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Presidents Message 01.20.12
_Happy New Years!
CTA Vice-President Visit
• On January 9th we were fortunate to have Eric Heins, CTA Vice-President, visit our school District. Eric was able to visit five schools and meet with teachers at each of the schools. He would have liked to have seen more but there wasn’t enough time in the day. At the end of the day Eric met with the Executive Board for two hours and answered our questions and shared information with us from CTA about the budget and the November elections. He was impressed with the classes he visited and the teachers he met. It was nice to share all the good work Vista teachers are doing in our classrooms. I was very proud of our teachers, students and schools.
Middle School PLC Arbitration Decision
• On January 13th, VTA received the decision from the arbitrator about our grievance filed on behalf of Roosevelt Middle School teachers. The grievance was in reference to Article 18.3.2, which allowed for a shortened day for PLC meetings. We argued that the schedule could only be implemented if the members voted for it. The arbitrator did not agree with our position and decided on behalf of the District. This means that unless four days of the week are lengthened and one day shortened then the members have no right to vote for the schedule. The word “and” in the contract she stated was not ambiguous and therefore both conditions must exist. We are of course very disappointed with the decision and we worked long and hard on the case but it was the right action to take and we are proud of our teachers who testified and Georgine Tomasi, CTA staff, who worked diligently on the case for us. If you have any questions about the decision please email me.
VUSD Superintendent Search
• The VUSD School Board will decide on February 16th the strategies and timelines for finding a new superintendent. They may choose an executive search firm to help in recruiting candidates. Since this decision will affect us all for years to come you should try to attend the Board meeting that evening.
CTA Region IV Leadership Conference
• On April 20-22 CTA will be hosting their Region IV leadership conference in San Diego at the Sheraton Hotel on Harbor Island. Since this is in our backyard this year I would like to send at least one member from each school site. If you would like to attend please email me at vistateachers@gmail.com and I will add your name to the list or inform your VTA site rep. We will pay the cost of registration but not hotel costs since most people can commute. There is a reduced rate offered if you would like to stay at the Sheraton. This is a great opportunity to network with teachers from Southern California and attend informative workshops. I will be attending and would enjoy meeting more members and spending time talking about issues unique to Vista.
Political Action Academy and November Elections
• This November is an important election cycle for us in Vista. We have three Board seats open for election and a new trustee area elections system to work on and understand. The District has been divided into five-trustee area and only residents who live in those areas can run for the school board and only residents who live in the area can vote for the trustee in their area. This is unlike any campaign we have run before and we don’t know if it will be more difficult or easier. If only one candidate declares for the trustee area by the cut-off date in August then there will be no election and they win. So it could potentially be only one contested race or three. The three Board members who are up for election are: Steve Lilly, Elizabeth Jaka, and Angela Chunka. We are going to need help working on this campaign and we have been working with CSEA again to make us more dynamic and effective. On April 12-14, CTA will be conducting a Political Academy at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach. If politics are something you are interested in or you want to work on our local campaign please email me to register for this academy. Reagan Duncan, VTA PAC co-chair, will be attending and we would like to send three or four others with her so you can use the time to play campaign strategy.
Special Education Committee
• On Monday, January 30th at the VTA Rep Council we have a special presenter from CTA, Stacy Begin, talking about Special Education issues. We are forming a special education committee and will set up dates for meetings after Stacy’s presentation. There are pressing issues concerning special education in our District. For instance, there are new authorizations that will be needed for Autism by July of 2013. There is a pilot program starting in San Diego but it is full at this time. As soon as we have more information I will send it out. Also, we have possible changes in SDC beginning next year, which may have implications for all classes. Again, as information becomes available we will pass it on.
Read Across America
• “Sink your Teeth into a Good Book” The Theme for this year Read Across America. The more children read, the better they read. And the more they read outside of school, the better they do in school. Celebrating reading through different events is a fun way to introduce children to the world of books, words and reading. We've selected two great books for Read Across America 2012: Gabby and Gator a graphic novel by James Burks about friendship, bullying and being accepted for who you are. Boris Ate a Thesaurus by Neil Klayman and Barry Chung is about a boy who eats a thesaurus and speaks in volumes… and synonyms!
• VTA needs someone to coordinate our Read Across America program and make the arrangements to distribute the Cat in the Hat costumes we have available. We also have pencils and supplies we can order. We would like to invite guest readers to come to all of our schools. If you are interested please email me at vistateachers@gmail.com.
Move Teaching Forward-CTA National Board Certification Conference session
• On March 16th from 9-3PM CTA will be hosting the first ever National Board session at the Hyatt Regency in Garden Grove. This is an interactive day to engage in conversations with local leaders, NBCTs and educators about NBCT. The fee is $50 and VTA will pay for 4 NBCT educators to attend. If you are interested please contact me at vistateachers@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Barbara Franklin
President
Vista Teachers Association
760-758-2690
"Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts." Molly Ivins
CTA Vice-President Visit
• On January 9th we were fortunate to have Eric Heins, CTA Vice-President, visit our school District. Eric was able to visit five schools and meet with teachers at each of the schools. He would have liked to have seen more but there wasn’t enough time in the day. At the end of the day Eric met with the Executive Board for two hours and answered our questions and shared information with us from CTA about the budget and the November elections. He was impressed with the classes he visited and the teachers he met. It was nice to share all the good work Vista teachers are doing in our classrooms. I was very proud of our teachers, students and schools.
Middle School PLC Arbitration Decision
• On January 13th, VTA received the decision from the arbitrator about our grievance filed on behalf of Roosevelt Middle School teachers. The grievance was in reference to Article 18.3.2, which allowed for a shortened day for PLC meetings. We argued that the schedule could only be implemented if the members voted for it. The arbitrator did not agree with our position and decided on behalf of the District. This means that unless four days of the week are lengthened and one day shortened then the members have no right to vote for the schedule. The word “and” in the contract she stated was not ambiguous and therefore both conditions must exist. We are of course very disappointed with the decision and we worked long and hard on the case but it was the right action to take and we are proud of our teachers who testified and Georgine Tomasi, CTA staff, who worked diligently on the case for us. If you have any questions about the decision please email me.
VUSD Superintendent Search
• The VUSD School Board will decide on February 16th the strategies and timelines for finding a new superintendent. They may choose an executive search firm to help in recruiting candidates. Since this decision will affect us all for years to come you should try to attend the Board meeting that evening.
CTA Region IV Leadership Conference
• On April 20-22 CTA will be hosting their Region IV leadership conference in San Diego at the Sheraton Hotel on Harbor Island. Since this is in our backyard this year I would like to send at least one member from each school site. If you would like to attend please email me at vistateachers@gmail.com and I will add your name to the list or inform your VTA site rep. We will pay the cost of registration but not hotel costs since most people can commute. There is a reduced rate offered if you would like to stay at the Sheraton. This is a great opportunity to network with teachers from Southern California and attend informative workshops. I will be attending and would enjoy meeting more members and spending time talking about issues unique to Vista.
Political Action Academy and November Elections
• This November is an important election cycle for us in Vista. We have three Board seats open for election and a new trustee area elections system to work on and understand. The District has been divided into five-trustee area and only residents who live in those areas can run for the school board and only residents who live in the area can vote for the trustee in their area. This is unlike any campaign we have run before and we don’t know if it will be more difficult or easier. If only one candidate declares for the trustee area by the cut-off date in August then there will be no election and they win. So it could potentially be only one contested race or three. The three Board members who are up for election are: Steve Lilly, Elizabeth Jaka, and Angela Chunka. We are going to need help working on this campaign and we have been working with CSEA again to make us more dynamic and effective. On April 12-14, CTA will be conducting a Political Academy at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach. If politics are something you are interested in or you want to work on our local campaign please email me to register for this academy. Reagan Duncan, VTA PAC co-chair, will be attending and we would like to send three or four others with her so you can use the time to play campaign strategy.
Special Education Committee
• On Monday, January 30th at the VTA Rep Council we have a special presenter from CTA, Stacy Begin, talking about Special Education issues. We are forming a special education committee and will set up dates for meetings after Stacy’s presentation. There are pressing issues concerning special education in our District. For instance, there are new authorizations that will be needed for Autism by July of 2013. There is a pilot program starting in San Diego but it is full at this time. As soon as we have more information I will send it out. Also, we have possible changes in SDC beginning next year, which may have implications for all classes. Again, as information becomes available we will pass it on.
Read Across America
• “Sink your Teeth into a Good Book” The Theme for this year Read Across America. The more children read, the better they read. And the more they read outside of school, the better they do in school. Celebrating reading through different events is a fun way to introduce children to the world of books, words and reading. We've selected two great books for Read Across America 2012: Gabby and Gator a graphic novel by James Burks about friendship, bullying and being accepted for who you are. Boris Ate a Thesaurus by Neil Klayman and Barry Chung is about a boy who eats a thesaurus and speaks in volumes… and synonyms!
• VTA needs someone to coordinate our Read Across America program and make the arrangements to distribute the Cat in the Hat costumes we have available. We also have pencils and supplies we can order. We would like to invite guest readers to come to all of our schools. If you are interested please email me at vistateachers@gmail.com.
Move Teaching Forward-CTA National Board Certification Conference session
• On March 16th from 9-3PM CTA will be hosting the first ever National Board session at the Hyatt Regency in Garden Grove. This is an interactive day to engage in conversations with local leaders, NBCTs and educators about NBCT. The fee is $50 and VTA will pay for 4 NBCT educators to attend. If you are interested please contact me at vistateachers@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Barbara Franklin
President
Vista Teachers Association
760-758-2690
"Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts." Molly Ivins
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updated: February 12, 2012
