ReporterAn official Publication of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers AssociationRepresenting Teachers and Educational Support Professionals

Affiliated with FEA, NEA, AFT, AFL-CIOVolume 46, Number 1 August 2011

REPORTER

Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association • 4505 N. Rome Avenue Tampa, Florida 33603 • www.hillscta.org

“Rick Scott wants to protect Wall Street

over Main Street with his plan to dole out tax breaks to CEOs while handing pink slips to middle class

Floridians.”~ Andy Ford, FEA

PresidentAlmost 250 teachers wore “Pink Slip Rick” t-shirts at the NEA Convention to protest Governor Rick Scott’s current policies because of the effect they are having on Florida’s education system.

Welcome back everyone! I hope that all (or at least most of you) had an opportunity for some rest and relaxation over the last few months. I also hope that as you get ready to set up your classrooms and welcome new students, you will also be thinking about how to welcome your colleagues, both old and new, to the CTA family.

Last Spring, we worked hard to grow our union and increase our activism and we made phenomenal strides! CTA staff and activists worked hard this summer, reaching out to members and playing a pivotal role in Teacher Interview Days (TID) and New Teacher Orientation (NTO), where we continued our positive momentum in terms of membership.

At the same time, hundreds of members have retired and we know the Legislature will be back in January 2012, if not sooner. We are in the midst of bargaining with the District in the toughest economic times we’ve seen in recent years, both across the country and in Florida. We are, in my opinion, standing at an important crossroads with regard to public education in terms of accountability, access, funding and so much more. Now, more than

Welcome Back!ever, it is important we maintain and expand the CTA majority!

No matter where you work in our school system, I know you do your job (teacher, clerical, or ESP) because

you care about kids and understand the importance of educating the next generation. For some children, you may be the only stable force in their life at this moment. Your union, your professional organization—CTA–understands this commitment and the challenges you face. We strive everyday to make your working conditions the best they can be. In a larger sense, we will also do our

best in the coming months to help “tell the story” of our schools and our members to legislators and the larger community, with the goal of making public education a priority again in this state. As always, we will provide high quality professional development designed to help you be the best you can be. Be sure to suggest upcoming sessions for new teachers to colleagues at your sites!

CTA is truly lucky to have committed and articulate leaders, as well as capable and hard-working staff. But, the union is made up of all of you and your colleagues, and we need each of you to strengthen the voice of and power of CTA at your individual school and work sites.

So as you return to work, please take some time to connect with your colleagues about the CTA. Our staff is happy to make school visits and/

or provide you with information for short meetings, so don’t hesitate to contact us. As we gear up for another challenging year, we will seek and rely on the widespread commitment of our members to be active and engaged in the issues important to our members!

Best wishes as you start the 2011-2012 school year!

from Stephanie Baxter-Jenkins, Executive Director

Now, more than ever, it is important we maintain and expand the

CTA majority!

Pink Slip Rick

see NEA Convention article ~ page 3

InsideThis Issue

Page 2 CTA Rep Elections

•AFT TEACH Conference

•Member Benefits

~Page 3

FEA Sues State

•NEA

Convention•

TLC Update~

Page 4CTA Works

• ESP Update

Page 2 • CTA Reporter • August 2011

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Jean ClementsCTA President

Alert! Alert! The time for CTA Rep elections is upon us. In fact, it is now.

For many, many years, CTA Rep elections have been conducted in late spring. That way, everything’s in place for the new school year. But a lot of things happen over the summer – staff transfer to new schools or jobs, spouses get transferred or get new jobs, life circumstances change, and people are not in the same place come August–including CTA Reps.

After discussing this problem for a couple of years, and after much thoughtful consideration and deliberation, the CTA Rep Council amended our by-laws to conduct CTA Building Rep elections as soon as the school year begins, when staff are settled at sites.

Why should you care? Because to a great extent, your future, your fate, and your happiness in your job and work site ride on the selection of your CTA Reps.

CTA Reps must be elected every year.

CTA Reps fulfill an important leadership role at your work site, and in the district.

CTA Reps are the visible representation of members’ interests at each school or work site, and a key link in communication between members and CTA staff and governance.

I have written this before. We’ve had many conversations about this before. But this REALLY is important, so keep reading. (It’s your future, your fate, your happiness…)

Over the years, CTA activism and involvement have greatly improved the quality and success of educational

experiences for the children and employees in Hillsborough. The level of influence you have in Hillsborough, through CTA, far exceeds what is required by law or even our own contract.

In Hillsborough, CTA Reps are a highly respected teacher and ESP leader group who provide professional input on a wide range of topics. They are able to participate in discussions about district policy and bargaining topics, and increasingly have been able to address many issues directly with the superintendent and district administrators in Rep Councils and Rep Forums.

This is why I encourage you to give serious consideration to the selection of your CTA Reps. They are much more than folks who can attend meetings and report back to you. They are much more than folks who can assist you with individual problems at your site. They are much more than folks who can get answers for you.

CTA Reps are crucial to the success of Hillsborough CTA and our members.

CTA Reps are key to maintaining a productive, effective, and positive work environment at each site. But their influence is not limited to your work site. They have the opportunity to influence district direction and

policy.According to the collective wisdom

of CTA members over many years, CTA Teacher and ESP Reps should be:

•well-regarded by faculty, staff, and administration

•good problem-solvers•people you trust to be confidential

and have good sense•people with good communication

skills who work well with diverse groups and individuals

•people who possess and use good leadership skills

•people who will ensure information is communicated to members t h r o u g h m e e t i n g s , e-mail, bulletin boards, and d i s t r i b u t i n g m a t e r i a l s , and will

communicate the needs and interests of members to the Association

•people who will work to have a good relationship with your administration and not be reluctant to discuss problems with administration

•people who will participate in association training and attend monthly Rep Council, or ensure someone from your site attends.

Each year, the senior CTA Rep at each site is required to conduct an election to select your CTA Reps. Teacher members elect teacher Reps,

Select Your CTA Rep – Now!

Give serious consideration

to the selection of your CTA

Reps.

and ESP members elect ESP Reps. The number of reps is determined by the number of CTA members at your site. You get a Rep and alternate Rep for each 20 members, or larger fraction thereof. So if you have 51 teacher members and 9 ESP members, you get 3 teacher Reps and 3 alternate teacher Reps, as well as 1 ESP Rep and 1 alternate ESP Rep (8 Reps, altogether). All CTA members are eligible to nominate colleagues or themselves, and then vote on Reps and Alternate Reps.

There is no limit to how long a member can serve as a CTA Rep, but they must be elected every year. If you don’t have a CTA Rep (or don’t know who they are), contact the CTA office, and we’ll help.

So right now every school and work site should have an election to select their CTA Reps. This is crucial, as important and helpful information is disseminated through CTA Reps at the beginning of each school year.

It is an honor to be selected by your peers as a CTA Rep. As a CTA Rep, you have a great opportunity to help your school be the best work and learning environment possible for you and your colleagues, as well as your students.

As professionals, make sure you are a member and participate in this process.

Currently CTA cannot send e-mails directly to members. However your

CTA Rep should be forwarding e-mails to you regularly. If you are

not receiving e-mails, see your Rep or call the CTA office for assistance.

* * *Get Connected! Check out CTA on

Facebook

“Making a Difference Every Day” was the theme for the 2011 AFT TEACH (Together Educating America’s Children) conference, which was held July 11-13 in Washington, D.C. TEACH—formerly known as QuEST–showcased the groundbreaking work taking place throughout the AFT. Among this year’s highlights: AFT president Randi Weingarten’s keynote address, remarks by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, and panel discussions on Common Core State Standards and community engagement.

CTA President Jean Clements (pictured above at fat left) was a featured speaker on the panel discussing Common Core State Standards. Clements also joined Superintendent MaryEllen Elia to do a workshop on the Empowering Effective Teachers project. Our Hillsborough team also had the opportunity to participate in a special lunch session with Weingarten and Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. As a surprise ending to the trip, Harrietta Willis, teacher at Just Elementary, was the winner of a drawing for a new iPad!

CTA Members Participate in AFT TEACH Conference in Washington DC Member Benefits

See your back to school member packet for information about the Access card–your FEA membership and discount card!

* * *For additional ideas of how you can use you membership to save money, see the

summer issue of the Reporter at www.hillscta.org .

August 2011 • CTA Reporter • Page 3

CTA Activists and Leaders Get

Geared Up for the New School Year

CTA kicked off the new school year with a hugely successful two-day training focused on activism and engagement, as well as professional development related to the Empowering Effective Teachers Program (EET). AFT organizing director, Rick Kuplinski and CTA’s Organizing Specialist, Missy Keller, led day one of the training, which highlighted strategies and techniques to organize at the building level and involved a number of interactive sessions to assist activists and building representatives in creating individual site plans and calendars. Participants also got to spend time at the dinner and reception with special guest, Charlotte Danielson!

Day two of the training featured Rob Meyer, of the University of Wisconsin Value Added Research Center and EET Director Anna Brown, as well as session led by CTA teachers. Meyer and Brown provided in-depth information about the value added measurements, which will be used here in Hillsborough, and handled a number of thoughtful questions from our reps. In the afternoon, three of our teacher leaders led a session looking at all aspects of the Danielson rubric. Be on the lookout for information from both EET sessions, which we will distribute in writing to all reps.

Participants had rave reviews of the training:

Deidra McDonald, a teacher from Mile Elementary, said, “I’m inspired to return to my school this year and unite with other members to create a strong CTA presence at our site!”

Two new members from Erwin Technical Center, Tandy Fritcher and Tamica Thomas, shared: “This was our first experience with CTA. Being adult-ed teachers, we were nervous about how CTA could work for us. WOW! How excited we are to go back to our site and set up our plan . . . We are proud to be CTA!”

ESP leader Linda Huie was thrilled to learn techniques to “truly listen to our co-workers so we can form a better CTA team” at the work site.

~

Fall TLC Update

Nearly 200 participants in the summer session of our online Teacher Learning Communities posted information, discussed EET questions, shared resources, and participated in live webinars with Jean Clements, MaryEllen Elia and others. These online communities of professionals helped each other find answers to EET questions and provided feedback that will help inform the improvement of the EET program.

The fall session of TLCs will launch in mid-September and run until mid-November. You are welcome to join your fellow professionals in learning together in this innovate online forum. We will be sending registration information out after the start of the new school year. Please join us as we grow professionally and share our resources in the TLCs.

FEA Sues State Over Pay CutThe Florida Education

Association filed a lawsuit in Circuit Court in Tallahassee

seeking to stop the 3 percent pay cut on teachers, school employees and other workers imposed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott.

The lawsuit asserts that the Legislature enacted legislation that was unconstitutional when that body required that 3 percent of the salaries of active members of the Florida Retirement System (FRS) be taken from such employees to serve as “contributions” toward their retirement benefits. The lawsuit further contends that the actions by the Legislature to reduce the cost-of-living benefits of those employees were also unconstitutional.

“This pay cut was used by legislative leadership to make up a budget shortfall on the backs of teachers, law-enforcement officers, firefighters and other state workers,” said FEA President Andy Ford. “It is essentially an income tax levied only on workers belonging to the Florida Retirement System. It’s unfair – and it breaks promises made to these employees when they chose to work to improve our state.

“While the state of Florida may make the policy decision to ask future employees to contribute to their

retirement, it may not unilaterally change the covenant it made with current employees,” Ford said.

The lawsuit alleges that Florida law expressly provides that the Florida Retirement System is one in which employees do not have to contribute part of their salaries and describes that as a contractual obligation of the State. The suit claims that the Legislature’s action unconstitutionally impairs those contractual rights.

The FRS collects retirement money for more that 900 state and local government employers in the state, covering approximately 655,000 active employee members and providing benefits to 219,000 retired members. It has been a non-contributory plan since 1974.

The lawsuit names Gov. Rick Scott, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Attorney General Pam Bondi and John Miles, secretary of the Department of Management Services, as defendants in the lawsuit. Scott, Atwater and Bondi are the members of the State Board of Administration that is responsible for overseeing the Florida Retirement System Trust Fund and Miles runs the agency that oversees the fund.

Attorney Ron Meyer requested the court to segregate the money it collects from the 3 percent pay cuts

and place it in an interest bearing account until the lawsuit is fully settled; however, the request was denied. If the court agreed with the claims, teachers, school employees and other public workers would have received their money back with interest.

“While we are disappointed that the court didn’t take action to ensure the availability of funds to pay back to employees if we prevail in the lawsuit, this is a minor setback and cannot be viewed as a determination that our claims are not just,” Meyer said.

Ford said he was fully aware that FEA risked incurring the wrath of Senate President Mike Haridopolos, House Speaker Dean Cannon and other top legislative leaders and that retribution toward the union and its members could be in the offing.

“This past legislative session, FEA was fully in the crosshairs of legislative leaders with SB 736, which will upend the teaching profession, massive budget cuts to public education and a spate of bills designed to put our union, and other public-sector unions, out of business,” Ford said. “But the importance of doing the right thing and protecting the constitutional rights of our members trumps the fears of legislative payback.”

NEA Convention Delegates Protest Governor Rick Scott, Endorse President Barack Obama

Nearly 250 Florida teachers and school employees donned “Pink Slip Rick” t-shirts at the NEA convention in Chicago to protest Governor Rick Scott’s policies that have radically transformed the education profession, slashed funding for public schools, caused the loss of thousands of jobs in public schools and attempted to silence the voices of those belonging to public-sector unions.

The FEA members attending the convention came up with the idea to serve as a reminder in Chicago about Scott’s policies, which have already eliminated thousands of jobs while middle class Floridians continue to grapple with high unemployment, a crippled economy and massive cuts to public education and social services.

“Rick Scott wants to protect Wall Street over Main Street with his plan to dole out tax breaks to CEOs while handing pink slips to middle class Floridians,” said FEA President Andy Ford, clad in his Pink Slip Rick t-shirt. “Scott campaigned on a promise to not cut education funding, but proposed and approved the biggest spending cuts in recent memory.

Presidential endorsement At this summer’s National

Education Association Convention in Chicago, 73 percent of the delegates of the Representative Assembly voted to recommend the re-election of President Barack Obama. This action does not come without controversy.

Yes, we have differences with the Administration on the details of education policy, but overall the track record of this Administration has been friendly to middle-class Americans.

Vice President Joe Biden discussed the challenges ahead as we collectively fight the privatization of American social services–schools, Social Security, and Medicare. This Administration has championed causes to assist the middle class and those less fortunate. The accomplishments and commitments of this Administration include:

•increased school funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Fund) and the EduJobs bill, which saved 20,000 Florida education jobs the last two years

•provided for school modernization •expanded civil rights•protected our environment•appointed two women and the

first Hispanic to the U.S. Supreme Court

•ensured a labor-friendly U.S. Labor Department with the appointment of Secretary Solis

•protected and expanded Pell grants to make college more affordable

•ensured equal pay for equal work by signing his first bill–the Lilly Ledbetter Act.

This Administration has also provided, for the first time in our history, health coverage for all

Americans, while expanding health care and nutrition programs for children, and is standing up to the extremists in Congress.

The NEA believes and the FEA Delegates agreed, it is extremely important that students and educators have a friend in the White House. Many speculate that the U.S. Senate will be in Republican control in the next Congress. We Floridians know all too well what happens when the Executive and Legislative branches of government are controlled by one party determined to attack public schools, undermine the middle class, privatize social services, and destroy unions.

Barack Obama can and will be the goalie for all working families’ to make sure the American way of life is preserved. By recommending early the NEA has an opportunity to work together to have a more sensible education policy, preserve balanced Supreme Court nominations, defend health care as a right, and ensure that most Americans have a chance at the American Dream.

Rest assured, just because the NEA made this recommendation, does not mean they will not work in Congress to have a more sensible ESEA/NCLB as we press for reauthorization of the current law. President Obama is more than a sign of hope and prosperity for middle class Americans, he will be the goalie students need to stop the attacks and make our schools a priority!

Reporter

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CTA WORKS FOR YOU

CTA members and administrators meet to discuss Assessment & Progress Monitoring, Report Cards

In response to concerns raised by CTA Reps at monthly Rep Council meetings last year and feedback from teachers, which came directly to the CTA staff and president, CTA convened a group of CTA elementary teachers representing grades K-5 to meet with Barbara Hancock, General Director of Elementary Education and other administrators in June to focus on assessment and progress monitoring/report cards. Lack of awareness of the number of tests and the testing schedule was raised as a concern among elementary teachers. The recommendation was made to have site administrators emphasize the assessment calendar at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. This will keep the assessment schedule on everyone’s radar and will promote more effective planning. There was a general agreement among teachers that there was too much testing during the month of May. Some teachers expressed concern about the short time frame following FCAT to administer end of the year tests. Teachers requested having directions for testing at least on day in advance of the testing day.

The following suggestions were made:readingIt was recommended that end of the year DRA2 be given to

students who are below level only. Administrating DRA2 assessment to students on or above level is recommended as optional.

DRA2 tests are long and take a great deal of time and paper to copy. Is it possible to have the assessment copied on site for reading teachers?

mathGrade 2 teachers present recommended giving the end of the year

math test at the beginning of the fourth quarter then administering Go Math at a later time during that quarter. Better pacing will avoid overwhelming students.

Kindergarten and grade 1 teachers asked about the possibility of having form B answer format match the SAT 10 answer format.

First and second grade teachers recommended the end of year math test allow teachers to read the questions while the students read the questions to themselves. This encourages listening as well as allows for the gradual release strategies to be implemented.

scienceConcerns were raised over the quality of clipart pictures.

Students had a difficult time telling if the picture was intended to be” real” or “fake”.

sPecialsArrangements for make-up testing for students absent on testing

day should be scheduled for special area teachers that are on site only one or two days a week.

rePort card reviews / Progress reviews / academic reviewsCollection of student data is the shared responsibility of the

teacher and administrators. Using the data to inform instructional decision making is the purpose of data collection.

A sign-up sheet was recommended for teachers to sign-up for report card reviews. Coverage for the class should be provided.

PLC/CIM meetings provide additional opportunities for monitoring student progress. They should eliminate the need for much of the discussion, which is currently required at some sites in report card review.

State statue requires teachers to document student progress.Third grade teachers recommended that grade three portfolio

review, promotion/retention discussions and assessment reviews be spaced appropriately.

It was recommended that each site collaborate to find a data collection system that is effective and does not require recording the information on multiple forms.

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ESP UPDATECTA organizers have been visiting ESPs at home all summer talking

to them about their concerns and how CTA membership and activism can benefit them.. One group who has responded enthusiastically is the DEES riders. In the past it has been difficult to reach out to DEES riders due to the fact that their work site is on wheels. These folks handle the demanding task of aiding in the transporting of special needs children. The riders quickly grasped the importance of joining the union and speaking with one voice. The CTA has negotiated a contract for the ESPs that runs through 2012. At present, CTA is at the table trying to address monetary issues.