2015. More details to follow.
Respectively submitted, Robert Gillespie – Labor Relations Chair May 8, 2015
May 2015 Member Benefits
Condolences to:
Amanda Yeakel (RS) on the loss of her grandfather.
Barb Bradberry on the loss of her father.
Ryan Nye (RS) on the loss of his grandfather.
Duane (SOMS) and Beth (NWAE) Kring on the loss of Duane’s grandfather.
Toni Crater (RIHS) in the loss of her grandmother.
Christy Jacob (RIHS) in the loss of her father.
Kelly Rupp-George (RIHS) in the loss of her grandmother.
Nancy Swope (RHS) on the loss of her mother.
Congratulations to:
Jennie (12 M) and Omar Harris on the birth of their son.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Franke
May 5, 2015
REA Membership Report
May 2015
Denise Solecki, NEM
Assistant Treasurer (Membership Chair)
As this year quickly coming to an end keep in mind the following:
All membership dues and fair share dues will be paid in full by the last
paycheck in June.
(Any member who started paying dues later than March 20th will see a
larger deduction.)
Dues deduction for the next school year will still be taken out in payments.
However, if a member takes a leave of absence full dues will be deducted
prior to the leave.
If you have any concerns or questions please email at
[email protected] or contact the REA office.
Negotiations Committee Chairman’s Report May 2015
If you want information on what’s going on, don’t listen to the rumor mills, ask either the REA President or Vice-President. We are the only ones who are allowed to discuss where we are and where we trying to go. So when the next person tells you that his/her connections told them this or that, verify with Mitch or myself. More often than not, the person is . . . well, full of what comes out the tail-end of a male bovine. Both sides now have all the information necessary to start discussing health insurance in earnest. Once that is settled, we will begin to work on salary schedules. There has been a lot of clearance of old language and straightening out of confusing language and we have quite a few signed tentative agreements. We’re getting there. In the meantime, keep fighting the good fight and we will do the same for you.
Respectfully submitted on the 12th of May, 2015, David E. Immendorf
Negotiations Committee Chair and Chief Negotiator
Political Officer/PACE Chair Monthly Report for May, 2015
Please remember that if you get an e-mail from Mike Crossey, Mitch or myself, regarding legislation that needs your
action, you can e-mail, write a postcard, or call your local legislator.
PACE deductions were taken out of the April 3rd pay! As it always has been in the past it was the first pay immediately following dues deduction. This will change for next year, as long as the MOU is signed. I’m not sure when the date for
deductions will be, but I’m thinking sometime in mid-late fall.
A few items to keep on your legislation radar:
Pension Reform
Automatic Dues Deduction
Privatization
BUDGET!!!!! There’s also this crazy bill that’s being fast-tracked…do you
remember back in 2012 when we furloughed a whole bunch of people? Those furloughs were based on seniority…right now,
legislators are trying to change this and link it to standardized test scores. Now…think about your scores from last year…would you be safe? Even worse, think about what you’re anticipating this
year’s scores to look like…
Finally, thank you for all you do for the students of Reading School District!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at: [email protected], using your personal e-
mail address.
Respectfully Submitted by Amanda Yeakel
Superintendent’s Advisory Committee Monthly Report for May, 2015
Our last meeting was held on Thursday, March 26, 2015. They are working through many of the concerns that we have voiced (have you noticed there haven’t been bagels with breakfast in a couple of months…or that alarms were put on the doors at RIHS…yes, I know the batteries died…I’m sure they’ll fix those)! We
continue to enlighten upper level administration regarding several things, and are working together to solve a few ongoing difficulties. The minutes will be on file in the REA office (forever). If you know that you had a
building issue on the last agenda, please contact your VP for the solution.
We also met on Thursday, May 7th, however we will not meet again this year. Be advised, that if there is anything that directly relates to our profession, as always we will be in contact with you. Please remember
to address your concerns with your VP, and if it is something that should be taken to SAC, they will communicate directly with me.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at: [email protected], using your personal e-
mail address.
Respectfully Submitted by Amanda Yeakel
Sick Bank May 2015
Sick bank policies and forms may be accessed via the REA website, www.readingea.com When requesting Sick Bank days please remember the following: 1. You must use all of your accrued district sick days before being eligible for the Sick Bank. 2. You do not have to use your Personal Days when using Sick Bank. 3. Sick Bank days cannot be used to care for family members. 4. Sick Bank days are not granted retroactively. 5. Please direct any inquiries regarding Sick Bank approvals to the REA office, not Human
Resources. Sick Bank is operated by REA, not Reading School District. Please send all paperwork directly to the REA Office. Email: [email protected] Fax: (610) 374-3173 Snail Mail: Reading Education Association Attn. Sick Bank 1800 N. 12th Street Reading, PA 19604 Paperwork may also be submitted via interoffice mail. It is strongly recommended you send a “heads up” email regarding any paperwork sent through interoffice mail. The REA office does not receive interoffice mail on a daily basis.
Respectfully submitted, Jennifer C. Mazur Sick Bank Officer
May - 2015
Social Chair
Save the dates: (some dates for you)
October ~ REA Retirement Dinner: October 9th @
Stokesay Castle
September ~ Welcome Back Social Gathering:
September 18th @ Canal Street
*December ~ Family Fun Nite w/Santa
April ~ Spring Fling: April 1st @ Stokesay Castle
June ~ Tuesday, June 7th Retirement Dinner 15-16
* waiting on dates for December family fun night
~ reps. Please complete attached survey that deals with rep. council
snacks.
This message will be included on every Social Report this year. Please note the
deadline to be recognized as a retiree at the end of this year.
2014 - 2015 Retirees or Potential Retirees: NEW
To be honored at the retirement dinner, your retirement must be approved by
the June 2015 School Board Meeting.
Contact Priscilla at the REA office at any time during the school year and
your retirement information will be kept confidential.
Jen Bard
Special Services VP Report- May 2015 IEP/RR:
You should be writing IEPs and RRs for students on YOUR caseload only. Collaboration between teachers
who share students is ok and should be happening on a regular basis. If a teacher is writing an IEP and comes
across a problem—in order to discuss it with anyone the names of all people and addresses should be blacked
out. DO NOT SHARE PASSWORDS!!
According to Pennsylvania Code, the following is a chart for Full Time Equivalent (FTE), which represents
the maximum number of students allowed on a teacher’s caseload:
Support Itinerant Supplemental Full-time Learning 50 20 12 Life Skills 20 20 12-grade K-6 15 gr 7-12 Emotional 50 20 12 Deaf and Hearing
Impaired 50 15 8
Blind and Visually
Impaired 50 15 12
Speech & Lang. 65 8 Autistic 12 8 8 Multiple Disabilities 12 8 8
Testing:
PASA Science window opened on May 4th.
Please contact me if you have any concerns. If you would like me discuss concerns as a building we can
arrange a meeting. I could also request that Kathy Evison attends as well.
Respectfully submitted,
Chrissie Stauffer
Reading Education Association
Rep Council Meeting
Thursday, May 15, 2015 1800 N. 12th Street
Richmond Corporate Centre
Reading, PA 19604
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ReadingEA.com
Phone: 610-374-7101
Fax: 610-374-3173
Executive Committee Members Present: Mitch Hettinger, Rebecca Titus, Trudi Westley, Wally Wilkinson,
Jennifer Gagliardi, Lisa Herbinko, Deb Redcay, Rik Immendorf, Denise Solecki, Chrissie Stauffer, Stephanie
Ruiz-Smith, Jennifer Mazur, Sandy Madeira, Donna Franke, Jen Bard, Lindsey Evans
Executive Committee Members Absent: Lori Sherman, Amanda Yeakel, Bob Gillespie
Rep Council Members Present: Steve Hudak, Dave Dedman, David Craft, Kelly Fuller, Hilary Haubrich,
Brian Miller, Michele Ehrhart, Gerard Tyson, Joe Okonski, Donna Broad, Stacy Fritz, Bernadette Norton,
Patricia Hartman, Lori Snyder, Krista Cyran, Teresa Heckman, Eileen Rearden, Laura Stauffer, Bonnie Fox,
Christine Reichardt, Pat Layos, Dana Puzio, Lauren Walton, Ashley Solazzo, Jennifer Sell
Rep Council Members Absent: Joseph Andrieux, Jimmy Wright, Jennifer Brumbach, Josh Stoica, Elizabeth
Shumanis, Donna Fanelli, Kristen Morrissey, Chris Meyer, Steve Rossignoli, Craig Richards, Amy Crabbs,
Sandra Sharadin, Patti Loughery, Loryn Hoffa, Linda Jones, Andrea Curtis, Jennifer Richards, Lori Moyer, Jen
Wocklish
PSEA UniServe Representative Present: Paul Gottleib
Meeting Called to Order at 4:07 by President Mitch Hettinger. Adoption of Agenda with Flexibility: Motion to adopt agenda with flexibility was made by Brian Miller
(NEMS) and 2nd by Wally Wilkinson. Vote called and motion approved. Introduction of Guests: Erin Hannon—Scholarship Award recipient received her scholarship award.
Approval of April 16, 2015 REA Executive Board Minutes: Motion to approve April 16, 2015
Representative Council minutes was made by Gerard Tyson and 2nd by Trudi Westley. Vote called and motion
approved.
Corrections: Jen Gagliardi was present at the meeting but marked absent.
UNI-SERVE Report: N/A
Officer and Committee Reports
Treasurer--Lisa Herbinko
Report speaks for itself
Dana commented that her reimbursement from Bear Creek is not on the report.
Motion to approve Treasurer Report was made Joe Okonski and 2nd by Michele Ehrhart. Vote called
and motion approved.
Grievance--Rik Immendorf
Report speaks for itself
Pretty much everything has been settled or withdrawn except for 14-15.12—we have a Level 3
Grievance meeting.
Member Welfare--Donna Franke
Report speaks for itself
Health and safety: Sandy Madeira
Report speaks for itself
Labor relations: Bob Gillespie (absent)
Report speaks for itself
Membership: Denise Solecki
Report speaks for itself
Sick Bank: Jen Mazur
Report speaks for itself
Social: Jen Bard
Report speaks for itself
Rep. Council member survey for snacks you would like to see at meeting
Communications: Stephanie Ruiz Smith
Report speaks for itself
Both websites offered by PSEA and Reading EA are free. Stephanie will put a link on PSEA
website so if members stumble on that one, they will be given a link to REA website.
Elementary West: Lori Sherman (absent)
Report speaks for itself
Special services: Chrissie Stauffer
Report speaks for itself
All teachers should be getting their end of year check-list
High school: Wally Wilkinson
Report speaks for itself
Citadel: Jen Gagliardi
Report speaks for itself
High school: Trudi Westley
Report speaks for itself
Negotiations: Rik Immendorf
Talk to Mitch, Rik or Paul with questions about negotiations. Don’t listen to what individual
members are saying. If you have questions, bring them up next Thursday at General
Membership meeting.
IPD: Lindsey Evans
Report speaks for itself
She has put together a facts sheet regarding Level II certification. This is a draft approved by
Mitch Hettinger; we are waiting for approval from Karen Gokay and HR. We are not sure if this
will be given to just new teachers or all Level 1 certified teachers. Once this gets finalized from
HR, then we will get this put on the website.
Some people are converting certificates from Level I to Level II and are waiting until the very
last minute. It takes about two weeks, just in the Reading School District, then it must be
submitted to PDE and this is about an 8 week backlog; members should get paperwork in as
early as possible.
PACE: Amanda Yeakel (absent)
Report Speaks for itself
SAC: Amanda Yeakel (absent)
Minutes included.
President--Mitch Hettinger
Bryan Sanguinito is the new Eastern Region President and Lori Sherman is the new Eastern Region VP.
Old Business
Negotiations—Next meeting is May 19th.
ER House of Delegates—Bryan Sanguinito was elected President of Eastern Region and Lori Sherman
was elected Vice President of Eastern Region.
Staff Background Checks—Deb Bernecker from PSEA is sending a blast about the staff background
checks, reminding members to get the clearances.
Payroll dues deduction—still waiting to sign the MOU. Once it gets signed, it will go into effect for the
next school year.
Section 30 MOU—still waiting to sign the MOU.
Teacher Attendance—ongoing issues
School Board Meeting—Wednesday, May 27th at 7:00-SWMS; 12th and Marion; Lauers Park. Try to
get there at 6:00 and when the meeting starts at 7:00 pm, you can leave.
New Business
Motion to pay the bills made by Rebecca Titus and 2nd by Brian Miller. Vote called and motion
approved.
PSEA House of Delegates—May 16th—meeting at 7:00 am at REA office.
NEA Representative Assembly…July 1-6, 2015 at Orlando, Florida…Mitch and Lori are attending
Gettysburg Leadership School—July 19-24, 2015 at Gettysburg College—Jen and Rebecca are
attending.
Communities in Schools (Lehigh Valley)—Wally, Trudi and Mitch attended at Easton SD. This is a
company that come in and assess the needs of the students. They pull the kids based on referrals and
they handle crisis; they handle kids one-on-one or group to get the counseling they truly need. United
Way is stepping in and paying half the bill for Reading; two other companies are paying the other half.
Once it starts working, then Communities in Schools sends out information for grants—they go out and
get the grant and money. This will start at the Citadel.
NEA reporter 5/12…Amanda Litvinov from NEA came on Tuesday to talk about inequity and school
funding. She visited Rebecca Titus’s and Lori Sherman’s classes. She will be writing an article for the
NEA and it will be out in the next issue.
REA Election count
PSEA Uni-Serve Rep—Paul Gottleib
Talking about organizing; the attorney for the district, Mr. Sultanik will be talking about the unknown
amount of money the district has. Main issue in negotiations is health care; we have to organize
ourselves and help the community help us organize. We need to internally organize and have a way to
take action; we need to find ways to interface with our community so they will begin to help us when we
begin to help them. We will do two things—send a survey asking questions about how the building
members relate to the community. This survey will be sent to members’ home emails. 2nd thing we will
do is have building reps ask everyone in building to give a name of an activist parent (concerned about
kids, school environment). We will then invite them to a meeting to hear their issues and concerns,
because they don’t have a voice. If we give them a voice, then they will give us a voice.
What can we put on our bargaining contract to help parents: class size; we can’t bargain but we can ask
about inclusion of substitutes within building.
Wally is our organizing chairperson so Wally and Paul will be in the forefront with organizing for the
fall.
Joe Okonski commented about a strike authorization vote. Rik commented this should be brought up at
the General Membership meeting because the members need to vote on this; Rep. Council cannot. Rik
commented that he doesn’t foresee anything breaking down; things are proceeding slowly, but they are
proceeding.
Gerard commented that he has heard with a new board coming up…if the negotiations process continues
to be a slow process and if there is a new board, then we are back to the beginning. Rik commented that
this school board may want to get a contract negotiated quickly, instead of slowly.
Paul commented that calling a strike authorization vote doesn’t mean anything to Jeffrey Sultanic, the
district lawyer, especially since we are not at any breaking point. This isn’t meaningful until we have
support from the community. In order to threaten to strike and actually strike, we need to know who is
going to help us and can we help ourselves while on strike.
Donna questioned if anyone is running for School Board that we can “support” and get the word out and
Mitch commented that while we support members prior to election, when they get elected they change
their views to go against REA and teachers.
Gerard commented that we have been in this position before and we could be sitting in this same
position one or two years from now. Mitch commented that members have been very patient, because 3
years ago members were asked to hold off on strike authorization vote.
Announcements
Rep. Council meeting will be held on Thursday, June 4th at 4:00 at Vo-tech.
Adjournment at 5:40 pm.
XMitch Hettinger
President, Reading Education Association