Current Executive Board Update

COMMITTEE REPORTS

ARC (Appraisal Review Committee): First meeting September 18.  The new OTES handbook is posted on the district website as well as chtu.org. (link from here)

COMMUNITY IN SCHOOLS TASK FORCE:  Next meeting September 13.

CUYAHOGA COUNTY EDUCATORS SUMMIT – nothing new

COMMITTEE REPORTS

ARC (Appraisal Review Committee): Next meeting April 24 – need to discuss process of evaluations.  We believe the rubric should be available before the post-conference for an observation so that conversation can center around areas that may not have been rated with all of the information taken into account.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

ARC (Appraisal Review Committee): December 12 meeting cancelled.  Next meeting January 23.  Need to look at the intervention support program for second semester.

Cuyahoga County Educators Summit (CCES) – meeting planned for January 12.

DLT (District Leadership Team):  DLT Steering meeting is January 19.  DLT is February 1.

ER&D: Managing Anti-Social Behavior is running Wednesdays at Delisle.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

ARC (Appraisal Review Committee): Met October 24, but only 1 of 4 members of administration was present so we talked, but did not have a full meeting.  We discussed some of the results from the SLO survey the union compiled.  Next meeting Nov 21.

Cuyahoga County Educators Summit (CCES) – meeting planned for January 12.

DLT (District Leadership Team):  DLT Steering met November 4 to look at grade and discipline data.  DLT meets November 16.

ER&D: We are offering Managing Anti-Social Behavior, every Wednesday from January 4 to March 8 from 4:15 to 7:15.

INSURANCE: Met November 2.  Good flyer to become available about when to use ER, Urgent Care, versus Convenience Clinics.  Target pharmacies are in network since they were taken over by CVS.  Gender Dysphoria treatment will be covered.  Medical Marijuana will not.  Flexible Spending will be part of the online MMO tools (and uses a debit card).

MASTER TEACHER:  Info meeting Nov 9 from 4-5.  The committee will meet the second Monday of every month.

MOBILIZATION: 
Levy  - close to 90 members helped in some way for pass the levy!!  Thank you all.

October Service Project – Literacy.  Most buildings participated. Thank you.

November Service Project – Hat and glove drive.  There should be a coordinator in each building to collect items for distribution to students from the school who are in need.

RETIREMENT:  STRS is considering removing retiree healthcare until age 65 [Medicare].   The Health Care Advocates spoke at the last STRS Board meeting against this proposal.   Other ways are being considered which would reduce the subsidy while increasing premiums to cover increases from insurance carriers. 

SOCIAL:  Save the date – May 5 for our spring social at Nighttown.

SUMMIT: Met November 11.  We have decided to assign schools to pairs of summit members to give feedback to their TAP minutes.  Discussed investigations into an IB diploma program at the high school.  There is a November 21 overview where a few teachers will learn more.  We had a discussion about training that happens outside the normal work day/year.  We got an update on the science pilot and the lack of kits from one of the vendors.   Social Studies will be the next program to be piloted.  We discussed early childhood readiness and career readiness from the lens of the First Ring Collaborative.  We discussed the need for additional time for parent conferences at the elementary level, although this is a negotiation issue. 

TRANSITIONAL WORK PROGRAM:  Initial meeting was held October 31 to describe a program that encourages employees injured at the workplace that come back to work with physical restrictions the help and support they need to recover fully. 

1. Negotiations – Resume November 28 and 30

2. Heights Coalition for Public Education – Met October 19.
   
   1. January 19 - we will host a forum night.  Dr. Karl Wheatley will present.
   2. Education Inc. – we are trying to find some people to coordinate a showing of this movie.
   3. Charter Walk -  we would like to talk to families that have chosen to send their students to charter schools and give them information so they will consider attending our schools next year.  Teachers partnered with other community members would be ideal for this project.

3. Listening Project 2016-17  - probably starting after winter break.  Rego and Frost will organize training and recruitment.

4. Grievance:  Summer Training – We have resolved the summer training grievance with a payment of $250 for each of the 7 members who attended without compensation before going to step 3 in the grievance process.  The Board admits no wrongdoing in this non-precedent setting settlement.

5. Grievance: Extra Assignment – A grievance filed on October 6, 2016 on behalf of a member who does not have proper planning time.  We have been questioning this issue since August 30.  The member’s planning time was restored immediately.  We then asked and received payment for the member’s extra time already performed.

6. Grievance:  Personnel files – a grievance has been filed on November 15, 2016 because the Assistant Superintendent of HR and Operations has placed materials in personnel files in a manner that does not comport with the contract.

7. Fact-Findings  -
   
   1. Several members were given notice of fact-findings for alleged violation of the use of personal leave around the Jewish Holiday.  At least two should have been sick leave.
   2. A member had a fact-finding about concerns rising from complaints about the member’s supervision of students.  The member received a written warning.
   3. A monitor was questioned about several incidents from principals and underwent three fact-findings.  The monitor received a written warning from the account of one principal and no disposition from the other two incidents.
   4. A member was placed on administrative leave for allegedly using physical restraint on a student when it was not necessary.  We met October 13. The monitor was suspended for 3 days without pay, moved to another building, and is being scheduled to receive professional development on de-escalation.
   5. A teacher is being put on an improvement plan related to a disciplinary issue from last year.  We contend that the discipline given should have completed the issue and that further action is beyond what we agreed upon.  Discipline from one year showing up as evaluation the next is inappropriate. We met November 4 and the principal determined that she could not help the teacher and that the teacher should be put on the district’s intervention plan.
   6. Four monitors were brought before a fact-finding on October 27 to determine where they were during a student sexual assault.  No disposition.
   7. A tenured Intervention Specialist who is on an intervention plan had a fact-finding November 3 on grounds that the member is unprepared for class because no plans are left when the member is absent, not using district curricular materials, and allowing too many break periods during transitions.  Awaiting a disposition.
   8. A member was told to either redo a full observation cycle or take an “ineffective” rating for one area concerning data.  We are considering our options.
   9. A teacher is being called into a fact-finding November 18 regarding parent complaints.
   10. A member is being called into a fact-finding on November 16 because the member did not disclose 3 misdemeanor tickets that he received 20 to 25 years ago.  The member believed these were traffic-type tickets and therefore not necessary to report.

8. Roxboro MS Concern – Staff is being required to progress monitor students beyond the TBT process. President Klein is awaiting informal discussions with administration before filing.  We discussed in Summit.  Sandy Womack discussed with Principal Lackey who then reported that 90% of the staff is OK with this work.  About 25 teachers attended a union meeting on November 1 and asked for a CHTU survey to be sent to the staff to get more information.  The survey runs through Tuesday, November 22.

9. Licensure issue – a member was awaiting the ODE office of professional conduct to decide on the member’s license renewal since in summer of 2015 the member had been cited out of state for a misdemeanor.  The member started the year on long term sub pay since the member did not have a license at this time.  On October 28 ODE agreed to issue a license with a consent agreement.  The member, along with our legal counsel, wanted to make the consent agreement more reasonable, but the HR Director was unwilling to grant a 2 week extension and threatened to terminate the member.  President Klein appealed to the Superintendent about the situation since the delays involved in this case are not of the member’s making.  The Superintendent met with the HR Director and the board’s legal counsel and issued an extension at 4:11 pm on Friday, November 4.  Having not heard of the extension, the member had to agree to the original consent agreement at 4:06 since the ODE could still issue a license that day.  The ODE has agreed to consider an amendment to the consent agreement at their November 17 meeting, even though this is not their regular way of doing business.  The teacher’s license and regular pay was restored November 9, but unfortunately, the payroll department had been paying incorrectly since the second pay, so the member now owes money back to the district.

10. Louisville Teachers Strike – We have sent money to the strike fund and have encouraged members to do the same through our office.