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!
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.
VEA members joined over 15 other organizations, including local churches, non-profits and labor, in the Common Ground Founding Convention held today at St. Patrick’s/St. Vincent’s in Vallejo, California. With almost 1,000 delegates present, community members were able to tell their stories regarding issues that concerned them to the over a dozen of local civic and political leaders in attendance.
We were thrilled to have our very own, CTA President Dean Vogel attend today’s event. We were also pleased to see VCUSD Vice President Tony Ubalde along with Superintendent Ramona Bishop.
While today’s convention was inspirational and energizing, VEA recognizes that this is just the first step in developing long-lasting positive change in our communities. Posted below is the tentative agenda that has been developed for the work of Common Ground in the upcoming months. We ask that if you are interested in making a difference, look at the list below and commit to attending at least one thing!
Homeless Teen Strategy Meeting
Thursday, August 22nd, 6 to 7:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church,
1600 Union Ave., Fairfield
“Ready for Reform” Immigration Gathering
Early Fall 2013 – Date/Time/Location TBD
Neighborhood and School Safety Strategy Meeting
Tuesday, October 8th, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Vincent Ferrer Memorial Center,
SW Corner of Sacramento and Florida Sts., Vallejo
Neighborhood and School Safety Neighborhood Walk
November 2013 – Exact date/Time/Location TBD
Common Ground in the News:
Below are the 2013 NEA-RA Election Results.
Christal Watts 207
Dave Henderson 145
Katherine “Cat” Catanzarite 121
Lynette Henley 115
Scott Heinecke 101
Danalyn Drane 82*
Teri Nutt 79*
Carol Bishop 41
Two people are currently running for CTA State spots for the NEA-RA. If one or both win and one or both give up their Local spots, then Danalyn Drane and Teri Nutt may also go as Local delegates.
We did not receive ballots from the following school sites:
Cave, Federal Terrace, Lincoln, Mare Island, Patterson, Hogan, and Bethel.
–from Marie McPherson, VEA Elections Chair
Congratulations to those who won spots for the RA! Expect more info from VEA about the process by May 2013. Feel free to contact Christal Watts, VEA President with any questions at [email protected].
The following VEA Executive Board positions are up for election. The position as well the name of the person currently in this position are posted below. ALL positions are two year terms, except the CTA State Council position, which is a 3 year term.
President – Christal Watts
Vice President – Dave Henderson
Secretary – Sue Levy
High School Director – Rob Raven
K-8 Director – Open
Elementary Director – Loree Tackmier
Elementary Director – Teri Nutt
Child Development/TK Director – Open
CTA State Council – Daly Jordan-Koch (termed out)
CTA State Council Rep – Alternate (2 positions – 1 year term)
The declaration of candidacy forms will be sent out to school sites the week of March 18th. These forms will be due in the VEA Office by April 11, 2013.
Below are the official election announcement and the Declaration of Candidacy forms which must be completed by those running for a VEA elected position.
The NEA Representative Assembly is scheduled to be in Atlanta, Georgia this summer from July 1st through July 6th. VEA covers the cost of this trip if you are elected to represent your colleagues in Vallejo. If you are interested in going to the NEA-RA, you will need to complete the “Declaration of Candidacy” form (below). This form is due no later than Tuesday, February 19, 2013.
The NEA-RA election is scheduled for March 1st through the 15th. The election will be held at school sites and ballots will need to be returned to the VEA Office on March 15th by 4:30 p.m.
In unanimous support of solidarity, the Vallejo Education Association adopted the following resolution in support of our Seattle union brothers and sisters who have taken a courageous step. Teachers in Seattle are refusing to give the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), their states standardized test.
Ask a Vallejo teacher how many tests they are required to give to your child, their student, in a given year. Now ask how much better the resources used on testing could be used to restore music, PE, and other programs that we have not seen in Vallejo for quite some time.
At what point do we start saying that enough is enough & stand up for what we know is right for our children, our students?
WHEREAS, our nation’s future well-being relies on a high-quality public education system that prepares all students for college, careers, citizenship and lifelong learning, and strengthens the nation’s social and economic well-being; and
WHEREAS, our nation’s school systems have been spending growing amounts of time, money and energy on high-stakes standardized testing, in which student performance on standardized tests is used to make major decisions affecting individual students, educators and schools; and
WHEREAS, the over-reliance on high-stakes standardized testing in state and federal accountability systems is undermining educational quality and equity in U.S. public schools by hampering educators’ efforts to focus on the broad range of learning experiences that promote the innovation, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and deep subject-matter knowledge that will allow students to thrive in a democracy and an increasingly global society and economy; and
WHEREAS, it is widely recognized that standardized testing is an inadequate and often unreliable measure of both student learning and educator effectiveness; and
WHEREAS, the over-emphasis on standardized testing has caused considerable collateral damage in too many schools, including narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, reducing love of learning, pushing students out of school, driving excellent teachers out of the profession, and undermining school climate; and
WHEREAS, high-stakes standardized testing has negative effects for students from all backgrounds, and especially for low-income students, English language learners, children of color, and those with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, the culture and structure of the systems in which students learn must change in order to foster engaging school experiences that promote joy in learning, depth of thought and breadth of knowledge for students; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Vallejo Education Association calls on the governor, state legislature and state education boards and administrators to reexamine public school accountability systems in this state, and to develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools; and
RESOLVED, that the Vallejo Education Association calls on the U.S. Congress and Administration to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as the “No Child Left Behind Act,” reduce the testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, and not mandate any fixed role for the use of student test scores in evaluating educators.
Teachers need to know that if a site administrator approaches you about changing a grade, they are breaking the law. This can be very intimidating for newer teachers, but know that the law is on your side.
According to California Education Code 49066, it states:
(a) When grades are given for any course of instruction taught in a school district, the grade given to each pupil shall be the grade determined by the teacher of the course and the determination of the pupil’s grade by the teacher, in the absence of clerical or mechanical mistake, fraud, bad faith, or incompetency, shall be final.
(b) The governing board of the school district and the superintendent of such district shall not order a pupil’s grade to be changed unless the teacher who determined such grade is, to the extent practicable, given an opportunity to state orally, in writing,or both, the reasons for which such grade was given and is, to the extent practicable, included in all discussions relating to the changing of such grade.
Teachers need to contact VEA immediately if your site administrator is pressuring you to change a grade.
Voting was held today for VEA unit members on a proposed calendar change. This calendar change was necessary in order to fully restore the 2012-13 Student/Teacher calendar. Ninety-five percent of the members who voted were in support of the calendar change.