December 7, 2005 Volume 10, Issue 2

SCHOLARSHIPS

CFT and AFT Scholarship applications are now available in the PVFT office. Scholarships available are:

• CFT Raoul Teilhet Scholarship which offers $3000 and $1000 to high school seniors and continuing college students who are dependents of CFT members in good standing. To learn more go to www.cft.org or call (818) 843-8226
• California Labor Federation Scholarships awards numerous $2000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are dependents of AFL-CIO members in California. To learn more go to www.calaborfed.org or call (510) 663-4000
• Robert G. Porter Scholarship from AFT awards four $8000 scholartships to high school seniors who are dependents of AFT members, as well as twenty $1000 grants for continuing education. To learn more go to www.aft.org or call (800) 238-1133
• Union Plus Scholarship offers scholarships of $500 to $4000 to union members and their spouses and dependents who have one year of continuous union membership. To learn more go to www.aft.org or www.unionplus.org.

You may also contact the PVFT office for more information or scholarship applications at (831) 722-2331

Katrina Disaster Fundraiser Event: Join us for our annual Winter Celebration and fundraiser for The Hurricane Disaster Fund and support our colleagues whose lives were devastated on the Gulf Coast. $10 Donation. December 16, 2005 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at Jalisco's on Main Street in Watsonville.

Healthcare Reform: Hope for All Californians

PVFT was a major co-sponsor of the event “Healthcare Reform: Hope for All Californians” at the Louden Nelson Center with speaker State Senator Sheila Kuehl November 28, 2005. She introduced SB 840 February 23, 2005 and the policy aspects of the bill were passed by the State Senate on May 31. The bill would provide universal health coverage for all California residents with no new spending. The CA Health Insurance Reliability Act (CHIRA) eliminates waste by consolidating the functions of many insurance companies into on comprehensive insurance plan, saving the state and consumers billions of dollars each year. Our community has been organized in the support of this effort! Devi Tong and Pat Christie, School Nurses, attended. The Event was filled to capacity. Overflow seating was in a second room. Be watching our local TV station for details and replay of the event! Examine the issues and take a stand!

P.A.L. Introduces Partnership

On November 17, principals and building reps from all district schools, along with the Superintendent's Cabinet and the PVFT Executive Council came together in a unique retreat to discuss how management and the union could work together in an equal, productive partnership to raise student achievement, move out of federal sanctions under NCLB, and improve working conditions for staff as well.

Participants discussed a draft set of Beliefs, Guiding Principals, and Behaviors that the partnership will adopt to guide our work together. The teams from the sites were charged with taking these back to their respective sites for discussion, editing, and adoption. Eventually, this set of Beliefs, etc. will become the foundation for our work throughout the district.

Evaluations of the day's activities were highly positive and enthusiastic. The Register-Pajaronian referred to the event as a “miraculous conference” in a positive front page article the following day. It is the hope and the direction of the district and PVFT that this will be the beginning of a long and dynamic partnership between us.

Training Enthusiastically Received

Trainers from the UFT Teacher Center in New York visited California on November 18 – 20 to bring their expertise and information to school teams from throughout the state. Co-sponsored by PVUSD, PVFT, and CFT, the conference was attended by more than 150 teachers, administrators, community members and trustees. PVUSD sent teams from ten schools with over 80 people attending the three day event.

Redesigning Schools to Raise Achievement (RSRA) is a school reform model to help schools improve student achievement. It is not a new program nor a promised “magic bullet” but, instead, a toolkit to help sites work together in a more productive and successful partnership. By implementing its four components: Effective Communication, Teambuilding, Data Driven Decision-making, and Professional Development, schools can enhance the work they are already doing.

The trainers were of the highest caliber, and their activities were eagerly received by those who attended. The next step is for the school teams to help to implement these new skills at their sites to enhance the reform efforts already in place.

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