Jan-June 2014 president's updates

June 12, 2014
Dear Colleagues,

Follow this link to see the new salary schedules for the Retro January pay and for the January 2015 increase.  This will help you when you look at your June pay warrant.  http://www.vistata.org/salary-schedules.html

Have a wonderful summer and let me know if you need anything.  You can contact me over the summer at [email protected].  I will try to check my email daily.  In July I will be getting married so when we get back in August I will have a new name: Barbara Dawson. 

Thank you,
Barbara
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June 5, 2014
Dear Colleagues,

The VTA election results are as follows:
388 valid ballots cast
2nd Vice-President
Tod Critchlow: 374  votes
Write in candidates:
Tom Berger 1 vote
Carrie Svien 1 vote
Paul Chapman 1 vote
Rebecca Watters 1 vote
Pete Brooks 1 vote

Secretary:
Valerie Holseth: 355 votes
Write in candidates:
Rebecca Watters 1 vote
Pete Brooks 1 vote

Treasurer:
Barb Spinosa withdrew her candidacy so the votes for her do not count
write in candidate:
Pat Eamus 1 vote

Elementary Reps: two positions available
Gail Cantrell 305 votes
April Sparks 275 votes
Nikki Binkinz 164 votes

Middle Reps: two positions available
Debi Wheelock 296 votes
Erin Dayus 308 votes

State Council Rep
Tod Critchlow 339 votes
Write in candidates
Rebecca Watters 1 vote
Reagan Duncan 1 vote

Results:
Tod Critchlow 2nd Vice-President
Valerie Holseth Secretary
Treasurer: Pat Eamus is Eboard member already and not eligible, will re-run election in August
Elementary Reps:
Gail Cantrell and April Sparks
Middle Reps:
Debi Wheelock and Erin Dayus
State Council Rep:
Tod Critchlow

Congratulations to the new Executive Board members and thank you to all the candidates who ran for Eboard.
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January 30, 2014

Read Across America:

Monday, March 3rd is Read Across America the national day to celebrate reading sponsored by the NEA and CTA.  Go to cta.org/californiareads for more information. If you contact the VTA office we can send you bookmarks for your students to color. Phone number: 760-758-2690.

Alpine Teachers Association:

Our colleagues in Alpine are suffering through a terrible imposed contract from their District. The membership has taken a strike vote and could be out on strike next week.  CTA members at State Council this past weekend collected funds for their strike fund and donated nearly $20,000.  This will help our friends but they need our support as they proceed with their efforts.  If any of you live in or near Alpine or have friends who do please support them by joining them on the picket line or sending a note of support.  

From their website:

Alpine Teachers Association members voted overwhelmingly to give their executive board authority to call for a strike. They did so in response to draconian salary and benefits cuts callously imposed by the Alpine Unified School District Board of Education.

A significant number of ATA members will be financially crippled, losing up to 35 percent of their annual compensation. "None of us want to strike," said ATA President Gayle Malone, "but the board's punitive imposition leaves us no viable alternative if they persist in failing to bargain with us fairly."

Vista Education Foundation:

The Vista Education Foundation (VEF) seeks and responds to funding requests from VUSD Schools, PTAs, and Community Organizations. The Vista Education Foundation was established to serve as an alternative-funding source to the Vista Unified School District. We aid and assist in achieving and maintaining a superior primary and secondary public education system. We provide these services to students in the North County of San Diego.

The three areas we support are the arts, technology and scholarship.  As a teacher in Vista you are invited to apply for a grant for your class or your school.  The grant application is on the VEF website: http://www.vistaedfoundation.org/GetInvolved/RequestFunding.aspx

Bargaining Update:

Thursday, January 30, 2014 VTA and VUSD met to bargain.  At this meeting VTA passed across proposals for salary, class size, evaluation procedures, duty hours and medical benefits. VTA believes that with the increased funding for public education this year and for years to come we are in a position to ask for and receive a substantial raise and have our class sizes restored to pre-MOU levels. The District still has a 25% reserve of money amounting to $44 million and they are receiving nearly $7 million in additional funding this year and $12.6 million for the 2014/15 school year.  School Districts are not required to have more than a 3% reserve of funds; the money is to be spent on programs, materials, student services and employees.

Ask your site rep what you can do to help with bargaining.  We need all of our members to join us in wearing our black “No larger class sizes” T-shirts on Thursdays, ask your friends, neighbors and parents to attend School Board meetings to let the Board know how important lower class sizes are to you and your students.  We want to hear how the larger class sizes have impacted your students and your instruction. VTA is a strong association because of you, our members.  We rally together when needed, help out our friends and colleagues and are dedicated professionals.  I am very proud to stand with you all and work to make Vista School District again a great place to work, learn and live. 

The next bargaining date is February 13, 2014 from 9-4:00 PM at the District office.  The next School Board meeting is February 20, 2014 at City Hall beginning at 7:00PM.    

I have included one of the posters that the bargaining team made to highlight how much our members have given to the District.  We have helped out VUSD over and over again through the years and now it is their turn to step up and give us lower class sizes and a raise; our students deserve it and we deserve it.