Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back from a well deserved and very much needed spring break. I hope you are rejuvenated and energized for the final nine weeks of the school year.
Union Social
On April 21 from 4-6:30 we will host our Union Social at CLE Urban Winery, 2180 Lee Rd. You won’t want to miss out on this fun event, which will include door prizes, raffles, free food, and one free drink for each member. Please see this flier for all the information and respond by April 17th.
STRS
OFT is proud to have endorsed Berea Federation of Teachers member Pat Davidson. Pat has a positive vision for STRS that includes enhancing transparency and accountability, and fighting to put STRS in a better financial position so that STRS can restore the benefits that they’ve rolled back in recent years (an annual COLA for retirees and the ability for active members to retire with a full pension at 30 years). We feel that this is the role an STRS Board member should play, but too many members of the current board, including Pat’s opponent, are content with accepting STRS’s inability to restore benefits, and poor investment track record.
Please join me in voting for Pat Davidson by doing the following:
Keep an eye out for your official ballot which will arrive by US Mail..
As soon as you receive your ballot, either cast your vote immediately, or take a photo of your PIN so that you have it handy when you are able to vote.
You can vote by mail (postage is prepaid), by phone, or online.
If you don’t receive a ballot by Monday, April 10, or if you misplace or accidentally discard your ballot, you can still vote! Call 866-720-4357 to verify your information and vote, or send an email to: STRSOHHelp@electionservicescorp.com
Speak to your coworkers and make sure they also vote for Pat Davidson.
Public School Works
Today we received an email with more “required” Public Works Training. Besides the PD days set by our school calendar, the administration can also pull staff for PD but only in half day or full day sessions. In addition, the district can also assign up to 4 hours of PD per year during your normal work day with appropriate release time provided. There are no more PD days scheduled for the remainder of this school year. Some members completed some or all of Public Works PD on PD days, depending on how PD days were used in each building. If you have already completed 4 hours of PD during the normal work day, you cannot be required to complete more Public Works trainings this year, as there are no additional PD days on the calendar. If you have not reached the four hour limit of PD, you can be required to complete this new Public Works training with release time provided. The district will need to find a solution to this problem as it is a source of confusion.
Board Meeting
Tomorrow several Local 795 members will attend the Board of Education meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m. as a silent display of our strength and solidarity. As of right now we don’t plan on asking members to speak at this meeting. Why are we showing up? Our schools are not safe, and teachers more than ever do not understand what is expected of them to keep their students and themselves safe. Assaults on teachers are on the rise. We have many teachers being disciplined in reaction to dangerous situations caused by students. Our teachers should be celebrated, not disciplined when they help create a safe learning environment. Please plan to attend wearing your CHTU swag.
In Solidarity,
Karen Rego
CHTU President