focus

focus on educators is an award winning publication of the Pittsburg Education Association/CTA/NEA www.peateachers.org

California Teachers Association
Statement of Mission
The California Teachers Association exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to improve the conditions
of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education; to ensure that the human
dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.

SEPTEMBER 2014

Volume XXIII, Number 1
In this Issue
- Association Highlights
- Informational Items /Announcements
- CTA News
- Summer Institute Article/Picture
Pr es i dent s Mes s age

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the 2014-15 school year!
By now youve settled into your
classrooms and begun the important
work of educating the students of
Pittsburg. This is going to be a busy
and exciting school year. PEA
members have been preparing to
teach the new Common Core
Standards and are excited because
they put teachers back in control of
crafting and tailoring the education of
their students.

PEA teacher representatives will
continue to consult with the district
regarding curriculum, materials,
collaboration and planning time, and
professional development for the
common core. In the meantime, be
sure to utilize the 2 additional days
from the Common Core MOU for
collaboration with your colleagues this
school year!

Negotiations
We are beginning the year with an
expired contract, but we hope to work
with the district leadership to arrive at
a fair collective bargaining agreement
which addresses the fact that Pittsburg
is 17
th
out of 20 districts in the county
in regards to compensation. To be
more competitive with surrounding
districts and attract and retain highly-
qualified teachers, we must address
this shortfall. We lost over 50 teachers
this past year and still have vacancies
at the secondary schools. We must
work together to achieve a settlement
this fall!

You Are PEA
As you return to your classrooms,
please take ownership of our
association. PEA is a professional
union; that means we do more than
negotiate salary and benefits. We
maintain high expectations for our
profession and we are activists for
public education. We believe the best
decisions for Pittsburg students are
made when PEA members are
participating at every step. Speak up
when you have questions, concerns,
or ideas! We must be empowered to
take charge of our profession, so stay
informed, attend association meetings
and get involved. If we work together,
we will be a strong, collective voice for
public education in Pittsburg. If we
dont stand up for the kind of public
schools we want for our students, then
who will?

Im looking forward to visiting you at
your school sites and having
collaborative relationships with you.
Together, we can shape our schools
for the students of Pittsburg and we
can achieve the California Teachers
Association mission of providing
quality public education to all
students.

I hope you have a fantastic school
year!

In Solidarity,
Dawn Cova
on educators
2

PEA Leadership 2014-2015
President
Dawn Cova
Rancho Medanos/PEA Office
Elementary Vice President
Tammy Carr
Highlands Elementary
Secondary Vice President
Shelly Bascomb
BTSA
Secretary
Chris Coan
Willow Cove Elementary
Treasurer
Gale Higgins
Stoneman Elementary
Committee Chairs:
Grievance Committee
John Kleinjans Pittsburg High
Chris Coan Willow Cove Elementary
Negotiations Team
Mark Maselli - Chair
Political Action Committee
Jim Vaughan - Chair
Elections Chair
Ruth Foster
Human Rights & Womens Issues Chair
Yvonne Burton-Smith
O-Team Chairs
Shelly Bascomb
Bertha Ramos
CTA State Council Representative
Mark Maselli
Alternate
Arthur Pruyn
CTA Director District C
Terri Jackson
NEA Director for California, District 3
Greg Bonaccorsi
Technical Editor
Susan Harrison PEA Site Secretary
Focus on Educators
is a publication of the
Pittsburg Education Association CTA/NEA
159 East 4
th
Street
Pittsburg, CA 94565
Phone: (925) 432-0199
fax: (925) 432-4854
email: info@peateachers.org
website: www.peateachers.org
Rep. Council Meeting Calendar
September 15
October 20
November 17
December 15
January 26
February 23
March 23
April 20
May 18
June 1
***********************************
School Board Meeting Calendar
September 10 & 24
October 8 & 22
November 12
December 10
January TBD
February TBD
March TBD
April TBD
May TBD
June TBD

***********************************
Are You Getting Your PEA Information?

Having our Site Reps collect your input, attend the
monthly Rep meeting and then report back to you is
vital in the communication chain of our Association.

Roll call at last June 4
th
Rep Council Meeting:
Adult Ed. present Stoneman present
Foothill present Willow Cove absent
Heights absent MLK Jr. absent
Highlands present Hillview - present
Los Medanos present Rancho Medanos present
Marina Vista present PHS - present
Parkside present Black Diamond present

************************************








3

Association Highlights


New Teacher Orientation

The Pittsburg Education Association was proud to welcome
nearly 70 new dedicated and energetic educators to our
chapter on Friday, August 15
th
at the Elks Lodge in Pittsburg.
They participated in a full day orientation with the district,
while PEA provided lunch from Las Panchitas and an
introduction to our union and benefits of membership. Thank
you to Drew Tamaki and VALIC for contributing toward the
cost of our lunch. Please take the time to ensure the New
Members at your school sites feel welcome and have
everything they need to be successful.




PEA Leadership Retreat

The Executive Board Officers and committee chairs met on
Saturday, August 16 to prepare to lead our Association this
year. Some of the items the leadership team addressed were
bargaining, organizing, political action, and common core
implementation. Now were ready for another jam-packed
school-year!


************************************


THANK YOU Corner

Thank you to the following members for giving personal time
and helping the Association over the summer:

Shelly Bascomb, Tammy Carr, Gale Higgins,
Yvonne Burton Smith, Bertha Ramos














Important Announcements
Evaluations are suspended this year for
permanent employees who received a Meets Standard on
their previous evaluation!!! Temporary, Probationary, and
Permanent who did not Meets Standards will be evaluated.

Are you scheduled to be evaluated this year?
Evaluation Language can be found in the Collective
Bargaining Agreement (Contract) under Article 10

Procedures for the AdministrativeMandated Evaluation
10.6.2.1 Notification for AdministrativeMandated
Evaluation

Unit Members to be evaluated in a given school year shall be
informed in writing on the approved form by October 1. Unit
Members employed after the start of the school year shall be
notified within thirty (30) calendar days of their beginning
date of service that they will be evaluated; time lines and
other due dates shall be extended accordingly. The
evaluation shall be conducted by the administrator (Prime
Evaluator) or his/her designee administrator. If the
administrator (Prime Evaluator) assigns a designee, the
designee shall complete and sign all related evaluation
forms.

10.6.2.2 Initial Conference Procedure for
AdministrativeMandated Evaluation
The initial conference between the Evaluator and Evaluatee
shall be held no sooner than the sixteenth (16th) instructional
day after the beginning of each school year and not later
than October 31 of the same school year.

10.6.2.2.1 At the Initial conference meeting, the following
shall occur:
1. Selection of one standard by the Evaluatee;
2. Selection of one standard by the Evaluator;
3. Review and discussion of the objectives in the selected
standards and in Standard 6 (Developing as a Professional
Educator);
4. Agreement on the date of the first Scheduled observation;
or if the date is not established at the Initial Conference, the
mutually agree upon observation date shall be established
and the observation shall occur prior to the due date of the
Preliminary Evaluation Summary.
5. Completion of the Initial conference Summary Form.

Joint PEA/PUSD Evaluation Trainings will be held for
new members and all members who will be evaluated
this year. Check with your site principal for your time
and location.

4

Did you get transferred to a new site or
classroom? Dont forget to submit a
timesheet!






ARTICLE 26
SITE MOVING and ROOM RELOCATION
26.1. Unit members who are classroom teachers who are
required to transfer to another site because of a District
facilities project, the opening or closing of a school,
involuntary transfer, or site facility emergency shall be
allowed the daily per diem rate of pay up to two (2) days as
follows: one day for time spent to pack and one day for time
spent to unpack their classroom materials.
26.2. Unit members who are classroom teachers who are
required to relocate their classroom within the same site due
to a District facilities project, or site facility emergency shall
be allowed the daily per diem rate of up to one (1) day for
time spent to pack and unpack their classroom materials.
26.3. Unit members who are counselors, psychologists or
speech therapists and are required to transfer to another site
or move their office or classroom to another site, shall be
allowed the daily per diem rate of one-half (1/2) day for time
spent to pack and unpack their materials.

*********************************
School Site Council Training

All members of the School Site Council are encouraged to
attend the joint PEA/PUSD training Thursday, September
18 from 3:30-5:30 at PHS. Non-SSC members are also
welcome to attend the training.

The School Site Council must be made up of equal numbers
of school staff and parent/community members. The school
staff must be comprised of a majority of classroom teachers.
Each group must elect their own representatives.

School Site Council members have the important role of
developing a School Plan which addresses curricula,
instructional strategies and materials, instructional services
to meet the needs of English Learners, professional
development for staff, and an evaluation of the educational
program. Additionally, by state law, the SSC must oversee
the site-based budgeting of categorical funds. This is a very
important job!
Are you getting paid correctly?
Check your August pay stub to make sure you received any
extra time payments from summer. Also, be sure youre on
the right step & column! Salary info can be found in the
appendix of our Contract and at peateachers.org.
With 11 equal checks, instead of 10, your check will be
slightly smaller as your salary is spread over more months.
There will only be 1 double deduction for benefits in June (for
July the only month with no paycheck).

************************************

Attention Education Specialists:

You are only required to attend one staff meeting that
extends beyond the workday every other week; when there
are conflicting staff meetings, please check with your
principal to determine if you are to attend your site staff
meeting or the district special education staff meeting. Also, if
you have caseload or contractual concerns be sure to inform
your site rep immediately.

************************************
Member Benefits

Open Enrollment Period for Catastrophic
Leave Bank: August 26, 2014 through
September 26, 2014

PEA, in conjunction with PUSD is excited to offer an
opportunity to join the Catastrophic Leave Bank. The Bank
is comprised of sick days that have been donated by those
members who join during the Open Enrollment Period.
Members will have an opportunity to apply for additional sick
leave when experiencing a loss of work due to serious illness
or long-term disability. There is a career maximum of thirty
days available to members upon approval of the
Catastrophic Leave Bank Committee. Since the
implementation of the Catastrophic Leave Bank in 2001, we
have been able to assist many members in their time of
need.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the
Catastrophic Leave Bank, please complete the form that was
distributed, by September 27, 2014 and return it to the PEA
Office. (The form can also be found at peateachers.org) If
you have any questions, please call the PEA Office at
925-432-0199. We look forward to your support.


5

A message from
The Standard
(CTA-endorsed benefit)
Teachers do not contribute to CA
State Disability so as a CTA Member
Benefit the income protection plan includes the following:
Pays members ON TOP OF FULLY PAID SICK LEAVE, in
conjunction with differential (or sub deduct) pay and stand-
alone.
A successful open enrollment campaign will allow for members
to enroll with no medical history questions or evidence of
insurability. This means that eligible members cannot be
denied coverage regardless of past medical history.
The CTAs plan covers members ON and off the job for 24/7
coverage. The CTAs plan pays up to 75% of extra duty pay.
Other plans do not.The benefit period, or the period of time in
which a member is eligible to collect their disability benefit,
does not start until members have exhausted Fully Paid or
Restored Sick Leave and lasts two years.
Its easy to file a claim. Claims may be filed over the phone
with the Standard and the Standard will gather the necessary
documentation for members. Members have the ability to
appeal denial of claims to the CTA Advisory Panel. Ultimate
decision rights of disputed claims fall into the hands of the
CTAs Advisory Panel (made up of teachers), not an insurance
company!
The plan covers anything from maternity leave, illness, injury
etc. For more information check out the website.
Enrollment period ends Sept. 30. Apply now!
standard.com/cta/pea
************************************

Health Plans Open Enrollment
The 2014 CalPERS Health Benefits
Open Enrollment period began
September 15 and ends October 10,
2014.

************************************
"It's ugly out there. There are critics who are
out to blame CTA and unions for everything
they don't like about public schools. When
pressed, they say, 'We love teachers. We just
don't like their unions.' That's their talking
point, and it's straight out of Michelle Rhee's
playbook. Well ... let's show them there is no
difference between teachers and their unions."
-CTA President Dean E. Vogel
Grievance Update

Its not always that PEA disagrees with the vision of our
administrators, but we insist on following the process. We
have a collective bargaining agreement that must be
followed. This is to ensure our rights are not violated and all
members are treated fairly. If the district or site
administrators want to implement something, we want our
teachers to have a voice in the process. When the contract is
violated, a grievance is the avenue for addressing infractions.
If you suspect a grievance, please inform your site rep
immediately. There are strict timelines we must follow to
ensure a resolution and we dont want to establish a past
practice of accepting something that should have been
grieved!

First Work Day Classroom Preparation
Teachers need this time to prepare to greet our youngsters
on the first day of school. PEA understands the need for
principals to hold brief staff meetings for introductions and
housekeeping; however, the bulk of the day should be
designated for classroom preparation as negotiated on the
calendar. Many school sites had meetings for more than 2-3
hours and members had very little time to work in their
classrooms. The district and association came to a resolution
that paid members at sites where meetings went longer than
1 ! hours. We are also working to prevent this from
reoccurring in the future through the negotiations process.

Special Education Caseload
Service specific classes do not have contracted class size
limits; however, there is an established past practice of a
recommended class of 12 students. There is a secondary
class that currently has 19 students. The association is
grieving this because it is inequitable and is a safety issue
given the fact that these students have developmental
disabilities and require significant support to function in the
classroom.

Lesson Study Missed Preps
Regarding lesson study and collaboration, all principals have
the discretion to pay for missed prep OR to adjust the prep
schedule. Notice of change in prep schedule must be given
the week before! All lesson study dates are calendared for
the year, so this should not be an issue anymore. Ask your
Principal if you will be paid for missing your prep or if you will
be receiving the time on a different day.

For secondary teachers, you are to be released during
lesson studies and collaboration to take your regularly
scheduled prep or to be paid for missing your prep. Please
do not voluntarily give up your prep teachers have many
duties to complete and that time should be sacred. The
association filed a level 1 grievance at the Junior Highs and
is working with the administrators to resolve it.

6

Know Your Contract

Lunch
6.1.11 Bargaining unit members at the
elementary level are entitled to one duty
free lunch period of no less than fifty(50) minutes, and
bargaining unit members at the junior high and high school
levels are entitled to one duty free lunch period of no less
than thirty(30) minutes.

What this means is that you CANNOT be asked to work,
tutor, collaborate, or supervise children during your lunch
period. You get to spend it as you choose. You can even
leave campus if you need to, just be sure and be back in
time. You cannot get paid to tutor during this time as it is
against the federal laws to get paid while you are already
paid for your lunch time. Also if you do decide to use lunch to
collaborate with your grade level it is not appropriate to
pressure your fellow grade level members that do not want to
use their lunch period. Please do not make plans or policies
without themthat is not fair. Perhaps you should go to
your site administrator and request release time, sub
coverage or even to be paid to meet afterschool to
collaborate. That is fair and respectful to all.

This duty free lunch time was bargained for and most of us
do not want to lose it. Every bargaining session the district
asks to reduce elementary lunch period to 30 minutes.we
have held the line for many years so please use it, enjoy it
and thank goodness we have it.

Respectfully submitted:
Chris Coan, Elementary Grievance Chair

************************************

WHAT IS A TEACHERS UNION
AND WHY ARE WE IN IT?

The dictionary defines a union as a group of people joined
together for some common purpose. The union is ALL OF
US. There is no it. The union is you. The union is your
colleagues. What results is a powerful and collective voice of
advocacy for Pittsburg educators and public schools.

Unions are good for students as well. The states without
strong teachers unions are among the lowest performing
in the nation. A strong union can lower class sizes and
create better learning environments for students through
collective bargaining and organizing.

"Educators and their unions have a solid track record of
supporting policies that boost achievement for most students,
and policy makers should view teachers unions as partners
in the education reform process, not adversaries," concluded
a 2002 study by Indiana University Bloomington.

What if you disagree with something the union did? PEA
leaders are doing the best we can with the information we
get from you! We will listen and respond to your concerns.
Get involved. Become a Site Representative and attend Rep
Council meetings. Speak up within our organization. Our
union is whatever we want it to be, but ALL OF US need to
be engaged in unionism in some way.

************************************

From the PEA By-Laws

The primary purposes of this Association shall be:
A. To represent its members in their relations with their
employer, and to seek to be the exclusive representative of
appropriate units of school employees in all matters relating
to employment conditions and employer-employee relations
including, but not limited to, wages, hours, and other terms
and conditions of employment;
B. To form a representative body capable of developing
group opinion on professional matters to speak with authority
for members;
C. To provide an opportunity for continuous study and action
on problems of the profession;
D. To raise the standards for education support
professionals;
E. To provide a means of representation for its minority
members;
F. To promote professional attitudes and ethical conduct
among members;
G. To encourage cooperation and communication between
the profession and the community; and
H. To foster good fellowship among members.







7

NEWS

A Proud History

Here are just a few of CTAs key accomplishments over the
past 150 years:

1866 CTAs first legislative achievement establishes free
public schools for all children in Californiaincluding schools
that educate nonwhite students.

1913 California State Teachers Retirement System is
created by legislation after CTA State Council calls for a
statewide teacher pension system in 1910.

1915 CTA leads efforts to outlaw child labor and enact
other legal protections for children.

1927 CTA wins legal victory when state Supreme Court
rules that a school board cannot fire a female teacher simply
because she got married.

1940s CTA is one of a few organizations in California to
protest against internment of Japanese-Americans at the
beginning of World War II.
1967 CTA establishes schools for children of migrant
workers, and leads the authorization of bilingual instruction
classes for English learners.

1983 CTA leads passage of SB 813, which provides
significant additional revenue for California schools. This bill
also provides more rigorous graduation requirements, longer
school day and year, and higher beginning teachers
salaries.

1988 CTA drafts and wins passage of Proposition 98,
which guarantees a minimum portion of state money to fund
K-14 education. The passage of Prop. 98 firmly establishes
CTA as a political force to be reckoned with.

1995 CTA wins Class Size Reduction law for K-3
classrooms.

2002 CTA wins passage of a $13 billion statewide school
bond.

2003 CTA wins passage of a $12.3 billion statewide school
bond.

2006 CTAs Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA)
passes into law and is helping schools that are serving a
higher percentage of low income, minority and English
learners to close the achievement gap.

2012 CTA leads fight to pass the governors Proposition
30. It stops billions in new education cuts and will generate
$42 billion for public schools and local services over seven
years. CTA also defeats Prop. 32, another attempt to silence
our political voices.

For more noteworthy achievements of our union, visit cta.org.
***********************************
CTA Summer Institute
In August of 2014, I attended the CTA Summer Institute at
the University of California Los Angeles. The four-day
8:00am 5:00pm classes were divided into strands, such as
Bargaining Skills, Communications, Emerging Leaders,
Member Benefits, and Legal.
Although the days were long, the high quality of instruction
and fascinating subject matter made the days pass quickly. I
became emotional when I learned how CTA has fought for
equal rights and civil rights since the 1800s. In 1866 a law
was passed establishing a childs right to a free public
education. In 1867 that same right to a free public education
was extended to non-white children. A major victory was won
in 1967 when the Supreme Court upheld the right of female
teachers to get married and keep their jobs. In 1978, CTA
supported the defeat of the Briggs Initiative which would
have banned all gays and lesbians from working in public
education. Our CTA is an awesome union!
At the end of each day of instruction, evening activities were
scheduled. My favorite night was the Evening Gala
Reception. It was an opportunity to meet politicians that
support teachers, like Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsome
and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom
Torlakson. If youve never attended a CTA Summer institute,
I highly recommend the experience!

Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and
Yvonne Burton-Smith (Foothill)
8


Calendar

SEPTEMBER 2014
1 Labor Day
10 PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 7:00 PM
15 PEA Rep Council PEA Office 159 East 4
th
St. 3:45 PM
18 PEA/PUSD School Site Council Training PHS 3:30 PM
23 Autumn Begins
24 Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown
24 PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 7:00 PM
27 Catastrophic Leave Bank Enrollment Closes
30 The Standard Disability Enrollment Closes

OCTOBER 2014

3 Yom Kippur begins at sundown
6 PEA Executive Board PEA Office 159 East 4
th
St. 3:45 PM
8 PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 7:00 PM
10 CalPERS Health Benefits Open Enrollment Ends
13 Columbus Day No School Staff Development Day
20 PEA Rep Council PEA Office 159 East 4
th
St. 3:45 PM
22 PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 7:00 PM
31 Halloween

Next Deadline for Articles is Wednesday, October 8, 2014


STAY INFORMED @
peateachers.org
cta.org & nea.org