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.

OCTOBER 2015

Volume XXIV, Number 2

In this Issue

- Conferences

- Member Benefits Corner

- This Month in Politics

- Know Your Contract

- CTA News

Dear PEA Members,

We did it! We made it through to

mid-October! As a new president

there has been much to learn and

discover with this role. I’ve been

juggling with keeping a work/life

balance as we all do. I felt

stretched like a Gumby toy, so I

started thinking about some

boundaries on my time as well as

looking at my health. As teachers,

sometimes, we can’t shut it off. I

wake up with ideas or things I

want to accomplish in my

classroom or with my students. I

also think about our Association

and what issues are currently open

and what I will do in situations.

So, I took some steps to analysis

my activity level and I’ll be

including some other time

boundaries when I go home at

night for work. This is something

important for all of us to do.

I recently read an article in the

California Educator, September

2015, Volume 20 Issue 2, called

“Stress Less” (pg.17). It gave a

few tips on managing stress. Here

are three I want to include more of

in my life to bring the balance

back:

Be physically active – even

30 minutes a day of gentle

walking

Take time for yourself

Work with your local

association and colleagues

to change working

conditions that cause stress

I’m sure after you read the article

you’ll find more ways to balance

everything as well.

We all strive for a life of balance

and hope to have that moment

where it all comes into place. I

wish you a sense of peace as we

work throughout our school year.

Thank you for all you continue to

do as an educator!

Sincerely,

Tammy Carr

PEA President

P.S.: Though I didn’t get to finish

reading the entire magazine,

California Educator, I was able to

read one more great article on

pages 18-20 concerning indoor air

quality, “The Air Inside”. This

also should be on your reading list

as it affects the health of our

students and ourselves.

On educators

2

PEA Leadership 2015-2016

President

Tammy Carr

Highlands Elementary/PEA Office

Elementary Vice President

Vacant

Secondary Vice President

Bertha Ramos

Rancho Medanos

Secretary

Michell Redfoot

Willow Cove Elementary

Treasurer

Vicky Krywokulsky

Stoneman Elementary

Committee Chairs:

Grievance Committee

John Kleinjans – Pittsburg High

Chris Coan – Willow Cove Elementary

Negotiations Team

Mark Maselli - Chair

Political Action Committee Chairs

Chris Coan

Jim Vaughan

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)

October 20

November 17

December 15

January 19

February 16

March 15

April 19

May 17

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

School Board Meeting Calendar

October 14 & 28

November 18

December 9

January – TBD

February – TBD

March – TBD

April – TBD

May – TBD

June - TBD

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

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 June 1st Rep Council Meeting:

Adult Ed. – present Stoneman – present

Foothill – present Willow Cove – present

Heights – present MLK Jr. – present

Highlands – present Hillview - absent

Los Medanos – present Rancho Medanos –present

Marina Vista – present PHS - present

Parkside – present Black Diamond –present

In Memoriam

Teacher and Pastor, Gary Golden, passed away on

October 6, 2015. He was a part of PUSD and PEA

since September of 2000. Gary was a kindergarten

teacher at Stoneman Elementary. Gary will live on

in the hearts and minds of all he came into contact

with. Our thoughts go out to all his family, friends,

colleagues, and students.

3

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PEA Officer – Elementary Vice President

Election Timeline 2015-2016

Declaration of Candidacy forms are due to the PEA

office no later than 3:30 p.m. on October 20, 2015.

A General Membership meeting will be held for all PEA members on October 20 from 3:45-4:00 p.m. at the PEA office. At that time nominations can be taken from the floor.

Ballots will be distributed to all school sites on November 2.

Election will take place November 2-17 and must be turned into the PEA office no later than 4:00 p.m. on November 17.

Member Benefits Corner

Time is Running Out On This Special Enrollment Opportunity

If you’re a newly hired CTA member this year, you may be

eligible for a special, limited-time opportunity to apply for

CTA-endorsed Disability and Life Insurance from Standard

Insurance Company (The Standard).

If you apply within your first 180 days of starting your new

job, eligible CTA members can get up to $200,000 of Life

Insurance coverage without answering any health questions.

You can also apply for Disability Insurance, which can help

with the everyday bills like your mortgage and utilities, that

continue even when you can't work -- expenses that health

insurance won't cover. The CTA-endorsed Disability

Insurance plan was specially designed to address the gaps

in coverage that many California educators face.

Remember, you only have 180 days to apply for this unique

opportunity. Don't miss out.

For costs and further details of the coverage and this

enrollment opportunity, including exclusions, benefit waiting

periods, any reductions or limitations and the terms under

which the policy may be continued in force, call The

Standard's CTA Customer Service Department at

800.522.0406, or visit www.standard.com/cta/newhire to

apply online.

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

Union Representation

If you are asked to attend a meeting with an administrator, you have a right to know the purpose of the meeting. If you believe the meeting may be part of an investigation, is disciplinary in nature, or that discipline might flow from it, you have a right to take a Union Representative with you. If the District does not allow your Union Rep to attend, you may refuse to answer any questions. If your Union Rep is with you, she or he may not bar from speaking. These are known as "Weingarten Rights," named after a 1975 U.S. Supreme Court decision that secured representation rights for Union members.

However, the District is not required to inform you of your right to bring a Union Rep. So, be sure to make it clear, preferably in writing, that you want a Union Rep to be present. Otherwise, you may be deemed to have waived your right to Union Representation.

4

2015 Contra Costa Leadership in

Sustainable Communities Award

Our very own Tom Edwards, a science teacher at MLK Jr., JRHS, has been awarded for his great work in Pittsburg with his students and other community leaders. Mr. Edwards created a program to help reduce the use of plastic bottles for refillable bottles and the use of drinking fountains. He did many things to educate students, parents, and the community at large. Mr. Edwards had such great success he reached out to the other junior high schools of Pittsburg (Hillview Jr. High and Rancho Medanos Jr. High) to get them involved as well. He was recently recognized on October 14th, at the School Board Meeting and gave an informative presentation that he also did at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We congratulate him on his phenomenal forward thinking and leadership as well as his Leadership in Sustainable Communities Award. To learn more visit: http://69.89.31.211/~sustaja6/node/205, which houses more information regarding Mr. Edwards’ work on the Sustainable Contra Costa website.

Tom Edwards, Science Teacher,

Martin Luther King, Jr. JRHS

This Month in Politics

By, Chris Coan & Jim Vaughan Political Action Chairs

On October 6th, Governor Brown signed into law the suspension of the California High School Exit Exam as a requirement to receive a high school diploma for this school year and through the 2017/2018 school years. Since adopting Common Core Standards and determining that the existing exit exams were not Common Core compliant, the state is pursuing a replacement exam. Testing has been suspended and will remain so until the state adopts a Common Core compliant replacement.

Locally (all politics are local), the City Council of Concord has indefinitely suspended their decision to choose between two developers to redevelop the property previously used as the Concord Naval Weapons Station. This is the single largest development project in state currently and it will have an enormous impact on the local economy, traffic, available housing (12,272 new homes) and the Mount Diablo School District. The wages and benefits of the construction workers, their rights to organize as well as the jobs created by the development are being negotiated by the City Council with the potential developers. As of now, there are plans to add only one new high school and reopen Glenbrook Middle School and one elementary school. If you live in Concord, please plan to attend any and all City Council meetings to voice your concerns about the development and the developer chosen. Contact either of us for more information about meetings and the development plans.

Speaker of the House John Boehner has called it quits and will step down this month. Republicans holding the majority in the House are having a little trouble finding a suitable candidate amongst their members to step into the position. While the House has been mired in its ineffectiveness to get anything positive done, it will come to a screeching halt with no Speaker. In the balance is the budget for the current fiscal year (remember when the state couldn’t pass a budget until deep into the year?) which will require reauthorizations periodically to allow the government to continue to operate and prevent the disruption of vital services to people and students. Get ready for some real fireworks as the House tries to replace its Speaker while the Presidential election is heating up.

Please consider joining the Political Action Committee as we prepare to engage in the elections in 2016, and the local political activities that impact you, your classroom and your students and their families. Notify your Site Representative or contact the PEA Office at 159 E 4th Street or by calling 432-0199. Remember, when working people stand together, we can accomplish anything!

5

Know Your Contract

When Can IEP’s Be Scheduled?

If you are a general classroom teacher and you need to attend an IEP, you can be required to attend during one of your preps and NOT be compensated for it. This applies as long as it is not done regularly.

If you are a SPED teacher, you obviously have many more IEP’s to attend and so it would not be fair to always use all your preps to attend during the day. If they are frequently and regularly scheduled during your prep, then you need to ask your principal BEFORE hand for approval to be compensated at the going prep loss rate for the missing prep time. Submit a timesheet.

If an IEP is scheduled after contracted hours, then it cannot be mandatory for you to attend unless you are going to be compensated. Ask for approval to submit a timesheet BEFORE the meeting to compensate you for the extra after hours work time.

Respectfully submitted,

Chris Coan, Elementary Grievance Chair

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

“NEWS…”

Tips for New Teachers

1. When it comes to lesson-planning: Plan, plan, and

over-plan. “If you fail to plan, you can plan to

fail.”

2. Don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues for help. 3. If something isn’t working, stop, take a deep

breath, and try something different. 4. Take time to build a positive relationship with

students and their families. Show them you care. 5. Be student-centered; make your decisions based on

what’s best for the students. 6. Go slow to go fast. Take some time in the

beginning of the year to establish procedures and

routines in the classroom. Drill students on these

routines again and again. It takes more time in the

short run, but in the long run you will maximize

instructional minutes and prevent problems. 7. Exhaust your resources. If there’s a reading coach,

mentor teacher or person helping with technology

support, take advantage of the help they can offer.

Parent volunteers can be a resource, too. Sign up

for any free workshops or professional

development your district or local CTA chapter has

to offer. 8. Go on “field trips” to visit other classrooms to

observe what other teachers are doing. Invite other

teachers – both new and veteran – to observe your

instruction and give feedback. 9. Strive for personal balance in your life. Set a time

when you will arrive to school and depart from

school and stick to that. Cherish personal time

with family and friends and don’t compromise

your personal life.

Tips for Veteran Teachers

1. Seek out fresh ideas for delivering lessons instead

of getting stuck in old routines.

2. Embrace and encourage a collaborative

environment with your colleagues. Open your

door to other teachers and ask for feedback if they

have observed you. Seek out other teachers to visit

and observe.

3. Be reflective about your teaching. Analyze your

strengths and weaknesses, and make changes if

necessary. Teachers need to always be refining

their craft.

4. Don’t be afraid of technology. If you are not

comfortable with technology in your classroom,

seek training. Use technology in your classroom

so students can learn 21st century skills and you

can maximize their engagement.

5. Embrace change, and ask for help if you need it.

6. Don’t allow yourself to lose your zest for teaching.

Take a moment every day to remind yourself of

why you chose to become a teacher.

6

Calendar

OCTOBER 2015

6 PEA Executive Board – PEA Office – 159 East 4th St. – 3:45 PM 6 Catastrophic Leave Bank Enrollment Closes 12 Columbus Day – Mandatory Staff Development Day – No school 14 PUSD School Board Meeting – 2000 Railroad Ave. – 6:30 PM 20 General Membership Mtg. – PEA Office – 159 East 4th St. – 3:30 PM 20 PEA Rep Council – PEA Office – 159 East 4th St. – 3:45 PM 20 Elementary V.P. Candidacy Forms Due 28 PUSD School Board Meeting – 2000 Railroad Ave. – 6:30 PM 31 Halloween

NOVEMBER 2015

1 Daylight Saving Time Ends 2-17 PEA Elementary V.P. Election 3 Election Day 3 PEA Executive Board – PEA Office – 159 East 4th St. – 3:45 PM 11 Veteran’s Day – Holiday – No School 17 PEA Elementary V.P. Election Ballots Due 17 PEA Rep Council – PEA Office – 159 East 4th St. – 3:45 PM 18 PUSD School Board Meeting – 2000 Railroad Ave. – 6:30 PM 23-27Thanksgiving Recess 26 Thanksgiving Day

Next Deadline for Articles is Tuesday, November 10, 2015

STAY INFORMED @ peateachers.org cta.org & nea.org