August 23, 2004 Volume 9, Issue 1

News for you

PVFT Delegation savors AFT convention in D.C.
President Carolyn Savino declared: “The AFT convention was the most invigorating, exciting, and inspiring gathering I have ever attended. Participating in doing the work of our union, celebrating our successes and knowing that PVFT had a voice on committees and a presence on the floor of the convention was my ultimate reward.” But the celebration was bittersweet as our capable, indomitable president, Sandra Feldman, stepped down due to health reasons. The admiration and affection for her that Senator Ted Kennedy and future president, John Kerry, shared with the convention delegates was a testimony to her huge contributions to AFT in conjunction with her lifelong fight for social justice throughout the country and the world. She will be sorely missed, not only by AFT members and thousands of children's lives that she fought so hard to better. PVFT wishes her good health and long life in her premature retirement. Her husband thanked us all for returning her …his gain is everyone else's loss! Delegates voted in capable AFT secretary-treasurer Edward J. McElroy as the new AFT president.

Our delegates spent countless hours on the floor and in committees. Sarah Ringler worked tirelessly with U. S. Labor Against the War (USLAW) to bring a resolution to the delegates demanding U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. The political maneuverings were quite interesting to say the least. East Coast leadership is not on board with this thinking!

Pat Christie worked with her national Health Care group to pass some critical resolutions related to children's health issues and their impact on teachers.

Lisa Massey was the procurer of seats—row six for the Kerry celebration!—along with multiple Kerry shirts, signs and AFT banners which Carolyn had to ship back by mail. Lisa also worked hard in our marathon planning sessions for the kick off of the new year for PVFT (new teacher orientation, district breakfast, and retreat)

Mamiche Young and Carolyn went two days early to attend the E R & D (Educa-tional Research and Dissemination) pre-convention workshops where in spite of being out of our league (everyone there were trainers of trainers!) we learned lots of good stuff to bring back to the district to help the union/ management partnership.

Kris and Mike Vasser, the gurus of the resolutions, lived on the convention floor. They were our consultants on resolutions under discussion and what the pros and cons were. They really undertook the work of the union.

Stef Seffinger also participated with our planning marathon and added an amendment to resolutions in her committee meeting work.

Joe Urban felt that the convention radiated HOPE: hope for a new administration; hope for a more effective, powerful teachers' union; hope that the individual member of a large union can bring about change.

Also, the security was awesome with metal detectors and total searches of all bags— —two hours to get into the convention hall with one door in and one door out. No one left so the center ran out of food, water, and soda. Our great Lisa and Mamiche managed to get us all great salads, water, sodas, and cookies so we didn't suffer. Also, everybody got one Kerry shirt…
except Lisa who managed to get 10 in different sizes along with a bag to put them in!!!

Sight seeing…Kris called the WWII memorial the bracelet of the Mall. In spite of brutal weather, the mostly first time visitors braved the heat to see the sights. All went to the Kennedy Center to see a free concert and some stayed for Beehive. Stefani, Mamiche, Pat, and Carolyn met Rep. Meeks from Florida in the cigar bar of the hotel. Mamiche promised to fly to Florida to register voters!

Good food and company, meaningful work for a great union, a beautiful city…what more could you ask for?

Thank these dedicated union activities when you see them. They spent a week of their summer to serve you.

School Board Candidate Forum September 9
Plan to attend the School Board Candidate Forum. Jointly sponsored by PVFT and CSEA, the forum will take place on Sept. 9 from 4:30-6:30 at either Starlight or the District Office Board Room. Check www.pvft.net for details.

Get involved. Make a difference.

• The PVFT Executive Board is now referred to as the PVFT Executive Council to bring us in line with the rest of the Federation and to distinguish us from the PVUSD Board of Trustees.
• Join the PVFT email list at www.pvft.net . Get monthly union updates.
• How to save on taxes!IRC 125 pretax dollars for non-reimbursed medical and childcare expenses. Details soon.
• Report units and degrees to the district by October first to gain on the pay scale. No retro reporting allowed.
• Open enrollment for health insurance closes October 1.
• Turn in your Catastrophic Sick Bank donations by October 31.
  

PVFT Calendar

• Apologies for the cancelled August 23 meeting.
• Please come to the next General Membership/Building Rep meeting on Monday, September 13, 4-6:30 p.m. in District Office Conference Room C.

Carolyn's Corner

Well, like it or not, the summer is gone and the 2004-05 school year has begun. I hope that all of you had a wonderful summer full of exciting adventures and that you are returning to the new school year rejuvenated, invigorated and ready to tackle the many challenges that we face here in the Pajaro Valley, and challenges there are for all of us. Also, a warm and sincere welcome to all of our new teachers and other certificated staff, and the new classified and administrative employees, who have come aboard this year to fight the good fight with the rest of us.

As I look back at last school year, we confronted many difficult and trying tests. There was the daunting California budget crisis along with the ensuing recall election which made planning the future a crapshoot. We agreed to furlough days to help balance the district budget which of course upset the continuity of instruction, not to mention our budgets. There was all the No Child Left Behind nonsense with its accompanying AYP scores which pushed so many of our wonderful schools into the “under performing” category. These labels then precipitated the district team's school scans and focused walks which intimidated and enraged so many of you. And then to top it off, everyone had to qualify to become a “Highly Qualified Teacher” under the ever-present NCLB.

So what did we learn through all of this turmoil? Well, for starters, we found that Californians would elect the Terminator to become governor, to the glee of the rest of the nation, who also couldn't deliver a budget on time in spite of his promises and “girlie men” antics. But we also learned here in PVUSD that we have wonderful students who are resilient and actively learning throughout the district.

We found that ALL of our schools are safe, clean and orderly learning environments in which students are being instructed and held to high standards by talented, well-trained, and enthusiastic staffs who spend way too much of their own time to make the magic happen! In fact, there is so much superior instruction and learning happening throughout this district that it is very upsetting to me to hear Board and community members say that we are “short changing” our students when they look at the test scores. If they would visit classrooms anywhere in the district, they would find that to be far, far from the truth.

As we begin this new school year, we still face the two dragons: the California budget crisis and No Child Left Behind regulations which are forever changing and never, it seems, for the better. We also are facing the most important election in our lifetime. Each of these issues can have a lasting effect on the quality of our professional and personal lives for years to come!

As the year unfolds, we will keep you informed and up to date along with fighting for your precious time and your rights to use it as you deem necessary to get your very difficult job done in the competent and professional way that you have always done. Have a great year and we'll keep fighting the good fight together!

“The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt

Be the first to use the Online Forum at www.pvft.net
Log on to the PVFT website and find the Forum link on the left. Register using the link at the top of the page and you can express yourself on union issues online.

Union/PVUSD Celebrate 10 Year Evaluation Mark
School principals and their PVFT building representatives will meet to kick off this year's evaluation process.

A decade ago, PVFT and PVUSD made ground-breaking changes in the evaluation process that proved to be ahead of the trend in education. Each Zone will hold these meetings. These sessions are a link in the growing union-district partnership.

Take Back America!
Come to the Labor Movement's 2004 Labor Day Picnic. Hear Keynote speaker, Eliseo Medi-na, International SEIU VP, a major leader in organizing unions, saving healthcare, defending immigrant rights and rebuilding the labor movement! Come to Royal Oaks Park, Monday September 6 from 12-5 p.m. for the barbeque, games, prizes and solidarity speakers. Tickets $12 available at the PVFT union office, 722-2331.

Form YOUR Class-size Committee today
Yourschool's Class-Size Committee is your first line of defense against classes that are too large. The union only steps in if your efforts fail after your committee has attempted all remedies. Remember, your class-size committee has local power to resolve these issues.

Elect your Building Representatives now
Every campus needs at least one building rep to inform you of latest union news and repre-sent you in time of trouble. Building reps earn a stipend based upon documented performance of duties, including attendance at each monthly Building Rep/General Membership Meeting and a monthly presentation at faculty meetings. If you want to get involved, please contact your current building rep or call the union office, 722-2331.

Get involved. Make a difference

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