ESTA UPDATE
East Side Teachers Association/CTA/NEA 888 So. Capitol Ave San Jose, Ca 95127 September 3, 2002 Don McKell, President Julie Pratico, Vice Pres Carla Holtzclaw, Secretary Ralph Giannini, Treasurer mckelld@esuhsd.org fax: (408) 272-7569 voice: (408) 272-0601 website: www.EastSideTA.org
ASSEMBLY ENDORSES BOARD CANDIDATES
At its first meeting of the new school year, the ESTA Assembly voted overwhelmingly on August 28 to endorse the candidacies for election to the East Side Board of Trustees of incumbents Manuel Herrera and Patricia Martinez-Roach. The endorsement of Herrera's candidacy was unanimous. Discussion on the issue centered around the long history of supportive actions on the parts of both incumbents, most recently manifesting itself with their support for moving the district forward on a Parcel Tax issue. The endorsements are necessary steps in order for ESTA to apply for funding from CTA in furtherance of the campaigns. Herrera and Martinez-Roach are two of five candidates who have filed candidacy papers with the County for the three seats up for election in November. The remaining three candidates are: incumbent Jeff Ota, SJ City Councilman George Shirakawa, Jr., and Khanh Tran. ESTA's Political Action Committee (PAC), chaired by Vice President Julie Pratico, has tentatively set 4:00 p.m. on September 5 as the time the remaining candidates will be invited to interview for a possible endorsement for the third seat. Participation in ESTA's PAC interview and recommendation process is open to any interested ESTA member. Candidate availability is not confirmed at this writing, so call Julie (347-4177) for final confirmation of the date, time and place.
USE THAT DENTAL
The terms of our dental benefit, administered by Delta Dental, provide for a 70-80-90-100 graduated scale of coverage for a four-year period. During your first year in the program, covered dental benefits will be paid at 70%, second year is 80%, third year 90%, and 100% thereafter. You must use the dental benefit at least once during the calendar year to qualify to move to the higher band of coverage in the following year. So, if you are new to the district, make an effort to get yourself and each qualifying member of your family to visit a Delta dentist before December 31. If you do, you'll pop up into the 80% category on January 1. Smile.
ESTA STRATEGY
At some point, it just might occur that our collective patience for waiting for a salary settlement in contract talks will begin to run out. If that happens, our reactions may be influenced by the recommendations of our Strategy Committee. The next meeting of that group is set for today (September 3) at 4:00 p.m. at the Mt. Hamilton office. Any member with an interest or a point of view is welcome to attend. 2002/2003
DUES SUMMARY
ESTA collects dues from members in ten equal monthly installments. The majority of those funds are forwarded to either CTA or NEA as obligatory dues. An additional chunk is transmitted to the Mt. Hamilton UniServ as our share of those operating expenses. The table below shows the breakdown of these various amounts for bargaining unit members working more than 60%. entity 2001/02 2002/03 % change CTA 460.00 485.00 5.4% NEA 126.00 130.00 3.2% ESTA 207.00 213.00 3.9% Mt. Ham 42.00 63.00 50.0% annual totals 835.00 891.00 6.7% monthly total $83.50 $89.10 Q: Why the whopping increase in Mt. Hamilton? A: Starting about six years ago, the Mt. Ham Council began purposely deficit-spending to decrease its cash reserves, which were deemed to be too high. During the ensuing period, all costs continued to rise: labor, rent, insurance, equipment, and the rest. This year, the Council chose to adopt a budget that was very close to revenue-neutral. Q: How does ESTA determine its dues? A: A dozen years ago, ESTA adopted bylaws that set dues amounts at 0.7% (0.007) of the annual salary of a credentialed first-year teacher from two years prior. Q: How does CTA determine its dues? A: CTA State Council has adopted a policy which base annual dues increases on an index of the average statewide teachers' salary raises of the three previous years. Q: How does NEA determine its dues? A: I don't know.
HERRERA MONEY
Deputy Superintendent Bill Kugler has confirmed that the reimbursement program for certificated staff who spend personal funds on instructional supplies is available once again this year. Known in ESTA since its inception as Herrera Money - named for Board member Manuel Herrera who was instrumental in instituting it - the program provides up to $200 for every full time bargaining unit member to offset the costs of classroom supplies, equipment, and other material used for instruction. As in the past, individuals can pool their funding for items costing more than $200. Reimbursement paperwork will be handled through department chairpersons. Remember that items purchased even partially with district funds are not your property, and must remain in the district. If you think you'll want to take something home with you, or keep it after you leave the district, buy it with your own money. Then it's yours.
CLASS SIZE WAIVERS
Many years ago, ESTA and the District agreed to place limits on the number of students that can be enrolled in particular classes. As is the case with everything else in the contract, the class size language is there by mutual agreement. The opening of school has always placed a strain on the ability to bring every class within class size limits. By stipulated arbitrator's award the district has agreed to begin balancing class sizes no later than the seventh day of school (this year: 9/5), and to have completed the process by the seventeenth day of school (9/19). In that period of time and beyond, the district is obligated to make every effort to comply with the contract. This may include altering student schedules, closing/opening classes, making room changes, and transferring or hiring staff. One method often employed by local administration is to seek class size waivers from teachers. As before, let me remind you that you are not obligated to sign such waivers. There may be sound reasons for doing so, but no one should be pressured into signing. If you sign a waiver you relinquish your rights under the contract to exert any control over the size of that particular class for the entire semester. In addition, you will not be entitled to receive class size overage payments. Be especially wary if you are a new teacher. Make certain that any decision you make is your decision; consult with your more experienced colleagues and department chair before you sign any waivers. By the way, ESTA feels that entering a teacher's room in the midst of class to present a class size waiver for signature is a deplorable practice, made especially disagreeable when it is a student aide carrying the document on behalf of administration. Please report such occurrences, if they occur, to your ESTA Building President.
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
CTA's annual Region 1 Leadership Conference is set for September 20-22 (Fri eve thru Sun lunch) at Asilomar in Pacific Grove. This is a terrific opportunity to get up to date on breaking issues in California as they relate to the teaching profession. Topics generally include: credentialing, legal issues, new legislation, retirement, teacher rights, and more. There are still ESTA slots available, but you'll have to act quickly. Call Dorothy at Mt. Hamilton (272-0601) to get registered; first come, first served. You do not have to be an elected ESTA rep to attend. Absolute deadline to contact Dorothy is Wednesday, Sep 11.
BENEVOLENT ALLIANCE
As this year begins, several schools have made great strides in recruiting staff members to join BAESE, the Benevolent Alliance of East Side Employees. Principal's secretaries at every site received sufficient enrollment forms for all staff members last week. For a relatively painless and tax-deductible $3 per month, you can become a part of the financial safety net being put in place to assist district employees with unexpected financial emergencies. If you took an enrollment form earlier this year but haven't turned it in yet, please send it to me or bring it to your school librarian. If you became a member last year, there's no need to do it again. Membership is ongoing.
MEASURE G PROJECTS
Several years ago, the voters in this district passed a general obligation bond, known ever since as Measure A, to effect repairs and renovations at many of our older schools. With the exception of the new construction at EVHS, that money is pretty much spent. No doubt you are aware that the voters in this district more recently passed another bigger general obligation bond at the polls last March. The funding - many millions per year for ten years - was specifically earmarked for capital improvements at each of the comprehensive school sites, and Foothill, over the life of the bond. ESTA played a significant role in assisting with the campaign to pass the bond (Measure G) because: it was the right thing to do, its passage would help improve the conditions at our worksites, we were told we'd have a voice in how the money was spent. After hearing reports of plans being laid to begin spending the funds, I have three times now asked the members of the ESTA Assembly whether any of them remember ever being polled in any way at their school sites for input into the process. All I get are blank stares. So, before I go off and start making a fuss over yet another unfulfilled promise, I thought I'd ask our general membership the same questions. Can you remember being asked - in the past six months - for your opinions as to what big-ticket projects your school needs? Can you remember being asked to prioritize a list of projects as a means of deciding which ought to be done and in what order? Are you aware of any new projects in the offing for your site? If you can answer "yes" to any of these, please contact me. Use email, and let me know what project and what site you're referring to.
OPEN ENROLLMENT MONTH
Between now and September 30, employees in the district have the ability to switch between medical plans. Our choices haven't changed, and still include Kaiser HMO, Blue Cross HMO, and the district's PPO plan administered by UAS. Each plan has is supporters and detractors, and it's wise to ask around before making any decisions to change. For many, geography plays an important role: where you live may have an influence on the availability of physicians and services under each plan. To help with the issues, the district will sponsor a series of informative open enrollment sessions in the DO Lounge throughout the month. Specific dates are: September 5, 10, 24, and 30 between from 3:00 - 5:00 pm. In addition, a Health Benefits Fair is scheduled for 10 am - 5 pm in the DO Lounge on Wednesday, September 18. Reps from all fringe benefits providers, and more, will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the attributes of their particular offerings. Questions? Call Christina Rivera at 347-5141.
ESTA MEETING SCHEDULES
Dates for regularly-scheduled meetings of ESTA's two primary governing bodies for this upcoming year are as follows. Executive Board: 9/25, 10/23, 11/20, 12/18, 1/29, 2/28, 3/28, 4/30, 5/21, 6/4. Assembly: 9/11, 10/9, 11/6, 12/4, 1/15, 2/12, 3/12, 4/9, 5/7, 6/4. All members are welcome to attend all meetings of the ESTA Assembly.