Dear Colleagues,
Our September Executive Board meeting will be held at our office tomorrow, September 15, at 4:00 pm. The union office is located at the Coventry Peace Campus (2843 Washington Blvd). Executive Board meetings are open to all members of 795.
Did you take courses over the summer? If you have enough credits to advance up the salary schedule, the deadline to submit your transcripts to Human Resources is September 15 according to our contract. You will have another opportunity January 15 if you miss the fall deadline.
In Union,
Karen Rego
CHTU President
COMMITTEE REPORTS
ARC (Appraisal Review Committee): First meeting of the year is scheduled for October 4. Karen Rego, Tiffiny Underhile, Jen Bennett, and Lisa Stewart represent CHTU on the committee.
ER&D: Look for future class times.
DISCIPLINE (SCOC): The district has yet to schedule the first meeting.
INSURANCE: It’s very important to understand our benefits plan. If you are not on the Medical Mutual website you can click here to begin. This website will track your out of pocket expenses.
MOBILIZATION: October 15th from 4-7 is the annual Halloween Fest on Lee Rd. CHTU will pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters. If you are interested in passing out candy at this fun event please contact President Rego at krego@chtu.org.
OFT (Ohio Federation of Teachers):
Nearly all OFT members meet the employment eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. PSLF forgives the remaining balance on federal loans after a borrower makes 120 qualifying monthly payments while working for a qualifying employer. However, because of complex eligibility restrictions, implementation failures, and poor counseling given to borrowers, many borrowers have not received the credit they deserve for their public service.
In response to a lawsuit filed by AFT, the Department of Education agreed to a settlement that temporarily gives eligible borrowers an easier path to loan forgiveness. The temporary rules award credit for past payments which may not have previously counted toward PSLF qualifications.
To take advantage of these temporary rules, you must apply by Monday, October 31, 2022. You can’t wait until the last minute though, because you will need to submit verification of your employment history when you apply.
Sign up for the CHTU workshop September 21st at 4:00 pm on Zoom.
STRS News: Julie Sellers, President of Cincinnati Federation of Teachers and Elizabeth Jones were officially sworn in as STRS Board members.
SUMMIT: Our first summit is scheduled for Friday, September 16. On the agenda so far is a secondary conference schedule and Community Learning Centers update.
Grievances and Unfair Labor Practices:
An Administration/Union concern was filed on September 2 on behalf of the kindergarten teachers. They have an ongoing concern with the district's registration procedures, class sizes and kindergarten preparedness. We are awaiting a scheduled date for the AU concern.
A grievance was filed on September 2nd regarding charges to a teacher for computer damages. The computer “damages” were not the member’s fault, yet the member was charged over $300. The Union believes that the Board has mis-applied its policy (7530.03 Board Owned Communication Devices) resulting in bargaining unit members being wrongfully assessed. The Union is seeking refunds for all members who paid for damaged computers as a result of the mis-application of the Board’s policy.
Fact-Findings/Discipline
a) A member was called into a fact-finding for April 8 for alleged inadequate preparation for employee job responsibilities and lack of compliance with health or safety rules. The member was issued an 8-day suspension. A grievance was filed for excessive discipline, and the grievance was denied at Step 2. A mediation was held on September 6 which resulted in a satisfactory outcome for the member.
b) A member was called to a fact-finding on August 23 for alleged “Inappropriate and Offensive Conduct (non-criminal)” based on accusations made by a parent to the Ohio Department of Education, which resulted in the member’s license renewal being delayed by the ODE Office of Professional Conduct. We are awaiting disposition, which we believe should specify “no-finding”.
c) A member was placed on paid administrative leave on Friday, September 2nd for alleged inappropriate comments while alone in a closed classroom which were overheard by another staff member.