President’s Message

April 23, 2015

The next General Membership Meeting will be held at the PHS Library on Thursday, April 30 at 4pm. Please come and discuss current and future issues. Your participation is vital to our success as a Union!

Congratulations to Krista O’Connor, Tammy Elliott, and Carrie Caudle, our newly elected High School Vice President, Treasurer, and Elementary Vice President (respectively). 

A huge thank you goes to MaryBeth Cohen, out-going Elementary Vice President, for her incredible service to PFT as she takes on other roles.

Sandra Larsen, Tammy Elliott, Erinn VanderMeer and yours truly represented PFT at the annual CFT Lobby Days this week. We met with staff from Assembly Member Levine’s office and with Senator McGuire’s office and discussed current CFT backed legislation. There’s a listing of issues from Teacher Evaluation, Charter Schools, Community Schools to Classified and Higher Ed issues. See any one of the participants for information if you are interested.

What a difference a few days can make! There are so many changes happening in the district…district office personnel, principal swapping, mediation, staffing for 15/16…phew! I hope you are all resting and staying healthy as we head into the final stretch of the year.
 
Here are a few quick items to consider:
 
EXTRA DUTY PAY
It has come to my attention that the district administration is “blaming” the Union for the $25.44 rate of pay for extra duty. This is unfair, untrue, and extremely disturbing. That this is announced as fact at K12 Curriculum and at Superintendant’s Advisory just blows my mind. How divisive can the administration get?
The rate of pay for extra duty is NEGOTIATED! This is not an arbitrary decision made by the Union. To blame us for an item in the contract is unconscionable! 
What has not been said is that, in our contract, the district is not to offer any stipend, of ANY AMOUNT before participating in the negotiation process. The Federation has been put in the horrible position too often to demand that the district bargain in good faith what our teachers are paid above and beyond the contract. Please know that the Union is not the obstacle here. We have to again and again DEMAND TO BARGAIN what our teachers are paid…to make sure it is equitable and reasonable. The $25.44 has not been recently brought to the table by the district and the Union has not currently said that is a reasonable rate.
I am deeply saddened by this attack and certainly expect more professionalism from our administration.

In solidarity,
Kim

Note:  Mediation Update - I know a mail chimp message went out about the two meetings coming up Monday and Tuesday of next week (April 13 and 14). Wish our team luck!
MEDIATION UPDATEI know a mail chimp went out about the two meetings coming up (Monday andTuesday of next week). Wish our team luck!