President's Update August 18, 2023

Welcome Back TEA!

It has been far too short of a summer, but it seems like far too long since TEA has updated. I hope that you were all able to relax, unwind and just found your own JOY during our unpaid time off. 

For those of you who have just joined us - WELCOME to the TEA family!!! You will receive these updates periodically. They are packed with bunches of information. It may not be something you need right now, but it is something to at least let you know what is happening as quickly as possible. They are long and worth reading - they may or may not contain typos and grammatical errors, I ask for grace for that, you may not need this info. Today, but you can at least keep it to read when you have time. 

Here’s the latest from TEA:  

• Ten Minute Meetings - 
  • Your Site Reps have their first Rep. Council of the year meeting this coming Tuesday and will  have more information for you during your ten minutes meetings following that. Please don’t hesitate to contact them, or TEA, with additional questions or issues. 
  • We still have several sites without site reps - we also have a large group of members who are at the district office without representation. Site Rep duties may be shared between a few people. There is a stipend. If you care about helping your site and your fellow educators, give it a try. We have snacks! :0) 
• Update Contact Information:
  • If you have new contact information, address/ phone / email, please update your information with the TEA office (714) 505-6365. We want to make sure all members are receiving all information being sent. 
  • Make sure that your site reps have your updated information as well. TEA will be asking for Selfies, or photos of our members so that internally we can start putting faces to names. So, If your site rep asks to take a picture for us, you now understand the reason.

• California State Budget
  • The state has, again, rewarded education through budget decisions. Topping what they gave last year, and the year before. All of which were larger than we have seen in decades. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the 2023-24 State Budget package on July 10, following an agreement reached with the Legislature in late June. The budget includes more than $108 billion for public education and a historic 8.22% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) – the highest since the 1970s. Click HERE for more information.  
• Negotiations - 
  • The above information regarding the historic level of COLA at 8.22% does automatically reopen negotiations of our two year contract that stated if it was over 5.39%. Negotiation dates have not been set as of this point, but will be moving forward soon. 
  • Our negotiations team is changing a bit from the last two years. Each of the following interviewed and has been appointed by the Executive Board. 
    • Paul Tschida - Chair - Tustin High School
    • Margie Wright - Loma Vista Elementary
    • Carter Mokhtari - Hewes Middle School 
    • Ken Cooper - Grievance Chair - Beckman High School 
    • Martha Farrell - Foothill High School
    • Katie Bernal - Speech Language Pathologist 
  • We will still be looking to add at least another elementary/ elementary sped. To the team. Each person interviewed will be expected to attend CTA Summer Institute next summer (July 24-28 in Los Angeles) with the team. They also would need to be available for CTA C4OB Meetings (about 4 times a year on Zoom, normally focused on the State Budget) and be willing to be out of their classrooms during bargaining. If you are interested please go HERE and fill out an interest survey.  
• Upcoming Elections - 
  • TEA has an Elementary Director opening. Site Reps (at the Elementary Level) will be bringing back information regarding how to run and the timelines. This position sits on the Executive Board and helps to work with sites and TEA representing elementary concerns to the district and working to best improve elementary conditions. 
• Induction - 
  • The District's intent is to continue with the same MOU agreement that went into place last year. That means that the district intends to continue to cover half of the $3,600 costs. The only hold on information is that ideally they would like to be able to try to work with the program and cover up front. If that is that able to be obtained, they would then go to the process like we had for the last year where the member in induction would pay and would be reimbursed for the district's portion. 
• Special Education - 
  • SDC Preschool MOU - 5 Day a Week SDC Special Education - To see MOU go HERE. 
    • This was the complete work of one of our teachers and Site Reps who has done so much work on behalf of our Preschool SDCs. TEA was not notified of the change of schedule being put into place until Mid-June. At that point we met with a representative of the preschool group and worked on what the issues were and what the fix might be. That worked into a meeting with TEA, Dr. Christmas and Dr. De La Torre. At that meeting, once issues were discussed, TUSD actually suggested going the route of an MOU first. While this is not a solution for everything and is not perfect, no agreement ever is perfect for either side. It is the first time we have had the words SDC and Special Education in anything that is contract related. It is also a step forward and through the discussions made sure to work for what would help the majority of most. Thanks to the hard work of Kim Webster, who compared what was the norm vs. what was being changed, we were able to work on some items and produce the MOU.We also were told that this will be revisited each year. It’s a step forward for ALL special education educators and our contract work.   
  • Special Ed. Best Practices - This document has not been released yet. We have agreed to work and present it at the same time, but I do want to make sure that all members knew it was coming. 
    • This is a direct result of the work that TEA’s Special Education committee did and our meeting at the end of last year. Through the meeting last March/April where we were able to chart every item for various areas within special education (psych/ slp/ sai/ sdc…) and then narrow that into our top 5 areas to start with a focus on. TEA took that, and presented the district with something from another district called Best Practices. Through several meetings TUSD and TEA were able to work it into the  document that is now being presented. It is not within the contract, and not an MOU, but it acts like a living document where we have agreed as partners to come back within a certain time and reevaluate each year. As a district with NO special education in our contract. I am viewing this as a very large positive step of TUSD and TEA working together to include and work within Special Education. The intent was to include as many areas of special education work clarifying some of the process. Where it states work groups, TEA has requested to help decide who is on the work group and I encourage each member of that team to keep us, and our Special Education committee updated. This is meant to work towards having more items spelled out at all levels for our Special Education areas. Like above, it is not perfect, but it is a huge start and the district was very open to working with us on this and continuing this going forward. 

• Contracts and Legal- 
  • Teachers and the Law - 
    • As we start the school year, please take a moment to review the areas of the Ed. Code that pertains to teachers rights in their classrooms. 
    • TEA is here to help but there is also rights that you have - Did you know: 
      • With Administrators, Teachers Have The Right To:
        • Ask what a meeting’s purpose is before attending.
        • Assert the right under Weingarten and EERA to representation in meetings that have the potential to lead to discipline.
      • In The Classroom Teachers Have the Right To:
        • Suspend students from class for the day of suspension and the following day. Ask the parent or guardian to attend a conference as soon as possible. Ed. Code 48910
        • To find a visual copy and more Ed. Code Rights please go HERE. 
        • For more information please go to CTA.org/yourrights - or press HERE.
• TEA Contract - Article 11 - Evaluation: 
  • Everyone should be aware of their contract and the following pertains to everyone at the start of the year. 
  • No later than twenty (20) workdays following the commencement of duties - the immediate supervisor shall review the following materials with each unit member: Annual goals and objectives as adopted by the Board of Education; Appropriate curriculum guides; Non-instructional duties normally required to be performed by certificated personnel; California Standards for the Teaching Profession; Tools and criteria to be used in observing and evaluating the unit member. 
• Catastrophic Leave Open Enrollment
  • If you haven’t already enrolled, now is the time. During the open enrollment period, all unit members employed by the District are eligible to contribute to the Program provided that you will still have a minimum of nine (9) accumulated sick leave days remaining after contributing a sick leave day to the Program. 
  • The enrollment must be printed and delivered to the district with a wet signature. Click on the form below or GO HERE to get a copy. Copies may also be found on the TEA website - tustinea.org 
  • If you have donated a day to the catastrophic leave program during a previous open enrollment, an additional donation is not required.
  • If you are not sure if you are already enrolled you may contact the TEA office 714.505.6365 or the district office.  

• TEA Upcoming Events - 

• Open House - Come Join Us At YOUR TEA office - 4940 Irvine Blvd, Suite 205, Irvine 92620;  on Tuesday, September 12th from 4:00pm - 6:00pm - there will be food and vendors and drawings. We hope to see you there! 
• CTA Conferences - Please fill out a TEA conference request if you are interested in attending any conferences, for the first one it happened before approval so I already have a few who have registered and sent the forms. Form Here

• Special Education - October 6-8, Hyatt Regency OC - The first conference of the year is the Special Education Conference. It features sessions full of strategies, topics and proven research to help you support your exceptional students. This is a very popular conference and it is the first time it has been in the local area. TEA has 20 spots for sponsorship attendance (includes: conference fee, parking and mileage up to $237). Follow the link above or GO HERE to register.  

• LGBTQ+ Issues Conference - October 27-29, Palm Springs - This conference addresses LGBTQ+ issues involving educators, students and the community and serves as a venue to discuss a variety of subjects affecting the entire membership and California’s youth. TEA has 10 spots for sponsorship attendance (includes: conference fee, hotel room two nights, staff gratuity, parking and mileage up to $568).Follow the link above or GO HERE to register. 

• Member Benefit Services - One of the perks of membership are the benefits that you have access to. So many of us forget that through our state (CTA) and national (NEA) partners we have access to a multitude of resources. You may see some below or check out their webpage HERE. 

• If you prefer to watch videos on the above and get started that way:

  • CTA/NEA Member Benefits for You

  • CTA Member Benefits Sign On 

  • CTA Death and Dismemberment Plan Beneficiary Registration 

  • CTA Disaster Relief Fund 

• CTA Access to Savings -CTA Access to Savings is an exclusive benefit for CTA members, featuring the nation’s largest private discount network. You’ll find savings up to 50% on everyday things such as food, clothing, car care, travel, entertainment, home and garden and more. During this unpredictable time, our number one priority is to ensure the safety and health of our members. Although we don’t always deliver these types of offers, we know they are very much needed at this time. We want to help you shop for those life essentials while saving you some money too.
• The Standard - Whether you are a brand new hire or a district transfer, you may have a limited-time opportunity to help protect your paycheck and loved ones with CTA-endorsed Disability and Life insurance from Standard Insurance Company. If you didn’t get an opportunity to apply during your New Hire Event, please Set up an Appointment or Apply Now. 

• The CTA 403(b) Retirement Plan for Educators - Dive into the benefits of the CTA 403(b) retirement plan designed for educators. Whether you're a new educator, transitioning between districts, or you have decided to finally start saving, this very short video guides you through the importance of supplementing your state pension, the flexibility of a 403(b), and how to set up your account with the California Teachers Association. Your path to a secure retirement starts here!  It is a low-cost, high benefit program. There are many 403(b) programs available to you, but this is the only one endorsed by CTA. Let us all take care of ourselves and work to retire with enough money to live as well as we do today. Follow the link above or click HERE. 

With the first few days behind us, and almost to the end of our first week, it is time to celebrate all of our new beginnings and embrace the wild ride of what is to be for the coming year. I am filled with hope each year, the fresh starts, new supplies, everyone is so excited. I was fortunate to spend time in four different classrooms on the first day. It's the first time I have ever been able to watch others embrace the day. All I can say is WOW!!!! That alone has helped me to be even more positive and in awe for what each of us does daily. You are the reason that TUSD is successful and that TUSD is able to tout high metrics. What you do matters and who you are matters more. Thank you, I am honored to get to work with each of you! Thank you for what you do and for your membership. We all are TEA together!
Have a wonderful rest of your week! 

In Unity,

Lisa Hickman

President, Tustin Educators Association

Itinerant Teacher, Heideman Elementary