1 / 56

AEA New Members Luncheon

AEA New Members Luncheon. 2014-2015. Welcome!. Show of hands: First time teachers? 1 - 3 years? 4 -10 years? 11 - 20 years? Member of a union? Grew u p in a union household?. AEA. Representing Arlington teachers continuously since 1927 – 87 years!

xantha-dennis
Download Presentation

AEA New Members Luncheon

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. AEANew Members Luncheon 2014-2015

  2. Welcome! Show of hands: First time teachers? 1 - 3 years? 4 -10 years? 11 - 20 years? Member of a union? Grew up in a union household?

  3. AEA Representing Arlington teachers continuously since 1927 – 87 years! Arlington Education Association is proud to be the voice for teachers on issues like: • New Educator Evaluation System • High Expectations for Students • Professional Standards for Teachers • New Common Core Standards and PARCC Assessment System

  4. AEA at Work There are thousands of organizations in the fields of education and labor, but only ONE has the primary purpose of: • Improving your working conditions, benefits, and salary • Representing you and your interests in the workplace

  5. Executive Officers 2014-2015 President: Linda Hanson (K-8 Reading) 1st Vice President: Siobhan Foley (Grade 3 Classroom Teacher) Treasurer: Amy Duke (ACE Program - Ottoson Middle School) Secretary: Valerie Sarazen (Special Education Program - Arlington High School) I always wanted to be an executive!

  6. Building Representatives Arlington High School: Moira Byer, David Moore, Greg Slawson Ottoson Middle School: Judy Packer, Juli Keyes, Jason Levy Bishop: Annette Brubaker, Liz Higgins Brackett: Diane Vergnani Dallin: Jill Connor, Sarah Bedo Hardy: Deb Pielich, Laura Gregg Peirce: Laura Goldstein Stratton: Amy Lees Thompson: Allie Marsh Preschool: Elisabeth Hagen

  7. Take Your Turn! • Just like with PTO and School Council, ALL teachers should plan to do a 2 year rotation as a building representative once you have achieved PTS – Professional Teacher Status

  8. Communication • Weekly AEA Updates through home e-mail • Only one e-mail a week!

  9. AEA Website Webmaster: Rebecca Bell www.arlington.massteacher.org Loaded with Information: New Member PowerPoint Contract and Salary Bylaws AEF Grant Information Useful Forms AEA #1 Union!!!

  10. www.arlington.massteacher.org

  11. Membership Issues • Don’t receive MTA card • Need to update your membership (name change, return from a leave) • Link on AEA website • Val is your gal! August 4-7, 2014

  12. Importance of MTA Card Your Individual ID# gives you access to: • MTA Members Only website area • Take Advantage of MTA Benefits • On-line Secure Voting • Activate your card: www.massteacher.org/benefits

  13. MTA Benefits Discounts

  14. Active Membership! 12% of members involved in committee work

  15. AEA Committees • Sick Leave Bank • Educator Evaluation Committee • Superintendent’s Advisory Committee • Negotiation Committee • Professional Development • Readiness for Online Assessments This is where the work gets done!!

  16. New Contract • Ratified 3-Year Contract: 2012-2015 • Pay Scale COLA increases 2.5%, 2%, 2% (+ steps) • Ratified the Arlington Effective Educator Development System (Evaluation) in May 2014

  17. Contract Campaign • 2014-2015 Contract Negotiations • Listening Forums in every building

  18. Benefits at a Glance • 15 Sick Days • 2 Personal Days – use or lose! • 2+ Professional Days • Special Education Liaisons and Therapists: 2 days during school year for report writing etc…

  19. Religious Observation Absences are allowed for religious holy days when your religious beliefs require an absence from school. • Not deducted from personal/sick days • Advance notice required (48 hours)

  20. Sick Bank • For members who have exhausted their own sick leave and who have a serious illness • Every member deposits one day in the sick bank as of first day of employment in APS • Grant from sick bank of up to 30 days • Sick Bank Committee in charge of processing requests according to criteria in the contract

  21. Other Types of Leave • Bereavement • Maternity • Sabbatical • Military • Parenting/Adoption Details are in the contract. . . . . .

  22. Temporary Absences • AESOP System for reporting all absences • Paper “Temporary Absence Form” may or may not be required, stay tuned … • Fill out and submit to principal • 48 hour advance notice except in emergency

  23. These Are Sensitive Times • Maintain professional boundaries at all times • No rides • Avoid touching • No closed door, one-on-one help sessions • Use school e-mail for professional purposes only, including communication with students and parents. • Use home e-mail for everything else, including communicating about personnel matters, association business or political views

  24. Thoughts on • You are now a public figure! • Only post what you would want your grandmother or superintendent to read/see • If you plan to set up a student group, create a new profile and keep it very businesslike (athletic teams and school clubs)

  25. Hazards of Wi-Fi • All communications from personal devices that use the district wi-fi network technically pass through the district server… • Use 3G or 4G to circumvent district server • Right to privacy in personal communications for a public school teacher still not settled • Like it or not, you are a role model!

  26. At the first sign of a problem… • No “dumb” questions • Come to the AEA • Get in touch with your Building Representative • The sooner the better • Weingarten Rights: an employee’s right to union representation at any meeting with the employer in which misconduct is being discussed or investigated. Weingarten was the name of the company in the US Supreme Court decision that defined these rights. But really, invite a Building Rep. “buddy” to any meeting for moral support.

  27. Your License – Your Responsibility • You can be let go immediately if you let your teaching license lapse. • There are no reminders, no second chances. • KNOW when your license needs to be renewed and when you need to upgradeit. • Get in touch with the AEA or Rob Spiegel, HR Director, with any questions.

  28. Fingerprint Mandate • ALL new teachers, secretaries, teaching assistants, interns, etc… • $35/$55 cost onnegotiation list

  29. New Educator Evaluation System Key to Success: • Be Proactive! • Communicate! • Advocate! • Monitor!

  30. Key Features • All teachers will participate in establishing their own goals with guidance from evaluators • All teachers will participate in collecting evidence • More frequent observations with feedback • Overall goals: • Increase capacity to meet student needs within a continuous improvement system • Provide for continuous growth and individualized professional development for teachers

  31. No Shame!! • Don’t be embarrassed about your evaluation! • Catch and address errors along the way • Contact a building rep. immediately with any concerns • Do not wait until the spring • Formative Assessment in February is an important check in time • Ask for specific feedback if a concern is raised: • What would proficient look like? • Who can I observe who does this really well? • Where can I go to learn more about that?

  32. Success! Make sure you know what success will look like!

  33. Grassroots Political Action! • Teachers across the nation are coming together to take action against toxic testing and corporate education “reforms” • We have the power of 113,000 MTA members who can vote and educate legislators and the public. • Become an LPAT member • Mary Cummings – Grassroots Coordinator • mcummings@massteacher.org • Val Sarazen – AEA Political Action Leader Teacherterritory.com – password and username “mtateacher”

  34. Anti-Union Sentiment • Wisconsin • Ohio • Indiana • Maine • Florida • Michigan We need all the help we can get to retain our collective voice in Massachusetts! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_United_States_public_employee_protests

  35. The Times Are Changing…

  36. Shift in Education Policy Making Evaluation RETELL DDM PARCC Common Core SGP/PPI

  37. Taking Charge of Issues(or making the best of tough times) • Health Insurance Reform: GIC + HRA • Pension Reform: MTA Co-Chaired Committee • New Mass. Educator Evaluator System • Student Performance is not a % of your evaluation • MTA provided extensive guidance in implementation • RETELL - $500 stipend

  38. What’s an HRA? Health Reimbursement Account • All co-pays of $100 or more reimbursed: Emergency Room, High-Tech Imaging, Inpatient/Outpatient Surgery • Out of Pocket Cap: $1,250/$2,500 • Forms on APS Website: Health/Dental Benefits – Health Reimbursement Form

  39. Important GIC Health Care Information If you select an HMO Limited Network Plan through the GIC, you MUST verify EVERY SINGLE REFERRAL to ensure that the specialist accepts your GIC HMO plan. • Don’t take your primary care doctor’s word for it • Don’t take the specialist office manager’s word for it • Go online and use the “covered specialists” search feature in the GIC online plan guides

  40. New MTA Leadership • President: Barbara Madeloni • Vice President: Janet Anderson

  41. MTA Resources www.massteacher.org MTA – Advocating Toolkits • Educator Evaluator • ELL Regulations • Revenue Toolkit • Track Mass. Legislation • Invest in Our Communities • Legislative Scorecard • Budget Spreadsheets

  42. NEA Leadershipwww.nea.org 3 million members! Largest professional organization in the country! President: Lily Eskelsen Garcia Vice President: Becky Pringle

  43. Don’t Be a Stranger! • Arlington Public Schools has a very collegial working environment • Talk to your Building Representative • Our goal is to help you do your best • If we all work together, we can do great things! • Please participate and let us know what you think and how we can help AEA is here to help!

  44. E-Mail Policy • We will sign you up for our weekly AEA updates unless you direct us not to • Blind copy • Effective, efficient way to communicate

  45. Questions so far?

  46. Why Support the AEA/MTA/NEA? • Seat at the Table • Local – Contract, Health Insurance Bargaining • State – Educator Evaluator System, Pension Reform, Charter School Policies • National – RTTT Funding, National Education Policies • We Have Your Back! • Due Process in Disciplinary or Termination Hearings • Legal Representation and Liability Protection • We Save You $$ • MTA Discount Group Life, Home, Auto Insurance and Mortgage Refinancing and Financial Services

  47. Teacher Voice in Education Policy Recent MTA Poll: “When it comes to improving public schools, whose opinion do you trust and value most?” • Teachers: 54% • Parents of School Age Children: 44% • Principals and Administrators: 31% • Business Leaders, such as Bill Gates: 9%

  48. AEA/MTA/NEA The local, state and national teachers’ organizations are your opportunity to influence policies and practices that shape your daily work life and the education field. We hope you will join us in using that voice!

  49. AEA-MTA-NEA • Arlington Education Association – Local Level • Mass. Teachers Association – State Level • National Teachers Association – National Level Full Time TeacherPart Time (50% or Less) AEA $133$66.50 MTA $489 $244.50 NEA $183 $103 TOTAL $805 $414

  50. Dues Payment Options • Payroll Deduction (vast majority) • Comes out 1st check of every month from November to June • Tax Deductible (check December pay stub for calendar year amount) • Cash Payer (small minority) • Total amount must be paid in full by Dec. 5

More Related