DECEMBER 2016
I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season. I hope you enjoy your much deserved break. It will be nice to have some time off to relax and celebrate the season. I look forward to working for you in 2017.
 
The Federation's Negotiation Team met with the CSEA (classified employees union) Negotiators on November 28. The purpose of the meeting was to look for ways to support each other. The meeting went very well, and we discovered we have much in common. We are both dedicated to providing the best education possible for the students of Petaluma City Schools. In addition we are both working to negotiate the best possible contract for our members. We will continue to look for ways we can work together to achieve our common goals.
 
Elementary Bilingual Education Support
The District has been attempting to fill two Bilingual Resource Teacher positions for some time and has not been able to find qualified candidates. Two elementary sites, McKinley and McDowell, have a high percentage of English learners and have not had support services for their students. The district has developed a temporary solution for these sites for the remainder of this year. They will be attempting to hire bilingual aides to support English Language learners at both sites. In addition, they will be evaluating the Bilingual Resource Teacher job description and looking for ways to serve all English language learners in the future.
 
Upcoming Negotiation Sessions
Your Negotiations Team is continuing to work on securing the best possible contract for all of us. We have two sessions scheduled for December. We will meet with District Negotiators at the District Office on December 16 at 8:30. This will be our first opportunity to discuss financial issues. Our next session is scheduled for December 22 at 1:00 P.M. If you would like to be an observer at either session please contact our Chief Negotiator, Suzanne Garcia.
 
It's Scholarship Time!
The Petaluma Federation of teachers will sponsor multiple scholarships that will provide a one-time payment of $500.00 to children of “PFT members in good standing” who are graduating from high school to attend a community college, a four year college, or other institution with a course of learning resulting in a diploma or certificate of completion.
The scholarships are for those graduating from high school in the 2016-17 school year.
The Petaluma Educational Foundation (PEF) will administer the scholarships. The graduating student must submit the application no later than February 28, 2017.
 
This is intended to be an annual scholarship however, since the number of applicants will vary from year to year the scholarship will be reviewed each fiscal year in the total context of the PFT budget.
 
Applications are available on line at the PFT Website. Please email the PFT President at [email protected] about your intent to apply. PEF will notify students of the scholarship award and all of the details encompassing.
 
All completed applications should be submitted to PFT President, Sandra Larsen, no later than February 28, 2017. Submissions may be done via email, postal mail, or brought directly to the PFT office.
 
Grievances
Article XIV of our contract describes the grievance procedure. Grievances can be filed when there is a perceived violation of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. You can only file a grievance about issues covered in our contract. We have a strong grievance team
Dana Morelini (McNear ), Erinn VanderMeer (Kenilworth) , Connie Williams
(Petaluma High) and myself are your Grievance Committee representatives. Feel free to contact us with your grievance questions or concerns. We are here to support you.
 
California Federation of Teachers Convention 2017
The CFT Convention will be held March 31- April 2 at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento. We will begin the process of electing our delegates in January. If you are interested in attending the convention be on the lookout for nomination forms. There will be more information in the next newsletter.

Sorry we did not post this sooner. December's Message soon to follow!

NOVEMBER 2016

How can it already be November? It is amazing how fast this year has flown by. Elementary teachers have been busy with report cards and parent conferences and the first semester is drawing to an end for our secondary teachers. Thanks for all you do for Petaluma's students and families. I hope you enjoy your hard earned break and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The Federation has been very active representing you in various meetings and committees. There have been some major changes made by District Administration to districtccommittees this year. These changes were made without input from the PFT. EERC (Employer, Employee Relations Committee) is a committee that has experienced change. The meetings are no longer a part of the negotiation process. They are now held on separate afternoons, and members of the District Cabinet attend. These meetings are intended to be a time for clear and open communication between the Federation and the District, so if you would like to attend a meeting either to observe or present a concern to the group, please contact me.

By now, every site should have had a visit from District leadership. I hope everyone took advantage of this opportunity to speak openly and honestly about issues at your site and the district. Clear, honest and open communication is a vital part of restoring transparency and trust. If you have not had the opportunity to speak with Gary without your administrators in the room, or if Gary did not make it to your site, contact your site representative or me. We will request another visit for your site.

UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE CHARGES
The Federation was represented by Sandra Larsen, Erinn VanderMeer, Suzanne Garcia, and Dana Moralini at a Mediation Conference at the PERB (Public Employees Relations Board) office in Oakland on October 18. The purpose of the conference was to reach an agreement with the district regarding unfair labor charges filed two years ago. The charges filed were about the District not giving the Federation accurate information in a timely matter and denial of our First Amendments rights of free speech. The latter is the most serious. It is about the District telling teachers that they could not pass out flyers 30 minutes before or after school. The Federation was eager to reach an agreement with the District and put this issue behind us. The District choose to send two attorneys and Linda Scheele. It seemed to us that the District did not share our desire to reach an agreement. After a very frustrating day, it became clear we would not reach a settlement. This matter will now be settled at a yet to be scheduled (due to District schedules) PERB Hearing. I will continue to update you about this matter as information arises.

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
The Negotiations Team will continue to send out an update after each session. These updates are sent via mail chimp to your personal email. Please be sure to read these updates. If you are not receiving them, you can email me at [email protected] and I will make sure your address is added to the list. Suzanne Garcia (McNear 2nd grade) is now our Chief Negotiator and Matt Beaton (Casa Special Education) has joined the team. We are working to create a team that represents all our members. Your Negotiation Team takes this responsibility very seriously and is working diligently to get the best possible contract for our members. We continue to be frustrated by the delays in discussing salary at the negotiation's table. Everyone should have received a joint communication about this delay. Chris Thomas (CBO) has assured us she and her team are going through the budget line by line. The end result will be a clear and accurate budget. The First Interim Budget Report will be presented at the December 13 school board meeting. We look forward to discussing salary and wages at our December 16 session.

New School Board Members
Congratulations to Ellen Webster and Frank Lynch for being elected to the Petaluma City Schools Board of Education. The Federation had endorsed both these candidates and looks forward to working with them.

Leaves
Article VIII of our contract is about leave. Section B is about Sick Leave and Section C is about Personal Necessity. Please take some time to read these sections. You may take sick leave to care for illness of a child, parent, or spouse. Personal necessity is for instances of personal or professional need. You do not have to give the district a stated reason for your personal necessity for up to 6 days a year. Please be mindful of social media when you take a personal necessity day.

THE FEDERATION NEEDS YOU!
We currently have a very low balance in our Catastrophic Leave Bank. Please see the attached letter for details and consider donating leave if you are eligible to do so.

​Open Positions
Membership Chairperson - The main responsibility of this position is to maintain membership records.

Site Rep - The main responsibility of this position is to represent your coworkers. There is a monthly Executive Council Meeting held on the 2nd Monday of the month. Currently Kenilworth, South County Consortium Teachers and Special Services do not have a Site Rep.