Calendar of Events
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January 14, 2022
Hi all, In a terrible tragedy FMEA lost Hillary Lopez to a traffic accident in December. Hillary was a social worker at Franklin, and though she was only with us several months she made a huge contribution to the students and community at Franklin. There will be a memorial in Hillary's honor this coming Thursday at Franklin at 5:30pm. I know how stressful it has been returning to work in the middle of this Omicron peak. Between the risks of exposure and the challenges of staffing shortages this has been a very hectic week. I've had a lot of conversations with Juan Cruz, other administrators and board members to push for more support around COVID safety. A little progress has been made: It was decided today that all PD on January 31st will be virtual. Also the January 19th implicit bias (in-person) training has been postponed. This seemed like the obvious choice but I am still appreciative that administration didn't wait until the last minute to make this decision. The CDC and County have allowed COVID positive individuals to return after the shortened five-day window (counting from when symptoms started, not testing date), assuming a negative test at day five and diminishing symptoms. FMSD had originally stuck with the ten day quarantine but will move to five days starting next week. I'm not comfortable with this but the one area the district will be going beyond CDC and County measures is FMSD will require a PCR test and will not accept rapid tests for the five-day return. PCR tests are much more sensitive, and in many cases people will continue to test positive for longer than five-days. This will provide some added protection against a premature return, especially considering how inaccurate we have seen rapid tests are. All can return after ten days, even without a negative test, assuming no fever and diminishing symptoms. I know many of you would like to receive rapid tests from the district. The ones already received by the district are specifically meant for students, and the district has had trouble acquiring more, but it does look like they will be available for those who are close contacts to a positive case. Also more N95 masks have been received and should be available at sites next week, though it's only one per staff member for now. This week our board approved a retirement incentive (aka SERP) for this year. Like other years, anyone 55 years old with five or more years in the district can turn in your resignation letter by February 4th and will receive 65% of your salary as a bonus paid over five years. All those who qualify should receive this info directly from the district. If not enough people join the SERP it will be retracted and you can retract your resignation letter. There are two great CTA conferences coming up this month. The Issues Conference is in a week and the Good Teaching Conference is the weekend after that. Both are virtual, free and come with free university credit! Here's a link for more info: https://www.cta.org/conferences The NEA RA (Representative Assembly) will be held virtually this year, July 2nd-6th. Declarations to run as a State Delegate are due January 28th. I've attached a declaration of candidacy to this email. I know how hard this return has been.. Please use this long weekend to rest up and rejuvenate. Sincerely, Scott Shulimson FMEA President January 9, 2022 Hi all, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break and that your 2022 is off to a great start. Obviously concerns are running high as we return to school with COVID number spiking. I will do my best to summarize the most up to date information I have: Testing: The state distributed two rapid tests per student to all districts. Some parents have picked up these tests to test students at home, but most did not. Tomorrow principals will determine whether to distribute rapid tests to take home or to have students test at school. Younger children especially need help administering the tests and there may not be a workable way to support all of these students in testing tomorrow at school. The rapid tests are primarily for students, not for staff. The district will continue with testing at each site every other week and also offers daily testing at the D.O. from 8am-12am and 3-5pm. This is for both staff and students, so anyone who wants or needs a test due to exposure or general concern should be able to get tested. Distance Learning: Unlike last year, this year there is very little provision in the law for distance learning (DL). It is possible for the district to send a whole class home for a week or two of DL but generally FMSD does not do so unless more than half of a class is quarantined due to exposure. A couple districts like Milpitas have decided to go to DL for a week or two due to the number of staff who are out sick, but the County is applying a lot of pressure against such decisions and in general there is a lot of pressure to keep schools open for in-person instruction. Paid COVID Leave: California legislators have extended one form of paid COVID leave (Cal OSHA ETS). This means teachers don't have to use sick leave due to exposure to COVID, but this doesn't apply if it is clear that you were exposed away from the workplace. While the CDC has shortened the quarantine to five days for vaccinated people with COVID, the County is recommending that districts stay with the ten day quarantine. FMSD is still looking at this issue but for now is sticking with the ten day rule. Air Filters: The district committed to changing the classroom MERV-13 filters every three months. All were changed to start the year and most have now been replaced, but the district vendor ran out prior to Lairon, Stonegate and the D.O. getting replaced. The district is trying to source the filters to finish the replacements and principals are supposed to get an update this week. Masks: The district is still providing surgical masks to all teachers. KN95 masks had been provided upon request but it does not look like the the requests will necessarily be fulfilled moving forward. It is understandable that there is so much concern about our return tomorrow. Feel free to send your questions and concerns my way and I'll do my best to get you a speedy response. Let's make it a healthy and safe 2022! Scott Shulimson December 17, 2021 Hi FMEA members, After a challenging several months the holidays are here! It's getting hard to recall a time we weren't being impacted by COVID, and now with the Omicron variant we have to be prepared for another spike in cases. However it's very unlikely that whole school districts will ever return to distance learning due to COVID. As things stand now it appears that other than religious and medical exemptions, all students and staff will have to be fully vaccinated beginning next school year. At one point the vaccination requirement was possibly going into effect January 1 but time has pretty much run out for that option, so it will almost definitely go into effect over the summer. We have added two new members to the FMEA Bargaining Team: Loari Bioletto from Windmill Springs and Tony Gianotti from Sylvandale are now on the team and join Edgar Quiroz-Medrano from Dahl, and Bargaining Chair, Alie Victorine from Windmill Springs. CTA Staff, Kris Clarke, and myself are also on the team. Our first bargaining date is January 20th and we are optimistic that this will be another successful round of bargaining. I know this year has been as challenging and stressful as any, so I truly hope you are able to take the next three weeks to do those things that nourish you and recharge your battery for 2022! Feel free to get in touch over the break if you have any questions, concerns or ideas you want to discuss. See you next year! Scott Shulimson December 3, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Below are highlights from this week's FMEA Rep Council: 1. COVID vaccinations will be required for all students and staff in the coming months. Most likely this mandate will not go into effect until July, but it is still possible that this will be implemented January 1. The only option for unvaccinated employees will be a religious exemption. I am still waiting for more information on the vaccine requirement and timeline, and will share as soon as I have more details. 2. The Mt Hamilton CTA office that FMEA has worked out of for over two decades will be dissolving in September. The office switched buildings several years ago but now the entire affiliation (known as a "uniserv") will be dissolving. Overall this will have very little impact on FMEA members. We will still have access to all CTA support and resources, as well as all legal support. But there will no longer be a local office for office and meeting space. Eight of the nine Mt Hamilton local chapters (including FMEA) have voted to leave the Uniserv, and CTA will soon be voting to officially dissolve the Uniserv, beginning September 1. 3. The FMEA bargaining team begins meeting next week to prepare for this round of bargaining. The state budget appears to be strong once again, so hopefully we will again be able to bargain a fair raise that is retroactive to the beginning of this school year. The entire contract will be open so we also be attempting to strengthen contract language in Hours, Leaves and other articles. Our first bargaining date is January 20th. 4. As you probably know the district is requiring all employees to go through an anti-bias training this year. I'm told that at a technical and practical level this training doesn't work virtually, so the only option being offered is in person. I have had many conversations with Juan Cruz about it and it does not seem likely this requirement will change. 5. CTA's New Educator Weekend conference will be virtual again this year. It will be offered December 9th-12th. This conference is highly recommended for new educators, and all details can be found here: https://www.cta.org/event/new-educator-weekend-2021-december Details for all CTA conferences can be found here: https://www.cta.org/conferences 6. Alum Rock teachers are in the middle of a bargaining crisis. They are holding a holiday vigil this coming Wednesday. See attached flyer for details if you want to support our Alum Rock colleagues. Have a great weekend! Scott Shulimson November 17, 2021 Hi FMEA members, If you haven't yet taken the FMEA bargaining survey please do so by this Sunday, November 21st. Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RJ5KCXQ For those of you who received notice from the county that they overpaid you, my recommendation is that you email them back at dloo@sccoe.org to clarify how you want to repay this money. The County will deduct this amount directly from your paycheck, but cannot do so without your approval. For those who don't respond to the County, they will likely pursue the matter further, because without recouping the overpayment it can be seen as an illegal gift of taxpayer money. You do get to negotiate the timetable you want to repay the money, but if it goes on beyond this calendar year there may be more tax complications, so the simplest thing is to have them take the money out of the next one or two paychecks. Now that the CDC has approved COVID vaccinations for children ages 5 and up, the California mandate for student vaccination will be implemented. This may happen as soon as January 1st. When the student mandate goes into place, California teachers will be required to be fully vaccinated, and weekly testing will no longer be an option. If this doesn't go into effect January 1st it will go into effect July 1st. Changes are afoot with the Mt Hamilton CTA office. Several years ago the old building burned down, and since then costs have skyrocketed. It's possible the office will be closing, though all CTA member will continue to have access to CTA staff, legal support, and all other CTA member benefits and services we rely on. You can still enroll in disability insurance with all preexisting conditions covered through The Standard. There is a virtual group meeting tomorrow. All details are at the bottom of this email (below the California Casualty info). CTA-endorsed vendor, California Casualty will be raffling off three $50 gift cards for those who enter the raffle by tomorrow evening. Details are below and a flyer is attached regarding their home and auto insurance policies. Scott Shulimson November 8, 2021 Hi FMEA members, The majority of you recently received notice that the County made an overpayment in October and now wants you to pay this amount back. This is true and not a scam. My understanding is that every month CalSTRS is deducted from our pay for any extra work we do, and this deduction is generally a bit more than actually due. Then there is an annual refund in our October paycheck for this CalSTRS "overpayment". Though FMSD is our employer, our paychecks are prepared by the County Office Of Ed, and they made an error in our district and two others last month when they issued this year's annual CalSTRS refund for this extra work. The error was that they refunded not just the amount due to the employee but also the employer amount. Technically the County and district can't legally take this directly from your paycheck as is implied in the letter many of you received. However I do recommend that you pay back the amount owed. But you don't have to agree to pay it back in one or two months as the County has requested. You can dictate the timeline that works best for you, but again this is money that they did overpay you, so it makes sense to pay it back. Lastly, when the County first sent this out they apparently got the receivers mixed up, so many of you have received a letter addressed to someone else. Double check that you are the correct recipient. Feel free to email or call me if you have specific questions or concerns. I have requested a meeting with the County payroll office to get more information such as how to verify that the amount they say is owed is accurate. But for now I've shared with you all I know. Best, Scott Shulimson October 29, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Here are highlights from this week's Rep Council meeting: 1. Bargaining: FMEA has added Loari Bioletto to the team! We still have room for more additions so let me know i you are interested. Also please take the new FMEA bargaining survey in the next week using this link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RJ5KCXQ 2. Though the strongest COVID leave has expired there is still something called the Cal OSHA "ETS" for those who get COVID or have to quarantine. ETS offers 80 hours of leave, but does not apply if the district can prove you were exposed away from work. Attached is a doc with specifics. 3. The district has clarified what the modified cleaning expectations are: All student desks should be wiped down weekly by custodial staff, and rooms where students share desks should be sprayed with disinfectant daily. Also, rooms should be completely vacuumed weekly, and messy spot clean up should happen daily. If you don't think your room is getting this minimal level of cleaning let me know. 4. CTA is offering a virtual SPED conference next weekend. The conference is free to CTA members and includes free university credit to those who attend. Here's a link with all details: https://www.cta.org/event/2021-fall-special-education-conference-home-edition 5. The CTA-endorsed insurance company "The Standard" is offering disability insurance open enrollment covering all preexisting conditions. This offer goes through the end of November and is a great opportunity, especially for the dozen of you who attempted to sign up last year. Usually preexisting conditions are not covered. See attached flyer with all details. 6. Another CTA-endorsed company, California Casualty, is offering direct grants to teachers. The attachment below links to applications for the grants, and a second attachment has details on their home and car insurance. 7. The CTA Human Rights Dept is offering a virtual anti-racism training over the next two months. There's an attachment with all details. Let me know if you're interested in participating. That's all for now. Have a great spooky and safe weekend! Best, Scott Shulimson FMEA President October 8, 2021 Hi all, 1. Attached is the first edition of our FMEA newsletter since COVID, and the first edition under its new name "The FMEA Beacon." Thank you to our newsletter editor, Brenna Mora Rodriquez. 2. The state's COVID leave has now expired but there is still paid leave through Cal Osha's Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). There are some differences since now you aren't covered if the district can prove you were exposed away from work, and it no longer covers taking care of family members exposed to COVID. But you should not have to use sick leave if you are exposed at work and have to quarantine. 3. There is good news regarding disability insurance: The CTA-endorsed group, The Standard, is going to be offering all CTA members the option to join with all pre-existing conditions covered. This open enrollment will begin in the coming weeks and I will be sending out more info. Keep in mind that California teachers do not pay into state disability so you have to opt in to a plan if you want disability insurance. 4. The results of the online voting for FMEA Executive Board Secretary are in. Congratulations to our new FMEA Secretary Tuan-Anh Huynh from Sylvandale! Tuan-Anh Huynh: 115 Anastasia Nguyen (write in): 1 This has been a challenging and stressful start to the school year, but COVID is on the decline and most sites appear to be improving at following safety protocols. I hope you have a restful, rejuvenating break, and perhaps things will be a little better when we get back. Scott Shulimson September 24, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Thank you for your continued dedication and perseverance through this uniquely challenging year. Whether it's COVID, lack of subs, lack of paras or any other of the challenges we face this year, I know the last six weeks have been difficult. Please continue to reach out to me with any questions or concerns that I can help with. Below are highlights from this week's FMEA Rep Council. 1. COVID Protocols: There continues to be a lot of confusion about procedures. Negative tests are required for any student who had any COVID symptoms, if they want to return without a 10 day quarantine. These negative tests go to the front office. It is the principal and secretaries that are in charge of ensuring that students do not return without a negative test. Keep in mind that only one COVID symptom is necessary for a student to go home or stay home from school (note: runny nose is no longer a symptom). 2. FMEA is looking for members for the Bargaining Team. There will be a bargaining survey in the coming weeks and bargaining will begin in December. 3. For middle school teachers it is optional to sub during prep beyond three times a year. A new MOU (memorandum of understanding) is going to include payment of 2.5 x the hourly rate of $46 for all middle school teachers subbing during prep beyond the first three times. 7th and 8th grade teachers at K-8s are not guaranteed a prep, but because it generally has been expected that they receive a prep, there will likely be compensation if you have to give up your prep beyond three times, so for now document whenever it happens. 4. On Monday, October 4th, at 4pm, all of you who are brand new to the district are invited to a virtual FMEA meeting to welcome you to the district, and to discuss some things that are good to know about being new to FMSD. There will also be discussions about how FMEA can support you, and time for answering questions. I will also be emailing new staff directly. Here is the Zoom link: https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/87020483024?pwd=SG9pK2JxOHBwMzEvY2FPOUJ0TXl1Zz09 5. FMEA has received one candidate for the open Secretary position on our Executive Board. We will vote electronically, and you will receive your ballot at your district email. If you don't receive it by the end of next week let me know. 6. Reminder: Evaluations are optional for all permanent staff this year. Have a great weekend! September 10, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Thanks for hanging in there through a very challenging start to the year. There have been a lot of COVID positives and close contacts. The district policies seemed to be inconsistently followed at first, but it appears that sites are now mostly following the correct protocols. Students should not be at school if they have any COVID symptoms, whether they arrive with them or develop them during the day (note: the County has removed runny nose from the list of symptoms). When there is a positive at a site, the policy is now for all staff and parents to be notified. If you have questions or concerns about your site's COVID procedures let me know. For classes that are over class size caps, (24:1 in K-3 and 32:1 in 4-8) you begin collecting floating cap pay after the 10th day of school, however contractually grievances don't go in until after Labor Day. Hopefully in the future we can bargain changes so that grievances go in after the 10th day of school, because some years, like this one, that is five work days earlier than Labor Day. One recent change to our contract is that now if a principal has a Tuesday staff meeting and an admin-Thursday in the same week, teachers get 30 minutes of after-school prep time. Let me know if your principal needs a reminder on this. CTA's Leadership Conference is this weekend. Not only are there lots of great electives, but you can get 3 units of university credit for free by attending! Here's a link with details and registration: https://www.cta.org/event/2021-r1lc FMEA is looking for someone to join our Executive Board as Secretary. This is a great one-year position and comes with a $1300 stipend. We are also looking for new members for the FMEA Bargaining Team (which also comes with a stipend). Neither one of these positions requires any experience. You just have to have an interest in getting involved, so please consider stepping into one of these roles. At this point in time there is no pay for anyone without a para other than full-day kinder teachers. FMEA will be trying to bargain compensation for others who are supposed to have a para but don't. Attached is a leaves document that delineates the various paid leaves for COVID (and other) sickness. Note: If you are out due to a COVID-related quarantine that is unrelated to work, make sure to notify HR. The most comprehensive COVID leave does expire at the end of this month, but CTA is pushing that it be extended so hopefully we will hear some good news on this by the end of the month. Have a great weekend! Scott Shulimson August 25, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Below are highlights from our FMEA Rep Council. August Rep Council Highlights: FMEA Openings: FMEA needs to fill our Executive Board Secretary position. This is one-year position, is easy and fun. If you want more info let me know. We also are looking for new members for the FMEA Bargaining Team. Let me know if interested. Evaluations: The district did not follow the requirement that everyone being evaluated is to be notified prior to the first student day. All probationary staff will still be evaluated, however all permanent staff has the option to opt out of being evaluated this year and can be evaluated next year instead. Let your principal know if you want to opt out and let me know if you have any challenges opting out. Class Size: The district has until the 10th day of school to balance classes. This means that on Monday floating cap compensation begins. K-3 should be at 24 but Kinder and 1st can take one extra, and 2nd and 3rd grades can take two extra students. These can be required by admin even if the teacher declines. Though the district is attempting to limit 4th-6th grades to 24, the contractual limit is still 32. For all classes 4th-8th grade, you cannot be required to take more than 32 students other than for an initial two week period while the district looks for placement. You may take up to 33 students in these grades, for floating cap pay, if you agree to do so. COVID19: The district is generally not quarantining entire classes when there is a positive case in a self contained classroom. Somehow there was a mix up on this, but the quarantine flow chart (attached) allows for just the close contacts (closer than 6ft for 15 minutes) to be quarantined, rather than the whole class. Whole classes may be quarantined if the teacher isn't sure who was a close contact or who was correctly wearing a mask. In general, every time there is a positive, the district (not the county) discusses the recent history with that positive case, is supposed to notify all close contacts, and determines who has to quarantine according to the flow chart. The attached flow chart is a bit confusing so get in touch if you want me to walk through a specific situation with you. Those exposed to close contacts do not need to quarantine, only those exposed to positive cases. The district does not provide additional testing for students or staff who are close contacts to a positive, and the district does not require parents to show proof of a negative test because apparently they can't legally do so, though I find this problematic. The district has decided that if a teacher has to quarantine and work from home they will teach the same synchronous hours as last year's requirements. If a quarantined teacher is asymptomatic they are expected to be teaching from home. If a teacher is sick/ symptomatic they are not expected to teach from home. Regarding middle schools, quarantining will depend on following the flow chart to determine who was a close contact and whether they need to quarantine. Pay For No Para: Currently FMEA and the district have an MOU (binding agreement) to pay kinder teachers when their para is consistently out, however the district is currently saying they will not provide compensation for inclusion, SDC classes or others that are without paras. FMEA will attempt to bargain an MOU with the district to secure this compensation. Pride Parade: Join your colleagues this weekend at the Silicon Valley Pride Parade. There's a flyer attached with all details. Please register ahead of time using the link on the flyer. FMSD School Board: Board member Kerry Rosado moved to Los Angeles prior to completing her four-year term. The Board appointed parent and education attorney, Manual Martinez, to fill the remainder of her term. I know it's a challenging and unsettling time. Please reach out anytime with questions or concerns. Sincerely, Scott Shulimson FMEA President August 13, 2021 Hi all, I hope your first days back at school have gone well. There are a number of great questions that came up at Tuesday's FMEA Zoom meeting. I've attached the meeting recording and summarized the safety/ COVID information below. Some of the information below was gathered after Tuesday's meeting so was not shared at the meeting. Positive Cases: If a student tests positive for COVID in a self contained class, that class will go to remote learning during the quarantine period which is usually 10 days. The teacher of the class will teach from home and the students will take Chromebooks home with them. If a student in a middle school tests positive (or at any site that is regrouping for different subjects) it's possible that all students with any shared classes with the positive case will be quarantined but it depends on various factors, determined by County Health. Sites with siblings of positive cases will be notified. COVID Sick Leave: The federal Covid leave expired but California has a supplemental COVID leave (attached to this email). Under this leave you are covered if you test positive, are quarantined or made sick from vaccines, but only for 80 hours total, and this leave expires on September 30th. Hopefully it will be renewed. Independent Studies: Teachers will not be doing hybrid instruction this year unless new legislation is passed in Sacramento. All classes are in person unless the parents have opted for the independent studies program (ISP). These ISP students will work the same length day as their peers and are to receive a minimum of 30 minutes of synchronous instruction a day. ISP classes are being led by FMSD teachers who were selected for the positions this week. COVID Testing: All teachers are to be COVID tested every other week at school sites. Furthermore, California's Department of Public Health announced a measure this week that any school staff member that does not prove their vaccination status will have to take a weekly COVID test, beginning October 15th. Currently 85% of district employees have self-reported being fully vaccinated. Currently there is a plan for students in grades 4-8 to receive monthly COVID tests. Because the tests are self-administered the thinking is that K-3 would not be able to administer these tests effectively. I've asked administration to find a way to test all grades, not just 4-8, and to do so every other week instead of monthly. This is being looked into but it depends on who the district can contract this work with and how readily available they are. Note: all student testing requires parent approval. Company Nurse App: The district is having parents go through a Q&A process on the Company Nurse app daily, to attempt to ensure that students don't come to school with COVID. Some sites or individual teachers may also choose to do a temperature screenings of students. PPE: PPE is available to all teachers. If you want a KN95 mask instead of the ones provided you can request it from your principal. There are also face shields, gloves and gowns available as well as plexiglass barriers. Clear masks have been ordered but may not have arrived. Mask are required to be worn by all students and staff at all times though they may be pulled down below nose and mouth during PE or other times when outdoors and distanced. Ventilation: All rooms should have functioning HVAC systems with Merv 13 filters that have been replaced in the last three months. Rooms are to have air exchange rate of between 6-8 times per hour on average. If you want to take your class outside for instruction feel free to do so. Additional temporary shade and outdoor seating is still being added to some sites. Cleaning: High touch areas will be sanitized daily. However I don't have confirmation yet whether this includes student desks. Events And Meetings: All events such as Back To School Night and Open House will be virtual this year, at least as a default. All FMEA meetings will be on Zoom until further notice. Principals are in charge of deciding whether to hold staff meetings in person, on Zoom or some hybrid of the two. If you are uncomfortable with in-person staff meetings talk with your principal about your concern. In Summary: There's no way to guarantee safety in the middle of a pandemic. We are all going to need to remain vigilant and do our best to keep our students and ourselves healthy. Like all districts, FMSD's response to the situation is fluid and adapting, so if you have a suggestion please talk with your principal or send it my way. There are a lot of questions out there right now, but if I don't know the answer I'll do my best to get it for you. Good luck on Monday. Let's have a healthy, safe, and successful year! Best, Scott Shulimson August 9, 2021 Hi all, Below is the Zoom link for tomorrow's 4:30 FMEA Zoom meeting. I'll do my best to answer your questions related to COVID safety or anything else pertinent to the moment. I moved the meeting later than originally planned so that people could finish district (optional) PD and still come to the FMEA meeting. I hope to see you tomorrow. Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87557114476 Or One tap mobile : US: +16699009128,,87557114476# August 6, 2021 Welcome back FMEA members! I hope you had a fun and healthy summer. It sure went fast. Unfortunately it seems we are returning to work just as things are heating up once again with COVID case counts. Safety is going to be the biggest issue this year. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to ensure complete safety with this virus, especially with the more contagious Delta variant now circulating. I will hold an FMEA general meeting on Zoom this coming Tuesday at 3pm to discuss concerns and answer questions. I will be sending out the Zoom link on Monday. In the meantime feel free to email me any questions you have. In the spring Juan Cruz had stated a goal of capping class size in grades 4-6 at 24 to 1. The district is still trying to hire more teachers, but it looks unlikely we will start the year fully staffed so some schools will be over 24 in grades 4-6. Our contract only guarantees a class size not to exceed 32, so filing a grievance will not be an option. Hopefully a few more teachers can be hired in the coming week. Our incoming FMEA Secretary ended up moving away so we are in need of a new Secretary on the FMEA Executive Board. This is a great one-year position, and I'd be happy to share more details if you or someone you know is interested. Lastly, it's still unclear how many teachers will be needed to serve those students who opt for distance learning/ independent studies, but if you have a condition that makes in-person instruction riskier for you and you want to apply to teach a remote independent studies class, contact HR ASAP. I'll get in touch early next week with the link to Tuesday's FMEA Zoom meeting, and I look forward to helping ensure sure we have a safe and healthy school year! Sincerely, Scott Shulimson FMEA President June 15, 2021 Hi FMEA members, We made it! It's been a long, challenging school year, but it's behind us now, along with the worst of COVID19. Most likely we will be returning in the fall to full in-person classrooms, but things may change in the next two months. Though our school year is ending you are welcome to contact me over the summer. I will be sending info over the summer as the state finalizes a budget and reopening plans become clearer. Do note that for anyone not planning to return next year, June 30th is the official deadline to notify the district you are resigning. Lastly, congratulations to our FMEA retirees: Carolyn Sumida- Dahl Vannaroit Lam- Kennedy Loretta Halter- Lairon Patricia Moncrief- Shirakawa Valerie Peters- Shirakawa Eduard Frerking- District Office Erin McFadden- Stonegate Kela Murchison- Stonegate Have a great summer! Scott Shulimson May 28, 2021 Hi FMEA members, First off, my heart goes out to those who lost loved ones in the recent mass shooting in San Jose. I hope none of you were personally affected. Below are highlights from Monday's FMEA Rep Council, which was our final meeting of the year. 1. Salary: Today's paycheck included our retro pay. The $4500 bonus will be in our June check next month. 2. Elections: FMEA officer elections are currently underway. A link to cast your vote was sent to your district email, and voting is open until Sunday at 6pm. If you did not get the link or have any questions let me know. 3. Staffing Increases: The district is receiving tens of millions of dollars for COVID relief. Most of this will be used to pay for the following staffing increases: Note these are three year commitments except for "a" and "d" which are one year only. a) Decreasing class size in grades 4 to 6 to roughly 24:1. Note: the district's goal is to get close to 24:1 but there will be many classes with more students than that, so 24:1 is more of a goal than a commitment. b) Hiring social workers such that there is one for every school. c) Hiring at least 13 intervention TOSAs to support with small group pull-outs and after school interventions. d) Increased para time for TK, kinder and SPED such that paras will be available for the full student day plus 30 minutes to plan with teacher after school. Note: the district is looking at also supporting 1st grade with paras but is still analyzing the cost of all the para increases to see how much fits within the budget. 4. Reopening: On June 15th California officially reopens and we expect to receive more guidance from the state about exactly what that will mean for schools and other institutions. For now it looks likely that we will be reopening in August with full traditional classes and no distance learning. Issues like mask mandates are still unknown but we should have that info next month. 5. Dues: Rep Council voted to keep FMEA's dues the same ($395 per member, per year). CTA and NEA usually have a small annual increase which are decided over the summer. 6. School Board: Board member Kerry Rosado is resigning to move to Southern California. If you know of a teacher-friendly individual who lives within the district boundaries but is not an employee of FMSD, they may want to consider applying to fill her spot, but this has to happen ASAP. Let me know if you know anyone who may be interested. 7. 8th grade scholarships: FMEA will once again be awarding 8th grade scholarships. Info was sent to Site Reps, but if you are an 8th grade teacher and have not heard details on this and want more information let me know. 8. Vaccination survey: The recent vaccination survey is being required by the County and is not a district choice. You do have the option to not disclose this information, though it appears that the district will be required by the County to continue sending this survey out every week or two. Lastly, some of you have enquired about next year's calendar. Below are links to the calendar for next year and the year after. https://4.files.edl.io/4cf9/02/09/21/195853-bc90aac5-86ab-4cc6-a2d6-ce027dbdf693.pdf https://4.files.edl.io/98c7/02/09/21/195858-3a031231-a6ac-4504-aa72-7986b51ada7d.pdf Have a great holiday weekend! Scott Shulimson FMEA President May 4, 2021 Hi FMEA teachers and happy National Teacher Appreciation Day! For over a year now we have all struggled to adapt to a very different kind of job than the one we trained and were hired for. Adapting to distance learning has been harder for some than others, but all of us have faced brand new challenges and struggles to stay connected to our students, colleagues and community. CTA's Day Of The Teacher isn't until next Tuesday, but all this week is National Teacher Appreciation week, and on today, National Teacher Appreciation day, I want to say thank you for all of your commitment, caring and expertise you put into your teaching every single day. Whenever you next return to school you should find a small token of appreciation from FMEA in your box. If you don't receive the small gift baggy, or your gift doesn't work let me know (note: there are instructions included that need to be followed for the gift to work). So thank you for being such an outstanding group of teachers and thank you for putting in so much of your time and energy to make sure our students get the education and care they deserve. You are truly appreciated! Sincerely, Scott Shulimson April 29, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council. FMEA Officer Elections FMEA officer elections are coming up next month. Every year FMEA votes on President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and one Director-At-Large. All are one-year terms except for Director, which is a three-year term. If you are interested in running for any of these positions you need to email a short bio, up to 30 words, to FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at shampoo.6@gmail.com by May 17th. Make sure to indicate which position you are running for. Attached to this email is a complete description of each of these positions. Increased Staffing The district is tentatively planning on using much of the COVID-related funding for increased staffing the next several years. Assuming that staff can be found for these position and that these plans are approved, the district is aiming to have the following temporary staffing increases:
For the first time CTA is offering a SPED Conference. The conference is this weekend, it's free and was designed for both general ed and SPED teachers. Here's a link with more info and registration details: https://www.cta.org/event/2021-special-education-conference FMEA will be hosting another Zoom SPED meeting on May 10th at 3:30. Here's the Zoom link:https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/83688013323?pwd=RHhaWXZ4L1YvUm9iUFRPMXV4cEdxUT09 Retirement Workshop Video CTA's recent retirement workshop was full but here's a link to watch the recorded video. https://calta.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/EvWQ0eJkAcdEsMQSPMN3F7IBQ5hgV-1zw-WiAqad6x_qvQ?e=NIS8pc There are several documents related to this workshop that are attached below. Day Of The Teacher This Tuesday, May 4th is the CTA Day Of The Teacher. FMEA will be distributing a small gift into all teacher boxes. If you prefer I hold onto yours and deliver it to you in August let me know. Superintendent News Last month the FMSD School Board extended Juan Cruz's contract for three more years. His current contract had been set to expire this June. Today interviews are being held to find a replacement for Assistant Superintendent of Ed Services, Norma Martinez, who is retiring in June. Fall Return/Leave Of Absence As mentioned previously, it looks likely that we will return to full in-person instruction in August. Taking a one-year leave of absence is an option for those who know they will not be ready to return by August. Technically the due date to apply is May 1st however it is likely the district may consider applications after that date. State Testing As you have probably heard, the feds have granted California's waiver of traditional SBAC testing, and instead districts can use local assessments like Ren Star. This is great news that came just in time. Admin-Thursdays Our recent TA had a small change that's worth noting: On weeks when the principal has both a Tuesday staff meeting and an admin-Thursday, 30 minutes of prep time must be provided to teachers on that Thursday. It's not much but it's something. If you have questions about any of these topic please feel free to get in touch . Best, Scott Shulimson April 21, 2021 Hi FMEA members, I previously sent out info about tomorrow's CTA virtual retirement workshop, but apparently they still have space left so here's a reminder: The workshop is tomorrow (Thursday) at 4:30 and the presentation will cover CALSTRS benefits and formulas, programs, and services. They will also discuss Social Security and its effects on teachers as well as ongoing legislative and political issues. See attached flyer or register here. Also, CTA State Council elections are coming up. CTA State Council meets on weekends four times a year in LA and sets forth official CTA plans and policies. The terms are three years long. If you are interested in running to be a CTA State Council representative click here to complete a Declaration of Candidacy form (CTA website - login required). Candidacy declarations are due this Friday, and the election will take place May 3-14. Lastly, May 1st is the deadline to turn in requests to HR for long-term leave. Given that we are likely to return to full in-person instruction in August, you may want to consider a long term leave for next year if you know you will not be open to returning in person next year. Let me know if you have any questions or want follow up on any of these topics. Best, Scott Shulimson April 16, 2021 Hi all, At Tuesday's board meeting, our TA (Tentative Agreement) was approved, and is now binding contract language. This follows FMEA's vote on the TA which resulted in 220 in favor and 1 opposed. As previously mentioned, our retro pay will come at the end of May and the bonus will come at the end of June. Some good news has come regarding state testing: The Feds have approved the CA assessment proposal which would allow districts to skip SBAC testing this year and replace it with local district assessments. More should be coming later today from FMSD admin on this. Interviews for summer school principals will be Thursday and Friday next week from 4-5pm. If you are interested in serving as an FMEA rep on this interview committee let me know ASAP. On Tuesday the FMSD School Board voted to move forward with a long-anticipated school on Communication Hill. It may be hard to see how building a new school makes sense, while at the same time considering shuttering one ore more existing schools due to declining enrollment. However development is moving forward on Communication Hill and if we don't have a local school for the children there we risk losing them to other districts or charter schools. Hopefully this decision will pay off. With the high pace of vaccinations and decreasing COVID cases in California, it looks like we are moving towards a full reopening in August. The state law that allows for distance learning expires on June 30th. It's not yet clear whether the state legislature will renew it, but if our state continues on the current trajectory I think we need to be prepared for a full in-person reopening in August. If you know you are not willing to return in person in August you may want to get a doctor's note or apply for a long-term leave. Lastly, we have 39 teachers who have volunteered to return to in-person instruction using a hybrid model, starting Monday. Good luck to you all and please let me know if you need any support ensuring that staff and students are safe, or anything else is needed to support your return to the classroom. Have a great weekend, Scott Shulimson FMEA President April 2, 2021 Hi all, Online voting began yesterday for our recent TA (Tentative Agreement). Voting is open through Sunday evening. Look in your district email to find the link to vote and if you did not receive it let me know. Below are March Rep Council highlights: 1. TA: Voting is underway. The TA is attached to this email. After the FMSD School Board approves it on April 13th it will become binding contract language. The only thing that is retroactive is the salary. The stipends, hourly pay increase and all else are not retroactive. The benefits language goes into effect Jan 1 2022. The $4500 bonus will come at end of June and I am trying to get it in a separate check from June payroll. Retro pay and the new salary schedule should come in May. 2. Vaccinations: If you are still having trouble getting an appointment for your vaccine let me know and I can help. 3. In-Person Instruction: It looks like there are a good number of teachers volunteering for in-person instruction this spring. For the fall the district will have a hybrid model planned out but if the state and federal requirements are relaxed it's possible we can return in August with full in-person instruction, as opposed to a hybrid. We will have to wait and see how the COVID rates are and whether authorities further relax the requirements such as distancing in the classroom. I do not expect the district will allow teachers to continue working remotely in the fall, though it's possible that with a doctor's note exceptions might be made. 4. New Funding: The district is going to be getting an overwhelming amount of funding for COVID-related matters the next two years. If you have ideas on how you think it should be spent feel free to reach out to me to share you thoughts. These funds can be targeted not just on safety, but are also for most things that support our students' return to the classroom. 5. Staffing: On April 15th sites will share Tentative Master Schedules. This should include not just general ed but also SPED folks such as SLP, RSP and psychs. At the moment it looks like there will only be a couple of excess staff. After those excess staff choose positions at new sites, any remaining openings will be posted, most likely in mid-May 6. Report Card Committee: The district really needs volunteers to help update report cards for 4th-6th grade. If teachers don't volunteer then this job will be left to admin. Have a great spring break! Best, Scott Shulimson FMEA President March 24, 2021 Hi FMEA members, I've attached the actual TA (Tentative Agreement) below. If you are interested in hearing about the changes in detail or have questions, feel free to join today's FMEA Rep Council at 3:30pm (postponed from Monday because of the town hall). The Zoom link for the meeting is https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/84025713400?pwd=L3hiUDF3YmNBN1QreGNEM2xqcnRKUT09FMEA will vote on the TA next week, so keep an eye on your district email account for the secure link to cast your vote. Also, the Board voted unanimously last night in favor of the recommendation that Juan Cruz sent out yesterday that would allow for classes to stay together, with up to 15 students coming in person in the morning, and the rest of the class getting synchronous instruction online in the afternoon. This is only for volunteers. Those who do not volunteer will continue with distance learning through the end of the year. Scott Shulimson FMEA President March 23, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Yesterday FMEA reached a TA (Tentative Agreement) in bargaining with the district! This marks yet another relatively positive and congenial bargaining experience with the district. Neither side got everything wanted, but we reached a deal both sides can live with. A TA becomes new binding contract language after FMEA membership and the FMSD School Board vote to approve it. We will vote next week (keep an eye on your district email for a link to cast your vote next week) and the Board will vote to ratify on April 13th. This TA applies to all Certificated non-management staff. Thank you to our bargaining team led by Alie Victorine, along with Catherine Baskerville, Edgar Quiroz-Medrano, Marianna Moore, along with myself and our CTA staff person, Kris Clarke. This is the final year of our three year agreement that technically expires in June, meaning before long we will be back to the bargaining table to negotiate a new contract. Details of yesterday's TA are as follows: Compensation
Hours
Class Size
In other news, tonight the FMSD School Board will meet to decide how to structure in-person instruction for those teachers who volunteer to begin teaching in person next month. Previously the Board had chosen to exclusively bring back those students who might gain the most from in-person instruction (ELs, disengaged students etc), but now that we are getting close to implementation, the drawback of this model is coming to light: namely that if only students who fit this criteria can come back in person it will be hard to keep whole classes together, and neither teachers nor parents are wanting to break up classes two months before the end of the school year. At yesterday's staff town hall Juan Cruz got the message that many of us want to return in person this spring, but almost no one wants to have our class broken up so late in the year. Juan and district administration will be communicating this preference to the Board and the Board will be presented with an option that would allow for teachers to keep our classes whole. This would involve using option 2, where teachers work in person with up to 15 students in the morning and work with the rest of the class through synchronous instruction in the afternoon. Though the details are still being finalized it looks like teachers would work to identify their students who would benefit the most from in-person instruction and those students would be invited for in-person instruction. This model is a lot of work given that teachers would be teaching in person in the morning and online in the afternoon, but it does not disrupt class rosters, and it's possible a stipend could be allocated, given the increased workload. Overall I'm glad that administration has heard our request to keep classes whole and will present the Board a model that respects the important social and emotional bonds that classes have built this year. Here is a link to tonight's 7pm meeting. https://www.fmsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=455278&type=d&pREC_ID=1019545 Lastly, there is an FMEA SPED meeting this coming Monday, March 29th at 3:30pm. Please bring your ideas, concerns and thoughts to this Zoom meeting. https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/87344414059?pwd=ZFlRRUN3TmVyMVFGbk51NmY4cGg5dz09 That's all for now! Scott Shulimson March 19, 2021 Hi all, The recent violence against Asian-Americans in Atlanta, the Bay Area, and throughout this country is shocking and saddening. These are challenging times and I believe it is only through more compassion, caring and celebrating our diversity that we can transcend our differences and come together to heal this nation. Franklin-McKinley has a large Asian American community, from our students and families, to our staff, and all have been affected by this hate and violence: FMEA stands with our AAPI community in this scary and dark time. Sincerely, Scott Shulimson FMEA President March 12, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Vaccines should now be widely available for educators. If you are still having trouble getting an appointment for your first injection let me know and I can try to help. California has passed AB86 into law which allocates significant new funds to schools to help with COVID19. FMSD has access to over $5M for "expanded learning opportunities" this year and next. There is also over $2M available to our district if we reopen in person in nearly all grade levels at all schools this spring. On Tuesday our FMSD School Board reaffirmed their position to not fully reopen this school year. However the district is gearing up for in-person instruction to begin after spring break, for those teachers who volunteer for in-person instruction. Under the current plan no one would be forced back to in-person instruction, but there will be some options for teachers who volunteer for in-person instruction. The district COVID committee is still working on how best to structure the in-person classes in a way that is most productive and least disruptive to other classes. This in-person instruction would be for those groups targeted by our Board, including ELs and those who are disengaged with distance learning. April 1st is the date to notify HR that you want to be on the transfer list (note this date used to be March 15 but was changed in bargaining). Anyone can still apply for any position, even if not on the transfer list, however if you are on the transfer list it guarantees you an interview for any position you have indicated interest in. The NEA Representative Assembly will be held virtually again this year. The dates are June 30th to July 3rd. If you are interested in declaring your candidacy as a Local Delegate to the NEA RA let me know by 4pm on Thursday, March 25th. CTA is presenting a virtual workshop on CALSTRS benefits and formulas, programs and services at 4:30 p.m., April 22. They will also be discussing Social Security and its effects on teachers as well as ongoing legislative and political issues. The virtual workshop is limited to 150 participants so take a look at the attachment and don't wait to RSVP. NEA will be hosting a webinar on cancelling student debt on March 18. Here is the scoop: Join student debt experts on March 18, either at 4pm (ET) or 7pm (ET), to discuss how we can cancel our student debt. Just last year, NEA experts worked with members to obtain over $1 million in forgiveness and put even more on the path to forgiveness. Tune in to find out how you can join that group and how we can join together to fight for student debt relief for all of us. RSVP here for the March 18 webinar. Let me know if you would like more information on any of these topics. Have a great weekend! Scott Shulimson March 3, 2021 Hi FMEA members, It seems like you can't turn on the news these days without hearing another story about the school reopening dilemma. Governor Newsom has been pushing for schools to begin in-person instruction, and at one point had looked at mandating this. But after a lot of pushback from CTA and allies, a compromise bill, AB86, was released on Monday. The new plan is to offer financial incentives to districts that reopen beginning this month, but there is no obligation to do so. As I've said before, a lot will depend on what neighboring districts do, and how much pressure our board gets from parents, but as of now I still think it is unlikely FMSD reopens for in-person instruction this year. I know many of you would prefer to reopen in person this school year, and you will likely have the option to volunteer to work in person with a small cohort of one of the targeted student groups, such as newcomers or ELs, but I still have trouble seeing how we can reopen in the next month or so in way that would be safe for all educators, our families and our community. At this point any educator who works in Santa Clara County can get vaccinated here, regardless of where you live. Many of us are still having trouble getting a vaccine appointment. If you are in this group you can try reaching out to Assistant Superintendent, Jason Vann, at jason.vann@fmsd.org who may be able to arrange for you to get an appointment at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. For those of you struggling to get appointments through Kaiser, note there is no "code", though their website and phone line misleadingly refers to one. Let me know if you have any questions during this complicated time. Best, Scott Shulimson February 26, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Below are highlights from Monday's FMEA Rep Council meeting, including the latest on vaccine availability. 2/22/21 Rep Council Highlights: Vaccinations: As you know COVID19 vaccines are available for educators beginning this Sunday. The primary website to register for an appointment is https://vax.sccgov.org/home or you can try going directly to this site https://vax.sccgov.org/levis Your pay stub should be sufficient to demonstrate that you are an educator and qualify for vaccination. Officially these vaccinations are only for educators who live in Santa Clara County, but I've heard that some will be making appointments to see if the issue of residence ever comes up at the testing site. My understanding is that most other nearby counties will vaccinate educators who live there but work in Santa Clara. Santa Cruz County is the exception to this, as they are currently are only vaccinating educators who work and live in Santa Cruz. There is now a site to pre-register for those educators who live in Santa Cruz but work elsewhere, though they will be prioritizing those educators who live and work in Santa Cruz. Here is the link: http://sccoe.link/educator_outofcounty. This is the best vaccine information I have at this time, however it was just yesterday that Governor Newsom released his plan to vaccinate teachers. His plan is to redirect 10% of the state's vaccine supply (75,000 a week) to educators. It's possible this plan will further increase the speed at which vaccines are available to teachers, but it's too early to know for sure. Bargaining: FMEA and the district have met for bargaining several times, and we are making slow, steady progress towards improvements in Hours as well as a salary increase. It is too early to know what sort of raise we will get, but it does look like there will be some sort of retroactive raise, once again this year. Reopening: With teachers now getting vaccinations, there is likely to be increased pressure from outside groups for schools to reopen. Our FMSD school board has expressed support for their previous resolution to stay in distance-learning through June, however it is always possible that could be revisited, depending on the amount of pressure from parents, politicians and others. It's also possible legislators in Sacramento could pass a bill that requires all schools to reopen. However it is still my best assessment that the only in-person instruction in FMSD this year will be in small, targeted cohorts, and if these cohorts happen at all it, would be volunteer only. It does seem likely we will reopen in person in August, but we will have a better understanding of this in a few months. State Testing: At this point state SBAC testing is still slated to happen this spring. However after much lobbying from CTA, as well as by superintendents, including our own, the state has petitioned the federal government for waiver to this spring's testing. We will have to wait for a response from the feds. FMEA SPED Meeting: On March 29th at 3:30 FMEA will have a SPED drop-in Zoom meeting to check in on the ideas and needs of FMEA SPED teachers. Here's the Zoom link: https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/87344414059?pwd=ZFlRRUN3TmVyMVFGbk51NmY4cGg5dz09 Have a great weekend! Scott Shulimson February 19, 2021 Hi all, I hope you are enjoying the break. In case you haven't yet heard, Santa Clara County has announced that educators can begin getting COVID19 vaccinations on February 28th. Here's a link to the announcement: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/press-release-02-17-2021-covid19-vaccination-expansion-plans-feb-28.aspx Here is the main link for making appointments: https://vax.sccgov.org/home. Appointments are opened up each day at 7am (possibly 8am on weekends). If there are no appointments try again the next day. You can also schedule an appointment over the phone by calling 408-970-2000. Good luck scheduling appointments, and remember not to schedule them prior to February 28th unless you are over 65. Also, no one is mandating that teachers get vaccinated, so this choice is up to you. Even with vaccines now available, the plan for FMSD remains the same: For the most part we will remain in distance learning through June. No one will be providing in-person instruction this school year other than possibly a few small cohorts, and those would be all volunteer for staff and students. Stay healthy, Scott Shulimson February 2, 2021 Hi all, I know this has been an exceptionally challenging year, with much more isolation and struggles than we are used to. Though it may not seem like it, your efforts and your work are hugely appreciated, and I'm glad we all get a much-deserved break next week. FMEA and the district have met for bargaining three times so far this year. The sessions have been productive as we work primarily on Compensation and Hours. We are still far from reaching a deal on Compensation, but it is clear there will be some sort of a salary increase this year. At this point it's very hard to know when COVID vaccines will be available to educators in our county. The rollout is clearly going slower than had been hoped, but there are discussions about expediting getting vaccines to educators. Regardless of what happens with vaccines, the FMSD School Board plans to keep to their decision to stay in distance learning for this school year. However discussions are continuing over bringing back small cohorts of specific student groups (e.g. newcomers, severely handicapped etc) in person this school year. Just keep in mind this would be 100% volunteer-based, for teachers and students. The disability insurance drive through The Standard did not reach the needed goal of 19 new members. Only eight new people signed up so, while these eight can still sign up for disability insurance, pre-existing conditions will not be covered. As a reminder, for tax purposes, total 2020 FMEA/CTA/NEA union dues were $1322. I hope everyone has a healthy, fun and restful holiday break! Sincerely, Scott Shulimson January 28, 2021 Hi FMEA members, Below are important highlights from Monday's FMEA Rep Council meeting. 1. Vaccines: It's not clear when COVID vaccines will be available to educators but most likely the first shots will be available sometime in February. Vaccines are not mandatory at this time and it's unlikely they will be mandatory for educators at any point. It also seems unlikely that COVID vaccines will be mandatory for students. Even with wider vaccine availability, FMSD will remain in distance-learning through June. Any in-person work this year will remain optional, though reopening in person in the fall is very likely. 2. Verification Forms From HR. HR recently sent out forms to sites for us to sign. Usually these are sent in June but because of the HR office being closed, they had trouble getting them out sooner. Please keep in mind that it is not at all required that you sign and return these forms. Everyone has until June 30th to tell the district you are resigning, but If you are sure you are not returning next year, and you officially notify HR by tomorrow, you receive a $3000 stipend. For anyone not ready to commit to resigning next year, these forms just let HR know that your information is accurate, and that, for now, you plan to return next year. You can skip signing these forms, or sign that you plan to return next year, and in either case you can still resign by June 30th. But keep in mind if you do formally resign or retire you will not be able to rescind that decision once the Board approves it. If you want these forms sent to you electronically your site should be able to do this upon request. 3. Bargaining: FMEA and the district began bargaining this week. The district has a very healthy reserve ($21M) but that is partly due to major budget cuts the last few years. More FMSD cuts are slated for the coming years, but the recent budget proposal from Governor Newsom has increased funding to schools, so FMEA may once again be in a strong position to seek a raise. If we do get a raise it will most likely be retroactive to the beginning of this school year. In addition to salary, we are also seeking improvements in Benefits, Hours (staff meetings etc) and Class Size (floating caps, caseload for SPED etc). Alie Victorine continues as Bargaining Chair, joined by Catherine Baskerville, myself, and two new members of the team: Marianna Moore and Edgar Quiroz Medrano, plus our CTA staff person, Kris Clarke. 4. 2020 Union Dues: For tax purposes, total 2020 FMEA/CTA/NEA union dues were $1322 5. NEA RA: The NEA RA (Representative Assembly) will be held in Denver this summer. If you want to run for a spot as a State Delegate, the deadline is tomorrow, January 29th at 5pm. Declaration forms can be found in the December issue of the California Educator and on the ct.org website. 6. Calendars: The FMSD Board approved calendars for the next two years quicker than I had expected. I've attached the 2021/22 and 2022/23 calendars to this email. I know these calendars are far from perfect but I believe they are in line with what the majority of FMEA members prefer. 7. The Standard: The FMEA campaign with The Standard has been extended until February 15th. If we get 19 members to sign up for disability insurance then all will have their pre-existing conditions covered. So far there are 7 signed up. Best, Scott Shulimson FMEA President January 12, 2021 Greetings FMEA members, and happy new year! I hope you had a restful, rejuvenating, and healthful break. 2020 was a year like no other, and while there are some reasons to be optimistic about 2021, last week's assault on our Capitol makes it clear this year will have its own challenges. One thing we as educators have to look forward to is a new Secretary Of Education. Biden has indicated that he will be replacing Betsy Devos with Connecticut educator Miguel Cardona. Here is a link with more information about our next Secretary Of Education.Five reasons educators are excited about Miguel Cardona - Education Votes Also, vaccines will also be available to Santa Clara educators shortly. I don't know the exact timeline but I expect that within the next month vaccines will be available to us. At this time it does not look like the vaccine will be mandatory for educators though that could change prior to the 2021-2022 school year. Some California legislators as well as Governor Newsom are pushing for California schools to restart in-person instruction this school year. Despite these pressures, the ultimate decision to reopen rests with our local FMSD School Board, and I do not think they are likely to reverse their previous decision to stay with distance learning for the remainder of this school year. FMEA will begin bargaining later this month. We will be bargaining for the current school year. Governor Newsom recently unveiled his January Governor's Budget which includes new funding increases to education, so it is possible we will be able to bargain another raise along with other improvements to our contract. CTA has several scholarships available to members and dependents. Here is a link to all the info: https://www.cta.org/for-educators/scholarships-aw CTA has a number of conferences coming up. This year, however, all of the conferences are online and free to CTA members. I encourage you to check out the options at https://www.cta.org/conferences. There is even a brand new Special Education Conference debuting this spring. Lastly, the FMEA campaign to register people for disability insurance through The Standard is ongoing through the end of January. If 19 people join then all those with preexisting conditions are covered, but currently only 4 people have registered. There is a Zoom meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 4pm. The link is below. Right now, as a FMEA member, you have a limited-time special enrollment opportunity for CTA-endorsed Disability and Life insurance from The Standard. Learn more and ask questions in our live Virtual Group Meeting. If you haven’t already, sign up to attend on January 13 at 4:00 P.M. REGISTER NOW December 19, 2020 Hi FMEA members, I know we are all ready for this holiday break. Here is a link to a brief video message I made for you. https://youtu.be/L20Qbn4r444 The FMSD Calendar Committee has been meeting and wants your input on two draft calendars (attached) we have put together for next year. The committee will also try to complete a calendar for 2022-2023 that is aligned to what is chosen for 2021-2022. Calendar A is the most similar to our current calendar, plus Cesar Chavez Day is observed, and there are three teacher work days to start the year instead of the normal four. Calendar B is also similar to this year, but the biggest difference is that we would get the full week of Thanksgiving off. Here is the SurveyMonkey link (Note: the calendars are attached to this email, but are not found in the survey). https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y9GKWC2 As most of you have noticed, the "contracts" that HR usually sends out in June did not go out this year. Technically these are actually placement verifications and not a binding contract. HR is still planning to get them out in the next month or so, but working remotely has slowed that down. The disability insurance drive with The Standard is ongoing. If 19 FMEA members sign up in the next month everyone will have pre-existing conditions covered. Below is more info, including a link to apply or schedule a meeting. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday break. See you next year! -Scott Shulimson December 8, 2020 Hi FMEA members, Here are highlights from yesterday's FMEA Rep Council: 1. District COVID Closure: Due to COVID19, FMSD will be in distance learning through June. No one will be directed to work in person this year, but there is a chance that small cohorts of students may be brought back for in-person instruction if/when the incidence of COVID goes down. This would be limited to special populations struggling with distance-learning, and it would be all volunteer for students and teachers. 2. Disability Insurance: The Standard is running a disability insurance drive through January. All FMEA members who sign up during this time will have preexisting conditions covered. There are two virtual meeting options with links below. Note: the group meeting is tomorrow. Virtual Group Meeting Attend a brief online meeting on December 9 at 4 p.m. to learn more and ask questions about your enrollment opportunity. Register Now Individual Appointment Schedule an individual virtual appointment with your dedicated Benefits Consultant. Schedule Now 3. Bargaining: This round of bargaining, FMEA will be opening the Hours article, in addition to Compensation. Our first bargaining date will be January 25th. We will once again be seeking a raise that is retroactive to the start of the school year. Additionally there will be separate bargaining this spring to formalize safety protocols for any possible return to in-person instruction. 4. Infinite Campus/ Illuminate: Principals have been reviewing Infinite Campus and Illuminate logs to make sure they match up. The rollout earlier this year was unclear and there is still a lot of confusion. Keep in mind that being "distance learning absent" in Infinite Campus means not only not showing up on Zoom, but also not turning in any asynchronous work. If a student has anything other than a "0" in Illuminate, that means they should be marked present on Infinite Campus. Teachers do have the ability to go back and change absences in Infinite Campus if students do not show up for synchronous time but complete asynchronous work later on. I know this has all been a big added headache to an already challenging school year. Unfortunately most of the requirements come from a burdensome state law. 5. Equity Team Meeting: The FMEA Equity Team has a meeting scheduled for this Friday, December 11th, at for 4:15pm. Here's the Zoom link: https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/81535459968?pwd=T09KdFFZMmtzVk5nU1hPYkNDdWV5QT09 As always don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, ideas or concerns. Scott Shulimson FMEA President November 25, 2020 Hi FMEA members, This has been a very challenging and stressful year for most of us, but even in 2020 there is still a lot to be thankful for: I'm thankful that during this pandemic, unlike so many others, we have not lost our jobs or been forced into dangerous workplaces situations. I'm thankful that we we have a school board that listens to our concerns and was willing to take a bold stand making it clear that none of us would be forced back to work this school year. And I'm thankful that FMEA is comprised of so many dedicated and caring teachers and others who, in the midst of unprecedented challenges, go above and beyond to make sure our students have a valuable year. Thank you for all you do! FMEA needs a new treasurer. This is a one-year position on the FMEA Executive Board. If you want more information let me know. If you want to declare your candidacy, you can email your short bio of up to 30 words to FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at shampoo.6@gmail.com by December 15th. If you haven't taken the FMEA Bargaining Survey here is the link.https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FTJQFL9 We begin bargaining next month and are still looking for new members for the FMEA Bargaining Team. The disability and life insurance drive from The Standard is officially underway. All details are below, including the link to apply. I hope you have a restful and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday, Sincerely, Scott Shulimson November 13, 2020 Hi all, In case you have not heard, our school board voted at Tuesday's meeting to stay in distance learning through the end of this school year. However there are some caveats; If, at some future date, the board deems it safe, the district may bring back certain classes or groups of students such as certain SDCs, newcomers or other special populations. What is clear is that FMSD will not attempt a district-wide return to in-person instruction this school year. If a few specific classes are reopened, the students and staff would all be volunteers. I know this is a huge relief to many who are concerned about whether the district can truly provide a safe work environment. Beginning next month the district will begin mandatory COVID testing for all those employees working at school sites. Testing will be done at the school site and will be free. Tests will be required every other week, but if you are exclusively working from home, you will not need to be tested. It is legal for the district to require this testing. As I mentioned previously, FMEA will begin a membership campaign November 15th for disability insurance from The Standard. Below is a message from The Standard. Keep your eyes open for the postcard they mention below. Their introductory Zoom meeting has been pushed back until December 9th, but anyone who signs up before then will be considered part of the 19 members we need to reach the tipping point where all new members can join with pre-existing conditions covered. I will send out more info as soon as I have it. Here's their initial message: Franklin-McKinley Education Association (FMEA) has partnered with Standard Insurance Company (The Standard), the only CTA-endorsed provider of Disability and Life insurance, to bring you a special enrollment opportunity starting November 15. During this enrollment opportunity, you will be able to apply for Disability insurance and $50,000 of Life insurance1 without answering any health questions.2 This kind of opportunity only comes every 2 to 3 years. For more information, watch for a postcard sent to your home soon Have a great weekend! Scott Shulimson November 6, 2020 Hi all, What a week this has been. While votes continue to be counted across the country, two things are clear closer to home: Prop 15, which would have brought billions to CA education, is behind by half a million votes and is not likely to pass. However here in Franklin-McKinley, our community once again stepped up to support our district by approving Measure K. Measure K is a parcel tax that increases taxes by $72 per parcel for nine years and will bring in over $1M to our district each of those years. This is no small achievement because a parcel tax needs over 66% support to pass. While many other districts in our county struggle to reach that threshold, I cannot recall a time when our community voted against an FMSD bond or parcel tax. We are lucky to have this level of trust and support, and much of it is due to the strong bonds that many of you have created and maintained with parents. Thank you! Our FMSD School Board meets this coming Tuesday at 7pm to take up the question of whether to begin in-person instruction in January. I can make no assurances, but I still feel confident that the Board knows that it is not safe to reopen so soon. I wouldn't rule out reopening in-person later in the school year, but I think a January reopening is very unlikely, especially after staff and parent surveys showed a preference for continuing with distance learning. Reopening later in the year will depend on many factors, including what our neighboring districts decide to do. Sites should be notified anytime a student, parent or staff member tests positive or is exposed to COVID, if that person has been at the school site in the past three weeks. At times administration may not know about exposures and positive tests, so if you, your student, or a parent is exposed or tests positive, please make sure your principal is aware. FMEA will begin bargaining our contract re-opener next month. If you have not yet taken it, please take this brief FMEA bargaining survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FTJQFL9. If you are interested in joining the FMEA Bargaining Team let me know. FMEA and the district will begin working next month on next year's instructional calendar. If you would like to be part of the FMSD Calendar Committee let me know. In my email last week, some of you did not receive the attachment that delineates Illuminate protocols so I have attached it to this email. This was a very long and tense election season. I know we can all use a few days to catch our breath, so I hope you have a relaxing weekend. Best, Scott Shulimson October 28, 2020 Hi FMEA members, Below are highlights from this week's FMEA Rep Council meeting. Bargaining FMEA will begin bargaining our contract re-opener in the next few months. Please take this brief bargaining survey ASAP. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FTJQFL9 Prop 15 Polls show the vote will be close on Prop 15. If it passes it will bring over $5M a year to FMSD. This is huge for our district, and for public education around the state. Please make sure your friends and family know to vote yes on Prop 15. There is phone banking after school from 5-7pm most days. The sign up link is here. CTA Prop. 15 M2M Phone Bank · California Teachers Association Also please sign that you support Prop 15 in this link from CTA. https://bit.ly/3l61do7 District Reopening? At the November 10th FMSD School Board meeting, the Board may make a decision on whether to reopen in person in January. It seems unlikely they will choose to do this given how hard it would be to reopen safely, but if you have a strong opinion on the matter you may want to email the Board or speak at the meeting. Here is a link with all of their email info. https://www.fmsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=455278&type=d&pREC_ID=984374 There is also a district virtual town hall meeting for staff tomorrow at 3pm, and the district sent out a staff survey to gauge people's interest in returning in person. Catastrophic Leave Bank All FMEA members can join our catastrophic leave bank that supports teachers with up to an extra year of sick leave in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury. If you joined previously you should still be enrolled and do not need to rejoin. If you did not sign up previously and want to join, you can only do so during the district's open-enrollment period, which ends this Friday. To join you have to donate one sick day every other year. Here is a link to the form. If interested, you can print it, fill out the top section only, and scan to HR. https://4.files.edl.io/c034/10/12/20/162038-471669ce-4984-42e1-985f-ea79d80c60e4.pdf Disability Insurance Teachers do not pay into state disability insurance. Having disability insurance is a good safeguard and is also helpful if you think you may be taking maternity leave in the future. CTA works with, and endorses a group called The Standard. They now offer free disability insurance for nine months, but only if you are a brand new teacher and you join FMEA/CTA in your first 90 days here. For those that are new to FMSD but not new teachers, you have 270 calendar days to join and have pre-existing conditions covered. And for everyone else, The Standard will be offering a membership campaign next month. If enough new FMEA members sign up for disability insurance through The Standard then all will have pre-existing conditions covered. There will be an introductory Zoom meeting to discuss this membership campaign on Wednesday, November 18th at 3:30pm. COVID Positives FMEA and the district have agreed on protocols for notifying sites when there is a COVID risk: If any student, parent or staff tests positive, that site will be notified. If any student, parent or staff is exposed, and has been coming to the school site, the site will be notified. However if a student, parent or staff was exposed but tests negative, AND has not been at the school site, the school site will not be notified. Illuminate The new Illuminate format is in place for all grade levels. It is less than ideal but the D.O. does not seem interested in making further changes. It may just be one of the COVID-related challenges we have to endure this year. For those still struggling with it who didn't attend the training or want a review, I have attached a l link to the training video and info. Note: If you fill in a number less than 3 for engagement on Illuminate, you do not need to uncheck the "3." The system will automatically take the lowest number. I hope this email was helpful. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. Best, Scott Shulimson October 9, 2020 Hi FMEA members, We made it to our beloved October break! And this year the chance to catch up and recharge is more needed than ever. At this point 2021 will be here before we know it, and with it comes the decision on whether or not to return to in-person instruction. As you know the FMSD School Board voted for distance-learning until January and there is no way to know for sure what January will bring. The district is going to try to make a decision by November to give plenty of time for folks to prepare. But if I had to guess, I think it looks unlikely that we will return in person in January. With the numbers of COVID in our region and the colder weather coming, it's hard to see how the district can reopen safely. Distance-learning has a big learning curve, and it probably does not make sense to move to an untested hybrid model just around the time teachers and students are getting comfortable with distance-learning. If there is a major decrease in our local COVID numbers, or if there is a huge outcry from employees or parents wanting to return to some sort of in-person instruction then things could change, but at this time that does not look likely. For now no one should be directed to do any in-person work. It does look possible that there could be some sort of in-person assessments in the coming months, but even that would need to be carefully designed, and again, would be totally voluntary. For those of you not already enrolled in the district's catastrophic leave bank, you may want to consider enrolling. You would need to fill out the form on page 92 of our contract linked here: http://www.fmea.mobi/uploads/4/9/5/7/49573903/fmea2018-2021contract-compressed.pdf The completed form goes to Julie Johnson in HR. If enrolled, you have access to extra paid leave in case you suffer a major illness or injury. You have to donate one sick day every other year to join, and the window to join is the same as the district's open enrollment period for health benefits (October 12-30). Speaking of health benefits, the premium increase, for 2021, for United Health Care is relatively small, but the increase for Kaiser is larger (over 10%). Though it is a large increase, it's good to recall we had a 5% drop in Kaiser rates each of the last two years, so 2021 rates shouldn't be far from 2018 rates, which isn't too bad for health care pricing in this era. Lastly, CTA has scheduled a "Know Your Rights" training focused on accommodations and leaves that are available if/when we return to in-person instruction during the pandemic. The webinar is this coming Wednesday, October 14th, from 4-5pm. Here is the event link: https://cta.webex.com/cta/onstage/g.php?MTID=ed75b65ab4c35e73d93dbee038ef5dd63 Have a great October break! Sincerely, Scott Shulimson September 25, 2020 Hi FMEA folks, Here are the highlights from this week's FMEA Rep Council: 1. The district will most likely remain in full distance-learning until January. The FMSD School Board could vote to return some or even all programs in person prior to January, but there is currently no indication that is going to happen. In November and December the board will be considering a January return, and whether it is safe and advisable to move from distance-learning to a hybrid of distance and in-person instruction. Much of this conversation will be based on the COVID19 data available at that time. If we are to return to any in-person instruction, FMEA will attempt to bargain an MOU focused on how to reopen safely, but for now we have not begun that process. 2. On November 3rd, two ballot measures will be voted on that will have a huge impact on the future of our district: Prop 15 is a statewide initiative that would bring over $5M annually to FMSD! I have attached a PowerPoint from CTA with a lot of great info, and here is a link where you can sign in support of Prop 15. http://bit.ly/CTAProp15 . Our CTA staff person, Kris Clarke, and I, will be conducting Zoom site visits in the coming weeks to discuss this and other matters. For Prop 15 to pass, all teachers in the state will need to make sure to encourage friends and family to support it, because there are some very deep pockets opposing it. Our district also has a local parcel tax on the ballot this November. Measure K needs 66% support to pass and would bring $1.2M to our district annually for the next five years. If you live in the district or have friends that do please encourage them to support Measure K. If you are interested in phone banking for Measure K or Prop 15 let me know. 3. FMEA and the district will meet next week to review our current COVID MOU, but it is unlikely that substantial changes will be made or synchronous time will be changed. Keep in mind that the required minimum student day is four hours (three for TK and kinder), and that required synchronous time is 2.5 hours per teacher, not per student (two hours for TK and kinder). If you are feeling pressured to work beyond those minimums let me know. 4. FMEA has three upcoming Zoom meetings: Thursday, October 1st: New teacher meeting 3:30-5pm https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/85000595336?pwd=TmxjanQvQTIvVFNhWGM3ajc1Y250QT09 Friday, October 2nd. FMEA Equity Team meeting 4:15-5:15pm https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/84157104346?pwd=dGc1UzBjUnF5Qy9xMjJaTVc2T0hQdz09 Thursday October 8th: FMEA SPED meeting 3:30-5pm https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/84792967752?pwd=Vy9PbUNhWEE1WU9VdlFwUDRSWk5adz09 Keep up the great work and don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, comments or concerns. Sincerely, Scott Shulimson FMEA President September 10, 2020 Hi all, I know it's been a challenging and chaotic week with the rollout of new attendance and participation requirements. Some of the challenges may be unavoidable because the state has made participation a factor in how districts get their funding. However the rollout of the new procedures has obviously created a lot of confusion and frustration. In the days ahead FMEA will work with the district to hopefully make the procedures clearer and less burdensome. Communication could have been a lot better on this. Unfortunately I think the reality is that the participation logs are going to be extra work, if the state doesn't change their requirements. To that end I have gotten word that CTA is working to get the requirements reduced, but there are no guarantees on that, and it could take awhile, The PD that was rolled out last week also created a lot of frustration. FMEA is now working with the district to create a calendar of PD so that any required PD would be planned with sensitivity around how many other required meetings there are in any given week. Ideally all required PD will be held on Wednesdays. Most likely Ed Services will be sending out a survey so they can plan PD in accordance with what works for us. FMEA's Equity Team meet-and-greet that had been planned for tomorrow has been postponed. The new date is October 2nd at 4:15. Our Equity Team, Imelda Murillo and Edgar Quiroz-Medrano, will send out a Zoom invite. Lastly, FMEA and Ed Services are still reviewing site instructional minutes. Many sites are over the minimums, so as I mentioned in my last email, if you are being pressured to provide more than the minimums (see Friday's email for specifics) let me know ASAP. If teachers and schools choose willingly to go above the minimums that shouldn't be a problem. Best, Scott Shulimson September 4, 2020 Hi all, Some sites are still finalizing their schedules but overall I am seeing many sites going over the agreed upon minimum instructional day and synchronous time. That is fine, as long as you are not being pressured by your principal to agree to a longer day. The minimum student day is three hours for TK/K, three hours fifty minutes for grades 1-3 and fours hours for 4th grade and up. That does not include breaks. Minimum teacher synchronous instruction time is two hours for TK/K and two and a half hours for all other grades. You can go over the minimum student day and/or synchronous instruction time, but if you are being pressured to do so please let me know. Prop 15 (formerly known as Schools And Communities First) is incredibly important and I will be repeating this message until the November election. By passing Prop 15, we will close loopholes that keep some of the state's biggest corporations from paying their fair share of taxes. Please make sure to speak to your friends and families about the importance of Prop 15. It will bring over $5M to our district alone! I've attached a page of talking points. The CTA Leadership Conference begins next week and is online, free and open to all this year. There are all sorts of electives available on topics ranging from social justice to special ed. Here's a link https://ctago.org/events/2020-cta-region-i-leadership-conference/#program_hook This year CTA cards will be delivered directly to your home. They will be in the fall issue of CTA's Educator magazine coming to you soon. Lastly, there are open spots for CTA State Council, which is the elected body that charts CTA's path forward. Most years State Council meets in L.A. four times a year, though this year meetings will be virtual. This is an incredible way to get involved and make a difference in the positions and plans of CTA. For those interested, I've attached a declaration of candidacy which also includes many more details. The deadline to declare your candidacy is September 10th. I know distance learning has a whole range of new challenges to overcome. If you are feeling stuck or not getting the support you need please feel free to reach out to me anytime and I'll do my best to help. Have a great long weekend! Scott Shulimson August 28, 2020 Hi all, Many in our community have been impacted by the wildfires surrounding our region. I am aware of two FMEA members who lost their homes to fire, and encourage us all to donate generously to support our colleagues in this most challenging time. If you know of other FMEA members seeking financial support due to the fires let me know. Double Tragedy - Loss Of Fiancé Then Their Home, organized by Kimberly Constantino https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-mr-hanna-during-santa-cruz-fire?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link_more&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet Rep Council Highlights 1. Instructional Minutes: I'm still reviewing site schedules as is Ed Services. Admin cannot require more than 2.5 hours of synchronous instruction, and sites cannot require longer than a 4 hour student day. Many sites are appear to be extending the student day beyond 4 hours, and if you choose to do so, that is fine, but students aren't held accountable for work beyond the 4 hour day, and teachers will not be required to prepare plans or do grading for time anything outside the 4 hour student day. 2. Technology: Principals are currently submitting site tech needs to IT. Many of the district's new Chromebooks have been stuck in a port for months and may not arrive until October. A fresh batch of hotspots just came in so there are lots Verizon and T-Mobile hotspots, though there won't be any for teachers until it is certain that all students have access. All students leaving their home school were supposed to return their devices at the end of the 19/20 school year, but I've heard many of you concerned that 6th graders went off with devices that belonged to your school. The district says that there will be an inventory at the end of the year and those schools that lost devices will get them returned. Also, the district will be supplying devices for all schools to be at 1:1 for all students, so sites should not need to budget for this. The district also has thousands of headsets to distribute as needed to students, but these apparently do not have microphones. 3. CORAL: The district is supposedly fully disinfecting all rooms daily that are used by CORAL. Admin is supposed to placing CORAL in unused rooms when possible. 4. PPE: The district has personal protective equipment for teachers. Ask your principal if you want access. 5. Keenan videos: Completion of the videos is due September 19. Principals have been directed to provide the necessary time to complete it. If your principal does not give you sufficient time let me know (Note: admin can count free time without trainings on 8/12 and 8/13 towards the Keenan videos). 6. FMEA Site Visits: I will begin after school FMEA site visits September 8th via Zoom. There is lots to discuss, including the importance of passing Prop 15 in November. This proposition (formerly known as "Schools And Communities First") will bring $5M to FMSD annually if it passes, so it is extremely important that we all speak to our friends and family to let them know educators say YES ON 15!!! 7. Rep Council Calendar: FMEA Rep Council is open to all members. All meetings will be on Zoom until further notice. Below is our calendar of meetings for the 2020/21 school year. 8/24 9/21 10/26 12/7 1/25 2/22 3/22 4/26 5/24 This will be a year like no other. We have a good MOU to guide and protect us but there will no doubt be challenges, misunderstandings and complications. Let me know when these arise and I will do my best to help. Have a great weekend, Scott Shulimson August 14, 2020 Hi all, I know tensions are high, as many of us feel uneasy and unprepared for launching the new school year on Monday. I know there are some big gaps in technology, communication and expectations, but I think the best approach is to know that no one expects us to get this right from day one. This is a herculean task that schools really needed a year to prepare for, not a month. So breath deeply, reach out to me or your principal with questions, and know that no one is expecting things to go perfectly on Monday (or any day next week for that matter). Also, note that the full synchronous time does not need to be in place until October break. This will take time to set up and refine. For now the goal is to rebuild relationships with our students and begin putting everything in place. FMEA and the district did sign off on our COViD MOU today. I have attached the final version, though it hasn't changed since the last version I sent out. There are two things I would like to highlight: 1. Though we are only working 2.5 hours directly with students on Zoom, that does not mean administration can take up the rest of the day with meetings. We will need that time to prepare lessons and support students. Admin still gets Tuesday staff meetings (21 a year) and every other Thursday. I've attached a calendar that shows which Thursdays are admin and which are teacher-directed. 2. Safety has to come first during this pandemic so I want to spotlight the language in 4a from our MOU: "Unit members may choose to work remotely for the duration of the emergency school closure and shall not be required to report to their worksite while their worksite is closed to students." Hopefully this will give some comfort to those of you worried about being directed to report to work in person. Lastly, I have some good news to share: The deadline has passed, and our FMEA-endorsed board members, Maimona Afzal-Berta and George Sanchez do not have anyone running against them in the upcoming FMSD School Board election, so they will automatically be given new four-year terms as district trustees. We had expected a challenge from a charter school-backed candidate, but that did not materialize. Congratulations George and Maimona! I hope everyone gets a lot of rest this weekend and is ready for a very interesting, and likely very challenging first day of school on Monday. Best, Scott Shulimson August 12, 2020 Hi all, I would like to invite you to an FMEA town hall tomorrow at 4:30 to discuss the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) that FMEA has bargained with the district. This will be a similar format to yesterday's welcome-back district meeting. You can send me questions and comments ahead of time or share them in the chat tomorrow. Alie Victorine, Imelda Murillo, Veronica Andrade and myself spent much of the summer crafting and bargaining this MOU, and all of us will be on hand as part of the panel to discuss the MOU and answer your questions. Nothing has been signed yet but we do plan to sign off on the MOU shortly after this FMEA meeting. I am attaching the MOU and the Daily Synchronous Instruction docs that were sent previously. The third attachment (Full Distance Learning Instructional Framework) goes into more detail and was not sent previously but may be helpful. Thanks again to Alie, Imelda and Veronica for all the hard work! Here is the Zoom link. I hope you will join us tomorrow. Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://fmsd.zoom.us/j/89974303399?pwd=QmRBcUpLMW4rYkw5c2p2ZXNxbUFWdz09 Passcode: 333555 Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16699006833,,89974303399#,,,,,,0#,,333555# Or telephone US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 408 638 0968 Webinar ID: 899 7430 3399 Passcode: 333555 Best, Scott Shulimson August 6, 2020 Hi FMEA members, The instructional minutes for next year were informally agreed to earlier this week in FMEA/FMSD bargaining. We have many other components to the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) that we have been working on. Nothing has been formally agreed to yet, but that is likely to happen next week. Take a look at the attached MOU if you want to better understand how distance learning will impact our contract. We are still making adjustments to the language, so none of this is final, but what is in green is likely to the final language. I know a lot of this is confusing, as well as very stressful, and I'm sure there will be some hiccups as this school year gets launched, but I do believe all sides are making a good faith effort to figure out how to make this all work. I hope everyone is prepared for a very different kind of return to school. Have a good final weekend of vacation! Best, Scott Shulimson August 4, 2020 Hi all, FMEA has been been bargaining with the district on a reopening MOU for many weeks now. We still have a lot of work to do to complete it, but because the first day of school is less than two weeks away, and schools and parents need to have a schedule, we expedited the instructional minutes portion of the MOU. Moments ago we came to a non-binding agreement on this, and I have pasted the document below and also attached it. Over the summer the Instructional Program Subcommittee and Middle School Subcommittee put together plans for instructional minutes. Ultimately these plans are what FMEA tentatively agreed to. We took a hard look to make sure that there was sufficient teacher planning time, while also making sure we are providing enough direct contact with students that they can have a productive year. In the end this appears to be a fair compromise. In a nutshell, each student will receive a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction totaling four hours daily, as required by law. Each teacher will provide two and a half hours of synchronous instruction, on Zoom, to students daily, except for TK and K teachers, who will provide two hours of synchronous instruction daily. This synchronous instruction will be small groups in many cases, so the total amount of synchronous instruction for each student will be less than the amount for each teacher. I'm sharing this with you now so that you can review it and send me any feedback ASAP. So far nothing has been formally signed or agreed to. This is still a draft, however it is likely to be signed later this week so please send me any and all feedback right away. Thanks! Scott Shulimson FMEA President Cell 831-325-0465 Daily Synchronous Instruction in FMSD There will be daily synchronous instruction in SEL, Mathematics, ELA and ELD. In order to provide teachers the opportunity to develop the skills and comfort to provide quality synchronous instruction, the minutes outlined are intended to be the goal by fall break (October 12). The amount of synchronous time at the beginning of the year may be less than is outlined in this framework so long as some SEL, Mathematics, ELA and ELD are taught synchronously. In addition, the focus of synchronous time can be shifted at the beginning of the year to have a larger emphasis on relationship building and assessing individual needs. In order to provide access to education during asynchronous instruction, targeted support time will be conducted in small group settings to provide support for those who either struggle with the content or the engagement in distance learning. August 3, 2020 Hi all, FMEA is working busily to finalize our reopening MOU, and I will have an update for you in the next 48 hours. In the meantime our FMEA Equity Team (Imelda Murillo and Edgar Quiroz-Medrano) is gearing up for a powerful and productive year. They have put together the following communication. If you are interested in joining our Equity Team as the LGBTQ Chair let me know. Best, Scott Shulimson The human right and minority affairs chairs have started the FMEA Equity Team, per CTA guidelines. The equity team is in line with CTA’s vision of equity, social justice, and inclusion. The current percentage of Black Indigenous Educators of Color stands at 33.6%, while the student population is at 75.9% (CTA Human Rights Department Programs and Services). This wide gap between the percentage of teachers vs percentage of students calls on many questions that must be answered. Among the questions is how are we serving our Black Indigenous Students of Color in FMSD? How can we retain Black Indigenous Teachers of Color in FMSD? Historically, teachers of color have been on the fringes of education and leadership, therefore having an affinity group where Black Indigenous Educators of Color (BIEOC) can meet is critical in amplifying their voices and concerns. The minority affairs chair is here to listen to the needs and concerns of Black Indigenous Educators of Color (BIEOC). It is also here to create events that speak to the needs of our BIEOC. This subcommittee is geared towards encouraging BIEOC leadership through the use of community actions, social events, and other leadership opportunities through CTA and NEA. The Human Rights sub-committee unites all aspects of both unionism and public education, and supports the CTA Mission Statement and Strategic Plan. The work of the department uses transformative learning strategies with a focus on unconscious bias as a tool to look at both individual behavior and institutional practice. Ultimately, the intent is to create a more equitable union and public education system by helping to change behavior and practices that perpetuate inequality. The Human Rights sub-committee is here to carry out CTA’s strategic plan within the FMEA membership base. It will be the responsibility of the Human Rights sub-committee to address, work with, and support our work in creating a more equitable district that truly meets the needs of all members, students, and the communities we serve. Both of these committees are here to support all teachers in our pursuit of a more equitable educational system that meets the needs of both members and students. Both committees will work together with the greater FMEA union to prioritize the needs of students, teachers, and our educators community. Both will work in collaboration when issues of injustices are raised amongst the membership and greater community. Working in collaboration, both committees will work on building cross regional connections with other equity teams in the South Bay. If you feel that either subcommittee speaks to you or if you have a passion for social justice, don’t hesitate to email the FMEA Equity Team at FMEAequityteam@gmail.com. In solidarity, Imelda (Santee) and Edgar (Dahl) July 17, 2020 Hi FMEA members, As you have probably heard your, our advocacy paid off and the FMSD School Board voted Wednesday to begin the school year with distance learning (DL). I know not everyone is happy with that decision, and DL is not the best way to connect with our students, but it just does not seem safe to reopen in person and put people's lives at risk. The Board voted unanimously to begin the year with DL through December. The situation will be reassessed at that time, and it's possible FMSD will then phase in a hybrid model that includes in-person instruction. If there is a major decrease in COVID19 in our region it is possible that the Board could vote to implement the hybrid model earlier than January, but that seems unlikely. There is much work being done by district subcommittees attempting to create effective and safe plans. FMEA is also working on drafting an agreement with the district that clarifies expectations, and safeguards us as we launch the year with DL. I'm glad we have a month before the school year starts because there is much work to be done to make sure we have an agreement that supports our students, as well as our teachers and other FMEA members. This morning our County Office Of Education held a meeting on the science behind school opening guidance. For those of you who are interested, I'm attaching two documents from the California Department of Public Health. I will email with any other big news throughout the summer, and you can check our new FMEA Instagram and Twitter accounts for updates, as well as our FMEA Facebook page and website. Take good care, and stay safe and healthy, Scott Shulimson Like our Facebook page: FMEA Follow us on Twitter @EducatorsFmea Follow us on instagram@fmea_educators Check out our website: http://www.fmea.mobi July 13, 2020 Hi FMEA members, I heard from you loud and clear, both from the recent survey results and from your emails. It is just not a safe time to reopen our district, and when lives are at stake, safety has to come first. Due to escalating COVID19 cases around the state, school districts from LA and San Diego, to Oakland, SF and San Jose Unified, are opting to start the year with distance learning. Many are considering phasing in a hybrid model, but only once it appears that it is safe to do so. Nearly 200 of you have responded to the FMEA survey, and 75% of you want one of the options that does not require returning in person next month. In line with the surveys, and with districts around the state, FMEA will now strongly push to start the year with distance learning. We will have to examine what a phased-in reopening would look like and what measures would be used to assure us that it is safe, and that the time is right to return. Our FMSD School Board meets virtually this Wednesday at 5:30pm to discuss and vote on the current hybrid model. I think the tide is turning against a full reopening in August, and the board is likely to approve phasing in the hybrid model if/when it is safer. If you feel strongly about this, do consider emailing our board members. You also can sign up to speak at the virtual board meeting. Here's a link with the board meeting info. Click on "Meetings" in the middle of the page for instructions on accessing the meeting and signing up to speak. https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/fmsd/Board.nsf/vpublic?open I believe our board will do the right thing to protect the Franklin-McKinley community if they hear from us. rudy.rodriguez@fmsd.org maimona.berta@fmsd.org kerry.rosado @fmsd.org george.sanchez@fmsd.org thanh.tran@fmsd.org Lastly, there is a petition going around to request that County Public Health Director, Dr Sarah Cody, keep schools closed until it is safe to reopen. To sign the petition scroll to the very bottom. https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1F6UP-sQjCZetjhr7ct5yEUaRqP8azCw3MKX1IBlcbpM/mobilebasic Sincerely Scott Shulimson July 10, 2020 Hi all, This has been a summer like no other. Like all of you, I'm very concerned about our return to work, which is now one month away. The district has been running several committees and subcommittees to resolve the many questions surrounding how to best return next month, but I have mixed feelings about the plan, and it all feels like a moving target. For now the County is allowing districts to reopen with some, or all, in-person instruction, but that could change at any point, due to increased COVID19 prevalence. Nothing has been finalized by the district or agreed to by FMEA. At the very least FMEA will be negotiating more prep time than what is in the sample schedules. I put together a brief survey to better understand where FMEA stands on these matters. Once we have data from this survey we can make a coordinated effort to move the district towards our preferences and goals. Here is the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RNTVFWP The current plan is to offer a distance-learning-only option to families. Those students who do not choose that option will take part in a hybrid approach, with some distance learning and some in-person instruction. Each class will be divided into two cohorts and each cohort will come to school in-person two days a week. That would leave one student-free day, most likely on Friday. The County Health Department released guidelines on reopening which incorporates requirements from the State. Middle school age students are required to wear masks in class, but grades 6 and lower are not technically required to wear masks in the County guidelines. These guidelines do not require students to sit six feet away from each other, and the district plan does not require this either. There are plans to fully disinfect classrooms daily using new technologies, but this has not yet been finalized. Here's a link to the full document from the County. https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Documents/ReopeningofSantaClaraCountyK12Schools.pdf Most of us are very concerned about getting sick with COVID19 and wondering how that would effect our sick leave. We will get two weeks of paid sick leave if get sick due to COVID19, and that is detailed in the attachment which also covers other issues like lack of childcare. One of the few good thing about COVID is that CTA is offering their Summer Institute online, and for free! There are a lot of great strands to choose from. Here's the link with all the needed info. https://ctago.org/events/2020-summer-institute/ For the procrastinators out there just getting to your taxes, total 2019 union dues for tax purposes were $1299. I hope you are managing to enjoy your summer despite the challenges of this moment. Best, Scott Shulimson June 26, 2020 Hi FMEA members, Below is a link with information and a survey on district reopening plans. Please complete the survey by Sunday night. Also please note that in my opinion things are very fluid right now. Much can change in the coming weeks, and any plans we make now may end up taken off the table if County Health tightens up restrictions. It's possible that we will have to return with an online only full distance learning model in the fall, but for now the goal is to have some in-person contact with students. Also note that FMEA will be bargaining a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the district to make sure that all reasonable measures are taken to keep FMEA members safe when we reopen. Here's the link to the info and survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUwKbKtD4totfT-uDH12iq3ZKGAhuPzUBxgjBhxc81Tzk3OQ/viewform?usp=sf_link June 16, 2020 Hi FMEA members, This has been a school year like no other. It's hard to wrap things up in an email when so much is uncertain. The Reopening Advisory Workgroup will be working through June to determine the best instructional approach that balances the need for safety, while providing effective instruction. Many of you have already sent me your thoughts and ideas. I encourage you to continue doing so, and I will bring them to the workgroup. This workgroup will not be able to drill down into all details, so subgroups will be needed to iron out as many kinks as possible before we open up in mid-August. Basically, stay tuned for more info this summer as the plan develops, and know that more of you will have a chance to get involved in plotting the path forward as the plans get more detailed. The state and district budgets also remain unresolved at this time. The CA Legislature has not yet reached a deal with Governor Newsom over how large the cuts will be to education funding, though a compromise deal could come at any minute. Our FMSD School Board will be adopting a budget at their next meeting, one week from today. The board debated cuts at their last meeting, but ultimately requested that the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) meet again to work on proposed cuts. I am part of the BAC, and among the topics the BAC discussed earlier this month was all employees taking furlough days. While I believe this is an option that FMEA may have to look at in the future, if there are big cuts in state funding, I don't think it's right for FMEA to agree to furloughs and pay cuts when the district still has $19M in reserve. I am open to taking a hard look at furlough days once the district has made appropriate cuts further from the classroom, and spent down some of the large reserve. FMEA will be bargaining our annual renewal to our contract in the fall or winter and we do have spots for new Bargaining Team members. If you are interested in more details or applying for a spot let me know. Lastly, I want to honor our FMEA retirees. We usually honor them at our FMEA end-of-year party but obviously that was not an option this year. So to our retirees: Thank you for all your years serving the students and families of FMSD, and for supporting your colleagues in FMEA. May you have a long and fulfilling retirement! Corinne Kong - Sylvandale Jane Mick - Windmill Springs Paula Segura- Los Arboles Maria Van Zandt- Sylvandale Miriam Mooney - Sylvandale Maritza Dahl- Sylvandale Melanie Dresbach- Stonegate Esther Gutierrez - Ramblewood Roser Sauleda - Los Arboles Cindy Giardina - Franklin Linda Piantanida - Kennedy Nou Sokchhavy - Dahl Have a great summer all! Sincerely, Scott Shulimson June 9, 2020 Hi all, The budget proposed by Governor Newsom in May contained a 10% cut to eduction. Now the state legislature is working on a deal to avoid these harsh cuts to education. There is also significant money for schools in the federal CARES act, but it is not yet clear how it will be distributed. The takeaway is that funding for FMSD and other CA school districts is very uncertain at this time, though we will likely have a final state budget in less than a week. The district Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) met for several hours last week to discuss potential cuts. Like during the Great Recession a decade ago, FMEA may have to be willing to consider furlough days at some point, however, in my opinion we are not at that point yet. The district still has a very strong reserve of nearly $20M, and it's not clear whether there will be big cuts to the state's education funding that Newsom proposed, or much smaller cuts as the legislature proposed. Even if there are no cuts to the state budget, FMSD will still need to make further cuts because of declining enrollment (district funding is directly tied to enrollment). Tonight our School Board meets at 7pm, and among the items they will discuss and vote on are two separate proposals for budget cuts- both proposals are attached. One proposal would reduce all admin salaries by 10%. The other proposal would eliminate a secretary from HR, Business Services and Sylvandale, as well as cutting the Director Of Community Relations (Yelitza's position). Cuts are always hard, but the mantra that FMEA has repeated as long as I've been in this role is to keep them as far from the classroom as possible, and I think during this time of COVID that more important than ever. If you want to send in a public comment on any of this to be read aloud by Sandy Guevara, email her at sandy.guevara@fmsd.org. Here is the info and link to watch or listen to tonight's meeting. https://www.fmsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=455278&type=d&pREC_ID=1914576 To listen only: Attendee Dial-in Number: +1 (312) 248-9348 Attendee Dial-in ID Number: 900328 Attendee Dial-in Passcode: 4578 Rep Council Highlights: FMEA Dues And Budget: FMEA Rep Council met yesterday and voted to keep local dues steady at $395 a year, though I do expect an increase in CTA and NEA dues. Rep Council also passed a budget that is very close to the current year's budget. PD Survey Results: Thank you for taking part in last month's PD survey. 57% of you voted to keep the calendar the same, with two PD days prior to the first day of school. 43% of you voted to start the year one day later and end one day later, and to move one PD day to September. I have informed HR that FMEA is opposed to the proposed change, and it looks like the district will be sticking with the current calendar and PD schedule. FMEA Scholarships: If your site has 8th graders, and you have not done so already, please determine who will be the recipient of this year's FMEA Scholarship. Let me know ASAP. Fall Reopening: Yesterday Norma Martinez sent out a reopening survey. Please take the survey by the end of the week. The results will be used by the district's Reopening Advisory Workgroup to come up with a plan for reopening. After that group completes a general plan, there will be subgroups involved in determining the specifics. There are still lots of unknowns for next year, but it looks likely we will be opening in the fall, but with everyone wearing masks (teachers may wear face shields) and fewer students in a room (necessitated by desks being 6 feet apart). Most likely each student will come to school two or three days a week, and distance learning will continue as part of the approach. I'm still very concerned for all of you that have conditions that make you or your family members especially vulnerable to COVID-19 complications. Hopefully some will be able to work remotely to minimize exposure, but these details, as well as those in the paragraph above have not been worked out. I expect that by then end of the month we will have a much clearer plan for reopening. Thanks for making it through this long email! Keep in touch, June 4, 2020 Hi all, Here are the election results submitted by FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu. Congratulations to our new FMEA Executive Board!
Scott Shulimson June 4, 2020 Hi all, It's rare for me, but I'm at a loss for words. To say these are challenging times is too generic, and more importantly an understatement. I'll just say that for the first time in my life I'm genuinely scared about this nation's ability to overcome our differences and work towards our common goals. Over the last 13 years that I've served as FMEA President I have made a conscious choice to not tread into political issues unless they had a concrete impact on the teachers and students of Franklin-McKinley. I'm very interested in politics, but I know that some of you may not share my views and divisions may form. I've always thought it most important that we stay unified and avoid topics that could divide us. But these moments we are living through transcend politics. The death of black men and women, and other acts of systemic racism, have to be called out for what they are. Black lives matter, and as a nation we need to take a hard look at racism, and what it will take for this nation to truly make a change. Racism needs to be called out so that the students we teach can grow up in a more fair, equitable and just world than the one we grew up in. The anger at George Floyd's killing has boiled over into the protests and unrest we have seen the past week, and though I'm not defending looting, and I believe strongly in non-violence, I want to share some words from former President Obama on protesting: “Just remember that this country was founded on protest — it is called the American Revolution, Every step of progress in this country, every expansion of freedom, every expression of our deepest ideals have been won through efforts that made the status quo uncomfortable, And we should all be thankful for folks who are willing, in a peaceful, disciplined way, to be out there making a difference.” As the California Teachers Association recently stated, "Saying #BlackLivesMatter isn't enough: we need to actively show it in our work toward anti-racism on a personal, structural and institutional level." We must hold ourselves and each other accountable. Our schools must be places to nurture equity and justice. FMEA Ethnic Minority Chair, Imelda Murillo has posted links in the FMEA Facebook group for resources for those of you who seek a deeper understanding. Thank you for allowing me to share, and for your thoughtful reflection on these matters. Take good care of yourself and each other. Sincerely, May 29, 2020 Hi FMEA members, Fall Plans/ COVID MOU: The district will soon be putting together a committee of teachers, Classified staff and others to begin planning for next year. Much may change between now and August but at the moment it looks likely that school will reopen in the fall with social distancing and masks in place, and reduced numbers of students in any given room. This would necessitate some combination of distance learning and in-person learning. Attached is an FMEA/FMSD COVID Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU). A similar MOU will have to be negotiated for the fall so that we can reopen safely. FMSD Budget Cuts: The district will be convening a Budget Advisory Committee next week to discuss district budget cuts. Some cuts were already needed due to declining enrollment, but now cuts are likely to be much deeper than originally expected due to the COVID-related cuts to the state budget. CTA Call To Action: Unprecedented budget cuts of up to 10% are likely coming our way unless we are able to convince our legislators to protect education. It's crucial that schools be protected, since teaching during a pandemic will be challenging enough without these huge cuts. CTA has put out a "call-to-action" and has set up a phone number (which includes some guidance) for members to use to reach our legislators. Call 1-855-977-1770 and demand no cuts to education. Attached to this email is a document from CTA with all details on the proposed cuts to education. Resignation/ Retirement Incentives: Today is the last day to turn in notice of resignation for the $3000 stipend, or notice of retirement (for those 55 years old, with 5 years in the district) for the much larger retirement incentive. Email Annette Grasty in HR by the end of the day if you are interested. "Contracts" Around this time each year the district distributes placement verification forms. These are commonly referred to as "contracts" though technically they are not contracts and they are not binding. This year the COVID shutdown has made it hard for HR to put these together, and it looks like they may not go out until the fall. Do keep in mind that, unless you were previously notified, everyone has a job for next year even though you will likely not receive your placement verification "contract" that is usually distributed at this time. Also keep in mind that you are obligated to notify the district by June 30th if you are not returning next year. Excess Staff: The district now has the twelve needed openings to place all excess staff. Most likely this will be done on a Zoom meeting next week. FMEA Officer Elections: Today at 10pm is the deadline to vote in FMEA officer elections. You should have received the electronic ballot on your district email. If you did not receive it let me know. PD Calendar Survey: Also, if you have not voted on the FMEA PD calendar survey please do so ASAP. Here is the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JGDPDVW Retro Pay: Lastly, today is pay day and you should have received a larger than normal check because it included the pay for the retroactive portion of our raise. If you didn't receive your retro pay let me know. Have a great weekend! Scott Shulimson May 26, 2020 Hi FMEA members, I hope you had a good long weekend and are managing your best through all the challenges of these times. As we start to wrap up this school year and begin to plan for next year, there are a lot of unknowns. At this point it looks like social distancing will continue, and classes will be taught using a combination of distance learning and in-person traditional learning. There are obviously a lot of considerations to be worked out before we return in August. Any challenges will be exacerbated by the 10% cut to education funding that Governor Newsom is proposing. We won't have a state budget until next month, but if there are huge cuts to funding, just know that any cuts to our salary would have to be bargained, and cannot be unilaterally imposed. This evening you will be receiving an email on your district email account from "Simply Voting" which is the platform FMEA will be using to hold online voting for our FMEA Officer Elections. If you don't receive the email tonight let me know. Voting will be open through this Friday at 10PM. Ed Services has requested that we consider a change to the calendar. In recent years we have had four days back at work prior to the first day of school. Two of these have been professional development (PD) days, the third day is principal-directed and the fourth is teacher-directed. What is being proposed is that we move one of these two PD days a month later because sitting and absorbing information for two days straight is a lot. Note: Most likely one PD day will be on distance learning, and one PD day will be on new ELA curriculum for grades K-5 and new science curriculum for grades 6-8. Option A is status quo, meaning no changes to the calendar that has already been approved with two back-to-back PD Days. Option B would mean that we would return from summer break on Wednesday, 8/12 instead of Tuesday 8/11. We would still have one principal-directed day and one teacher-directed day, but instead of two PD days we would just have one. The second PD day would be September 14th. Students would not come to school that day, so the school year would end one day later on Wednesday, June 16th instead of Tuesday, June 15th. A brief summary is below, and here is the link when you are ready to vote on the calendar. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JGDPDVW Options Calendar PD Dates Start and End Dates PROS CONS Option A Status Quo Keep four teacher work days prior to first school day, with two PD days that first week. August 11th and August 12th Teachers start August 11th and students start August 17th Last day for students and teachers is June 15th Provides more time for PD prior to launching school year No changes to calendar neededToo intensive with 2 PD days in a row at beginning of year Option B Three teacher work days at beginning of year instead of four Keep one PD day at beginning of year and one PD day a month later Teacher work year would start one day later and end one day later. August 12th (not August 11th) and September 14th Teachers start August 12th and students start August 17th Last day for students and teachers would be June 16th (extend calendar by 1 day) Breaking up PD allows for time to assimilate information. Training can be provided to site classified staff on September 14th Necessitates calendar extension by 1 day (June 16) Take care, May 13, 2020 Hi all, Happy CTA Day Of The Teacher! I made a short video below I hope you will watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=_ZUbWTbPac0&app=desktop Sincerely, Scott Shulimson May 8, 2020 Hi FMEA members, CTA's Day Of The Teacher isn't until this coming Wednesday, but this week has been National Teacher Appreciation Week, and I know FMEA teachers have been appreciated this year like no other, as we have provided an important link to our students and families, making sure they have the food, safety, and resources needed to make it through this challenging time. I sincerely thank you and appreciate you! Yesterday Governor Newsom shared that California now has a budget deficit of $54 billion. He will release the annual May Revision to the budget next week, and we will see how he plans to close that gap. It's safe to say that the increased funding to schools that has been a staple of California budgets for almost a decade is over for now. Just how hard education is hit remains to be seen. The only viable remedy to this fiscal crisis is for Congress to allocate more money to states. Specifically, CTA is calling on Congress to allocate $175 billion to states in the form of an Education Stabilization Fund. CTA has issued a "Call To Action." All you have to do is call your congress person and request they support this Education Stabilization Fund. CTA has set up the following number that will connect you to your congressperson: 1-855-977-1770. All details are attached to this email. Thank you in advance for taking a few minutes to respond to this call to action. Your paycheck last week should have included the raise for this year, and your check at the end of May should include retro pay for the year. Don't forget there is an incentive for people to declare they are resigning or retiring. You need to notify HR by the end of May to qualify for the incentive. This will also help our excess staff get placed. Distance learning is requiring us all to adapt to a totally different landscape than we are used to. If you are having challenges or need questions answered, please get in touch. Thanks for all you do and have a great weekend! Scott Shulimson May 1, 2020 Hi FMEA members, FMEA Elections: FMEA officer elections are coming up this month. Every year FMEA votes on President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director-At-Large. All are one-year terms except for Director, which is a three-year term. If you are interested in running for any of these positions you need to email a short bio, up to 30 words, to FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at shampoo.6@gmail.com by May 21st. Make sure to indicate which position you are running for. Attached to this email is a complete description of each of these positions. 2020/21 School Year: Governor Newsom caught a lot of school districts off guard when he recently mentioned that schools might return in July. It's unlikely many districts will be doing so, and FMSD will definitely not begin our school year until August. It's possible the State or County will extend the school shutdown, and we could end up coming back later than planned, but we will not be returning to work earlier than August 11th, which is our first day back to work on the board-adopted FMSD calendar. While we can rule out school returning in July, there are many unknowns about next school year. FMSD, like other districts is beginning to look at options if social distancing is still in place. In the coming weeks planning for next year will come into clearer focus, but for now a large range of approaches are being looked at. . Staffing: Currently there are not enough open positions in the district for all excess staff and coaches, who are returning to the classroom. Therefore the district is going to offer a $3,000 incentive to anyone who officially notifies the district, by May 31st, of their plan to resign. This year's large retirement incentive will also be made available to anyone who qualifies but missed the deadline. I do think there will be enough spots for all teachers to have a placement for next year, by the first of week of June. Teachers who need to retrieve materials from your classroom because you are moving to a different classroom or leaving FMSD altogether will probably have access the first week of June. This date could change based on further guidance from the County Department of Public Health. Salary Schedules: Updated salary schedules are now available. I've attached next year's 184 and 194 day salary schedules, and the link to the district's website is below, which has updated 2019-20 salary schedules. The salary schedules for this year are 1% larger than next year because they include this year's 1% bonus. https://www.fmsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1135533&type=d&pREC_ID=986272 Have a great weekend! Scott Shulimson FMEA President April 22, 2020 Hi FMEA members, FMSD delayed last week's board meeting until last night, which means the board approved our Tentative Agreement (TA) last night. We are supposed to see the raise in our paychecks next week, and the retro pay should come at the end of May, but that is a tight timeline so I'll be happy to see it when it arrives. The board voted to give administration the same raise we got (2.5% raise plus a 1% bonus), They also voted to switch Bridges from a dependent charter to a traditional public school next year. Also in last night's board packet it was announced that Karen Allard will be resigning at the end of this school year. For those who were being evaluated this year, the district is going to go ahead and finish evaluations based on whatever observations took place prior to schools closing. If instead, you prefer to be evaluated next year, make sure to let your principal know, so you will be evaluated next year instead of this year. FMEA Rep Council will meet on Zoom this coming Monday, so if you have questions or concerns about distance learning or anything else, make sure to contact your FMEA Site Rep so that they can bring up your concerns to the group. It looks like the district is working towards an unusual mid-year open enrollment, primarily for those who are having trouble with the switch to United Health Care. More details will be available in the coming weeks. Lastly, I'm once again attaching the SPED MOU that was recently approved at the time of our TA. All SPED staff will receive a $500 stipend for the next five years, and all SPED staff hired in the last three years will now be receiving the $3000 stipend for a total of five years. It's challenging to stay in touch, unified and coordinated without any in-person meetings, so do let me know if there are issues you think need to be on the FMEA radar. Take good care and stay healthy and positive, Scott Shulimson FMEA President April 10, 2020 Hi all, I hope this email finds you well. The voting on our Tentative Agreement (TA) has ended and the final result is unanimous! 215 voted "yes" and 0 voted "no." The Board will ratify it at their meeting this Tuesday, and then the TA becomes binding contract language. The salary increase is retroactive to July 1, 2019 so we will get a retro check in the coming months, but the hourly pay and other increases are not retroactive. Thanks again to our bargaining team for getting this done despite the challenging times. Tentative master schedules should be emailed out by the April 15th deadline. Some teachers have already been contacted about being on the excess staff list. Things will be a little different this year since obviously there won't be an excess staff meeting in person, and there are less openings this year than past years, but there will be positions for everyone eventually. During the upcoming spring break there is no expectation that you be available for anything work-related. If you have questions or concerns about distance learning or anything else please let me know. Have a cozy holiday break. Best, Scott Shulimson April 7, 2020 Hi FMEA members, I hope you and your loved ones are doing well and adjusting to this current reality. At 7pm tonight you should receive an email on your district email with a link to vote on the recent Tentative Agreement (TA) between FMEA and the district. I have attached the TA to this email once again. FMEA will be voting on a secure and independent platform called "Simply Voting." The voting is open until Friday at 4pm, but I encourage you to vote earlier. If you do not receive the voting link on your district email tonight definitely let me know. FMEA is using district email to make sure that the link to vote doesn't wind up in your spam folder, and because we don't have 100% of members' email addresses, but I have made corrections to the district list, and I have confirmed that there is no way the district can tell who votes or how they vote. If more than 50% of FMEA votes cast are in support of the TA then the School Board will ratify it at their meeting this coming Tuesday. It usually takes a month or two to get our retro check and for the raise to show up on our paychecks. I do not know how the virus shutdown will impact this timeline, but I know they work hard to complete this all by June at the latest. Below are topics that went out to FMEA Site Reps yesterday. Rep Council April Topics: Master Schedule: April 15 is when the district posts a tentative master schedule. It will be emailed out this year instead of posted. Floating Cap Pay: I have confirmed that teachers will continue to get floating cap pay. Also, in cases where teachers are taking on an extra class instead of there being a sub, that teacher or teachers will be paid just as if a class was split on a normal day due to no sub. Note: in the recent TA we bargained that teachers taking split classes will split $250, so once the Board ratifies our TA the $250 goes into effect. Until then it remains the retired teacher pay rate that is split, which I believe is $200. Spring Break: There will still be a spring break this year. During spring break there is no obligation to do work-related tasks. COVID19 MOU: FMEA is working with the district on coming up with a COVID19 MOU that addresses safety, basic obligations around distance learning, and other components of our contract that have been effected by the school shutdown. The fact that we will not be reopening schools this year is going to create many challenges and unique issues. Let me know if you have questions or concerns that need to be looked at. Take care, stay positive and stay safe. Sincerely, April 2, 2020 Hi all, As you have now probably heard, California schools will not be reopening this school year. Distance learning will be the focus for districts around the state. In recent days the district has sent out a lot of information about the FMSD plan for distance learning, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions. There are also a lot unknowns related to how the district will handle the processes and procedures that normally happen at sites every spring. I do think all of this will get worked out in time, but feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns you are struggling to get addressed. FMEA will be using an online platform called "Simply Voting" to conduct a secure online vote for our Tentative Agreement (TA). Voting on the TA will take place next week, most likely using your personal email address. I'm attaching the TA to this email once again, and will follow up with more information as we get ready to vote next week. Spring break will still take place as originally scheduled during the week of April 13th. During that time teachers will not be expected to conduct distance learning or be available for work-related demands. I've been asked to remind folks not to reply-to-all unless you feel strongly that your reply to me is pertinent to everyone else in this email group. I am still open to any and all private correspondence. Lastly, for those who didn't see it, Superintendent Cruz clarified when and how to enter your classroom in his email yesterday: "Schools will be open on Friday (4/3) and Monday (4/6) from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm for staff to ONLY pick-up materials and resources that may be needed to support distance learning. Everyone will need to adhere to the social distancing guidelines and use gloves as you enter the building. Please make sure to notify your principal of when you plan to come in". I'm really inspired by how this community of educators has pulled together to support our students and families, and I'm sure we will adapt to this new educational approach. Take good care of yourself and your loved ones. Sincerely, Scott Shulimson March 30, 2020 Hi all, The district is currently gathering and disinfecting devices to go out to families, and distance learning will begin one week from today. I mentioned in Friday's email that you will be allowed to go into your room to retrieve needed instructional materials, but please hold off for a few days until the district has their disinfecting plan/protocol in place. By the second half of this week there should be a plan in place for accessing your rooms. FMEA is currently working with CTA to figure out the best online platform for conducting our TA voting. I'm pretty sure we will vote later this week and will keep you posted. Best, Scott Shulimson March 27, 2020 Hi FMEA members, I hope you are doing well during the quarantine. It's a strange time we are in with lots of unknowns, but California teachers are doing much better than those in other states who don't have a commitment from state government that our paychecks will keep coming. Our pay will not only keep coming, it will increase, but first we have to ratify the Tentative Agreement (TA). Normally we vote by paper ballot, but obviously that would be challenging at this time. Most likely we will use SurveyMonkey to vote, and a vote link will be sent directly to your district email next week. The FMEA Update from last week has a summary of the TA and I am attaching the TA and SPED MOU to this email as well. Note: The SPED MOU has been updated again so that, not only do all SPED teachers receive a $500 annual stipend, but now all teachers currently receiving the $3000 annual signing bonus will get it for five years instead of three. Also note: the TA includes a 2.5% raise with a 1% bonus, and the language used to implement the bonus is confusing, but it's written using that specific language to ensure that this 1% counts towards teacher retirement. The school closure has been extended until at least May 1st. Most likely schools will not reopen this school year, but the situation is changing rapidly so we will have to take it week by week. The district is currently collecting and disinfecting devices to be sent home to students so that FMSD can implement virtual learning. The devices will go out next week and the district will support families who are having connectivity challenges. April 6th will be the first week of instruction. There will be no live video instruction or whole-class voice instruction because of liability issues. The first two weeks the district will have lessons ready to be uploaded, but after the first two weeks teachers or grade levels will be responsible to create and post the assignments. SPED teachers will be responsible to create and/or modify curriculum as needed. This is all still somewhat unclear, but there should be a lot of clarification in the coming week. One thing that is clear is that we will not be directed to go into classrooms. We will be allowed into rooms if teachers want to gather materials, but for those who choose to be strictly quarantined and do not want to visit your room, no one should be directing you to do so. Please let me know if you hear otherwise, because this has been an ongoing issue in some neighboring districts. So far FMSD has respected FMEA members' need for safety and no one I'm aware of has been directed to show up in person. Below is a link to our FMEA General Survey with a focus on student behavior. It originally went out in February, but if you have not yet taken it, now is great time to do so. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X5R3W6T There is a currently a lot of confusion and many unique challenges posed by the school closures. I am available by phone, text or email to answer questions or support you in any issues that arise. Take good care, and stay healthy. Sincerely, Scott Shulimson March 19, 2020 Hi all, These are unprecedented times, and I hope you are taking the appropriate steps to keep yourself, your family and your community healthy. As you know it's difficult to predict much these days with any certainty. There is a possibility schools won't reopen this school year, but it's also possible we will come back some time in April or May. I think it's likely that the earliest we would be back is April 20th at the end of our spring break. Among the things we can be certain of is that we will be paid our full salary for the rest of this school year, we will not lose our benefits, our CalSTRS credit will not be negatively affected, and we will not have to use our sick leave during the school closure. What's also now certain is that we have settled our contract for the 2019/20 school year! FMEA and the district almost reached a deal a few weeks back, and both sides wanted to bring some good news during this challenging time, so we worked remotely this week to finalize our agreement. I've attached the Tentative Agreement (TA) to this email, along with the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) for special education. This MOU is primarily a signing bonus for new teachers, and was originally agreed to in December, but now it includes a $500 annual stipend for SPED staff. As is usually the case, there were a number of improvements and protections we were not able to get. These include increased social workers, and inclusion class protection, but the district has agreed to begin a district-level student behavior committee next year, and we were able to make gains in a number of areas. I have summarized these below:
Normally we vote by paper ballot, but this year the tentative plan is to vote next week using district email. If the TA is approved by more than 50% of FMEA membership then the FMSD School Board will approve it at their April 14th meeting. I would hope that our retro check would arrive at the end of May, but things may move slower during the closure. If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to email or call me. Thank you to Bargaining Chair, Alie Victorine, and the rest of the team, Veronica Andrade, Julia Walle, Catherine Baskerville and Kris Clarke! Sincerely, Scott Shulimson March 13, 2020 Hi all, As we now know, all County schools will be closed to students for three weeks beginning Monday. We will continue to be paid, and are not using sick leave, but be aware that we are not technically on any type of leave. That means the district has the right to call us in to work as long as we are not gathering in groups larger than the County permitted number of 35. Other than district office staff, FMEA members do not need to report to work Monday. It is likely we will be called in Tuesday to prepare work packets for students. At this time I have no guess about the rest of next week or the weeks after. A lot of us have concerns about the safety of coming to work after schools have been closed to students, and you can use sick leave if you do not feel comfortable returning to school grounds. There will be a lot of disinfecting going on between now and Tuesday, but completely cleaning all schools is a big job. Some of you have brought up concerns about child care for staff when we are called in, as well as meals for our students while schools are closed. I shared these concerns with our superintendent and I think solutions are being considered. I'm sure there will also be unforeseen issues and concerns as this situation develops. For now we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the County did the right thing for the health of everyone in this region and shut down schools temporarily. I will follow up when I have more information. Sincerely, Scott Shulimson March 12, 2020 Hi all, Things have been changing very quickly. There are still no confirmed Covid-19 cases among FMSD students, but I think it is just a matter of time before our district and all others in the county close down temporarily. The decision to close will come from the County Office Of Education, based on discussions with County Health. The closure could come at any time, but I'd be surprised if we stayed open through next week. For now the district is taking some extra steps to keep our sites clean, but I know it's a losing battle. Many cleaning supplies such as hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes are not available. Some sites have them, but disinfecting wipes can only be accessed after watching the legally-mandated Keenan video (and at the time of sending this I have not received the link for this). The district is increasing sanitizing and disinfecting, including bringing custodians in to work on weekends to clean ipads and other devices. The district is focusing on the cleaning schedule outlined in the email earlier today, but obviously most of us are doing a lot extra cleaning. At this time the district has not agreed to pay for products you buy, but you can work with your principal to see if they will reimburse you. The district office is working on putting together work packets by grade level. Hopefully these will be available by Monday, since some families are already pulling their kids out of school. If/when we do close, these packets would be distributed to students to work on during the closure. I want to once again mention there is no reason to worry that there will be any loss of pay during the time the district closes. But it is quite likely that we will have to come in to schools at times to do some sort of work, since we are being paid during this time. There have been discussions on moving spring break earlier, but the downside is that some who have already made plans during the current spring break would have to cancel them if that became a work week. Many of us and our colleagues are in the groups considered most at risk. I absolutely understand your concerns and frustrations. The district is not allowing you to stay home without it coming out of sick leave, but no doctors notes will be required, and if you run out of sick leave you will still receive differential pay (your full pay minus $160 for a sub). I know this is less than ideal, but if we do end up closing in a matter of days, it will not be a serious hit to your sick leave. In addition to the extra disinfecting, cancelling all field trips, assemblies and open houses, all parent conferences are being cancelled, and IEPs will not be held in person. I think it's also clear that we will be postponing our FMEA April 4th basketball tournament. I will get back in touch when I have any substantial news to share. I know it's a challenging time and I appreciate all you are doing to keep your students, colleagues and yourself healthy. Thank you! Sincerely, Scott Shulimson FMEA President March 11, 2020 Hi all, Covid 19 is the topic that has dominated most conversations lately. I don't have much new to say that wasn't included in my email on Friday. The situation is changing very quickly, and our district will follow any new guidelines issued from the various County departments. But as I said in Friday's email, there is no reason to think that we will lose any salary or sick leave. If you are among those at risk for a more severe response to the virus you can use your sick days to stay home as a precautionary measure, and no doctor's note will be required. Monday's Rep Council was cancelled since it could be handled by email, but today's FMEA SPED meeting will not be cancelled because I think it's crucial we hold this meeting at this time and it cannot be handled by email. Here are the topics we would have discussed at Rep Council on Monday: Old Business: 1. Bargaining: We met last week and are bargaining again today. We are making progress towards a raise but are having more challenges on Hours and Class Size. I'm hopeful we can settle in the next month. 2. Total CTA/NEA/FMEA dues for 2019 tax purposes were $1299 3. SPED Meeting: This open meeting is today, March 11th, in the Shirakawa library, 3:30-5pm. 4. The FMEA basketball tournament was scheduled for April 4th, but it will probably have to be postponed due to the virus. We are looking at a new date later this school year and will decide ASAP. New Business: 1. Measure R: FMSD's school bond passed last week. The bond is to raise $80,000,000 for updating school properties and technology needs. Bonds generally can't be used to pay teacher salaries. 2. Spelling Bee: The winners of the FMEA spelling bee were: 1st place: Alex Nguyen- Santee 2nd place: Christin Duong- Ramblewood 3rd place: Vincent Nguyen- Ramblewood Also, as a reminder for those wanting to transfer to a different school: April 1st is the deadline to request to be put on the transfer list. Those on this list are supposed to be called for an interview for any openings they have stated interest in. However anyone can interview for any open position, whether or not they are on the transfer list. Best, Scott Shulimson FMEA President March 6, 2020 Hi FMEA members, Obviously many of us are concerned about the outbreak of Covid 19, with the recent sharp increase in cases in Santa Clara county. In terms of the impact to us and our district, there are still a many unanswered questions. A lot will depend on how rapidly it spreads. School districts are generally not forming their own plans but are following guidance from the County Office Of Eduction and County Office Of Public Health. There is currently no plan to close down any FMSD schools but it does remain a possibility in the future. If that happens there is absolutely no reason this would influence the pay or sick leave of teachers. Our contract is binding and this crisis does not void anything we have agreed to. Furthermore, because California has declared this a state of emergency, districts can close school for a short period of time without needing to make up the school days. The district is taking small steps like increasing cleaning of communal spaces and cancelling some events. The vast majority of people with this virus do not experience life-threatening illness; nonetheless, if you feel your health could be seriously impacted by this virus because of a pre-existing condition you can use sick leave and stay home, and no doctor's note will be required. Obviously this situation is changing quickly so who knows what next week will bring. I think generally, those calling the shots at a county and local level are trying to avoid creating panic, while still taking steps to keep people informed and safe. Hopefully they succeed. Enjoy your weekend, February 14, 2020 Hi FMEA members and welcome to our first February vacation! Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council. Also FMEA has a brand new general survey. Please click on this link and make your voice heard on this brief survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X5R3W6T Rep Council Highlights Bargaining: We are starting to make some progress. We bargained today and inched closer to a deal. Our next bargaining date is March 5th, and I'm hoping we will have another productive day. HR now has new versions of the contract that was bargained last year, so stop by and grab one. Schools And Communities: Thousands more signatures are still needed to get this on the November ballot. If the Schools And Communities initiative passes it will bring millions in increased funding to FMSD. Site Reps have blank petitions if you want to bring them home for your friends and family to sign. All registered voters in the state can sign. FMEA Student Events: The FMEA spelling bee has been postponed until Wednesday, March 4th, to make sure sites have enough time to determine who will represent your school. It will be held at Bridges from 6-8pm. The FMEA basketball tournament is April 4th at Yerba Buena High School. FMEA Happy Hour: Our next FMEA social event is Friday, February 28th, at Stanley's Sports Bar, 3:30-6pm. Flyers are coming soon. FMEA SPED Meeting: This drop in FMEA meeting will be Wednesday, March 11th, at the Shirakawa library from 3:30-5pm. Dues Total: For tax purposes, total union dues for 2019 were $1299. Lastly, it is with great sadness that we received the news that our long-time district nurse, Gwendolyn Kyle passed away this week. Gwendolyn was a nurse here the last twelve years, and her care and smiles will be missed. Sincerely, Scott Shulimson February 5, 2020 Hi FMEA members, Bargaining: Bargaining began last week and we will continue next week. Our district's declining enrollment may make it harder to get a raise this year, but I am confident that we ultimately will reach a deal that includes a raise, retroactive to the beginning of this school year. Student Events: The FMEA spelling bee has been moved to Wednesday, February 26th to give more time to schools to prepare. Please let me know if you will be the coordinator for your site. The FMEA basketball tournament will be April 4th. We still need coordinators for this event as well. SERP: The district retirement incentive has ended with a total of ten teachers signing up for it. My understanding is that the board is likely to approve the incentive for these ten teachers. Scholarships: If you are a new teacher interested in a scholarship to attend either the CTA Good Teaching Conference or New Educator Weekend let me know ASAP. Here are links to both: https://ctago.org/events/2020-new-educator-weekend-north/ https://ctago.org/events/2020-good-teaching-conference-north/ FMEA Social: The next FMEA happy hour will be Friday, February 28th, at Stanley's Sports Bar from 3:30-6pm. Look for invites coming soon. These are always a blast so don't miss it! SPED Meeting: FMEA will be hosting a special ed drop in meeting on Wednesday, March 11th, from 3:30-5pm in the Shirakawa Library. This is open to all SPED teachers who want to voice their concerns and opinions. Schools And Communities First: This CTA-sponsored ballot initiative still needs many more signatures to qualify for the November ballot. It will bring billions of dollars to school districts around the state by closing property tax loopholes for big business. If you are willing to have a few friends and family members sign the petition let me know and I will get some petitions out to you. We need to get this done in the next four weeks. NEA RA: If you are interested in running to be a Local Delegate to the NEA RA let me know by February 28th. If you have any questions, ideas or concerns don't hesitate to get in touch. Best, January 15, 2020 Hi FMEA members, Happy 2020! Winter break already feels like a distant memory, but I hope it was a good one. Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council. Also, tonight the County Board will vote on the Alpha-Cornerstone appeal. If they uphold our local School Board vote then Cornerstone (charter school located on Kennedy's campus) will shut down in June. Please consider attending and speaking. The County Board will likely be in closed session until 6pm. Anyone showing up by 7pm should be able to speak, and it's anyone's guess what time they will vote. The County Board meets at 1290 Ridder Park Dr. January Rep Council Highlights: Bargaining begins January 28th. FMEA will be seeking another retroactive raise as well as improvements in the Hours article. If you are interested in joining the FMEA Bargaining Team let me know. The FMEA spelling bee will be February 12th. We need to know who each site's coordinating teachers will be ASAP. This is a simple job that involves offering interested students a chance to take a short written test. The FMEA basketball tournament will be April 4th. Once again we need to know who will be coordinating this at your site. Staffing: Unlike previous years, the district is considering all first-year teachers as probationary, not temporary. This means first year teachers will not have to reapply for their job, assuming evaluations are good and the principal chooses to rehire. This also means there is a small chance the district could run a layoff in March, but if there is a layoff it would be very small. SERP: The deadline to participate in the current retirement incentive is January 24th. The more people who sign up for the SERP, the greater chance a layoff can be avoided this year. The NEA Representative Assembly (RA) will be in Atlanta from July 2nd-6th. State Delegate declarations (attached) are due January 31st. 8th Grade Promotions will likely be similar to last year, and there will be an appeals committee. Juan Cruz and our Board will be gathering input and will craft new Board Policy, but that won't go into effect until next year. Attached are the current 8th grade requirements and the template for IPPs (Individual Performance Plans). CTA Scholarships: There are a number of CTA scholarships being offered, including the scholarship for dependent children of CTA members. Here's the link with all needed info: https://www.cta.org/scholarships CTA Events: Lastly, here are several great upcoming CTA events: CTA Special Ed Training: February 7th in San Jose. See first attached flyer. CTA Good Teaching Conference: February 7th-9th https://ctago.org/events/2020-good-teaching-conference-north/ CTA New Educator Weekend https://ctago.org/events/2020-new-educator-weekend-north/ Congratulations on making it to the bottom of this long email! December 13, 2019 Hi all, We made it! It's hard not to feel good about starting a three week vacation. Sometime before we come back please take a look at the Rep Council highlights below, and if you didn't get a chance to read the hardcopy of the latest edition of our newsletter, it is attached. Also attached are two new MOUs (Memorandum Of Understanding). The first of these makes it official that SPED folks doing extra assessments get per diem pay (instead of the hourly pay). The second MOU is an attempt to attract and retain SPED teachers, and changes the SPED signing bonus from three years to five years. December Rep Council Highlights 1. Bargaining will begin in January. Resources are getting tighter in the district due to declining enrollment, but hopefully FMEA can still win another retroactive raise this year. If you haven't taken the FMEA bargaining survey here is the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VD3RDJH 2. It's time for participating schools to determine who will coordinate the FMEA spelling bee (February 12th) and basketball tournament (April 4th ). 3. There will likely not be revised Board Policy this year regarding participation in 8th grade promotion activities. The district will be following the same 8th grade expectations as last year. See attached. I'm advocating that there should be no appeals committee, but that if there is one, it needs to hear from someone from the site. Here is a link to current Board Policy on the matter: http://www.gamutonline.net/district/franklinmckinley/DisplayPolicy/142673 4. FMEA will soon be conducting a survey to assess perspectives on district leadership, student behavior and more. 5. The appeal for Cornerstone charter school will be January 15th at the County Board. More details to come in early January. 6. There is an LGBTQ food drive underway. Sites just need someone to coordinate the food collection, and I will be happy to pick up and deliver. 7. The Schools And Communities First November 2020 ballot initiative is a BIG ISSUE. If it passes it will bring much needed resources to districts across the state by closing property tax loopholes on commercial properties. Big business is ready to spend up to $100M on deceptive advertising, so we need to be educated and prepared. 8. Lastly, for those considering taking the district's retirement incentive, don't forget the deadline is January 24th. Have a great vacation and thanks for all you do! November 26, 2019 Hi FMEA members, On December 6th CTA will offer a "Know Your Rights" training at the Mt Hamilton office at 1333 Piedmont Rd. A flyer with all details is attached. On January 15th the County Board will be voting on Cornerstone's appeal to stay open. Cornerstone (independent charter school located on the Kennedy campus) was denied their charter renewal by our FMSD School Board last month. The County Board is likely to overturn this vote. I will provide more details about the meeting as the date gets closer. Below is a new link for an all-expense-paid trip for teachers to the Museum Of Tolerance in L.A. for a "Tools For Tolerance" diversity training. This is a different link than what was included last email and should work. https://forms.gle/r91QxJNDQC3H5ZyH6. There is still time to take the FMEA bargaining survey. The link is below, for those who haven't already taken it. FMEA and the district will release initial "Sunshine" proposals at the December board meeting and proceed with bargaining in January. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VD3RDJH CTA's New Educator Weekend will be February 21-23 in Santa Clara. Below is a link with all details and registration info. 2020 New Educator Weekend NORTH - CTA Go! Lastly, CTA is holding a food drive for LGBTQ youth in the county. A flyer is attached, and I'll be happy to help coordinate donation drop offs. Thanks for all you do and have a great Thanksgiving holiday!!! November 8, 2019 Hi FMEA members, The latest edition of our FMEA newsletter is attached. Also attached is a flyer with details for an all-expense-paid trip for teachers to the Museum Of Tolerance in L.A. for a "Tools For Tolerance" diversity training. Here's the link to register: https://forms.gle/r91QxJNDQC3H5ZyH6. Our FMEA Bargaining Survey will be open for a little while longer, so take this quick survey if you haven't yet. We will begin bargaining for this year's raise and more in the coming months. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VD3RDJH The recent district training on suspension created a lot of confusion and frustration. I do want to make sure you are clear that teachers still have the right to suspend. Principals won't be able to send students home for "willful defiance" but there are still plenty of other suspendible offenses that do allow principals to suspend home. These include "Caused...or threatened to cause physical injury...", "Caused...damage to school property or private property" and " Committed an obscene act or engaged in habitual profanity or vulgarity." Suspensions should only be a last resort, but it's important we know our rights. The full list of suspendible offenses can be found here: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=48900.&lawCode=EDC The district held interviews today for a new Director of I.T. to replace Hung, who resigned last month. Also, interviews were held this week for a new Assistant Superintendent of H.R. The Board is expected to announce their selections at the board meeting on Tuesday. Lastly, there is a very important ballot initiative coming up in November 2020. The Schools And Communities First initiative will raise over $11.5B by making large commercial companies pay their fair share in property taxes. This will bring in an additional $4M for FMSD every year! We will be talking a lot more about this crucial initiative as we get closer to next year's election day. Have a great long weekend! October 25, 2019 Hi FMEA members, Tuesday's FMSD School Board meeting had two big surprises. First, on a close vote, board members turned down the five-year renewal for Alpha Cornerstone charter school. Our board has never turned down a charter renewal before. This denial was based on the fact that Alpha Cornerstone has not had a single moderate-to-severe SDC student in its 10 year history! The charter school will definitely be appealing this decision to the County Board. I will let you know when that appeal is scheduled because we will want the County Board to here from district teachers. The board also voted to offer a retirement incentive for the second year in a row! Just like last year, this incentive (known as a SERP) is open to all FMEA folks who are at least 55, with 5 years in the district. Participants in the SERP would receive the equivalent of 65% of your salary if you resign June 30th (deadline to notify HR is January 24th). The SERP will go through if at least 15 certificated folks sign up. All eligible employees should receive notification from the district with all details, but feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Today is the FMSD open enrollment deadline. Anthem/Blue Cross will no longer be an option, Anthem folks will have to choose between Health Care United (HCU) and Kaiser. The list the district sent out this morning seems to be out of date by a day or two. Let me know if you are having any challenges getting your benefits resolved. Here is a link to our 2019 FMEA Bargaining Survey. Please complete it by the end of the month if possible. We will begin bargaining in December or January. FMEA 2019 Bargaining Survey FMEA 2019 Bargaining SurveyWeb survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com. Create your own online survey now with SurveyMonkey's expert certified F... There is a teacher student loan forgiveness workshop on November 4th. The attached flyer has all details. RSVP at: https://tinyurl.com/Nov4StudentDebt. October 17, 2019 Hi all, Tomorrow is our annual FMEA Oktoberfest happy hour. We will be at Stanley's Sports Bar, located above Sharks Ice, from 3:30-6pm, with free food and drinks for the first hour (and free stuff for new teachers the whole time!). It looks like they will have some other events going on so if you don't see us in the front area then walk around to the back. I hope to see you tomorrow because these are always fun! October Rep Council highlights: 1. The FMEA student track meet is a week from Saturday at Sylvandale, from 9:30am-noon. Come by and support our students. We have at least eight schools participating. Big thanks to the those helping coordinate this at sites. 2. FMEA needs a new editor for our newsletter. There is a $500 stipend for this position and the only requirement is that you are familiar with Publisher. Let me know if you are interested. 3. Most CTA cards have been distributed, except for folks who are at multiple sites or are brand new. If you still don't have your CTA card let me know. 4. Our school board is looking into creating clearer policies regarding 8th grade participation in promotion activities. The district will be scheduling meetings soon for the board to listen to teachers, as well as parents and students, about what needs to be included in this policy. I'm hopeful they will be responsive to our requests. 5. Below is a list of upcoming CTA conferences. Issues Conference (Urban And Rural) Location: Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV Conference Date: January 17-19, 2020 Good Teaching Conference - North Location: Fairmont Hotel, San Jose Conference Date: February 7-9, 2020 Equity & Human Rights Conference Location: Marriott, Irvine Conference Date: February 28 - March 1, 2020LGBTQ+ Issues Conference Location Hilton Financial District, San Francisco Conference Date: December 13-15, 2019 New Educator Weekend Location: Marriot, Santa Clara Conference Date: February 21-23, 2020 To apply for an incentive grant visit www.CTAGo.org/grants. To learn more about these conferences visit www.CTAGo.org Best, October 4, 2019 Hi all, I hope your first two months of school are off to a good start. I'm sure we are all ready for this early October break! Yesterday there was great news in Sacramento, as Governor Newsom signed into law two charter school bills, 1505 and 1507, that offer strong new restrictions on charter schools. These bills will not change the fact that FMSD already has numerous charter schools, but it makes it far less likely that we will get new charter schools in the future. Our FMEA Oktoberfest is Friday, October 18th at 3:30pm at Stanley's Sports Bar. It's always fun, with free food and drinks for the first hour. New FMEA members are especially encouraged to attend, and will receive free food and drinks the whole event! The FMEA student track meet is Saturday, October 26th at Sylvandale. We have half of our schools participating and look forward to adding more. Let me know if you want to get involved. Health Benefits: Open enrollment is coming soon. Luckily those with Kaiser will see monthly premiums go down for a second year in a row. Those with Anthem/Blue Cross will actually be shifted to a different HMO, United HealthCare (UHC), but almost everyone should be able to keep their old doctors, and premiums will rise just slightly for a small group of employees. The School Board will be putting together new Board Policy regarding who can participate in 8th grade promotion activities. After break there should be some meetings offered so that staff can give our input on what the new Board Policy should include. As usual, CTA is offering a number of great conferences and events this year. Click the "more info" links for all details, including how to apply for scholarships. LGBTQ+ Issues Conference (more info) Application Deadline: October 7, 2019 Location: Hilton Financial District, San Francisco Conference Date: December 13-15, 2019 Issues Conference (more info) Application Deadline: November 4, 2019 Location: Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV Conference Date: January 17-19, 2020 Good Teaching Conference - North (more info) Application Deadline: November 4, 2019 Location: Fairmont Hotel, San Jose Conference Date: February 7-9, 2020 Equity & Human Rights Conference (more info) Application Deadline: January 6, 2020 Location: Marriott, Irvine Conference Date: February 28 - March 1, 2020 Have a great October break! Best, Scott Shulimson September 13, 2019 Hi FMEA members, Below are the highlights from Monday's FMEA Rep Council meeting. Thank you to all the Site Reps who attended, making this the first time in over a year that every site was represented! FMEA Track Meet The annual FMEA student track meet for grades 4th-8th will take place Saturday October 26th. Each participating site needs a Coordinating Teacher (CT). Please consider helping coordinate this for your site. Let me know if you have any questions or if you want to volunteer. Bargaining There will be an FMEA bargaining survey in the near future, and bargaining will begin in the coming months. We will once again be seeking a retroactive raise for the current school year. The district ending reserve increased by $1M last school year, but due to declining enrollment, many cuts are still slated for this year, including eliminating the HR Director position that was formerly held by Marcela Miranda. FMEA Oktoberfest Our first FMEA gathering of the year will be Friday, October 18th at Stanley's Sports Bar. A flyer is coming soon. FMEA Communication Join FMEA's text blast list: Text “@fmeamember” to 81010 Join the FMEA Group on Facebook. Just send a request to join. Find all important FMEA documents on our website: www.fmea.mobi Two Upcoming Events Teacher Housing Town Hall: September 17th. See attached flyer. Student Loan Forgiveness Workshop: November 4th. See attached flyer. Charter School News Hot off the press: Our state legislature just approved two bills that would give local school boards much more authority when faced with new charter schools attempting to enter a district. If Governor Newsom signs these bills it will be a huge improvement in state law regulating charter schools. Have a great weekend! Best, Scott Shulimson September 3, 2019 Hi FMEA members, I hope your school year is off to a great start! There are a few important topics I want to bring to your attention: 1. For all who are being evaluated this year, don't forget that last year's bargaining agreement reduced the number of written objectives you must provide, from six down to three. Two are chosen by the teacher and one by the principal. 2. CalSTRS recently audited our district and found that the way our off-schedule salary bonuses were written into the contract ran the risk of lowering what retirees receive. For that reason FMEA and the district are working to re-word the language in these past agreements. There is absolutely no change to the amount of compensation we receive, but this change will ensure that CalSTRS pays FMEA retirees as much as possible. I've attached the new language, which is in MOU form (Memorandum Of Understanding), as well as a separate page which goes into detail on why this was necessary. The School Board approved the MOU on Tuesday, and FMEA will be working with the district to fix the problem for other previous years that had off-schedule bonuses. 3. There is a new Personal Necessity (PN) form, and with it has come some confusion. Please note that you do not need to provide or circle a reason for any of your seven annual PN days. 4. Lastly, for any teachers who left a picture up in June of how your classroom should look, all furniture should have been put back in place. If this did not happen in your room let me know. Have a great week! August 16, 2019 Hi FMEA members, Welcome to our new teachers! Returning teachers, I hope you had a rewarding and rejuvenating summer. It sounds like there are going to be some very full classes on Monday, but the district has until Labor Day to balance all classes and get under the contractual class sizes. After Labor Day you start collecting floating cap pay if your class is still over-enrolled. Don't forget, floating cap pay increased to $13 a day and is based on enrollment, not attendance. Paula Boling retired over the summer, and Human Resources Director, Marcela Miranda, will be leaving to take a job at the County Office at the end of the month. The district is still looking for a permanent Assistant Superintendent of H.R. but in the meantime it looks likely that an interim will be brought in to head the department. This will be important because we are starting the year with a lot of openings, especially in SPED, and H.R. is in charge of recruitment and hiring. The beginning of a new school year is always crucial, not just from an educational standpoint but from a union one as well. If something doesn't seem right, please let me know. There are always hiccups as the school year starts, and some problems become a lot harder to fix if they aren't caught right away. I'm excited for another positive and productive year for FMEA. We will once again have a number of student events and other great ways to support the students and staff of Franklin-McKinley. Have a great first day of school and an awesome year! Best, Scott Shulimson FMEA President |
