June 7, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
As this school year starts to wind down I want to mention a few important items to be aware of:
https://4.files.edl.io/f413/04/26/19/190218-78d24c06-9ee4-42fb-b551-df433ab6dc0f.pdf
Let me know if there are any other end-of-year considerations or complications you want support with.
Best,
May 24, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
The FMEA election ballots have been counted, and results can be found at the bottom of this email. FMEA Rep Council met on Monday for our final meeting of the year. Here are the highlights:
FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu, sent the following results of our recent FMEA officer election:
President: Scott Shulimson 251
Write ins:
Monica McEwen 1
Ann Rosebrook 1
Catherine Baskerville 1
VP: Catherine Baskerville 244
Secretary: Paul Ward 244
Treasurer: Kristi Billings 243
Director At Large: Karen Orozco 244
Congratulations everyone!
Sau
Have a nice long weekend,
Scott Shulimson
May 17, 2019
Hi FMEA members
Today was the deadline for joining the retirement incentive, and the final number is 19 participants. While that is short of the goal of 22, I believe the district can and will move forward with it. One effect of this is that there will be more options for excess staff who are choosing positions next week. Also this means there will be more positions for temporary teachers, I'm happy that the incentive is moving forward, but this also means we are losing a lot of folks who have been crucial to FMSD and FMEA for many years, so there will be some hard goodbyes this year.
For those who are planning on not returning next year, the deadline to notify the district is June 30th. The placement verifications that are sent out around this time of year are not binding, and not signing it is not the same as formally resigning.
For those of you who are puzzled over this year's FMEA gift, it's a letter opener and staple remover. If you did not receive one and would like one let me know.
I hope to see you all at the FMEA End Of Year Party, May 31st at the new CTA/FMEA office! A flyer is attached.
Best,
May 8, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
There's no doubt that few people realize how hard teachers work, especially Franklin-McKinley teachers, and the job seems to get harder year by year. Recognition and appreciation do not change that, but during this Teacher Appreciation Week, and CTA's Day Of The Teacher, it's nice to know we are appreciated for our hard work and dedication. I see commitment, and caring from you on a daily basis that makes me proud to be FMEA president. I hope everyone received the small FMEA gift this year. If not let me know. Thank you for all you do and happy Day Of The Teacher!
May 3, 2019
Hi all,
I hope you had a great spring break and are enjoying the summer weather and final weeks of this school year!
The latest FMEA Observer (Elections Edition) is attached to this email. Here are some other important things to keep on your radar:
The SERP (retirement incentive) deadline is May 17th. So far there have only been a couple of additional retirees. If you choose to participate and the incentive does not move forward because of lack of participation, you will be allowed to rescind your resignation. If it does move forward, this will create more openings for excess staff, and ultimately allow more temporary teachers to remain in the district for next year. The excess staff meeting will likely happen the week of May 20th.
There is a general opening and a minority-at-large opening for CTA State Council, which is the body of elected educators that determines CTA positions and policy. The deadline to declare candidacy is May 8th, and details and declarations are attached.
CTA Summer Institute offers a variety of great trainings and workshops every August at UCLA. There are grants available, but the deadline to apply is this Monday. Follow this link for details. https://ctago.org/conference-grants/
The Support Our Schools Community Forum on May 11 is an important event to help our community learn more about the real costs and impacts of charter schools. A flyer is attached with all details.
The CTA Day Of The Teacher is this coming Wednesday, May 8th. Keep your eyes out for a small token of appreciation from FMEA.
The FMEA End Of Year Party, celebrating retirees and much more, is Friday, May 31st. Flyers are coming soon.
Enjoy your weekend!
Best,
April 19, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
The ballots have been counted and there are 314 votes in favor of the Tentative Agreement (TA) and 3 votes against it. I expect the School Board to ratify it at their meeting this Tuesday. The retro checks will be in either our May or June paychecks.
FMEA Officer Elections are coming up next 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 [email protected] by 3:30pm on May 9th. Make sure to indicate which position you are running for. Attached to this email is a complete description of each of these positions and a detailed election timeline.
Yesterday the district held an informational session on this year's retirement incentive (SERP). There was a decent turnout, and there will likely be sufficient teachers interested in the SERP that it moves forward, but we will know for sure by the May 17th deadline. If the SERP does go through, the increased number of retirees will mean there will be fewer excess staff, as well as more open positions for temporary teachers. It sounds like the district will not hold the excess staff meeting until after the May 17th SERP deadline.
April Rep Council Highlights:
Reps received a proposed FMEA budget for next year, with no deficit spending, and no increase to FMEA local dues (though CTA and NEA are likely to increase). Rep Council will vote on the budget next month.
FMEA's End-Of-Year party will be Friday, May 31st at the new Mt Hamilton building. Look for flyers in the coming weeks.
Congratulations to this year's FMEA W.H.O. (We Honor Ours) award winner, Ann Rosebrook. Ann has worn many union hats over the years, and we are glad to have this chance to honor her.
Thanks to all who helped make the 2019 FMEA Basketball Tournament such a huge success, and congratulations to our top three finishers: Lairon-1st place, Franklin-2nd place, and Dahl, 3rd place.
FMEA is looking for new members to join our bargaining team. We also need volunteers to join our PAC (Political Action Committee). Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks for making it all the way through this lengthy email, and have terrific spring break!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
April 10, 2019
Hi all,
The complete Tentative Agreement (TA) is attached. Site Reps will receive voting materials at next Monday's Rep Council and we will either be voting immediately before or after spring break. If a majority of our membership votes to approve the TA then the Board will vote to ratify and it will go into effect. If you have any questions at all please let me know. The retro check will likely come at the end of June, and will apply to all FMEA members who worked in FMSD this year, whether or not you are continuing next year.
Last night our school board formally approved a retirement incentive that would pay out 65% of salary to any members 55 or older who have 5 years experience in the district, who agree to resign from the district. The deadline will be May 17th. This is a very short timeline, and it can take several weeks to get a one-on-one appointment with CalSTRS. I did just confirm that for those willing to drive to Santa Cruz, there are appointments available in April and early May. You can call CalSTRS at 800 228-5453, and let them know you need a one-on-one appointment because of the retirement incentive being offered.
Later today all teachers in grades 6-8 are invited to the Shirakawa cafeteria from 3:30-5pm to discuss any issues related to our schools, district or union. Come share what's on your mind.
Lastly, our FMEA basketball tournament is this coming Saturday at Yerba Buena High School. Games start at 9am. I hope to see you there!
Best,
April 5, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
Yesterday after a marathon day of bargaining a Tentative Agreement (TA) was reached! The key components of the agreement are:
We pushed for many more improvements but these were the ones that we were able to reach agreement on.
There are other smaller changes as well as some general clean up. This will be our 2018-2021 contract, though we will bargain compensation, and one other article chosen by each side, for each of the remaining two years of this contract.
I will send out the complete Tentative Agreement early next week and we will begin voting shortly after that. Hopefully the board will ratify the TA at their April 23rd meeting.
Thank you to our skilled bargaining team Julia Walle, Joyce Comstock, Veronica Andrade, Lyn Irvine, Bargaining Chair, Alie Victorine and CTA staff, Kris Clarke!
By the way, for those who are doing their taxes, the total union dues for 2018 was $1252, though unfortunately the new tax laws do not make it as easy to deduct union dues.
Have a great weekend!
March 29, 2019
Hi all,
Below are highlights from this week's Rep Council meeting:
Bargaining: We continue to make slow progress in the many contract articles that are open, including Compensation, Class Size, Leaves, Hours, and Evaluations. We will get a raise this year but have not settled on an amount. Our bargaining team is looking for new members for next year. If you're interested let me know.
Retirement Incentive: The district is tentatively planning to offer a retirement incentive this year. It would officially begin at the April 9th Board meeting. Teachers over 55 with five years experience in FMSD would have until mid-May to decide if they want to take the incentive, which would pay out 65% of your salary over a period of time you select. The district will be notifying all eligible teachers in April.
Inclusion Programs: Next year Kennedy, Meadows and Lairon will each have two general ed classes with three SDC students fully included. Each class will receive an extra para, and part-time support from an inclusion specialist. I'm still learning the details, but let me know if you have questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
Transportation Issues: For those planning field trips and unable to get adequate busses from our transportation department, make sure you inquire about chartered busses. If you continue to have problems let me know.
Student headphones: If you need more student headphones for district devices make sure to ask your principal. If your principal will not support you with supplying additional headphones let me know. The district is saying that headphones will be supplied to all in need.
Basketball Tournament: Our FMEA basketball tournament is Saturday, April 13th at Yerba Buena High. With nine FMSD schools participating it looks like it will be a great event this year, so feel free to stop by.
Grades 6-8 Meeting: All FMEA teachers in grades 6-8 are invited to drop in on April 10th to discuss any matters relevant to you. We will meet in the Shirakawa library from 3:30-5pm.
DRDP Meeting: The district has invited all kinder teachers to a full-day meeting on April 16th. If you are a kinder teacher with strong feelings about DRDP or this year's report card please attend and share your views.
March 1, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
First off, if you haven't yet heard, Paula Boling has announced she is retiring at the end of the year. While she and I have disagreed on plenty of issues, she has usually been someone that FMEA could work well with, and she will be missed.
February Rep Council Highlights:
Bargaining: We continue to bargain improvements in a number of areas. I can confirm that we will be receiving a raise this year, but we are not yet close to agreeing on an amount.
IEPs: IEPs that are held after the workday are optional. It is true that the IEP may have to be rescheduled if you are not present, but that does not make it mandatory for you, if outside your 7.5 hour workday. We are attempting to bargain language that the district will pay for IEPs held after the workday. For now, you can request to be compensated, whether through hourly pay, adjunct duties or some other arrangement. If your principal will not compensate you in any way let me know.
Suspensions: Principals appear to be more hesitant to suspend students than ever before. All teachers still have the right to suspend students for two days (current and following day) for all reasons listed here: California Code, Education Code - EDC § 48900 | FindLaw Just remember that teachers can only suspend to the office, and the principal decides whether to send the student home. Also, it is our legal responsibility to attempt to contact the parent the day of the suspension and try to set up a conference.
8th Grade Graduation Requirements: Administration had discussed major overhauls, but it now appears the only changes to determining which 8th graders can participate in graduation ceremonies are last year's elimination of the 2.0 GPA minimum, and this year's addition of a formal appeals committee. The complete list of requirements is attached.
Grade Level Meeting: There will be an FMEA meeting for any and all 3rd-5th grade teachers Wednesday, March 27th, and 6th-8th grades will meet Wednesday, April 3rd. Both meetings will be at 3:30 in the Shirakawa Library. This is a chance to drop in and have an informal conversation with myself and others about your ideas and concerns.
FMEA Happy Hour: Our next FMEA happy hour is Friday, March 15th, at Stanley's Sports Bar. There will be a trivia game for those interested, and the usual free food and drinks for all.
Review of Personal Necessity (PN) Rules: All of us have our own sick leave bank. We get ten sick days each year, and any unused days roll over into the next year. PN are not separate days, but are a way to access our sick leave bank. We can use up to seven PN days a year and we do not have to declare a reason for any. We can take all seven consecutively. If we are out of sick leave and take a PN day we will be docked for that day's pay. We can only use seven PN days a year, even if we didn't take them all the prior year, i.e they do not roll over.
Oakland Teachers Strike: FMEA Rep Council has joined the many CTA chapters supporting Oakland teachers and has voted to donate $1000 to the Oakland Teachers Association to support them in their strike. There is the possibility of donating more at next Rep Council meeting, but it sounds like they may be closing in on a deal that would end their strike.
NEA Representative Assembly Local Delegate Election: FMEA gets three local delegates to the NEA RA. If you want to run for a spot as a local delegate you need to email a 30 word bio to FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at [email protected] by 5pm on March 15th. Note: FMEA local delegates are not funded and must pay their own costs.
New Educator Weekend Grants: Our CTA county office will be funding some newer members to go to CTA's New Educator Weekend, March 8-10 in Burlingame. If you are interested let me know by this Monday. Here is a link to the event info: https://ctago.org/events/2019-new-educator-weekend-north/
Future Calendars: PDFs of the official 2019/20 and 2020/21 calendars are attached.
There's a lot of info here so feel free to follow up with me by email, phone or text if you want clarification or more information on any of these topics.
February 8, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
The FMEA calendar survey results show a small preference for calendar B, and CSEA and admin also chose calendar B, so that is what the board is likely to approve. I am attaching the tentative 2019/20 and 2020/21 calendars to this email. HR will distribute the official calendar after board approval. I've also attached a screenshot of the FMEA survey results.
For tax purposes, total 2018 union dues were $1252. Unfortunately It's my understanding that under the new tax laws passed last year, union dues may not be directly deductible any longer. I'm not an expert on accounting issues, but I've heard some people may still deduct union dues as a business expenses. You will want to check with your accountant/ tax program on this.
FMEA and the district bargained yesterday. We are making progress, but there are many articles open so we still have a long way to go. We have not taken up compensation yet.
February is the month when probationary teachers begin to hear about whether they have been reelected to return next year. The law gives districts very wide latitude on who they choose to non-reelect, and they don't need to give reasons or justify the decision. It's a frustrating situation for many. I'm happy to talk with anyone who receives a non-reelect, though generally there is little that can be done to fight it.
The FMEA spelling bee is February 27th at Bridges. We still need Coordinating Teachers at many schools. Let me know if you are interested in helping students at your school participate, or just want more information.
The FMEA basketball tournament is April 13th at Sylvandale, and we now have nine schools participating!
The CTA Legislative Brunch will be March 9th. It's a great chance to meet and talk with local elected officials. A flyer with all details is attached.
As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, concerns or ideas.
Best,
January 30, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
I have revised the FMEA calendar survey that went out last week because it had two problems: It didn't allow for ranking second and third choices, and it didn't mention that option "C" also includes a February break. Please take the one question survey this one last time. Here is the link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X3PN8NF
Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council:
1. The FMEA spelling bee is February 27th. We need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) for each participating site. Are you interested in being your site's CT? We also need a couple of volunteer judges for the event. The FMEA basketball tournament is April 13th. Will your site participate this year, and if so who will be coaching your team?
2. Bargaining continues tomorrow. FMEA has a wide range of contractual proposals on the table. Compensation has not yet been discussed.
3. FMEA's open forum discussion for 1st and 2nd grade teachers will be February 6th at 3:30 in the Shirakawa library. All 1st and 2nd grade teachers are invited to bring topics of interest or concern. Future FMEA meetings will be scheduled for all grades.
4. Tomorrow is the deadline for anyone interested in running as a State Delegate for this summer's NEA Representative Assembly. This link takes you to the declaration page:
https://www.cta.org/~/media/Documents/About/Leadership/NEA%20RA/NEA%20RA%202019/2019%20NEA%20RA%20Declaration%20of%20Candidacy%20Form.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20190110T1451107486
5. There are a number of upcoming CTA conferences, all detailed at http://www.ctago.org. The New Educator Weekend is March 8-10 in SF and should be considered by all new educators.
6. Lastly, I'm sorry to report that long time FMEA member, Andrew Love, passed away this Monday. I have not heard of any services open to the public at this time.
Best,
January 25, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
It's time to vote on a calendar for the next two years. This Surveymonkey link below is different than the survey you took earlier this month. There are three calendar options and each is explained in the survey. Each of the choices (options A,B and C for 2019/20 as well as 2020/21) are attached Note that CSEA and administration will also play a part in the decision so there is no guarantee that FMEA will get our first choice. Here's the survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JYTNH8T
FMEA's student spelling bee is coming up on February 27th and our basketball tournament is on April 13th. We need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) from any school that wants to participate in either event. If you are willing to help students at your site participate in one of these great events let me or your Site Rep know. We also need judges for the spelling bee. It's a lot of fun and no experience or expertise is needed.
FMEA will be holding grade level meetings to discuss ideas and concerns. All first and second grade teachers are welcome to bring your issues or concerns to the Shirakawa library 3:30 February 6th. We will hold meetings for all other grades in the coming months.
Bargaining began on January 10th. FMEA is bringing a large number of contractual improvements to the table in a number of articles. So far we have not discussed compensation with the district's team, but Governor Newsom has proposed a budget with significant increases in education funding. We'll see how this plays out in future bargaining. Our next date is January 31st.
Lastly, I want to congratulate our colleagues in UTLA who, after a brief strike, just reached a Tentative Agreement which includes a 3% raise for last year and 3% raise for this year, as well as lower class sizes. Next week Oakland teachers will vote on whether to go on strike.
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Scott
December 14, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Our latest edition of the FMEA Observer is attached, and December Rep Council highlights are below.
Many of us recently received a letter from "The Freedom Foundation" urging us to drop out of the union. While that choice is up to each of us, the strength of our union comes from us standing together. There will be many more letters urging teachers to drop out of the union, but I hope we can all see these attempts for what they are, attacks on unions and workers in an attempt to weaken our collective power and voice. The financial backers of these attacks are some of the wealthiest in this country who know that unions are what stand between them and their ability pay even less and profit even more than they already do. I hope we can remain unified and strong in the face of this opposition.
Rep Council Highlights:
1. Bargaining: FMEA begins bargaining on January 10th, which is around the time we will get Governor Newsom's January budget proposal. Our district's Classified union just reached an agreement on salary for this year. They agreed to no raise, but will receive a one-time 3% bonus, which would become a permanent raise if FMEA gets any raise at all, or if the June state budget has significantly more funding than currently projected.
2. There is some new floating cap pay contract language this year for teachers who are over enrolled: This year any 7th or 8th grade teachers at K-8s get $3 per period when over-enrolled. Also, anyone mainstreaming a student over your caseload receives $3 per day. Most other floating caps remains the same other than increasing from $10 to $11 per day.
Also, kinder teachers who are without an aide for three consecutive days or five days in a month receives $40 per day. Note: If you think you may have been underpaid this year or last it's probably not too late to get paid correctly, and I can help with that if you want.
3. Tools For Tolerance For Educators: There is a training for teachers on tolerance and diversity in education January 20th and 21st at the Museum Of Tolerance in LA. There are spots available, and transportation and lodging are paid. If you are interested contact me for more information.
4. This year and next some big decisions will be made about ELA adoptions. Please do take the district surveys so that your input can be considered.
5. February 27th is the tentative date for our FMEA student spelling bee. If you are interested in being the Coordinating Teacher at your site let me know. More details will be coming after the break.
6. The district Calendar Committee will begin working early next year. If you are interested in joining the committee email me. We will have an FMEA calendar survey going out soon.
7. If you have not received your CTA card let me know.
Have a great vacation!
November 20, 2018
Hi FMEA folks,
On this last day before our Thanksgiving holiday we have much to be thankful for: Though teachers and students alike have all struggled with the smoke from California wildfires, it looks like rains are on the way to finally clear the air and bring some relief. Like many of you, I have good friends in the Paradise area that lost their house (or worse). It sure makes me thankful for a warm dry place to call home.
On a different note, the election for California's Superintendent of Public Instruction was extremely close, but a few days ago CTA-backed candidate Tony Thurmond was named the winner!
There are three upcoming FMEA events that I hope are on your calendar:
Personally, I'm very thankful that so many individuals are willing to step up and help make our district a better place, from site reps, and student event coordinators, to Bargaining Team and Executive Board members, to the many teachers who do everything in your power to help our students succeed, I truly appreciate you and I'm honored to represent you.
Have a great Thanksgiving holiday!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
November 9, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Many races from Tuesday's elections are still too close to call, including for California's next Superintendent of Public Instruction. Marshall Tuck, the charter school candidate, has a very small lead, but CTA-backed Tony Thurmond has been gaining ground, and there are still millions of California ballots to be counted.
Locally, our FMEA-endorsed candidate, Maimona Afzal-Berta (teacher in Alum Rock) won a decisive victory in the special election to complete the remaining two years of John Lindner's term. In the regular board election there was no voting, since three candidates competed for three seats. The candidates were incumbents, Rudy Rodriguez, Thanh Tran and newcomer to the board, Kerry Rosado. Omar Torres chose not to run for reelection. The new board term begins next month.
FMEA has several upcoming events:
FMEA will begin bargaining next month. We will be selecting a new bargaining team member in early December, so if you are interested in joining, now is the time to let me know. Also, If you haven't taken our bargaining survey, here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VD3RDJH
Have a great long weekend!
October 26, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Please take the FMEA bargaining survey if you have not yet done so. Here's the link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VD3RDJH
Below are the highlights from Monday's Rep Council:
1. Our FMEA student track meet is tomorrow at the Sylvandale track beginning at 9:30am. Come out and support our speedy students!
2. Election day is less than two weeks away. FMEA has endorsed Maimona Afzal-Berta for our school board. She is an RSP teacher in Alum Rock. It's important we have a teacher on our board, so please encourage voters in our district to support her (you can talk to parents about Maimona as long as it is not during school hours and you are off campus). It's also important that we support Tony Thurmond for Superintendent of Public Instruction. He is a teacher who is running against Marshall Tuck, who is the charter school backed candidate. I've also attached a complete list of candidates and measures that CTA chapters have endorsed, so you can support teacher-endorsed candidates no matter where you live.
3. Are you interested in joining our bargaining team? Let me know if so.
4. Take a look at the attached documents. The first is a great summary of teachers' legal rights. The second is a comprehensive list of CTA member benefits.
5. Please join our FMEA text list by texting "@fmeamember" to 81010. You can also join the FMEA Facebook group by submitting a request. Don't forget, all important FMEA documents and more can be found at our website at http://www.fmea.mobi
Finally, here's a list of some great upcoming CTA conferences: 2018 GLBT Issues Conference
December 7-9
Riviera Hotel, Palm Springs
2019 Issues Conference
January 18-20 Tropicana, Las Vegas
2019 Good Teaching Conference (North)
February 1-3 Fairmont, San Jose
2019 Equity and Human Rights Conference
March 1-3 Fairmont, San Jose
2019 New Educator Weekend (North)
March 8-10 Hyatt SFO, Burlingame
Visit www.CTAGo.org for more details about each conference and to register.
Grants are available. Please visit www.CTAGo.org/Grants to learn more.
Have a great weekend!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
September 14, 2018
Hi all,
Here are the highlights from our first FMEA Rep Council meeting of the year:
1. Bargaining: FMEA bargaining surveys will be emailed in the coming weeks. Bargaining for 2018/19 begins in a few months. We have two spots for new bargaining team members. If you are interested in joining let me know.
2. School Board: There are two separate school board races: The first is to finish John Linder's term. In that race FMEA Rep Council has endorsed Maimona Afzal-Berta, who is a special ed teacher in Alum Rock and is currently on our school board. The second race is for three seats: There are exactly three candidates for this race so all three will be seated on the board without an election in November. Two incumbents Rudy Rodriguez, and Than Tran, will be joined by parent, Kerry Rosado. Omar Torres has opted not to run for re-election.
3. Class Size And Floating Caps: Principals must ask for volunteers, but if no one volunteers, principals can place one student over 24 in grades K-1 and two students over 24 in grades 2-3. Grades 4-8 (other than middle school) can have 33 students, but if the teacher doesn't approve, then the class must be lowered to 32 within two weeks. Teachers receive $11 per day (based on enrollment, not attendance) for all students over 24 in K-3 and over 32 in 4-8. The district is responsible for calculating and issuing this payment, but all teachers must be over class limit for a 5 day "grace period" each year before the compensation begins. I know it's confusing so contact me with questions.
4. FMEA Oktoberfest: Mark your calendars for FMEA's first happy hour event of the year: We will be at Stanley's Sports Bar on Thursday October 4th from 3:30-6:30pm. Teachers new to our district will be the special guests at this event and are strongly encouraged to attend. These are always a lot of fun!
5. FMEA Track Meet: Our annual track meet will be Saturday October 27th at Sylvandale and is open to all 4th-8th grades. Participating sites need a Coordinating Teacher (CT). If you are interested in helping out let me or your Site Rep know.
6. CTA State Council: There is an opening for a 9 months term on CTA State Council. If you are interested in declaring your candidacy or want more information let me know.
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 31, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
I hope your first week of school went well. Much of my week was spent getting set up in a new office. For those not aware, the CTA building that FMEA worked out of for the last 30 years burned just before summer. This has been a time of transition as FMEA and other local chapters are settling in to our new office. The new CTA building is at 1333 Piedmont Rd, Suite 106, San Jose, 95132. The office number is still 408-272-0601, and I can still be easily reached on my cell phone which is 831-325-0465.
After several years of convincing FMEA bargaining team members, Charlie Nave and Lyn Irvine to stay for "one more year" they are exiting the team. I suppose 11 successful contracts is enough! Thank you Charlie and Lyn for your outstanding contributions to FMEA over the last decade. If you are interested in joining FMEA's bargaining team, or just want more information let me know.
For all those over your class size cap, Tuesday is the first day that a class size grievance can be filed. If you have any questions about this or want help with it just let me know.
One thing that is new this year, is working under the Janus Supreme Court ruling. There has been little impact to FMEA so far, but some members are beginning to receive phone calls and emails from groups urging them to drop out of the union. Please keep in mind that the funding for these groups usually originates from the wealthiest individuals in this country that are seeking to undermine the power of unions, which are one of the last strong voices of opposition to an increasingly pro-corporate, anti-worker landscape in the U.S.
Labor Day weekend is a great time to reflect on the struggles of the past, and the sacrifices made by union members that were pivotal in creating the protections workers now have in this country. It's only through our continuing solidarity that we can maintain the quality of life that labor fought so hard for in years past.
Happy Labor Day weekend!
August 17, 2018
Hello FMEA members,
Welcome back to a new school year! I hope you all had a fantastic summer and are feeling rested and ready for the 2018-19 school year.
I also want to send a special welcome to our newest teachers. Because of declining enrollment, this group is smaller than most years, but we still have almost twenty new educators in our district.
For returning teachers, the placement verification you signed in the spring was based on the old salary schedule because the new one hadn't been ratified yet. HR will not be sending out revised placement verifications, but I'm attaching the current salary schedule to this email. We will be bargaining for this 2018-19 school year, and a retroactive raise for the current year is always a possibility (so this salary schedule is technically for 2017-18 and not 2018-19), but it's far too early to make any predictions about bargaining.
There were some changes to the contract in our June settlement that will impact this year. Perhaps the biggest change is that total Tuesday staff meetings have been reduced from 28 to 22. Make sure someone from your site is keeping track of the number of Tuesday meetings so you don't go over.
In general, if something doesn't seem right, please let me know right away. 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. Please keep me in the loop, and don't hesitate to get in touch if you need help with something. A big part of my job is to help fix problems so you can focus on teaching.
I hope Monday is a good start to a great year!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
May 4, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Below are last week's Rep Council Highlights along with new information since that meeting:
Bargaining: FMEA and the district have agreed to the following joint communication summarizing where things stand in bargaining:
"On Monday, April 23rd the District and FMEA bargaining teams met. Progress was made and a Tentative Agreement was reached on Article IV Hours of Employment and Article VIII Class Size. The most significant change in these articles was an agreement to reduce Tuesday after school meetings from 28 to 22. The remaining Article is Compensation. The District’s last offer was 1.75% salary increase and FMEA’s was 4.25%. We have scheduled another bargaining session for May 16th, after the State's May budget revision."
Staffing: The excess staff meeting happened today and all 9 excess staff teachers have chosen new positions. There are currently only a few multiple subject openings in the district, but there will be many more as people resign prior to the June 30th deadline to do so. Interviews will be held for all future openings, and temporary teachers, as well as teachers looking to transfer, can apply.
FMEA Elections: Monday, May 7th is the deadline for FMEA Executive Board declarations. All positions are open, so do consider running. Bios of 30 words or less go to FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at [email protected] by 4pm this Monday.
Janus Case: The Janus Vs AFSCME case will decided by the Supreme Court in the very near future. All expectations are that the court will rule against current "fair share" provision, and union membership will shrink dramatically across the country. But it is only when unified that teachers keep our power, so I envision FMEA members staying united.
FMEA Party: Don't miss FMEA's end of the year "luau" celebration on May 18th at Mt Hamilton. See attached flyer with all details.
FMEA Budget: At the May 21st Rep Council meeting Reps will approve an FMEA budget for next year. Because CTA is raising dues, I do not propose an FMEA dues increase, but that will be up to Rep Council.
Suspensions: Don't forget that, while teachers have an Ed Code right to suspend, we only get to suspend to the office, and admin has to decide whether to send students home or keep in the office all day.
CTA Summer Institute: CTA's Summer Institute offers many amazing programs at UCLA the first week of August. There are a number of grants available, but the due date is this Monday. Here's a link to the grant page: https://ctago.org/conference-grants/
And here's a link with general info: https://ctago.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-CTA-Summer-Conferences-Brochure.pdf
FMEA W.H.O. Congratulations to Shirakawa's Lisa Pitino who was awarded this year's FMEA W.H.O. award (We Honor Ours). Thank you Lisa for all you do for FMEA, our students, teachers and community!
Phone Banking: CTA is phone banking May 16th and 30th for Tony Thurmond and Gavin Newsom. Come join! The attached flyer has all details.
Thanks for making through this long email! Enjoy your weekend.
Best,
April 20, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
We return to bargaining this Monday. I'm optimistic that FMEA's action at last month's school board meeting, combined with improving economic news, will compel the district to offer us a better raise. We will also continue to push for more prep time, and other language changes.
Due primarily to declining enrollment there are nine excess staff teachers in the district, and there are currently eleven general ed openings. The excess staff meeting to choose positions has been delayed until the week of April 30th. There are a few reasons for the delay, all of which have to do with potentially reducing the number of teachers who will be excessed. Unfortunately pushing back the timeline means temporary teachers have to wait longer to find out if there will be any openings. There may not be many openings immediately after the excess staff meeting, however there are usually enough resignations in May and June to create space for all temporary teachers who want to stay in the district. I know there are a lot of great temporary teachers in FMEA, and I sincerely hope things open up here before you take a job elsewhere.
FMEA officer elections are coming up May 14th-18th. Every year all positions are open including, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director-At-Large. These are all one-year terms, except Director, which is three years. If you are interested in running for any of these positions you must send a bio of 30 words or less to FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu at [email protected] by 4pm on May 7th. A description of all positions according to the FMEA bylaws is attached.
CTA is a holding phone banking in support of Gavin Newsom for Governor, and Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Phone banking will be April 25th, May 2nd, 16th and 30th. A flyer with details is attached.
Have a great weekend!
April 11, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Over the weekend the school board met and filled John Lindner's vacant seat with new board member, Maimona Afzal Berta, who will complete the remainder of his term. Maimona is a teacher in Alum Rock and serves on the Alum Rock teachers' Executive Board. I think she is an excellent choice, and the best of the seven candidates.
Here are the Rep Council highlights from March 26th:
Bargaining: Thank you to all who came out to the board meeting before break to protest the district's bargaining proposals. I believe it had an impact. The district has indicated that they are interested in returning to the bargaining table, and I am confident they will now be proposing a larger raise. I'm also hoping for increased teacher prep time, but I'm less optimistic on this. Bargaining will resume in the coming weeks.
Excess Staff: There are excess staff at many sites this year. Excess staff will get to pick from any opening in the district without interviewing. The meeting where this occurs will take place next week. After excess staff has been placed, temporary teachers can be slotted back into the remaining positions.
CSS: The CSS position is being eliminated. Instead of a CSS at each school, next year there will be eight TOSAs (Teacher On Special Assignment) who will focus on coaching.
School Safety: CTA has updated their school safety pamphlet which is attached. April 20th is a national day of action against gun violence in schools.
State Council: For anyone interested in running for a spot on CTA State Council, the attached declaration is due April 16th.
FMSD Calendar: The 2018/19 instructional calendar is attached. Just scroll down past the current year.
Union Dues For Taxes: Reminder: Total union dues for 2017 tax purposes were $1230
Best,
March 30, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Thank you to everyone who came out to Tuesday's board meeting, and especially to those brave folks who got to speak! We had a sizable turnout, and I thought everyone who spoke was eloquent and compelling. It's too early to know exactly what impact our actions will have, but we are now trying to schedule bargaining dates in the coming month. I don't know what the district will offer for increased prep time, but I'm confident they will now be willing to offer more than a 1% raise.
On Saturday, April 7th at 10am the board will hold a special board meeting and appoint John Lindner's replacement. I've met two candidates and there are likely to be a few more. The process has occurred too quickly to do an official FMEA endorsement, but there is an interview committee for all candidates next week, and it is possible that after the interviews FMEA will do an informal endorsement if there is one candidate that is clearly more aligned with our values and interests.
The results of the write-in election for NEA RA Local Delegate are:
Enjoy the holiday!
March 23, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Attached is the latest edition of the FMEA Observer. It's primarily focused on bargaining and FMEA's action at this Tuesday's 7pm board meeting. This is a call-to-action for all FMEA members to come out on Tuesday, wearing black. The board meeting will be in the board room at the district office. For this action the plan is to make our frustration known through showing up wearing black, carrying signs, and signing up to speak during the public comment portion at the beginning of the meeting.
Board member contact information is in The Observer and I encourage you to call or email members of our board to remind them that the 1% raise they offered is just not fair, especially when the district started the year with unprecedented reserves. With each new district budget update, the projected deficit for this year has been reduced drastically. Declining enrollment and other cost factors will still necessitate some cuts, but the district has sufficient resources to pay FMEA members what we deserve, and 1% won't pay the rent!
Tomorrow there are two events going on: The first is our annual FMEA Basketball Tournament. Our 4th-6th graders will be playing all day at Sylvandale beginning at 8:45am. The second event is the March-For-Our-Lives rallies taking place in Washington D.C., San Francisco, and locally at the San Jose City Hall at 11am. These rallies were organized by students in response to the recent school shooting in Florida and are demanding that Congress address gun violence and school safety.
If you have any questions about bargaining or want more information so you can speak to the board please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Have a great weekend,
March 20, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
I am asking you all to attend the 7pm board meeting one week from tonight, wearing black. It's not necessary to stay through the whole meeting but it's important that we have a strong presence at the start of the meeting. I have materials to drop off for each site to make signs for the meeting. Please let your Site Rep know if you are interested in making signs at your site one day after school in the next week. Below are some suggestions for sign slogans that our FMEA Organizing Team came up with:
1% WONT PAY MY RENT
FMEA TEACHERS DEMAND A FAIR RAISE
1% IS THE LOWEST RAISE IN THE COUNTY- UNFAIR!!!
RESPECT TEACHERS AND THEIR TIME- FEWER STAFF MEETINGS
PRINCIPALS DON’T NEED 28 STAFF MEETINGS A YEAR!
FRANKLIN MCKINLEY MUST BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH
DOES FRANKLIN MCKINLEY VALUE TEACHERS?
FMSD MUST BARGAIN A FAIR AND REASONABLE CONTRACT
SCHOOL BOARD MUST DIRECT DISTRICT TO BARGAIN A FAIR RAISE
TEACHERS ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE DISTRICT- PAY US FAIRLY
WHERE'S THE GIVE? ALL I SEE IS TAKE
Invest in students, support teachers!
If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything
Teachers deserve a fair raise
We pay too much for health benefits
District reserves are huge, pay teachers a fair wage
March 16, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
FMSD Board: As you know John Linder has resigned from the FMSD School Board. The remaining four board members will be appointing someone to complete his term. There are likely to be pro-charter candidates, so it is important that we make sure there is also a pro-labor candidate. The deadline is March 30th. Anyone who lives in the district boundaries but is not a district employee can be a candidate. Parents or other community members are ideal. If you can think of anyone who might be interested please let me know.
FMEA Action: I am asking all FMEA members to come out to the March 27th 7pm board meeting wearing black. We will have some signs to distribute and I will send out talking points for those who are willing to sign up to speak at the start of the meeting. In a nutshell, we are demanding the district offer more than a 1% raise and give up more of their time (staff meetings, Thursdays etc) for teachers to prep, plan and implement all the new curriculum.
FMSD Budget: Though the district budget almost always ends up better off than their projections, it is true that declining enrollment is necessitating some cuts. Each year the district keeps getting more money per student, but because we have fewer students, cuts are required. Some cuts were shared at the last board meeting, and more will be released at the next meeting. FMEA's position has always been that these cuts should be as far from the classroom as possible.
Declining Enrollment/ Staffing: Declining enrollment is forcing many schools to cut staff. There will be a reduction of 1 or 2 teachers at most sites. In many cases there will be retiring and resigning teachers to offset reductions in staff. Some temporary teachers may not get a spot at their current site. Some sites may also have excess staff beyond the number of temporary teachers, and in that case the principal decides who is deemed "excess staff" and those teachers gets to choose a position at another site. On April 15th sites will post their Tentative Master Schedule and it will be clear who is slotted for each position, and if needed, who is excess staff.
Basketball Tournament: Our FMEA basketball tournament is Saturday, March 24th at Sylvandale. We have teams from half the schools in the district. Come out and support our students!
March-For-Our-Lives Rally: For those interested, there will be rallies across the country on March 24th in support of school safety and gun reform. Locally there will be an 11am rally at San Jose City Hall.
Enjoy the weekend!
Best,
March 9, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
It has been a busy week and there's a lot to share:
FMEA Action: I am asking all FMEA members to attend the March 27th Board meeting to protest the district's unwillingness to offer anything over a 1% raise, nothing for greater prep time, and no support for health benefits. School districts around Santa Clara county are settling for 3%, 4% and even 5%. Our district started this year with more money than ever before (almost $21M), and we pay more for our health benefits than most teachers in the County. FMSD teachers need a fair raise to keep up with the cost of living in this region! Please wear black to the 7pm board meeting on March 27th to show our dissatisfaction. Some teachers may also choose to attend the 8pm meeting this coming Tuesday but the 27th will be FMEA's focused action.
Budget/ Cuts It is true that the district is currently making substantial cuts for next year. I do believe some cuts are necessary, but those cuts should always start at the district office where they are furthest from the classroom. While some cuts are necessary, I'm not convinced that administration has to be as financially conservative as they are. As an example: last year the district's Adoption Budget under-projected the final ending balance by $2.7M! And for this year, the Second Interim Budget that the district released hours ago shows that the ending balance this year, while dropping from record highs, is now $2.5M higher than what was projected in August! It is true that with declining enrollment some cuts to district office administration as well as consultants should be made, but the district has been receiving large increases to per-pupil spending every year, and there is no indication this will end anytime soon, so I'm not convinced deep cuts are needed at this time, and I am certain they can afford more than a 1% raise!
The cuts that have been clarified so far for next year are the the reduction from 15 CSS to 8, with all 8 working 184 days, not 194. The Director Of State And Federal Projects (currently held by Tracy Rohlfing) is also being eliminated. The district will also no longer pay for consulting services of Partners In School Innovation. I'm expecting more cuts to be announced later this month.
Transfers: The deadline to get on the transfer list is March 15th, but anyone can apply for openings at any time, regardless of whether you are on the transfer list. The only difference is, if by March 15th, you formally notify HR of your intent to transfer, and which grade levels and schools you want, you are supposed to be automatically contacted to interview for all openings that fit your criteria.
March 15th Deadline: March 15th is a crucial deadline because after that, no probationary teacher can be released for next year, and if this is your second year here then it means, for all intensive purposes, you will now have permanent status (aka tenure).
Temporary teachers hired on temporary contracts do not need to be notified by March 15th, as there is no assumption of continued employment next year. However the district will apparently once again allow principals to place temporary teachers on the tentative master schedule this spring, without interviewing, once all the excess staff have been placed. This means temporary teachers may be in limbo for a little while, but are likely to be able to stay in the district, even with declining enrollment and some CSS returning to the classroom. This is because so many openings are created each year as many teachers leave FMSD every year, either as retirees or just moving to other districts or careers.
March 14th Walkout: The district office has sent out guidelines to principals and parents regarding a nationwide walkout this Tuesday in support of keeping schools safe from guns. Students are being encouraged to not leave campus, though rallies could be organized on campus. Wearing orange is one way to show support for the cause.
Feel free to contact me any time if you have questions or ideas about any of these topics.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
March 2, 2018
Hi all,
Here are the highlights from this week's FMEA Rep Council:
Bargaining/ Organizing: One week ago FMEA and FMSD reached a bargaining impasse. The district has refused to offer us more than a 1% raise despite the fact that they started this year with the biggest reserve ever (nearly $21M) and will get more money per-student next year than this year! We will be holding an FMEA action at one of the March board meetings. You will be asked to attend, wearing black as a statement of our frustration with the district.
Are you interested in joining the FMEA Organizing Team? It would be great to have at least one person from each school so we can organize effectively to pressure the district to re-examine their priorities.
If you haven't joined the FMEA text list please text "@fmeamember" to 81010. Also keep an eye on the FMEA Facebook page as well as our website- www.fmea.mobi
FMEA Director-At-Large: Congratulations to Lisa Pitino who has been elected to fill our FMEA Executive Board opening. She received 100% of the 182 votes counted.
FMSD Board: John Lindner is no longer on the FMSD Board. A replacement will be appointed by the remaining four board members. The deadline to apply for this appointment is March 30th. If you know any parents or community members you think would make a good board member please let me know.
FMEA Student Events: The FMEA Basketball Tournament is March 24th at Sylvandale. The Literacy Fair has been cancelled due to no one stepping up to lead it this year.
Guns In Schools: School shootings are becoming all too frequent, and after the recent tragedy in Florida there is more discussion about
arming teachers. While something like this could become a reality in some states, I think it is highly unlikely in California, given the political background of our state legislature.
Enjoy the weekend.
Best,
February 23, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Today FMEA declared impasse in bargaining. This has happened many times in the past but not in the last five years. It means we are unable to reach an agreement so the state will provide a mediator to support the bargaining process. I've attached a document that explains impasse further.
While numerous other districts in this county are settling for raises of 3%, 4% and even 5%, FMSD has refused to offer more than a 1% raise. This is while the district started the year with a 21 million dollar balance and expects more money per student next year! FMEA is currently proposing a 5.5% raise. Our team has been open to going lower, but we will not bargain against ourselves, and the district has been unwilling to budge from 1%. Furthermore, FMEA has suggested numerous ways the district can provide more prep time, as teachers adjust to all the new curriculum and programs, but the district has shot down all of these ideas. The attached issues chart has all of the details.
FMEA will be organizing actions to demonstrate to the FMSD Board and administration that their proposals are unfair. We demand that the district be willing to bargain a fair and reasonable contract so that we can reach an agreement. We will be holding an action at either the March 13th or March 27th board meeting.
In a separate development, this week Trustee John Lindner turned in his resignation from the board. As you know he had admitted to misusing bond campaign funds, and many teachers, community members and other board members had called for his resignation. This coming Tuesday the board will decide how to fill his seat; they can appoint someone or hold an election.
Lastly, for those working on taxes, total FMEA/CTA/NEA union dues for 2017 were $1230.
Both the bargaining and Lindner developments are big news so feel free to follow up with me if you have any questions.
Have a great weekend!
February 16, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Here's a summary of the latest:
Bargaining: FMEA bargained with the district this week and we bargain again next week. The last meeting was very disappointing. Hopefully next week will be more productive, but if not it appears we may be at an impasse.
Disability Insurance Campaign: Enough FMEA members signed up for The Standard disability insurance drive that we made our goal. That means all members who recently signed up will have preexisting conditions covered! Technically the campaign is over, but if you still want to join let me know and it may be possible to add you.
Budget Cuts: Due to decreasing enrollment and increasing costs the district is looking to make significant budget reductions over the coming years. Cuts for next year have not been finalized but may be confirmed soon.
FMEA Basketball Tournament: Our FMEA basketball tournament will be March 24th at Sylvandale. We have seven schools participating but it's not too late for more schools to join. Contact Larry Volpe or myself for more info.
Non Re-elects: This is a challenging time of year when a number of probationary teachers are notified they have been non re-elected. Unfortunately there is no effective way to fight a non re-elect, but if you turn in a resignation (effective June 30th) by February 26th the district will take your name off the official non re-elect list.
Backpack Full Of Cash: There will be a showing of the movie by this name on March 12th. It explores the real costs of privatizing U.S. public schools. See attached flyer for details.
NEA Representative Assembly: A declaration of candidacy is attached if you want to run for a spot as a Local Delegate to the NEA RA. Declarations are due March 12th.
Enjoy the long weekend!
January 26, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Below are the highlights from Monday's Rep Council.
Bargaining: The district has offered a very small raise to FMEA, but we are still far away from reaching an agreement. Bargaining will continue in February.
FMSD School Board: Board member Rudy Rodriguez has reversed course and is now willing to continue on as a board member. The terms of board members Rudy Rodriguez, Thanh Tran and Omar Torres are ending in November, though all three may seek reelection. Board member John Lindner continues on as a board member at the same time the case against him moves forward with the District Attorney.
FMEA Student Events:
FMEA Happy Hour: Join us for the next FMEA Happy Hour on February 9th at Stanley's! See attached flyer for details.
CTA Trainings:
Non-Reelects: This is a challenging time of year when many first and second year teachers begin to hear they are being non-reelected. Unfortunately the law gives districts the right to do this without giving any reason, and it is almost impossible to fight. If you are notified you will be non-reelected you have the option of formally notifying H.R. you will be resigning at the end of the school year. If you turn in that notification by the end of February, the district allows you to leave without you officially receiving a non-reelect on your record.
Insurance Campaign: The Standard is the CTA-endorsed vendor for short-term disability and life insurance, and every three years The Standard holds an FMEA membership campaign. If you join during the campaign, all pre-existing conditions are covered. We need 22 members to sign up during the campaign for it to be successful. The campaign will end February 15th. A representative from The Standard will be coming to all school sites in the next two weeks.
Retirement: If you plan to retire this year, you can receive a $2000 bonus for officially informing H.R. of this by January 30th.
Scholarships For Future Teachers: CTA is offering scholarships to individuals from under-represented groups who want to become educators. A flyer is attached.
Tony Thurmond: CTA has endorsed Tony Thurmond for Superintendent Of Public Instruction. His main opponent is Marshall Tuck who has strong ties to charter schools. It's important we talk with our friends and family about the need to vote for Tony Thurmond.
NEA RA: This year the NEA Representative Assembly will be held in Minneapolis, June 29th-July 6th. Those interested in running for a seat as a State Delegate must turn in a declaration of candidacy by January 30th. If you want a declaration or more info let me know.
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions on any of these matters don't hesitate to get in touch.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
January 12, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Happy new year! I hope you had a restful break and a good start to 2018. This FMEA Update is loaded with interesting and important info:
Bargaining: This week FMEA and the district began making a little progress bargaining topics that include compensation and hours. Our next bargaining date is February 15th. By then both sides will have had a chance to review Governor Brown's January budget proposal, which includes another big increase to education funding.
FMSD School Board: On Tuesday, school board member Rudy Rodriguez announced that, due to the cancer struggle and ultimate loss of his brother, he will be stepping down from the board next month. Board member John Lindner does not currently have plans to resign from the board, but that could change due to the District Attorney's decision in December to bring charges for the misuse of bond campaign funds.
FMEA Executive Board Opening: There is an unexpected opening on the FMEA Executive Board for someone interested in finishing off the final year of Jeannie Martin's three-year term as Director. If you have questions let me know. To declare your candidacy, send a 30 word bio to FMEA Elections Chair Sau Vu at [email protected] by January 19th.
FMEA Student Events:
Insurance Campaign: The Standard is the CTA-endorsed vendor for short-term disability and life insurance, and every three years The Standard holds an FMEA membership campaign. If you join during the campaign, all pre-existing conditions are covered. We need 23 members to sign up during the campaign for it to be successful. The campaign will take place from January 22nd- February 15th. A representative from The Standard will be coming to all school sites, and you will be able to sign up at that time.
CTA Trainings:
NEA RA: This year the NEA Representative Assembly will be held in Minneapolis, June 29th-July 6th. Those interested in running for a seat as a State Delegate must turn in a declaration of candidacy by January 30th. If you want a declaration or more info let me know.
Happy Hour: Mark your calendars for the next FMEA Happy Hour on February 9th at Stanley's.
Thanks for making it all the way through this extra chunky FMEA Update!
Have a great long weekend!
December 15, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
It feels to me as if we just barely made it to the finish line in the nick of time. It's been a tumultuous week, at least for me, and it ended with news today that prosecutors have charged FMSD Board member, John LIndner, with stealing campaign funds related to the 2010 FMSD bond campaign. At this time Trustee Lindner has not resigned from the board but I'm wondering if that will now change. Here is a link to today's story in the SJ Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/12/15/school-board-member-charged-with-stealing-bond-measure-campaign-funds/
The latest FMEA Observer is attached, but this late breaking development means that my comments on Trustee Lindner are somewhat outdated. Please also note that the hard copy of The Observer you may have seen at your site had two errors. These have been corrected in the attached version. The correct date for the FMEA Spelling Bee is January 24th, and The Standard disability insurance drive will begin in late January, not February.
I hope you all enjoy the coming three-week break. I will be available by phone and email if anything arises I can support you with.
Happy holidays and have a great vacation!
December 8, 2017
Hi all,
Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council meeting. There's a lot of good information here so I hope you'll take a look:
1. Bargaining: We have had 3 days of bargaining so far with more planned in January. The district has not yet given us a compensation proposal. FMEA has made numerous proposals in an attempt to secure increased time for teachers.
2. FMEA Student Events: The FMEA spelling bee is January 24th at Bridges. We need Coordinating Teachers (CTs) ASAP. All the docs are ready to go out once we know who the CT is for your site. The basketball tournament is March 24th. It's time to figure out who the coach will be for each school that wants to field a team. We are still looking for a lead or co-leads for the literacy fair to be held April 27th.
3. FMEA Chairs: FMEA is looking for a new GLBT Chair and Ethnic Minority Chair. These positions do not necessarily require extra work but are a great way to get involved in a subject that you are passionate about. It also means reduced cost to CTA conferences on these topics. Who's interested?
4. Extra Compensation: There are two new forms of extra compensation this year that all should be aware of: For full day kinder teachers, if your para is out more than 3 days in a row, or 5 days in a month, you receive $40 per day that you don't have a sub para. Also, teachers shall receive $3 per day for any student mainstreamed into your class if you are over your class size cap, regardless of how long the student is mainstreamed. In the past it had to be more than 50% of the day to receive compensation.
5. CTA Good Teaching Conference: Attached is the application for scholarships to CTA's Good Teaching Conference. All teachers in their first five years teaching may apply, though preference is given to teachers in their first two years. Once it's complete you can scan it to [email protected] (deadline is January 9th but earlier is better). If scanning is a problem let me know. Here's a link for info on all CTA conferences. https://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events.aspx
6. Board Member Lindner: In case there is any confusion, John Lindner was found to have inappropriately spent about $13,000 from a 2010 FMSD bond campaign. It was not actually the bond money he spent. He was the treasurer for the campaign, and at the end of the campaign he inappropriately spent the remaining $13,000 of campaign funds on personal matters. He was fined approximately $18,000 as part of a settlement with the state commission that oversees political expenditures (FPPC). It's unknown at this time whether the District Attorney will prosecute Lindner. At this time Lindner does not plan to step down, though FMEA, as well as board member Rudy Rodriguez have requested that he do so.
7. Special Ed: Many in SPED are having trouble getting emails answered in a timely manner, if at all. If you are having this problem copy Mariam on emails. If that doesn't fix it contact Scott Shulimson. Also, the district's SPED committee known as SEDAC is looking for gen ed teachers to join. The meetings are quarterly and paid. If you are interested let me know.
8. Janus Court Case: A court case known as Janus Vs AFSCME has been taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court and will be decided in the spring. It is a direct assault on public sector unions and is expected to cause a drastic reduction in union membership. FMEA will continue to do everything we can to make sure our union is strong, vital and meaningful despite these attacks. We will need to come together like never before to remain strong.
Have a great weekend!
November 21, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
As we wrap up the shortest week of the school year, here are a few FMEA highlights:
Bargaining began last week, though neither side has yet exchanged proposals. The district opened the Class Size article to clarify language around 7th and 8th grade teachers at K-8s. FMEA opened the Hours article, and we are working on a range of proposals that attempt to give more time back to members. Unfortunately administration has always been reluctant to give up any time, but hopefully with their current acknowledgement that teachers are strained with all the new curriculum, administration will be more willing to help solve this problem of too much to do in too little time.
FMEA will also be proposing increases in salary and benefits. Hopefully we will be able to settle on a raise retroactive back to August, like we did the last four years, though it is too early to make any predictions on this.
At last week's School Board meeting, a new Assistant Superintendent Of Business Services was hired: Jason Vann will be leaving Cambrian and starting in FMSD in January. He appears to be a qualified and well liked individual, so it appears he is someone FMEA can work with in this very important position. The Board publicly censured John Lindner at this meeting. Trustee Lindner does not plan to resign from the Board, despite calls for his resignation from Trustee Rudy Rodriguez, myself and a couple of parents. It is unknown whether the District Attorney will press charges.
Despite holding interviews earlier this month for Stella's replacement, no candidates were brought to the Board to be hired as new Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. The district will continue to look for Stella's replacement. In the meantime Superintendent Cruz will oversee Ed Services.
Some of you have contacted me wanting a copy of the 2018-19 school calendar so I've attached it to this email.
Despite the challenges, we all have much to be thankful for. Have a great Thanksgiving holiday, and as always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, ideas or suggestions.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
November 2, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Attached is the latest edition of our newsletter, the FMEA Observer.
The CTA winter conferences offered this year include GLBT, Issues (urban and rural), Equity And Human Rights, and Good Teaching. There are grants still available for most of these. Here is a link to apply https://ctago.org/conference-grants/ Note: I expect our county CTA office will be offering some scholarships to the Good Teaching
It's not too late to take the FMEA Bargaining Survey. Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RCWRT5F
November 14th will be our first day bargaining.
FMEA is holding a meeting to discuss Special Ed related issues this Monday, November 6th from 3:30-5pm in the Shirakawa library. Please join us to share your thoughts on what the district can do to improve SPED programs. There will not be any administrators present at this meeting.
October 20, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council, along with other noteworthy items:
FMEA returns to the bargaining table on November 14th. Please participate in FMEA's bargaining survey if you have not already. Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RCWRT5F
Tomorrow is our FMEA track meet at Sylvandale. The races go from 9:30am-12:00pm. We have students competing from Hellyer, Ramblewood, Santee, Sylvandale, Meadows, Lairon, Franklin and WIndmill Spring! Please join us for this awesome annual event. Thanks again to everyone who helped coordinate at their site.
FMEA is holding a meeting to discuss Special ED related issues Monday, November 6th from 3:30-5pm in the Shirakawa library. Please join us to share your thoughts on what the district can do to improve SPED programs. There will not be any administrators present at this meeting.
There are a number of great CTA conferences offered this winter, and Minority Incentive Grants are still available for most. Here's a link to the page with all the info: https://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events/Conferences.aspx
If you haven't yet joined FMEA's text blast list, please text "@fmeamember" to 81010. Also, nearly all important FMEA docs and info can be found at our website, www.fmea.mobi.
Teachers new to FMSD who are interested in CTA-endorsed disability insurance can have all pre-existing conditions covered if they sign up in their first 120 days. Here's a link to this program offered by The Standard http://www.ctamemberbenefits.org/thestandard
Lastly, there was some shocking news this week regarding long time FMSD Board member John Lindner. Trustee Lindner has been a strong ally over the years though I am extremely concerned about the information that has come to light. Here is a link to the article in the Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/16/san-jose-schools-trustee-faces-18500-fine-for-draining-bond-campaign-fund/
September 29, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here is a link to FMEA's short bargaining survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RCWRT5F Please complete it in the next week if possible. We will begin bargaining in November. If you have trouble using the electronic survey let me know and I can send you a hard copy.
FMEA's annual Oktoberfest party is this coming Thursday. A flyer is attached with all details. I hope you will join us for this fun informal event!
SPED issues: The SPED signing bonus usually comes in August, but this year it was a month late. If you are a newer SPED teacher you should have received the bonus on today's paycheck. Also, FMEA is planning on holding a union SPED meeting after school on Monday, November 6th. Location TBA.
The FMEA track meet is just several weeks away. It will be held at Sylvandale on the morning of Saturday, October 21st. We have many schools participating, but it's not too late to add more. We also need some volunteers to help out the day of the event. If you are interested in volunteering let me know.
Have a great a weekend, and as always, please get in touch with any questions, concerns or ideas you have.
Best,
September 15, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here are the highlights from Monday's FMEA Rep Council meeting. Note: These meetings are open to all FMEA members. If you're interested in attending let me know.
1. The Board will certify our Williams audit (stating that all students have requisite core curriculum) at the 7pm board meeting on September 26th. I always let the Board know this is not accurate, but they need to hear it from you. Please consider speaking at that meeting or contacting our School Board President, George Sanchez at [email protected] if your students do not have their curriculum.
2. The FMEA Track Meet will be October 21st. We need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) from every site that wants to participate. Please help students at your site take part in this fun event by volunteering to be the CT. Let me know if you are interested.
3. FMEA's Oktoberfest party is October 5th at Stanley's (flyers coming soon). We want to see everyone there, but teachers new to the district will be our special guests at this event.
4. Later this month FMEA will be surveying for the next round of bargaining which begins in November. We are bargaining for the current school year. Hopefully we can reach an agreement that includes another raise that is retroactive to the start of the year.
5. Please join the FMEA Facebook group and Remind text blast list. To join the text list just text "@fmeamember" to 81010.
6. The FMEA website is http://www.fmea.mobi where you can find all the important FMEA documents.
7. Teachers and others from around the area will be phone banking in support of "Dreamers" on September 26th. A flyer with details is attached.
Have a great weekend!
September 1, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Labor Day marks the date when the district is contractually required to have classes balanced so that no one is over their class size maximum. Beginning Tuesday, teachers may be compensated if over the contractual limit (this is known as "floating caps"). Note: there is a five day grace period per year that each teacher must be over before floating cap compensation begins. It's a bit confusing, so if you're over your max and want clarification give me a call.
FMEA will be holding our Oktoberfest party on Thursday, October 5th, at Stanley's Sports Bar. This event is for all members, but we especially want to welcome the district's 40 new teachers at this event. Look for a flyer in the coming weeks.
FMEA will again be holding four student events this year. We will have a track meet, spelling be, basketball tournament and literacy fair. This year we are going to try moving the track meet to October. The tentative date is October 21st. Each participating site will need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) ASAP. If you are interested in being your site's CT let me know.
The first FMEA Rep Council meeting of the year will be Monday, September 11th. If you are interested in being involved in Rep Council let me know.
This time of year a broken A/C in the classroom can really make things unbearable. If yours isn't working have your secretary put in a work order. Once you've done that feel free to contact me and I can try to expedite it being repaired.
I've attached a PDF of the Thursday/ cohort day calendar since the link I sent in my last email didn't work for everyone.
Enjoy the holiday weekend!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 16, 2017
Welcome back FMEA members!
I hope you had a fantastic summer. I still can't believe how fast it went by. We are coming back to a very different district than the one we left. In addition to new principals at seven schools, Stella Kemp left this week to become Superintendent of San Bruno Park School District, our Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Megan Lamken, retires at the end of the month, and we have a new Director of HR.
Each new school year always seems to bring a fresh batch of issues. If something doesn't seem right let me know. It's always easier to nip a problem in the bud when routines are still being established.
Next month FMEA will survey all members, and our next round of bargaining will likely start in October. We will again attempt to bargain for a salary increase, as well as improvements to contract language. It's far too early to tell how that will go, and much will depend on whether FMSD enrollment continues to drop as significantly as it did in recent years.
Below is a link to the calendar of teacher/ admin-directed Thursdays for the year. Note: next month teachers get two Thursdays in a row, followed by two admin-directed Thursdays in a row. This was to accommodate the availability of presenters.
https://1.cdn.edl.io/OuKfH8nw6TNmZtwjJU3qEK3Dr3nM85u8aPzsyJNQUwpfHVDy.pdf
If you have left the district and no longer want to receive FMEA emails let me know and I'll take you off the list.
I hope everyone has a great first day of school and an outstanding year!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
June 16, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Congratulations on the completion of another school year!
Feel free to contact me over the summer. I won't always be in town to meet in person, but I am available to help out with issues that arise during summer. Enjoy your vacation and I'll see you in August!
June 9, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from the final FMEA Rep Council of the year, and below that are FMEA election results. Don't forget, the “contracts” that are currently being distributed for you to sign are not binding. They are just a placement verification to ensure you are being paid the correct amount. If you do not plan to return next year, you must formally notify HR by June 30th or the district can choose not to release you.
FMEA June Rep Council Highlights:
Union Dues: Reps voted to increase annual FMEA dues by $20 ($1.66 per month). Total local dues will now be $395, which is still the lowest of any full-time release chapter operating out of the Mt Hamilton CTA office. Separately, CTA dues will be increasing by $21 annually.
Calendar/Minutes: If your site felt pressured to agree to an increase in instructional minutes let me know ASAP. The calendar that Ed Services sent each school is not the final version. Sites are able to appeal to change things such as conference weeks or short days. If you have questions or want help with this let me know.
Salary Schedule: There has been some confusion regarding next year's salary schedule: It is labeled 2016/17 because we have not yet bargained for 2017/18 salary. Ideally we will get another raise next year, and retro pay to go with it. This year's retro pay check will arrive at the end of this month. Here's a link to the salary schedule that is in place until we bargain and settle for 2017/18.
https://1.cdn.edl.io/2coOMIi6ra2bq7im6iDgw62klqpGnXBTnD2i2u6NZip5oOCH.pdf
Transportation And Work Order Procedures: Reps have discussed the challenges and lack of communication when trying to secure busses and work orders. Juan Cruz will be working over the summer to improve the district's systems, but it's not clear what the changes will be.
ELA Adoption: There will probably be an ELA adoption recommendation going to the Board at the June 27th meeting. There is a public hearing at this Tuesday's 7pm Board meeting in regards to any adoption. It looks unlikely the district will adopt a curriculum in primary grades for next year, but an adoption looks more likely in grades 4 and 5, and possibly 6-8.
FMEA Election Results:
President: Scott Shulimson- 184 Write Ins: Paul Ward-1 Honda Cevallos- 1
Vice President: Kelly Bond- 179 Write Ins: Ashley Frost-1
Secretary: Rachel Whitmeyer- 180
Treasurer: Kristi Billings - 180
Director At Large: Erik Whitaker- 181
Lastly, it was recently announced that Jerry Merza will not be returning to FMSD next year. Jerry was a teacher, the Hellyer principal and then Director of Human Resources. He joins the long list of administrators not returning.
I hope your last week of school goes smoothly!
May 27, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
As we get closer to the end of the school year and a much-deserved summer break, there are a few things I'd like to highlight:
The district can never mandate that you work on a non-work day. Summer PD is a great option, but it is always optional, and generally should be paid. Some schools received emails from our Ed Services departments that seemed to imply that PD can be mandated over the summer, but that is never the case. These emails also listed hourly pay as $41 an hour, but it is now $42 an hour.
Another tricky issue this time of year is the instructional minutes and calendar process. Each site is contractually required to form an instructional minutes committee, and the staff is required to vote on the minutes. This process doesn't always seem to happen, but if you are being pressured to increase your instructional minutes let me know. Also, this year Ed Services has apparently given less discretion to sites on how schedule-2 days are placed. Schools can still come up with their own calendar of schedule-2 days, but must "appeal" any changes from what was provided. If you are having any trouble getting the calendar you and your staff want, let me know.
Lastly, our FMEA End-Of-The-Year-Party is Friday, June 2nd at Mt Hamilton CTA. Don't miss our biggest party of the year as we honor our retirees, celebrate the ending of another year with cash prizes and good food and drink, and even dust off the karaoke machine! We will be at the Mt Hamilton CTA building at 888 S. Capitol from 3:30-6pm.
For those who may not have a copy handy, I'm attaching the 17/18 and 18/19 school year calendars.
Enjoy the long weekend!
Best,
May 10, 2017
Hi FMEA members, and happy Day Of The Teacher!
While NEA celebrated their teacher day yesterday, both FMEA and the district are recognizing our great teachers on CTA's Day Of The Teacher, which is today. Please accept the small FMEA gift at your site, and if you don't get one, let me or your Site Rep know.
FMEA has approved the Tentative Agreement by a vote of 339 in favor and 3 against. The School Board voted to approve it unanimously at last night's meeting, so it is now in effect. Expect retro pay in your June paycheck. If you are interested in joining the Bargaining Team for next year let me know.
With last Saturday's FMEA Track Meet, we've completed our FMEA student events for the year. They take a lot of work, so thank you to all those who coordinated at sites or helped out at the events.
The maternity leave document that was supposed to go out with the last FMEA Update is attached here.
Lastly, I hope to see you at our FMEA End Of The Year Party on June 2nd at Mt Hamilton, as we honor our retirees and more.
Thanks for you all you do!
May 5, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Below are Rep Council Highlights, as well as the list of our retirees. Also, the May FMEA Observer is attached. Don't forget the FMEA Track Meet is tomorrow, Saturday, at Sylvandale, with the first race at 9:30am. Thank you to all the folks helping coordinate this at sites! We can always use help with this outstanding event, so come out and support our students if you are able to.
May Rep Council Highlights:
Bargaining: FMEA is in the process of approving the TA (Tentative Agreement). The School Board will give final approval Tuesday. The 3.5% raise is the only component that is retroactive. When we return in the fall FMEA will survey membership and begin bargaining for the 2017/18 school year.
FMEA's End Of The Year Party is June 2nd at Mt Hamilton. We have a lot of retirees to celebrate this year, so mark your calendar and don't miss this great event!
FMEA 8th grade scholarships have changed. This year there will be a total of three $100 scholarships awarded, and they will be based on a selective application process. The application is attached, and each teacher may submit one application.
FMEA Budget: Rep Council will be passing a budget for next year at the June Rep Council meeting. FMEA continues to deficit spend. Our options are to deficit spend, make big changes to our program (such as eliminating having a full-time release president) or raise dues. The current proposal is to raise dues by $15 a year. Make sure to share your perspective with your Site Rep in the coming weeks.
Transferring: There are a currently a very large number of openings in our district. If you are interested in transferring you can either contact HR letting them know which position you want to interview for, or you can go to the district website, and select "Community." Then choose "Employment Opportunities" and scroll to "to apply for current openings click here." I would also recommend directly contacting the principal at the site you are applying at. Good luck!
Bussing: Reps brought up issues with the current procedures in securing busses for field trips. I'll try to work with admin to improve the current system.
Maternity Leave: Attached is a summary of FMEA's information on maternity leave. If you ever receive confusing or contradictory information from HR let me know.
CTA Day Of The Teacher is this coming Wednesday, May 10th, and this year the district will be recognizing teachers on the same day as FMEA.
Congratulations to all our retirees! We had 25 teachers qualify for the retirement incentive. Here is a list of those retiring:
RETIREMENTLOCATION
Alexandra Adams - Bridges
Kate Adams- Bridges
Rodney Palmer- Bridges
James Johnson - Bridges
Virginia Gyorkos - Bridges
Don Halog - Bridges
Ruth Gilley - CCA
Irma Balzen - Dahl
Anh Do - Kennedy
Julie Rambo - Kennedy
Linda Burge - Kennedy
Oanh Tran - Kennedy
Edna Wong - Lairon
Marion Kathleen Smith - Lairon
Ricky Perez - Lairon
Michelle Rose - Lairon
Laura Farris - Los Arboles
Phyllis Chan - Los Arboles
Janice Morse - Los Arboles
Denise Castillo - Ramblewood
Cynthia Schroye - rSantee
Teresa Sadler - Shirakawa
Jan Theiss-Guffey - Stonegate
Carl White - Sylvandale
Sherrill DeLuca - Windmill
Vidya Tripathi - Windmill
ALREADY LEFT
Sharon Lee Nakayama - Bridges
Carmen Montano - Santee
April 25, 2017
Hi all,
I hope you had a restful and rejuvenating spring break. There's a lot of important information in this FMEA Update so please read on.
TA Vote: Voting on our Tentative Agreement (TA) will take place at sites all next week. The FMEA Executive Board and Bargaining Team are in full support of this TA. Assuming FMEA approves it, the School Board will ratify the TA on May 9th. At that point the new contract language becomes binding. The only part of the TA that is retroactive is the 3.5% raise, and the retro checks should arrive in our June paycheck.
SERP: Tonight the School Board will formally approve the SERP. There are 25 FMEA folks taking the retirement incentive. It is my understanding that we are settling our contract in time such that SERP recipients will have the 3.5% raise added to their payout.
New Principals: Also at tonight's 7pm Board meeting, new principals will be approved, and their names released. I will post the new principal info to the FMEA Facebook group once the Board shares the names.
FMEA Officer Elections will take place May 29th-June 2nd. Any FMEA member can run for President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary or Director-At-Large. All positions are one-year, except for Director which is three-years. If you want more information let me know. If you want to declare your candidacy, send a bio of 30 words or less to Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at [email protected] by 4pm on May 15th
FMEA Party: Our FMEA End Of The Year Party is being moved to Friday, June 2nd. Do plan on attending our annual party as we celebrate the completion of another year, and honor our retirees and many others.
FMEA Student Events:
Rally: This Monday, May 1st, FMEA is joining with educators and other workers around the region for a rally against bigotry and economic inequality. The rally will be at 4pm at the Arena Greens (N. Autumn and Santa Clara). See attached flyer.
CTA State Council: If you are interested in running for a three-year seat on CTA State Council, see the attached declaration-of-candidacy.
Please let me know if you have questions or want more information on any issues mentioned above.
April 12, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Yesterday in bargaining, FMEA and the district were able to reach a Tentative Agreement (TA). This will be a binding agreement once FMEA membership and the School Board vote to approve it. That will all be completed in the next month, and the TA will then become part of our formal contract. The FMEA Executive Board and Bargaining Team are in support of the TA.
This was a one-year re-opener to our three-year contract. The only changes were in the Compensation and Class Size articles. The full TA is attached to this email.
In Compensation:
Lastly: We signed a one-year MOU that will give per-diem pay to all Psychs, RSP, SLP and APE that do an initial assessment outside of their caseload. This MOU allows the district to assign up to one initial assessment outside of caseload. We will try this for one year. Technically the district can already assign initials outside caseload, though they have generally stopped doing this in recent years.
All other components of the contract remain status quo.
Though we are just finishing up this re-opener to our contract, it won't be long before we return to the bargaining table to bargain for a possible raise and other changes for next year. But for now we need to ratify this TA. FMEA will then survey membership before we begin our next round of bargaining.
Thank you to the excellent FMEA Bargaining Team, Lyn Irvine, Alie Victorine, Veronica Andrade, Kris Clarke (CTA Staff) and Bargaining Chair, Charlie Nave! It's a job that takes a lot of competence and patience, and we are lucky to have such a great team!
If you have any questions please contact myself or a member of the Bargaining Team. Stay tuned for news on when voting will occur for the TA. If over 50% of votes cast by FMEA members support the TA, then it will go to the School Board who will certainly ratify it.
April 7, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Bargaining: We bargain again this Tuesday. There were problems with the link I sent last week for the new contract, so try this one. http://tinyurl.com/kwqagx7
SERP: Wednesday, April 12th, is the deadline for participating in the retirement incentive. There are at least 16 people currently registered. I do believe the Board will move forward with it even if we don't get to 29, which was the original target.
Tentative Master Schedules: Contractually the district has to post tentative master schedules by April 15th, which means they should be posted before our Spring Break. If you don't see it posted at your site by Thursday, April 13th, let me know.
FMEA Officer Elections: The window is now open to declare your candidacy for any FMEA officer position. These are: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Director-At-Large. The deadline to declare is May 8th. Send declarations to Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at [email protected]
FMEA Student Events: Tomorrow, Saturday, is the FMEA Basketball Tournament at Sylvandale, and our track meet is less than a month away on May 6th. Please figure out who your site's Coordinating Teacher (CT) will be for the track meet. Let your Site Rep know if you are interested.
March 29, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Below are this week's Rep Council Highlights, and the recent FMEA Observer is attached.
1. Bargaining: There has been some recent progress in bargaining, but the process has been slow. We bargain next on April 11th. The Tentative Agreement from last year has been integrated into The Contract and new printed versions are available in H.R.
The electronic version is here: http://tinyurl.com/kwqagx7
2. Principal Interviews: There are now six principals leaving the district next year. Kennedy, Sylvandale, Los Arboles, Dahl, Bridges and Shirakawa will all have new principals. A large pool of candidates has applied to the district. They have gone through an initial screening, and sites will be setting up interviews for next month. Each site's interview committee gets two FMEA reps. Talk to your Site Rep if you want to be on the interview committee. A vote should be held if more than two want to represent FMEA at your school.
3. Flood Donations: FMEA donated seventy-one $100 gift cards to FMSD students affected by the flood. Just over $2000 was collected at sites and the rest were paid for directly from FMEA's reserves. Thank you again for the outpouring of generosity!
4. NEA Representative Assembly: Congratulations to Shanti Arnold, Lyn Irvine and Kristi Billings who won seats as State Delegates to the NEA RA. Honda Cevallos is running unopposed as NEA RA Local Delegate, so there will not need to be an election for this spot, and Honda will represent FMEA as our Local Delegate.
5. SERP: The deadline to participate in the retirement incentive is April 14th. There are currently 14 participants. It may not move forward if that number does not increase, though I do expect more to join in the coming weeks. Those who put their name in will the have the opportunity to rescind their retirement if the incentive doesn't go forward.
6. FMEA Party: FMEA's End Of The Year Party will be Friday, May 19th, at Mt Hamilton. Flyers will be distributed next month.
7. FMEA Student Events:
8. Minority Incentive Grants: Grants are now available for CTA's premier conference, The CTA Summer Institute. Details can be found here: http://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events/Conferences.aspx
9. School Dashboards: Here's a link to the state's new school dashboard. https://www.caschooldashboard.org/#/Home
10. FMEA Text Alerts: Don't forget to join FMEA's text alert group by texting "@fmeamember" to number 81010. You will only receive my relatively infrequent texts, not any responses.
March 17, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Donations: Thank you for your generous donations to the Shirakawa flood victims. We gathered over $1800 from sites, and FMEA will be contributing the rest so that each of our 94 affected students will all receive a $100 gift card!
Bargaining: Bargaining continued this week. We made a bit more progress towards establishing a retroactive raise for this year, but the amount the district is offering is still not in line with what is fair and reasonable. Our next bargaining date is April 11th. Also, if you are interested in serving on the FMEA Bargaining Team next year let me know.
Principal interviews: At least five principals are leaving at the end of this year, and there is a very large pool of applicants. The district will be doing an initial screening of all candidates this coming Friday, March 24th, and Monday, March 27th. If you are interested in representing FMEA on these initial screening dates let me know ASAP.
After the initial screening there will be interviews at all sites that are changing principals. These interviews will begin in April. For the site interview committee, FMEA gets two reps, and if there are more than two FMEA volunteers then the Site Rep will hold a vote to determine who will represent FMEA on that interview committee.
SERP: After some initial resistance, the district has agreed to add longevity pay to what will be paid out under the retirement incentive (SERP) program. The number of people who have signed up is still small, but the deadline has been extended until April 14th. Note: retirees are able to purchase benefits at the district cost until 65, and dental/vision for life.
CTA State Council: There is an election coming up for a CTA State Council seat in our region. The three-year term begins in June. Alternates are also needed. If you are interested in running let me know.
FMEA Student Events:
March 3, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here are the highlights from Monday's Rep Council meeting.
1. Flood donations: Site Reps will be collecting cash donations through at least Monday for the flood victims. FMEA will ultimately be purchasing and distributing one $100 Target gift card for all 94 FMSD students affected by the flooding devastation.
2. Bargaining: The district and FMEA continue to work towards a settlement that includes a fair raise for this current school year. Progress has been slow. Our next bargaining date is March 14th. FMEA is still looking for members to join our bargaining team. If you think you might be interested let me know.
3. SERP: The deadline for the district's retirement incentive has been extended to April 12th. If not enough people sign up for the incentive it will not move forward. If it does not go forward you will be allowed to rescind your notice of retirement
4. FMEA Happy Hour: One week from today on Friday, March 10th, we will have our next FMEA Happy Hour at Staneley's. Look for the green flyers with all details. These events have been a ton of fun so stop by and check it out!
5. FMEA Student Events:
A. FMEA Literacy Fair: Flyers have been ponied to all sites. One side has directions and timelines for teachers. The other side should be posted in the classroom for students to see. The deadline for submissions to Kristi Billings at Franklin is April 7th. The actual event is April 28th in the Board Room.
B. Basketball Tourney: Larry Volpe is once again leading the effort to coordinate this long-standing event. Let's get even more schools involved this year! We need a coach for each participating site. For more details you can email Larry at [email protected]. The tournament will be held April 8th at Sylvandale.
C. Track Meet: The date for FMEA's annual track meet is May 6th.
6. Principal interviews: Principals at Sylvandale, Kennedy, Los Arboles and Dahl are retiring. Interviews for replacements are likely to begin next month. Two FMEA members are invited onto each interview committee. If more than two want to join the committee I recommend the Site Rep hold a vote to determine who will represent FMEA on the committee.
7. Total Dues: Total 2016 union dues for tax purposes were $1202
8. Text Alerts: If you haven't joined FMEA's text alert list just text "fmeamember" to 81010
Thank you for your generous donations to the Shirakawa flood victims. Have a great weekend!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
February 21, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here's a summary of the latest FMEA news:
Bargaining: FMEA and the district continue to work towards a bargaining agreement. Progress has been extremely slow but for now things are moving forward.
Retirement Incentive: The School Board has approved offering a retirement incentive (Supplemental Employee Retirement Program AKA SERP) for the first time in five years. Teachers would receive 65% of their annual salary paid out over 5 or more years. If less than 29 sign up for it then it may not move forward. The deadline is March 22nd and there will be an orientation this coming Wednesday in the board room. You must be over 55 with five years in the district to qualify.
Calendars: The School Board has approved the 2017/18 and 2018/19 calendars. They are attached.
NEA RA Local Delegate: If you interested in running to be an FMEA Local Delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly the declaration is attached. The deadline to declare is March 3rd.
Dues: Total 2016 Union Dues for tax purposes were $1202
FMEA Events:
Non Reelects: This is the time of year when non reelect notices go out to some probationary teachers. Keep in mind that you can turn in your resignation, effective June 30th, prior to the non reelect officially going on your record.
If you have questions about any of these topics or anything else don't hesitate to get in touch.
January 31, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here are the highlights from yesterday's Rep Council meeting.
1. Bargaining: The district and FMEA have been making very slow progress towards an agreement. We bargain again this week. It's not clear yet whether we will be able to reach an agreement without the help of a mediator, but we should know more in the coming weeks.
2. Retirement: Anyone who notifies H.R by today that they are retiring this year will receive a $2000 stipend.
There's also a chance that this year there will be a large retirement incentive program similar to the one offered five years ago. A decision has not yet been made on this, and we probably won't know for a couple more weeks. If a large retirement incentive is offered it would be available to all, whether or not they had already turned in retirement notice. Do note that turning in a retirement notice to H.R. is binding.
3. Calendars: The Calendar Committee has reached an agreement on calendars for the next two academic years. These calendars are aligned with the survey preferences of FMEA, and the Board is expected to approve the calendars at their February 14th meeting. Both are attached.
4. Taxes: Total 2016 union dues for tax purposes were $1202.
5. FMEA Student Events: This year's FMEA Literacy Fair is April 28th and submissions need to be ponied Kristi Billings at Franklin by April 7th. The FMEA Basketball Tourney will be April 7th. All participating schools will need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) to put together a basketball team.
6. DeVos: It's not too late to stop Trump's proposed Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. Calling our senators at 855-882-6229 is good, but even better is contacting friends in conservative states and urging them to contact their senators to oppose DeVos. DeVos is a billionaire who has never been a teacher and has backed terrible charter schools.
7. Happy Hour: Our next FMEA Happy Hour will be Friday, March 10th at Stanley's Sports Bar. Don't miss it!
8. Conferences and Events: There are a large number of events coming up that may interest you:
Thanks for reading all the way through this email!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
January 26, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
For anyone considering retiring, if you formally notify H.R. by January 30th you will receive a $2000 bonus. I've been pushing the district to look into whether a larger retirement incentive is viable this year. They have finally run the numbers, and I should have information very soon on whether a full-scale retirement incentive will be offered this year.
If you haven't yet heard, Betsy DeVos, Trump's nominee for Education Secretary, is a disaster. The good news is the vote to approve her has already been postponed twice. Now is the time to call our senators. The NEA switchboard will connect you if you call 855-882-6229.
This year's FMEA Literacy Fair will be April 28th. The deadline for submissions is April 7th. Plan ahead and don't miss the deadline. Congrats to FMEA Spelling Bee winner, Amarrah Len from Hellyer!
If you are interested in declaring your candidacy to be a State Delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly, the application and directions can be found at this link:
http://www.cta.org/~/media/Documents/About/Leadership/NEA%20RA/2017%20Declaration%20of%20Candidacy%20Form.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20170123T2020068597
Lastly, it's not too late to take the FMEA Calendar Survey. So far 215 members have completed the survey. Here are the results so far:
Question 1 regarding October break:
Here is the survey link for those who have not yet taken the survey. FMEA Calendar Survey
FMEA Calendar SurveyWeb survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com. Create your own online survey now with SurveyMonkey's expert certifi...
Best,
Scott Shulimson
January 17, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
I'm hoping your 2017 is off to a good start. One way to make it even better is to stop by the FMEA Spelling Bee tomorrow evening! Top spellers from nine of our schools will be competing, Wednesday at 6pm in the Bridges Academy cafeteria, 1702 McLaughlin Ave.
There's also an event sponsored by our colleagues at East Side that teachers are invited to. It is a training regarding debt forgiveness for teachers, and it takes place February 2nd. A flyer with details and RSVP info is attached.
Governor Brown released his January budget proposal last week. While the budget was not as positive for education as some recent years, this is usually the time when our district gets serious about reaching a deal in bargaining. Our next bargaining date is this Thursday, so hopefully we will finally make some progress towards a deal.
Lastly, if you haven't taken the FMEA Calendar Survey there is still time. I'm hoping we will have the calendar completed early next month. Here is the survey link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3V67YYL
As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, ideas or concerns.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
December 1, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from last week's Rep Council which serve as a good summary of current and upcoming FMEA issues and events.
1. Bargaining is just getting going. Our third meeting will be December 7th. So far we have not received any compensation proposals from the district.
2. FMEA Happy Hour is this Friday (tomorrow) at Stanleys 3:30-6:30. We'll have free food and drinks until they run out. The December 9th new teacher event (cancelled) was combined with this event and we will have special tables for our newest members. It's going to be a ton of fun, so gather a group from your school and come get the weekend started right!
3. Many sites already have a Coordinating Teacher (CT) for the FMEA Spelling Bee, but some don't so let's try to get more sites involved. All materials have been emailed out and more can be ponied as needed. The FMEA Spelling Bee is January 18th.
4. On December 7th FMEA will be holding a SPED meeting to discuss issues and concerns. This meeting is open to all members. We will meet in the Shirakawa library at3:30pm.
5. CTA's Cesar Chavez contest entries are due this Friday. Our own Shanti Arnold has won twice! Let's give her some competition. Here's a link which also includes info on a number of CTA scholarships: http://www.cta.org/scholarships
6. Don't forget to join the FMEA text alert group by texting "fmeamember" to 81010.
7. Suspension basics:
8. There is a Santa Clara County Minority-At-Large State Council seat available. If anyone wants more information or a declaration form let me know. The deadline is December 15th.
9. On December 12th there is a "Teachers, Tacos and Tamales" CTA diversity reception. See attached flyer.
Here's a list of upcoming CTA conferences. Info can be found at http://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events/Conferences.aspx
· GLBT Issues: December 9-11 In Palm Springs
· Issues Conference: January 20-22 In Las Vegas
· Good Teaching: February 3-5 In San Jose (scholarships available from Santa Clara CTA in the coming months)
· Equity and Human Rights: March 2-3 San Jose
· Ethnic Caucus Issues: May 5-7 Manhattan Beach
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
November 3, 2016
Hi all,
Attached is the new edition of the FMEA Observer. Below are last week's Rep Council highlights.
October Rep Council Highlights:
1. Elections Info: Its crucial that we all talk with friends and family about the importance of Prop 55. If it doesn't pass, FMSD will suffer huge cuts, along with all other CA school districts. It's also very important that our local parcel tax, Measure HH pass. FMEA has also endorsed our two incumbent school board members, John Lindner and George Sanchez. Here's a CTA voter guide that allows you to search for CTA-endorsed candidates where you live. http://www.cta.yourvoter.guide/#/search
2. Bargaining: FMEA and the district begin bargaining November 10th.
3. FMEA Text Alerts: Please text "@fmeamember" to number 81010 to join the FMEA Remind text alert group.
4. FMEA Happy Hour: FMEA will be hosting a holiday happy hour at Stanley's Sports Bar onFriday, December 2nd at 3:30. FMEA will provide food and drinks until they run out. Flyers coming soon.
5. FMEA New-Teacher Gathering: On December 9th FMEA will host an event at Stanley's for teachers who have been in the district 3 years or less. This is a great way for newer teachers to connect with each other and also learn more about our union.
6. FMEA SPED Meeting: Mark your calendars for an FMEA SPED meeting on Wednesday, December 7th. This will be an open forum us to discuss what FMEA needs to be working on to support SPED teachers. Location TBA.
7. FMEA Student Events Calendar: Below are the dates for our FMEA student events. All teachers will need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) for each event other than the Literacy Fair. Sites need a CT for the Spelling Bee ASAP. This is a great way to get involved and support our students!
Spelling Bee: January 18th
Basketball Tourney: April 8th
Literacy Fair: April 28th (deadline for submissionsApril 7th)
Track Meet: May 6th
8. CTA Conferences: There are lots of great conferences, and a number of ways to get grants:
· GLBT Issues: December 9-11 In Palm Springs
· Issues Conference: January 20-22 In Las Vegas
· Good Teaching: February 3-5 In San Jose
· Equity and Human Rights: March 2-3 San Jose
· Ethnic Caucus Issues: May 5-7Manhattan Beach
For info on conferences and grants go to http://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events/Conferences.aspx
9. Santa Clara County Diversity Reception: This event "Teachers, Tacos and Tamales Diversity Reception" will be held on December 12th. A flyer is attached and here's the link to RSVP: http://bit.ly/sccttyt
10. Know your rights: Attached are the mini-rights guide and teacher's safety flyer. The safety scan didn't show up well so I'll try to find a way to get better copies out.
Lastly here are a couple of interesting articles on charter schools:
http://educationopportunitynetwork.org/what-new-challenges-to-the-charter-school-industry-reveal/
http://educationopportunitynetwork.org/federal-government-continues-to-feed-charter-school-beast-despite-auditors-warning/
Best,
Scott Shulimson
September 26, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Below are the highlights from last week's Rep Council. There's a lot of important information here so please take the time to read it all. I hope to see you Friday after school at Stanley's Sports Bar for our FMEA Party!
1. Bargaining: FMEA and the district will return to the bargaining table next month. We will bargain Compensation, Hours and Class Size. We will be seeking a retroactive raise for this year, and are also looking for improvements to special ed language. If you are interested in joining the Bargaining Team let me know.
2. FMEA will be using text messages this year, in addition to email notifications. Please text “@4a923” to 81010 from any cell phone. This will add you to the FMEA text message list.
3. FMEA Executive Board and Rep Council have voted to endorse incumbents John Lindner and George Sanchez who are being challenged by unknown outsider Lena Tran. Lena has not responded to attempts to communicate. FMEA is also supporting measure HH which would renew our district parcel tax.
4. November's Prop 55 is extremely important. This is an extension of (already existing) taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Californians, and if it doesn't pass we will struggle to continue receiving solid raises. Go to this link to pledge your support. Doing so will remove your number from CTA's phone banking list. www.tinyurl.com/yeson55 You don't need to have your CTA ID number.
5. The district is backing off initial limits to copying clicks while they examine the situation and decide on a plan. For now everyone should have access to their annual total, which is over 20,000 per year.
6. After some confusion it has been settled that field trip volunteers will not need to be fingerprinted. Principals can run a quick and free online check to make sure they aren't a registered sex offender. Classroom volunteers will need to be fingerprinted.
7. If anyone is still missing core curriculum let me know ASAP.
8. Last but not least, don't forget our party is Friday, September 30th at Stanley's Sports Bar!
If you have any questions, comments or ideas on any of this don't hesitate to get in touch.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
September 16, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Stay tuned for next week's Rep Council highlights, and as always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, ideas or concerns.
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 26, 2016
Hello all FMEA members,
I hope you had a most rejuvenating and enjoyable vacation, and welcome to the two dozen new teachers in our district! I'm looking forward to a big year for FMEA with more fun events for our members as well as our students, and our most extensive efforts yet to make FMEA the most supportive, engaging and informative union around!
As in other years, a number of people have returned to find rooms, assignments and staffing not as they should be. Let's try to nip these issues in the bud. Many issues get harder to resolve later in the year, so if you want my help resolving a problem let me know.
If you haven't yet taken the FMEA bargaining survey you can still do so by going to this link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T5ZBJCW We will begin bargaining next month. FMEA will be seeking a raise for the 2016/17 school year as well as improvements in contract language.
CTA is offering a special ed workshop this Saturday (tomorrow) morning that is available to special ed and general ed teachers. A flyer is attached with details, and you can use this link to register http://bit.ly/2aGqH7K.
Last week there was good news in the courts as the California Supreme Court rejected an appeal of the Vergara lawsuit. This lawsuit had attempted to role back due process and other teachers' rights. Here's a link to an article with more info. http://www.cta.org/vergara
The district is again mandating online safety videos. It has been agreed that principals provide time during Tuesday staff meetings or admin-Thursdays to complete the videos. If you are at a school that utilizes all these meeting times, but is not providing time to complete the videos let me know.
Finally, in case you missed John Oliver's skewering of charter schools earlier this week, here's a link to the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_htSPGAY7I There is currently a bill in the California assembly that seeks to ensure that charters don't discriminate against low income, disabled or EL students. Call this CTA hotline before Monday to encourage passage of AB 322 and CTA will put your through to your elected representative. 1-855-977-0202.
As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, concerns or ideas.
Have a great year!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
June 28, 2016
Hi all,
I hope your summer is off to a great start. Now that you've had a chance to catch your breath this is a great time to take the FMEA Bargaining Survey if you haven't already. Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T5ZBJCW
Also, for those of you who plan to resign and seek employment elsewhere, don't forget that this Thursday, June 30th, is the deadline for resignations. If you resign after that date the district does not have to release you until they find your replacement.
Lastly, later this summer I will be removing teachers from this email list that are leaving the district. If you are resigning or retiring but want to remain on the FMEA email list let me know.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
June 10, 2016
Hi Franklin McKinley teachers and staff,
It has been good a year for some and a challenging year for others, but whatever kind of year it was for you, it's over now. Attached is the final 2015/16 edition of the FMEA Observer. I hope you read it on a beach somewhere relaxing!
Two pieces of good news: The Board will be voting to increase sub pay by $15 at this Tuesday's meeting. Hopefully that will help with the sub shortage we faced this year. Also, on June 7th the community of FMSD once again voted to support our district as Measure H passed with over 77% support. This new bond will bring in $67M to pay for much needed infrastructure improvements.
I hope you have a fantastic summer vacation, and I look forward to seeing you in August!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
May 27, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
There is a lot of information to share this time of year so please take the time to read this email. FMEA election results are at the bottom, a link to the new bargaining survey is below, and the 2016-17 calendar is attached.
Retro pay from the first 8 months of the year will be included in next week's paycheck. We will begin bargaining again in the fall. Here is a link to the very short FMEA bargaining survey. Answering these questions will help the FMEA Bargaining Team represent you and your interests.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T5ZBJCW If you prefer to complete the survey on paper let your Site Rep know. Also, if you are interested in joining the FMEA Bargaining Team let me know.
The paper from H.R. that most of you received this week is not a binding contract. It is just a placement verification form. It's important to make sure you are being paid the correct amount, but it is not a binding contract. Whether or not you sign it, you have until June 30th to notify the district if you plan to resign or retire, but you must notify H.R. by that deadline if you aren't returning.
May Rep Council Highlights:
President:
Scott Shulimson 249 votes
Kelly Bond 1 vote
Aaron Avery 1 vote
Vice President:
Kelly Bond 238 votes
Secretary:
Rachel M. Witmeyer 240 votes
Kelly Bond 1 vote
Treasurer:
Kristi Billings 243 votes
Director-At-Large:
Erik Whitaker 141 votes
Kate Adams 89 votes
Thanks to those of you who made it to the very end of this email. Have a great long weekend!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
May 6, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Unfortunately tomorrow's track meet will have to be postponed because of the rain. Families are being notified. A final decision on the new date will be made soon. It will probably be Saturday, May 21st.
Teacher Appreciation Week is wrapping up and I want to take this time to say "thank you" for all your hard work and amazing contributions that make Franklin-McKinley the district it is. I'm honored to represent such a committed, caring and capable group of teachers. FMEA traditionally celebrates CTA's Day-Of-The-Teacher, which is this coming Wednesday May 11th, but it does cause confusion since it's not during NEA's Teacher-Appreciation-Week. FMEA will have a small gift for all members next week, but for now, have no doubt, you are very much appreciated.
Have a great weekend and happy Mother's Day!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
May 3, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from last month's Rep Council.
April Rep Council Highlights
1. Thank you for everyone's hard work gathering signatures. The final numbers aren't in yet but it looks like we have the amount needed to get the tax extension on the ballot and hopefully continue this funding stream that has been a big part of our recent ability to bargain raises.
2. FMEA has been deficit spending for many years. The reality is that we can only continue to deficit spend at this rate for about 7 more years before we run out reserves. Our other options are to raise local dues or eliminate having a full-time release president. All other chapters that have full-time presidents operating out of the Mt Hamilton CTA office pay more in local dues. Evergreen Teachers, pay over $100 more annually (22% more than FMEA local dues). Our current local dues are $345 annually.
3. The FMEA Track Meet is Saturday, May 7th at Sylvandale beginning at 9:30am. All permission slips need to be in ASAP. You can scan them to me or fax to 408-272-7569. We still need volunteers to help with this terrific event so let me know if plan to come out and support our students.
4. Excess staff picked open positions today. Remaining openings will be posted and temporary staff will have to interview for available openings. Teachers who want to transfer can also interview for openings. These openings will apparently not be open to outside candidates for now.
5. FMEA's End-Of-The-Year party is Friday, May 20th at Mt Hamilton CTA. We will have food, drinks and cash bingo as we honor retirees and celebrate the end of another school year!
6. May 9th at 4pm is the deadline to turn in declarations to run in the upcoming FMEA officer elections. Email bio of 30 words or less to Elections Chair Sau Vu at Ramblewood. Sau's email is [email protected]
7. CTA Summer Institute is the premier training grounds for union members who want to learn more about union membership and many other interesting topics Minority incentive grants are available through May 10th. Here's a link http://falcon.cta.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=CTANEW&WebKey=9782fe25-bc0e-4b1e-8ab1-839311d41edd
8. FMEA Rep Council voted to support Measure H, which is the district bond that seeks to raise $67M for facilities improvements. Our community will vote on the measure this June. If 55% or more support it then each parcel owner will pay an additional $35 annually. Phone banking is taking place in the coming weeks. This bond will allow the district to fund improvements that support teachers and students so let's help make sure it passes.
9. The FMEA Barganing Survey is coming soon. It will be an electronic survey through SurveyMonkey. Let your Site Rep know if you prefer a hard copy survey.
Thanks for all you do!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
April 19, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Attached is the latest edition of the FMEA Observer. Also attached are guidelines for Coordinating Teachers for our May 7th FMEA Track Meet, along with permission slips. Do consider getting involved, especially if your site doesn't have anyone helping out with this event. Lastly, our FMEA Literacy Fair is Friday, April 29th at 5:30 in the District Office. Come by the Board Room to see our students' fabulous work!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
April 7, 2016
Hi all,
Come out and de-stress tomorrow at FMEA's happy hour at Stanley's Sports Bar. We will be there from 3:30-5:30. The bar is located in the Sharks Ice building at 1500 S 10th on the corner of 10th and Alma. It's a great location, there's plenty of parking, and beer and wine is a dollar off for happy hour. Not only that, but FMEA will be buying appetizers for all and a free point for the first 10 people!
Sharks Ice is a big colorful building you can't miss. When you enter the building just go up the stairs, and the entrance to Stanley's is all the way down the hallway. It's a comfortable place with lots of good food and great beer on tap, so come get your weekend started right! I really do hope you will join us.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
April 1, 2016
Hi all,
We received great news earlier this week when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 4-4 tie on the Friedrichs case that had threatened to end public sector unions as we know them. Because of the tie, the lower court's ruling in favor of CTA will stand. Below is an email from CTA President, Erik Heins. Following that are excerpts from a separate CTA email regarding parents' rights to opt out of SBAC testing.
SCOTUS decision is a victory for students, educators and working families.
This morning the U.S. Supreme Court sent a victory to our students, our communities and working families everywhere. With a 4-4 decision in Friedrichs v. CTA the lower court ruling is affirmed and 40 years of common sense law stands. The decision allows educators across California the opportunity to come together and make our voices heard on issues that affect all of us such as providing quality public schools and colleges for all students.
This case was never about doing what's best for students, it was a political ploy by the wealthy corporate special interests backing this case to make it harder for working families and the middle class to come together, speak up and get ahead. CTA will continue to advocate for the public education all California students deserve, fight for social justice, and secure better learning and working conditions for students and educators.
For more information, read: As some of the same wealthy special interests who manufactured this case are also trying to prevent President Obama from filling the vacancy on the Supreme Court, it's time for all lawmakers to uphold their constitutional responsibilities and keep moving the nomination process through Congress. The time to act is now. Reach out and email your Senator today.
Eric Heins
CTA President
Opt-Out
California is one of a handful of states that legally allow parents to opt out of state-mandated standardized testing. California also has regulations governing what educators can say to parents and families. As CTA and local chapters are organizing around the importance of learning over testing, CTA has put together resources to help educators have these conversations.
First and foremost, know your rights as an educator. There is language in the California Code of Regulations that allows educators to inform parents of their right to opt out of state testing for their child, but prohibits them from soliciting or encouraging parents to do so. Be sure to read School Employees' Rights Regarding Opting Out of Testing from the CTA Legal Department.
CTA has also developed a parent flyer, You Can Opt Out: Know Your Rights, and sample opt-out letter for parents. CTA members can distribute this flyer to parents to inform them of their rights around testing and opting out. As testing is an important issue to parents of English learners, this flyer will soon be available in multiple languages.
Enjoy the rest of your break and don't forget about our FMEA Happy Hour one week from today, 3:30 at Stanley’s Sports Bar at Sharks Ice 1500 S 10th Street.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
March 25, 2016
Hi all,
Here are the highlights from the March Rep Council meeting:
1. The Tentative Agreement has been approved by FMEA and the School Board. The 3.5% raise will be integrated into the April paycheck. The May paycheck will include retro pay for the year. It won't be long before we will begin bargaining for next year.
2. The district is projecting a drop of over 500 students next year due to the influx of charter schools as well as families moving to less expensive areas. FMSD is projecting a drop of 22 teachers. Temporary teachers will be the first moved if there is excess staff at a site. Even with these reductions, it is expected that there will be enough positions around the district for everyone because over 30 teachers leave the district every year. Let me know if projections at your site seem way off and I will follow up with Juan Cruz.
3. There will be an FMEA spring social event at Stanley's Sports Bar at Shark's Ice across from Giants stadium on 10th and Alma. The event will be Friday April 8th at 3:30. Free appetizers to all, and a free pint to the first ten teachers there. Flyers will be distributed the week after break. Come out and have a pint with some friends!
4. Don't forget April 15th is the FIRM cutoff date for all submissions to be received for this year's FMEA Literacy Fair. Pony subissions to Kristi Billings at Franklin. The event is April 29th in the District Board Room.
5. The FMEA Track Meet is coming up on May 7th. Every participating site needs a Coordinating Teacher to hold trials to determine your fastest runners who will go on to the district-wide event. This is a fantastic annual event, but it takes a lot of people to make it happen, so if you are willing to help out let me or your Site Rep know.
6. Rocketship Mosaic had their 5 year renewal approved. Cornerstone is looking to add middle school grades. KIPP will house at least one grade level at Meadows in 16/17 before it moves to Los Arboles in 17/18. There is a current petition drive to put a ballot initiative on the November ballot that would end all California charters. Site Reps have the petitions.
I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable spring break!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
March 18, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Our Tentative Agreement (TA) passed by a vote of 356 to 11. Once the the School Board approves it on Tuesday it will immediately go into effect. I'm told that our April paycheck will include the 3.5% raise, and our May paycheck will include the retro pay.
Tuesday was the deadline for the district to post the tentative schedule of classes for 2016/17. Many sites are projected to lose one or more teachers next year. Overall the district is projecting a loss of around 500 students in 2016/17,which is why so many sites are losing teachers. The declining enrollment is evenly split between students switching to independent charter schools, and families moving to more affordable areas. It looks likely there will be a large number of excess staff this year, but that will depend on how many resignations and retirees there are.
This Tuesday, March 22nd, at their 7pm meeting, the FMSD School Board will be voting on whether to renew Rocketship Mosaic's charter for five more years. Because this is a renewal of a charter with a track record, and not a new charter, the chances of convincing our Board to vote it down are very slim. Nonetheless Rocketship will have their people out at the meeting, and it is important that there are some other voices there to offer a different perspective. Please wear your FMEA shirt if you are coming, and if you plan to speak, feel free to use some of these talking points:
Here's a link to FMSD Ed Service's review of the renewal, and the Rocketship PowerPoint is attached to this email. I hope to see some of you at the meeting Tuesday wearing your FMEA shirt.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ca/fmsd/Board.nsf/files/A85QZG6B75EE/$file/Presentation%20for%20Rocketship%20Mosaic%20Petition%20Renewal.pdf
March 1, 2016
Hi all,
February 29th doesn't come around often but this time it brought good news: FMEA and the district bargaining team have signed a Tentative Agreement (TA). There will be an FMEA General Meeting in the Shirakawa library this coming Monday, March 7th, at 3:30. The Bargaining Team will present the TA and answer questions. Voting will take place all next week. If more than 50% of the votes cast are in support of the TA then it will go to the School Board for their approval on March 22nd. The FMEA Executive Board is in full support this TA.
The deal includes:
These are the biggest changes, but there are numerous smaller changes to language in this agreement. I full copy of the Tentative Agreement is attached. Big thanks to our fabulous Bargaining Team members: Lyn Irvine, Carissa Harris, Alie Victorine, My Le Thai, and Bargaining Chair, Charlie Nave, as well as our our CTA staff person, Kris Clarke. I hope to see you Monday.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
February 26, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Here are the highlights from this week's Rep Council meeting:
Bargaining: We are finally making significant progress towards an agreement. Serious differences remain, but it appears we may be closing in on a settlement.
Tax Extension Petitions: Proposition 30 brought billions of dollars in tax revenue to California schools and had a huge impact on our district. These taxes expire soon, but currently petitions are being gathered to extend the tax on upper income earners. Without this extension we may see a return to budget cuts. Let me know if want petitions to bring to family and friends. All petitions need to be returned to Site Reps prior to the March 21st Rep Council. Here's a short video on how to be gather signatures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B14XPJm3xCA
Charter Schools: Rocketship Mosaic was the first Rocketship school in our district and is coming up for its 5 year reauthorization. The Board is likely to vote at the March 22nd meeting which begins at 7pm. This would be a good night to have a few folks from each school come out and speak on the matter.
March 15th: March 15th is the deadline for the district to notify any probationary teacher who is not going to be rehired next year. Anyone being non-reelected has the option of resigning (effective June 30th) and avoiding having the official non-reelect on their record, but the resignation should go in next week.
Member Engagement: FMEA is focusing on better engaging and organizing our association. A component of this effort will be brief one-on-one meetings with a member of the FMEA Member Engagement Team, which is comprised of Maria Volpe, Imelda Murillo and myself. We look forward to a brief informal chat with you.
FMEA Student Events: The FMEA Spelling Bee is March 9th at Bridges. The FMEA Basketball Tourney is April 16th at Sylvandale. The FMEA Literacy Fair is April 29th at the D.O. and April 15this the FIRM deadline for submissions to the Literacy Fair. All teachers should have received flyers for the Literacy Fair. Thank you to all those who help make these events happen!
Good Teaching Conference: All first and second year teachers can apply for a scholarship to CTA's Good Teaching Conference. Let me know if you want more information.
Fundraiser: John Davi, parent of 6 FMSD students, was killed last weekend. Here is a fundraiser link for those interested in donating to the family. https://www.gofundme.com/5kq22qv2
2015 Dues: For tax purposes, total union dues for 2015 were 1171.50
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Have a great weekend!
Scott Shulimson
January 28, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council. As usual, there's a lot of important information here so do take the time to read the bullet points below.
Take care,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
January 13, 2016
Hello FMEA members,
Welcome back and happy new year! I hope you had a very restful and enjoyable holiday.
FMEA Basketball Tourney- April 16th
FMEA Literacy Fair- April 29th
FMEA Track Meet- May 7th
Have a wonderful 2016!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
December 18, 2015
Hello FMEA members,
It's been a challenging first several months of the school year, but we've made it to the holiday break! I hope everyone gets lots of rest because FMEA may need to come out in force next year. This Wednesday the district's bargaining team finally delivered a compensation proposal, but it was insultingly low. It is true the district is facing a serious problem with declining enrollment, but there is plenty of money in the reserves to cover a reasonable compensation increase.
Our next bargaining date is January 28th, and prior to that the Governor will be releasing his January budget proposal. If all goes well the district will return on the 28th with a serious compensation proposal. If they do not it may be time to start ratcheting up the pressure on our School Board and administration. In a year when demands on teachers just keep increasing there is no excuse to not compensate teachers fairly!
There was a little good news last week as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was finally replaced with a slightly improved education act. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed by Congress and signed by the president on December 10th, effectively replacing NCLB. The new education act's improvements include:
This past spring the district approved both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 instructional calendars. I've attached next year's calendar to this email for those of you already making plans for summer and beyond.
I do sincerely hope you all get a much deserved rest from the challenges of Common Core and new curriculum. Have a terrific break, and I look forward to seeing you in 2016!
-Scott Shulimson
November 19, 2015
Hi FMEA members,
Highlights from this week's Rep Council are below, and the latest edition of the FMEA Observer is attached. Also attached is the calendar that Ed Services created that outlines which Thursdays are teacher-directed (in red).
November Rep Council Highlights:
1. As previously mentioned, Juan Cruz has decided the district will be paying the hourly rate to teachers who attended any of the district's voluntary PD outside of the work day. The D.O. is reviewing sign-in sheets, and pay should be issued on the December paychecks.
2. FMEA has been pushing for pay for special ed teachers forced to spend many hours moving information from Web IEP to SEIS. It looks likely there will be a stipend, and there is a chance that some release time or reduced adjunct duties will also be granted.
3. Bargaining: FMEA has been working on improvements to the contract in areas such as Hours and Leaves, but the district has not yet produced a compensation proposal. Our next bargaining date is December 16th.
4. IEPs vs Hours: Note that neither special ed or general ed teachers can be required to stay beyond the 7.5 hour work day for IEPs. Many do so, but that is a personal choice.
5. Charter Accountability Project: FMEA has started a committee to look at what we can do to stop the loss of students to independent charter schools. We will be working to make sure our message gets out to parents as an alternative to the well-funded promises the pro-charter groups are spinning. If you want to be involved with this committee or any other FMEA organizing effort let me know.
6. Instructional Rounds/ Walkthroughs: The district is slowing down on walkthroughs that involve the CSSs using the ICLE rubric. CSSs will not be made to do instructional rounds using this rubric on their own. Instructional rounds with the rubric will be rolled out at sites based on a timeline that the principal and Leadership Teams are comfortable with.
7. Below are a list of upcoming CTA conferences and scholarships. More details can be found at www.cta.org
CTA Conferences:
Issues Conference – Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2016
Equity & Human Rights Conference – Torrance, March 4-6, 2016
Minority incentive grant application deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
Good Teaching Conference – North – San Jose, April 15-17, 2016
Minority incentive application grant deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
Scholarships and Awards:
All information can be found at www.cta.org/scholarships
· Scholarship for members or dependent children. Deadline Is February 5th 2016
· MLK For minorities dependents of CTA members seeking a credential. Deadline is February 19th 2016
· GLBT Safety In Schools for GLBT awareness projects or counseling. Deadline is November 20th 2015
· Cesar Chavez award for written essays or visual projects. Deadline is January 20th 2016
Congratulations to Shanti Arnold- winner of the CTA's 2015 5th grade Cesar Chavez award!!!
October 23, 2015
Hi all,
Here are the highlights and useful information from Monday's Rep Council meeting.
1. Bargaining:
2. Election:
Hopefully everyone has had a chance to vote in the race for the open FMEA Director position. Ballots are due Monday afternoon.
3. PD Pay:
I've heard from many who were upset that most of the optional professional development this year has been unpaid. I brought that concern to Juan Cruz and yesterday he assured me that everyone will be paid the hourly rate for PD that is after hour or during vacation. If you have any trouble getting this compensation let me know.
4. FMEA Charter Committee:
FMEA is putting together a committee to organize around charter school issues. Our first meeting is Monday, November 2nd at 3:30 at Franklin P9. If you plan to join us let me know.
5. Special Ed:
6. FMEA Trivia Night:
This coming Thursday, October 29th at 3:30 FMEA will hold another of our fabulous and fun trivia nights. We will be at Aqui on Snell. Don't miss the food, fun and prizes!
7. Don't forget the new home of the FMEA website: www.fmea.mobi
8. Below is a list of upcoming CTA conferences. Self-identified minorities may still apply for minority incentive grants for most of these.
GLBT Issues Conference – San Jose, November 13-15, 2015
Application Deadline: Was Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Issues Conference – Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2016
Application Deadline: Sunday, November 8, 2015
Equity & Human Rights Conference – Torrance, March 4-6, 2016
Application Deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
Good Teaching Conference – North – San Jose, April 15-17, 2016
Application Deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
October 5, 2015
Hi all,
There are several opportunities coming up for those of you interested in getting more involved in FMEA and CTA:
September 23, 2015
Hi FMEA members,
Below are the highlights from last week's Rep Council meeting, and attached is this year's first edition of our local newsletter, The FMEA Observer.
Don't forget, our FMEA Oktoberfest party is a week from tomorrow on Thursday, October 1st, and if you email me, I can send you a code for free parking at Kelley Park.
Best,
Scott
September Rep Council Highlights:
1. CTA Calendars and Cards: CTA calendars and cards are being distributed by Site Reps. Teachers who are new to the district will not receive their cards for another month most likely.
2. Required Online Videos: All employees should have received an email last week regarding three district-mandated safety videos. Paula Boling has clarified that principals should allow time during the workday to watch these videos, but at this point it does not appear that Paula is saying that principals need to give up their meeting time for the videos. It has also been clarified that the September 30deadline is not a firm cutoff.
3. FMEA Director: FMEA will be holding an election for the open Director position. Those interested can send a 25 word bio to Scott Shulimson by October 6th at 4pm.
4. Bargaining: FMEA and the district have returned to the bargaining table, but no compensation proposals have been exchanged yet. The 1% bonus from last year has been made permanent on the salary schedule. Here's a link to the current salary schedule: http://www.fmsd.org/files/user/1/file/Copy%20of%20Certificated%20184%20FY%2015-16.pdf
5. CTA Conferences: Here are upcoming CTA conferences along with the cut off date for Minority Incentive Grants applications:
GLBT Issues Conference – San Jose, November 13-15, 2015 Application Deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Issues Conference – Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2016 Application Deadline: Sunday, November 8, 2015
Equity & Human Rights Conference – Torrance, March 4-6, 2016 Application Deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
Good Teaching Conference – North – San Jose, April 15-17, 2016 Application Deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
This link has details on how to apply for Incentive Grants http://falcon.cta.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=CTANEW&WebKey=9782fe25-bc0e-4b1e-8ab1-839311d41edd
6. FMEA Party: FMEA's Oktoberfest party is Thursday, October 1st in Kelley Park. Contact Scott for a free parking pass.
7. Fair Share Lawsuit: The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a case that may well take away "fair share" rights, which would have a huge impact on union membership across the state. Much more information and discussion will take place this year.
8. Rocketship: Last spring employees and community members of FMSD convinced our local school board to turn down Rocketship's petition to open a third school here. Unfortunately the County Board approved the Rocketship on appeal. There will be a push to unseat charter-friendly County Board members in 2016 and FMSD Board member(s) in 2017.
9. Disability Insurance: Teachers who are new to the district can sign up for disability insurance and have all pre-existing conditions covered if done during the first 120 days of employment. Here's a link: http://www.ctamemberbenefits.org/Insurance/Disability%20Insurance
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 31, 2015
Hi all,
I hope the year has started off smoothly. Some classes are over-enrolled, but the district is beginning to take action to balance classes. The first day to file a class-size grievance is Tuesday, September 8th. That is also the first day you can be compensated for being over-enrolled, once you have been over for five days.
Attached (link to your left) is a calendar of teacher/ admin directed Thursdays. Remember, on teacher-directed Thursdays you cannot be directed to do any particular work. Principals have been known to suggest you meet as a PLC, but it is simply a suggestion you can choose to follow or ignore.
Last spring, Kara Morrison was elected to FMEA's Executive Board as a Director. Unfortunately she ended up taking a position in another district, so FMEA will be holding an election in October to fill the vacant Director seat. The official notification and timeline will be coming soon.
FMEA's first Rep Council of the year is September 14th. Most schools have sorted out who the Site Rep will be, but several are still getting this figured out. Being a Rep is a great way to get involved, and even newer teachers can join Rep Council. Let me know if you have any questions.
Mark your calendar: Our awesome FMEA Oktoberfest party will be October 1st at Kelley Park. Flyers are coming soon.
As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, concerns or ideas.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 14, 2015
Hello FMEA members. Welcome back to everyone returning, and welcome to the nearly 50 new teachers this year!
I hope everyone had a terrific summer. If it seems like it went by extra fast that might be because this summer break was a few days shorter than most years (we started later and ended later last year), but next summer will be a full eight weeks.
As you know, Franklin-McKinley is under new leadership for the first time in ten years. Juan Cruz has been Superintendent for over a month, and it will be very interesting to see what new directions he takes the district. I'm optimistic that some positive changes are in store. Also, you will notice changes in H.R. as Paula Boling takes over after Rudy Herrera's 19 years heading up that office. The district has also recently hired an interim Special Ed Director. Lynn Stacey, who retired as director of San Jose Unified's special ed department, has been hired for six months. The search continues for a permanent director.
You may recall that the Contract we signed last March included a 3% raise and a 1% bonus, and the bonus was to be made permanent if the final June state budget was strong. The budget passed in June was exceptionally good for schools, and as a result, the district has gone ahead and made the 1% permanent. That means that for now, our salary schedule is the same as the one we finished the year with. We will be bargaining next month, and aiming for another raise that will hopefully be retroactive to the beginning of this school year. It's too early to know how this round of bargaining will go, but the district is projecting a sizable 13% reserve as a result of the strong June budget, so I believe another raise is likely.
Everyone should have received an email from administration last week regarding a group called Transparent California. They are requesting salary information from nearly all school districts around the state and posting it publicly. They appear to have an anti-union stance and are focused on the "misuse" of tax-payer money. Technically the data they are requesting is public so the district is obligated to fulfill their request, and the group can and will publish it. We actually appear to be one of the few districts in the County that doesn't already have their data posted on the site. I'm sure many aren't comfortable with this information being shared, but it's not something we can stop, and everyone's information will be buried among the hundreds of thousands of other California teachers.
Please note: FMEA's website has a new home, it's www.fmea.mobi. FMEA also has a Facebook group which includes a lot of key documents under the "files" tab.
The beginning of a new year is both exciting and challenging. Traditionally in our district there are issues with materials and infrastructure that arise in August. If you are having trouble getting what you need to do your job, let me know and I will do my best to expedite the matter. Also, if things are different at your site or something doesn't seem right please get in touch. It's much easier to nip problems in the bud then to try to make changes a few months into the year.
Best of luck this year. Let's make it the best one yet!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
Hi FMEA members,
As this school year starts to wind down I want to mention a few important items to be aware of:
- There has been a lot of confusion regarding the salary schedule for this year and next. In April we settled for a 2.5% raise and a 1% bonus for this current 2018/19 school year. The reason that next year's salary schedule is less than this year is that, while the 2.5% increase is a permanent raise, the 1% bonus is for this year only. FMEA will attempt to bargain a raise again for 2019/20, but unless and until we get a raise for 2019/20, we will make 1% less next year. I'm pasting links to both this year and next year's salary schedules below. There's added confusion because next year's salary (the second link) also states "2018-2019" because technically we haven't yet settled on a salary for 2019/20
https://4.files.edl.io/f413/04/26/19/190218-78d24c06-9ee4-42fb-b551-df433ab6dc0f.pdf
- The placement verifications that come out every May are not binding, despite the language that makes them appear binding. You can sign it and still resign. The important thing to remember is that June 30th is the deadline to turn in resignations to H.R.
- This year teachers should not be asked to stack chairs or desks, and you should also not be asked to move furniture when you return in August. The D.O. is communicating this to principals, so please let me know if your principal is still asking you to lift or move furniture.
- There are several new openings in the district, so if you are a temporary teacher without a position for next year, or someone looking to transfer, make sure to take a look at the yellow Certificated job postings at your site and submit a letter of interest to H.R. for any position you want to interview for.
Let me know if there are any other end-of-year considerations or complications you want support with.
Best,
May 24, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
The FMEA election ballots have been counted, and results can be found at the bottom of this email. FMEA Rep Council met on Monday for our final meeting of the year. Here are the highlights:
- It looks very likely that the raise and retroactive pay will be in next Friday's paycheck.
- Reps approved an FMEA budget with no deficit spending for next year.
- FMEA local dues will remain unchanged at $395 a year.
- Rep Council voted in favor of a motion in support of striking New Haven teachers, including a $100 donation to their strike fund.
- The SERP (retirement incentive) will be approved at Tuesday's board meeting. There are 19 teachers retiring, not the 22 that was being sought, but it will still save the district millions of dollars over the coming years. The district will not be moving forward with the Classified SERP since the final numbers showed a cost of $90,000 instead of any savings.
- Lastly, excess staff chose their new positions today. There are several open positions left, which may be filled by temporary teachers. For the temporary teachers who do not get one of these spots, and for any teachers wanting to transfer, keep your eyes on the weekly yellow certificated postings because there are always more resignations this time of year. Let HR know that you want to interview when one comes up you are interested in.
FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu, sent the following results of our recent FMEA officer election:
President: Scott Shulimson 251
Write ins:
Monica McEwen 1
Ann Rosebrook 1
Catherine Baskerville 1
VP: Catherine Baskerville 244
Secretary: Paul Ward 244
Treasurer: Kristi Billings 243
Director At Large: Karen Orozco 244
Congratulations everyone!
Sau
Have a nice long weekend,
Scott Shulimson
May 17, 2019
Hi FMEA members
Today was the deadline for joining the retirement incentive, and the final number is 19 participants. While that is short of the goal of 22, I believe the district can and will move forward with it. One effect of this is that there will be more options for excess staff who are choosing positions next week. Also this means there will be more positions for temporary teachers, I'm happy that the incentive is moving forward, but this also means we are losing a lot of folks who have been crucial to FMSD and FMEA for many years, so there will be some hard goodbyes this year.
For those who are planning on not returning next year, the deadline to notify the district is June 30th. The placement verifications that are sent out around this time of year are not binding, and not signing it is not the same as formally resigning.
For those of you who are puzzled over this year's FMEA gift, it's a letter opener and staple remover. If you did not receive one and would like one let me know.
I hope to see you all at the FMEA End Of Year Party, May 31st at the new CTA/FMEA office! A flyer is attached.
Best,
May 8, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
There's no doubt that few people realize how hard teachers work, especially Franklin-McKinley teachers, and the job seems to get harder year by year. Recognition and appreciation do not change that, but during this Teacher Appreciation Week, and CTA's Day Of The Teacher, it's nice to know we are appreciated for our hard work and dedication. I see commitment, and caring from you on a daily basis that makes me proud to be FMEA president. I hope everyone received the small FMEA gift this year. If not let me know. Thank you for all you do and happy Day Of The Teacher!
May 3, 2019
Hi all,
I hope you had a great spring break and are enjoying the summer weather and final weeks of this school year!
The latest FMEA Observer (Elections Edition) is attached to this email. Here are some other important things to keep on your radar:
The SERP (retirement incentive) deadline is May 17th. So far there have only been a couple of additional retirees. If you choose to participate and the incentive does not move forward because of lack of participation, you will be allowed to rescind your resignation. If it does move forward, this will create more openings for excess staff, and ultimately allow more temporary teachers to remain in the district for next year. The excess staff meeting will likely happen the week of May 20th.
There is a general opening and a minority-at-large opening for CTA State Council, which is the body of elected educators that determines CTA positions and policy. The deadline to declare candidacy is May 8th, and details and declarations are attached.
CTA Summer Institute offers a variety of great trainings and workshops every August at UCLA. There are grants available, but the deadline to apply is this Monday. Follow this link for details. https://ctago.org/conference-grants/
The Support Our Schools Community Forum on May 11 is an important event to help our community learn more about the real costs and impacts of charter schools. A flyer is attached with all details.
The CTA Day Of The Teacher is this coming Wednesday, May 8th. Keep your eyes out for a small token of appreciation from FMEA.
The FMEA End Of Year Party, celebrating retirees and much more, is Friday, May 31st. Flyers are coming soon.
Enjoy your weekend!
Best,
April 19, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
The ballots have been counted and there are 314 votes in favor of the Tentative Agreement (TA) and 3 votes against it. I expect the School Board to ratify it at their meeting this Tuesday. The retro checks will be in either our May or June paychecks.
FMEA Officer Elections are coming up next 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 [email protected] by 3:30pm on May 9th. Make sure to indicate which position you are running for. Attached to this email is a complete description of each of these positions and a detailed election timeline.
Yesterday the district held an informational session on this year's retirement incentive (SERP). There was a decent turnout, and there will likely be sufficient teachers interested in the SERP that it moves forward, but we will know for sure by the May 17th deadline. If the SERP does go through, the increased number of retirees will mean there will be fewer excess staff, as well as more open positions for temporary teachers. It sounds like the district will not hold the excess staff meeting until after the May 17th SERP deadline.
April Rep Council Highlights:
Reps received a proposed FMEA budget for next year, with no deficit spending, and no increase to FMEA local dues (though CTA and NEA are likely to increase). Rep Council will vote on the budget next month.
FMEA's End-Of-Year party will be Friday, May 31st at the new Mt Hamilton building. Look for flyers in the coming weeks.
Congratulations to this year's FMEA W.H.O. (We Honor Ours) award winner, Ann Rosebrook. Ann has worn many union hats over the years, and we are glad to have this chance to honor her.
Thanks to all who helped make the 2019 FMEA Basketball Tournament such a huge success, and congratulations to our top three finishers: Lairon-1st place, Franklin-2nd place, and Dahl, 3rd place.
FMEA is looking for new members to join our bargaining team. We also need volunteers to join our PAC (Political Action Committee). Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks for making it all the way through this lengthy email, and have terrific spring break!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
April 10, 2019
Hi all,
The complete Tentative Agreement (TA) is attached. Site Reps will receive voting materials at next Monday's Rep Council and we will either be voting immediately before or after spring break. If a majority of our membership votes to approve the TA then the Board will vote to ratify and it will go into effect. If you have any questions at all please let me know. The retro check will likely come at the end of June, and will apply to all FMEA members who worked in FMSD this year, whether or not you are continuing next year.
Last night our school board formally approved a retirement incentive that would pay out 65% of salary to any members 55 or older who have 5 years experience in the district, who agree to resign from the district. The deadline will be May 17th. This is a very short timeline, and it can take several weeks to get a one-on-one appointment with CalSTRS. I did just confirm that for those willing to drive to Santa Cruz, there are appointments available in April and early May. You can call CalSTRS at 800 228-5453, and let them know you need a one-on-one appointment because of the retirement incentive being offered.
Later today all teachers in grades 6-8 are invited to the Shirakawa cafeteria from 3:30-5pm to discuss any issues related to our schools, district or union. Come share what's on your mind.
Lastly, our FMEA basketball tournament is this coming Saturday at Yerba Buena High School. Games start at 9am. I hope to see you there!
Best,
April 5, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
Yesterday after a marathon day of bargaining a Tentative Agreement (TA) was reached! The key components of the agreement are:
- 2.5% raise retroactive to July 1.
- 1% one time bonus
- Hourly pay will increase to $44
- BCLAD one-time stipend will increase to $1800
- Conference week contract language will be clarified
- Step parents and children will be added to bereavement leave
- CFRA (California Family Rights Act) will be added to Parental Leave
- The new deadline to be added to the district transfer list will be April 1st instead of March 15
- Floating cap pay will increase to $13
- The lengthy introduction to the Evaluation article will be shortened
- Teachers to be evaluated will only have to complete three objectives instead of six
We pushed for many more improvements but these were the ones that we were able to reach agreement on.
There are other smaller changes as well as some general clean up. This will be our 2018-2021 contract, though we will bargain compensation, and one other article chosen by each side, for each of the remaining two years of this contract.
I will send out the complete Tentative Agreement early next week and we will begin voting shortly after that. Hopefully the board will ratify the TA at their April 23rd meeting.
Thank you to our skilled bargaining team Julia Walle, Joyce Comstock, Veronica Andrade, Lyn Irvine, Bargaining Chair, Alie Victorine and CTA staff, Kris Clarke!
By the way, for those who are doing their taxes, the total union dues for 2018 was $1252, though unfortunately the new tax laws do not make it as easy to deduct union dues.
Have a great weekend!
March 29, 2019
Hi all,
Below are highlights from this week's Rep Council meeting:
Bargaining: We continue to make slow progress in the many contract articles that are open, including Compensation, Class Size, Leaves, Hours, and Evaluations. We will get a raise this year but have not settled on an amount. Our bargaining team is looking for new members for next year. If you're interested let me know.
Retirement Incentive: The district is tentatively planning to offer a retirement incentive this year. It would officially begin at the April 9th Board meeting. Teachers over 55 with five years experience in FMSD would have until mid-May to decide if they want to take the incentive, which would pay out 65% of your salary over a period of time you select. The district will be notifying all eligible teachers in April.
Inclusion Programs: Next year Kennedy, Meadows and Lairon will each have two general ed classes with three SDC students fully included. Each class will receive an extra para, and part-time support from an inclusion specialist. I'm still learning the details, but let me know if you have questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
Transportation Issues: For those planning field trips and unable to get adequate busses from our transportation department, make sure you inquire about chartered busses. If you continue to have problems let me know.
Student headphones: If you need more student headphones for district devices make sure to ask your principal. If your principal will not support you with supplying additional headphones let me know. The district is saying that headphones will be supplied to all in need.
Basketball Tournament: Our FMEA basketball tournament is Saturday, April 13th at Yerba Buena High. With nine FMSD schools participating it looks like it will be a great event this year, so feel free to stop by.
Grades 6-8 Meeting: All FMEA teachers in grades 6-8 are invited to drop in on April 10th to discuss any matters relevant to you. We will meet in the Shirakawa library from 3:30-5pm.
DRDP Meeting: The district has invited all kinder teachers to a full-day meeting on April 16th. If you are a kinder teacher with strong feelings about DRDP or this year's report card please attend and share your views.
March 1, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
First off, if you haven't yet heard, Paula Boling has announced she is retiring at the end of the year. While she and I have disagreed on plenty of issues, she has usually been someone that FMEA could work well with, and she will be missed.
February Rep Council Highlights:
Bargaining: We continue to bargain improvements in a number of areas. I can confirm that we will be receiving a raise this year, but we are not yet close to agreeing on an amount.
IEPs: IEPs that are held after the workday are optional. It is true that the IEP may have to be rescheduled if you are not present, but that does not make it mandatory for you, if outside your 7.5 hour workday. We are attempting to bargain language that the district will pay for IEPs held after the workday. For now, you can request to be compensated, whether through hourly pay, adjunct duties or some other arrangement. If your principal will not compensate you in any way let me know.
Suspensions: Principals appear to be more hesitant to suspend students than ever before. All teachers still have the right to suspend students for two days (current and following day) for all reasons listed here: California Code, Education Code - EDC § 48900 | FindLaw Just remember that teachers can only suspend to the office, and the principal decides whether to send the student home. Also, it is our legal responsibility to attempt to contact the parent the day of the suspension and try to set up a conference.
8th Grade Graduation Requirements: Administration had discussed major overhauls, but it now appears the only changes to determining which 8th graders can participate in graduation ceremonies are last year's elimination of the 2.0 GPA minimum, and this year's addition of a formal appeals committee. The complete list of requirements is attached.
Grade Level Meeting: There will be an FMEA meeting for any and all 3rd-5th grade teachers Wednesday, March 27th, and 6th-8th grades will meet Wednesday, April 3rd. Both meetings will be at 3:30 in the Shirakawa Library. This is a chance to drop in and have an informal conversation with myself and others about your ideas and concerns.
FMEA Happy Hour: Our next FMEA happy hour is Friday, March 15th, at Stanley's Sports Bar. There will be a trivia game for those interested, and the usual free food and drinks for all.
Review of Personal Necessity (PN) Rules: All of us have our own sick leave bank. We get ten sick days each year, and any unused days roll over into the next year. PN are not separate days, but are a way to access our sick leave bank. We can use up to seven PN days a year and we do not have to declare a reason for any. We can take all seven consecutively. If we are out of sick leave and take a PN day we will be docked for that day's pay. We can only use seven PN days a year, even if we didn't take them all the prior year, i.e they do not roll over.
Oakland Teachers Strike: FMEA Rep Council has joined the many CTA chapters supporting Oakland teachers and has voted to donate $1000 to the Oakland Teachers Association to support them in their strike. There is the possibility of donating more at next Rep Council meeting, but it sounds like they may be closing in on a deal that would end their strike.
NEA Representative Assembly Local Delegate Election: FMEA gets three local delegates to the NEA RA. If you want to run for a spot as a local delegate you need to email a 30 word bio to FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at [email protected] by 5pm on March 15th. Note: FMEA local delegates are not funded and must pay their own costs.
New Educator Weekend Grants: Our CTA county office will be funding some newer members to go to CTA's New Educator Weekend, March 8-10 in Burlingame. If you are interested let me know by this Monday. Here is a link to the event info: https://ctago.org/events/2019-new-educator-weekend-north/
Future Calendars: PDFs of the official 2019/20 and 2020/21 calendars are attached.
There's a lot of info here so feel free to follow up with me by email, phone or text if you want clarification or more information on any of these topics.
February 8, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
The FMEA calendar survey results show a small preference for calendar B, and CSEA and admin also chose calendar B, so that is what the board is likely to approve. I am attaching the tentative 2019/20 and 2020/21 calendars to this email. HR will distribute the official calendar after board approval. I've also attached a screenshot of the FMEA survey results.
For tax purposes, total 2018 union dues were $1252. Unfortunately It's my understanding that under the new tax laws passed last year, union dues may not be directly deductible any longer. I'm not an expert on accounting issues, but I've heard some people may still deduct union dues as a business expenses. You will want to check with your accountant/ tax program on this.
FMEA and the district bargained yesterday. We are making progress, but there are many articles open so we still have a long way to go. We have not taken up compensation yet.
February is the month when probationary teachers begin to hear about whether they have been reelected to return next year. The law gives districts very wide latitude on who they choose to non-reelect, and they don't need to give reasons or justify the decision. It's a frustrating situation for many. I'm happy to talk with anyone who receives a non-reelect, though generally there is little that can be done to fight it.
The FMEA spelling bee is February 27th at Bridges. We still need Coordinating Teachers at many schools. Let me know if you are interested in helping students at your school participate, or just want more information.
The FMEA basketball tournament is April 13th at Sylvandale, and we now have nine schools participating!
The CTA Legislative Brunch will be March 9th. It's a great chance to meet and talk with local elected officials. A flyer with all details is attached.
As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, concerns or ideas.
Best,
January 30, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
I have revised the FMEA calendar survey that went out last week because it had two problems: It didn't allow for ranking second and third choices, and it didn't mention that option "C" also includes a February break. Please take the one question survey this one last time. Here is the link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X3PN8NF
Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council:
1. The FMEA spelling bee is February 27th. We need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) for each participating site. Are you interested in being your site's CT? We also need a couple of volunteer judges for the event. The FMEA basketball tournament is April 13th. Will your site participate this year, and if so who will be coaching your team?
2. Bargaining continues tomorrow. FMEA has a wide range of contractual proposals on the table. Compensation has not yet been discussed.
3. FMEA's open forum discussion for 1st and 2nd grade teachers will be February 6th at 3:30 in the Shirakawa library. All 1st and 2nd grade teachers are invited to bring topics of interest or concern. Future FMEA meetings will be scheduled for all grades.
4. Tomorrow is the deadline for anyone interested in running as a State Delegate for this summer's NEA Representative Assembly. This link takes you to the declaration page:
https://www.cta.org/~/media/Documents/About/Leadership/NEA%20RA/NEA%20RA%202019/2019%20NEA%20RA%20Declaration%20of%20Candidacy%20Form.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20190110T1451107486
5. There are a number of upcoming CTA conferences, all detailed at http://www.ctago.org. The New Educator Weekend is March 8-10 in SF and should be considered by all new educators.
6. Lastly, I'm sorry to report that long time FMEA member, Andrew Love, passed away this Monday. I have not heard of any services open to the public at this time.
Best,
January 25, 2019
Hi FMEA members,
It's time to vote on a calendar for the next two years. This Surveymonkey link below is different than the survey you took earlier this month. There are three calendar options and each is explained in the survey. Each of the choices (options A,B and C for 2019/20 as well as 2020/21) are attached Note that CSEA and administration will also play a part in the decision so there is no guarantee that FMEA will get our first choice. Here's the survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JYTNH8T
FMEA's student spelling bee is coming up on February 27th and our basketball tournament is on April 13th. We need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) from any school that wants to participate in either event. If you are willing to help students at your site participate in one of these great events let me or your Site Rep know. We also need judges for the spelling bee. It's a lot of fun and no experience or expertise is needed.
FMEA will be holding grade level meetings to discuss ideas and concerns. All first and second grade teachers are welcome to bring your issues or concerns to the Shirakawa library 3:30 February 6th. We will hold meetings for all other grades in the coming months.
Bargaining began on January 10th. FMEA is bringing a large number of contractual improvements to the table in a number of articles. So far we have not discussed compensation with the district's team, but Governor Newsom has proposed a budget with significant increases in education funding. We'll see how this plays out in future bargaining. Our next date is January 31st.
Lastly, I want to congratulate our colleagues in UTLA who, after a brief strike, just reached a Tentative Agreement which includes a 3% raise for last year and 3% raise for this year, as well as lower class sizes. Next week Oakland teachers will vote on whether to go on strike.
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Scott
December 14, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Our latest edition of the FMEA Observer is attached, and December Rep Council highlights are below.
Many of us recently received a letter from "The Freedom Foundation" urging us to drop out of the union. While that choice is up to each of us, the strength of our union comes from us standing together. There will be many more letters urging teachers to drop out of the union, but I hope we can all see these attempts for what they are, attacks on unions and workers in an attempt to weaken our collective power and voice. The financial backers of these attacks are some of the wealthiest in this country who know that unions are what stand between them and their ability pay even less and profit even more than they already do. I hope we can remain unified and strong in the face of this opposition.
Rep Council Highlights:
1. Bargaining: FMEA begins bargaining on January 10th, which is around the time we will get Governor Newsom's January budget proposal. Our district's Classified union just reached an agreement on salary for this year. They agreed to no raise, but will receive a one-time 3% bonus, which would become a permanent raise if FMEA gets any raise at all, or if the June state budget has significantly more funding than currently projected.
2. There is some new floating cap pay contract language this year for teachers who are over enrolled: This year any 7th or 8th grade teachers at K-8s get $3 per period when over-enrolled. Also, anyone mainstreaming a student over your caseload receives $3 per day. Most other floating caps remains the same other than increasing from $10 to $11 per day.
Also, kinder teachers who are without an aide for three consecutive days or five days in a month receives $40 per day. Note: If you think you may have been underpaid this year or last it's probably not too late to get paid correctly, and I can help with that if you want.
3. Tools For Tolerance For Educators: There is a training for teachers on tolerance and diversity in education January 20th and 21st at the Museum Of Tolerance in LA. There are spots available, and transportation and lodging are paid. If you are interested contact me for more information.
4. This year and next some big decisions will be made about ELA adoptions. Please do take the district surveys so that your input can be considered.
5. February 27th is the tentative date for our FMEA student spelling bee. If you are interested in being the Coordinating Teacher at your site let me know. More details will be coming after the break.
6. The district Calendar Committee will begin working early next year. If you are interested in joining the committee email me. We will have an FMEA calendar survey going out soon.
7. If you have not received your CTA card let me know.
Have a great vacation!
November 20, 2018
Hi FMEA folks,
On this last day before our Thanksgiving holiday we have much to be thankful for: Though teachers and students alike have all struggled with the smoke from California wildfires, it looks like rains are on the way to finally clear the air and bring some relief. Like many of you, I have good friends in the Paradise area that lost their house (or worse). It sure makes me thankful for a warm dry place to call home.
On a different note, the election for California's Superintendent of Public Instruction was extremely close, but a few days ago CTA-backed candidate Tony Thurmond was named the winner!
There are three upcoming FMEA events that I hope are on your calendar:
- On Monday, November 26th, the day we return from break, I'm inviting all kinder teachers to the Shirakawa library from 3:30-5pm to share your ideas and concerns about DRDP and all else you have on your plate.
- On Friday, November 30th FMEA will host a Thanksgiving mixer at Stanley's from 3:30-6pm. This will be even more fun than our usual Stanley's happy hour, with free food and drinks, so don't miss it!
- On Wednesday, December 5th, all SPED teachers are invited to the Shirakawa library from 3:30-5pm to discuss what's working and what needs to be changed in our district's many SPED programs. Even if you can't attend this or the kinder meeting, feel free to email me your concerns.
Personally, I'm very thankful that so many individuals are willing to step up and help make our district a better place, from site reps, and student event coordinators, to Bargaining Team and Executive Board members, to the many teachers who do everything in your power to help our students succeed, I truly appreciate you and I'm honored to represent you.
Have a great Thanksgiving holiday!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
November 9, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Many races from Tuesday's elections are still too close to call, including for California's next Superintendent of Public Instruction. Marshall Tuck, the charter school candidate, has a very small lead, but CTA-backed Tony Thurmond has been gaining ground, and there are still millions of California ballots to be counted.
Locally, our FMEA-endorsed candidate, Maimona Afzal-Berta (teacher in Alum Rock) won a decisive victory in the special election to complete the remaining two years of John Lindner's term. In the regular board election there was no voting, since three candidates competed for three seats. The candidates were incumbents, Rudy Rodriguez, Thanh Tran and newcomer to the board, Kerry Rosado. Omar Torres chose not to run for reelection. The new board term begins next month.
FMEA has several upcoming events:
- On Monday, November 26th, all kindergarten teachers are invited to meet in the Shirakawa library from 3:30-5:00 to discuss concerns arising from DRDP and the amount of time it takes to complete. We can also discuss any other kindergarten issues.
- On Wednesday, December 5th, all SPED teachers are invited to the Shirakawa library from 3:30-5:00 to discuss any SPED issues arising this year. For both this and the kinder meeting, feel free to email me concerns if you can't attend the meeting.
- Lastly, on Friday, November 30th, FMEA will return to Stanley's for another happy hour. This time we will have a fun social mixer game as well as the usual free food and drinks! Keep your eye out for a flyer coming soon.
FMEA will begin bargaining next month. We will be selecting a new bargaining team member in early December, so if you are interested in joining, now is the time to let me know. Also, If you haven't taken our bargaining survey, here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VD3RDJH
Have a great long weekend!
October 26, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Please take the FMEA bargaining survey if you have not yet done so. Here's the link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VD3RDJH
Below are the highlights from Monday's Rep Council:
1. Our FMEA student track meet is tomorrow at the Sylvandale track beginning at 9:30am. Come out and support our speedy students!
2. Election day is less than two weeks away. FMEA has endorsed Maimona Afzal-Berta for our school board. She is an RSP teacher in Alum Rock. It's important we have a teacher on our board, so please encourage voters in our district to support her (you can talk to parents about Maimona as long as it is not during school hours and you are off campus). It's also important that we support Tony Thurmond for Superintendent of Public Instruction. He is a teacher who is running against Marshall Tuck, who is the charter school backed candidate. I've also attached a complete list of candidates and measures that CTA chapters have endorsed, so you can support teacher-endorsed candidates no matter where you live.
3. Are you interested in joining our bargaining team? Let me know if so.
4. Take a look at the attached documents. The first is a great summary of teachers' legal rights. The second is a comprehensive list of CTA member benefits.
5. Please join our FMEA text list by texting "@fmeamember" to 81010. You can also join the FMEA Facebook group by submitting a request. Don't forget, all important FMEA documents and more can be found at our website at http://www.fmea.mobi
Finally, here's a list of some great upcoming CTA conferences: 2018 GLBT Issues Conference
December 7-9
Riviera Hotel, Palm Springs
2019 Issues Conference
January 18-20 Tropicana, Las Vegas
2019 Good Teaching Conference (North)
February 1-3 Fairmont, San Jose
2019 Equity and Human Rights Conference
March 1-3 Fairmont, San Jose
2019 New Educator Weekend (North)
March 8-10 Hyatt SFO, Burlingame
Visit www.CTAGo.org for more details about each conference and to register.
Grants are available. Please visit www.CTAGo.org/Grants to learn more.
Have a great weekend!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
September 14, 2018
Hi all,
Here are the highlights from our first FMEA Rep Council meeting of the year:
1. Bargaining: FMEA bargaining surveys will be emailed in the coming weeks. Bargaining for 2018/19 begins in a few months. We have two spots for new bargaining team members. If you are interested in joining let me know.
2. School Board: There are two separate school board races: The first is to finish John Linder's term. In that race FMEA Rep Council has endorsed Maimona Afzal-Berta, who is a special ed teacher in Alum Rock and is currently on our school board. The second race is for three seats: There are exactly three candidates for this race so all three will be seated on the board without an election in November. Two incumbents Rudy Rodriguez, and Than Tran, will be joined by parent, Kerry Rosado. Omar Torres has opted not to run for re-election.
3. Class Size And Floating Caps: Principals must ask for volunteers, but if no one volunteers, principals can place one student over 24 in grades K-1 and two students over 24 in grades 2-3. Grades 4-8 (other than middle school) can have 33 students, but if the teacher doesn't approve, then the class must be lowered to 32 within two weeks. Teachers receive $11 per day (based on enrollment, not attendance) for all students over 24 in K-3 and over 32 in 4-8. The district is responsible for calculating and issuing this payment, but all teachers must be over class limit for a 5 day "grace period" each year before the compensation begins. I know it's confusing so contact me with questions.
4. FMEA Oktoberfest: Mark your calendars for FMEA's first happy hour event of the year: We will be at Stanley's Sports Bar on Thursday October 4th from 3:30-6:30pm. Teachers new to our district will be the special guests at this event and are strongly encouraged to attend. These are always a lot of fun!
5. FMEA Track Meet: Our annual track meet will be Saturday October 27th at Sylvandale and is open to all 4th-8th grades. Participating sites need a Coordinating Teacher (CT). If you are interested in helping out let me or your Site Rep know.
6. CTA State Council: There is an opening for a 9 months term on CTA State Council. If you are interested in declaring your candidacy or want more information let me know.
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 31, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
I hope your first week of school went well. Much of my week was spent getting set up in a new office. For those not aware, the CTA building that FMEA worked out of for the last 30 years burned just before summer. This has been a time of transition as FMEA and other local chapters are settling in to our new office. The new CTA building is at 1333 Piedmont Rd, Suite 106, San Jose, 95132. The office number is still 408-272-0601, and I can still be easily reached on my cell phone which is 831-325-0465.
After several years of convincing FMEA bargaining team members, Charlie Nave and Lyn Irvine to stay for "one more year" they are exiting the team. I suppose 11 successful contracts is enough! Thank you Charlie and Lyn for your outstanding contributions to FMEA over the last decade. If you are interested in joining FMEA's bargaining team, or just want more information let me know.
For all those over your class size cap, Tuesday is the first day that a class size grievance can be filed. If you have any questions about this or want help with it just let me know.
One thing that is new this year, is working under the Janus Supreme Court ruling. There has been little impact to FMEA so far, but some members are beginning to receive phone calls and emails from groups urging them to drop out of the union. Please keep in mind that the funding for these groups usually originates from the wealthiest individuals in this country that are seeking to undermine the power of unions, which are one of the last strong voices of opposition to an increasingly pro-corporate, anti-worker landscape in the U.S.
Labor Day weekend is a great time to reflect on the struggles of the past, and the sacrifices made by union members that were pivotal in creating the protections workers now have in this country. It's only through our continuing solidarity that we can maintain the quality of life that labor fought so hard for in years past.
Happy Labor Day weekend!
August 17, 2018
Hello FMEA members,
Welcome back to a new school year! I hope you all had a fantastic summer and are feeling rested and ready for the 2018-19 school year.
I also want to send a special welcome to our newest teachers. Because of declining enrollment, this group is smaller than most years, but we still have almost twenty new educators in our district.
For returning teachers, the placement verification you signed in the spring was based on the old salary schedule because the new one hadn't been ratified yet. HR will not be sending out revised placement verifications, but I'm attaching the current salary schedule to this email. We will be bargaining for this 2018-19 school year, and a retroactive raise for the current year is always a possibility (so this salary schedule is technically for 2017-18 and not 2018-19), but it's far too early to make any predictions about bargaining.
There were some changes to the contract in our June settlement that will impact this year. Perhaps the biggest change is that total Tuesday staff meetings have been reduced from 28 to 22. Make sure someone from your site is keeping track of the number of Tuesday meetings so you don't go over.
In general, if something doesn't seem right, please let me know right away. 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. Please keep me in the loop, and don't hesitate to get in touch if you need help with something. A big part of my job is to help fix problems so you can focus on teaching.
I hope Monday is a good start to a great year!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
May 4, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Below are last week's Rep Council Highlights along with new information since that meeting:
Bargaining: FMEA and the district have agreed to the following joint communication summarizing where things stand in bargaining:
"On Monday, April 23rd the District and FMEA bargaining teams met. Progress was made and a Tentative Agreement was reached on Article IV Hours of Employment and Article VIII Class Size. The most significant change in these articles was an agreement to reduce Tuesday after school meetings from 28 to 22. The remaining Article is Compensation. The District’s last offer was 1.75% salary increase and FMEA’s was 4.25%. We have scheduled another bargaining session for May 16th, after the State's May budget revision."
Staffing: The excess staff meeting happened today and all 9 excess staff teachers have chosen new positions. There are currently only a few multiple subject openings in the district, but there will be many more as people resign prior to the June 30th deadline to do so. Interviews will be held for all future openings, and temporary teachers, as well as teachers looking to transfer, can apply.
FMEA Elections: Monday, May 7th is the deadline for FMEA Executive Board declarations. All positions are open, so do consider running. Bios of 30 words or less go to FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at [email protected] by 4pm this Monday.
Janus Case: The Janus Vs AFSCME case will decided by the Supreme Court in the very near future. All expectations are that the court will rule against current "fair share" provision, and union membership will shrink dramatically across the country. But it is only when unified that teachers keep our power, so I envision FMEA members staying united.
FMEA Party: Don't miss FMEA's end of the year "luau" celebration on May 18th at Mt Hamilton. See attached flyer with all details.
FMEA Budget: At the May 21st Rep Council meeting Reps will approve an FMEA budget for next year. Because CTA is raising dues, I do not propose an FMEA dues increase, but that will be up to Rep Council.
Suspensions: Don't forget that, while teachers have an Ed Code right to suspend, we only get to suspend to the office, and admin has to decide whether to send students home or keep in the office all day.
CTA Summer Institute: CTA's Summer Institute offers many amazing programs at UCLA the first week of August. There are a number of grants available, but the due date is this Monday. Here's a link to the grant page: https://ctago.org/conference-grants/
And here's a link with general info: https://ctago.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-CTA-Summer-Conferences-Brochure.pdf
FMEA W.H.O. Congratulations to Shirakawa's Lisa Pitino who was awarded this year's FMEA W.H.O. award (We Honor Ours). Thank you Lisa for all you do for FMEA, our students, teachers and community!
Phone Banking: CTA is phone banking May 16th and 30th for Tony Thurmond and Gavin Newsom. Come join! The attached flyer has all details.
Thanks for making through this long email! Enjoy your weekend.
Best,
April 20, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
We return to bargaining this Monday. I'm optimistic that FMEA's action at last month's school board meeting, combined with improving economic news, will compel the district to offer us a better raise. We will also continue to push for more prep time, and other language changes.
Due primarily to declining enrollment there are nine excess staff teachers in the district, and there are currently eleven general ed openings. The excess staff meeting to choose positions has been delayed until the week of April 30th. There are a few reasons for the delay, all of which have to do with potentially reducing the number of teachers who will be excessed. Unfortunately pushing back the timeline means temporary teachers have to wait longer to find out if there will be any openings. There may not be many openings immediately after the excess staff meeting, however there are usually enough resignations in May and June to create space for all temporary teachers who want to stay in the district. I know there are a lot of great temporary teachers in FMEA, and I sincerely hope things open up here before you take a job elsewhere.
FMEA officer elections are coming up May 14th-18th. Every year all positions are open including, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director-At-Large. These are all one-year terms, except Director, which is three years. If you are interested in running for any of these positions you must send a bio of 30 words or less to FMEA Elections Chair, Sau Vu at [email protected] by 4pm on May 7th. A description of all positions according to the FMEA bylaws is attached.
CTA is a holding phone banking in support of Gavin Newsom for Governor, and Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Phone banking will be April 25th, May 2nd, 16th and 30th. A flyer with details is attached.
Have a great weekend!
April 11, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Over the weekend the school board met and filled John Lindner's vacant seat with new board member, Maimona Afzal Berta, who will complete the remainder of his term. Maimona is a teacher in Alum Rock and serves on the Alum Rock teachers' Executive Board. I think she is an excellent choice, and the best of the seven candidates.
Here are the Rep Council highlights from March 26th:
Bargaining: Thank you to all who came out to the board meeting before break to protest the district's bargaining proposals. I believe it had an impact. The district has indicated that they are interested in returning to the bargaining table, and I am confident they will now be proposing a larger raise. I'm also hoping for increased teacher prep time, but I'm less optimistic on this. Bargaining will resume in the coming weeks.
Excess Staff: There are excess staff at many sites this year. Excess staff will get to pick from any opening in the district without interviewing. The meeting where this occurs will take place next week. After excess staff has been placed, temporary teachers can be slotted back into the remaining positions.
CSS: The CSS position is being eliminated. Instead of a CSS at each school, next year there will be eight TOSAs (Teacher On Special Assignment) who will focus on coaching.
School Safety: CTA has updated their school safety pamphlet which is attached. April 20th is a national day of action against gun violence in schools.
State Council: For anyone interested in running for a spot on CTA State Council, the attached declaration is due April 16th.
FMSD Calendar: The 2018/19 instructional calendar is attached. Just scroll down past the current year.
Union Dues For Taxes: Reminder: Total union dues for 2017 tax purposes were $1230
Best,
March 30, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Thank you to everyone who came out to Tuesday's board meeting, and especially to those brave folks who got to speak! We had a sizable turnout, and I thought everyone who spoke was eloquent and compelling. It's too early to know exactly what impact our actions will have, but we are now trying to schedule bargaining dates in the coming month. I don't know what the district will offer for increased prep time, but I'm confident they will now be willing to offer more than a 1% raise.
On Saturday, April 7th at 10am the board will hold a special board meeting and appoint John Lindner's replacement. I've met two candidates and there are likely to be a few more. The process has occurred too quickly to do an official FMEA endorsement, but there is an interview committee for all candidates next week, and it is possible that after the interviews FMEA will do an informal endorsement if there is one candidate that is clearly more aligned with our values and interests.
The results of the write-in election for NEA RA Local Delegate are:
- Shanti Arnold- 17
- Lyn Irvine - 3
Enjoy the holiday!
March 23, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Attached is the latest edition of the FMEA Observer. It's primarily focused on bargaining and FMEA's action at this Tuesday's 7pm board meeting. This is a call-to-action for all FMEA members to come out on Tuesday, wearing black. The board meeting will be in the board room at the district office. For this action the plan is to make our frustration known through showing up wearing black, carrying signs, and signing up to speak during the public comment portion at the beginning of the meeting.
Board member contact information is in The Observer and I encourage you to call or email members of our board to remind them that the 1% raise they offered is just not fair, especially when the district started the year with unprecedented reserves. With each new district budget update, the projected deficit for this year has been reduced drastically. Declining enrollment and other cost factors will still necessitate some cuts, but the district has sufficient resources to pay FMEA members what we deserve, and 1% won't pay the rent!
Tomorrow there are two events going on: The first is our annual FMEA Basketball Tournament. Our 4th-6th graders will be playing all day at Sylvandale beginning at 8:45am. The second event is the March-For-Our-Lives rallies taking place in Washington D.C., San Francisco, and locally at the San Jose City Hall at 11am. These rallies were organized by students in response to the recent school shooting in Florida and are demanding that Congress address gun violence and school safety.
If you have any questions about bargaining or want more information so you can speak to the board please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Have a great weekend,
March 20, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
I am asking you all to attend the 7pm board meeting one week from tonight, wearing black. It's not necessary to stay through the whole meeting but it's important that we have a strong presence at the start of the meeting. I have materials to drop off for each site to make signs for the meeting. Please let your Site Rep know if you are interested in making signs at your site one day after school in the next week. Below are some suggestions for sign slogans that our FMEA Organizing Team came up with:
1% WONT PAY MY RENT
FMEA TEACHERS DEMAND A FAIR RAISE
1% IS THE LOWEST RAISE IN THE COUNTY- UNFAIR!!!
RESPECT TEACHERS AND THEIR TIME- FEWER STAFF MEETINGS
PRINCIPALS DON’T NEED 28 STAFF MEETINGS A YEAR!
FRANKLIN MCKINLEY MUST BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH
DOES FRANKLIN MCKINLEY VALUE TEACHERS?
FMSD MUST BARGAIN A FAIR AND REASONABLE CONTRACT
SCHOOL BOARD MUST DIRECT DISTRICT TO BARGAIN A FAIR RAISE
TEACHERS ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE DISTRICT- PAY US FAIRLY
WHERE'S THE GIVE? ALL I SEE IS TAKE
Invest in students, support teachers!
If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything
Teachers deserve a fair raise
We pay too much for health benefits
District reserves are huge, pay teachers a fair wage
March 16, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
FMSD Board: As you know John Linder has resigned from the FMSD School Board. The remaining four board members will be appointing someone to complete his term. There are likely to be pro-charter candidates, so it is important that we make sure there is also a pro-labor candidate. The deadline is March 30th. Anyone who lives in the district boundaries but is not a district employee can be a candidate. Parents or other community members are ideal. If you can think of anyone who might be interested please let me know.
FMEA Action: I am asking all FMEA members to come out to the March 27th 7pm board meeting wearing black. We will have some signs to distribute and I will send out talking points for those who are willing to sign up to speak at the start of the meeting. In a nutshell, we are demanding the district offer more than a 1% raise and give up more of their time (staff meetings, Thursdays etc) for teachers to prep, plan and implement all the new curriculum.
FMSD Budget: Though the district budget almost always ends up better off than their projections, it is true that declining enrollment is necessitating some cuts. Each year the district keeps getting more money per student, but because we have fewer students, cuts are required. Some cuts were shared at the last board meeting, and more will be released at the next meeting. FMEA's position has always been that these cuts should be as far from the classroom as possible.
Declining Enrollment/ Staffing: Declining enrollment is forcing many schools to cut staff. There will be a reduction of 1 or 2 teachers at most sites. In many cases there will be retiring and resigning teachers to offset reductions in staff. Some temporary teachers may not get a spot at their current site. Some sites may also have excess staff beyond the number of temporary teachers, and in that case the principal decides who is deemed "excess staff" and those teachers gets to choose a position at another site. On April 15th sites will post their Tentative Master Schedule and it will be clear who is slotted for each position, and if needed, who is excess staff.
Basketball Tournament: Our FMEA basketball tournament is Saturday, March 24th at Sylvandale. We have teams from half the schools in the district. Come out and support our students!
March-For-Our-Lives Rally: For those interested, there will be rallies across the country on March 24th in support of school safety and gun reform. Locally there will be an 11am rally at San Jose City Hall.
Enjoy the weekend!
Best,
March 9, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
It has been a busy week and there's a lot to share:
FMEA Action: I am asking all FMEA members to attend the March 27th Board meeting to protest the district's unwillingness to offer anything over a 1% raise, nothing for greater prep time, and no support for health benefits. School districts around Santa Clara county are settling for 3%, 4% and even 5%. Our district started this year with more money than ever before (almost $21M), and we pay more for our health benefits than most teachers in the County. FMSD teachers need a fair raise to keep up with the cost of living in this region! Please wear black to the 7pm board meeting on March 27th to show our dissatisfaction. Some teachers may also choose to attend the 8pm meeting this coming Tuesday but the 27th will be FMEA's focused action.
Budget/ Cuts It is true that the district is currently making substantial cuts for next year. I do believe some cuts are necessary, but those cuts should always start at the district office where they are furthest from the classroom. While some cuts are necessary, I'm not convinced that administration has to be as financially conservative as they are. As an example: last year the district's Adoption Budget under-projected the final ending balance by $2.7M! And for this year, the Second Interim Budget that the district released hours ago shows that the ending balance this year, while dropping from record highs, is now $2.5M higher than what was projected in August! It is true that with declining enrollment some cuts to district office administration as well as consultants should be made, but the district has been receiving large increases to per-pupil spending every year, and there is no indication this will end anytime soon, so I'm not convinced deep cuts are needed at this time, and I am certain they can afford more than a 1% raise!
The cuts that have been clarified so far for next year are the the reduction from 15 CSS to 8, with all 8 working 184 days, not 194. The Director Of State And Federal Projects (currently held by Tracy Rohlfing) is also being eliminated. The district will also no longer pay for consulting services of Partners In School Innovation. I'm expecting more cuts to be announced later this month.
Transfers: The deadline to get on the transfer list is March 15th, but anyone can apply for openings at any time, regardless of whether you are on the transfer list. The only difference is, if by March 15th, you formally notify HR of your intent to transfer, and which grade levels and schools you want, you are supposed to be automatically contacted to interview for all openings that fit your criteria.
March 15th Deadline: March 15th is a crucial deadline because after that, no probationary teacher can be released for next year, and if this is your second year here then it means, for all intensive purposes, you will now have permanent status (aka tenure).
Temporary teachers hired on temporary contracts do not need to be notified by March 15th, as there is no assumption of continued employment next year. However the district will apparently once again allow principals to place temporary teachers on the tentative master schedule this spring, without interviewing, once all the excess staff have been placed. This means temporary teachers may be in limbo for a little while, but are likely to be able to stay in the district, even with declining enrollment and some CSS returning to the classroom. This is because so many openings are created each year as many teachers leave FMSD every year, either as retirees or just moving to other districts or careers.
March 14th Walkout: The district office has sent out guidelines to principals and parents regarding a nationwide walkout this Tuesday in support of keeping schools safe from guns. Students are being encouraged to not leave campus, though rallies could be organized on campus. Wearing orange is one way to show support for the cause.
Feel free to contact me any time if you have questions or ideas about any of these topics.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
March 2, 2018
Hi all,
Here are the highlights from this week's FMEA Rep Council:
Bargaining/ Organizing: One week ago FMEA and FMSD reached a bargaining impasse. The district has refused to offer us more than a 1% raise despite the fact that they started this year with the biggest reserve ever (nearly $21M) and will get more money per-student next year than this year! We will be holding an FMEA action at one of the March board meetings. You will be asked to attend, wearing black as a statement of our frustration with the district.
Are you interested in joining the FMEA Organizing Team? It would be great to have at least one person from each school so we can organize effectively to pressure the district to re-examine their priorities.
If you haven't joined the FMEA text list please text "@fmeamember" to 81010. Also keep an eye on the FMEA Facebook page as well as our website- www.fmea.mobi
FMEA Director-At-Large: Congratulations to Lisa Pitino who has been elected to fill our FMEA Executive Board opening. She received 100% of the 182 votes counted.
FMSD Board: John Lindner is no longer on the FMSD Board. A replacement will be appointed by the remaining four board members. The deadline to apply for this appointment is March 30th. If you know any parents or community members you think would make a good board member please let me know.
FMEA Student Events: The FMEA Basketball Tournament is March 24th at Sylvandale. The Literacy Fair has been cancelled due to no one stepping up to lead it this year.
Guns In Schools: School shootings are becoming all too frequent, and after the recent tragedy in Florida there is more discussion about
arming teachers. While something like this could become a reality in some states, I think it is highly unlikely in California, given the political background of our state legislature.
Enjoy the weekend.
Best,
February 23, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Today FMEA declared impasse in bargaining. This has happened many times in the past but not in the last five years. It means we are unable to reach an agreement so the state will provide a mediator to support the bargaining process. I've attached a document that explains impasse further.
While numerous other districts in this county are settling for raises of 3%, 4% and even 5%, FMSD has refused to offer more than a 1% raise. This is while the district started the year with a 21 million dollar balance and expects more money per student next year! FMEA is currently proposing a 5.5% raise. Our team has been open to going lower, but we will not bargain against ourselves, and the district has been unwilling to budge from 1%. Furthermore, FMEA has suggested numerous ways the district can provide more prep time, as teachers adjust to all the new curriculum and programs, but the district has shot down all of these ideas. The attached issues chart has all of the details.
FMEA will be organizing actions to demonstrate to the FMSD Board and administration that their proposals are unfair. We demand that the district be willing to bargain a fair and reasonable contract so that we can reach an agreement. We will be holding an action at either the March 13th or March 27th board meeting.
In a separate development, this week Trustee John Lindner turned in his resignation from the board. As you know he had admitted to misusing bond campaign funds, and many teachers, community members and other board members had called for his resignation. This coming Tuesday the board will decide how to fill his seat; they can appoint someone or hold an election.
Lastly, for those working on taxes, total FMEA/CTA/NEA union dues for 2017 were $1230.
Both the bargaining and Lindner developments are big news so feel free to follow up with me if you have any questions.
Have a great weekend!
February 16, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Here's a summary of the latest:
Bargaining: FMEA bargained with the district this week and we bargain again next week. The last meeting was very disappointing. Hopefully next week will be more productive, but if not it appears we may be at an impasse.
Disability Insurance Campaign: Enough FMEA members signed up for The Standard disability insurance drive that we made our goal. That means all members who recently signed up will have preexisting conditions covered! Technically the campaign is over, but if you still want to join let me know and it may be possible to add you.
Budget Cuts: Due to decreasing enrollment and increasing costs the district is looking to make significant budget reductions over the coming years. Cuts for next year have not been finalized but may be confirmed soon.
FMEA Basketball Tournament: Our FMEA basketball tournament will be March 24th at Sylvandale. We have seven schools participating but it's not too late for more schools to join. Contact Larry Volpe or myself for more info.
Non Re-elects: This is a challenging time of year when a number of probationary teachers are notified they have been non re-elected. Unfortunately there is no effective way to fight a non re-elect, but if you turn in a resignation (effective June 30th) by February 26th the district will take your name off the official non re-elect list.
Backpack Full Of Cash: There will be a showing of the movie by this name on March 12th. It explores the real costs of privatizing U.S. public schools. See attached flyer for details.
NEA Representative Assembly: A declaration of candidacy is attached if you want to run for a spot as a Local Delegate to the NEA RA. Declarations are due March 12th.
Enjoy the long weekend!
January 26, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Below are the highlights from Monday's Rep Council.
Bargaining: The district has offered a very small raise to FMEA, but we are still far away from reaching an agreement. Bargaining will continue in February.
FMSD School Board: Board member Rudy Rodriguez has reversed course and is now willing to continue on as a board member. The terms of board members Rudy Rodriguez, Thanh Tran and Omar Torres are ending in November, though all three may seek reelection. Board member John Lindner continues on as a board member at the same time the case against him moves forward with the District Attorney.
FMEA Student Events:
- The FMEA Literacy Fair is in need of someone to lead it. It's possible it will be cancelled this year if no one steps up to lead it.
- The FMEA Basketball Tournament is March 24th. If your school will have a team let me know. It's a great time to start getting the team together to practice for the tournament.
FMEA Happy Hour: Join us for the next FMEA Happy Hour on February 9th at Stanley's! See attached flyer for details.
CTA Trainings:
- The CTA New Educator Weekend will be held at the SFO Marriott in Burlingame, February 23-25. It is geared towards teachers in their first 3 years. Here's a link to register https://ctago.org/events/2018-new-educator-weekend/
- The CTA Good Teaching Conference takes place February 2nd-4th in San Jose. https://ctago.org/events/2018-good-teaching-conference-north/
- The Tools For Tolerance For Educators training is March 11-12 in Southern California. See attached flyer for details.
Non-Reelects: This is a challenging time of year when many first and second year teachers begin to hear they are being non-reelected. Unfortunately the law gives districts the right to do this without giving any reason, and it is almost impossible to fight. If you are notified you will be non-reelected you have the option of formally notifying H.R. you will be resigning at the end of the school year. If you turn in that notification by the end of February, the district allows you to leave without you officially receiving a non-reelect on your record.
Insurance Campaign: The Standard is the CTA-endorsed vendor for short-term disability and life insurance, and every three years The Standard holds an FMEA membership campaign. If you join during the campaign, all pre-existing conditions are covered. We need 22 members to sign up during the campaign for it to be successful. The campaign will end February 15th. A representative from The Standard will be coming to all school sites in the next two weeks.
Retirement: If you plan to retire this year, you can receive a $2000 bonus for officially informing H.R. of this by January 30th.
Scholarships For Future Teachers: CTA is offering scholarships to individuals from under-represented groups who want to become educators. A flyer is attached.
Tony Thurmond: CTA has endorsed Tony Thurmond for Superintendent Of Public Instruction. His main opponent is Marshall Tuck who has strong ties to charter schools. It's important we talk with our friends and family about the need to vote for Tony Thurmond.
NEA RA: This year the NEA Representative Assembly will be held in Minneapolis, June 29th-July 6th. Those interested in running for a seat as a State Delegate must turn in a declaration of candidacy by January 30th. If you want a declaration or more info let me know.
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions on any of these matters don't hesitate to get in touch.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
January 12, 2018
Hi FMEA members,
Happy new year! I hope you had a restful break and a good start to 2018. This FMEA Update is loaded with interesting and important info:
Bargaining: This week FMEA and the district began making a little progress bargaining topics that include compensation and hours. Our next bargaining date is February 15th. By then both sides will have had a chance to review Governor Brown's January budget proposal, which includes another big increase to education funding.
FMSD School Board: On Tuesday, school board member Rudy Rodriguez announced that, due to the cancer struggle and ultimate loss of his brother, he will be stepping down from the board next month. Board member John Lindner does not currently have plans to resign from the board, but that could change due to the District Attorney's decision in December to bring charges for the misuse of bond campaign funds.
FMEA Executive Board Opening: There is an unexpected opening on the FMEA Executive Board for someone interested in finishing off the final year of Jeannie Martin's three-year term as Director. If you have questions let me know. To declare your candidacy, send a 30 word bio to FMEA Elections Chair Sau Vu at [email protected] by January 19th.
FMEA Student Events:
- The FMEA Spelling Bee is Wednesday January 24th at Bridges at 6pm. A majority of our schools are participating. Thank you to those coordinating at sites.
- The FMEA Basketball Tournament is March 24th. If your school will have a team let me know. It's a great time to start getting the team together and practicing for the tournament.
Insurance Campaign: The Standard is the CTA-endorsed vendor for short-term disability and life insurance, and every three years The Standard holds an FMEA membership campaign. If you join during the campaign, all pre-existing conditions are covered. We need 23 members to sign up during the campaign for it to be successful. The campaign will take place from January 22nd- February 15th. A representative from The Standard will be coming to all school sites, and you will be able to sign up at that time.
CTA Trainings:
- There's a workshop this coming Thursday, January 18th on building strength and solidarity at school sites. If your site is having a problem you'd like to focus on, this would be a great time to work on it. See attached flyer for details.
- CTA's Institute For Teaching is offering a grant-writing training on January 30th. A flyer with details is attached.
NEA RA: This year the NEA Representative Assembly will be held in Minneapolis, June 29th-July 6th. Those interested in running for a seat as a State Delegate must turn in a declaration of candidacy by January 30th. If you want a declaration or more info let me know.
Happy Hour: Mark your calendars for the next FMEA Happy Hour on February 9th at Stanley's.
Thanks for making it all the way through this extra chunky FMEA Update!
Have a great long weekend!
December 15, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
It feels to me as if we just barely made it to the finish line in the nick of time. It's been a tumultuous week, at least for me, and it ended with news today that prosecutors have charged FMSD Board member, John LIndner, with stealing campaign funds related to the 2010 FMSD bond campaign. At this time Trustee Lindner has not resigned from the board but I'm wondering if that will now change. Here is a link to today's story in the SJ Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/12/15/school-board-member-charged-with-stealing-bond-measure-campaign-funds/
The latest FMEA Observer is attached, but this late breaking development means that my comments on Trustee Lindner are somewhat outdated. Please also note that the hard copy of The Observer you may have seen at your site had two errors. These have been corrected in the attached version. The correct date for the FMEA Spelling Bee is January 24th, and The Standard disability insurance drive will begin in late January, not February.
I hope you all enjoy the coming three-week break. I will be available by phone and email if anything arises I can support you with.
Happy holidays and have a great vacation!
December 8, 2017
Hi all,
Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council meeting. There's a lot of good information here so I hope you'll take a look:
1. Bargaining: We have had 3 days of bargaining so far with more planned in January. The district has not yet given us a compensation proposal. FMEA has made numerous proposals in an attempt to secure increased time for teachers.
2. FMEA Student Events: The FMEA spelling bee is January 24th at Bridges. We need Coordinating Teachers (CTs) ASAP. All the docs are ready to go out once we know who the CT is for your site. The basketball tournament is March 24th. It's time to figure out who the coach will be for each school that wants to field a team. We are still looking for a lead or co-leads for the literacy fair to be held April 27th.
3. FMEA Chairs: FMEA is looking for a new GLBT Chair and Ethnic Minority Chair. These positions do not necessarily require extra work but are a great way to get involved in a subject that you are passionate about. It also means reduced cost to CTA conferences on these topics. Who's interested?
4. Extra Compensation: There are two new forms of extra compensation this year that all should be aware of: For full day kinder teachers, if your para is out more than 3 days in a row, or 5 days in a month, you receive $40 per day that you don't have a sub para. Also, teachers shall receive $3 per day for any student mainstreamed into your class if you are over your class size cap, regardless of how long the student is mainstreamed. In the past it had to be more than 50% of the day to receive compensation.
5. CTA Good Teaching Conference: Attached is the application for scholarships to CTA's Good Teaching Conference. All teachers in their first five years teaching may apply, though preference is given to teachers in their first two years. Once it's complete you can scan it to [email protected] (deadline is January 9th but earlier is better). If scanning is a problem let me know. Here's a link for info on all CTA conferences. https://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events.aspx
6. Board Member Lindner: In case there is any confusion, John Lindner was found to have inappropriately spent about $13,000 from a 2010 FMSD bond campaign. It was not actually the bond money he spent. He was the treasurer for the campaign, and at the end of the campaign he inappropriately spent the remaining $13,000 of campaign funds on personal matters. He was fined approximately $18,000 as part of a settlement with the state commission that oversees political expenditures (FPPC). It's unknown at this time whether the District Attorney will prosecute Lindner. At this time Lindner does not plan to step down, though FMEA, as well as board member Rudy Rodriguez have requested that he do so.
7. Special Ed: Many in SPED are having trouble getting emails answered in a timely manner, if at all. If you are having this problem copy Mariam on emails. If that doesn't fix it contact Scott Shulimson. Also, the district's SPED committee known as SEDAC is looking for gen ed teachers to join. The meetings are quarterly and paid. If you are interested let me know.
8. Janus Court Case: A court case known as Janus Vs AFSCME has been taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court and will be decided in the spring. It is a direct assault on public sector unions and is expected to cause a drastic reduction in union membership. FMEA will continue to do everything we can to make sure our union is strong, vital and meaningful despite these attacks. We will need to come together like never before to remain strong.
Have a great weekend!
November 21, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
As we wrap up the shortest week of the school year, here are a few FMEA highlights:
Bargaining began last week, though neither side has yet exchanged proposals. The district opened the Class Size article to clarify language around 7th and 8th grade teachers at K-8s. FMEA opened the Hours article, and we are working on a range of proposals that attempt to give more time back to members. Unfortunately administration has always been reluctant to give up any time, but hopefully with their current acknowledgement that teachers are strained with all the new curriculum, administration will be more willing to help solve this problem of too much to do in too little time.
FMEA will also be proposing increases in salary and benefits. Hopefully we will be able to settle on a raise retroactive back to August, like we did the last four years, though it is too early to make any predictions on this.
At last week's School Board meeting, a new Assistant Superintendent Of Business Services was hired: Jason Vann will be leaving Cambrian and starting in FMSD in January. He appears to be a qualified and well liked individual, so it appears he is someone FMEA can work with in this very important position. The Board publicly censured John Lindner at this meeting. Trustee Lindner does not plan to resign from the Board, despite calls for his resignation from Trustee Rudy Rodriguez, myself and a couple of parents. It is unknown whether the District Attorney will press charges.
Despite holding interviews earlier this month for Stella's replacement, no candidates were brought to the Board to be hired as new Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. The district will continue to look for Stella's replacement. In the meantime Superintendent Cruz will oversee Ed Services.
Some of you have contacted me wanting a copy of the 2018-19 school calendar so I've attached it to this email.
Despite the challenges, we all have much to be thankful for. Have a great Thanksgiving holiday, and as always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, ideas or suggestions.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
November 2, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Attached is the latest edition of our newsletter, the FMEA Observer.
The CTA winter conferences offered this year include GLBT, Issues (urban and rural), Equity And Human Rights, and Good Teaching. There are grants still available for most of these. Here is a link to apply https://ctago.org/conference-grants/ Note: I expect our county CTA office will be offering some scholarships to the Good Teaching
It's not too late to take the FMEA Bargaining Survey. Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RCWRT5F
November 14th will be our first day bargaining.
FMEA is holding a meeting to discuss Special Ed related issues this Monday, November 6th from 3:30-5pm in the Shirakawa library. Please join us to share your thoughts on what the district can do to improve SPED programs. There will not be any administrators present at this meeting.
October 20, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council, along with other noteworthy items:
FMEA returns to the bargaining table on November 14th. Please participate in FMEA's bargaining survey if you have not already. Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RCWRT5F
Tomorrow is our FMEA track meet at Sylvandale. The races go from 9:30am-12:00pm. We have students competing from Hellyer, Ramblewood, Santee, Sylvandale, Meadows, Lairon, Franklin and WIndmill Spring! Please join us for this awesome annual event. Thanks again to everyone who helped coordinate at their site.
FMEA is holding a meeting to discuss Special ED related issues Monday, November 6th from 3:30-5pm in the Shirakawa library. Please join us to share your thoughts on what the district can do to improve SPED programs. There will not be any administrators present at this meeting.
There are a number of great CTA conferences offered this winter, and Minority Incentive Grants are still available for most. Here's a link to the page with all the info: https://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events/Conferences.aspx
If you haven't yet joined FMEA's text blast list, please text "@fmeamember" to 81010. Also, nearly all important FMEA docs and info can be found at our website, www.fmea.mobi.
Teachers new to FMSD who are interested in CTA-endorsed disability insurance can have all pre-existing conditions covered if they sign up in their first 120 days. Here's a link to this program offered by The Standard http://www.ctamemberbenefits.org/thestandard
Lastly, there was some shocking news this week regarding long time FMSD Board member John Lindner. Trustee Lindner has been a strong ally over the years though I am extremely concerned about the information that has come to light. Here is a link to the article in the Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/16/san-jose-schools-trustee-faces-18500-fine-for-draining-bond-campaign-fund/
September 29, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here is a link to FMEA's short bargaining survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RCWRT5F Please complete it in the next week if possible. We will begin bargaining in November. If you have trouble using the electronic survey let me know and I can send you a hard copy.
FMEA's annual Oktoberfest party is this coming Thursday. A flyer is attached with all details. I hope you will join us for this fun informal event!
SPED issues: The SPED signing bonus usually comes in August, but this year it was a month late. If you are a newer SPED teacher you should have received the bonus on today's paycheck. Also, FMEA is planning on holding a union SPED meeting after school on Monday, November 6th. Location TBA.
The FMEA track meet is just several weeks away. It will be held at Sylvandale on the morning of Saturday, October 21st. We have many schools participating, but it's not too late to add more. We also need some volunteers to help out the day of the event. If you are interested in volunteering let me know.
Have a great a weekend, and as always, please get in touch with any questions, concerns or ideas you have.
Best,
September 15, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here are the highlights from Monday's FMEA Rep Council meeting. Note: These meetings are open to all FMEA members. If you're interested in attending let me know.
1. The Board will certify our Williams audit (stating that all students have requisite core curriculum) at the 7pm board meeting on September 26th. I always let the Board know this is not accurate, but they need to hear it from you. Please consider speaking at that meeting or contacting our School Board President, George Sanchez at [email protected] if your students do not have their curriculum.
2. The FMEA Track Meet will be October 21st. We need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) from every site that wants to participate. Please help students at your site take part in this fun event by volunteering to be the CT. Let me know if you are interested.
3. FMEA's Oktoberfest party is October 5th at Stanley's (flyers coming soon). We want to see everyone there, but teachers new to the district will be our special guests at this event.
4. Later this month FMEA will be surveying for the next round of bargaining which begins in November. We are bargaining for the current school year. Hopefully we can reach an agreement that includes another raise that is retroactive to the start of the year.
5. Please join the FMEA Facebook group and Remind text blast list. To join the text list just text "@fmeamember" to 81010.
6. The FMEA website is http://www.fmea.mobi where you can find all the important FMEA documents.
7. Teachers and others from around the area will be phone banking in support of "Dreamers" on September 26th. A flyer with details is attached.
Have a great weekend!
September 1, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Labor Day marks the date when the district is contractually required to have classes balanced so that no one is over their class size maximum. Beginning Tuesday, teachers may be compensated if over the contractual limit (this is known as "floating caps"). Note: there is a five day grace period per year that each teacher must be over before floating cap compensation begins. It's a bit confusing, so if you're over your max and want clarification give me a call.
FMEA will be holding our Oktoberfest party on Thursday, October 5th, at Stanley's Sports Bar. This event is for all members, but we especially want to welcome the district's 40 new teachers at this event. Look for a flyer in the coming weeks.
FMEA will again be holding four student events this year. We will have a track meet, spelling be, basketball tournament and literacy fair. This year we are going to try moving the track meet to October. The tentative date is October 21st. Each participating site will need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) ASAP. If you are interested in being your site's CT let me know.
The first FMEA Rep Council meeting of the year will be Monday, September 11th. If you are interested in being involved in Rep Council let me know.
This time of year a broken A/C in the classroom can really make things unbearable. If yours isn't working have your secretary put in a work order. Once you've done that feel free to contact me and I can try to expedite it being repaired.
I've attached a PDF of the Thursday/ cohort day calendar since the link I sent in my last email didn't work for everyone.
Enjoy the holiday weekend!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 16, 2017
Welcome back FMEA members!
I hope you had a fantastic summer. I still can't believe how fast it went by. We are coming back to a very different district than the one we left. In addition to new principals at seven schools, Stella Kemp left this week to become Superintendent of San Bruno Park School District, our Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Megan Lamken, retires at the end of the month, and we have a new Director of HR.
Each new school year always seems to bring a fresh batch of issues. If something doesn't seem right let me know. It's always easier to nip a problem in the bud when routines are still being established.
Next month FMEA will survey all members, and our next round of bargaining will likely start in October. We will again attempt to bargain for a salary increase, as well as improvements to contract language. It's far too early to tell how that will go, and much will depend on whether FMSD enrollment continues to drop as significantly as it did in recent years.
Below is a link to the calendar of teacher/ admin-directed Thursdays for the year. Note: next month teachers get two Thursdays in a row, followed by two admin-directed Thursdays in a row. This was to accommodate the availability of presenters.
https://1.cdn.edl.io/OuKfH8nw6TNmZtwjJU3qEK3Dr3nM85u8aPzsyJNQUwpfHVDy.pdf
If you have left the district and no longer want to receive FMEA emails let me know and I'll take you off the list.
I hope everyone has a great first day of school and an outstanding year!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
June 16, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Congratulations on the completion of another school year!
- Our last edition of the FMEA Observer is attached.
- If you mainstreamed an SDC student this spring, and it put you over your class-size limit, please contact me, as our latest bargaining agreement entitles you to compensation.
- If you are interested in participating in the H.R. Director interviews that take place this coming Tuesday let me know.
- Don't forget that June 30th is the deadline to resign if you are not returning next year.
- Congratulations, once again, to all our retirees!
Feel free to contact me over the summer. I won't always be in town to meet in person, but I am available to help out with issues that arise during summer. Enjoy your vacation and I'll see you in August!
June 9, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from the final FMEA Rep Council of the year, and below that are FMEA election results. Don't forget, the “contracts” that are currently being distributed for you to sign are not binding. They are just a placement verification to ensure you are being paid the correct amount. If you do not plan to return next year, you must formally notify HR by June 30th or the district can choose not to release you.
FMEA June Rep Council Highlights:
Union Dues: Reps voted to increase annual FMEA dues by $20 ($1.66 per month). Total local dues will now be $395, which is still the lowest of any full-time release chapter operating out of the Mt Hamilton CTA office. Separately, CTA dues will be increasing by $21 annually.
Calendar/Minutes: If your site felt pressured to agree to an increase in instructional minutes let me know ASAP. The calendar that Ed Services sent each school is not the final version. Sites are able to appeal to change things such as conference weeks or short days. If you have questions or want help with this let me know.
Salary Schedule: There has been some confusion regarding next year's salary schedule: It is labeled 2016/17 because we have not yet bargained for 2017/18 salary. Ideally we will get another raise next year, and retro pay to go with it. This year's retro pay check will arrive at the end of this month. Here's a link to the salary schedule that is in place until we bargain and settle for 2017/18.
https://1.cdn.edl.io/2coOMIi6ra2bq7im6iDgw62klqpGnXBTnD2i2u6NZip5oOCH.pdf
Transportation And Work Order Procedures: Reps have discussed the challenges and lack of communication when trying to secure busses and work orders. Juan Cruz will be working over the summer to improve the district's systems, but it's not clear what the changes will be.
ELA Adoption: There will probably be an ELA adoption recommendation going to the Board at the June 27th meeting. There is a public hearing at this Tuesday's 7pm Board meeting in regards to any adoption. It looks unlikely the district will adopt a curriculum in primary grades for next year, but an adoption looks more likely in grades 4 and 5, and possibly 6-8.
FMEA Election Results:
President: Scott Shulimson- 184 Write Ins: Paul Ward-1 Honda Cevallos- 1
Vice President: Kelly Bond- 179 Write Ins: Ashley Frost-1
Secretary: Rachel Whitmeyer- 180
Treasurer: Kristi Billings - 180
Director At Large: Erik Whitaker- 181
Lastly, it was recently announced that Jerry Merza will not be returning to FMSD next year. Jerry was a teacher, the Hellyer principal and then Director of Human Resources. He joins the long list of administrators not returning.
I hope your last week of school goes smoothly!
May 27, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
As we get closer to the end of the school year and a much-deserved summer break, there are a few things I'd like to highlight:
The district can never mandate that you work on a non-work day. Summer PD is a great option, but it is always optional, and generally should be paid. Some schools received emails from our Ed Services departments that seemed to imply that PD can be mandated over the summer, but that is never the case. These emails also listed hourly pay as $41 an hour, but it is now $42 an hour.
Another tricky issue this time of year is the instructional minutes and calendar process. Each site is contractually required to form an instructional minutes committee, and the staff is required to vote on the minutes. This process doesn't always seem to happen, but if you are being pressured to increase your instructional minutes let me know. Also, this year Ed Services has apparently given less discretion to sites on how schedule-2 days are placed. Schools can still come up with their own calendar of schedule-2 days, but must "appeal" any changes from what was provided. If you are having any trouble getting the calendar you and your staff want, let me know.
Lastly, our FMEA End-Of-The-Year-Party is Friday, June 2nd at Mt Hamilton CTA. Don't miss our biggest party of the year as we honor our retirees, celebrate the ending of another year with cash prizes and good food and drink, and even dust off the karaoke machine! We will be at the Mt Hamilton CTA building at 888 S. Capitol from 3:30-6pm.
For those who may not have a copy handy, I'm attaching the 17/18 and 18/19 school year calendars.
Enjoy the long weekend!
Best,
May 10, 2017
Hi FMEA members, and happy Day Of The Teacher!
While NEA celebrated their teacher day yesterday, both FMEA and the district are recognizing our great teachers on CTA's Day Of The Teacher, which is today. Please accept the small FMEA gift at your site, and if you don't get one, let me or your Site Rep know.
FMEA has approved the Tentative Agreement by a vote of 339 in favor and 3 against. The School Board voted to approve it unanimously at last night's meeting, so it is now in effect. Expect retro pay in your June paycheck. If you are interested in joining the Bargaining Team for next year let me know.
With last Saturday's FMEA Track Meet, we've completed our FMEA student events for the year. They take a lot of work, so thank you to all those who coordinated at sites or helped out at the events.
The maternity leave document that was supposed to go out with the last FMEA Update is attached here.
Lastly, I hope to see you at our FMEA End Of The Year Party on June 2nd at Mt Hamilton, as we honor our retirees and more.
Thanks for you all you do!
May 5, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Below are Rep Council Highlights, as well as the list of our retirees. Also, the May FMEA Observer is attached. Don't forget the FMEA Track Meet is tomorrow, Saturday, at Sylvandale, with the first race at 9:30am. Thank you to all the folks helping coordinate this at sites! We can always use help with this outstanding event, so come out and support our students if you are able to.
May Rep Council Highlights:
Bargaining: FMEA is in the process of approving the TA (Tentative Agreement). The School Board will give final approval Tuesday. The 3.5% raise is the only component that is retroactive. When we return in the fall FMEA will survey membership and begin bargaining for the 2017/18 school year.
FMEA's End Of The Year Party is June 2nd at Mt Hamilton. We have a lot of retirees to celebrate this year, so mark your calendar and don't miss this great event!
FMEA 8th grade scholarships have changed. This year there will be a total of three $100 scholarships awarded, and they will be based on a selective application process. The application is attached, and each teacher may submit one application.
FMEA Budget: Rep Council will be passing a budget for next year at the June Rep Council meeting. FMEA continues to deficit spend. Our options are to deficit spend, make big changes to our program (such as eliminating having a full-time release president) or raise dues. The current proposal is to raise dues by $15 a year. Make sure to share your perspective with your Site Rep in the coming weeks.
Transferring: There are a currently a very large number of openings in our district. If you are interested in transferring you can either contact HR letting them know which position you want to interview for, or you can go to the district website, and select "Community." Then choose "Employment Opportunities" and scroll to "to apply for current openings click here." I would also recommend directly contacting the principal at the site you are applying at. Good luck!
Bussing: Reps brought up issues with the current procedures in securing busses for field trips. I'll try to work with admin to improve the current system.
Maternity Leave: Attached is a summary of FMEA's information on maternity leave. If you ever receive confusing or contradictory information from HR let me know.
CTA Day Of The Teacher is this coming Wednesday, May 10th, and this year the district will be recognizing teachers on the same day as FMEA.
Congratulations to all our retirees! We had 25 teachers qualify for the retirement incentive. Here is a list of those retiring:
RETIREMENTLOCATION
Alexandra Adams - Bridges
Kate Adams- Bridges
Rodney Palmer- Bridges
James Johnson - Bridges
Virginia Gyorkos - Bridges
Don Halog - Bridges
Ruth Gilley - CCA
Irma Balzen - Dahl
Anh Do - Kennedy
Julie Rambo - Kennedy
Linda Burge - Kennedy
Oanh Tran - Kennedy
Edna Wong - Lairon
Marion Kathleen Smith - Lairon
Ricky Perez - Lairon
Michelle Rose - Lairon
Laura Farris - Los Arboles
Phyllis Chan - Los Arboles
Janice Morse - Los Arboles
Denise Castillo - Ramblewood
Cynthia Schroye - rSantee
Teresa Sadler - Shirakawa
Jan Theiss-Guffey - Stonegate
Carl White - Sylvandale
Sherrill DeLuca - Windmill
Vidya Tripathi - Windmill
ALREADY LEFT
Sharon Lee Nakayama - Bridges
Carmen Montano - Santee
April 25, 2017
Hi all,
I hope you had a restful and rejuvenating spring break. There's a lot of important information in this FMEA Update so please read on.
TA Vote: Voting on our Tentative Agreement (TA) will take place at sites all next week. The FMEA Executive Board and Bargaining Team are in full support of this TA. Assuming FMEA approves it, the School Board will ratify the TA on May 9th. At that point the new contract language becomes binding. The only part of the TA that is retroactive is the 3.5% raise, and the retro checks should arrive in our June paycheck.
SERP: Tonight the School Board will formally approve the SERP. There are 25 FMEA folks taking the retirement incentive. It is my understanding that we are settling our contract in time such that SERP recipients will have the 3.5% raise added to their payout.
New Principals: Also at tonight's 7pm Board meeting, new principals will be approved, and their names released. I will post the new principal info to the FMEA Facebook group once the Board shares the names.
FMEA Officer Elections will take place May 29th-June 2nd. Any FMEA member can run for President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary or Director-At-Large. All positions are one-year, except for Director which is three-years. If you want more information let me know. If you want to declare your candidacy, send a bio of 30 words or less to Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at [email protected] by 4pm on May 15th
FMEA Party: Our FMEA End Of The Year Party is being moved to Friday, June 2nd. Do plan on attending our annual party as we celebrate the completion of another year, and honor our retirees and many others.
FMEA Student Events:
- The FMEA Literacy Fair is this Friday, April 28th at 5:45 in the District Office Board Room.
- The FMEA Track Meet is Saturday May 6th at Sylvandale starting at 9am. Some schools still need a Coordinating Teacher for their students to be able to compete. Please join us for this great annual event.
- The FMEA Basketball Tournament on April 8th was a huge success. Congratulations to tournament winner: Shirakawa, and runner up: Santee.
Rally: This Monday, May 1st, FMEA is joining with educators and other workers around the region for a rally against bigotry and economic inequality. The rally will be at 4pm at the Arena Greens (N. Autumn and Santa Clara). See attached flyer.
CTA State Council: If you are interested in running for a three-year seat on CTA State Council, see the attached declaration-of-candidacy.
Please let me know if you have questions or want more information on any issues mentioned above.
April 12, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Yesterday in bargaining, FMEA and the district were able to reach a Tentative Agreement (TA). This will be a binding agreement once FMEA membership and the School Board vote to approve it. That will all be completed in the next month, and the TA will then become part of our formal contract. The FMEA Executive Board and Bargaining Team are in support of the TA.
This was a one-year re-opener to our three-year contract. The only changes were in the Compensation and Class Size articles. The full TA is attached to this email.
In Compensation:
- We will receive a 3.5% raise, retroactive to the beginning of this school year. This is the same size raise we received last year. With this, we will have received 16% in raises over the last four years! Retro checks should come at the end of June.
- Hourly pay was increased from $41 to $42.
- There was clean up language in 3.1.3 regarding 194 day employees. This will not actually change anyone's compensation.
- 8.1 We have included TK in K-3 class size language. Before this there was no class size language for TK.
- 8.3 K-3 combination classes will now be limited to 22 students.
- 8.4.2 and 8.4.3 We included the written version of the number for consistency's sake.
- 8.6.2 Teachers mainstreaming a student when over their caseload will now get paid $3 per day, no matter how long the student is in the room each day. Previously the student had to be in the room more than 50% of the day for pay.
- 8.6 and 8.7 All SDC floating cap pay will increase from $10 to $15 per student, per day. Also the word "Autistic" was changed to "Autism."
- 8.12 The district can now provide any representative from the SPED department for meetings requested by general ed teachers to discuss challenges arising from mainstreaming.
- 8.12c. "Special education specialist" replaced "resource specialist" in this sentence about support for mainstreaming.
- 8.13d. "Elementary Schools" replaced "self contained."
- 8.13.2b. "Self contained" was eliminated and "elementary schools" was added.
Lastly: We signed a one-year MOU that will give per-diem pay to all Psychs, RSP, SLP and APE that do an initial assessment outside of their caseload. This MOU allows the district to assign up to one initial assessment outside of caseload. We will try this for one year. Technically the district can already assign initials outside caseload, though they have generally stopped doing this in recent years.
All other components of the contract remain status quo.
Though we are just finishing up this re-opener to our contract, it won't be long before we return to the bargaining table to bargain for a possible raise and other changes for next year. But for now we need to ratify this TA. FMEA will then survey membership before we begin our next round of bargaining.
Thank you to the excellent FMEA Bargaining Team, Lyn Irvine, Alie Victorine, Veronica Andrade, Kris Clarke (CTA Staff) and Bargaining Chair, Charlie Nave! It's a job that takes a lot of competence and patience, and we are lucky to have such a great team!
If you have any questions please contact myself or a member of the Bargaining Team. Stay tuned for news on when voting will occur for the TA. If over 50% of votes cast by FMEA members support the TA, then it will go to the School Board who will certainly ratify it.
April 7, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Bargaining: We bargain again this Tuesday. There were problems with the link I sent last week for the new contract, so try this one. http://tinyurl.com/kwqagx7
SERP: Wednesday, April 12th, is the deadline for participating in the retirement incentive. There are at least 16 people currently registered. I do believe the Board will move forward with it even if we don't get to 29, which was the original target.
Tentative Master Schedules: Contractually the district has to post tentative master schedules by April 15th, which means they should be posted before our Spring Break. If you don't see it posted at your site by Thursday, April 13th, let me know.
FMEA Officer Elections: The window is now open to declare your candidacy for any FMEA officer position. These are: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Director-At-Large. The deadline to declare is May 8th. Send declarations to Elections Chair, Sau Vu, at [email protected]
FMEA Student Events: Tomorrow, Saturday, is the FMEA Basketball Tournament at Sylvandale, and our track meet is less than a month away on May 6th. Please figure out who your site's Coordinating Teacher (CT) will be for the track meet. Let your Site Rep know if you are interested.
March 29, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Below are this week's Rep Council Highlights, and the recent FMEA Observer is attached.
1. Bargaining: There has been some recent progress in bargaining, but the process has been slow. We bargain next on April 11th. The Tentative Agreement from last year has been integrated into The Contract and new printed versions are available in H.R.
The electronic version is here: http://tinyurl.com/kwqagx7
2. Principal Interviews: There are now six principals leaving the district next year. Kennedy, Sylvandale, Los Arboles, Dahl, Bridges and Shirakawa will all have new principals. A large pool of candidates has applied to the district. They have gone through an initial screening, and sites will be setting up interviews for next month. Each site's interview committee gets two FMEA reps. Talk to your Site Rep if you want to be on the interview committee. A vote should be held if more than two want to represent FMEA at your school.
3. Flood Donations: FMEA donated seventy-one $100 gift cards to FMSD students affected by the flood. Just over $2000 was collected at sites and the rest were paid for directly from FMEA's reserves. Thank you again for the outpouring of generosity!
4. NEA Representative Assembly: Congratulations to Shanti Arnold, Lyn Irvine and Kristi Billings who won seats as State Delegates to the NEA RA. Honda Cevallos is running unopposed as NEA RA Local Delegate, so there will not need to be an election for this spot, and Honda will represent FMEA as our Local Delegate.
5. SERP: The deadline to participate in the retirement incentive is April 14th. There are currently 14 participants. It may not move forward if that number does not increase, though I do expect more to join in the coming weeks. Those who put their name in will the have the opportunity to rescind their retirement if the incentive doesn't go forward.
6. FMEA Party: FMEA's End Of The Year Party will be Friday, May 19th, at Mt Hamilton. Flyers will be distributed next month.
7. FMEA Student Events:
- The FMEA Basketball Tournament is April 8th.
- April 7th is the deadline for Kristi Billings at Franklin to receive books for the April 28th FMEA Literacy Fair.
- The FMEA Track Meet is May 6th, so it's definitely time to figure out who will be your site's CT (Coordinating Teacher).
8. Minority Incentive Grants: Grants are now available for CTA's premier conference, The CTA Summer Institute. Details can be found here: http://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events/Conferences.aspx
9. School Dashboards: Here's a link to the state's new school dashboard. https://www.caschooldashboard.org/#/Home
10. FMEA Text Alerts: Don't forget to join FMEA's text alert group by texting "@fmeamember" to number 81010. You will only receive my relatively infrequent texts, not any responses.
March 17, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Donations: Thank you for your generous donations to the Shirakawa flood victims. We gathered over $1800 from sites, and FMEA will be contributing the rest so that each of our 94 affected students will all receive a $100 gift card!
Bargaining: Bargaining continued this week. We made a bit more progress towards establishing a retroactive raise for this year, but the amount the district is offering is still not in line with what is fair and reasonable. Our next bargaining date is April 11th. Also, if you are interested in serving on the FMEA Bargaining Team next year let me know.
Principal interviews: At least five principals are leaving at the end of this year, and there is a very large pool of applicants. The district will be doing an initial screening of all candidates this coming Friday, March 24th, and Monday, March 27th. If you are interested in representing FMEA on these initial screening dates let me know ASAP.
After the initial screening there will be interviews at all sites that are changing principals. These interviews will begin in April. For the site interview committee, FMEA gets two reps, and if there are more than two FMEA volunteers then the Site Rep will hold a vote to determine who will represent FMEA on that interview committee.
SERP: After some initial resistance, the district has agreed to add longevity pay to what will be paid out under the retirement incentive (SERP) program. The number of people who have signed up is still small, but the deadline has been extended until April 14th. Note: retirees are able to purchase benefits at the district cost until 65, and dental/vision for life.
CTA State Council: There is an election coming up for a CTA State Council seat in our region. The three-year term begins in June. Alternates are also needed. If you are interested in running let me know.
FMEA Student Events:
- The FMEA Basketball Tourney is April 8th. We have a number of sites participating, but it would great to see students from all sites get to play!
- The FMEA Literacy Fair is April 28th. Submissions must be received by April 7th. Pony to Kristi Billings at Franklin.
- The FMEA Track Meet is May 6th at Sylvandale. It's time to start figuring out who your site's Coordinating Teacher will be for the track meet.
March 3, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here are the highlights from Monday's Rep Council meeting.
1. Flood donations: Site Reps will be collecting cash donations through at least Monday for the flood victims. FMEA will ultimately be purchasing and distributing one $100 Target gift card for all 94 FMSD students affected by the flooding devastation.
2. Bargaining: The district and FMEA continue to work towards a settlement that includes a fair raise for this current school year. Progress has been slow. Our next bargaining date is March 14th. FMEA is still looking for members to join our bargaining team. If you think you might be interested let me know.
3. SERP: The deadline for the district's retirement incentive has been extended to April 12th. If not enough people sign up for the incentive it will not move forward. If it does not go forward you will be allowed to rescind your notice of retirement
4. FMEA Happy Hour: One week from today on Friday, March 10th, we will have our next FMEA Happy Hour at Staneley's. Look for the green flyers with all details. These events have been a ton of fun so stop by and check it out!
5. FMEA Student Events:
A. FMEA Literacy Fair: Flyers have been ponied to all sites. One side has directions and timelines for teachers. The other side should be posted in the classroom for students to see. The deadline for submissions to Kristi Billings at Franklin is April 7th. The actual event is April 28th in the Board Room.
B. Basketball Tourney: Larry Volpe is once again leading the effort to coordinate this long-standing event. Let's get even more schools involved this year! We need a coach for each participating site. For more details you can email Larry at [email protected]. The tournament will be held April 8th at Sylvandale.
C. Track Meet: The date for FMEA's annual track meet is May 6th.
6. Principal interviews: Principals at Sylvandale, Kennedy, Los Arboles and Dahl are retiring. Interviews for replacements are likely to begin next month. Two FMEA members are invited onto each interview committee. If more than two want to join the committee I recommend the Site Rep hold a vote to determine who will represent FMEA on the committee.
7. Total Dues: Total 2016 union dues for tax purposes were $1202
8. Text Alerts: If you haven't joined FMEA's text alert list just text "fmeamember" to 81010
Thank you for your generous donations to the Shirakawa flood victims. Have a great weekend!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
February 21, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here's a summary of the latest FMEA news:
Bargaining: FMEA and the district continue to work towards a bargaining agreement. Progress has been extremely slow but for now things are moving forward.
Retirement Incentive: The School Board has approved offering a retirement incentive (Supplemental Employee Retirement Program AKA SERP) for the first time in five years. Teachers would receive 65% of their annual salary paid out over 5 or more years. If less than 29 sign up for it then it may not move forward. The deadline is March 22nd and there will be an orientation this coming Wednesday in the board room. You must be over 55 with five years in the district to qualify.
Calendars: The School Board has approved the 2017/18 and 2018/19 calendars. They are attached.
NEA RA Local Delegate: If you interested in running to be an FMEA Local Delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly the declaration is attached. The deadline to declare is March 3rd.
Dues: Total 2016 Union Dues for tax purposes were $1202
FMEA Events:
- Our next FMEA Happy Hour will be Friday March 10th at Stanley's Sport Bar. Don't miss it!
- The FMEA Literacy Fair is April 28th. All submissions of student work must be received by Kristi Billings at Franklin by April 7th.
Non Reelects: This is the time of year when non reelect notices go out to some probationary teachers. Keep in mind that you can turn in your resignation, effective June 30th, prior to the non reelect officially going on your record.
If you have questions about any of these topics or anything else don't hesitate to get in touch.
January 31, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
Here are the highlights from yesterday's Rep Council meeting.
1. Bargaining: The district and FMEA have been making very slow progress towards an agreement. We bargain again this week. It's not clear yet whether we will be able to reach an agreement without the help of a mediator, but we should know more in the coming weeks.
2. Retirement: Anyone who notifies H.R by today that they are retiring this year will receive a $2000 stipend.
There's also a chance that this year there will be a large retirement incentive program similar to the one offered five years ago. A decision has not yet been made on this, and we probably won't know for a couple more weeks. If a large retirement incentive is offered it would be available to all, whether or not they had already turned in retirement notice. Do note that turning in a retirement notice to H.R. is binding.
3. Calendars: The Calendar Committee has reached an agreement on calendars for the next two academic years. These calendars are aligned with the survey preferences of FMEA, and the Board is expected to approve the calendars at their February 14th meeting. Both are attached.
4. Taxes: Total 2016 union dues for tax purposes were $1202.
5. FMEA Student Events: This year's FMEA Literacy Fair is April 28th and submissions need to be ponied Kristi Billings at Franklin by April 7th. The FMEA Basketball Tourney will be April 7th. All participating schools will need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) to put together a basketball team.
6. DeVos: It's not too late to stop Trump's proposed Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. Calling our senators at 855-882-6229 is good, but even better is contacting friends in conservative states and urging them to contact their senators to oppose DeVos. DeVos is a billionaire who has never been a teacher and has backed terrible charter schools.
7. Happy Hour: Our next FMEA Happy Hour will be Friday, March 10th at Stanley's Sports Bar. Don't miss it!
8. Conferences and Events: There are a large number of events coming up that may interest you:
- June 30th-July 5th: NEA Representative Assembly in Boston
- February 2nd: Loan forgiveness training at East Side Board room (flyer attached)
- February 3-5th: CTA Good Teaching Conference in San Jose
- February 9th: Alum Rock sit in at their board room (flyer attached)
- February 16th: Institute For Teaching (IFT) Grant Writing Training in Campbell (flyer attached)
- March 2-3rd: CTA Equity and Human Rights Conference in San Jose
- March 11th: CTA Legislative Brunch in San Jose (flyer attached)
- May 5-7th: CTA Ethnic Caucus Issues Conference in Manhattan Beach
Thanks for reading all the way through this email!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
January 26, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
For anyone considering retiring, if you formally notify H.R. by January 30th you will receive a $2000 bonus. I've been pushing the district to look into whether a larger retirement incentive is viable this year. They have finally run the numbers, and I should have information very soon on whether a full-scale retirement incentive will be offered this year.
If you haven't yet heard, Betsy DeVos, Trump's nominee for Education Secretary, is a disaster. The good news is the vote to approve her has already been postponed twice. Now is the time to call our senators. The NEA switchboard will connect you if you call 855-882-6229.
This year's FMEA Literacy Fair will be April 28th. The deadline for submissions is April 7th. Plan ahead and don't miss the deadline. Congrats to FMEA Spelling Bee winner, Amarrah Len from Hellyer!
If you are interested in declaring your candidacy to be a State Delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly, the application and directions can be found at this link:
http://www.cta.org/~/media/Documents/About/Leadership/NEA%20RA/2017%20Declaration%20of%20Candidacy%20Form.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20170123T2020068597
Lastly, it's not too late to take the FMEA Calendar Survey. So far 215 members have completed the survey. Here are the results so far:
Question 1 regarding October break:
- 77% want to keep our October break
- 17% prefer a February break ("ski week")
- 3% prefer a two-week spring break
- 3% prefer a longer summer
- 64% want to keep our three-week winter break
- 25% prefer to give up one of the three weeks and have a February break
- 4% prefer to give up one of the three weeks and have a two-week spring break
- 7% prefer to give up one of the three weeks and have a longer summer
- 56% prefer the slightly later start and end dates like we have this year
- 44% prefer to start and end one week earlier
Here is the survey link for those who have not yet taken the survey. FMEA Calendar Survey
FMEA Calendar SurveyWeb survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com. Create your own online survey now with SurveyMonkey's expert certifi...
Best,
Scott Shulimson
January 17, 2017
Hi FMEA members,
I'm hoping your 2017 is off to a good start. One way to make it even better is to stop by the FMEA Spelling Bee tomorrow evening! Top spellers from nine of our schools will be competing, Wednesday at 6pm in the Bridges Academy cafeteria, 1702 McLaughlin Ave.
There's also an event sponsored by our colleagues at East Side that teachers are invited to. It is a training regarding debt forgiveness for teachers, and it takes place February 2nd. A flyer with details and RSVP info is attached.
Governor Brown released his January budget proposal last week. While the budget was not as positive for education as some recent years, this is usually the time when our district gets serious about reaching a deal in bargaining. Our next bargaining date is this Thursday, so hopefully we will finally make some progress towards a deal.
Lastly, if you haven't taken the FMEA Calendar Survey there is still time. I'm hoping we will have the calendar completed early next month. Here is the survey link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3V67YYL
As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, ideas or concerns.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
December 1, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from last week's Rep Council which serve as a good summary of current and upcoming FMEA issues and events.
1. Bargaining is just getting going. Our third meeting will be December 7th. So far we have not received any compensation proposals from the district.
2. FMEA Happy Hour is this Friday (tomorrow) at Stanleys 3:30-6:30. We'll have free food and drinks until they run out. The December 9th new teacher event (cancelled) was combined with this event and we will have special tables for our newest members. It's going to be a ton of fun, so gather a group from your school and come get the weekend started right!
3. Many sites already have a Coordinating Teacher (CT) for the FMEA Spelling Bee, but some don't so let's try to get more sites involved. All materials have been emailed out and more can be ponied as needed. The FMEA Spelling Bee is January 18th.
4. On December 7th FMEA will be holding a SPED meeting to discuss issues and concerns. This meeting is open to all members. We will meet in the Shirakawa library at3:30pm.
5. CTA's Cesar Chavez contest entries are due this Friday. Our own Shanti Arnold has won twice! Let's give her some competition. Here's a link which also includes info on a number of CTA scholarships: http://www.cta.org/scholarships
6. Don't forget to join the FMEA text alert group by texting "fmeamember" to 81010.
7. Suspension basics:
- Teachers have the right to suspend a student for that day and the following for any of the offenses listed in Ed Code 48900 found in the back of our contract (you can pick up a contract in H.R. if you don't have one).
- Despite recent Ed Code changes, teachers can still suspend for "willful defiance" in all grades.
- Teachers are required to contact parents ASAP to set up a meeting.
- Only administration can suspend home. Teachers can only suspend to the office.
- The principal cannot place a suspended student in another teacher's classroom.
8. There is a Santa Clara County Minority-At-Large State Council seat available. If anyone wants more information or a declaration form let me know. The deadline is December 15th.
9. On December 12th there is a "Teachers, Tacos and Tamales" CTA diversity reception. See attached flyer.
Here's a list of upcoming CTA conferences. Info can be found at http://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events/Conferences.aspx
· GLBT Issues: December 9-11 In Palm Springs
· Issues Conference: January 20-22 In Las Vegas
· Good Teaching: February 3-5 In San Jose (scholarships available from Santa Clara CTA in the coming months)
· Equity and Human Rights: March 2-3 San Jose
· Ethnic Caucus Issues: May 5-7 Manhattan Beach
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
November 3, 2016
Hi all,
Attached is the new edition of the FMEA Observer. Below are last week's Rep Council highlights.
October Rep Council Highlights:
1. Elections Info: Its crucial that we all talk with friends and family about the importance of Prop 55. If it doesn't pass, FMSD will suffer huge cuts, along with all other CA school districts. It's also very important that our local parcel tax, Measure HH pass. FMEA has also endorsed our two incumbent school board members, John Lindner and George Sanchez. Here's a CTA voter guide that allows you to search for CTA-endorsed candidates where you live. http://www.cta.yourvoter.guide/#/search
2. Bargaining: FMEA and the district begin bargaining November 10th.
3. FMEA Text Alerts: Please text "@fmeamember" to number 81010 to join the FMEA Remind text alert group.
4. FMEA Happy Hour: FMEA will be hosting a holiday happy hour at Stanley's Sports Bar onFriday, December 2nd at 3:30. FMEA will provide food and drinks until they run out. Flyers coming soon.
5. FMEA New-Teacher Gathering: On December 9th FMEA will host an event at Stanley's for teachers who have been in the district 3 years or less. This is a great way for newer teachers to connect with each other and also learn more about our union.
6. FMEA SPED Meeting: Mark your calendars for an FMEA SPED meeting on Wednesday, December 7th. This will be an open forum us to discuss what FMEA needs to be working on to support SPED teachers. Location TBA.
7. FMEA Student Events Calendar: Below are the dates for our FMEA student events. All teachers will need a Coordinating Teacher (CT) for each event other than the Literacy Fair. Sites need a CT for the Spelling Bee ASAP. This is a great way to get involved and support our students!
Spelling Bee: January 18th
Basketball Tourney: April 8th
Literacy Fair: April 28th (deadline for submissionsApril 7th)
Track Meet: May 6th
8. CTA Conferences: There are lots of great conferences, and a number of ways to get grants:
· GLBT Issues: December 9-11 In Palm Springs
· Issues Conference: January 20-22 In Las Vegas
· Good Teaching: February 3-5 In San Jose
· Equity and Human Rights: March 2-3 San Jose
· Ethnic Caucus Issues: May 5-7Manhattan Beach
For info on conferences and grants go to http://www.cta.org/en/Professional-Development/Events/Conferences.aspx
9. Santa Clara County Diversity Reception: This event "Teachers, Tacos and Tamales Diversity Reception" will be held on December 12th. A flyer is attached and here's the link to RSVP: http://bit.ly/sccttyt
10. Know your rights: Attached are the mini-rights guide and teacher's safety flyer. The safety scan didn't show up well so I'll try to find a way to get better copies out.
Lastly here are a couple of interesting articles on charter schools:
http://educationopportunitynetwork.org/what-new-challenges-to-the-charter-school-industry-reveal/
http://educationopportunitynetwork.org/federal-government-continues-to-feed-charter-school-beast-despite-auditors-warning/
Best,
Scott Shulimson
September 26, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Below are the highlights from last week's Rep Council. There's a lot of important information here so please take the time to read it all. I hope to see you Friday after school at Stanley's Sports Bar for our FMEA Party!
1. Bargaining: FMEA and the district will return to the bargaining table next month. We will bargain Compensation, Hours and Class Size. We will be seeking a retroactive raise for this year, and are also looking for improvements to special ed language. If you are interested in joining the Bargaining Team let me know.
2. FMEA will be using text messages this year, in addition to email notifications. Please text “@4a923” to 81010 from any cell phone. This will add you to the FMEA text message list.
3. FMEA Executive Board and Rep Council have voted to endorse incumbents John Lindner and George Sanchez who are being challenged by unknown outsider Lena Tran. Lena has not responded to attempts to communicate. FMEA is also supporting measure HH which would renew our district parcel tax.
4. November's Prop 55 is extremely important. This is an extension of (already existing) taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Californians, and if it doesn't pass we will struggle to continue receiving solid raises. Go to this link to pledge your support. Doing so will remove your number from CTA's phone banking list. www.tinyurl.com/yeson55 You don't need to have your CTA ID number.
5. The district is backing off initial limits to copying clicks while they examine the situation and decide on a plan. For now everyone should have access to their annual total, which is over 20,000 per year.
6. After some confusion it has been settled that field trip volunteers will not need to be fingerprinted. Principals can run a quick and free online check to make sure they aren't a registered sex offender. Classroom volunteers will need to be fingerprinted.
7. If anyone is still missing core curriculum let me know ASAP.
8. Last but not least, don't forget our party is Friday, September 30th at Stanley's Sports Bar!
If you have any questions, comments or ideas on any of this don't hesitate to get in touch.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
September 16, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
- I hope things are off to a good start for you and your students. FMEA will be celebrating the beginning of this new school year two weeks from today at Stanley's Sports Bar. That's Friday, September 30th at 3:30, so mark your calendar and look for a flyer in your box next week. Come join us for good food, good beer and great company!
- In case you haven't heard, Prop 55 is terribly important to California's education funding. I'll be sending more info in the coming weeks, but for now if you click this link and fill it out, CTA will take you off the phone bank call list. www.tinyurl.com/yeson55
- Our first Rep Council is this Monday. CTA cards and pocket calendars will be distributed then.
- FMEA begins bargaining next month. Much of our focus will be on special ed issues. SDC teachers please take the top survey, and RSP teachers take the bottom survey.
- Attached is the calendar that delineates admin and teacher-directed Thursdays for the year. Though this version was designed for specific sites, the Thursdays should be the same across the district. Also, the district is contractually required to post this at every school, so you can always ask your principal where it's posted.
- Lastly, here are a couple of recent education articles in the news:
- https://ourfuture.org/20160908/who-gains-most-from-school-choice-not-low-income-students-of-color?utm_source=progressive_breakfast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pbreak
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/america-has-a-teacher-shortage-and-a-new-study-says-its-getting-worse/2016/09/14/d5de1cee-79e8-11e6-beac-57a4a412e93a_story.html
Stay tuned for next week's Rep Council highlights, and as always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, ideas or concerns.
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 26, 2016
Hello all FMEA members,
I hope you had a most rejuvenating and enjoyable vacation, and welcome to the two dozen new teachers in our district! I'm looking forward to a big year for FMEA with more fun events for our members as well as our students, and our most extensive efforts yet to make FMEA the most supportive, engaging and informative union around!
As in other years, a number of people have returned to find rooms, assignments and staffing not as they should be. Let's try to nip these issues in the bud. Many issues get harder to resolve later in the year, so if you want my help resolving a problem let me know.
If you haven't yet taken the FMEA bargaining survey you can still do so by going to this link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T5ZBJCW We will begin bargaining next month. FMEA will be seeking a raise for the 2016/17 school year as well as improvements in contract language.
CTA is offering a special ed workshop this Saturday (tomorrow) morning that is available to special ed and general ed teachers. A flyer is attached with details, and you can use this link to register http://bit.ly/2aGqH7K.
Last week there was good news in the courts as the California Supreme Court rejected an appeal of the Vergara lawsuit. This lawsuit had attempted to role back due process and other teachers' rights. Here's a link to an article with more info. http://www.cta.org/vergara
The district is again mandating online safety videos. It has been agreed that principals provide time during Tuesday staff meetings or admin-Thursdays to complete the videos. If you are at a school that utilizes all these meeting times, but is not providing time to complete the videos let me know.
Finally, in case you missed John Oliver's skewering of charter schools earlier this week, here's a link to the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_htSPGAY7I There is currently a bill in the California assembly that seeks to ensure that charters don't discriminate against low income, disabled or EL students. Call this CTA hotline before Monday to encourage passage of AB 322 and CTA will put your through to your elected representative. 1-855-977-0202.
As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, concerns or ideas.
Have a great year!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
June 28, 2016
Hi all,
I hope your summer is off to a great start. Now that you've had a chance to catch your breath this is a great time to take the FMEA Bargaining Survey if you haven't already. Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T5ZBJCW
Also, for those of you who plan to resign and seek employment elsewhere, don't forget that this Thursday, June 30th, is the deadline for resignations. If you resign after that date the district does not have to release you until they find your replacement.
Lastly, later this summer I will be removing teachers from this email list that are leaving the district. If you are resigning or retiring but want to remain on the FMEA email list let me know.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
June 10, 2016
Hi Franklin McKinley teachers and staff,
It has been good a year for some and a challenging year for others, but whatever kind of year it was for you, it's over now. Attached is the final 2015/16 edition of the FMEA Observer. I hope you read it on a beach somewhere relaxing!
Two pieces of good news: The Board will be voting to increase sub pay by $15 at this Tuesday's meeting. Hopefully that will help with the sub shortage we faced this year. Also, on June 7th the community of FMSD once again voted to support our district as Measure H passed with over 77% support. This new bond will bring in $67M to pay for much needed infrastructure improvements.
I hope you have a fantastic summer vacation, and I look forward to seeing you in August!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
May 27, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
There is a lot of information to share this time of year so please take the time to read this email. FMEA election results are at the bottom, a link to the new bargaining survey is below, and the 2016-17 calendar is attached.
Retro pay from the first 8 months of the year will be included in next week's paycheck. We will begin bargaining again in the fall. Here is a link to the very short FMEA bargaining survey. Answering these questions will help the FMEA Bargaining Team represent you and your interests.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T5ZBJCW If you prefer to complete the survey on paper let your Site Rep know. Also, if you are interested in joining the FMEA Bargaining Team let me know.
The paper from H.R. that most of you received this week is not a binding contract. It is just a placement verification form. It's important to make sure you are being paid the correct amount, but it is not a binding contract. Whether or not you sign it, you have until June 30th to notify the district if you plan to resign or retire, but you must notify H.R. by that deadline if you aren't returning.
May Rep Council Highlights:
- Rep Council voted to increase FMEA local dues by $30 a year to a total of $375 annually for next year. FMEA dues are still lower than the other nearby districts that have full-time release presidents.
- The 2016/17 FMEA budget was approved. Changes include a refined FMEA 8th grade scholarship program that will now require an application by students.
- Teacher evaluations had to be completed by the end of April or the contract was broken. If your evaluation was completed after that you can have it removed from you file, but you will have to be evaluated again next year. Let me know if you want help with that.
- Each site is contractually supposed to have a Minutes Committee that creates the instructional minutes for next year, and the site is then supposed to vote on them. Things are less clear with the end of No Child Left Behind, but in the past the minimum daily minutes for grades 1-3 were 310, for grades 4-8 (self contained) were 320 and all kinders should be 60 minutes less than 1st grade, now that all kinders will be "full day" district-wide.
- Measure H is the district's facilities bond. It goes to the voters June 7th and it's very important that it passes because it will generate money for improvements. There is precinct walking at Stonegate Park on Sunday June 5th starting at 9:30am, and the two remaining phone banking dates are: Wednesday, June 1st and Thursday, June 2nd at Santa Maria Goretti-2980 Senter Rd
- Reminder: You can't be required to work outside your 184 or 194 day calendar. All other work during summer or other vacations is technically optional.
- Congratulations to FMEA WHO (We Honor Our) winner Carissa Harris- you will be missed as you move on next year. And congratulations to County-wide WHO winner Lyn Irvine!
President:
Scott Shulimson 249 votes
Kelly Bond 1 vote
Aaron Avery 1 vote
Vice President:
Kelly Bond 238 votes
Secretary:
Rachel M. Witmeyer 240 votes
Kelly Bond 1 vote
Treasurer:
Kristi Billings 243 votes
Director-At-Large:
Erik Whitaker 141 votes
Kate Adams 89 votes
Thanks to those of you who made it to the very end of this email. Have a great long weekend!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
May 6, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Unfortunately tomorrow's track meet will have to be postponed because of the rain. Families are being notified. A final decision on the new date will be made soon. It will probably be Saturday, May 21st.
Teacher Appreciation Week is wrapping up and I want to take this time to say "thank you" for all your hard work and amazing contributions that make Franklin-McKinley the district it is. I'm honored to represent such a committed, caring and capable group of teachers. FMEA traditionally celebrates CTA's Day-Of-The-Teacher, which is this coming Wednesday May 11th, but it does cause confusion since it's not during NEA's Teacher-Appreciation-Week. FMEA will have a small gift for all members next week, but for now, have no doubt, you are very much appreciated.
Have a great weekend and happy Mother's Day!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
May 3, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from last month's Rep Council.
April Rep Council Highlights
1. Thank you for everyone's hard work gathering signatures. The final numbers aren't in yet but it looks like we have the amount needed to get the tax extension on the ballot and hopefully continue this funding stream that has been a big part of our recent ability to bargain raises.
2. FMEA has been deficit spending for many years. The reality is that we can only continue to deficit spend at this rate for about 7 more years before we run out reserves. Our other options are to raise local dues or eliminate having a full-time release president. All other chapters that have full-time presidents operating out of the Mt Hamilton CTA office pay more in local dues. Evergreen Teachers, pay over $100 more annually (22% more than FMEA local dues). Our current local dues are $345 annually.
3. The FMEA Track Meet is Saturday, May 7th at Sylvandale beginning at 9:30am. All permission slips need to be in ASAP. You can scan them to me or fax to 408-272-7569. We still need volunteers to help with this terrific event so let me know if plan to come out and support our students.
4. Excess staff picked open positions today. Remaining openings will be posted and temporary staff will have to interview for available openings. Teachers who want to transfer can also interview for openings. These openings will apparently not be open to outside candidates for now.
5. FMEA's End-Of-The-Year party is Friday, May 20th at Mt Hamilton CTA. We will have food, drinks and cash bingo as we honor retirees and celebrate the end of another school year!
6. May 9th at 4pm is the deadline to turn in declarations to run in the upcoming FMEA officer elections. Email bio of 30 words or less to Elections Chair Sau Vu at Ramblewood. Sau's email is [email protected]
7. CTA Summer Institute is the premier training grounds for union members who want to learn more about union membership and many other interesting topics Minority incentive grants are available through May 10th. Here's a link http://falcon.cta.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=CTANEW&WebKey=9782fe25-bc0e-4b1e-8ab1-839311d41edd
8. FMEA Rep Council voted to support Measure H, which is the district bond that seeks to raise $67M for facilities improvements. Our community will vote on the measure this June. If 55% or more support it then each parcel owner will pay an additional $35 annually. Phone banking is taking place in the coming weeks. This bond will allow the district to fund improvements that support teachers and students so let's help make sure it passes.
9. The FMEA Barganing Survey is coming soon. It will be an electronic survey through SurveyMonkey. Let your Site Rep know if you prefer a hard copy survey.
Thanks for all you do!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
April 19, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Attached is the latest edition of the FMEA Observer. Also attached are guidelines for Coordinating Teachers for our May 7th FMEA Track Meet, along with permission slips. Do consider getting involved, especially if your site doesn't have anyone helping out with this event. Lastly, our FMEA Literacy Fair is Friday, April 29th at 5:30 in the District Office. Come by the Board Room to see our students' fabulous work!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
April 7, 2016
Hi all,
Come out and de-stress tomorrow at FMEA's happy hour at Stanley's Sports Bar. We will be there from 3:30-5:30. The bar is located in the Sharks Ice building at 1500 S 10th on the corner of 10th and Alma. It's a great location, there's plenty of parking, and beer and wine is a dollar off for happy hour. Not only that, but FMEA will be buying appetizers for all and a free point for the first 10 people!
Sharks Ice is a big colorful building you can't miss. When you enter the building just go up the stairs, and the entrance to Stanley's is all the way down the hallway. It's a comfortable place with lots of good food and great beer on tap, so come get your weekend started right! I really do hope you will join us.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
April 1, 2016
Hi all,
We received great news earlier this week when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 4-4 tie on the Friedrichs case that had threatened to end public sector unions as we know them. Because of the tie, the lower court's ruling in favor of CTA will stand. Below is an email from CTA President, Erik Heins. Following that are excerpts from a separate CTA email regarding parents' rights to opt out of SBAC testing.
SCOTUS decision is a victory for students, educators and working families.
This morning the U.S. Supreme Court sent a victory to our students, our communities and working families everywhere. With a 4-4 decision in Friedrichs v. CTA the lower court ruling is affirmed and 40 years of common sense law stands. The decision allows educators across California the opportunity to come together and make our voices heard on issues that affect all of us such as providing quality public schools and colleges for all students.
This case was never about doing what's best for students, it was a political ploy by the wealthy corporate special interests backing this case to make it harder for working families and the middle class to come together, speak up and get ahead. CTA will continue to advocate for the public education all California students deserve, fight for social justice, and secure better learning and working conditions for students and educators.
For more information, read: As some of the same wealthy special interests who manufactured this case are also trying to prevent President Obama from filling the vacancy on the Supreme Court, it's time for all lawmakers to uphold their constitutional responsibilities and keep moving the nomination process through Congress. The time to act is now. Reach out and email your Senator today.
Eric Heins
CTA President
Opt-Out
California is one of a handful of states that legally allow parents to opt out of state-mandated standardized testing. California also has regulations governing what educators can say to parents and families. As CTA and local chapters are organizing around the importance of learning over testing, CTA has put together resources to help educators have these conversations.
First and foremost, know your rights as an educator. There is language in the California Code of Regulations that allows educators to inform parents of their right to opt out of state testing for their child, but prohibits them from soliciting or encouraging parents to do so. Be sure to read School Employees' Rights Regarding Opting Out of Testing from the CTA Legal Department.
CTA has also developed a parent flyer, You Can Opt Out: Know Your Rights, and sample opt-out letter for parents. CTA members can distribute this flyer to parents to inform them of their rights around testing and opting out. As testing is an important issue to parents of English learners, this flyer will soon be available in multiple languages.
Enjoy the rest of your break and don't forget about our FMEA Happy Hour one week from today, 3:30 at Stanley’s Sports Bar at Sharks Ice 1500 S 10th Street.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
March 25, 2016
Hi all,
Here are the highlights from the March Rep Council meeting:
1. The Tentative Agreement has been approved by FMEA and the School Board. The 3.5% raise will be integrated into the April paycheck. The May paycheck will include retro pay for the year. It won't be long before we will begin bargaining for next year.
2. The district is projecting a drop of over 500 students next year due to the influx of charter schools as well as families moving to less expensive areas. FMSD is projecting a drop of 22 teachers. Temporary teachers will be the first moved if there is excess staff at a site. Even with these reductions, it is expected that there will be enough positions around the district for everyone because over 30 teachers leave the district every year. Let me know if projections at your site seem way off and I will follow up with Juan Cruz.
3. There will be an FMEA spring social event at Stanley's Sports Bar at Shark's Ice across from Giants stadium on 10th and Alma. The event will be Friday April 8th at 3:30. Free appetizers to all, and a free pint to the first ten teachers there. Flyers will be distributed the week after break. Come out and have a pint with some friends!
4. Don't forget April 15th is the FIRM cutoff date for all submissions to be received for this year's FMEA Literacy Fair. Pony subissions to Kristi Billings at Franklin. The event is April 29th in the District Board Room.
5. The FMEA Track Meet is coming up on May 7th. Every participating site needs a Coordinating Teacher to hold trials to determine your fastest runners who will go on to the district-wide event. This is a fantastic annual event, but it takes a lot of people to make it happen, so if you are willing to help out let me or your Site Rep know.
6. Rocketship Mosaic had their 5 year renewal approved. Cornerstone is looking to add middle school grades. KIPP will house at least one grade level at Meadows in 16/17 before it moves to Los Arboles in 17/18. There is a current petition drive to put a ballot initiative on the November ballot that would end all California charters. Site Reps have the petitions.
I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable spring break!
Best,
Scott Shulimson
March 18, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Our Tentative Agreement (TA) passed by a vote of 356 to 11. Once the the School Board approves it on Tuesday it will immediately go into effect. I'm told that our April paycheck will include the 3.5% raise, and our May paycheck will include the retro pay.
Tuesday was the deadline for the district to post the tentative schedule of classes for 2016/17. Many sites are projected to lose one or more teachers next year. Overall the district is projecting a loss of around 500 students in 2016/17,which is why so many sites are losing teachers. The declining enrollment is evenly split between students switching to independent charter schools, and families moving to more affordable areas. It looks likely there will be a large number of excess staff this year, but that will depend on how many resignations and retirees there are.
This Tuesday, March 22nd, at their 7pm meeting, the FMSD School Board will be voting on whether to renew Rocketship Mosaic's charter for five more years. Because this is a renewal of a charter with a track record, and not a new charter, the chances of convincing our Board to vote it down are very slim. Nonetheless Rocketship will have their people out at the meeting, and it is important that there are some other voices there to offer a different perspective. Please wear your FMEA shirt if you are coming, and if you plan to speak, feel free to use some of these talking points:
- Rocketship Mosaic test scores declined three years in a row from 2011-2014.
- 2015 CAASPP results show Rocketship Mosaic's 5th graders scored far below district 5th graders in ELA.
- Only one teacher at Rocketship Mosaic has a clear multiple subject credential, according to the latest available information. The rest of the teachers have District Intern, Preliminary Multiple Subject, or Pending Preliminary Multiple Subject credentials.
- For teachers with three or more years of experience, part of their yearly salary increase is based on the number of their students’ parents who complete their 30 volunteer hours (these 30 hours used to be mandatory until Rocketship was busted for this illegal practice last year).
- Student retention at Mosaic has dropped sharply.
- Rocketship relies heavily on computer instruction. It is developmentally inappropriate for such young students to be on computers from 60-100 minutes a day. Rocketship relies on non-credentialed staff who oversee students during this learning lab time on the computer.
Here's a link to FMSD Ed Service's review of the renewal, and the Rocketship PowerPoint is attached to this email. I hope to see some of you at the meeting Tuesday wearing your FMEA shirt.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ca/fmsd/Board.nsf/files/A85QZG6B75EE/$file/Presentation%20for%20Rocketship%20Mosaic%20Petition%20Renewal.pdf
March 1, 2016
Hi all,
February 29th doesn't come around often but this time it brought good news: FMEA and the district bargaining team have signed a Tentative Agreement (TA). There will be an FMEA General Meeting in the Shirakawa library this coming Monday, March 7th, at 3:30. The Bargaining Team will present the TA and answer questions. Voting will take place all next week. If more than 50% of the votes cast are in support of the TA then it will go to the School Board for their approval on March 22nd. The FMEA Executive Board is in full support this TA.
The deal includes:
- A 3.5% salary increase, retroactive to August
- Benefits floating cap goes up from 5% to 6% which means the district will now pay for the first 6% of any increase in benefits increase. This is retroactive to January 1st so there will be a small retro check for those who's benefits went up this year
- Hourly pay goes up to $41/hour
- Middle school teachers subbing during prep will get hourly pay instead of the substitute hourly rate (this will double the compensation)
- RSP and SLP will now be able to count IEP time towards half their adjunct duties
- The catastrophic leave bank will now only takes one day every other year instead of one every year
- Reassignment and transfer language is clarified
- The district will now be responsible for moving all teaching materials for any teacher move or for storage at the site. Teachers must pack and label materials
These are the biggest changes, but there are numerous smaller changes to language in this agreement. I full copy of the Tentative Agreement is attached. Big thanks to our fabulous Bargaining Team members: Lyn Irvine, Carissa Harris, Alie Victorine, My Le Thai, and Bargaining Chair, Charlie Nave, as well as our our CTA staff person, Kris Clarke. I hope to see you Monday.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
February 26, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Here are the highlights from this week's Rep Council meeting:
Bargaining: We are finally making significant progress towards an agreement. Serious differences remain, but it appears we may be closing in on a settlement.
Tax Extension Petitions: Proposition 30 brought billions of dollars in tax revenue to California schools and had a huge impact on our district. These taxes expire soon, but currently petitions are being gathered to extend the tax on upper income earners. Without this extension we may see a return to budget cuts. Let me know if want petitions to bring to family and friends. All petitions need to be returned to Site Reps prior to the March 21st Rep Council. Here's a short video on how to be gather signatures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B14XPJm3xCA
Charter Schools: Rocketship Mosaic was the first Rocketship school in our district and is coming up for its 5 year reauthorization. The Board is likely to vote at the March 22nd meeting which begins at 7pm. This would be a good night to have a few folks from each school come out and speak on the matter.
March 15th: March 15th is the deadline for the district to notify any probationary teacher who is not going to be rehired next year. Anyone being non-reelected has the option of resigning (effective June 30th) and avoiding having the official non-reelect on their record, but the resignation should go in next week.
Member Engagement: FMEA is focusing on better engaging and organizing our association. A component of this effort will be brief one-on-one meetings with a member of the FMEA Member Engagement Team, which is comprised of Maria Volpe, Imelda Murillo and myself. We look forward to a brief informal chat with you.
FMEA Student Events: The FMEA Spelling Bee is March 9th at Bridges. The FMEA Basketball Tourney is April 16th at Sylvandale. The FMEA Literacy Fair is April 29th at the D.O. and April 15this the FIRM deadline for submissions to the Literacy Fair. All teachers should have received flyers for the Literacy Fair. Thank you to all those who help make these events happen!
Good Teaching Conference: All first and second year teachers can apply for a scholarship to CTA's Good Teaching Conference. Let me know if you want more information.
Fundraiser: John Davi, parent of 6 FMSD students, was killed last weekend. Here is a fundraiser link for those interested in donating to the family. https://www.gofundme.com/5kq22qv2
2015 Dues: For tax purposes, total union dues for 2015 were 1171.50
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Have a great weekend!
Scott Shulimson
January 28, 2016
Hi FMEA members,
Below are highlights from Monday's Rep Council. As usual, there's a lot of important information here so do take the time to read the bullet points below.
- The Governor released a promising January budget proposal. FMEA returned to the bargaining table today, and though the district's latest compensation proposal was slightly improved, it was still not close to a reasonable offer. FMEA is seeking increases in salary and benefits as well as improvements in many other areas of our contract. We bargain next on February 18th.
- FMEA Spelling Bee materials went out to Reps Monday, and the event will be held March 9th at Bridges. Every participating school will need a Coordinating Teacher to hold the written test that determines the three winners from each site. Please consider helping your site participate.
- The FMEA Literacy Fair will be April 29th. April 15th is the firm deadline for submissions. More details to come.
- The FMEA Basketball Tourney will be April 16th. Each site that wants to put together a team will need a Coordinating Teacher. If you are interested in joining the committee organizing this, or want to help your site put together a team, or just want more information contact Larry Volpe at [email protected]/ (408)507-9762.
- There will not be a retirement incentive this year, and it's unlikely there will be one next year, but there is a $2000 stipend for all retiring teachers who notify H.R. by January 30th.
- The new law, AB 375, now guarantees all new mothers and fathers up to 12 weeks of leave in addition to the 6 weeks of maternity leave. You have to use your sick leave to receive full pay during this time. Once you run out of sick leave you receive differential pay, which is equal to your full pay minus $135 per day for the cost of a substitute. In the past you could take this leave (known as CFRA), but it was completely unpaid if you didn't have a doctor's note. You have one year from the birth of the child to take this leave. Contact me if you have any questions.
- Note that when you are on an extended sick or maternity leave you cannot be directed to complete work. Some teachers may choose to help out with lesson planning, grading or other teacher responsibilities, but when you are on an extended leave there can be no expectation or direction that you complete work related to your job.
- There will be an FMEA SPED meeting on Thursday, February 11th, at Shirakawa, room 209 at 3:30.
- Note that even Santa Cruz residents can choose the Kaiser health plans. Years back Kaiser was not an option for Santa Cruz residents, but that is no longer the case.
- The NEA RA will be held July 2nd-7th in Washington DC. State Delegate declarations are due January 29th and Local Delegate declarations are due February 16th.
Take care,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
January 13, 2016
Hello FMEA members,
Welcome back and happy new year! I hope you had a very restful and enjoyable holiday.
- If you've been following the news you probably know that this Monday the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Friedrichs vs CTA which is the case that threatens to drastically weaken unions across the country by eliminating the "fair share" provision. Though many news outlets have characterized Monday's proceedings as a sign that that Supreme Court will rule against CTA, I took part in a conference call with CTA President, Eric Heins, after the hearing, and the biggest take away was that this case could definitely be ruled in CTA's favor. The ruling is expected by June. At the bottom of this email is a more detailed explanation of Monday's proceedings.
- Our December bargaining meeting was very disappointing, but the Governor released his January budget proposal last week, and it contained another solid increase to eduction funding. That is likely to help, but it's not clear whether the district is ready to offer a reasonable compensation proposal. Our next bargaining date is January 28th.
- This year CTA's Good Teaching Conference will be held April 15th-17th instead of in January when it used to be held. For that reason the scholarship applications from our CTA Regional Resource Center (RRC) have not yet been distributed, but I expect they will arrive next month.
- For anyone considering retiring this year, don't forget that if you formally notify H.R. of your intent by January 30th you receive a $2000 stipend.
- This year's NEA Representative Assembly will be held July 1st-8th in Washington D.C. To run as a State Delegate you must turn in a Declaration of Candidacy by January 29th. The deadline to declare as a Local Delegate is February 16th. Here's a link for the State Delegate declaration: http://www.cta.org/~/media/Documents/About/Leadership/NEA%20RA/2016%20Declaration%20of%20Candidacy%20Form.ashx
- FMEA will once again be putting on a number of very special events for our students to participate in. We will need a Coordinating Teacher at each participating site for the spelling bee and track meet, and we can always use volunteers at the actual events so let me know if you are interested in helping out. Here is a tentative calendar of events:
FMEA Basketball Tourney- April 16th
FMEA Literacy Fair- April 29th
FMEA Track Meet- May 7th
Have a wonderful 2016!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
December 18, 2015
Hello FMEA members,
It's been a challenging first several months of the school year, but we've made it to the holiday break! I hope everyone gets lots of rest because FMEA may need to come out in force next year. This Wednesday the district's bargaining team finally delivered a compensation proposal, but it was insultingly low. It is true the district is facing a serious problem with declining enrollment, but there is plenty of money in the reserves to cover a reasonable compensation increase.
Our next bargaining date is January 28th, and prior to that the Governor will be releasing his January budget proposal. If all goes well the district will return on the 28th with a serious compensation proposal. If they do not it may be time to start ratcheting up the pressure on our School Board and administration. In a year when demands on teachers just keep increasing there is no excuse to not compensate teachers fairly!
There was a little good news last week as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was finally replaced with a slightly improved education act. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed by Congress and signed by the president on December 10th, effectively replacing NCLB. The new education act's improvements include:
- Beginning the move away from NCLB's practice of punishing districts based on test scores.
- Focusing on a more balanced curriculum that includes subjects pushed aside under NCLB such as social studies and the arts.
- Increased grants for preschool.
This past spring the district approved both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 instructional calendars. I've attached next year's calendar to this email for those of you already making plans for summer and beyond.
I do sincerely hope you all get a much deserved rest from the challenges of Common Core and new curriculum. Have a terrific break, and I look forward to seeing you in 2016!
-Scott Shulimson
November 19, 2015
Hi FMEA members,
Highlights from this week's Rep Council are below, and the latest edition of the FMEA Observer is attached. Also attached is the calendar that Ed Services created that outlines which Thursdays are teacher-directed (in red).
November Rep Council Highlights:
1. As previously mentioned, Juan Cruz has decided the district will be paying the hourly rate to teachers who attended any of the district's voluntary PD outside of the work day. The D.O. is reviewing sign-in sheets, and pay should be issued on the December paychecks.
2. FMEA has been pushing for pay for special ed teachers forced to spend many hours moving information from Web IEP to SEIS. It looks likely there will be a stipend, and there is a chance that some release time or reduced adjunct duties will also be granted.
3. Bargaining: FMEA has been working on improvements to the contract in areas such as Hours and Leaves, but the district has not yet produced a compensation proposal. Our next bargaining date is December 16th.
4. IEPs vs Hours: Note that neither special ed or general ed teachers can be required to stay beyond the 7.5 hour work day for IEPs. Many do so, but that is a personal choice.
5. Charter Accountability Project: FMEA has started a committee to look at what we can do to stop the loss of students to independent charter schools. We will be working to make sure our message gets out to parents as an alternative to the well-funded promises the pro-charter groups are spinning. If you want to be involved with this committee or any other FMEA organizing effort let me know.
6. Instructional Rounds/ Walkthroughs: The district is slowing down on walkthroughs that involve the CSSs using the ICLE rubric. CSSs will not be made to do instructional rounds using this rubric on their own. Instructional rounds with the rubric will be rolled out at sites based on a timeline that the principal and Leadership Teams are comfortable with.
7. Below are a list of upcoming CTA conferences and scholarships. More details can be found at www.cta.org
CTA Conferences:
Issues Conference – Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2016
Equity & Human Rights Conference – Torrance, March 4-6, 2016
Minority incentive grant application deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
Good Teaching Conference – North – San Jose, April 15-17, 2016
Minority incentive application grant deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
Scholarships and Awards:
All information can be found at www.cta.org/scholarships
· Scholarship for members or dependent children. Deadline Is February 5th 2016
· MLK For minorities dependents of CTA members seeking a credential. Deadline is February 19th 2016
· GLBT Safety In Schools for GLBT awareness projects or counseling. Deadline is November 20th 2015
· Cesar Chavez award for written essays or visual projects. Deadline is January 20th 2016
Congratulations to Shanti Arnold- winner of the CTA's 2015 5th grade Cesar Chavez award!!!
October 23, 2015
Hi all,
Here are the highlights and useful information from Monday's Rep Council meeting.
1. Bargaining:
- We return to bargaining Wednesday, October 28th. Compensation hasn't been discussed, but that should change on Wednesday.
- New contracts that include the bargaining settlement from last spring have been printed and are now available in H.R.
- After 8 years on the FMEA Bargaining Team Lyn Irvine has stepped down. Thank you for all your time and service Lyn! We are looking for candidates who may want to join the team. If you are interested let me know.
2. Election:
Hopefully everyone has had a chance to vote in the race for the open FMEA Director position. Ballots are due Monday afternoon.
3. PD Pay:
I've heard from many who were upset that most of the optional professional development this year has been unpaid. I brought that concern to Juan Cruz and yesterday he assured me that everyone will be paid the hourly rate for PD that is after hour or during vacation. If you have any trouble getting this compensation let me know.
4. FMEA Charter Committee:
FMEA is putting together a committee to organize around charter school issues. Our first meeting is Monday, November 2nd at 3:30 at Franklin P9. If you plan to join us let me know.
5. Special Ed:
- The district has held interviews for a new SPED Director and hopefully one will be hired shortly.
- There is a district task force looking at long term changes to make our SPED department more effective. FMEA will continue to try to bring relief to all those situations that need immediate attention.
6. FMEA Trivia Night:
This coming Thursday, October 29th at 3:30 FMEA will hold another of our fabulous and fun trivia nights. We will be at Aqui on Snell. Don't miss the food, fun and prizes!
7. Don't forget the new home of the FMEA website: www.fmea.mobi
8. Below is a list of upcoming CTA conferences. Self-identified minorities may still apply for minority incentive grants for most of these.
GLBT Issues Conference – San Jose, November 13-15, 2015
Application Deadline: Was Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Issues Conference – Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2016
Application Deadline: Sunday, November 8, 2015
Equity & Human Rights Conference – Torrance, March 4-6, 2016
Application Deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
Good Teaching Conference – North – San Jose, April 15-17, 2016
Application Deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
October 5, 2015
Hi all,
There are several opportunities coming up for those of you interested in getting more involved in FMEA and CTA:
- FMEA will be adding one or more members to our FMEA Bargaining Team in the near future. We are especially interested in finding people with backgrounds in middle school or special ed, but everyone will be considered. If you would like to be considered or want more information please let me know ASAP.
- For all those interested in running for FMEA's open Director-At-Large position, tomorrow at 4pm is the deadline to email a brief bio of 25 word or less to me.
- CTA will be electing an alternate for our State Council electoral district. The deadline to declare your candidacy is this coming Friday, October 9th. The attached document includes the declaration as well as more information on the position.
September 23, 2015
Hi FMEA members,
Below are the highlights from last week's Rep Council meeting, and attached is this year's first edition of our local newsletter, The FMEA Observer.
Don't forget, our FMEA Oktoberfest party is a week from tomorrow on Thursday, October 1st, and if you email me, I can send you a code for free parking at Kelley Park.
Best,
Scott
September Rep Council Highlights:
1. CTA Calendars and Cards: CTA calendars and cards are being distributed by Site Reps. Teachers who are new to the district will not receive their cards for another month most likely.
2. Required Online Videos: All employees should have received an email last week regarding three district-mandated safety videos. Paula Boling has clarified that principals should allow time during the workday to watch these videos, but at this point it does not appear that Paula is saying that principals need to give up their meeting time for the videos. It has also been clarified that the September 30deadline is not a firm cutoff.
3. FMEA Director: FMEA will be holding an election for the open Director position. Those interested can send a 25 word bio to Scott Shulimson by October 6th at 4pm.
4. Bargaining: FMEA and the district have returned to the bargaining table, but no compensation proposals have been exchanged yet. The 1% bonus from last year has been made permanent on the salary schedule. Here's a link to the current salary schedule: http://www.fmsd.org/files/user/1/file/Copy%20of%20Certificated%20184%20FY%2015-16.pdf
5. CTA Conferences: Here are upcoming CTA conferences along with the cut off date for Minority Incentive Grants applications:
GLBT Issues Conference – San Jose, November 13-15, 2015 Application Deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Issues Conference – Las Vegas, January 15-17, 2016 Application Deadline: Sunday, November 8, 2015
Equity & Human Rights Conference – Torrance, March 4-6, 2016 Application Deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
Good Teaching Conference – North – San Jose, April 15-17, 2016 Application Deadline: Sunday, January 3, 2016
This link has details on how to apply for Incentive Grants http://falcon.cta.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=CTANEW&WebKey=9782fe25-bc0e-4b1e-8ab1-839311d41edd
6. FMEA Party: FMEA's Oktoberfest party is Thursday, October 1st in Kelley Park. Contact Scott for a free parking pass.
7. Fair Share Lawsuit: The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a case that may well take away "fair share" rights, which would have a huge impact on union membership across the state. Much more information and discussion will take place this year.
8. Rocketship: Last spring employees and community members of FMSD convinced our local school board to turn down Rocketship's petition to open a third school here. Unfortunately the County Board approved the Rocketship on appeal. There will be a push to unseat charter-friendly County Board members in 2016 and FMSD Board member(s) in 2017.
9. Disability Insurance: Teachers who are new to the district can sign up for disability insurance and have all pre-existing conditions covered if done during the first 120 days of employment. Here's a link: http://www.ctamemberbenefits.org/Insurance/Disability%20Insurance
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 31, 2015
Hi all,
I hope the year has started off smoothly. Some classes are over-enrolled, but the district is beginning to take action to balance classes. The first day to file a class-size grievance is Tuesday, September 8th. That is also the first day you can be compensated for being over-enrolled, once you have been over for five days.
Attached (link to your left) is a calendar of teacher/ admin directed Thursdays. Remember, on teacher-directed Thursdays you cannot be directed to do any particular work. Principals have been known to suggest you meet as a PLC, but it is simply a suggestion you can choose to follow or ignore.
Last spring, Kara Morrison was elected to FMEA's Executive Board as a Director. Unfortunately she ended up taking a position in another district, so FMEA will be holding an election in October to fill the vacant Director seat. The official notification and timeline will be coming soon.
FMEA's first Rep Council of the year is September 14th. Most schools have sorted out who the Site Rep will be, but several are still getting this figured out. Being a Rep is a great way to get involved, and even newer teachers can join Rep Council. Let me know if you have any questions.
Mark your calendar: Our awesome FMEA Oktoberfest party will be October 1st at Kelley Park. Flyers are coming soon.
As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions, concerns or ideas.
Best,
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President
August 14, 2015
Hello FMEA members. Welcome back to everyone returning, and welcome to the nearly 50 new teachers this year!
I hope everyone had a terrific summer. If it seems like it went by extra fast that might be because this summer break was a few days shorter than most years (we started later and ended later last year), but next summer will be a full eight weeks.
As you know, Franklin-McKinley is under new leadership for the first time in ten years. Juan Cruz has been Superintendent for over a month, and it will be very interesting to see what new directions he takes the district. I'm optimistic that some positive changes are in store. Also, you will notice changes in H.R. as Paula Boling takes over after Rudy Herrera's 19 years heading up that office. The district has also recently hired an interim Special Ed Director. Lynn Stacey, who retired as director of San Jose Unified's special ed department, has been hired for six months. The search continues for a permanent director.
You may recall that the Contract we signed last March included a 3% raise and a 1% bonus, and the bonus was to be made permanent if the final June state budget was strong. The budget passed in June was exceptionally good for schools, and as a result, the district has gone ahead and made the 1% permanent. That means that for now, our salary schedule is the same as the one we finished the year with. We will be bargaining next month, and aiming for another raise that will hopefully be retroactive to the beginning of this school year. It's too early to know how this round of bargaining will go, but the district is projecting a sizable 13% reserve as a result of the strong June budget, so I believe another raise is likely.
Everyone should have received an email from administration last week regarding a group called Transparent California. They are requesting salary information from nearly all school districts around the state and posting it publicly. They appear to have an anti-union stance and are focused on the "misuse" of tax-payer money. Technically the data they are requesting is public so the district is obligated to fulfill their request, and the group can and will publish it. We actually appear to be one of the few districts in the County that doesn't already have their data posted on the site. I'm sure many aren't comfortable with this information being shared, but it's not something we can stop, and everyone's information will be buried among the hundreds of thousands of other California teachers.
Please note: FMEA's website has a new home, it's www.fmea.mobi. FMEA also has a Facebook group which includes a lot of key documents under the "files" tab.
The beginning of a new year is both exciting and challenging. Traditionally in our district there are issues with materials and infrastructure that arise in August. If you are having trouble getting what you need to do your job, let me know and I will do my best to expedite the matter. Also, if things are different at your site or something doesn't seem right please get in touch. It's much easier to nip problems in the bud then to try to make changes a few months into the year.
Best of luck this year. Let's make it the best one yet!
Scott Shulimson
FMEA President