Yearly Archives: 2013

Updates on Calendar and Evaluations

VEA Calendar Survey
Unit members should receive a hard copy of the calendar survey in their mailboxes within the next few days. For those to prefer to take it online, an online version has been created. As always, only do ONE survey – either the hard copy or the online version – do not do both! The online survey does require that members put in either their last name/school site OR their CTA membership number. We are doing this only for verification purposes and will be verified by Martha Hatcher, our VEA Office Manager.  This information will be removed from the survey prior to giving it to the calendar committee.
Hard copies of the survey should be given to your VEA Site Rep no later than October 10th. Site Reps should bring any completed surveys to the Rep Council meeting on October 10th.
Evaluations
Unit members who were supposed to be evaluated for this school year should have received notification by this past Friday. If your site administrator failed to notify you in writing that you would be evaluated by this date, you do not have to agree to be evaluated for this school year.
Selecting Objectives – Evaluation Process
  • Unit members who are under Process A: No later than October 15th, the unit member and the evaluator jointly select three objectives from the “California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP).” If the unit member and evaluator cannot agree on the three objectives, the unit member and evaluator each select two objectives for a total of four objectives.
  • Unit members who are under Process B: No later than October 15th, the unit member and the evaluator jointly select one objective from the CSTP’s. If the unit member and the evaluator cannot agree on one objective, then each select one objective for a total of two objectives.
  • Your objective(s) should not be the whole standard. For example, if I am choosing Standard 2, I could select 2-4, which states that my plan will be about “establishing and maintaining standards for student behavior.” From this objective, my evaluator and I would develop a plan as to what they expect to see and what I will do in order to reach this objective.
Important Points to keep in mind
What has been reported to VEA numerous times in the past few years is that some site administrators present a completed plan to members. This is NOT how the process is supposed to work.
  • This is YOUR evaluation to help you develop as a teacher.
  • Your plan should not be identical to your colleagues.
  • Unit members can do one of two things if there is a dispute regarding their evaluation plan:
    • 1. Sign but add a note that you are objecting to the plan and will file grievance. Do this right next to your signature and date it.
    • 2. Do not sign it and inform your evaluator that you plan to file a grievance.
  • If the objective selected does not require an observation, you do not need to agree to have observations as part of your evaluation plan.
    • This does not mean that your site administrator cannot come in to observe you.
    • It does mean that no observation and/or walkthrough can be used in your final evaluation report.
    • As always, document any time an administrator is in your room and ask for a copy of anything that is written.
Here is a copy of the CSTP’s (quick guide).

Important VEA Updates

Class Sizes
Per Article 10.2.1, site managers have 10 student days to adjust class sizes or caseloads. On the 11th student day, members start notifying their managers if they continue to be over. Payment for overages begin on the 11 student day, however, site managers have an additional five student days to bring class size or caseloads into compliance with the contract.

Evaluations
Per Article 11.3 – unit members need to be notified no later than the 3rd Friday of September that they are to be evaluated.

Process A
If you are probationary, received an unsatisfactory evaluation or were moved from Process B to A at the end of the school year (last year), you will jointly select 3 objectives from the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP’s). Please remember – the process is to jointly select 3 objectives – not have your site administrator select 3 whole standards.

If an agreement cannot be reached on the 3 objectives between the unit member and the site manager , the unit member selects two objectives and the site manager selects two objectives for a total of 4 objectives evaluated.

Process B
If you are permanent status, you will jointly select one objective from CSTP’s. Again, this should not be the WHOLE standard, rather it should be an objective from the standard itself.

If an agreement cannot be reached on the objectives between the unit member and the site manager , the unit member selects 1 objective and the site manager selects 1 objective for a total of 2 objectives evaluated.

Under both Process A and B – unit members need to meet with their evaluator no later than October 15th to select the objective(s).

Note:
Anything you sign on your evaluation plan, you are agreeing to be evaluated on. It is important to be actively engaged in this process. This is YOUR evaluation plan to help support YOUR practice.

Confidentiality Form
VEA supports the idea presented by the District on confidentiality. Our bottom line is and continues to be that confidentiality needs to be protected for our students and our members. Confidentiality is covered under Federal Law and State Law. We are in agreement that a form should be provided to members to remind them of the importance of confidentiality. We are in disagreement only on the language that is being provided to members.

We further believe that when it comes to the rights of our members, any changes that the District is proposing needs to be bargained with its bargaining units. Therefore, we are urging members to sign the attached form in lieu of the one provided by the District. We also believe that confidentiality is already codified as stated earlier and there may be some members who object to signing this form. Either way, we believe the decision to sign or not sign is up to each individual member and VEA will support the decision of each individual member.

Come get your VEA Swag!

VEA is pleased to announce the opening of our VEA Store – We Are Educators. We have a variety of items, including shirts (for men, women and babies!), mugs, skins for your computers and a host of other items.

You can buy your VEA swag by going to our VEA Store. VEA earns a small profit on each item sold. These proceeds will go to our VEA College Scholarships for the children of our VEA members.

Visit the store and buy your VEA swag now!

Remember, VEA wears VEA Blue on Thursdays!

Your Safety is Protected per our contract and ed code

Members,
Please keep in mind that the VCUSD/VEA Collective Bargaining Agreement has specific information about your safety in the classroom.

Per Article 9:
Per 9.1 of the VEA/VCUSD Contract – Each school site shall develop rules for student conduct & discipline.
9.1.1 – These rules & your responsibilities are supposed to be reviewed annually.
9.1.2 – School sites are supposed to provide a copy of these rules & your responsibilities on the first work day of school year.
9.1.3 – School sites are supposed to discuss the rules & your responsibilities at the first staff meeting of the school year.
9.2.2 – Members can use reasonable force to protect themselves from an attack or to protect another person, to quell a physical disturbance or to obtain possession of weapons.

9.2.4 – ASSAULT Procedure
Unit members shall immediately report cases of assault suffered by them in connection with their employment to their principal or immediate supervisor, who shall immediately report the incidence to the police.

Per Article 13:
13.7 Unit members will be informed by the district of any student assigned to his/her class who, during the previous three years, engaged in criminal or disruptive conduct at school, while going to or coming from school or during a school sponsored activity.

13.8 Unit members may suspend any pupil fromhis/her class for the date of the suspension and the following day for any of the acts enumerated in Education Code 48900. The pupil shall not be returned to the class from which he or she was suspended during the period of the suspension without the concurrence of the teacher of the class & the principal.

13.9 At the beginning of the school year unit members will be informed of, but not limited to the following procedures:
Protocol for handling verbally or physically abusive students and/or parents.

Additionally, per the California Education Code:

48900.  A pupil shall not be suspended from school or recommended for expulsion, unless the superintendent or the principal of the school in which the pupil is enrolled determines that the pupil has committed an act as defined pursuant to any of subdivisions (a) to(r), inclusive:

(a) (1) Caused, attempted to cause, or threatened to cause physical injury to another person.

(2) Willfully used force or violence upon the person of another, except in self-defense.

(b) Possessed, sold, or otherwise furnished a firearm, knife, explosive, or other dangerous object . . .

(c) Unlawfully possessed, used, sold, or otherwise furnished, or been under the influence of, a controlled . . . an alcoholic beverage, or an intoxicant of any kind.

(d) Unlawfully offered, arranged, or negotiated to sell a controlled substance listed . . .

(e) Committed or attempted to commit robbery or extortion.

(f) Caused or attempted to cause damage to school property or private property.

(g) Stolen or attempted to steal school property or private property.

(h) Possessed or used tobacco, or products containing tobacco or nicotine products, including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, miniature cigars, clove cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, snuff, chew packets, and betel.

(i) Committed an obscene act or engaged in habitual profanity or vulgarity.

(j) Unlawfully possessed or unlawfully offered, arranged, or negotiated to sell drug paraphernalia . . .

(k) Disrupted school activities or otherwise willfully defied the valid authority of supervisors, teachers, administrators, school officials, or other school personnel engaged in the performance of their duties.

(l) Knowingly received stolen school property or private property.

(m) Possessed an imitation firearm.

(n) Committed or attempted to commit a sexual assault . . .

(o) Harassed, threatened, or intimidated a pupil who is a complaining witness or a witness in a school disciplinary proceeding . . .

(p) Unlawfully offered, arranged to sell, negotiated to sell, or sold the prescription drug Soma.

(q) Engaged in, or attempted to engage in, hazing.

(r) Engaged in an act of bullying, including, but not limited to,bullying committed by means of an electronic act  . . .

48900.4. In addition to the grounds specified in Sections 48900 and

48900.2, a pupil enrolled in any of grades 4 to 12, inclusive, may be suspended from school or recommended for expulsion if the superintendent or the principal of the school in which the pupil is enrolled determines that the pupil has intentionally engaged in harassment, threats, or intimidation, directed against school district personnel or pupils, that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to have the actual and reasonably expected effect of materially disrupting classwork, creating substantial disorder, and invading the rights of either school personnel or pupils by creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment.

48902.  (a) The principal of a school or the principal’s designee shall, prior to the suspension or expulsion of any pupil, notify the appropriate law enforcement authorities of the county or city in which the school is situated, of any acts of the pupil that may violate Section 245 of the Penal Code.

(e) The willful failure to make any report required by this section is an infraction punishable by a fine to be paid by the principal or principal’s designee who is responsible for the failure of not more than five hundred dollars ($500).

240.  An assault is an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present

ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another.

241.2.  (a) (1) When an assault is committed on school or park property against any person, the assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. (2) When a violation of this section is committed by a minor on school property, the court may, in addition to any other fine, sentence, or as a condition of probation, order the minor to attend counseling as deemed appropriate by the court at the expense of the minor’s parents. The court shall take into consideration the ability of the minor’s parents to pay, however, no minor shall be relieved of attending counseling because of the minor’s parents’ inability to pay for the counseling imposed by this section.

245.  (a) (1) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another with a deadly weapon or instrument other than a firearm or by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, or in a county jail for not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.

VEA Breakfast a HUGE Success!!

On behalf of the Vallejo Education Association (VEA), I want to thank all of the members who showed up to VEA’s first event of the year, our VEA Breakfast. We had about 200 people attend, eat food, hang out with colleagues and receive great information, including the President’s Report, linked below. On the second page of the President’s Report is contact information for the VEA Executive Board.

A couple of reminders! Our first Rep Council meeting is on Thursday, August 29th, at the VHS-South Campus in the library (the South Campus is the former Vallejo Middle School campus). It is from 4 to 6 p.m. Our next social event is our Chevy’s Social on September 9thfrom 3:30 to 6 p.m. If you have a smart phone, you can subscribe to our VEA calendar from this website.

Again, thank you to all who showed up today. I really do appreciate all that you do on behalf of the Vallejo Community by educating Vallejo’s Future!

Remember VEA is a member driven organization and YOU are VEA!

Your colleague,
Christal Watts
VEA President

Open Enrollment for Catastrophic Leave starts NOW!

VEA members are able to donate their personal leave days to the catastrophic leave bank for members who are may be fighting a serious illness or other helping a loved one who is seriously ill.

Open enrollment for VEA’s Catastrophic Leave Bank starts now. Members can donate a day or more of personal leave to the bank. If you are already enrolled, you do not need to re-enroll again this year. A day of your persona leave will be automatically donated to the bank each year until you withdraw from the program.

If this is your first year in the District, you do not need to donate to the bank. You may also qualify to withdraw from the bank if this is your first year in the District. If this is your second year or more, you need to donate to the bank in order to qualify to withdraw from it.

Please see the attached forms for more information.

(Special thanks to Christine McGiffert in the VCUSD HR Department for sending this information out!)

Proceed with caution – Do NOT sign! (updated)

VCUSD plans to unveil a “confidentiality” form that teachers may be asked to sign upon returning to school this week. VEA believes that confidentiality of student information is a vital interest that must be protected. However, VEA has serious concerns about the ambiguity of this form and plans to urge the District to meet with VEA leadership to discuss concerns expressed.

We are urging all VEA members to not sign the confidentiality form (which may be labeled “certificate”) until this matter has been settled.

It is our understanding that school sites may roll this out tomorrow. We have met with the District to express our concerns with the confidentiality form. We have requested that the form is modified to include language that any disciplinary action must follow due process as defined by the California Education Code. We have further asked that the Board Policies (BP) referenced in the agreement is attached to the agreement.

We are again requesting that this form NOT be signed unless the two items requested above are in the form provided to members. We are encouraging members to speak to their site manager about this concern and ask that everyone remember that they are just the messenger.

Algebra Success Academy to come to Vallejo!

VEA is excited to announce an exciting partnership between VEA and VCUSD (with support from CTA). We will be launching the Algebra Success Academy in the 2013-14 school year. Teachers will be provided with training on the Algebra Success Academy model and then will be able to use what they have learned directly into their classrooms.

The training is open to all teachers working in VCUSD, however, it is generally geared towards those teaching grade 2 through 6th grade. Each teacher attending will be provided with a stipend. Trainings are on Wednesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. and running from August 21st to September 25th. Dinner will be provided by VCUSD.

Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Food to Grow On

VEA is very proud of the work being done by VEA members and teachers Lynece Edwards and Charla Yakabe. Their program called, “Food to Grow On,” seeks to educate 5th and 6th grade students about where food comes from (with visits to local farms), to tasting and cooking with different locally grown food, and making healthy food choices.

Watch the video to learn more!

Food to Grow On

VEA Membership Breakfast

VEA is hosting a Membership Breakfast on August 16, 2013 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. VEA plans to serve a variety of continental breakfast items, such as bagels, muffins, and fruit as well as coffee, juices and water. Members will also be provided with the latest bargaining update and upcoming VEA events. Come and get some VEA swag and be entered into winning a drawing to have your 2013-14 VEA Local Dues (a value of approximately $145) paid by VEA*.

This will also be an opportunity for VEA members to meet their Executive Officers. Christal Watts, VEA President, plans to speak at 8:30 about VEA’s goals for the 2013-14 school year.

We look forward to welcoming everyone, new and veteran, to our District.

Where: VHS – South Campus Multipurpose Room (across the street from the Main Campus)

Click the link below for more info:
VEA Breakfast Agenda

*Must be a VEA unit member and must attend the breakfast to be eligible to win.