president’s report – november 2014 mitch...
TRANSCRIPT
President’s Report – November 2014
Mitch Hettinger…[email protected]
With professionalism and integrity, we fight for our teachers and those students we teach... IMPROVISE, ADAPT, OVERCOME
POLITICS is PERCEPTION…PERCEPTION is REALITY
REPS...we need updated building census, w/update phone numbers and home email addresses
...bell schedules for all buildings
...any scheduling SNAFUs that affect prep time, lunch time, or staffing
…class sizes
From “ONE TERM TOM” to new Governor Tom…WE made the difference. If you get the chance, check
out the PA Election map. It’s both interesting and humorous. The phone bank, the call to vote, voting…it
all made the difference.
Have started my building visits at lunch. Look forward to answering questions and discussing issues in each
of the buildings fac rooms over the lunch periods.
I-Lead Charter School’s rating of 33 puts it at the bottom of the list of ALL schools in Berks County.
$9,000,000 is a lot of money to spend on a venture that has no accountability.
Trudi Westley, RHS VP, Wally Wilkinson, Middle School VP, and I attended the PSEA COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING and LOCAL PRESIDENTS Conference in Pittsburgh, October 24-26. We split the sessions
so that we got maximum coverage to get maximum information. We came back with pertinent info on
Teacher Evaluation, SLOs, paying for Health Care, Legislative Attacks on Unions. Info is available on
PSEA’s website.
Constitution and By-Laws Revision committee is up and running, with Dave Dedman of RHS once again
chairing the operations. We hope to have all revisions done by February, to be voted on in March and
operational for the 2015 elections.
I volunteered to stand at the polls for Bryan Sanguinito in his quest to be elected to the House seat in the
99th Legislative district in Lancaster County. Bryan ran a campaign that anyone would be proud of;
unfortunately he lost to the Republican candidate in a very conservative, right-wing Republican district. His
task was monumental, but not insurmountable. He received over 4000 votes, which means that he changed
some hearts and minds as he went door to door to meet and greet the electorate. There are not 4000
Democrats in the district. A loss is a loss, but in politics a well-run campaign proves that you can change
minds. In my opinion, if Bryan changed parties he would be shoo-in in 2 years. I have always felt the idea
is to get in so you can govern. Congratulations to Bryan on taking this difficult step into the political arena.
Had our first SAC meeting on the 6th. It turned into somewhat of a marathon due to the fact that all the
issues from the beginning of school to now were on the agenda. I feel we got off to a good start. The issues
were discussed, some at length, questions were asked, and tasks were assigned to look into the issues. The
meeting started at 4:30 and went almost to 7:00 pm. Next meeting is December 4th.
Attended the 2nd PSEA Recovery Task Force meeting of the new school year on Friday/Saturday, 14-15
November @ PSEA HQ in Harrisburg.
Topics that will affect us soon:
1. Obama calls for tougher Internet regulation…can you say emails and Facebook and Twitter
2. Advocates optimistic about rewrite of NCLB…and I quote:”that Senate Republicans would work to
return control over our public schools to communities and classroom teachers.”
3. Wolf picks Katie McGinty as his chief of staff…that seems to be good news
4. Public school advocates sue PA over funding…as in the Kansas case where the state was sued and lost
and now has to fund schools properly
5. Leadership fight widens in the Senate(PA)….right-wing nuts feel the PA Senate is TOO moderate
6. Regular pot smokers have shrunken brains, study finds…that answers a lot of questions about the 60s
crowd…DUH!!!
7. Be aware of the dangers of ALEC…”No matter what your political stance may be, I believe that each of
us should be offended by this attempted corporate takeover of our government.”
Commentary:
In the aftermath of the 2014 PA gubernatorial election results, I want to say thank you to all of our REA
members who took the time to get out and vote. You, along with many of our colleagues across our
Commonwealth, saw the necessity to exercise that one basic right that does make all the difference. Our
Constitution allows us the opportunity to have a bloodless coup every 2 years, every 4 years to make the
changes in our government structure that our forefathers saw as necessary to keep us free from tyranny.
Every time one of us utters a negative about our governments…local, state, federal…we need to look at how
many times we vote in those elections. There’s an old adage that all politics are local, and yet the local
elections get the least voter participation to elect those people who impact our lives every day by making
sure our streets are maintained, that the sewer plants are running, that the water is turned on that the
electricity continues to flow, that our parks are kept mowed and cleaned, that our schools have the necessary
funding and personnel to function properly. Voting allows us the voice that our forefathers said we needed
to have. Anything else is an excuse not to vote and lie why you shouldn’t vote. You got out on what was a
spectacular day and you exercised your constitutional right to change our government. And you did change
it! Way to go! And thank you! And now it’s back to business, back to what we do best…educate our
students. We put the piece into place, now we must…we must…hold his feet to the fire so that public
education can recover and grow stronger after 4 years of attacks, of lack of funding, of lack of caring about
our state’s most prized resource…our students. We must hold Governor Wolf accountable for his campaign
rhetoric. We must and he must fight the fight that needs fighting. We must and he must fight for PUBLIC
EDUCATION!
HAPPENINGS
10/20 Building Visit to Northwest MS
10/22 PSEA Retirees Luncheon @ Reading CC
10/23 Building Visit to 10th & Green
Constitution & By-Laws Revision Committee meeting
10/24-26 PSEA Collective Bargaining and Local President’s Conference
Pittsburgh, PA
10/27 Building Visit to Amanda Stout
10/28 Building Visit to 16th & Haak
I-Lead Charter School PSEA local meeting
10/29 Building Visit to Southern MS
10/30 ER Phone Bank @ REA HQ
10/31 Sick Bank Committee: Appeal
11/3 Building Visit to Southwest MS
11/4 In-Service Day #4
Ephrata precinct poll for B. Sanguinito
11/5 Building Visit to Riverside
Building Visit to Northeast MS…construction
11/6 Building Visit to Northwest Elem.
Kades-Margolis Retirement Workshop
SAC meeting
11/12 Building Visit to 12th & Marion
11/13 Building Visit to 13th & Union
BCEA @ BCIU
11/14 Building Visit to Glenside
11/14-15 PSEA Recovery Task Force meeting, PSEA HQ, Harrisburg, PA
11/17-21 AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK
11/17 Building Visit to the Citadel
Constitution & By-Laws Committee meeting
11/18 Building Visit to 13th & Green
REA Executive Board meeting @ REA HQ
11/19 Building Visit to Tyson Schoener
ER SLO Workshop
11/20 REA Rep Council meeting @ Vo-Tech
Thank you for doing the important work of our noble Association!
www.facebook.com/ReadingEducationAssociation
www.ReadingEA.com
Vice President’s Report
Reading High School
November 2014
Late to school continues to be a problem. If for any reason
you will not be able to punch in by 8:00, please call Cathy at
484-258-7427 or Corine at 484-258-7426.
Be sure your grades in E-School are “weighted” correctly.
Do not hold students in your classroom to finish work. If
there is some special reason to hold a student, please notify
the teacher who will be missing the student.
Every student has a place to be. If a student is not on your
roster for that period, send them on their way.
Do not wait to report a problem to your reps!
KEEP CALM AND TEACH STRONG
Respectfully submitted Trudi Westley 610-334-6088
RIHS Vice-President’s Report (Actually, not. Written by the Executive Vice-President because I don’t have enough jobs.)
This has been a rough month for the Citadel. One teacher has resigned. One might, and a couple have been disciplined. We need to remember we are human beings and we make mistakes. We need to remember that it is not our job to police our co-workers (unless it is a very serious issue that would be reportable to someone other than administration). People, think before you act. But, when you do get called in, DEMAND a representative be there. If you are called in for an investigative meeting, you should have been allowed to first write a teacher’s incident report. If you haven’t been, call your representative. We can only protect you if you DEMAND it. We made it through the first quarter. You have some really good representatives, use them if you need them for questions, protection, or whatever. The executive officers are working on several issues that are Citadel focused from classes without curriculum to a pervasive feeling of the staff not being safe and things growing ever more hostile. We hear you, we are working on it, but administrative inertia gets in the way too often to rapidly overcome. Fight the good fight, watch one-another’s backs, and as hard as it may be, reach out to those kids and one another. Good Luck. Respectfully submitted, this 18th day of November, 2014. David E. Immendorf Executive Vice-President Grievance Office Negotiations Chairperson And, for now, Acting Citadel Vice-President
(Get well soon, Jenn!)
Middle School Vice President’s Report
November 2014
Union: The act of uniting or the state of being united. It is now the time to line up together as one and unite as one to work on a contract to make
our lives better. Start setting aside a little of your paycheck to take care of emergencies that may
come up in the event of a strike. We are looking for contact people from all buildings to
disseminate information from the negotiating team. Some of you, or someone from your
building will be receiving a phone call soon. If someone in your building is interested in being
a contact person, please have them e-mail me at [email protected].
I thought this was important enough to repeat again this month. I am not trying to scare the
new teachers, but bill collectors don’t care if you are on strike and are not collecting a
paycheck. We are required to teach for 180 days, so eventually the money will catch up with
us, but there could be a period of time when no money is coming to you.
At a recent conference in Pittsburgh, I had a class on social network. It seems pictures are
coming up on facebook of teachers in there college days. Some districts are firing teachers for
morality reasons, others are not hiring teachers that have posted pictures that would not
represent a teacher in a good light.
Be careful what you post, erase anything that you would not want the superintendent to see.
The air quality, and construction problems are being addressed. We will keep you up to date
on all problems.
Remember to bring all contract violations to your building reps, if they can’t be settled with
the rep and the administration, they will contact me, and from me to the grievance officer and
the president.
Respectfully submitted,
Wally Wilkinson
November Report
Elementary VP West
1. Email Address- My email address is [email protected] or you can call me
at 610-914-4666.
2. REA Website- Please visit our website at www.readingea.com
3. Building Rep Duties- Hold monthly meetings to keep your members in the loop with the
information that you get at our meetings.
4. Solidarity- Wear brown on Wednesday, November 26th. The color brown is associated
with the fall season.
5. Conferences- Please check the 10 hour/comp time owed to you for the change in this
schedule. Your comp time starts after 3:30 on Tuesday. I don’t think that the change in
day factors into that.
6. No Substitutes- I am starting to see a trend of not having subs for ½ days and full days in
my building. Classes are being split amongst other teachers. Please keep a log of when
there are no subs for any teachers in your building.
7. I Want To Attend Your Meetings- I would like to come to each building for either your
monthly building meeting or your monthly meeting with your principal. This may be a
way to open up communications to all. Please let me know if and when you plan on
having a meeting that you want me to attend. I will try to make arrangements to be at
different buildings each month.
8. Facebook- DON’T post anything about school on your account. More and more we are
called in to represent a teacher due to what was posted on Facebook. You are putting
your job at risk by doing this bad practice.
Respectfully submitted,
Lori Sherman
Grievance Chair November 2014 Monthly Report
It has been a rough month for our bargaining unit. People, you need to be aware that there is a concerted effort on the part of Central Administration to hold teachers accountable for questionable or worse behaviors and actions. Think before you act or speak. I can protect your rights under the contract, under the law, and within the board policies. I can’t protect you from yourself.
I realize that the grand majority of us are dedicated and hard-working, but that said, DO NOT POLICE THE OTHER TEACHERS, IT ISN’T YOUR JOB! If you are concerned about a teacher’s actions or behaviors, distance yourself and contact your representative or level vice president. It is their job to act as mediator, should there be issues between teachers.
Email me at [email protected] or [email protected], or call me at 484-706-2902; if you have any questions as to what procedure is. Active Grievance List 9/14 – 10/14
Level II
Level III G1314-01: REA v RSD/Scheduling
Inequitable class scheduling at RIHS Moved to SAC/Grievance dropped Two class action grievances in the works; KEI Peer Collaboration & Action Research (both are requiring teachers to work outside of contracted hours without compensation)
Level IV
Level V G1314-01: RSD Board of Directors
Longevity pay discontinued during Status Quo Arbitration held on 4/25/14 Won at Arbitration/Appealed by the district Won at Appeal, it will be paid out shortly, have some more patience, we’re trying to get it done ASAP – WE WON! Active Complaint List
None Currently Held in Abeyance (School Year 2013-14)
Please keep in mind, due to privacy rights you only are allowed in-depth knowledge if you are the grievant, the representative, or the REA officer involved. The only exception to this rule is a class action grievance/complaint. Thank you. There is a new grievance form available that will be posted online at www.ReadingEA.com for any representative that needs it; it will be available in both Word 97-03 and PDF format.
Respectively Submitted on this Eleventh day of November, Two-thousand Fourteen,
David E. Immendorf David E. Immendorf Grievance Officer of the REA
Treasurer’s Report November 2014 Submitted by Lisa Herbinko
Date Description Amount
11/4/2014 1352 CMalclom Smith Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation:Tax prep
($185.00)
11/4/2014 1310 P. Knight Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: Priscilla ($1,066.81)
11/3/2014 1322 Stokesay Castle Social Activity: retirement dinner ($1,327.46)
10/31/2014 Commonwealth of PA Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: PA taxes
($301.63)
10/31/2014 PA Unemployment Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: unemployment
($6.88)
10/31/2014 APPLEBEES Grievance & Negotiations: General Mtg Exp ($50.63)
10/31/2014 WEIS Grievance & Negotiations: General Mtg Exp ($21.20)
10/30/2014 1321 Josh Taylor Social Activity: retirement dinner ($300.00)
10/29/2014 1315 Donna Franke Contributions & Tributes: member welfare ($37.79)
10/28/2014 Homestead Internal Communications: Computers, Maintenance, ($15.99)
10/28/2014 CHURCH BREW Governance and Conferences: Leadership conference
($58.10)
10/27/2014 HOULIHANS Governance and Conferences: Leadership conference
($119.81)
10/25/2014 Bank fee credited $37.00
10/25/2014 Bank fee credited $37.00
10/24/2014 Deposit $10,000.00
10/23/2014 Bank fee ($37.00)
10/23/2014 Bank fee ($37.00)
10/23/2014 1299 P. Knight Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: Priscilla ($1,066.81)
10/22/2014 1321 Josh Taylor Social Activity: retirement dinner ($300.00)
10/22/2014 1294 Stokesay Castle Social Activity: retirement dinner ($1,317.46)
10/21/2014 1314 Awards and more Contributions & Tributes: retirement gift ($1,568.02)
10/20/2014 1316 RMCTC RMCTC rep council ($205.00)
Metro Bank Account balances as
Checking 52,413.84
Savings 9,283.99
Dues 11,665,31
Fair Share 4,613.34
Scholarship 110.17
PACE 5,828.28
Petty Cash 100.00
Reading Berks CU 64,467.85
10/20/2014 1309 Royers Contributions & Tributes: member welfare ($40.27)
10/20/2014 1307 Kauffman technology Internal Communications: Computers, Maintenance, ($117.09)
10/20/2014 Comcast Internal Communications: Computers, Maintenance, ($543.75)
10/20/2014 Barnes and Noble Contributions & Tributes: member welfare (gift cards, cards)
($173.90)
10/20/2014 Deposit Retirement Dinner deposit $385.00
10/16/2014 USPS Office Expenses: Postage ($44.10)
10/16/2014 Deposit $1,000.00
10/15/2014 IRS Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: Federal ($759.47)
10/15/2014 PSEA Governance and Conferences: Leadership conference
($192.00)
10/10/2014 Sam’s Club Grievance & Negotiations: General Mtg Exp ($93.95)
10/9/2014 1298 P. Knight Payroll, Taxes, & Workman's Compensation: Priscilla ($1,066.81)
10/9/2014 Withdrawal Petty cash withdrawal ($100.00)
10/9/2014 PSEA Internal Communications: Computers, Maintenance, $317.00
10/7/2014 1300 R and B Richmond Office Expenses: Rent ($1,200.00)
10/3/2014 GEEKSQUAD Internal Communications: Computers, Maintenance, ($101.79)
10/1/2014 1305 Stratix CHECKS ($1,219.00)
9/30/2014 KASPERSKY Internal Communications: Computers, Maintenance, ($129.90)
9/30/2014 PSEA Governance and Conferences: Leadership conference
($317.00)
9/30/2014 PSEA Governance and Conferences: Leadership conference
($317.00)
9/30/2014 PSEA Governance and Conferences: Leadership conference
($192.00)
9/29/2014 Homestead Internal Communications: Computers, Maintenance, ($15.99)
REA Membership Report
November 2014
Denise Solecki, NEMS
Assistant Treasurer
(Membership Chair)
Just a friendly reminder that dues will be taken out starting with the
first pay in November. (Nov. 14th)
Dues this year are $799.00
Dues will be taken out in 10 payments of $79.00.
Please check your Nov 14th pay stub to be sure membership dues was taken out. Anyone
who is a member and who did not have dues taken out should contact the REA office.
Please help keep me updated.
Be sure to let me know of any changes. Remember when you move, change your phone
number, or change your marital status you need to send those changes to the Human Relations
office at the Ad building. That information is then relayed to Priscilla at the REA office and
updated for our records. Accurate information results in receiving your REA and PSEA
materials in a timely manner.
Currently we have 1058 members to date. It’s never too late to get nonmembers in your
building to join. A friendly reminder might be all it takes to get them to join.
Communications Officer
November 2014
Hello All!
Make sure to visit the website!
Contact information, updates, news and resources can be found on readingea.com.
Questions and/or suggestions are always welcome
Respectfully Submitted,
Stephanie Ruiz-Smith
Labor Relations Officer
November 2014 Monthly Report
Corbett may be on his way out the door, but obstacles for educators still lie ahead. A number of anti-education candidates were victorious on
Election Day, so our fight continues.
At the November 10th United Labor Council (ULC) meeting, the Board of Directors voted to continue its affiliation with the Reading Education Association. While this vote may seem obvious to many, it is still important to note that ULC continues to support the efforts of the REA, and our attempts to secure a new teacher contract.
On November 19th, I will be appearing on BCTV at 8:30 PM, along with Coreen Thomas from the United Labor Council. During my portion of the broadcast, I intend to notify the public of our extended wait for negotiation of a new contract (2 years, 3 months!), as well as other issues pertinent to the REA. Any suggestions, please contact me at [email protected].
The United Labor Council of Berks County will be having its annual Christmas
Party on Friday December 5th, at Stokesay Castle. Tickets are $50 per person.
Please see me for additional information and/or ticket purchase.
Respectively submitted, Robert C. Gillespie – Labor Relations Chair November 11, 2014
Negotiations Committee Chairman’s Report November 2014
As we enter our third month of our third year without a contract there is some minor news to report: the district and its attorneys wish to meet to discuss the wrap-up of the audit of our health insurance. Don’t ask me what this means; I haven’t been there yet. Stay strong and united. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you need to know something, but ask the right people; Paul, Mitch, or me. There are others out there spewing misinformation for whatever personal reasons they may have, they do not know what is going on. Thank you.
Respectfully submitted on the 11th of November, 2014, David E. Immendorf
Negotiations Committee Chair and Chief Negotiator
Political Officer/PACE Chair Monthly Report for November, 2014
We did it! But that doesn’t mean our fight is over. One-Term Tom has time to try to retaliate, and the
House and Senate are Republican now, we must be vigilant in fighting back in the name of Public Education.
Please remember that if you get an e-mail from Mike Crossey, Mitch or myself, regarding legislation that needs your
action, you can e-mail, write a postcard, or call your local legislator.
As of now, the legislation continues to look out for remains the same: Pension Reform: The governor's proposal will put the state's pension payments on a credit card again, and dig an even deeper hole. Enacting the governor's plan will undermine the stability of the pension system, and will cost taxpayers billions in the long run. You can't address the debts of the pension system by continuing to ignore the payments. Also gaining momentum is the Tobash Pension Reform plan. Tobash’s plan sounds great at first glance for those of us who think we’re grandfathered into the old plan, “Tobash is working to build support for his pension reform plan, which would only affect new employees entering the state system, and is designed to not change benefits for existing participants.” However it has been brought to our attention that if someone leaves the system for maternity or disability leave, they will be entered into the new “reformed” system upon their return. Please stay informed. Prohibiting Voluntary Payroll Deductions (this will kill unions): Gov. Tom Corbett - and billionaire-funded special interest groups he sides with at every turn - want to prohibit educators, nurses, and other public employees from using voluntary payroll deductions to pay association dues.
What is this really about? Gov. Corbett and his allies are bullying us. This is a desperate, unnecessary, politically motivated attack on educators for opposing the governor's school funding cuts and attacks on our pensions. House Bill 1741, legislation which would require school boards to publicly post summaries of tentative contract agreements 48 hours prior to voting on them.
School directors are elected by the public to bargain in good faith on behalf of the school district and the taxpayers. We trust that they will represent the interests of their constituents and the students in their care. With the myriad of issues facing public education at this time we need solutions that work for school districts and students.
Gov. Tom Corbett and his allies want to give colleges and universities the ability to create charter schools throughout the state regardless of local input, even though it will hurt school district finances and increase property taxes. Finally, thank you for all you do for the students of Reading School District!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at: [email protected], using your personal e-
mail address.
Respectfully Submitted by Amanda Yeakel
Superintendent’s Advisory Committee Monthly Report for November, 2014
Good news…we met! Thursday, November 6, 2014 was our first meeting of the school year, and I must say it went very well. We enlightened upper level administration regarding several things, and worked together
to solve a few ongoing difficulties. Please stay tuned for the minutes of this meeting.
Our next meeting is scheduled for December 4, 2014. Please remember to address your concerns with your VP, and if it is something that should be taken to SAC, they will communicate directly with me.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at: [email protected], using your personal e-
mail address.
Respectfully Submitted by Amanda Yeakel
Sick Bank November 2014
Rep Council passed the revision of the Sick Bank policies at the September 2014 meeting. All Sick Bank members should have received a copy of the new policies via email. If you did not receive a copy, the new policies are on the REA website, www.readingea.com A two (2) day assessment has been taken for the 2014-2015 school year. When requesting Sick Bank days please remember the following: 1. You must use all of your accrued district sick days before being eligible for the Sick Bank. 2. You do not have to use your Personal Days when using Sick Bank. 3. Sick Bank days cannot be used to care for family members. 4. Sick Bank days are not granted retroactively. 5. Please direct any inquiries regarding Sick Bank approvals to the REA office, not Human
Resources. Sick Bank is operated by REA, not Reading School District. Please send your paperwork directly to the REA Office. Paperwork can be found on the REA website, www.readingea.com Email: [email protected] Fax: (610) 374-3173 Snail Mail: Reading Education Association Attn. Sick Bank 1800 N. 12th Street Reading, PA 19604 Paperwork may also be submitted via interoffice mail. It is strongly recommended you send a “heads up” email regarding any paperwork sent interoffice mail. The REA office does not receive interoffice mail on a daily basis. Respectfully submitted, Jennifer C. Mazur Sick Bank Officer
November Report - 2014
Social Chair
The Difference
Please, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change:
The courage to change the things I can:
And the wisdom to know the difference…
Retirement Dinner was held on October 17th at Stokesay Castle. It was a small and
intimate affair with 28 in attendance. The majority in attendance were retirees and
their guests.
10th and Green had a full table that came to celebrate with their retiree, Val
Deysher. I believe a good time was had by all in attendance.
Social Events for the 2014-2015 school year:
Spring Fling Date & Location: TBA
Snowball Bash Date TBA Location: Stokesay Castle
Retirement Dinner Date: TBA: Tentatively: October 2015
Location: TBA
This message will be included on every Social Report this year. Please note the deadline to
be recognized as a retiree at the end of this year.
2014 - 2015 Retirees or Potential Retirees: NEW
To be honored at the retirement dinner, your retirement must be approved by the June
2015 School Board Meeting.
Contact Priscilla at the REA office at any time during the school year and your retirement
information will be kept confidential.
Jen Bard
Special Report to REA
Legislative Education Breakfast – Ephrata, PA On Wednesday, October 29, 2014, I had the opportunity to attend a Legislative Breakfast at
Ephrata High School. This is a semi-annual event in which the district superintendent and
school board president meet with local politicians and community leaders to give a “state of the
union” address regarding the Ephrata Area School District. In attendance were current
legislators and legislative hopefuls.
The presentation focused on the need for a fair funding formula for not just Ephrata, but for all
schools across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Two non-mandated programs were
featured – the string orchestra program and the German program. Neither of these programs are
required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, but both of them were highlighted
because they exemplify the mission of the Ephrata Area School District – to provide all students
a secure learning environment and exemplary academic programs that inspire all students to
reach their full potential.
Students involved in each program had the opportunity to speak about how much these
educational opportunities have positively impacted their lives. The administration and school
board then pointed out data which shows the challenges Ephrata is facing to keep programs like
this going.
While the average state share of PK-12 funding across the nation is 44%, and across PA is 33%,
Ephrata’s share is only 28%. Additionally, costs have dramatically increased for special
education and cyber/charter school costs. Ephrata is facing many of the same issues as
Reading, in this manner.
School officials called for a fair funding formula which takes into account poverty, among other
factors. Ultimately, by taking an average of the highest per-pupil spending and the lowest, all
students would be able to receive the same state funding, regardless of ZIP code. This is one of
the ideals we fought for here in Reading when I served as REA President.
It was eye-opening to learn that even suburban school districts like Ephrata are facing the same
challenges as we are here in Reading. It is my hope that the 2014-15 State Legislature can
make full and fair funding a top priority.
Respectfully submitted,
Bryan Sanguinito
Past President,
Reading Education Association
November 2014 Special Services Report
PD-I am very excited to tell you that Bernie Miller will be coming to RSD again to present new information to
our teachers on Dec. 8—location is TBA. I will ask that principals are notified so that more teachers may attend.
EI-Early Intervention has been a concern from the first day of school. If you have a specific student that you
need assistance with work with your principal first. You must follow protocol in order for a change to be made.
Look at your data regarding interventions and transition and share with the IEP team to make a decision. I was
told that a procedure is being written for EI. I hope to see one soon.
Change in placement-
If you are being directed to change your whole caseload to all supplemental or all itinerant I need to
know ASAP. Parents are part of the IEP team and help with making decisions for their child. A “simple
revision on the phone” is not acceptable. Get the directive in writing.
IEP Caseloads-
Check your caseload on IEP plus and run the cognos reports in order to stay in compliance by being aware of
due dates for RRs and IEPs.
According to Pennsylvania Code, the following is a chart for Full Time Equivalent (FTE), which represents
the maximum number of students allowed on a teacher’s caseload:
Support Itinerant Supplemental Full-time Learning 50 20 12 Life Skills 20 20 12-grade K-6 15 gr 7-12 Emotional 50 20 12 Deaf and Hearing
Impaired 50 15 8
Blind and Visually
Impaired 50 15 12
Speech & Lang. 65 8 Autistic 12 8 8 Multiple Disabilities 12 8 8
Caseload examples: #1-Learning support 50 itinerant 50/50 =1
#2- Learning Support 20 Supplemental 20/20=1
#3- Learning Support 30 itinerant30/50 = .6
8 supplemental 8/20 = .4 .4 +.6 =1
#4- Life Skills Support 6 full-time 6/ 12= .5
Learning Support 25 itinerant 25/50 =.5 .5 + .5 = 1
I am not saying that these are ideal, but they are possible and in compliance. Caseload does not mean
classroom.
-Lack of Assistants-This is a district wide problem and hopefully will be resolved soon. Let me know your
concerns.
Chrissie Stauffer
Special Services VP
November 2014
Member Benefits
Congratulations to:
Tara Monahan (RIHS) and Randy Neider(RHS) on the birth of their
daughter, Marley.
Rashelle Daigneault (SWM) on the birth of her son.
Peter Karpew and Lauren on the birth of their son.
Kathleen Pawlewicz (AES) married Hans Haas.
Maria Diaz-Aponte (AES) married Christopher Barger.
Anne Steuer (Riv.) married Mike Wanner.
Naaman Schlegel (NW EL.) married Becky.
Stefanie Lord (Riv.) married Jason Schade.
Pamela Craig, (RHS) married Anthony Visalli.
Jennie Hadfield (12M) married Omar.
Benjamin Reifsnyder (16H) married Nicole Humphries.
Get well wishes to :
Craig Richards (10G) for a speedy recovery.
Jason Robinson (RIHS) for a quick recovery.
Condolences to :
Jen Mazur, (District Wide) for the loss of her Mother-In-Law.
Respectfully submitted by Donna Franke, November 3, 2014
[email protected] or [email protected]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Instructional and Professional Development Report November 2014
Submitted by Lindsay Evans Visit the REA website, www.readingea.com, for links to information about Level 2 certification. Check in with HR to make sure your Level 2 paperwork has been given the final approval from the district. Please contact me if you have any questions about your Level 2, or if you’d just like another set of eyes! Please let me know if you have any suggestions for professional development topics for future inservice days or if you have any instructional concerns. Email me at [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions or for more information! We are now following GoMath pacing, not the district pacing. Yay!!! Please let me know if you have any GoMath concerns or questions.