The

C o m m u n i cato r

The Official Newsletter of the Half Hollow Hills Teachers Asssociation

Volume 44, Issue 1 - May 2016

Take Up Arms
by Richard Haase
Weve faced so many challenges in the last few years.
Two new 8ers were added to our pension system. The
Tax Cap has changed how districts create their budgets,
jeopardizing jobs and programs across the state. New
teacher evalua8on laws have coupled teacher and
student fate to an obsession over poorly designed tests.
Charter schools increasingly siphon money away from
public schools, and locally, we struggle with the worst
enrollment decline weve seen in decades.
Perhaps the greatest threat weve recently faced,
however, was the aCack against unions that was waged in
the recent Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Associa5on
Supreme Court case. If the enemy is at the gates, and I
believe it is, a nega8ve decision in this case against a
unions right to organize its members wouldnt present
itself as a single aCack that might impact one or two
aspects of life. Friedrichs presented a threat against our
very ability to protect ourselves against all threats - like
passing a law against self defense or being subjected to a
virus that cripples your immune system.
For however bad any one of the threats listed above may
have been, or any may be in the future, it is our unions,
and the power to organize and ght together with our
community partners that oers us the greatest chance to
protect what we believe in - strong public schools, worker
rights, dignity in re8rement. Its important that all union
members recognize and preserve that power.
As someone whos been ac8vely involved in many of
these baCles, I think there are a few key lessons each of
us should consider as we face future challenges together:
(1) Theres no such thing as false alarm.
(2) It takes teamwork to really move the needle.
(3) Savor the victories, however small they may seem.
(4) With each crisis comes an opportunity.
The threats weve faced in the last few years have
inspired unions to expand what we do exponen8ally,

engaging more members and crea8ng more leaders every

day. If that which does not kills us only makes us stronger,
then I believe, together, well be ready for what lies
ahead the 2017 Cons8tu8onal Conven8on that
threatens all of our pensions (this 8me were not just
talking about new 8ers).
I get it kids need to get to Jiu Jitsu, shes got a peanut
allergy and he cant eat anything with gluten. Theres
Common Core math homework to do and even though
its only for a second grader you nd yourself feeling
painfully inadequate and in need of extra help. And
theres a new craY brew in the fridge calling your name.
Life keeps us busy.
I believe our opponents see how
much this genera8on of young
workers busies itself with other
things and have labeled us as the
weakest link a genera8on from
which they can take back all the
gains of three of four genera8ons
that preceded us (see page 10). But if you havent made
the realiza8on yet you are a union member. You benet
GREATLY from being so, but with those benets comes
some responsibility. Any member who would not willingly
cast o his/her re8rement, contract, salary, benets and
protec8ons should see the need to ac8vely protect those
things.
The enemy is indeed at the gates, brothers and sisters.
Like archers in the ramparts, our union leaders and ac8ve
members have used their training and commitment to
keep them at bay. There comes a 8me, however, when
every able-bodied man and woman, when faced with
existen8al threat, must take up arms if for no other
reason but protec8ng yourself and your loved ones.

A Paras Perspective
by Tina Spy/CW
I have been working as a paraprofessional in the
Half Hollow Hills School District for nine years.
During this 8me I have worked in IPC, selfcontained, bridge and general educa8on classes at
the Elementary and Middle School levels.
My family and friends have listened to my stories,
some heartbreaking, most funny, and inevitably ask
me, Why do you do that job? I have found that
my answer has changed over the last nine years.
For twenty years, I worked as an IT manager. AYer
star8ng a family, I decided to stay at home with my
son Nicholas un8l he started kindergarten. AYer a
week of puing him on the bus and then crying
from the bus stop to my front door, I decided I
needed to do something that would allow me to be
home when he was home. School was the perfect
answer.
I applied to several districts and found employment
quickly. I have to admit I was so excited, just as I
always had been on the rst day of school.
Sharpened pencils, fresh notebooks, noisy
cafeterias; I was in heaven. And then reality set in.
I was no longer a student. I was now responsible
for suppor8ng the educa8on of someone else.

My students deal with many challenges and I can

honestly say that I have loved every one of my kids.
Some have been diagnosed with learning disabili8es.
AYer working with them every day for months and
seeing them nally get it, I am just as excited as
they are. I have also worked with students who do
not struggle academically, but have emo8onal or
behavioral needs. Many 8mes this is harder. You
have to earn their trust and accept that every day
will be a new adventure. Some days, they may come
o the bus beaming with pride over their Science
project, and you become their cheerleader. Then
there are the other days. They come in angry, just
because. You have to listen to what they are and are
not saying. You need to prac8ce pa8ence and
remember not to take it personally. Then, the next
day, you come back, wai8ng at the bus pladorm,
looking at their face to determine what kind of a day
the both of you will have. You smile, take a deep
breath and begin again.
I can honestly say that this job has been the most
personally rewarding one I have ever had. I am
excited to go back to school every September and
see what my kids will teach me, because inevitably,
that is what happens. Ive seen their kindness and
vulnerability and I think it has made me a beCer
mother to my son and a beCer person in general. I
dont know of many other jobs where you can say
that!

Reminder About Next Years Teacher Contract Salary Schedule

As a reminder, the 2016/17 raises include a 1% schedule increase

and a delayed step.
What that means, is youll start next school year in the same cell
youre currently in, but on the 2016/17 schedule in the contract.
That cell value/salary should be exactly 1% more than the prior
years.
Eec8ve February 1, all teachers will receive their steps (avg.
2.83%) for the 2016/17 school year, which will cons8tute a
second raise for the year.
Heres an illustra8on using someone whos on Step 15 this year
2

2015/16

Step 15 on 2015/16
schedule

Sept 2016

Step 15 on
2016/17 schedule

Feb 2017

Step 16 on 2016/17
schedule

Growing Your PLN with Twitter

By Amanda Kavner (@MsKavner)

Many view TwiCer as just Social

Media for kids and dont realize
how useful of a tool it can be. As
a teacher, TwiCer is an amazing
place for nding appropriate
professional development and a
professional learning network
that challenges you, oering support and a great
sounding board. One at-home PDP for educators is
called #satchat and it happens weekly on Saturday
mornings from 7:30-8:30. #Satchat is only one of
many educator driven TwiCer PDP conversa8ons.

To get involved, download an app that can use
TwiCer. I use Tweetdeck on my computer or
Hootsuite on my cellphone because I nd that they
give me more features than the original TwiCer app,
like the ability to post 8med responses.
From inside whatever app you choose, search for
#satchat close to the star8ng 8me of the chat.
You'll no8ce that, depending on when you search,
either (a) a lot of people have started to introduce
themselves with their names, what they do, where
they are from and #satchat is at the end of their
posts; or (b) the introduc8ons havent started yet,
but you may see someone who will begin the chat
soon. This chat moderator will share a link with
ques8ons for the days chat.

The rst 8me you log in, you may just want to read
what other people write and not write your own
post. We call that lurking and it is absolutely
acceptable a few 8mes. If you decide to join in the
discussion, the moderator will post one of the days
ques8ons at a 8me throughout the chat, such as
"Q1: How do you feel about common core tes8ng?
#satchat" (Just coming up with something here).
If you want to respond to this, you could write "A1:
Common core? What's that? #satchat" (ok, so you
would never write that but you can see that you
responded with an A1 as in Answer 1 and you
nished with #satchat so that it stays aCached to
the conversa8on.) People will some8mes like your
response or reply to your response and start up side
conversa8ons with you. This is how you make
TwiCer friends and build up your Professional
Learning Network (PLN). It's amazing how many
people you will nd who share your feelings about
educa8on and how oYen you will nd that the
connec8ons you make on TwiCer translate into the
real world!

Visit h'p://bit.ly/1x3luPT for a schedule of

upcoming educa?on chats on Twi'er!

Connect with YOUR Union!

Facebook
Twitter
www.hhhta.com

Your Most Valuable Benefit May Be in Danger

by Dick Lee
Your pension is among the many protec8ons and
benets that could be altered if New York State
votes to approve a cons8tu8onal conven8on in
2017.

many of the protec8ons and benets essen8al to so

many New Yorkers, including their pension and civil
service rights.
Corporate interests have repeatedly aCacked the
rights of re8rees and workers in recent years, and a
cons8tu8onal conven8on could further erode the
rights that workers and re8rees have fought to
achieve. Many business interests want to change
the states pension system to a dened
contribu8on, or market earnings-based system. The
states current dened benet system, in place for
95 years, guarantees re8rees the pension payment
they have earned.

Every 20 years, the New York electorate must vote

whether to hold a cons8tu8onal conven8on.
Thanks largely to the eorts of the CSEA and other
groups, voters rejected a conven8on in 1997. Next
year a referendum to hold a cons8tu8onal
conven8on will be presented to the people of our
state on Elec8on Day. In recent years, some
individuals and interest groups have expressed
support for a cons8tu8onal conven8on because of
frustra8on with recent poli8cal scandals and
misguided state policies.

The N.Y. Teachers Re8rement System is fully funded,

scally sound and independently governed. If there
was ever a beCer 8me to support the eorts of
Vote Cope, in gh8ng changes to our pensions and
cons8tu8onal guarantees, it is now. Dont sit this
ght out. It could aect your most valuable benet
forever.

A Siena College poll reported that 69% of

respondents supported a cons8tu8onal conven8on.
They believe that this is a good chance for the
public to have a real voice in the states future
direc8on. In reality, such conven8ons are oYen
costly, run by poli8cal insiders and could jeopardize

The State-Wide Battle Over Waiver Payments

by Richard Haase
For decades, employees who decline their health
insurance have been able, when bargained into a
contract, to receive a payment for making that
choice. The waiver, which is only a frac8on of the
value of a policy, itself, saves employers money
while oseing the dierence an employee not
taking insurance might otherwise nd in their
overall salary and benet package.

As each union and employer interpreted the

situa8on locally and incorporated it into their
nego8a8ons, the baCle has gone back and forth
throughout the various courts of the State of New
York. If you know teachers in other unions, you
probably have already heard that some have lost
their waivers, some have them siing in escrow
pending the outcome of the legal baCles, and
others have con8nued to receive them, as we do
here based on the language we placed in our
contract during last nego8a8ons.

Although waivers are collec8vely bargained, in

2012, the Department of Civil Service issued a
memo that aCempted to render employees whose
spouses are also covered under NYSHIP plans
ineligible to receive waiver, or buyout payments.
Aside from the nancial impact this would have to
employees, unions immediately recognized it as
undermining the power of collec8ve bargaining.

There are one or two appeals s8ll available to

reinstate and protect waivers as subject of
collec8ve bargaining, and NYSUTs legal team is
leading the charge. As the case moves forward,
well con8nue to keep you and your reps informed.
4

Explaining our New Vision Care Coverage in the EMM Plan

By Dick Lee
Beginning on January 1, 2016, our EMM/Vision Care insurer, Shelter
Point, changed providers for our op8cal plan from Davis /Vision Works
to NVA. We no8ed you of this change in January with an explana8on
of how to nd par8cipa8ng providers in the new plan. A number of our
members have let us know that they are confused on how to nd local
providers for their vision needs, so weve provided the step-by-step
process to the right to help you.

Finding local par?cipa?ng

providers in the new vision plan

When you go to one of the par8cipa8ng providers, give them the plans
Group number, XGNY1042.

Select the op8on Find

Provider, search by Zip Code

When asked for a personal ID number, use your Social Security number
and your eligibility should be automa8cally veried.
If you have any problems with this process or with a specic
par8cipa8ng provider you may call us or the NVA dedicated member
services number: 1-877-241-7124.
NO claim form is needed if you use a par8cipa8ng provider. It will be
processed directly on-line. If you use an out of network provider, you
have to le a claim form and send it to: NVA, A>n: Shelter Point, PO
Box 2187 CliJon, NJ 07015. Claim forms can be found on
www.HHHTA.com.
In a trial run, I was able to obtain 5 par8cipa8ng providers within a one
mile radius of our oce and 40 within a ten mile radius. Please let us
know about your experience with this new vision plan either by calling
(631-499-4240) or emailing us at oce@HHHTA.com.

Step 1
Log onto www.e-nva.com
Step 2

Step 3
Enter Group number:
XGNY1042
Step 4
Do NOT enter anything in the
Select Group Sponsor space
Step 5
Enter the ZIP Code you want to
nd providers in and the
mileage for the search
Step 6
Click on the Find Provider space
and you will be given a lis8ng of
the par8cipa8ng providers in
your selected zip code area

Volunteers Needed!!
2016/2017 Committees
We are looking to lock in our 2016/2017 committee members before the end of this
year so they can hit the ground running in the fall. Our goal is to have one person
from each building on each of our major standing committees. Sign Up sheets will
come out soon. In the meantime, take a quick look at the list below and start thinking
about how you can get involved!
Elections

Grievance Health & Safety Political Action/Social Justice

Public Relations Professional Council

Sick Bank is There for Our Members in Need

By Heather Neary
Our contract en8tles us to a sick bank benet. Our
contract states Unit members who are approved by the
governing body for sick bank days shall receive
compensa8on to the same extent as if using their
personally accumulated sick days.
In order to serve our members in a fair and equitable
manner, we established a governing body to regulate the
use of the days in the sick bank. This group consists of
fellow teachers from dierent buildings throughout the
district. The members of this commiCee are anonymous.
It should be noted that the Execu8ve Board does not run
this commiCee. Heather Neary and Marianne Pastoressa
chair the commiCee, but do not vote on any applica8ons
unless there is a 8e.
There is an applica8on process that a member has to
complete in order to be able to access the sick bank. It is
important for applicants to provide a detailed
descrip8on of their case. This will allow the commiCee
to make an informed decision. The members of the
commiCee will not know the name of the applicant and
all informa8on is conden8al. Once the applica8on is
submiCed, the commiCee meets to make its decision.

If the applica?on is accepted the member will be

no8ed and the sick days will be
applied to their bank. All days given
must be returned to the bank at a
rate of half the members sick days
each year un8l the sick bank is
replenished with the original
amount taken.
If the applica?on is denied, the member will be no8ed
and be given an opportunity to appeal the decision. The
appeals process will provide the member with an
opportunity to provide addi8onal informa8on to the
commiCee for reconsidera8on. Again, it is important for
members to give as much detail as possible in the
original applica8on. The member will be no8ed of the
appeal decision. All decisions rendered by the sick bank
commi'ee are nal.
If the member is applying under Group 2 (for their
dependents), the Superintendent or designee must
concur with the Associa?on that the illness warrants
such coverage.

Collaborating on an NEA-Funded ENL Curriculum

By Courtney Metelitz
ACending the English as a New
Language Lesson Wri8ng Grant
provided by NYSUT was a truly
r e w a r d i n g a n d m e a n i n g f u l
experience. Mee8ng teachers, not
only in my eld of ENL, but across
the subject areas who were willing
to share their exper8se, provided a posi8ve experience
for all who aCended. Our facilitator Betsy Weinman, an
ENL teacher herself in the Oceanside School District
taught us not only excellent strategies for ENL students,
but also life lessons. For example, one of the most
powerful messages that I learned from Ms. Weinman is

a simple thought but one that is oYen forgoCen with ENL

students. She reminded us, The one doing the talking is
the one doing the learning. ENL students require that
8me to talk and u8lize the language in a safe seing and
we, as educators, must allow them to do so. We also
discussed the importance of group work and assigning
jobs, teaching from the walls, and removing superuous
words in order to pull out the core informa8on. I look to
bring these ENL strategies to the table when crea8ng the
lessons for NYSUT as well as seeing what the other
teachers have contributed in order to u8lize new
strategies in my classroom.

Three Great Years of LAP Change the Face of the HHHTA

by Sarah Baptiste
The HHHTA Local Ac8on Project (LAP) team is
experiencing a very ac8ve 3 years as a LAP local.
LAP is nancially supported by NYSUT, which has
enabled us to implement many dierent ini8a8ves.
From the very beginning of our team's crea8on in
2013, we focused on increasing and improving our
union's member involvement. We are a local of
almost 1200 members, and even with such large
numbers, we were determined to create events and
opportuni8es that target the varied interests of our
membership.

As this year comes to a close, we will con8nue

collec8ng informa8on about member par8cipa8on
through our Count Me In program. This will help us
gauge the types of ac8vi8es that interested the
majority of our membership and will enable us to
plan for the future. Remember to keep track of your
2015-2016 union and district involvement so that
you can be rewarded in the fall. We look forward to
a successful and posi8ve conclusion of the 2016
school year!

Through the use of surveys and 1-1 conversa8ons,

we learned that many members were interested in
family-oriented events and events that support the
local community and our students. With this in
mind, our team organized targeted ac8vi8es, such
as Meet the Teacher Welcome Tables, Family Movie
Day, Pantry Dona8ons, Kindergarten Welcome
Packages and many others! Thank you to our en8re
membership for suppor8ng these ini8a8ves
through your aCendance, dona8ons and the

SEPTA Honors Lori Levine

by Caryl Deiches

The HHH SEPTA hosted its 2nd Annual Night of

The Shining Stars Gala to support its scholarship
fund given to IEP and 504 students on April 8th.
The HHH Educa8on community was spotlighted
and thanked for their impact on ALL of our
districts children. Steve Muraco and Mrs. Lori
Levine were recognized for their dedicated
eorts to serve special needs students in the HHH
community and were awarded one of PTAs
highest awards, The Golden Oak . They each
received proclama8ons from Legislator Steve
Stern and Town of Hun8ngton Council Woman
Susan Berland and Councilman Eugene Cook.

Verizons Struggles Could be Any of Our Struggles

by Richard Haase
In 1971, a corporate lawyer named Lewis Powell draYed a memo to
the Chamber of Commerce. This memo, known as the Powell Memo, or
Powell Manifesto, set forth a blueprint for increasing poli8cal and
social power of corpora8ons. It has served as a playbook for the last
several decades, as companies have followed its advice for initra8ng
universi8es, u8lizing their control of the media to shape public
sen8ment, and purchasing inuence in poli8cs.
With the shiY in public sen8ment over the last several decades,
workers have become less important than the companies they serve
and many companies are brazen in their regard for employees and the
unions that bring them the power to advocate for their rights and for
the needs of their families. As an example, despite monthly prots
currently averaging $1.8 billion, Verizon seeks to separate its workers
from their families and o-shore their work to Mexico and the
Phillipines.

Memories of the 1975 HHH Teachers Strike

by Fred Seiden, HHH Retiree

The strike was a watershed moment in the history

of the TA. As a edging teacher in his mid-twen8es,

who was the Taukomas (now a BOCES school)
building rep., I was an ideologue who aspired to
elevate our profession to the level of dignity and
respect that we teachers deserved. So, for me, the
strike was lled with a sense of excitement and
determina8on, and I was willing to make the
necessary sacrices.

My memories are lled with the daily picke8ng at

my home school where a camaraderie grew among
colleagues. Many parents, who kept their kids
home, joined and supported us on the picket line.
There were the scabs who crossed the picket line
and aroused the wrath of some of the most angelic,
if not prudish, teachers. Each day, the en8re
membership would converge in the ballroom of a
local hotel for a pep rally to plan the next days
strategies and energize our morale. Our president,
Carol Roseman, a Taukomas colleague, was a savvy,
outspoken, dynamic leader alla NYCs Bella Abzug
(Google the name). She inspired us.
Our quest for a fair contract reached beyond raises.
In a 8me of plumme8ng enrollment, we achieved a
masterful job security clause, which to this day
stands as perhaps the only one in a Long Island
school district. I am proud to say that I was part of
the cause.

Verizons Struggles ARE Our Struggles

by Debra Herbert
My husband started with Verizon
the same year I started HHH in
1997. He was a lineman in the
Bohemia garage. He worked in
western Suolk on the south
shore around the Babylon area.
We got married and moved to
our home in East Setauket. Things were great. His
commute was about 20 minutes. Our son was born
in August of 2001 and our twin daughters on
December 17, 2002.
On December 18th of that same year, Verizon
decided to lay o a number of workers. Since he
was fairly new to the company, my husband was
one of them. The reasoning was unfair and unjust.
The CWA Union fought for them and my husband
was reinstated the following July of 2003 with retro
pay all the way back to the day he was laid o.
Throughout his years in Verizon, he was forced to
work a summer in Bualo away from his family,
during which 8me I was leY on my own to care for
three small children, who were elementary school
age: meals, homework, driving, and just general
everyday ac8vi8es fell upon me and only me. He
would make the long commute home on Friday

nights, arriving in the wee hours of Saturday

morning to spend the day with us, and then was
forced to make the trek back up to Bualo on
Sunday to be back for work on Monday. This was
the only way he could see his family.
At the same 8me he was forced to work in Bualo,
the Bualo workers were forced to Albany. He said
this was all in an aCempt to get the workers to
leave. He was changed from lineman to repair with
no training.
This strike is largely about keeping workers secure
and home with their families. The company wants
to sub-contract out local work and to move call
centers overseas. They want to change the benet
plans and make workers pay more into them. Their
pensions have been frozen since 2010.

Politics in Action
by Matt Gribbin/ PAC Chair
HHHTAs MaC Gribbin and Mel Stern went to our
states capital for NYSUTs CommiCee of 100 lobby
day in mid-March. They met with our state
assemblymen and senators to lobby for our schools.
There was an open dialogue about tes8ng and its
role in teacher evalua8ons. We spoke about our
concerns regarding adequate funding and elimina8ng
the GEA. Other high priority issues we discussed
related to APPR, receivership, the tax cap and
opposing the use of public funds for private charter
schools through state aid and backdoor voucher
schemes.
Pictured here with MaC Gribbin and Mel Stern is
Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci. Mr. Lupinacci
represents the 10th Assembly District which
encompasses Hun8ngton, Northport, Melville and
Commack.

Next time youre sitting with someone who doesnt believe in unions,
ask them how they feel about any of these things weve fought to gain.

40-Hour workweek
Age Discrimina8on in
Employment Act
All breaks at work,
including lunch
Americans with Disabili8es Act
Child labor laws
Civil Rights Act
Collec8ve Bargaining Rights
Eight-Hour workday
Employee Polygraph
Protec8on Act
Employer Dental, Life and
Vision Insurance

Employer Health Care Insurance

Equal Pay
Family and Medical Leave Act
Holiday Pay
Laws Ending Sweatshops
Military Leave
Minimum wage
Occupa8onal Safety
and Health Act
Over8me pay
Paid vaca8on
Pensions
Pregnancy and Parental Leave
Privacy Rights

10

Public Educa8on for Children

Sexual Harrassment Laws
Sick Leave
Social Security
Unemployment Insurance
Veterans Employment
and Training Service
Weekends without work
Whistle-Blower Protec8on Laws
Workers Compensa8on
Wrongful Termina8on Laws
Workplace safety
standards and regula8ons

Whats Happening with your Co-Workers

Baby News..
Jen Yanoulas(WHMS) on the birth of her daughter
Erin Murphy (WHMS) on the birth of her daughter
Jillian Rozzano (WHMS) on the birth of her twins (boy and girl)
Ka8e Sepp(WHMS) on the birth of her son
Laura Anderson (WHMS) on the birth of her daugher
Julia Gallo (DW) on the birth of her daughter
Mitch Troise (HSE) on the birth of his son
Nicole Cancel (CW) on the birth of her son
Nicole Abrams (CW) on the birth of her daughter

THANK YOU!
Crystal Roberts for all of
your commitment and years of
service to our HHHTA family.
We will miss you!!!

Retirees Class of 2016

Maryann Cipriano/ SH/Para
Diana Clark/CW/SpEd
Rosalie Clements/DW/Social Work
Norva Evelyn/Para/WHMS
Karen Giordano/HSE/Nurse
Donna Gross/HSW/Guidance
Donna Hopkins/Para/WHMS
Chris8ne Inglis/Guidance/HSE
Susan Julian/Sunq/Reading
Valerie Levy/WL/CW
Gloria Mandell/Science/HSE
Joseph Toles/Guidance/HSW
Eleni Yanakis/Math/WHMS

Congratulations on

Ken Ricken for all of your

years of service. Good luck in your
new posi8on at Paumanok!

Kudos to our 2016 Tenure Recipients

Wiliam Davey HSE/Phys Ed
Jaclyn Cicha HSW/SpEd

Your Engagements!

Lisa McDermott HSE SpEd

Mackenzie Jordan/WHMS
Nancy Blinder/SH

Rachel Rubin Paum/Speech

Do you have news to share from your building? Dont forget to tell us about it! Email Deb Rothar at
secretary@hhhta.com or Chrissy James at oce@hhhta.com to get into the next edi8on of The Communicator.
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As the 2015/16 school year comes to a close, wed like to thank our members and
our hard-working union leaders for their commitment to our district, our
community, public education and the union movement. Together, we can make
a difference!
In Solidarity,
The HHHTA Executive Board

HHHTA Building Representatives

Otsego - Tracey Kueck, Carrie McCabe and Deborah
Rossi;
Paumanok - Kelly Sassone, Francine Bliss and Linda
Lewter

Committee Chairs
Marianne Pastoressa - Grievance
Public Relations - Debra Rothar
LAP - Sarah Baptiste
Political Action - Matt Gribbin
Elementary Special Education - Gloria Cucinello
Elections - Colleen Balsamo
Para Negotiations Committee - Barbara Geis

Signal Hill - Danielle Reed, Renee Carlo and Debbie

Polidora
Sunquam - Sheri Ferdinando, Matt Gribbin and Gina
Cortina
Vanderbilt - Sharon Kaplan, Gloria Cucinello and Shirley
Cooke
Candlewood - Debby Gosse, Jeff Krautheimer, Allison
Zusmer, Emily Prinzevalli, Barbara Geis and Ricki Sager

NYSUT/AFT Delegates
Sarah Baptiste, Patti Fox, Matt Gribbin, Richard Haase,
Lori Levine, Dawn Montelle, James Nolan, Christina
Papachristou, Suzann Schmanski

NYSTRS Delegates/Alternates
Christina Drake, Patti Fox, Matt Gribbin, Richard Haase,
Nanette OGrady

West Hollow - Ken Ricken, Maria Beatty, Christine

Bistany and Dawn Montelle
HSE - Jim Nolan, Charese Cunningam, Mike Lorusso,
Kevin McKeever, Matt Mayo, Marianne Mead and Jodi
Rosenzweig
HSW - Jim Christian, Carol Lislevatn, Denise Salatti,
Kristen Di Pietro, Joe Toles, Anne Votta and Irene Davison

The

C o m m u n i cato r

is the official newsletter of the

Half Hollow Hills Teachers Association
6268 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 10, Commack, NY 11725
Tel: (631) 499-4240 | Fax: (631) 265-2926
office@hhhta.com | www.hhhta.com
Newsletter Contact: Debra Rothar
The HHHTA Communicator is always looking for great
articles and pictures by, from and about our members.
Please contact Debra Rothar at secretary@hhhta.com or
Chrissy James at office@hhhta.com with any content
youd like to share in our next issue.

HHHTA Executive Board

Richard Haase - President
Heather Neary - First Vice President
Mike Falen - Second Vice President
Sarah Baptiste - Treasurer
Debra Rothar - Secretary
Lori Levine - Paraprofessional Trustee
Marianne Pastoressa - High School Trustee
Suzann Schmanski - Middle School Trustee
Crystal Roberts - Elementary School Trustee
Office
Chrissy James - Office Manager
Karen Fulep - Office Assistant
Dick Lee - Welfare Trust Coordinator