cta 411 october 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Some things, at least, seem to be changing for the better these days in public education.
From (even!) political and corporate leaders, there is a growing consensus that America’s
public schools have themselves been “left behind” in civic discourse for the last several
years. Arizona’s public schools warrant just as much support and more. Polls from any
vantage point consistently say that voters want their public school systems to be politicians’
number one concern, and they want the schools not just to be sustained, but to be elevated.
People are starting to hear us once again, and our students, and their families.
This is a critical time to add your voice to that cause. Your involvement matters greatly;
there are many good ways to fulfill your part, about which you can read more in this issue.
However, I wish to highlight one theme here: your potential role in helping create a greater
respect-based philosophy and culture within and throughout public education. Whether it is
in Restorative Justice for our students and more positive models of discipline and
responsibility, or in evaluation and collaboration protocols that look to the best in educators’
expertise and commitment, there is a real need to begin building a greater, more rewarding
“architecture” of vision and partnership in our schools. The time for that construction isn’t
just approaching; it’s already begun.
I hope you’ll be willing participants in this growing movement. The changes are not just over
-due, they’re obviously supported by a greater, more grateful community. That community
welcomes your part as well.
President’s Word: By Paul Lowes
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
What are your Ideas 2
Phoenix Union Foundation 2
PUHSD Override Election 3
Social Media and You 4-5
CTA Deals and Discounts 6
P h o e n i x U n i o n C l a s s r o o m T e a c h e r s ’ A s s o c i a t i o n
October 2015 Vol. 2 Issue 1
THE CTA 411
President:
Paul Lowes
(480) 352-8928
Vice President:
Resha Gentry-Ballance
(480) 274-9390
Treasurer:
Elliot McAllister
Secretary
April Coleman
Meet Your Officers
Teacher Leaders
Paul Lowes,
Kathryn
Baumgardner,
Heidi Garcia, and
April Coleman.
CTA is on the web via Facebook and
Twitter!
Facebook:
Phoenix Union CTA
Phoenix Union CTA Politics
Education Days of Action
Twitter:
@PhoenixUnionCTA
If you have something you would like
to share on one of our pages or in this
newsletter please contact the CTA
Office Manager.
FOLLOW CTA
CTA Wants to Know– What are your ideas?
How do you think you could be more actively involved in
CTA? This is, after all, your association. The Classroom
Teachers’ Association has many ways for members to be
involved, whether running as a representative, working on a
committee, contributing to our political efforts, or…perhaps
something new? Do you have ideas about what kinds of
things you’d like to see CTA doing, and how you might be
involved? Even though certain activities and committee are
limited by practical numbers, CTA is always looking for
members that want to be especially engaged. If that’s you, if
there’s something you want to be part of, or if you have an
idea for something that needs brand new energy, let Paul or
Grant know. Here’s to the go-getters –our kind of people!
CTA Leadership Opportunities: Unit Chair, Council
Representatives, Campus Committee, and CTA Committees.
Page 2 Vol. 2 Issue 1
CTA’s Executive Board hard at work debating and strategizing with
AEA Organizational Consultant Chris Maza.
You know which “kid” is
one of the best pals your
students have ever had?
Over the years, the
Phoenix Union Foundation
for Education has given
hundreds of scholarships
to Phoenix Union kids–
quite likely, some of your
students. Since its origin
more than 25 years ago,
Foundation scholarships
totaling over $950,000
have been awarded to our
students– and this year
the number will certainly
climb over the $1 million
mark. Community leaders
and associations,
corporate entities,
memorial funds, and
others contribute every
year to help Phoenix Union
students succeed in
higher education, and so
do our own PUHSD
teachers and school staff.
In addition to the funds
raised for students, the
Foundation, a 501c(3)
community board, also
provides Innovation
Grants for creative
educators’ programs,
district-wide or site-based,
helping even more
students to terrific
educational opportunities.
Fundraising for the
Foundation involves
enjoyment as well as a
good deal of behind-the-
scenes hard work. From
the inspiring annual
Scholarship Dinner to the
Scholarship Open Golf
Tournament and beyond,
there are ways to give and
have a great time
simultaneously as either a
volunteer or participant.
Easiest of all, you can be
part of this effective,
positive effort by donating
to the Phoenix Union
Foundation for Education
via payroll deduction.
Contact your school’s
Payroll Technician, with
help from your principal’s
Office Assistant. Or you
can visit the Foundation’s
website,
www.foundation4educatio
n.org, select Donate Now
from the drop-down, scroll
to “Invest in the Best
Annual Giving,” and look
for the Payroll Deduction
button. Piece of cake–
and pretty good cake, too!
Scholarships and Grant
Applications Made Easy
CTA Committees:
Membership
Quality Teaching & Learning
Social Activities
Professional Right & Responsibilities
Educators Soaring with Aspiring Goals-
ESWAG
Political Action
Professional Growth
Working Conditions
Tech Committee
Marks and Grading
And More!
The PUHSD Override is Coming
Page 3
Phoenix Union, like many other major
school districts around the state, will be
on the ballot this November for a District
Additional Assistance (DAA) Budget
Override. A DAA Budget Override allows
districts to exceed their DAA limit by a
specific amount each year for a maximum
of seven years. DAA monies may be used
for any additional capital purpose
including the purchase of items such as
textbooks, instructional aides, upgraded
software and technology, library books,
land and building improvements,
furniture, band and sports equipment,
updated school safety measures and
equipment, teacher instructional tools, as
well as some construction.
The proposed Override would be in effect
for seven years, beginning in Fiscal Year
2016-2017. The annual tax rate is
estimated to be $ .3589 for the first year,
which equates to an increase of $35.39
per year in secondary property taxes for a
home with an assessed value of
$100,000.
Why not include these items in a bond
program?
Bond funds cannot be used for purchase
of service vehicles, textbooks, or library
books.
School districts typically use bond funds
for unrestricted capital purposes such as
technology, instructional aides, furniture
and equipment, and pupil transportation
vehicles. If we include a large dollar
amount of furniture and equipment items
in the bond program, the tax rate would
be higher and there would be insufficient
bonding capacity for all construction and
major renovation of building projects.
The School Facilities Board (SFB) was
established to evaluate the capital needs
of school districts and distribute monies
to cure existing building deficiencies, for
building renewal, and for the construction
of new facilities. The SFB adopted rules
establishing minimum school facility
adequacy guidelines to provide the
minimum quality and quantity school
buildings, facilities, and equipment
necessary and appropriate to enable
students to achieve academic standards.
The Arizona Legislature has not funded
the SFB for a number of years now, and
thus, no funding is available. The
Legislature has also reduced District
Additional Assistance (DAA) funding by
85% in the 2015-2016 school year.
If the DAA Override fails there would be
very minimal monies available to allow
the District to furnish and equip schools
under the Bond program. The District
would be forced to cut programs,
curriculum adoptions, technology, library
books, band instruction and uniforms,
athletics equipment, furniture, etc…
Election Day is Tuesday November 3rd.
The B.E.S.T. PAC
CTA’s Political Action Committee,
B.E.S.T. (Better Educated
Students Today), is making a big
push for CTA members to
contribute to our PAC, since we
never use dues dollars for our
political campaigns. Donating to
the BEST helps keep our PAC
active, strong, and influential. To
donate via payroll deduction,
contact Grant Wood at
THE CTA 411
To learn more about CTA’s
involvement in local and
state politics and the
Phoenix Union Override
follow our social media
pages on Facebook and
Twitter.
Facebook:
Phoenix Union CTA
Politics
and
Education Days of
Action.
Twitter:
@PhoenixUnionCTA.
Or Contact Chris Bates
CTA Political Action
Team: CTA President
Paul Lowes, Katherine
Hansen, CTA Office
Manager Grant Wood,
Jeff Chmielewski, Chris
Bates, and CTA Vice
President Resha Gentry-
Ballance at AEA’s Day at
the Capitol.
Page 4 Vol. 2 Issue 1
Social Media or Social Mess
How to use social media with your classroom for greater connectivity
Why should I be active on social media? What could Facebook
possibly have to do with my job as an educator? Besides, no one is
really on there, right?
If Facebook were a country it would have a population similar to
China. In August, one billion Facebook users logged-on in a single day.
So it turns out that most of us are already there, and your students
definitely are.
According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, 92% teens
are accessing the internet on a daily basis, with a majority of teens
using it several times per day. Nearly three-quarters of teens have
access to a smart phone. What does this mean? Something you
probably already have observed. Your students are on the internet
and social media all the time.
So if your students and parents are going to be online and on social
media, why not bring parts of your classroom there to help better
connect with your students, parents, and your community?
Social media is another avenue, albeit a virtual one, to connect with
the very real people around us, including our students and their
parents. The internet isn’t going anywhere and Facebook, much like
Rock-N-Roll, is not a fad.
Social Media can be a venue for rapid communication:
Engage and inform your students, parents, and commu-
nity members by communicating through social media.
Social Media provides an updated feed of everything you
need to see or hear to be informed.
Tailor your social media presence with the experience of
your classroom to provide everyone with the perfect
blend or information and resources. You can post pic-
tures of your students working collaboratively to share
with others, students samples, or your favorite student
presentations.
A platform already on your phone, social media provides
a more convenient way of staying in touch without hav-
ing to constantly check your email.
Communicate on your own terms- Don’t be a slave to
your work computer. With social media you can connect
anywhere, anytime. You have the control and freedom to
communicate whenever you desire.
Page 5 THE CTA 411
For some of our students, technology offers a socially acceptable (or cloaked) coping
mechanism. However, harnessing assistive technology to launch our exceptional needs
students into the mainstream classroom can be an intervention written into an IEP.
Kelly Cook (CTA member) is our Exception Student Services Content Specialist, with a wealth
of information about technology, and how to apply it to the mainstream classroom. For
example, the website https://www.newsela.com/ offers free news articles with an adjustable
Lexile level and word counts, to tailor real-life, non-fiction, events and stories to many
academic levels.
PUHSD is a BYOD. A BYO-what? PUHSD is a Bring Your Own Device district. There is a brief
and clear process for getting your own class PUHSD social media sites started. Ask your PDS
to help you get started and let the LIKES begin.
*Note: Social media is a valuable tool in education today –but it can also be misused. To familiarize yourself with Phoenix
Union’s social media policy, see Policy GBEF-R in our Governing Board Documents, available on the district homepage.
Social Media or Social Mess? Cont’d
Social Media Has No Barriers
Communicating on social
media is easy for everyone.
There are many apps and
extensions on your web
browser that are available to
make communicating with
disabilities much easier.
ChromeVOX is a “text-to-
speech” extension that reads
what’s on the screen out loud
for those visually impaired.
No language Barrier- Today
many web browsers and social
media sites have built in
translators to automatically
translate every word you to
English, Spanish, etc…
—Kathryn Mitchell Baumgardner has been teaching over twenty years. She is using
social media as an extension of her Exceptional Needs classroom at North High
School. [email protected]. Also edited by Grant Wood.
Public high schools across Arizona
can score up to $3,000 for their
athletics programs with a 2016
California Casualty Thomas R.
Brown Athletics Grant. Once
again, up to $100,000 dollars will
be available to purchase
equipment or improve athlete
safety. The grant application
deadline is January 15, 2016.
Click here to apply online.
345 E. Palm Lane
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone: 602-279-5529
Fax: 602-266-2800
Edited By:
Paul Lowes
Grant Wood
CTA Member Benefits Save a bundle at your favorite online
stores, including Target, Macy’s, The
Home Depot, Best Buy, and Toys “R” Us.
Save big at local merchants and
restaurants, too! Shop for everything
from clothing and electronics, to pet
food, vacations and jewelry. Earn WOW
Points at thousands of merchants, and
redeem them just like cash. NEA Member
Benefits is dedicated to helping
educators save on the things they need.
Visit neamb.com/clickandsave to learn
more and start saving!
Last year’s October Day of Action. What are you doing this year?
Photos include CTA
Members Kathryn
Baumgardner and
Petra Schmid-Riggins
with Katie Paetz and
AEA President Andrew
Morrill.
AEA Advocacy Help Desk
Fast, easy, and expert assistance to members’ questions
about employment concerns. www.aeahelpdesk.org.
American Income life
Free $4,000 accidental death insurance. 800-495-1213
Assurant
Short-term disability insurance. 800-232-9642
Attorney Referral program
Two free, 30-minute legal consultations for personal legal issues.
AXA Equitable
Retirement savings plan. 866-487-7484
California Casualty- Auto and Home Insurance
Discounts on auto and home insurance. 877-411-3426
DOVE Program
Discounts On Vehicles for Educators. 800-881-3683
Glass Financial
Medical and dental insurance. 877-895-5012
MetLife Resources
Retirement savings plan. 800-758-3231
Stevens Van Lines
Discounts on moving and storage. 800-765-3836 x370
Voya
Retirement savings plan. 800-754-6133
Educator’s Employment Liability
$1 million professional liability insurance. 602-264-1774
AEA Advocate quarterly magazine
To learn more visit ww.arizonaea.org or www.neamb.com