We met with the District on Friday 12/20/13 from 9:00-12:00. Although we discussed wages, there was no agreement. We will meet again on Thursday 1/23/14. As we continue with negotiations, VEA’s Organizing Team will let you know how you can support our bargaining efforts.
Putting Educators’ Professional Rights on Trial Hurts Students, Wastes Taxpayer Dollars and Time
The suit challenges five Education Code statutes claiming they violate the Equal Protection clause of the California state Constitution. If there are legitimate problems with education laws, they should be addressed through the legislative process where parents, educators and all community members can be heard.
“It is deceptive and dishonest to pretend that teacher due process rights are unfair to students,” said CFT President Josh Pechthalt, parent of a ninth grade student in the LAUSD. “Students need a stable, experienced teaching workforce. They won’t have one if this lawsuit succeeds in gutting basic teacher rights. The problem with layoffs, for instance, is not the procedures devised to ensure transparent decisions about who is to be laid off and how. What is unfair to students about layoffs is that they happen in the first place. The way to provide a good teacher in every classroom is to provide sufficient funding. Instead, the organizations behind this lawsuit seek to scapegoat teachers for underfunding, lack of resources and profound poverty in a growing number of communities. Teachers welcome authentic efforts to improve the teaching profession but this lawsuit is about dividing parents, teachers and students, not solving problems.”
The backers of this lawsuit, led by a Silicon Valley millionaire, include a “who’s who” of the billionaire boys club and their front groups. Their goals have nothing to do with protecting students, but are really about undermining public schools and weakening employee unions.
Vallejo hands out student supplies
by Sherry Posnick-Goodwin
Many families can no longer afford to buy school supplies for their children in Vallejo, a community hard-hit by the economic downturn. So for the last three years, members of the Vallejo Education Association have stepped up to the plate and donated school supplies for district students.
“We decided to do this because more kids were coming to school without pencil and paper, and we heard so many sad stories of struggling families,” says Ron West, a fourth-grade teacher at Steffan Manor Elementary School who coordinates community outreach for the chapter. “We asked ourselves realistically, ‘What could we do to help?’ We came together as a chapter and our 800 members agreed to spend $15,000 of dues money so students could start the year off on the right foot.”
The “Hand to Hand” giveaway was suggested by VEA member Bill Innes as a means of helping students, giving back to the Vallejo community and creating goodwill with parents. Approximately 2,000 students received goody bags this year.
As in previous years, donations were handed out in September by VEA members at several community locations. Students and their families stood in long lines to gratefully receive goody bags stuffed with pens, pencils, notebooks, coloring pencils, crayons, erasers, bookmarks and, for older students, calculators. The Vallejo Friends of the Library got involved and donated books that were put on tables for students to choose from.
“It’s definitely helpful,” said Rochelle Williams, who brought 12-year-old Marquez Thomas to a giveaway event at a local library. “A lot of parents are in very hard times, and the way things are, we can’t afford to buy school supplies. Everybody is struggling. When something is free and educational, you can’t beat that.”
Davis Jones, who has a disability and is raising two grandchildren who attend middle school, said that he didn’t think he would be able to provide supplies out of his own pocket, and appreciated that teachers were “giving back” to the community.
Ernestine Myers brought her granddaughter Helen Collins. “She’s been excited all day,” said Myers. “You don’t see nice things like this happen much anymore. This is so nice of the teachers and so positive.”
“As educators, we understand that investing in our students and schools means investing in our community’s future,” says VEA President Cristal Watts. “Families are struggling, and it feels good to help provide children with the school supplies they need and deserve.”
NEA Foundation offers grants for innovative ideas to better the profession
Nationwide, the NEA Foundation announced that it is awarding 42 grants totaling $159,000 to support educators’ efforts to improve teaching and learning. The NEA Foundation awards two levels of funding, $2,000 or $5,000, for two primary categories of grants to public education professionals: Student Achievement Grants for initiatives to improve academic achievement, and Learning and Leadership Grants for high-quality professional development activities.
A team of 20 educators, many of whom are former grantees, carefully reviewed all applications and evaluated each one against a set of criteria. Funded grants were selected for the quality of the proposed ideas and their potential for enhancing student achievement. The latest grants were awarded to educators in 25 different states.
The NEA Foundation has invested more than $7.1 million in grants to support the work of almost 4,500 educators from every state in the country to help students succeed. Each year, the Foundation awards approximately 150 Student Achievement and Learning & Leadership Grants.
To learn about these educators’ projects, visit NEA Foundation’s Grantee Archive, where you can search for grantees and projects by most recent, grade level, subject, state, or keyword. Visit the NEA Foundation’s Featured Grantees page to watch videos and read short profiles about NEA Foundation grantees and their successful grant work.
The NEA Foundation awards its grants to educators three times a year. The next grant deadline is February 1, 2014. Application forms and a video with step-by-step instructions on how to apply can be found in the Grants to Educators section of the NEA Foundation website.
About the NEA Foundation The NEA Foundation is a public charity supported by contributions from educators’ dues, corporate sponsors, and others who support public education initiatives. The NEA Foundation partners with education unions, districts, and communities to create powerful, sustainable improvements in teaching and learning. Visit www.neafoundation.org for more information.
There will be a Special Election for VEA Vice Preseident and CTA State Council Representative. Voting will take place from Wednesday, December 11 through Thursday, December 19th at each school site.
[notice]There will be a Special Election for VEA Vice Preseident and CTA State Council Representative. Voting will take place from Wednesday, December 11 through Thursday, December 19th at each school site.[/notice]
VEA’s Toys for Tots drive was a huge success! Many thanks to all those who participated. The toys were delivered into the welcoming hands of our Armed Forces at Rep Council on December 5th. Donations will continue to be accepted at many drop-off points including Toys ‘R’ Us in Vallejo and Solano Mall. More information can be found at www.toysfortots.org
Congratulations to one of VEA’s own teachers for being selected as a CaliforniaTeacher of the Year! We are so proud of Angelo “Ang” Bracco, 6th to 8th grade special education teacher at Solano Middle School. Congrats Mr. Bracco!
Below are two documents from the Vallejo City Unified School District. The first is the certificated salary schedule and the second health benefits document showing VCUSD’s and employees share of health benefits.
It’s important to keep in mind two things. First, VCUSD employees, both certificated & classified, have not received any pay raises since 2008. Second, the District was able to reach fiscal solvency and come out of state receivership due to the sacrifices its employees made.
As we head into negotiations with the District, we hope they keep in mind the sacrifices already made and recognize that if their goal is to truly attract and retain quality employees – they need to be willing to pay for it.