General Membership Meeting: PVFT
September 11, 2006

Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers
General Membership Meeting
September 11, 2006 Convened at 4:30 PM

I. Candidates’ Forum—Superintendent,
Santa Cruz County Office of Education
a) Introductions by Candidates
b) Questions and Answers
c) Closing remarks from each candidate
d) Carolyn then explained how ballots to survey the membership would be sent out next week, collected by Sept 20th, compiled by the PVFT Executive Council, and endorsements communicated to the membership and candidates shortly thereafter, if there is a clear favorite.

II. Introductions and Ground Rules
Members all gave very brief introductions
Ground rules were passed out for review; they will be discussed at the October meeting. (They are attached.)
The PVFT 2006-07 Goals were passed out for review; they will be discussed at the October meeting. (They are attached.)

III. Information Items
Trustee Candidates’ Forum is scheduled in the District Office Board Room for 4:30 to 6:30 on Sept. 12th. The same endorsement process as above will be observed.
NCLB. The PVUSD is in Year 2 of Program Improvement (PI) status. The state is most concerned about LA schools, then Oakland’s schools, then PVUSD! We all have reason to be concerned. A DAG. Committee (District Alternative Governance) has been formed as a system of school support for improved student achievement. The idea is to keep at bay any attempt to have the County take over our district, or for the state to do the same. In big cities, mayors are sometimes becoming the overseers of “failing” districts, or they contract out the management of PI districts to private businesses (using business models for management). Our hope is that DAG will keep those options closed. Schools who have met with DAG members are wanting feedback on what they heard at their schools when their staff members were asked for input on improvement strategies.

Partnership of Administrators and Labor (PAL). On September 28th, 2006 all district Principals and their PVFT Building Reps will again meet all day for training that seeks to enhance the relationship between administrators and
teachers. The District Cabinet supports this PAL day and all Principals are expected to participate.

RSRA. Burlingame training went so well, that a second tier of trainers are expected to be trained in January. The teacher leaders are available for collaboration, data analysis, and a wide variety of roles at schools needing assistance. Some building reps have suggested that a good one-page summary of the benefits of RSRA be made available.

IV. Good of the Order:
COPE Report by Francisco Rodriguez, Chair of the Committee on Political Education (COPE): COPE members are those who pay into the COPE fund. (From later in the report: the COPE group wants to know the status of COPE funds.) These members get together to plan the endorsement process, which includes decisions to hold forums, to ask questions of candidates, and to make recommendations to the membership and the Executive Council for PVFT endorsement. Francisco reported about their meeting with Sam Farr (ACE training) revealed that Sam wants to be informed about problems about NCLB and wants to work with CTA to provide a better version of the reauthorized legislation. Other sub-groups are looking to talk with other federal and state legislators. COPE members feel there is a need for clarification about the relationship between the Executive Council and themselves, and specifically when, why, and how the Executive Committee took over the role of COPE. This includes the need for clarification on the intent of the May, 2006 General Meeting’s decision to give all members a chance to have a paper ballot before a PVFT endorsement is made. Following this information, the PVFT membership still in attendance, after lengthy discussion, voted that the ballot procedure available to all members at their sites be added to the existing (already established process) of sending candidates invitations to forums, giving them questionnaires, allowing them equal time to make presentations and answer questions, then having the Executive Council report out endorsements based on clear winners (otherwise, no recommendation).

Clarification of the use of computers for union business was left to the next meeting.

Jenn Laskin presented a one-page flier entitled COPE Committee Questions…PLEASE ADD or REVISE….thank you! (attached) and asked that if anyone had any suggestions or revisions to return them to her.

Adjournment was at 7:00 PM by consent