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Executive Council Minutes 3-3-08 (36 kb DOC)

Executive Council Minutes
March 3, 2008

PRESENT: Renee Heinman, Peggy Pughe, Francisco Rodriquez, Pat Cannon, Sarah, Pat, Lisa, Jenn, Lynn Simons, Peter Nichols (observing)

1. Assign Roles
2. Approval of Agenda (approved by consensus)
3. Old Business
   1. Approval of February 4, 2008 minutes
   2. Negotiations
1. Update- Peggy: Short Negotiations meeting on February 19 with PVUSD. They had an early retirement incentive proposal prepared by Keenan and Associates.  Keenan used inaccurate data due to the type of information provided to them by the district.  PVUSD was not ready to give it to our Neg Team because of the flawed numbers.  Neg Team gave PVUSD a request for information.  Neg Team is working with Pat Learman (CFT) to figure out how to get that information. PVFT has not yet received any of their information.  PVFT wants a retirement incentive and wants to work with where the savings is spent.  Probably very similar to the last retirement incentive.  If 70-90% of the people accept it, they will get the proposal.  Neg Team will meet this week to craft an outline of what to do next.  This is a bad budget year.  Arnold and George W. Bush are to blame. There is too much blame on PVFT and not on the state and federal government.  The retirement incentive is the top priority. Not sure if the March 1 deadline for notification of retirement can be extended. 
   
   What is the strategy for asking for a raise for all PVFT members?  Team feels that looking at a formula which will intend to guarantee a raise for future years is the smart way to go.  This is a bad year to ask for a specific % salary increase.  There are many possibilities of ways in which a new formula would help teachers get a raise.  If there is a good savings for PVUSD on the retirement incentive, this money MAY be able to go to a part of a salary increase.  With potential job cuts it is unwise to ask for a raise, this could cost more jobs of more members of our and other bargaining unit. We must think about how all cuts will affect all of us. Need to have a unified voice at board meetings.  Nurses are fighting for their jobs, and teachers are asking for a raise…does not look unified.
2. CECHCR (CA Education Coalition for Health Care Reform) District seemed open to this. The idea is to start looking at holding a training for CECHCR to learn how to work with benefits, be a more informed consumer and get better benefits and not rely solely on administrators and Keenen to make decisions for our benefits.
3. Action Items
1. Bank Statement Card Update: To approve Jennifer Laskin as a co-signer on checks. Passed 9-0
2. Contract Campaign Update: Request for action from E Council to Negotiations Team and members of Budget Advisory Committee.  Passed 9-0
3. Tri-National Conference- Application/ This is a big conference bringing together folks from Canada, Mexico and USA to the conference: PUBLIC EDUCATION: Not for Sale! Motion for 3 members of E Council to attend. Up to $2000.00 cost.  Passed 9:0
4. Ad Hoc DAG Committee: Wrote a letter and request E Council support to pass the letter through building reps to specific school sites.  This letter discusses the amount of time for testing and ramifications of being at a Program Improvement School.  After this letter gets 200 signatures, the letter will be made public.  Passed: 9-0
4. Committee Reports
1. BY-LAWS COMMITTEE: We have 206 unverified signatures from 13 sites. Per our current by laws we have 2 weeks to make sure the signatures  are valid.  We have received the required number of signatures to put the new bylaws our to the GM for a vote. Majority vote the local is required to pass the new bylaws.  Pat C. and Pat C. volunteered to verify the signatures.
1. SIGNATURES RECEIVED
2. Budget Committee: No report
3. RSRA: In December Pat C, Francisco, Jerry and Peg met to survey SELPA and a worksession was planned on February 26 with SELPA.  Two big concerns…one is communication between SELPA employees and management.  Little input considered when assigning teachers to caseloads, problem solving.  Apparent that SELPA administration needs help in working more effectively with our members.  Peg and Francisco will meet with Dr. Mays to discuss results of survey.  SELPA employees will be able to give input in to the hiring of the new SELPA director.  Should be a regular meeting of SELPA to review goals etc.  RSRA is continuing to work with Ann Soldo Leadership Team.  Constant theme in many schools is that the role of Leadership Teams is often unclear.
   
   PAL Retreat:  Creating location/ agenda/ food/ purpose.  Tentative date for PAL retreat is May 19.
   
   
4. MBCLC: Going through endorsement process for County Supervisors.
5. Elections Committee: At last general membership meeting we got a lot of people who are interested in serving on this committee.  There are 2 contested seats. Adult Education & Secretary are contested.  AHS and Secretary are open. 

1. Delegates
2. Process
3. CFT Convention: Nominations are in and closed. 

5. Executive Council Reports
1. President’s Report: Francisco met with Dr. Mays 2 nd Thursday in February.  Discussed the support of a parcel tax.  Francisco believes it would be very difficult to pass at this time.  Part of the process is for the district to hire another consultant to let us know if it would pass or not.  We are being asked to support the hiring of a consultant. 
2. Treasurer’s Report
3. VP Reports
1. Peg notices that ROP course offerings are increasing.  ROP teachers are not credentialed teachers. Not represented by our bargaining unit.  Same issue at Watsonville High School. 
2. Sarah reports that newly hired teachers are not being evaluated in a proper manner.  No post-observation meeting with administrator and planning of how to improve.  This effects the mid-year evaluation.  Union reps are being targeted at certain sites. 
3. Pat Cannon resigns his position on this board.  There is someone who is running for this seat.

4. New Business
1. PVUSD Budget Cuts: Who will talk about the Budget Advisory Committee to the General Membership (Pat Cannon & Lowell Hurst)  Renee made a motion to have Pat Learman instruct members about the PVUSD budget strategies at a PVFT Budget Forum in the month of March.   Passed: 9-0
2. Administration Evaluations: Timeline is that the process will be presented at the April Executive Council meeting.  Francisco will request that he be present when Dr. Mays presents the results to the PVUSD cabinet. If there are specific concerns with specific sites, Francisco will request a meeting with that administrator. 
3. Reel Works: Film Festival features labor films going on for about 6 years.  Will be in Watsonville at Cabrillo on April 25.  Sarah recommends that PVFT sponsor the event, help set up…and donate money (we gave $150.00 last year).  PVFT can also help with promotion to our member.  Money has already been sent. 
4. Parcel Tax
5. PVFT Communication Committee: Francisco would like to move towards working in committees.  That helps get info out, works with membership, keeps updated lists if members. 
6. Stipend for Secretarial Duty until position is filled: Passed 9-0.
5. Parking Lot:  Pat Christie would like to the Professional Issues Conference. Motion made to fund Pat Christie to attend the Professional Issues Conference.  Passed: 9-0
6. Good of The Order

General Membership Mintues: PVFT
November 13, 2007

A. Call to Order:

• a. Define roles: Peg Pughe defined the roles of the meeting and their uses and readdressed meeting norms. Seeing around district people using roles because they are told to but forget underlined ideas, these roles are a power sharing model.
• b. Assign roles; Convener: Pat Christie, Recorder: Kathy Melville, Reflector: Don Brown, and Time Keeper: Ken Konvisor

B. Review and approve Agenda: Minutes from October will be up for approval in December’s meeting. m/s/a

C. Negotiations

• a. Update: Negotiators have met with District since last meeting on October 6th and 29th. Focus on message that in the District budget teachers are not a priority. Don’t want to waste time finding hidden money-Key understanding budget set on priority teacher’s salaries. Calendar for 08-09 changed because day missing. Members at the meeting felt that their opinion or vote should have been asked for before the change. Kathleen Kilpatrick wanted to go on record that having Halloween an SBC day is a bad idea, having the kids in school that day keeps them off the street. Bob Suess made a motion that membership vote on calendar before it goes to print, which is against our current by-laws. Motion on the table m/s/failed.
  Motion to extend 5 minutes off committee reports, m/s/a
• b. Open Positions: A flyer is available for all to take a look at, team has decided that they need someone from Elementary North or Central Zone. Email or call with any interest.

D. PVFT Committee Reports

• a. Contract Campaign Committee: Have held two meetings and have decided on mild actions. Bright orange flyers went out with our sunshine items we are also asking each site attends a board meeting and wears black and white. Next meeting November 27th at 3:45 in union office. Committee is currently open, but is also looking for more structure.
• b. RSRA: During the past month has met with Ohlone and other sites. If you see a need on your campus, call Peg. Working with SELPA to get a meeting.
• c. Budget: Meetings on Thursday, please contact union office with any questions or concerns you have with the budget. Received a fixed cost budget, what are your priorities, let us know. Abel wants more line item costs.
• d. By-Laws: Committee met with Pat Lerman (CFT) to discuss developing a constitution trying to format different constitutions incased permanently in by-laws. Also committee has been looking into alternative governing structures. Will bring back to membership at next meeting, will show changes, give opportunity for input with outline of changes made.
• e. MBCLC
  • i. Proposition 92: Community College Initiative, endorsed by CFT.
  • ii. Solidarity march in Monterey for the Travel Lodge workers still on strike (3rd year) Meet at union office to carpool to support their struggle.

E. Treasurers Report: Not available

F. VP Report

• a. Pat Christie met with Special Ed teachers, priorities within SELPA are salaries and benefits, and caseload size. Want to know if caseload size can be negotiated.

G. President’s Report: Attending debriefings for DAG, given some recommendation committee needs to address realities of each site. When they share findings they don’t’ share strengths only weaknesses with no opinions on how to improve. Doesn’t want to be on the DAG team because going from class to class feels like a supervisory position and he doesn’t feel right about supervising his peers. Also, doesn’t see where DAG gets it’s authority to change anything, thought that had to go through Site Council. Also to be on the team there is a confidentiality agreement that he doesn’t agree with, how can he support members like that. Membership feels Francisco needs to go to the DAG sites and explain the way he feels. What if they want you on their schools committee, Francisco will consider that as it occurs. Teachers feeling DAG reports are so negative.
Francisco has also been out visiting sites, has been positive. Call the union office if he hasn’t been to your site

H. Good of the Order: Fringe benefits changed, we did not negotiate. People feel other parts of their benefits have changed to. Highly encouraged to get specifics from doctors or pharmacists and turn into Peggy. Benefit Audit, members are upset they feel they used them as a captive audience. You have to come do this audit, and while you are here lets try to sell you some stuff. PVFT has spoken out being against the “captive audience”.

Adjournment 6:40pm

Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers
General Membership Minutes
October 8, 2007

I. Approve Minutes from September 10th, 2007 Meeting m/s/a

II. Action Items:

• A. Ratification of VP Executive Council Appointments to be approved by membership. m/s/a
  • Andy Hsia-Coron was ratified to join the E Council
  • Adult Ed Lynne Simmons was ratified to join the E Council

III. Committee Reports

• A. Budget Committee
  • At the last meeting we passed out a budget with the unfixed expenses absent. Asked for feedback from members on how to appropriate the money.
  • We heard that teachers would like money to be available for professional development, a library of teaching publications and conferences for members.
• B. By-law Committee
  • The By-law committee will give a full update on the by law draft at the general membership meeting in November.
• C. Negotiations
  • Team has met and will be discussing salary and benefits at their next meeting with the PVUSD negotiations team. They changed their meetings to evenings to miss less class time.
• D. RSRA
  • RSRA is moving along in a positive direction. The Coordinators have been meeting at several schools. They are available to meet with any staff to train, answer questions etc. about RSRA.

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The Union Office is located at 90-A Mariposa Avenue, Watsonville, CA  95076 Dial the PVFT Voicemail, 728-1936, Direct line, 722-2331 email Francisco or Ann at the office - president@pvft.net, ann @ pvft.net