Happy Tuesday TEA!
Today is also National Voter Registration Day. If you would like to check the status of your registration or would like to register to vote please click here - VOTER REGISTRATION
These last few weeks have been the most normal in years, and yet all of the stress of the pandemic has still seemed to remain. By this point you all should have been trained in emergency training, a fact that we all must face, but something they did not warn us about as we got our credential. That in itself is a lot to handle. Our plates are overflowing with new demands and yet we still also need to fill all of those pre pandemic plates as well. You are not told enough how much you are appreciated or how much that you matter. We see you; we understand and we hope that you are taking care of you. Without your work and what you do daily, there would be no TUSD success. Thank you for all that you do and thank you for being members of TEA.
Here’s the latest from TEA:
- State Budget -
- The Governor granted an augmented COLA of 6% and this was in addition to the original 6.56% COLA already planned. Districts did not account for this money and it is ongoing money. Currently the projected for next year is due to be about 5%. COLA doesn’t automatically mean that that comes directly back to those of us working for the district, but this does represent the largest increase to education funding since…. last year and that was the largest increase in decades. This is ongoing money and TEA’s Executive Board and Bargaining team are aware of the monies that have been given to the district. However, this is still on the Governor's desk waiting to be signed so numbers still need to be solidified. The numbers and the higher amounts have been discussed at both county and state levels since June, it’s just a matter of finalizing from the Governor.
- At the last school board meeting the unaudited actuals report was also presented. Unaudited Actuals Reports are filed about ten weeks after the close of each fiscal year. This gives the district time to close out the books and to reconcile fund balances. It is due to the California Department of Education by Sept 15. The Unaudited Actuals Report is the last fiscal year report prepared by the district and the data is final unless corrected by the annual Audit Report. The UA’s show the actual beginning balance for the current fiscal year and ending balance for the prior year including reserves. This is the document that reports exactly how much the district spent last year. This presentation showed that the district is sitting with a much greater increase in all areas. It also showed that the declining enrollment was not as great as expected and was called unstable enrollment.
- Districts also have been given much in one-time monies, and will continue to pursue grants such as the Community Schools grants which would bring millions more for additional programs.
- Induction:
- TEA still continues to work on behalf of new members to lower the costs for induction. In compiling the data from around the county, we have found that TUSD is the most expensive in Orange County. The next lowest being Anaheim H.S. at $1700 a year and Capo being $1500 for the first year and $1,000 for the second year. There has been mention by TUSD In at least one induction meeting, if the district pays for induction teachers would be ineligible to purchase the units. Many other districts pay the full cost of induction with teachers then only paying for the units that they want. Those districts include: Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Irvine, Saddleback and Anaheim Elementary. TEA still believes that educators who are new to the profession should not have to take out loans, work additional jobs and search for new credit cards to carry the burden of the induction program. We see you and we are still working to hopefully relieve you of the pressure of these costs.
- Site Rep Council -
- Your Site Reps will be bringing something back to your sites, along with all of the latest information, that will be giving our bargaining team the most up to date information. Please make sure you attend your site's ten-minute TEA meeting this month to share your opinions. We hope that all members will be actively involved in Integrative Bargaining Survey.
- Please continue to not only attend your site meetings, but reach out to site reps with any issues, concerns or items you feel passionate about. There is no Union with U or I.
- Bargaining:
- Your TEA bargaining team met last week. Because of the IBB process items were discussed, and worked on through the collaborative process:
- Induction
- Special Ed. Caseloads and issues, both Amy Lambert and Kate Christmas were in the room for informational purposes.
- Nighttime professional duties and expectations (Open House/ Back to School Night/ Report Card Night).
- Contract will also now, in the bereavement section, include miscarriages'.
- The next session will be a week from Friday. Insurance and the ongoing work on the above topics will be covered.
- Special Education:
- Our Special Ed. Committee has their first meeting on Wednesday, October 19 at 3:45. Everyone who is a Sped. Educator is invited to attend. It will be at the TEA office 4940 Irvine Blvd.; Suite 205, Irvine, CA 92620.
- SAI – according to TUSD none of you are currently over the Ed. Code limit of 28. The moment you go over and are at 29 please contact the TEA Special Ed. Committee and the TEA office. 714.505.6365
- SDC and SLP- please also make sure to keep in touch with your Site Reps and the Sped. Committee on your caseload numbers as well.
- Additional Ongoing Conversations with the District:
- The additional items have also been made topics that TEA is actively discussing with TUSD currently. This does not mean that these items are solid, but that they have been brought up and will continue to either be part of the process that we all work on. These are a few of the topics:
- Technology and the use of your private phones/ devices for Duo. TEA has requested that each educator is provided with a key fob so that there is a choice to start. Also has asked for clarification on whether to run the system on the phone the requirements of whether you need to be on Wi-Fi or not.
- Working conditions as it pertains to room temperature.
- Secondary Core teachers and presenting to other teachers. This issue should have been solved and all should have been notified that this is optional.
- Technology Safety:
- Wi-Fi/ Email/ Texts/ Google Docs-
- TEA is aware that the district has suggested that members use their own personal phones to work the new security proof. TEA has requested from the district that ALL teachers receive the key fob that was mentioned in place of members using their own personal devices. Or use your district assigned iPad with the app to sign in and use Duo.
- Remember that when you are using district owned devices, email services, saving programs (including Google) or district Wi-Fi, IT IS NOT PRIVATE. Anything and everything may be saved or accessed at any time by TUSD tech services. Because of that please adhere to the following and stay aware of technology at your site:
- Do not use district Wi-Fi on your personal devices.
- Do not store personal files on district owned devices.
- Do not use Google Docs or work email for anything you don’t want the district to be seeing.
- Assume that all of your internet traffic is being monitored and clearing your browser history will not erase everything.
- Assume that even if it’s in files that you created, if it is stored on district Google areas it belongs to the district.
- If your device, your Wi-Fi, your Google account and your only email have TUSD in their names - change and set up your own and use your own for personal matters.
- When sending emails remain professional and do not use it to interact with fellow educators for anything beyond work related items. Also, assume that any and all emails may be used at any time and linked back to you.
- All technology leaves a footprint that can later be scrutinized if complaints or issues arise.
- COVID -
- Weekly COVID Testing for Unvaccinated No Longer Required
- On Sept. 13, the California Department of Public Health announced it is ending COVID-19 policies that required weekly testing for unvaccinated individuals in schools and other high-risk workplaces. The changes take effect Saturday, September 17.
- Supplemental Leave for Covid -
- Great news that the legislature extended the supplemental until December 31st, 2022. That gives three more months for employees to use the Covid days should they, or a family member living with them (i.e., children/ spouse), test positive or they have to quarantine. These are not new days and still require proof of positive Covid test/ close contact. It is still only 40 hours for a positive case and the additional 40 is if you are to go and get a Covid immunization or booster, or if you have a reaction to those. Even most of that has changed from last year. All of this is dependent on symptoms, and test results.
- Monthly Celebrations:
- HERITAGE MONTH -
- "Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation" is the 2022 theme of Hispanic Heritage Month, which starts this week. The month recognizes and celebrates the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. Involve students in relevant activities and lesson plans; find resources at nea.org and HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH.
- Conferences, Trainings, Workshops
- CTA's Instruction and Professional Development department hosts acommunity of practice for teachers who are starting or continuing National Board Certification (NBC) during the 2022-23 school year. These sessions are led by CTA members who are National Board-Certified Teachers and help participants access resources, understand the certification process, and deeply engage the substance of NBC.
- Oct. 4, Oct. 18, Nov. 1, Dec. 6, Jan. 24; all sessions run 4-5 p.m. Registerhere.
- Get STEAM-ed, Oct. 1-2 - Ready to learn high-impact strategies for student engagement? Join educators in person at the California STEAM Symposium in Anaheim. Hosted by the California Department of Education, the CDE Foundation and the California Commission on the State of Women & Girls, it features 150+ workshops on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Sat. & Sun., Oct. 1-2, Anaheim Convention Center. Register atSTEAMcalifornia.org with the code 'CTA' for $50 off registration fees.
- Special Education Fall Webinar Series - Are you a CTA member interested in getting more professional development on working with students with Individualized Education Programs and understanding special education law? Our fall webinar series will feature two webinars and office hours in September and October.
- Thurs., Sept. 22: Special Education for the General Education Teacher
- Thurs., Oct. 13: IEP Rights & Responsibilities
- Fri., Oct. 14: Special Education Office Hours
- All session times 3:30-4:30 p.m.; register here.
- LGBTQ+ issues involving educators, October 28-30/ Palm Springs - This CTA conference delves into issues that affect students and the community. This conference will be hosted in-person and is open to all CTA members and will serve as a venue to discuss a variety of subjects affecting the entire membership and California’s youth. This year the theme of the conference is “Connected by LOVE: The Threads of Our Community”. Sessions will focus on diversity, inclusion & belonging and LOVE! Sign up HERE.
- CTA New Educators (South), December 16-18/ Garden Grove-is a conference for new CTA members. This NEW conference is for educators in their first three years in the profession. The conference has everything that educators need to be successful in their first years of teaching, including sessions about classroom management, creating engaging classrooms, lesson plans and ideas, connecting with your union, student loan forgiveness information, member benefits, project grants and more.
- Good Teaching Conference (South), March 3-5/ Garden Grove -The CTA Good Teaching Conferences continue to support excellent teaching and learning practices for classroom teachers via peer-to-peer instruction. Offering a variety of diverse workshops focused on curriculum content areas for K-12 teachers, the conferences provide opportunities for professional development and offer time to network and share ideas with colleagues and experts in the field of education.
- If you are interested in attending any of the CTA conferences, please fill out a conference request form on TEA’s website - www.tustinea.org They may be sent to our Office Manager Imelda Rios Windley atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- If you are approved to attend you will be able to sign up and be reimbursed by TEA for the costs allotted.
- Check it out
- Your CTA Membership Card
- Look for your annual membership card with the October/November Educator magazine. Use the card to access a variety of benefits and programs to enhance your life and career. You can download a digital copy of your card as well. Digital membership cards are being emailed to all members.
- If you have not received it in your inbox, please let TEA know because we can send a request to have one sent to you.
- TEA Direct Information:
- Open House - After a three-year hiatus TEA had their first Open House. It was great to see people in person and to partake in the taco bar, raffles for prizes, and get a chance to speak with representatives from The Standard, California Casualty, and CalSTRS. To see the pictures from that night please click the link above.
- Please reserve Tuesday, October 11th from 4:00-6:00pm and join us at BJ’s for our next in person event - Oktoberfest!
- TEA SWAG -
- Remember to order your TEA SWAG from the My Locker site: TEA will also reimburse the first $25 you spend on the site. Just order and send a copy of the receipt to the TEA office. TEA will also be getting 12% back on all purchases to help out our Scholarship Fund. It’s a win-win for everyone! Click on the picture to start your order.
- Human Rights Committee - will be meeting on Wednesday, October 19 at 4 pm in the TEA office (4940 Irvine Blvd, Suite 205, Irvine, CA 92620), if you are interested in joining and help TEA build and work on Human Rights, please let us know - or just show up and come find out in person.
- CTA Benefit Services
- We are still currently holding our open enrollment for The Standard, CTA endorsed disability insurance. Appointments are available to schedule your insurance check-up with Standard Insurance Company (The Standard). During your virtual or phone appointment, you can review your benefits and apply for new or additional coverage with no health questions asked. Sign up today: www.stdrd.co/team4 - To learn more and apply:www.standard.com/cta/tustin If we have 58 members sign up there will be no answering of those pesky medical questions to qualify.
The TEA Exec. Board just completed their retreat and planning for the coming year. Starting next year TEA will celebrate our 50th Birthday!!! We were asking ourselves what our WHY was for getting involved, and even our WHY for why we became teachers. We will ask you, if you feel comfortable sharing what your WHY and to share your story with others within TEA.
My WHY…. the easy answer would be I raised my hand during my first site based ten-minute meeting, 19 years ago, to ask questions and discuss the information. Once I was a permanent employee I became a site rep, then raised my hand to ask about this PAC committee thing, and I became the PAC Chair. I kept raising my hand and each time I discovered a love for representing people in a new way.
The more detailed reason for my WHY - as with any is longer and more intricate. I’ve always believed in helping and advocating for those that may not have as loud of a voice. I inherited my father's need to go against authority in issues and my mother's ability to speak. I have never been shy to share my passionate beliefs. I believe that every person should be supported. I spent years in the private sector where I could only speak up for myself, but in education I first came in and realized that there were so many, but so few that wanted to speak up. I want to help give voice to everyone; I want those that haven’t’ found their voice to be able to borrow mine until they have found their voice. I was almost district transferred about ten years ago and I found out that others within TEA knew before I did and I had no representation or support and even I felt helpless and weak. At that moment I decided that no one should ever feel that alone and upset. If I can feel voiceless, I couldn’t imagine someone who already may be uneasy about speaking up. Everyone should have representation and everyone should be free to use their voice to speak out for the betterment of everyone. We are the best advocates for students, now we all need to be the best advocates for ourselves and our fellow educators. Voices are always better together, whether it be in a choir or a Union organized event.
This is still the short version. To hear the long version - let’s schedule a time to sit and talk. I would personally love to hear EVERYONE’s own story of WHY.
Have a wonderful rest of your week!
In Unity,
Lisa Hickman
President, Tustin Educators Association |
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