CHTU Updates

Dear Colleagues,
Hopefully, you are enjoying a change of pace now that it is summer.

A few updates:

- Middle school teachers will have their normal day shifted to 7:45-3:15.  In our new contract this is allowable since we were notified by July 1.  We don't know if the student day has shifted as well.

- Members who have STRS years available to buy should certify those years by December 31, 2013 and pay them by June 30, 2014.  The rates may be two to four times higher afterwards.

- The first pay will be September 6.  Remember this pay will include a raise but look like less money since we are moving

Dear Colleagues,
Many of us might be scratching our heads around the recent series in the Plain Dealer around the wonders of value-added.  Education expert Diane Ravitch calls it like it is in the short post below.  Or follow her at:  http://dianeravitch.net/2013/06/17/ohio-teachers-subjected-to-junk-science-ratings/
Fraternally,
Ari Klein
CHTU President
 

Now it is teachers in Ohio that have been rated by a secret value-added formula.

Teachers in affluent schools were twice as likely to score well as those in low-income schools.

Here is the key language:

“The details of how the scores are calculated

I am required to report on the state of our Union on an annual basis and am able to report that our Union is in good health, we are financially stable, and have managed to transition to new leadership without gaps in services.  

One of our strengths continues to be in responding to member needs and advocating on their behalf.  Another is the people that serve in officer and steward positions representing members throughout the district.  Many members work tirelessly representing colleagues on numerous committees, the Executive Board of the Union, and some state federation committees. 

One of the big projects I have been involved in since January has been to determine what a Building Leadership Team is and who should be on it.  This has been the task of the District Leadership Team Steering Committee with the help of state facilitators.  Several buildings have already put together one version or another of this, but what we really need is consistency in purpose around the district.  I am certain the work you have started will not be lost, but perhaps redirected and focused with district goals. 

Members of the Steering Committee have completed most of this task, enough to

Dear Colleagues

As mentioned in previous updates, this year we are engaged in “Critical Issues Bargaining” with the District.   We decided, after going through the training, that it would be beneficial to schedule our sessions with a federal mediator present to keep us on track with this process so our meetings have been at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service office in Independence.  At this point the mediator is acting as a facilitator.  This is a free service.

In our first two sessions we framed our concerns in general terms and then began to examine them in more detail.  Some of

Dear Colleagues,
The crisis in Strongsville continues even though their district "found" $3.2 million dollars that the teachers have been telling them about since the beginning of this disaster.  Even though they are in week 8 and morale is low and their health coverage is at risk there are still very few teachers who have crossed their picket line.

The teachers are not asking for much.  For example, they are not asking for cost of living increases, they are asking for restoration of their step increases.  They were told that if they took on duties that the District would save money by not

At the Board of Education meeting on April 23rd there will be recommendations to lay-off around 40 of our members.  Some of these people will be needed immediately in different or new positions and will be brought back right away.  Some positions may be eliminated completely and the members who worked in those areas may not have a license that makes them eligible for another position.  Right now, Ohio law states that if the district does not lay off by April 30 then any teacher considered for layoff automatically receives a contract for the following school year (next year this date changes to