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Phyllis Campano and Michael Tamayo elected to lead SEA
"We've got a great team to lead our union for the next two years," said
Phyllis Campano, now president-elect of SEA. "It's diverse mix of wonderful educators, including a number of leaders who have emerged through our bargaining campaign and strike."
Joining Campano as SEA officers are
Michael Tamayo of Leschi Elementary as the new vice-president of SEA, and
Jennifer Matter, Madison Middle School, who was re-elected treasurer.
Micheal Melonson, Family Support Worker at MLK Jr Elementary, is the new Parapro president.
Lynne Hubbard, office assistant at Laurelhurst Elementary was re-elected SAEOP president, and
Peter Henry
was re-elected president of the Substitute Association. Complete results, and all Board positions, are on our
website.
Just over 13% of SEA members voted, perhaps owing to the fact that most of the officer positions were not contested (in contrast, a majority of members voted in 2014). The most effective way to encourage members to vote is clearly a personal (face to face) reminder from a coworker; in fact, that's the best way for us to do about anything together as a union!
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Garfield Choir Teacher Carol Burton reinstated by judge
Garfield choir teacher
Carol Burton won her case in front of a judge last week; the judge has ordered that she be returned to work.
We are urging the District to return Carol to work right away, as her choir students are eagerly awaiting her.
Carol's case highlights the shared responsibility that educators, District administrators, parents and students all have for safe, enriching field trips. While educators need to follow field trip policies, the District also has responsibilities to disclose critical information and to work with us to ensure student safety.
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TRI pay for ALL: 90-day subs do the same work, now will get same pay
Our long term substitutes plan lessons, conference with parents, consult with colleagues, assess student work, and do pretty much everything else that our regular teaching staff do. But until recently, some long term substitutes received the TRI pay that recognizes all the work done outside of the school day, while others didn't.
Why did some subs receive thousands of dollars more in pay than others?
Frankly, for no reason connected to their work. If a teacher went on leave in September, but came back in April, their sub
would not receive TRI. But if they left in November and didn't come back that school year, a substitute
would receive TRI. And if you didn't have the right endorsement, it wouldn't matter how long you worked for or whether the teacher wasn't returning, you would not receive TRI.
Same work, but very different pay. SEA substitute leaders including
Peter Henry, Dan Troccoli and Pat Robertson, decided to file a grievance. District officials, to their credit, recognized that these arbitrary distinctions discouraged our substitutes from taking long term assignments, and simply had no defensible logic. We reached agreement both in our contract going forward and for long terms subs starting with the 2012-13 school year.
Substitutes who worked more than 90 days without receiving TRI pay started receiving back pay in their May paycheck. Taken together, these substitutes will receive more than $500,000 in back pay.
Our students rely on their long term substitutes to do just as good a job as their regular teachers. Paying TRI to all long term subs will help that happen.
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SPS and SEA look at new ways to support educators
While some might have expected district administrators and SEA bargaining team members would have been reluctant to jump back into the fray after our strike, that has not been the case.
"One of our final agreements in bargaining was that we would explore together a Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) process," said
Phyllis Campano. "We need a new way to work with certificated staff when performance concerns are raised."
A team of SPS administrators and SEA educators took a plane to Montgomery County, Maryland in October, just a few weeks after the strike ended. We met with teachers, principals, HR officials and others in Montgomery County to hear about how teachers who receive low evaluations go before a panel (the "PAR panel") of an equal number of teachers and administrators to review their teaching and to determine if they are proficient.
"If you asked a member whose principal scored them as basic or unsat if they would like that same principal to judge their improvement over the next year, or instead have an outside panel that gives equal weight to the voice of other teachers, I'd bet that most would prefer the outside panel," said
John Donaghy, SEA executive director.
Montgomery County principals likewise shared their support for the PAR panel process because it takes the pressure off of them to make a final judgement.
Our PAR committee is looking at a set of much broader issues, however, than just a PAR panel.
"Evaluation is just part of a larger system of professional development. We have to look holistically at how to build a system that both supports growth and values the expertise that each educator brings to the profession," said
Siobhan Kelly, Wedgwood Elementary.
"We've been impressed by the District's investment in this committee. Not only has Superintendent Nyland been a full participant, but so have more than a dozen other central office administrators. Both the principals and SEA have added members in the last few months so that we can have an in-depth re-evaluation of what we are doing," said Campano.
SEA's PAR representatives are
Marian Wagner (Salmon Bay),
Karen Grace (Roosevelt),
Sarah Lockenvitz (Washington),
Marquita Prinzing (Dearborn park),
Drew Dillhunt (Eval and Support Consulting Teacher),
Regina Carter (STAR Mentor),
Kate Sipe (Greenlake),
Jessica Torvik (Hale),
Siobhan Kelly (Wedgwood),
Len Hill (Hawthorne),
Joe Kelly (Ballard),
Steven Miller (STAR),
Dan Long (STAR) and
Laura Mah, (Hazel Wolf).
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Teachers with Residency Certificates (certified after August 31, 2000) are required to earn a Professional Certificate in order to maintain employment. The ProTeach® portfolio is one option for earning Professional Certification.
SEA provides support for candidates through the SEA ProTeach® Portfolio Support Program. Candidate support is optional for teachers completing ProTeach®; however, results show a significantly higher pass rate among candidates who work with a support program. Cohort groups of 12-15 candidates meet monthly with a trained facilitator. There is a five and ten month training track available. Both tracks begin in late August. Five month participants meet until January and ten month participants continue to meet until June. Participants receive support, instruction, and feedback at meetings from their facilitator. Up to 43 clock hours will be available for cohort participants. Teachers with a Residency Certificate that expires in 2017 or 2018 are especially encouraged to consider joining this support program. If you would like additional information, including a link to register for this program, visit the ProTeach® page on the SEA website.
If you have questions about the SEA ProTeach® Support Program, contact lead facilitator Kristine McLane at [email protected]
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> > > QUICK NOTES < < <
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Attention Parapros! IEP meetings, with approval and signature from your administrator, can be used for Professional Development Credit.The form can be signed by the attending administrator at the IEP meeting.
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Sign up for the
Multicultural Education Rights Alliance workshop
on equitable outcomes for discipline and authentic parent engagement on Saturday, May 21, sponsored by the SEA Ethnic and Minority Affairs Commission (EMAC). Register HERE by May 16.
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Job Fairs for displaced staff: certificated staff on May 12 at Stanford Center from 4 to 6 PM (3rd floor). Classified fair is May 17.
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Dedra Whitt has informed us that her mother, Laura Jean Whitt passed away April 6, 2016. Laura "Jean" worked for the Seattle School District for over 20 years, as did her husband Wesley. She worked at Lincoln High School, as well as Garfield High and Rainier Beach, retiring in 1990. A memorial service will be held on Friday, May 6 at Tahoma Military Cemetery in Kent, 11:15AM. Anyone who would like to celebrate her life is encouraged to attend. Click here to see her obituary that includes a picture.
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SICK LEAVE REQUESTS
Members can access the shared leave form on the District website (
www.seattleschools.org). Go to the Human Resources section to access "Current Employees" and "Leaves of Absence" to find the form. Forms can be submitted to Monica Menchaca, 206.252.0614 / [email protected], leave department analyst.
From
Ranann Taylor @ Beacon Hill Elementary: I've been on leave from my BHIS IA/Spanish/Title 1 position since early December, for reconstructive surgery on my right foot and ankle. I was supposed to return from leave last month, but my orthopedic surgeon applied to extend my leave until May 31st, so that I could continue with my rehabilitation and physical therapy in order to be able to return safely to full time duties. My sick leave runs out May 6, so I'm reaching out to all members for sick leave hours that you may be able to donate. If you could help me with this process I would greatly appreciate it.
From
Lindsay Roupe at Center High School: I'm an IA at Center High School and am in need of donated leave. I have chronic health issues that have left me without sick leave. I'm not facing major surgery that will require at least two months of recovery. The health threat is critical and the surgery must be done soon, but without leave, my options are limited. I will lose my medical benefits if I go on unpaid leave too soon. If you are able to donate a day or two of leave it would be most welcome and appreciated.
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