focus on educators

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.

MAY 2014

Volume XXII, Number 9

In this Issue

- W.H.O. Award Winner Photos

- Political Action Update

- CTA V.P. Article & Photos

- Grievance Update

- CTA/NEA News

Dear Colleagues,

sure you are all very busy with

assessments, grades, parent meetings,

end of year activities, transitions, and so

much more. Be sure to find time to rest

and take care of yourself over the next

few weeks.

several messages from PEA through

email. One of our association leadership

goals is to have a well-informed

membership and two-way

communication with our members. I

bargaining news and other updates that

were sent out. If you have not received

current personal/home email address.

Please notify your rep or email me

(dawn@peateachers.org) with the

your district email.)

I also encourage you to complete the

member surveys and let us know your

thoughts on current issues. We are a

member-driven organization so

everything we do is for the benefit of

the collective group. In order to act on

behalf of our members, we need to hear

from you regularly.

in 2 weeks! Send in your absentee ballot

as soon as possible or be sure to go to

the polls to vote June 3rd

. The

Superintendent of Public Instruction

race is so important to us! We need to

reelect Tom Torlakson so he can

continue advocating on behalf of public

schools, students, and educators. We do

not need a privateer seeking to divert

public funds from our community

schools into for-profit charter schools.

Please tell your friends and family and

tough fight between teacher & CTA

member Tim Sbranti (current mayor of

Dublin) and an anti-union opponent.

Not only will Tim be a great activist for

public schools, he will also fight for the

issues that are important to working-

class families. If you have one hour to

contribute to support our candidates,

there are many opportunities for

precinct walking and phone banking.

Please see your site rep or email me

ASAP.

Lastly, while there are only a few weeks

of school left, we must give our input

regarding the draft of the Local

Control Accountability Plan. That

plan will determine how the district

spends money that is no longer

designated by restrictive categoricals.

The most glaring omission we saw in

the plan: no mention of attracting and

retaining qualified teachers. At 17th out

of 20 in Contra Costa County, the

district should be actively seeking to

improve salaries and benefits in order to

attract and retain the best educators in

plan? Check it out and submit your

In solidarity,

Dawn Cova

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=2PJkrdQBD3JmLM&tbnid=xwJRo0NCKfz9HM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.clipartbest.com/clipart-biygXRAiL&ei=vYJyU73oJpWkyASdwoII&psig=AFQjCNHepL1ZFfGYVi8yLgDD0z911GbOvQ&ust=1400099752371537

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PEA Leadership 2013-2014

President

Dawn Cova

Rancho Medanos/PEA Office

Elementary Vice President

Tammy Carr

Highlands Elementary

Secondary Vice President

Shelly Bascomb

Rancho Medanos

Secretary

Chris Coan

Willow Cove Elementary

Treasurer

Gale Higgins

Stoneman Elementary

Committee Chairs:

Grievance Committee

Chris Coan - Willow Cove John Kleinjans Pittsburg High

Negotiations Team

Mark Maselli - Chair

Political Action Committee

Iris Contreras - Chair

Elections Chair

Ruth Foster

Human Rights Committee

Tasharie Ameral

Allison Azevedo - Chair

O-Team Chair

Shelly Bascomb

CTA State Council Representative

Iris Contreras PEA

Alternate

vacant

CTA Director District C

Terri Jackson

NEA Director for California, District 3

Greg Bonaccorsi

Technical Editor

Susan Harrison PEA Site Secretary

Focus on Educators is a publication of the

Pittsburg Education Association CTA/NEA

159 East 4th Street

Pittsburg, CA 94565

Phone: (925) 432-0199 fax: (925) 432-4854

email: info@peateachers.org

website: www.peateachers.org

Rep. Council Meeting Calendar

May 21

June 4

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School Board Meeting Calendar

May 7

May 21

June 4

June 25

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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 April 16 Rep Council Meeting:

Foothill present Willow Cove absent

Heights absent MLK Jr. absent

Highlands present Hillview - present

Los Medanos present Rancho Medanos present

Marina Vista present PHS - present

Parkside present Black Diamond absent

Stoneman present Adult Ed. present

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Region I Leadership Conference Fairmont Hotel in San Jose

Friday, Sept. 12 Sunday, Sept. 14

PEA would like to send 4 -5 members who are interested in learning more about our association and how they can become advocates for public education! Please email info@p eateachers.org if you are interested in attending.

mailto:peatchrs@att.nethttp://www.peateachers.org/http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/save-date-26690254.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-save-date-image26690254&h=300&w=400&tbnid=TkpTaTr_iNuuBM:&zoom=1&docid=kIDVVTpbHRBjnM&hl=en&ei=tohyU5GcK82TyASM0oDwBw&tbm=isch&ved=0CIwBEDMoGjAa&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=478&page=2&start=24&ndsp=29

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WHO AWARD RECIPIENT TAMMY CARR

Pictured from left to right: Heather Asselin, Carmen Belt, Richard Higgins, Tammy Carr, Gale Higgins, and Marc Sternberger

Tammy Carr has been an outstanding advocate for students and teachers in Pittsburg. Through her work as a PEA site rep, Secretary, Vice President, Community Outreach Chair, and a member of the Bargaining Team, Tammy has worked tirelessly on behalf of the 550 members of the Pittsburg Education Association. Tammy got involved in association work by delving in and learning everything she possibly could about how the union worked. She volunteered her time and efforts for many PEA events and went to countless CTA conferences. She has blossomed into a model teacher-activist and an invaluable member of the PEA leadership team. ************************************

Political Action Update

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Contra Costa Labor Council, AFL-CIO

June 3rd Primary Phone Bank & Precinct Walk Schedule:

Phone Banks EVERY Monday Thursday, 4:00 pm 8:30 pm At the Labor Council office, 1333 Pine Street, Martinez 94553 Contact: Margaret@cclabor.net

May 27, 28, 29 & June 2 4:00 pm 7:00 pm At the CTA Office in Concord 2177 Diamond Blvd. Snacks & Prizes each night! RSVP: lmartin@cta.org

Precinct Walks EVERY Saturday, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm from three locations:

Martinez Labor Council office, 1333 Pine Street. Contact: Margaret@cclabor.net or (925) 228-0161

Pleasant Hill Mt. Diablo Education Association, 2255 Contra Costa Blvd., Ste. 202, Pleasant Hill, 94523. Contact: Rick Wathen (510-364-2811 / rwathen@cta.org)

Dublin - IBEW 595 Hall, 6250 Village Parkway, Dublin. Contact margaret@cclabor.net or (925) 228-0161 Labor will do it again and deliver the victory in the AD

16, but only if we turn out our members! We have six short weeks to make a difference in the

AD 16 race. Adopt a night at the phone banks and a precinct walk. RSVP today!

o vote to reelect Tom Torlakson for Superintendent of Public Instruction. He is a great ally to public schools and will push back against the corporate privatizers!

SEND IN YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW OR GO TO

THE POLLS ON JUNE 3!

mailto:Margaret@cclabor.netmailto:lmartin@cta.orgmailto:Margaret@cclabor.netmailto:rwathen@cta.orgmailto:margaret@cclabor.net

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Common Core State Standards Collaboration Time

outlined in the MOU between PUSD & PEA! Elementary unit members have 13 hours 40 minutes and secondary unit members have 14 hours 50 minutes of per diem to use before June 30th. You have 2 days per diem next year as well. This time is teacher-directed collaboration. Principals can offer suggested topics, but ultimately it should be decided by teachers as you know what you need to prepare for implementation. Several principals have approved conferences and trainings as part of the MOU, but it is at their discretion because most occur off-site. Be sure to submit your time sheets and templates in order to get paid. This is like receiving a 1% raise in your salary for THIS year!

PEA Welcomes the CTA Vice President!

On Wednesday, May 7, CTA Vice President Eric Heins visited Pittsburg schools! He met with the Superintendent and PEA President and made several site visits. Eric was able to talk to classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and principals at several school sites. One of the highlights of the day was having lunch at Willow Cove Elementary, which is where Eric is a teacher on leave. Eric also came to the PEA Executive Board meeting where he was able to give an update on state-wide issues and hear what the association is doing locally. We are grateful to have Eric as a great advocate for public schools and teachers and we are proud he is a PEA member!

Pictured from left to right: Dawn Cova, Chris Coan,

CTA V.P. Eric Heins, Gale Higgins, Tammy Carr, and Shelly Bascomb