A Day in the Life of the JEA President

Legislative Council (AR) Meeting

2012-02-09T11:37:00.002-07:00

The AR meeting last night went well. We talked about the EFT flip process and the progress that is being made. It is slow but steady and hope to keep the momentum going. If you have not had a meeting about the EFT flip, contact your building AR.

Kyle Hansen from Human Resources came to talk about a few things with the coming of the transfer season. He stated that the Intent to Return will not be going out, because the information was not useful. Instead, there is an Early Notification Incentive of $200 to be paid on the final paycheck to licensed personnel who submit the Resignation Form to their principal and HR by March 1. The intent is to help principals know of open positions and to be able to avoid a Reduction In Staff (RIS). There will then be two Teacher Transfer Fairs: Elementary on Friday, March 23 from 3:00 to 7:00 at South Jordan Middle and Secondary on Monday, March 26 from 10:00 to 2:00 at Riverton High. This will give teachers the opportunity to meet with principals and have more choice in where they wish to transfer. This process is also happening early to avoid a RIS. Once the known RIS are identified by their principal through meetings with the Administrator of Schools to determine "school need", they will be placed into positions for which they are qualified. Then the regular transfer window will open up. If you are considering a transfer, attending the Teacher Transfer Fair is a great chance to determine where you would like to teach next year.

Nominations for JEA Leadership took place. The following were nominated:

President – 2 years: Jennifer Boehme

Vice President – 2 years: Jack Duffy, Kevin Ball, Mallory Meyer

Middle school – 3 years: Mallory Meyer

Elementary school – 3 years: Kara Goodwin

Special certification – 1 year: Renee Sass

Any active JEA member may file a petition with 25 signatures of JEA members to become a candidate for any open position. If you are interested, please contact me at jennifer.boehme@utea.org to receive a petition. Petitions are due to the JEA Office by 5:00 on Wednesday, February 15.

We discussed the legislature and bills that are being run this session. You can go to Utah Public Education to see a summary of Senator Osmond's SB64: Public Education Employment Reform Act.

We also talked about the importance of caucus attendance to become a delegate or to elect public education friendly delegates. You should have the opportunity to watch the video on becoming a delegate that is linked on the Utahn's for Public Schools website. It is 17 minutes long and a bit boring, but it does contain good information on the process and importance of caucus attendance.

Caucuses are scheduled for Tuesday, March 13 for Democrats and Thursday, March 15 for Republicans. Any JEA member who attends their caucus will be entered into a drawing for a restaurant gift card. We will collect this information on Friday, March 16. Please take the time to attend and become involved. Most decisions about education are political decisions.

Educator Day on the Hill

2012-02-03T14:42:00.003-07:00

Jannifer Young, Elk Ridge, and Michelle Jorgensen, Mountain Shadows, attended Educator Day on the Hill. Jannifer was invited to the House Kitchen for a while. She also sent messages to Representative Hughes. Michelle and I gave Senator Osmond a stack of thank you notes. He continues to work on n education bill in conjunction with UEA. We were able to talk to Representative Bird about a couple of his bills. We also spoke with Representative Merlynn Newbold and asked her about the education budget. She said, "We are funding growth. We need more [money] above the line, not below the line." I hope this is true.

Interest-Based Bargaining Training

2012-02-02T16:45:00.002-07:00

Kitty Simmons from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services came and met with the District (Dr. Johnson, Dr. Godfrey, Dr. LeMaster, and Mr. Thomas) and JEA (Melissa Brown, Karl McKenzie, Kara Goodwin, Cindy Carroll, Laura Black, me) Negotiations Teams today in Interest-Based Bargaining (IBB) Training. We spent the day learning the process of identifying issues, interests, solutions, standards, and coming to consensus. We believe there will be more open discussion and dialogue by using IBB over traditional negotiations techniques. Our first meeting will be March 15 to establish ground rules.

UEA Educational Excellence Task Force

2012-02-01T09:27:00.001-07:00

UEA is launchingthe Educational Excellence Task Force

and we needyour expertise!

Everyyear dozens of policy changes affect Utah’s public schools, but these changesdo not always result in the best outcomes for students. Teachers, aseducation professionals, are best positioned to propose important solutions tostrengthen teaching effectiveness and improve student outcomes. Therefore,the UEA is organizing the Educational Excellence Task Force to study andprioritize critical education issues and make recommendations to the UEA. Thetask force will be comprised of current classroom teachers and administratorswho excel in the field of education, are leaders in the profession, and who arewilling to engage the Association, policymakers and the public in the importantdialogue of creating excellent public schools for every child.

Thetask force will:

· Beselected through a competitive application process.

o Requirementsare a cover letter, an application form, a resume, two letters ofrecommendation from individuals with direct knowledge of teaching experienceand demonstrated excellence as a classroom teacher or administrator.

o Applicantmust be a member of the UEA and a current classroom teacher or administrator.

· Meetonce a month from May – September 2012, and work via email or conference callto draft, review and revise a written report.

· Createa vision of teaching excellence that is led by teachers.

o Developa comprehensive set of policy recommendations for the UEA’s consideration regarding teaching quality and effectiveness.

· Workwith policymakers, the public and association leadership to promote policyrecommendations.

Asa proud Utah teacher and member of the UEA, I hope you will take thisopportunity to lead the discussion on teaching and teacher quality in theState. This is a unique opportunity to speak as an education professional aboutthose policies and practices you know will create positive outcomes foreducation in Utah. Apply today!! Applications due Friday, March 9.

Sincerely,

SharonGallagher-Fishbaugh

UEAPresident

For complete detailsand all application materials visit

UEA Educational Excellence website

"Not in Our Town"

2012-02-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Inclusion Center is hosting a screening of the film "Not in Our Town", a film about bullying in schools. It will be followed by an overview of Utah's climate, a youth panel, and an audience dialogue.

Date: February 8

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Utah Museum of Contemporary Arts, 20 S. West Temple

Welby and Westvale

2012-01-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

I had school visits at Welby and Westvale over the last couple of days. I helped members "flip" to E-Z Pay and answered questions about EFT and the coming legislative session.

Teacher Transfer Fair

2012-01-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

The District is going to try out a Teacher Transfer Fair. Teachers who are looking to transfer must have a completed transfer form as their entrance pass. You can get one at the door if you don't get one before the Fair. There will be an hour when teachers can walk around and be introduced to various principals and sign-up for an interview. After a 30 minute break where JEA will offer refreshments, 15-minute interviews will be held. Each teacher could have up to 6 interviews that day. Because the time is short, teachers are asked to bring a resume but not a portfolio. Human Resources (HR) will contact teachers who principals would like to have at their building. Some teachers may be requested by multiple principals, so you may be given a choice of which school you transfer to. The goal of the Fair is to help teachers go to schools where they want to be and to help principals find teachers who would fit well in their school. In addition, if teachers receive a transfer, there will be fewer Reduction In Staff (RIS) teachers to place.

We still don't know how RIS teachers will be determined, except that evaluation and school need are the criteria that can be used as far as state law and district policy. All RIS teachers will be placed in a position for which they are qualified. If there is not a position for which a RIS teacher is qualified, that teacher could be a Reduction In Force (RIF) or laid off.

Teachers will still be able to transfer through June 1. At that time, openings will be available for new-hires, but current teachers may still transfer through 10 days prior to the last day of new teacher induction. You would need to watch the District website for job postings and call HR to add the other positions for which you would like to be considered to your transfer form.

This process is still unfolding, but Kyle Hansen from HR said it would be rolled out February 7. I'll post more when I know more.

Dates of the Teacher Transfer Fairs:
Elementary - Friday, March 23 from 3:00 to 6:30 at South Jordan Middle Gym
Secondary - Monday, March 26 from 10:00 to 1:30 at Riverton High Tech Atrium

JEA Legislative Council

2012-01-12T10:11:00.001-07:00

The JEA ARs met last night. Dr. Johnson spoke about the focus groups she held, the discussions and priorities out of those focus groups which include morale and professional development, and the information the Board presented to legislators.

There are many concerns and much anxiety over the new RIS process, which is still unknown. I have been on a committee to figure out how this will work since seniority is not allowed. A rubric is being developed based on school need and evaluation. As soon as I have more information, I will post it.

A good portion of the meeting was spent on the EFT transition. JEA is asking all members to "flip" from payroll deduction to EFT for the payment of dues. We are starting now to be ready for the 2012-2013 school year. Your AR should be holding a meeting within the next month to help you "flip". All members who "flip" will receive a JEA retractable badge holder. If you have questions, please let me know.

"American Teacher"

2012-01-11T12:07:00.002-07:00

The film "American Teacher" is a rebuttal to "Waiting for Superman", and we have an opportunity to see it. A screening of "American Teacher" will take place Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the University of Utah Film and Media Arts Auditorium, Campus Building #36. A panel discussion will follow. Please share this information with those would be interested.

School Board Meeting

2012-01-11T12:04:00.001-07:00

I attended the School Board Meeting last night. The hot topic was the proposed purchase of the Jordan District Office Building located at Jordan Landing, which the District has been leasing since the split. This issue is the first I have seen where the Board was publicly divided. The vote was 4-3 in favor of the purchase. Rick Bojak, Leah Voorhies, Peggy Jo Kennett, and Richard Osborn voted in favor with Carmen Freeman, Corbin White, and Susan Pulsipher voting against. For a full description of the discussion, please see the JEA Facebook page. It was a very interesting meeting.

Fort Herriman School Visit

2012-01-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed meeting with teachers at Fort Herriman today during lunch. There are a lot of new, energetic teachers there. They asked good questions about Sick Bank, Leave of Absence, NEA, the legislature, and the calendar. Thanks to Brianne London for inviting me out!

Article on Superintendent Johnson

2012-01-06T11:22:00.001-07:00

This is a complimentary article on Dr. Johnson that is in the Deseret News today. See Deseret News.

JEA PAC

2012-01-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

The JEA Political Action Committee met yesterday. We revised questions to be sent to candidates in order to help the PAC know whom to endorse in the elections. We discussed some endorsements prior to the Republican convention in April. The three races we are focusing on are in South Jordan (currently held by Merlynn Newbold), the new Riverton (formerly part of Carl Wimmer's area), and the new Herriman (also formerly part of Carl Wimmer's area).

Voters in Jordan District have a real opportunity to change the legislature this fall at election time. It has been 30 years since there were two new seats that do not have an incumbent in them. Please stay informed. If you live in one of these areas, become a Republican delegate so you can attend the convention and vote for a public education friendly person to become the Republican candidate on the general election ballot.

Carl Wimmer's resignation was discussed. The next two weeks, Republican delegates in Riverton and Herriman are going to need to choose a candidate to vote for to replace Carl Wimmer for the remainder of his term (through this legislative session). Candidates as of today are Corbin White (current Jordan School Board member), Dan McCay (heard he is supported by Howard Stephenson), and Josh Mills (current Herriman Mayor and endorsed by Carl Wimmer). If you are a delegate in the current House 52 district, please be informed and know that JEA may be contacting you about this race.

Educator Day on the Hill will be on Fridays during the legislative session. The JEA PAC has authorized funds to pay the cost of a long-term substitute for 10 JEA members who wish to use an Alternative Leave Day (see this link for information on Alternative Leave) to attend Educator Day on the Hill. More information on how to apply will be forth coming. Days teachers are already off include:

D-track: January 27, February 3
C-track: February 10, 17, 24
B-track and Traditional: March 2

Meeting with Superintendent Johnson

2012-01-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Dr. Johnson and I met in our monthly meeting yesterday. We discussed putting together an alternative compensation (merit pay/performance pay) committee after the legislature has met. She believes there will be a law passed with certain criteria for merit pay, so she wants to wait and see what those criteria are before establishing a plan for Jordan.

Dr. Johnson will be speaking at the next Legislative Council (AR) Meeting. She is going to talk about the focus groups she held and the direction she would like to take the District, as presented to legislators in November.

I asked about how RIS (Reduction In Staff) teachers will be determined. This has not yet been decided. The law changed, stating that hire date or seniority cannot be used. The law allows performance (evaluation) and school need as criteria for determining RIS. As soon as I know how RIS teachers will be determined, I will let you know.

We also discussed the progress of problems at a school and the political changes happening in Jordan with Carl Wimmer resigning prior to the legislative session.

Jordan Education Foundation

2012-01-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

This morning the Jordan Education Foundation Board met at Falcon Ridge Elementary. The focus was on fundraising activities, including the upcoming breakfast on Thursday, February 16. If you are on C track and interested in attending, please contact me. I am a table captain and need seven people to join me that morning at Noah's.

After the main meeting, we visited a couple of classrooms to learn more about the Leader in Me program that has been in place at Falcon Ridge for a couple of years.

Executive Board Meeting

2012-01-04T19:08:00.001-07:00

The JEA Executive Board met this evening. We discussed the budget, EFT, negotiations, membership, PAC, and JEA elections. We also prepared JEA retractable lanyards as gifts for when members flip to EFT so they are ready once we start the EFT transition.

The Calendar

2011-12-21T11:27:00.002-07:00

I have heard from many people about this year's calendar and not starting Winter Recess until after school on Friday, December 23. The Calendar Policy and the School Board preference that holiday breaks on both traditional and year round calendars align dictate how the Calendar Committee designs each calendar. The time to be watching out for Winter Recess is the October before (i.e. October 2011 for Winter Recess 2012-13).

Four JEA members serve on the Calendar Committee, which also has 10 parents, 4 administrators, and 3 classified members. The JEA members on the committee are Bev Griffith - Literacy Specialist representing year round, Liz Taylor - Elk Meadows representing traditional elementary, Kathy Bekkemellom - South Hills representing middle school, and Jack Duffy - West Jordan High representing high school. You can provide them with feedback, but they are only 4 of 21 votes on the committee. Having attended a couple of meetings, I can tell you that what parents want is a key part. I heard one parent say that traditional cannot start any earlier in August, because "August has the best boating weather".

Scroll toward the bottom of the calendar page to see the calendars for the 2012-2013 school year. The Calendar Committee recommended a traditional calendar with a 3-day Thanksgiving Recess for 2012-2013, which was approved. The Board decided to try it and watch attendance data to see about changing the policy, which currently states that "Thanksgiving Recess shall be two (2) days, Thanksgiving Day (Thursday) and Friday." This is the first experiment on not aligning a holiday break between traditional and year round. The reason Winter Recess is so short this year has to do with Christmas falling on a Sunday and aligning the break between the calendars. Due to restrictions on year round, it is sometimes difficult to find enough school days making Winter Recess as short as possible.

The School Board would need to change their preference on aligning holiday breaks in order for there to ever be a 2-week Winter Recess or a 1-week Spring Recess on traditional. I know the week long Spring Recess was discussed for 2012-2013, but the majority of parents preferred their children be out of school as close to the beginning of June as possible.

If you are concerned about the Winter Recess, please contact the JEA members on the Calendar Committee about your desires. You also need to watch for updates and School Board meeting minutes so you can have some influence on the 2013-2014 Winter Recess dates. Tentative calendars are also on the calendar page at the very bottom.

Negotiated Joint Committee

2011-12-16T17:12:00.003-07:00

The Negotiated Joint Committee met last Thursday afternoon. We made plans for Interest Based Bargaining training for February.

We discussed the new high school parent teacher conference format to be in place for 2012-2013. Based on surveys of high school teachers and parents of high schoolers, and after extensive discussion through DAC and Negotiations, high school parent teacher conferenes will be from noon to 8:00 p.m. on the Wednesday of secondary conference week. There will be no compensation day. This will make coaches more available, since they can hold practices in the morning, teachers will not have to work two 12- hour days and then an 8-hour day before the compenation day, and there will be more flexibility for schools to decide on open or scheduled conferences, and allowing parents who work at night to attend during the day. The data on attendance and effectiveness will determine if this format will be used the next year. Middle school conferences would be held on Wednesday and Thursday of the same week.

High school collaboration was also addressed. High school principals would like to see something similar to the middle schools with common time so those who are the only teacher of a subject in a school could work with those in other schools who teach the same subject.

Nepotism is being addressed. Plesae see this blog post for more information.

West Jordan Middle School Visit

2011-12-16T10:03:00.003-07:00

I had a great time visiting with teachers at West Jordan Middle during their lunch yesterday. They have a great school! The majority of their teachers are active members who are well-informed. They asked good questions about the salary schedule, performance pay, and the legislature.

Meeting with Dr. Johnson

2011-12-14T10:31:00.001-07:00

I met with Superintendent Johnson on Monday for our regular monthly meeting. We discussed the scheduling of Interest-Based Bargaining training, who would be attending, and what we hope to accomplish.

We talked about school climate. In the model to which the District is moving, the School Board will hold the Superintendent accountable for results as far as student progress and learning. In turn, the Superintendent will hold the Administrators of Schools accountable, who will hold Principals accountable, who will hold Teachers accountable. Some schools may need principals with different skill sets.

Nepotism was also discussed. The District policy on nepotism is not as restrictive as the Utah State Law. Basically, more relatives are included in the State list. Over the next three years, the District will be asking those who work "under the same immediate supervisor" (principal) to voluntarily look for a transfer to another location in order to become compliant with the law. Please call if you have questions about this.

Busy Day

2011-12-08T20:29:00.001-07:00

This morning was the Sick Bank Committee. I met with School Board President Rick Bojak after that. We had a good conversation about ongoing collaboration. I thought the meeting went well.

I spent lunch at Elk Ridge. They have a great faculty who seem very informed and wanting to know what is happening next as far as legislation that will impact their classrooms. Thanks to Jannifer for setting up that meeting!

This after noon was DAC. We discussed an exit survey, school climate, nepotism, and JPAS for nurses. Watch the JEA website where the minutes will be posted as soon as we have them.

Elementary Preparation Time Task Force

2011-12-07T15:10:00.001-07:00

The Elementary Planning/Collaboration Time Task Force met again yesterday afternoon. Each person had made a proposed schedule for incorporating preparation time into the elementary school day. Everyone approached this assignment differently, so there were lots of ideas. Basically, to have one licensed specialist teacher (computer, art, music, P.E., etc.) per 28 classes who would teach the students while teachers have preparation time would cost between $2.5 and $3 million. Bevan Wasden and I will make a report for the Joint Committee. It is good to have the idea for the ideal, but money will be an issue that will make elementary preparation time something that will not happen in the near future.

Legislative Supply Money

2011-12-07T12:59:00.001-07:00

The final amounts for Legislative Supply Money for the year are as follows:

Elementary Steps 1-3: $250
Elementary Steps 4+: $165
Secondary Steps 1-3: $200
Secondary Steps 4+: $145

All school will have the full amount by Monday, December 12, so start turning in those receipts!

NCUEA Conference Day 3

2011-12-04T09:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the final day of the conference. Diane Ravitch was the keynote speaker. She was part of the Bush administration and supported NCLB. She has seen the effects and changed her position. She wrote a book called "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" which discusses how choice and testing have harmed public schools. She spoke about the narrative of failing public schools full of bad teachers who don't care about kids, because the union makes sure they have a lifetime job. She does not support this. She said unions are not the reason schools are failing. Finland is 105% union, because all teachers and principals belong to the same union. Teach for America (TFA) is not a teacher training program, it is a leadership training program where young people are not teaching very long then becoming superintendent. The problem is privatization and de-professionalization of teaching.

The union doesn't give tenure. We need to stop using the word. Tenure only means we have due process, not lifetime employment. Last in, first out (LIFO) campaign followed. Problems with firing older teachers. She understands the conservative thinking, because she worked in their think tanks for many years. They want vouchers. Charters are a substitute for vouchers. This is a campaign for choice, which leads to privatization. Unions are the enemy of all the conservative think tanks want to accomplish. The ideas she thought were bad have now been adopted by Obama. Under first President Bush, she was swayed to support testing and vouchers. She sees the problems now. Testing, accountability, and choice is the single message coming out of Congress. She doesn't think it is right that states must compete for federal funds. The majority of kids with needs will not get the money they need because of the competition. Federal funds should be distributed by formula based on need. NCLB needs to go away.

‎100% proficiency goal is unrealistic. What NCLB has done is set up public education to fail. This is demonizing the profession and demoralizing teachers. Congress is not looking at the big picture. Race to the Top is NCLB 2.0. To be eligible for federal funding, you must increase the number of charter schools. Most charter schools are not out-performing public schools. The general public has been led to believe charters are better. Charters do not have to meet same requirements as public schools. With all the advantages of charter schools, charters are not doing a better job educating students. A public school is not a "chain store" to close if it doesn't make money. Conservatives are not privatizing firefighters and police force. Some places are starting to privatize libraries, which is also wrong. Low-level corporate thinking is the problem. Best corporate thinking is to treat your employees like gold (i.e. Google). Students know they can withhold their efforts on tests to hurt their teachers.

Tea party people like the conservative narrative. The governors are cutting benefits for teachers and taxes for large corporations. New Orleans district is rebuilding from TFA and receiving praise. Diane can't find foundations that support public education, but the big ones support "reform" (Gates, Walton - owners of Walmart). Democrats for Education Reform are gaining support. Billionaires around the nation are spending a lot on politics to push the conservative agenda for privatization. They are recommending for other people's children what they would not allow for their own children. Stand for Children, Teach First, Educators for Excellence, are some of the other organizations that are influencing policy and laws in other states.

NEA needs to persuade Obama administration that if they don't change their education policy, teachers won't come out to vote for him. Jeb Bush is working hard for privatization. Cyber-charters are the cash cow of education. Full per pupil spending but not all the services of a public school (librarians, teacher help, socialization) are provided for that amount. Test scores and graduation rates are very low for cyber-charters.

No other country uses test scores as part of evaluation. Principals in New York want the new evaluation system piloted somewhere before full implementation. The real problem is poverty. Testing and evaluation is a diversion tactic. The biggest predictor of success on any test is family income. Why is Finland number one if they don't have standardized tests? New book out "Finnish Lessons". Finland spent 30 years transforming education system. Young people compete to get into teacher preparation programs. Teaching is a well-respected profession. Only 4% poverty. Less diversity than us, but better test scores than other similarly homogeneous countries. Accountability must include all people who make decisions about education. Tests should be used for diagnostics and not for punishment. Students who are overly tested do not learn to think creatively. Incentives and sanctions, carrots and sticks, reward high tests and punish low tests. 21st-century thinking is that most important motivation is intrinsic, so carrots and sticks don't work. Family is important to school success. Poverty is not an excuse, it is a fact. Anyone who says they can turn around a school in a year is lying. Transformation takes time.

We are in a dark time for education. It will survive because of millions of teachers and parents who support them. We need to tell President Obama that his policies mirror President Bush's policies, and that the evaluation tied to test scores is wrong. He needs to publicly change his position. San Diego has community based school reform that is making gradual steady progress.

The final session was about moving from payroll deduction to Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). We need to have conversations with individual members during this process. In Australia after the loss of payroll deduction, they began to gain members. Other forms of payment include EFT, credit card, or cash. District will not be involved and will no longer know how many members we have. PCI Compliance for credit card information is strict rules about security with paperwork, computer access, and internal processes and requires additional audits. Members only website for self-enroll in EFT or credit card payment, which is through Bank of America, is secure and BOA handles PCI. 2 weeks for EFT and 6-8 weeks foe credit card payments to work.

Update all member information (school, phone, address, email). We need to use home email accounts. Utah has been working with NEA on this conversion. Weekly conference calls to stay updated. NEA is still building the system. Alabama had 60% of members flip the first time they were asked. AEA had 93% of all members flip by the date necessary. In Arizona, they polled members about issues that helped drive the message for the flip. Database was updated as part of the process.

Historically there is a 1-2% EFT failure rate where member has overdraft fee. Have to contact members about failures of transfers. Failed transactions cost UEA $2. Each transaction costs NEA $0.02-0.05 per transaction. In states already using EFT, the average fail rate was 1.93%, with the most recent month being 0.91%. The charges for credit card transactions are much higher. Per transaction cost is $0.09-0.35. The failure rate is 11%. Credit card is much more expensive.

The system is currently not set up for new members. We need to set up a complex and smart system because of all the variables involved (district, part-time/full-time).

The NCUEA conference has been a good experience. In addition to all the training sessions, I have been able to connect with other local presidents from Utah and around the nation. Knowing we are not alone in our fight to save public education renews my commitment to continue moving forward.

NCUEA Conference Day 2

2011-12-02T20:20:00.001-07:00

This morning I attended the NEA budget hearing. We discussed the importance of the UniServ program, training for local leaders, and membership grants.

I had a chance to talk to Lily about how she and her family are doing. She said Jared is out of prison and working as an assistant diesel mechanic in North Dakota. She said her whole family was together for Thanksgiving. Lily believes the letters Jared received when Ruel died gave him the opportunity to evaluate and change his outlook on life. She is pleased with Jared's progress.

NEA President Dennis VanRoekel is the opening speaker today. He talked about success in New Hampshire and Ohio. We need to take away from our opponents what the are using to hurt us. Strategy must be flexible enough to change with what is happening right now. Mission and vision do not change. Advocating for education professionals is still part of the mission, we just may have to go about it differently. We need to get members to believe in our mission enough to buy in and support us.

Becky Pringle, NEA Secretary-Treasurer, is running for re-election. She quoted a teacher from Kansas who said, "When the work changes, unions die." NEA needs to change as the work of teaching and organizing changes. Let's have some fun re-envisioning NEA.

Greg Johnson is running for re-election to the NEA Executive Committee. He was in awe of his opportunity to meet President Obama and be there when he introduced Race to the Top. His wife is a local president who teaches elementary music. We stand for our students and for our members who do things that can't be measured on a standardized test. Joyce Powell is running for re-election to the NEA Executive Committee. Has been local and state president in New Jersey. She helped organize rallies in Wisconsin. The reason we do this work is to make a difference.

NCUEA mission statement was adopted. "NCUEA shall promote and advance high-quality Public Education in urban schools by empowering and supporting Local Associations, Leaders, and Members."

Teacher evaluation and accountability presentation. NEA will lead the charge for quality in education professionals. UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh and Susan McFarland, Salt Lake Teachers Association, were on the committee that developed these concepts. Urgency is due to legislative attacks. Need to share and leverage collective resources within NEA. The committee report is being released on December 8. Tests results should only be used if they are valid, reliable and developmentally appropriate, and adopted cooperatively. Should become a career teacher if meeting expectations on their final evaluation. Looked at Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) around country. Developing an electronic book including fair dismissal, evaluation, and PAR along with research about why we should consider these ideas. Teachers need to be trained on new components of evaluation systems. Collaborate with District. Take advantage of poorly written laws. Principals need to be trained in how to administer Evaluations. Principals should also be evaluated. Some growth models are good, but must be determined in different areas (elementary special education versus high school AP English) where growth looks different in each area.

I attended a meeting for local presidents with NEA President Dennis VanRoekel. These notes are a little disjointed, but follow how the conversation went. He is discussing the Common Core. Communications is currently designed around distribution of information. He is trying to tap into ways to learn about what locals are doing. Find a way to share what other locals are doing.

Dennis talked about Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Obama. CHIP now covers more children. More people with pre-existing conditions are covered with new health care law. Harder to track where republican money comes from. There are a lot of messages out there that are negative. Colleagues need to share with each other why they support Obama. We need to reverse the negative impressions of health care law. We can use VAN to target certain groups. Question on how to know which groups to target. More decisions need to be made at local level. We need tools to help newer leaders learn how find answers. Problem with transition plan to Common Core. New tests will not be available until 2013-14 school year, so do you teach the Core or to the old test? That is what the NCLB waivers are for.

What can we do to improve teachers' professional, daily lives? Why go to college when District tells them what time to be on what page and what script to read? Republican attacks are not about education, they're about privatization and profit. Communication is important. Younger teachers expect immediate and timely information. It is our profession, we are the ones who know, and we need to take it back. We need to use stories and "I" messages, because the press can't be refute them. We need to work with state leaders to share info with local leaders. Every training should be focused on organizing. Locals need research help. Local leaders need to be ready for decisions. We need to actively participate at District level so they hear teacher concerns.

Powerful when the association, district, and parents work together to improve schools. Education is not a partisan issue. It is difficult to bring groups together, but it is a better way to collaborate. Sometimes the best spokesperson is not the local president but a classroom teacher or a parent. We need to share our story about public education being the promise of the future of America. Share why you are a member of JEA one-on-one with non-JEA members.

We know how to help students succeed. We just need to do it. How policies impact us varies by location. We need to send a single message, not mixed messages, about standardized test scores. We believe in multiple measures of student growth, and teachers should be defining student learning at local level. It is important to look at training, recruitment, induction and retention of new teachers. Mentors need to meet with new teachers weekly. These are things that Teach For America is doing well. It has been an interesting discussion of local presidents from across the country and Dennis.

The afternoon session I attended is on creating a local website to maximize communications. What was presented is much larger than what I was anticipating. There is a complete document management system where historical documents can be scanned and key word, name, school, or date retrievable. Secure website is good for member only items. Some will still get back to administration or school board. Maintain a public site as well. Have advertising on website to eventually fund all technology. Have member information come up when member logs in for them to verify and edit as needed.

NCUEA Conference Day 1

2011-12-01T14:13:00.001-07:00

I am attending the National Council of Urban Education Associations (NCUEA). Urban is considered any local with the potential of 1,000 plus members, which JEA has.

John Stocks, NEA Executive Director, was the first speaker. He talked about how one year ago at election time, the education world was turned upside down. We have a lagging economy, reform groups, attacks, privatizing, and the bad teacher/anti-union narrative has intensified. $17 million cut from NEA budget due to loss of membership from loss of collective bargaining or move to EFT for payment of dues.

He talked about how education reformers who have been opponents of NEA are coming together. Public systems are being privatized (example is community hospitals becoming private), and education is the next big system to privatize. He said the federal government has been unable to tax and redistribute funds to prevent disparities. Property tax collections lag behind home values about three years.

John discussed how the new reformers tend to be younger and from minority communities. There are now 400 Education Industry Association member companies, companies who are in the business of education. The perfect storm includes social conservatives, corporate anti-union, anti-government, privateers, and reformers. NEA is focused on organizational capacity. Action is coming down more locally to school districts, and even individual schools. JEA needs to learn when and where to collaborate and when and where to fight.

He talked about this crisis being an opportunity for the association to connect with members, other unions, and our communities. We must build strong local associations and unite the nation for great public schools. We have been good at organizing around politics, issues or policies, membership, collective bargaining, public relations, coalitions, and boycotts. We are being out-organized in the community, around professional issues, and through social networking. These are areas where JEA needs to improve.

‎John Stocks 10 elements of organizing capacity: members, leaders, staff, message, finances, reputation, relationships, programs, technology, and planning.

Questions about Opportunity to Learn, AFT, and quicker access to NEA resources. Some locals also expressed frustration with the slow speed to change at the NEA level. NEA needs a relevant message that sets us apart from other groups. John suggested looking for non-dues revenue sources like philanthropic giving. Staff and governance relationship needs to be tight, or we cannot make progress. We need to enhance value stream is for members. John said, "Get back to lots of people doing a little bit to help row the boat." I have been saying that since I took office as president. If every member did just one thing related to the association or the politics of education, JEA could make a big impact.

The next speaker was Kim Anderson, NEA Director of Center for Advocacy, who talked about the national political climate. State legislatures will see the same types of attacks ,only worse, this next session. Tea partiers in Congress are holding GOP leadership hostage. NEA members' stories are key to swaying voters and candidates. The same people funding attacks on labor are funding the Tea Party. Go to the Education Votes website to learn more about national politics.

Kim said, "We're too important to fail." Look at our assets: members, building, info about voters, and volunteers who are connected to other groups. Advocate in a way that is student-focused.

The first breakout session on membership. We are learning about the Voter Activation Network (VAN). Lots of ways to use this to target groups for political races.

The Mountain Region is met. We talked about upcoming meetings and elections.

Tonight two local associations from Utah received NCUEA grants: Murray and Salt Lake. Congratulations to Mark and Susan!

School Board Meeting

2011-11-23T11:08:00.001-07:00

Last night's school board meeting was very full. In the study session, a new idea for high school Parent Teacher Conferences was presented. This is the result of two years of work by DAC, the Negotiations Team, and the Joint Committee. There was parent and teacher input via surveys in Spring of 2011. What has come out of this is a recommendation for changing HS PTC for the 2012-2013 school year. The goal is to increase attendance by parents, particularly of struggling students.

The recommendation is to have the Wednesday of PTC week be a day with no students. Teachers would hold conferences from noon to 8:00 p.m. with a dinner break. Each building would decide on a portion of time for scheduled conferences and a portion of time for drop in. Each building can also decide if teachers would like to conference in their classrooms or in a common area. Because the conferences would be scheduled during the day without students, there would be no compensation day. Full school days would be held every other day that week.

Some hoped for benefits include:

Athletic practices scheduled in the morning so coaches will be in attendance at conferences
Meet the needs of more parents, particularly those who work in the evenings
Target students who need to have their parents come in
Allow time for parents to drop in who prefer that format
No 12 hour days for teachers
Greater attendance by parents

After implementing this for the 2012-13 year, the data will be reviewed to see if the change is effective in increasing parent attendance, the main goal.

Principals will be learning more about this. We will be looking for teacher feedback after these conferences as well to see if you found this format more beneficial than sitting in the gym for four hours. Should you have questions, please let me know.

In the study session, the Board decided to approve two sabbatical leaves (you go to school, the District pays 1/2 salary, and you receive the EXACT position you left), two educational leaves (you go to school with no pay and you will have a job for next year which you are qualified), and leaves of absence (you take a year off with no pay and you will have a job the next year for which you are qualified).

The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report was accepted. The auditors praised the District for being well-managed. If you'd like details, go to Jordan District website, and you can read the full report.

JEA member Wendy Hanson of Copper Hills was appointed to be a District Math Consultant.

JEA member Debbie Brown of Bingham was recognized for winning the UEA Excellence in Teaching Award. She is seen here with a quilt of the Periodic Table made by her students. You can read about her at myUEA.org.

Legislative Council (AR) Meeting

2011-11-17T09:01:00.001-07:00

The AR meeting last evening was well attended. Thank you to all who were there! Laura Black, Jordan UniServ Director, presented a PowerPoint on legislative issues, Senator's Osmond's bill, and JEA's next steps. Your AR received a copy of this PowerPoint. I encourage you to attend the building meeting so you can see this PowerPoint.

Education Interim Committee

2011-11-17T08:46:00.001-07:00

The following is from UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh about when Senator Osmond presented his Public Education Employment Reform Act at the Education Interim Committee on Wednesday. This is truly a win for us!

"I am happy to reportthat Senator Osmond was true to his word! Please spread theword to all your members. We have to celebrate our successes and let themembers know our collective efforts are moving us in a positive direction. I amproud to represent you all."

Senator Osmond is Learning

2011-11-16T09:32:00.001-07:00

This blog post by Senator Osmond discusses his findings after the public meetings on his proposed Public Education Employment Reform Act. He has decided to put this on hold! I encourage you to express you thanks on the blog or by e-mailing him at aosmond@utahsenate.org.

Public Meeting with Senator Osmond

2011-11-09T13:14:00.001-07:00

Below are notes from Jay Blain, UEA, and Cindy Carroll, Jordan UniServ from the meeting with Senator Osmond last night. It was inspiring to see the support of UEA members from Davis to Provo and from Tooele to Park City.

I spoke with Senator Osmond after the meeting. I thanked him for being willing to listen, told him teachers felt heard, and that if wanted to win over the teachers, he would need to make changes to these proposals so that they will not hurt teachers. He said he understands that his actions are going to be the proof teachers need to stand behind him.

Please see the previous post and go to his blog post to make comments publicly. He is also open to e-mails at aosmond@utahsenate.org.

Notes:

5:30 – 6:30 by invitation only

Senator Osmond stated that the purpose is to get input aboutthe impact before we get into the session. Clearly there is a feeling of antagonism, we need a partnership, and weneed to collaborate. Superintendent Shumwaycited the State of the Union address, “We need to quit making excuses forineffective teachers.” He repeated the 3principles behind the bill. He also useda landlord tenant analogy mostly to explain the requirement for notice when notrenewing a contract.

Question: Why do we have 3 year for administrators and 5year limits for teachers if we are asking administrators to make the toughdecisions to terminate people? This willmake it difficult to attract and retain administrators. Also, wouldn’t people just wait for the nextprincipal? Shouldn’t local boards setthe lengths?

Who works harder than someone else? Teachers are about doing what is best forkids. Larry Shumway, maybe it ispossible to go beyond student achievement. When we evaluate achievement, whose achievement do we evaluate,student’s or teacher’s? Many technicalissues to overcome. Senator Osmond,there is a complexness to the collaborative issue that needs to beunderstood. We need to address thepersonal resources that are spent above and beyond time.

Star Orullian described the great relationship andpartnership GEA has with Granite School District in remediating and evendismissing struggling teachers. She isconcerned about funding for performance pay especially with other items thatare being discussed by Education Interim committee, like tuition taxcredits.

How is this legislation sending a message that we care aboutkids? It is sending the wrong message tostudents that we are trying to recruit to the state as teachers. I don’t want to work with an ineffectiveteacher.

Mike Fraser, Assistant Superintendent from Granite District,backs up what Star Orullian said about partnership with Association. Granite terminates between 33-60 teacherseach year. Why would we pass legislationto devalue teachers who work so hard to recruit? Not so long ago we were scratching to recruitany teacher we could. We try to savethem but if we can’t, we cut them loose!

Account was given of collaboration summit withSuperintendent, School Board President, and Association President and it wasvery positive. It will be very hard tofollow through with it if their hands are tied and it would be a tragedy tobackwards because of this legislation. It is important to trust the experts.

Tom Nedreberg from Tintic reported that his small districtlet go of 1 or 2 educators over the past couple of years. In a small district it is very disruptive tohave an ineffective teacher so they deal with it. He recounted an incident of an administratorthat ‘went after’ a bus driver inappropriately and a $220,000 suit ensued.

Why would the state stipulate so much? Let the locals work it out. This teacher is concerned about situationswhen choosing between coaching situations. Will performance pay push people way beyond contract limits when somemay have family obligations and other such things that prohibit them from doingsuch things? Is teaching going to be acareer anymore?

Senator Osmond repeated that his goal is to seek localcontrol and to decentralize.

Vice-President of Murray board, complimented Senator onbeing here, she is a nurse and she said that it is easier to get rid of a badteacher than a bad nurse.

McKell Withers, Superintendent of SLCSD, said there nodirect line in this legislation to what is good for kids or nothing helpful toget rid of bad teachers. Could belimiting in obtaining federal grants. Would there be a tendency to just let a marginal teacher ride to the endof a contract term with no intervention to help the teacher improve?

Concern about the state board creating models for salaryschedules. This is not local control.

Annette Brinkman, GSD, asked, “Are the tools and knowledgethere to help teachers and train administrators? YES, it can be done.”

7:00 open public meeting (about 500 in attendance)

Educators, parents andsupport professionals filled the Granite District Office board room overcapacity with overflow into the hallway. Attendees were here to listen to Senator Aaron Osmond and SuperintendentLarry Shumway answer questions about their proposed Public Education Reformlegislation.

Senator Osmond opened the meeting to say that he and Superintendent Shumwaywere actually here to listen to the public. Osmond assured teachers that heknows they have not felt heard and that, overtime, they have been frustratedand have felt attacked by the Legislature as a profession and collective body. He also understands that today’s teachers no longer recommend thisprofession to future teachers.

Osmond expressed genuineinterest in understanding "your [educators’] world". He saidthat the “time has passed for antagonism, rhetoric and contention. It is now time to work together: educators,union leaders, state board and legislature to help our kids.”

Osmond took ownershipthat the legislation he is sponsoring is “other than what he is saying aboutsupport”, however, he will listen to concerns and act prior to taking thislegislation to his colleagues for consideration. He is not here tonightto tell us what he is "going to do" but, rather to hear and take ourconcerns to the legislature. That is his goal.

Format: commentsto 1.5 minutes. Ask a question or express feelings.

If people are not comfortable in a public setting, pleaseemail: aosmond@utahsenate.org

Comments:

Getting rid of professionalism causes teachers to be a “1099 employee.” No ability to contest wrongful termination or have due process. If teachers are put "under tow" the rest of the state employees will follow.

Alpine teacher: How will performance pay be equitable for elective classes? How is this plan different from other plans that have been tried and failed?

Class size is an issue. 100% of this teacher’s students passed CRTs in a low-income school. “I am successful but this legislation makes me question why I am working in Utah.” Worry about low-level kids.

Dan Rozanas, Alta High: Appreciates the openness of the Senator in welcoming teachers. Why does the Legislature, who say they believe in the importance of science in education, not look at research? In his research, he has found no evidence that proves that collective bargaining is bad for education. If you are saying you are here to help, I don't understand why this legislation is being considered?

Baffled by the fact that we can't have collective bargaining. We have the right to assemble and unionize common ideas. I’m asking; Senator, why can't "we" have representation? Do not take away my basic rights. I am angry. Lower class sizes will help get test scores up. I remember who passes legislation that helps and hurts education.

Brenda- 37 year teacher - breaks her heart to see what's happening. My daughter is a teacher and I have told her not to come to Utah to teach.

30 year educator: This proposed legislation is egregious on many levels and volunteers his voice. Has a son in his junior year at U of U to become a teacher. He is looking at this legislation and is changing his mind about becoming an educator. Bright teachers will be lost. Trying to impose a business model on education won’t work. If it did, children would then become nothing more than commodities at a manufacturing plant.

Jordan High - 15 year teacher – as a career educator, this legislation will force him to choosing 5% of salary or to have collective bargaining rights. Loss of orderly termination will cause subjective firing and this will hurt qualification of educators in the URS. The bill also mandates to local school boards - taking away local control.

Shawn Evanson – Canyons School District – told his story as a first year teacher who told a student to "quit acting silly.” The parent heard later from the student "that teacher called me stupid" he fought potential termination as a provisional teachers. Now, 96% of his science class is testing proficient. I could have lost my job as a first year teacher. This bill puts teachers in the face of politics.

When did teachers become the enemy of society? (mass applause) Why are we being blamed? Education starts in the home with solid family support.

I am not going to be blamed anymore for failure in the home, Senator! (Shawn)

Every year we have more hits.

This room is full of resources to advise the senator on his bill. This proposal is a distraction to positive education reform. We know better than any legislature what education needs.

Sue Dickey, retired teacher: this is the first time a legislator has come in to listen to us, thank you.

The Orderly Termination Act and the due process that allows teachers to be removed from the profession with due process. Our association advocates support teachers in this process and allow them to to leave the profession with dignity. If administrators are given time and tools to be strong leaders they would be able to evaluate and observe regularly.

Salary should be under local control.

Parent: first time speaking before a crowd. She “thanks teachers and administration who serve our schools.” She is a teacher advocate and is so tired of watching school teachers, principals and staff be bullied by the legislature.

Teachers can't choose who they teach.

A teacher shared the diversity in her classroom, including special needs students, students with difficult home lives, suffering from death, parent imprisonment, students with behavior disorders, etc. Her question; “Who wants my job?”

Osmond shared the pervasive naturethat we are not meeting the needs of a global economy. How can we reinforcelocal control? Should we create an environment of no expectation of continuedemployment? He stated, “After listening, I get whyour bill will not get us where we want to go. We need to work in partnership to resolve ourproblems.” Superintendent Shumway spokeabout performance pay. He said thecreation of a merit pay plan should be allowed on a local level and not on alegislative level.

· Vice principal said he was “let go”from a former district because he had not reached tenure. Is now verysuccessful in another district.

· Disabled teacher thanks the GraniteEducation Association for the support she has received in her work andclassroom. She teaches WorldHistory. She said, comparing the UnitedStates to other nations is not equitable. It is false that the US is falling behind other nations educationally. In other countries, schools choose who theyteach. The only choose the cream of thecrop – here in the U.S. we teach all children.

· Without collective bargaining thenvoice of teachers is not heard. I am proud to be a teacher among so many who “talkand walk” what they believe.

Heidi Matthews, Park City educator: looking at your legislation from an education model and what is missing is the objective of your bill, the end game. She challenged the legislature to draft reform from an education model and not a business model.

Sandra Darrington: a 1^st grade teacher, advocates for children every day. This legislation has the potential of asking a teacher to choose between family and student. She shed tears for the art and love of teaching.

Bring back the honor in teaching.

Connie Anderson, West High teacher and member of the SLC school board. Put the focus on what a good teacher looks like and not on the bad.

Legislating something just to see if it works is backward. Use early retirement incentives to move senior teachers out of the schools if career status is the issue.

Patrick, bus driver in Canyons School District: How will you create performance pay for a bus driver?

· Rebecca Bracken, CanyonsDistrict: The more legislation that downgrades education,the less freedom teachers have and the less beneficial I am as a teacher. NCLB, hurts special need children. I adopted four special needs children. Her daughter at 14 years old made the statement that, under NCLB, “No one will want us.” The gifts that special needs children bringare lost in the search for success and rigor.

Senator Osmond's Proposal

2011-11-07T18:05:00.003-07:00

See this blog post by Senator Osmond for more of his perspective on the pro's and con's of his proposal. Well-thought comments would be a great addition!

Council of Local Presidents

2011-11-05T13:46:00.000-06:00

Linda Alder of the State Office of Education came to speak on the Educator Effectiveness Project. The standards are on a continuum of professional teaching practice and are tied to the Common Core. The Project is now working on aligning Teacher Preparation Programs and preparing an evaluation system for university preparation programs. This will not be a full-on accreditation program, but it will require a yearly report. This would look at the part of the program that recommends teachers for licensure. Another committee will develop support tools for teachers. See Educator Effectiveness Project website for more information. See UEN for professional standards.

The Joint Educator Evaluation Committee needs to review JPAS and communicate with stakeholders. Districts should "recognize" great teaching and have "consequences" for poor teaching. Concern about districts only using a summative evaluation (JPAS observation) and not following through with the formative evaluation (JPAS interim) to help support teachers who need help. There must also be an annual rating (federal requirement) of Highly Effective, Effective, or Ineffective. Linda hopes an interview part can be added. Research shows that having a third party evaluator can provide a more valid evaluation.

Three pieces in annual rating include measures of instructional quality (i.e. JPAS), evidence of student growth (i.e. benchmark tests), and parent and student input (i.e. unknown survey). Districts can define other factors to add to the annual rating. There is also an administrator version. The State Board requires all licensed professionals receive a rating, except for superintendents. The next couple of years are going to be hard as we make this transition.

Educator Day on the Hill will be held on Fridays throughout the Legislative Session.

In the upcoming legislative battles, we will need all members to do ONE thing they have never done before. See this video on the difference one degree can make. You can make the difference. Key issues in education include:

attacks on collective bargaining
eliminate payroll deduction for association dues
public education employment reform
orderly termination
TABOR (taxpayer bill of rights)
tuition tax credits (vouchers)
merit pay
tenure
evaluation
school board governance
public education funding
parent trigger (majority of parents could vote to change school into a charter)

One way to help the association be proactive in breaking the view that UEA protects bad teacher is to start a Peer Assistance Review (PAR) program. The UEA Board will look at sending a bill to the legislature about PAR in an effort to police our own teaching ranks, raising the bar on professionalism.

E-Z pay dues transition from payroll deduction to electronic fund transfer (EFT) for payment of dues. AR's will be trained on how to "flip" to E-Z pay at the meeting on November 16. Another option will be to pay by credit card. E-Z pay will come out of your account on the third of the month starting in October 2012. This program will force JEA to go from 12 payment to 10 payments, causing an increase in the monthly amount from October to July with no dues withdrawl in August or September.

Public Meeting Scheduled

2011-11-03T16:17:00.001-06:00

Senator AaronOsmond, who represents the majority of Jordan School District, is proposinglegislation at the request of State Superintendent Larry Shumway that includesthe following:

· Repeal allOrderly Termination Laws

· Require schooldistricts to adopt employee management policies

· Replace “tenure”with “at will” status

o 5 yearcontracts for educators

o Duesprocess to terminate educators within the 5 years

o Non-renewany educator without cause at the end of 5 years

o Careerteachers can “opt out” for 10 years, but would not be eligible for performancepay

· Establish salaryrange based on market demand

o Subject,experience, location, difficulty

· Each districtmust establish a performance pay model

o Minimum of5% of pay tied to student performance

For moreinformation, visit http://aaronosmond.com/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=7and click on Public Education Employment Reform Act Proposal.

A meeting withSenator Osmond and Superintendent Shumway has been scheduled to discuss theseissues. The meeting is Tuesday, November 8 at 7:00 at the Granite DistrictOffice, 2500 S. State Street. Iwould encourage all who are concerned about the above items and their impact onpublic education to attend and wear a JEA t-shirt, button, etc. if you haveone. I will be there and hope all JEAmembers can sit together.

UEA Convention Prize Winners

2011-11-03T15:54:00.001-06:00

Out of the five top prize drawings at the UEA Convention, two were from Jordan! Congratulations to Kathie Jorgensen, Rosamond, on winning a Bose Wave Radio and to Margaret Pratt, Bingham, on winning a $100 gift certificate to Utah Idaho Supply!

Meeting with Dr. Johnson

2011-11-03T15:52:00.000-06:00

Dr. Johnson invited one of the District accountants to our monthly meeting. We discussed the Year Round to Traditional pay problems. I thought this was an issue that just impacted teachers, but it also impacts many classified personnel including principals, secretaries, custodians, and bus drivers. Expenses are tracked by school, making the accounting more accurate. The 13-month pay option given to schools moving from Year Round to Traditional is the best one at this point. Other programs that were investigated included Davis District, which uses a "trusted" computer program without human checks and balances. Clark County District doesn't pay Year Round teachers their first paycheck until September. That is not a viable option either. We will continue to look at this; however, the more I learn, the more I realize that what we have is probably the best possible option.

We also talked about Senator Aaron Osmond's Education Employee Reform Proposal. Dr. Johnson is most concerned about the loss of collective bargaining or being forced to negotiate in public. She does not see that as productive. Should the Orderly Termination Act be repealed and/or five year contracts be established, she said the District would maintain a process for termination as well as cause for non-renewal of contracts.

She is waiting to hear from the trainer for Interest Based Bargaining. I appreciate Dr. Johnson's willingness to work with JEA on improving the negotiations process and including JEA in designing a performance pay model.

Jordan Education Foundation

2011-11-03T15:38:00.000-06:00

I attended the Board Meeting of the Jordan Education Foundation this morning. This is a great group of volunteers who work to solicit donations that help fund programs throughout the District. I would encourage you to go to their website to learn more about what they do. Teachers can donate through payroll deduction and earmark the money for their school. Parent donations can also be set aside for a particular program or school.

Executive Board Meeting

2011-11-02T18:44:00.001-06:00

Most of the Executive Board met tonight. The main topics of discussion were the upcoming EFT conversion, possible budget cuts for next year, and politics.

Elementary Preparation Time Task Force

2011-11-01T20:28:00.001-06:00

The Elementary Preparation Time Task Force met to discuss our research. Each group had talked with other districts and some charter schools on if and how they are providing preparation and/or collaboration time for elementary teachers during the school day. It was a good discussion. The task force is working on various ways to provide prep time for elementary teachers.

Legislative Council

2011-11-01T20:25:00.000-06:00

The JEA AR's met on Wednesday for our monthly meeting. UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh spoke for about 30 minutes on issues facing teachers and the association. Jordan School Board member Corbin White also attended and spoke for a few minutes. He answered questions and seems to truly want to do what is right by teachers.

I appreciated the teachers who stayed to the very end to discuss and approve the JEA budget for the year. I promise to not allow a meeting to go that late again! Our next meeting is November 16, and it is imperative that each school be represented.

RIS Committee

2011-10-26T14:50:00.001-06:00

I attended a meeting this morning that is looking at how to handle RIS and transfers under the new policy necessitated by the change in the law stating districts cannot use "last-hired, first-fired" practices. The new negotiated language allows RIS decisions to be based on school or program need and evaluations. The RIS and transfer processes will look different in spring 2012, and this committee will be making recommendations on what that process will be.

Bennington, VT Teachers Need Our Help

2011-10-26T12:07:00.000-06:00

The following message is from Vermont Education Association about a strike in one of their local associations. Help as you see fit.

"As you may have heard, the Southwestern Vermont EducationAssociation (Bennington) is on strike to protest the worst imposed terms andconditions of employment for teachers in Vermont history. More informationis below, but the bottom line is this: the local affiliate needs our support.

"You can donate on-line to the SWVEA Strike Help Fund, bygoing to www.vtnea.org/swveahelp.aspxor send a check made payable to “Southwestern Vermont Education Association”and mail to SWVEA, P.O. Box 4762, Bennington, Vermont 05201

"In June 2011, all of the 6 school boards within thesupervisory union voted to impose very punitive working conditions on teachersafter essentially ignoring the fact finders' report earlier that month. Laterthe school boards returned to offer a "final proposal" that spreadthe terms of the imposition out over what would be a four -year contract. Theimposition/final offer included radical changes to their salary schedule, aREDUCTION in the base wage over the course of the four years, increasesin workday assignments that would lessen teacher prep time – to forceeven more prep work into non-school hours, and a 33% increase inteachers' co-pay for health insurance. There was more to the imposition/finaloffer, but needless to say, the SWVEA membership voted overwhelmingly to rejectthese terms in mid-September.

"The boards and union met on Wednesday, October 5, but theboards refused to bargain unless the union agreed to not speak to the press,not take any action, and bargain only in public. The union rejected theseunacceptable terms. One week ago, SVWEA members voted 209 to 12 to authorize a strike on October 19 if a fair contract was not reached. Anagreement was not reached and on October 19 the teachers went out on strike andhave been on strike since then. They continue to be on strike today. Both sideshave met virtually every day and are meeting again today.

"We need support in the meantime. Please ask your fellowunion members to send messages of support to the President and VicePresident. They have had a tough few weeks and need to rally their members tostick together. They are sharing all messages of support with the membersand it is helping. Please send more! Stephannie Peters, President, stephanniepeters@comcast.net and Deb Berard, Vice President, debber40@comcast.net."

UEA's Excellence in Teaching Award Winner

2011-10-20T21:27:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Debbie Brown, Bingham, on being selected one of the UEA Excellence in Teaching Award Winners!

Calendar Development

2011-10-20T20:30:00.003-06:00

At the School Board Study Session on Tuesday, Sherry Devenberg presented a proposed calendar which includes a 3-day Thanksgiving Break for traditional and year round schedules. The School Board is open to this as well as a possibility of a week-long Spring Break for traditional. The Calendar Committee will continue to work on options to present to the School Board for their approval.

JEA PAC

2011-10-20T20:28:00.000-06:00

The JEA Political Action Committee met on Tuesday. We have a great opportunity to add two new, education-friendly legislators to the Utah House of Representatives. Carl Wimmer has decided to run for Congress. That opens up his seat, which has included Herriman and Riverton. Because of the growth in this area of the state, Herriman and Riverton will each have their own representative. If you live in the Herriman or Riverton area, please think about friends and neighbors (or yourself) who have expressed interest in politics and education. Send me contact information. We need to recruit great candidates who are going to support public education.

In addition, four Jordan School Board terms are expiring: Rick Bojak, Leah Voorhies, Carmen, Freeman, and Richard Osborn. I have not heard definitively if any of them are going to run for re-election.

Project 100 Winner

2011-10-20T20:21:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Sharon Rettie, Daybreak, for being the Jordan Credit Union Project 100 Employee of the Week!

Senator Osmond's Proposal

2011-10-16T20:50:00.001-06:00

I received an e-mail today that Senator Aaron Osmond has decided to drop his proposal about Independent Public Schools, which would have essentially turned public schools into charter schools. The following is an excerpt of that letter.

"After countless meetings with Parents, Teachers, Administrators, Associations, Legislative Colleagues, and other groups, I have made the decision to pull back on my proposal relative to the concept of Independent Public Schools and Local Control Reform for school boards.

"I did this because I made a commitment to my constituents in District 10 that I would not pursue or support any legislation that did not have the collective majority support of those constituents. I was unable to garner any significant interest or support from our local area around these ideas. Instead, the ideas generated more concern and anxiety (from all parties) that such changes would introduce additional layers of bureaucracy, create additional political strife within local communities, and put incremental strain on an already stressed system."

I publicly commend Senator Osmond for being willing to back down from an idea about which he was passionate in order to represent his constituents.

Meeting with Dr. Johnson

2011-10-15T21:27:00.000-06:00

I met with Dr. Johnson on Friday afternoon. I showed her a draft of a RIF points rubric. This could be used in place of hire date in the event of a RIF. It would help take the subjectivity out of RIF. Hopefully, something similar will be adopted by the District.

Dr. Johnson believes performance pay will pass at the legislature this year. She wants to put a work group together to make rubrics for performance pay. This will likely happen after the first of the year. She mentioned that she thinks performance pay should be on top of steps and lanes. I am going to find information for her on the schools that were part of the performance pay pilot sponsored by the legislature three years ago (a two year pilot that was only funded for one year). UEA was involved in helping develop some of the performance pay models used.

She shared some information about a meeting with Senator Aaron Osmond on his proposal about Independent Public School Boards, which would essentially make each school a charter school. Dr. Johnson stated that the teachers and principals who attended the meeting asked good questions and made good points about why his proposal would not work.

Dr. Johnson also met with Representative Merlynn Newbold. I am pleased that she is talking to the legislators serving the areas within Jordan District. She is well-spoken and logical, and I hope the legislators take what she says to heart.

Negotiated Joint Committee

2011-10-15T21:15:00.001-06:00

This committee has been looking at options for high school parent teacher conferences for almost a year. Next month, we hope to decide on a model to pilot next year.

We also discussed interest-based bargaining and Senator Osmond's proposals.

Executive Board Meeting

2011-10-15T21:12:00.002-06:00

Wednesday evening was the monthly JEA Executive Board meeting. We held an extensive discussion on the budget. The Executive Board will be looking at possible ways to cut local dues. All UEA members will be moving to EFT to start in Fall 2012 on a 10 deduction payment plan. The monthly amount of dues will be higher, but for fewer months. JEA went to 12 months for dues deduction a couple of years ago. The reason UEA is going to 10 month deduction is because NEA requires states make payments to NEA on a 10 month plan.

There will be more information coming in November.

Columbia School Visit

2011-10-11T15:06:00.001-06:00

Cindy and I enjoyed meeting with teachers at Columbia today during lunch. They seem to be an informed group of teachers who asked great questions about retirement, merit pay, the Ogden situation, and negotiations just to name a few. They also have interns and student teachers who were interested and eager to learn more.

Lunch with Local Presidents

2011-10-10T19:26:00.002-06:00

Today I went to lunch with some other local association presidents. We discussed our roles, budgets, vice president duties, how we organize and run meetings, EFT, and that we have great UniServ Directors (Laura and Cindy). Hopefully, more local presidents will be able to join us next month.

Lily's Thank You

2011-10-07T14:31:00.003-06:00

When Lily Eskelsen's husband passed away in March, JEA donated money to their scholarship fund at the University of Utah. I just received a hand-written thank you from Lily. It states:

Dear Jennifer and JEA Family,
Please forgive me for taking so long to write and think you for honoring Ruel with your generous gift to our scholarship fund. My boys and I are so grateful for your kindness.
Mui gracias,
Lily

See this post and this one for more information.

Sick Bank

2011-10-06T10:32:00.000-06:00

This morning was the monthly Sick Bank meeting. We reviewed and approved Sick Bank and Critical Family Illness and Adoption Leave requests. If you need help applying for Sick Bank or Critical Family Leave, please let me know. I would be happy to assist you.

Elementary Preparation/Collaboration Time Task Force

2011-09-30T17:49:00.005-06:00

This negotiated Task Force met for the first time last evening. We broke into groups of two to investigate what other districts are doing for preparation and/or collaboration time in elementary schools. If you know an elementary teacher in another district, please send their contact information to me, so we can find as many options as possible to explore.

Middle School Issues Committee

2011-09-30T17:45:00.002-06:00

I attended the Middle School Issues Committee yesterday afternoon. There was a review of how collaboration time is being used. It was impressive to me what the various schools are doing and how well it is working. One idea that came up was to move the collaboration time from Friday morning to Wednesday afternoon as it was during the pilot. I would be interested to hear what all middle school educators think about this topic.

Rose Creek School Visit

2011-09-28T15:59:00.001-06:00

Cindy Carroll and I spent lunch at Rose Creek Elementary today. It was great to visit with the teachers, to listen to their concerns, and to answer questions. I would like to visit at least one school a week. If you want me to come to your school, just send me an e-mail, and we can work out a date and time.

Jordan Teacher of the Year

2011-09-28T13:53:00.002-06:00

Kathy Bekkemellom, South Hills Middle, was named Jordan District Teacher of the Year at the School Board meeting last night. Congratulations!

Education Nation Summary

2011-09-25T11:59:00.000-06:00

The first section asked teachers about the baggage students bring to school.

The next portion was on technology use in the classroom. One teacher said he is not high tech, but still uses innovative teaching methods including role-playing and simulations. Another teacher used Skype to reach a girl who was in the hospital battling leukemia.

Melinda Gates was on talking about what makes a great teacher. She said multiple measures need to be used including value-added, observations, specific behaviors like helping students who do not understand a concept. She said we need to update the education system to the information age. She commented, as many have, that education is necessary, because it is the great equalizer.

75% of teachers surveyed believe that higher salaries would help retain great teachers. Others commented they would like more respect, support, or to not be the center of political reforms.

The next discussion was about professionalism, salaries, and evaluations. Comparing teachers to other professions would elevate the teaching profession as a whole. One teacher said we need to convince legislators we need higher salaries, because we do not work 9-5. Evaluations should include value-added data, peer-to-peer observations, administrative observations, teachers giving back to the school, what students and parents think of the teachers. "Just because we love our kids, doesn't mean we aren't professionals."

Tenure does not mean you have a job for life. Best person to evaluate is the person teaching across or down the hall. "We need to get serious about peer evaluation." Some concerned about this leading to a popularity contest.

Online educator talked about site-based management and not having to answer to a district office, though they do meet state standards. Online essay winner talked about Superman and Wonder Woman being the students that come to school with the baggage from home. "People in the classroom everyday know what students need." "It is a shame we have to rely on philanthropy to fund education in areas across country."

Common Core State Standards help the future of education look more optimistic. "Imperative that we are treated as professionals." One wants performance pay based on evaluations. Children within each classroom who differ, and we need digital tools to help with differentiation.

More funding for resources, collaboration, and excellent teachers make for a great school. School reform needs parent and community involvement. Senior teachers want to teach next to another great teacher.

Overall, the town hall was interesting. My editorial comment is that the host, Brian Williams, needed to stop trying to be funny during his interim comments. MSNBC will host additional programs throughout the week.

NBC’s “Education Nation” Summit

2011-09-23T10:03:00.000-06:00

Live Teacher Town Hall on MSNBC. Moderated by NBC News’ Brian Williams and facilitated by NBC News’ ChiefEducation Correspondent Reheema Ellis and MSNBC NewNation Anchor Tamryn Hall,this event will kick-off the Summit. This event will be televised live on MSNBC Sunday,September 25 from 10 a.m. to noon and will stream live on Education Nation.

President Van Roekel’s “Window on Great Teaching”Session with NBC News Today Show Anchor Ann Curry on September 26. Thissession will be streamed live starting on Monday, September 26 at 8:25 a.m. atEducation Nation. President Van Roekel will appear at 8:45 a.m. Thesession will feature three classrooms around the country for a look at whateffective teaching truly looks like. Audience members will have theopportunity to go live into these classrooms and interact with the teachers andstudents.

President Van Roekel media appearances and webpresence. Don’t miss President Van Roekel live interview on MSNBC’s NewsNation withTamryn Hall on Monday, September 26 at 12:20 p.m. Also, be sure to take alook at his Education Nation blog post on teacher quality at Education Nation.

Year Round Committee

2011-09-23T09:37:00.001-06:00

The Year Round Committee met yesterday afternoon. We discussed the problems with having a 3-track parent teacher conference last year. The main concern was parking, but with scheduled conferences, parking did not turn out to be an issue. We will be discussing conference dates for the 2012-2013 year at our next meeting.

Transitioning from year round to traditional was also discussed.

Celebration - Successful JEA Member Blog

2011-09-22T12:01:00.004-06:00

Rachelle Smith, first grade teacher at Herriman Elementary, has a successful blog (What the Teacher Wants), where she offers free tips andprintables that align with the Common Core State Standards. She has over 3,000 followers and 15,000 hits a day! Check it out.

I would love to hear from other JEA members about success in connection to their careers.

DAC - September 2011

2011-09-22T11:49:00.000-06:00

The District Advisory Committee met last evening. We discussed the results of the high school parent teacher conference survey from last spring. DAC will be looking at options for restructuring HS PTC.

I am going to be on a committee to evaluate the transfer, placement, and hiring process.

The year round to traditional pay issues was discussed again. Kyle Hansen, HR Director of Licensed Recruitment, is going to find out how many elementary teachers leave prior to the end of November in order to determine the cost of allowing teachers who move from a YR to a traditional schedule to stay on their 12-month YR pay schedule.

The law surrounding Legislative Supply Money states that "a teacher on salary schedule steps one through three teaching in grade . . .", which poses a problem since we have not had steps two of the last three years. John Larsen in Accounting said the state distributes the money based on CACTUS, which shows years of service, not step placement, so the District will distribute the money based on years also.

If an issue is not being resolved by your SAC, and it is an issue being faced by most schools throughout the District, let me know so I can bring that issue to DAC.

Meeting with Senator Aaron Osmond

2011-09-15T11:14:00.001-06:00

Senator Aaron Osmond contacted me and wanted to meet so he could hear my thoughts on some proposed legislation he is considering. He made it clear that these are ideas, that he wants input, and that he is malleable.

We talked about his ideas, some of which are very different from most teachers. He has asked me to put together a focus group of teachers who live in his area. The boundaries are roughly from I-15 to the Oquirrh Mountains and from 7800 S. to 11800 S., but also includes Herriman, the Camp Williams area and a bit in to Utah County on the west side of Redwood Road (not Bluffdale or Riverton). To see if you live in Senator Osmond's senate district, go to the Senate Map website and type in your address.

I would like to put a group of 10-15 teachers together to meet with Senator Osmond sometime the week of October 24 at 4:00. Please let me know of your interest by responding on the blog, on Facebook, or by e-mail.

Legislative Council (AR) Meeting

2011-09-15T10:25:00.000-06:00

Last evening was the monthly JEA Legislative Council meeting. AR's were notified of a Death Benefit that will be withdrawn from your October paycheck. Craig Peterson, a teacher and JEA member at Jordan Hills, passed away in August. He was part of the JEA Death Benefit program. All teachers enrolled in the program at the time of his passing will have $4 deducted from their October paycheck. A check for almost $1700 was given to his widow and the deductions will replenish the account.

Several building concerns from elementary, particularly year round, schools were asked. During the 2009-2010 negotiations, the 9 hours of pay for track on days planning was rolled into salary. You are being paid, you just don't have to track your hours. You are expected to put in the 9 hours over the 3-4 track change days. Teachers who move rooms are still paid $100 when they track on. If this is not happening, talk to your school secretary.

Options for holding PLCs were discussed.

There is no policy on the placement of students needing special services. Some teachers have an overload of Resource, Speech, or ESL students. One way some principals even in year round schools have handled this is to place all of those students first and then place all other students, distributing evenly those with special needs.

Class sizes in a grade can begin the year up to 5 different, i.e. one class of 20 and one class of 25. Once school starts and students move in, they should go to the smaller class, but keeping siblings on the same track may mean that some classes have more than a 5 student differential.

Special service providers (Resource, Speech, Guidance, etc.) being part of duty rotations and committees was questioned. This is done on a school by school basis at the principal's discretion. One suggestion was that these faculty members take duty the first two and the last two weeks of the year when they are not servicing students.

The report cards for all grades have been finalized for this year. K-5 have new Language Arts standards tied to the Common Core. One AR pointed out that there is no Independent Reading. Another school is doing Independent Reading for the Ken Garff Road to Success Program. The "Language Components" should not be on the sixth grade report card, so the sixth grade teachers should mark N/A on all three terms for "Language Components". The sixth grade Math standards changed to match the Common Core. Other changes include more accurate descriptors of Social Studies and Science topics and Guided Reading Level benchmarks for each grading term.

We watched a video on the Early Years of NEA. It pointed out how NEA was inclusive of women and minorities in the late 1800's, but then later laws prohibited that inclusion.

We review Sick, Personal, Alternative, and Bereavement Leave. If you ever had a question about what qualifies, you can check the policy online or contact JEA. We can help you through any of these leave benefits.

AR's reflected on their membership goals and made new ones for October. Debbie Brown won the drawing for AR's who recruited the last 25 new members.

AR's were asked to set up a JEA e-mail list for members in their building and to provide me with contact information on one parent willing to serve on UEA's Parents for Neighborhood Schools.

I showed AR's the MyDeals app available for Android and iPhone. You need your membership number for it to work. If you cannot find your membership card, just let me know, and I will send it to you.

Thanks to all the AR's who attended the meeting.

Thank You From Ogden

2011-09-14T13:33:00.003-06:00

The following is a letter to all UEA members from Ogdan Education Association.

"We would like to thank all of ourmember friends around the state for their support in Ogden's fight to restorecollective bargaining. The news lastweek that we would be returning to collective bargaining, and that once againthe Ogden Education Association (OEA) will be recognized as the exclusive bargainingrepresentative for Ogden District educators, is a huge win for OEA members andhighlights one of the major reasons to be a member of the Association.

"Without support from our members in otheraffiliates, we would not be back to the table. If we were less than 50 percent in membership, there would still be no “talks.” Dropping one’s membership only gives solaceand support to those who would like to see our Association/Union go away. Should that occur, there would be no one torepresent your voice.

"With what is coming in this year’sLegislative Session, it is imperative that we build UEA membership statewide. The adage, "There is strength in numbers,"has certainly been shown to work in Ogden. It is important that we all unite in our efforts to bargain andcommunicate with our respective districts.

"We have seen the strength of the NEA and theUEA in the fight for public education across the nation and, specifically, herein Utah. OEA leadership has worked diligentlyalongside UEA and NEA this summer, and the result was a huge win for Ogdenmembers. Now, let us show our unification as a state aswe move into this new era of building relationships and communication.

"Thank you all, again, for yourcontinued support of our teachers here in Ogden. You can read the memo from our newSuperintendent, Brad Smith, on our website at www.ogdenweber.org.

"Yours in solidarity,

"Rick Palmer, Ogden/Weber UniServ Director"

School Board Meeting Summary

2011-09-14T12:18:00.001-06:00

I appreciate the JEA members who attended the School Board Meeting last night. West Jordan High was particularly well represented with six teachers there!

The Board approved bids for the Columbia playground, bus surveillance, and district-wide elevator maintenance contracts.

Also approved was the negotiated agreement ratified by JEA members last week. Melanie Nixon, JEA member at Terra Linda, spoke to concerns about implementing policies that will further hurt teacher morale. I spoke asking the Board for a plan to fund steps and lanes as part of a long-term and sustainable budget.

Other policies approved include changes to DP302 Substitute Teachers and DE502 Volunteer Services. The Board also voted to implement Policy Governance.

New policy discussions on BP179 Advertising on School Buses and AS97 Management of Concussions and Traumatic Head Injuries due to new state laws.

You can follow my comments at School Board Meetings on the JEA Facebook Page. You can also access proposed changes to policies at BoardDocs.

UniServ Council Meeting

2011-09-12T19:19:00.001-06:00

The Jordan UniServ Council met this afternoon. We approved the budget and contracts for the UniServ staff. We also discussed membership activities and the upcoming transfer over to EFT for payment of dues. The UniServ includes Jordan and Canyons Education Associations.

2011 UEA Excellence in Teaching Awards

2011-09-10T13:04:00.000-06:00

Please nominate one of your JEA member colleagues for the Excellence in Teaching Award. Deadline for nominations is Friday, September 23.

Council of Local Presidents

2011-09-10T12:58:00.001-06:00

Today's Council of Local Presidents discussed the State School Board meeting from yesterday, the State Office of Education Educator Evaluation recommendations, legislative issues, the "How UEA is Perceived" poll data, and EFT transfer (E-Z Pay Dues).

We were also encouraged to attend the UEA Convention on October 20-21. You will be receiving the program in the mail. I also have New Educator Workshop flyers. Let me know if you need those to give to student teachers or educators in their first three years of teaching. See the UEA website for more information.

State Board of Education Meeting

2011-09-09T15:12:00.000-06:00

I attended the State Board of Education Meeting today during the time they were discussing and voting on the proposed legislation about repealing the Orderly Termination Act, making teachers "at will" employees, and mandating performance pay.

They voted 9-3 to "support the concepts of moving human resources control to local school boards, changing the duration of a contract from perpetual to a time limit to be renewed (like every 3-5 years), and performance pay". See Salt Lake Tribune article.

Kim Burningham (Bountiful) voted against stating that the legislation says local control, but then also says what the duration of contracts must be and that districts must implement performance pay. He thought the bill was contradictory.

Larry Shumway, State Superintendent, said teachers would not be truly "at will" because they would have a contract for a specified length of time. After that time, the district would not "renew" a teacher, but would "offer subsequent employment."

Carol Murphy (Midway) supported this because she believes the state will be forced into performance pay and wants them to be ahead of that.

Joel Coleman (West Valley) said it is harder to remove a teacher who is just not a good fit.

Laurel Brown (Murray), who voted against, said the data they have received is only anecdotal. She wants empirical data on what needs to be changed. She asked, "What is the problem we are trying to fix?" and "What are the positive outcomes?" She also pointed out that this legislation would impact administrators and classified employees as well as teachers.

Ike Spencer (minority rep and principal at West Lake Junior High in Granite District) claims there is no way for him to get rid of teachers once they are no longer provisional. Then he said it would take three years to fire a tenured teacher.

Leslie Castle (Salt Lake) claimed teachers fear being evaluated and feel entitled to their jobs.

Dixie Allen (Vernal, State Board Chairperson) said a "quality administrator can get rid of bad teachers." She asked about the responsibility of administrators. She asked Board members to consider where teachers are right now, what the legalities might be, taking away due process is wrong, and putting everything on the teacher is wrong.

Tami Pyfer (Logan) pointed out that the State Board can set provisions for consistency across the state and that the legislation allows for an opt out.

Martell Menlove, Deputy Superintendent, said this is not strictly "at will", just a limited length of employment expectation. He said there would still need to be a process for firing a teacher including timelines and notifications. There would not be a statewide performance pay, that that would be decided by each District.

Craig Coleman (Genola - South Jordan) supports giving authority to local boards, performance pay, and more professional development resources.

At this point, public comment was allowed.

Jim Johnson, Superintendents Association, said they need more details to form an opinion, but are concerned this is moving too fast, that all stakeholders need a chance to respond.

Kory Holdaway, UEA, speaking for Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh who is ill, said teachers are concerned that this was not a collaborative effort, that it suggests nothing about student improvement, and seems politically motivated. Teachers are willing to support reforms when they are included. Slow down and consider the current work being done on educator evaluation standards. Kory then asked his own question. "Should it be easy to terminate teachers?" He then stated that teachers are not afraid to be evaluated.

Jeff Leonard, Utah Support Employees Association, said this law is more harsh on classified employees, because they are not included in the five year contract, they are "at will".

Pete, an Ogden parent, said this was a solution looking for a problem, that it will discourage new teachers, that in his experience "without cause" means "someone cheaper", that there is no data to support performance pay, that this will not improve schools, and it tells teachers they are the problem.

Derek Brown, House of Representatives District 49 (Salt Lake), said he applauded the Board for moving forward with local control since it is hard to terminate teachers.

Shirley, AFT, talked about her experience as a teacher and administrator. She said poor teachers are still there because administrators don't do their jobs. She said Utah educates more kids with less money and more of those kids go to college than other states, "Utah's teachers are glorious."

Tim Beagley (Charter School Board Member) said that charter schools would be exempt from this legislation.

Although the actual legislation may change, the concepts of leaving orderly termination to local school boards, no expectation of perpetual employment ("at will"), and performance pay are on their way to the legislature with the support of the State Board of Education.

Jordan Education Foundation

2011-09-09T12:06:00.002-06:00

The Jordan Education Foundation has a great new website! On the left side is where the link for mini-grant applications will be. Mini-grant applications can start on Monday, September 12 and the due date is Friday, October 7. They have budgeted $65,000 for mini-grants. Submit your application soon.

The Foundation has also decided to fund the "Leader in Me" program at 10 elementary schools this year.

October is going to be Jordan Education Foundation Donor Drive Month. Look for more information on that coming later.

Executive Board Meeting

2011-09-08T10:59:00.001-06:00

Last night the JEA Executive Board Meeting met. The main topics of discussion were committee appointments and the JEA budget. We also appointed Renee Sass, Oquirrh Hills, as the Special Certification representative due to the resignation of Karl McKenzie.

2011-2012 Legislative Supply Money

2011-09-07T09:57:00.001-06:00

I have received a couple of emails about Legislative Supply Money. There was money allocated. Elementary teachers on Steps 1-3 will receive $250. Secondary teachers on Steps 1-3 will receive $200. Elementary teachers on Steps 4+ will receive between $150-200, and secondary teachers on Steps 4+ will receive between $100-150. These amounts are determined the first of December when the final allocation from the state comes to the District.

All schools will receive $100 per full time and $50 per part time teacher the end of September. If you are Step 4+, I would recommend not spending more than $100 until the full amount is known.

URGENT!! CONTACT UTAH STATE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS NOW!

2011-09-03T10:23:00.000-06:00

Below is a message from UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh about legislation being proposed by the Utah State Board of Education which would repeal the Utah Orderly School Termination Act. It would also require performance pay starting in 2014.

"This proposal essentially makes teachers and administrators “at will” employees. This means that you may be dismissed without cause. Needless to say, we are extremely concerned about this proposal.

"The UEA has been working for over 18 months on teacher/administrator standards and evaluation. This legislation does nothing to improve instruction because it is not tied to a valid and reliable evaluation system. In addition, it does nothing to protect or reward teachers but permits Districts to get rid of any teacher absent any accountability.

"EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, WE NEED TO INUNDATE OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WITH EMAIL EXPRESSING OUR DISMAY AT THIS PROPOSED LEGISLATION! Our classified colleagues have begun their email campaign and the Public Education Coalition is in opposition to this as well.

"Right now, the Board is divided in their support of this bill. They need to hear from all of us. The link below will send you directly to the USOE website where you may email the Board members.

"I am asking you to send this to all your members ASAP with reminders throughout next week. We must stand strong on this issue. That means ALL members must be engaged in this fight! My thanks to you all."

http://www.schools.utah.gov/board/Board-Members.aspx

Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, M.A., NBCT

UEA President

2009 Utah Teacher of the Year

Meeting with Superintendent Johnson

2011-09-01T14:46:00.000-06:00

Laura Black and I met with Dr. Johnson this morning in our regular monthly scheduled meeting. We discussed Itineris, pay issues going from year-round to traditional and traditional to year-round, and an exit survey.

Patsi expressed concern over politics in Utah. She wonders why a small group of people elected as delegates have so much power at the conventions and leave the majority of contituents' voices out of the process. She has noticed that many legislators have a particular issue and become representatives to change a law around one item or incident. She recognizes that teachers need to be active in attending their caucuses and becoming delegates this March.

JEA agrees. We have been encouraging our members for years to go to their party caucus meetings to become delegates. I know it is a long way off, but plan to attend your party caucus, usually a Tuesday night toward the end of March.

Meeting Preparation

2011-08-31T20:25:00.001-06:00

Today was a busy day at the office. I was working on a preliminary budget, preparing for my meeting with Dr. Johnson tomorrow, as well as preparing for the next JEA Executive Board Meeting and JEA Legislative Council Meeting. I am also trying to fill committee openings. Please submit an application e-mailed to you today if you are interested in joining a District committee.

Math Common Core Assessments Review

2011-08-31T09:51:00.001-06:00

The following is from Associate Superintendent Judy Park at USOE asking for your input on the Common Core State Standards Math Assessments. Go to the link and look at the light blue box on the right side of the page. You must complete the input survey by Monday, September 19.

Dear Colleagues,

The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) has released the Consortium’s draft content specifications for math for review. The contents of this document describe the extent of the consortium’s current development to specify critically important claims about student learning that are derived from the Common Core State Standards. When finalized, these claims will serve as the basis for the Consortium’s system of summative and interim assessments and its formative assessment support for teachers.

Open and transparent decision-making is one of the Consortium’s central principles. This draft of the math content specifications is being made available for comment consistent with that principle, and all responses to this work will be considered as it continues to be refined. Like the ELA/literacy content specifications released earlier this month, organizations and interested stakeholders will have two opportunities to comment on the math document. Feedback on the first draft of the math content specifications will be accepted through September 19 (11:59 p.m. Pacific time). A revised draft will be released in October.

In addition to an official state response that is being prepared, we strongly encourage you to provide your individual/group survey response through the link below. Your input is essential to ensure that Utah’s voice is considered in the final product.

Once finalized, the content specifications for math and ELA/literacy will serve as the basis for the SMARTER Balanced system of summative and interim assessments and its formative assessment support for teachers.

The math content specifications materials are available at: http://www.k12.wa.us/SMARTER/Resources.aspx Instructions on how to provide feedback through online surveys for both individual reviewers and groups, and a link to the math content specifications webinar, are posted at the same location soon.

SMARTER Balanced is committed to keeping our partners and stakeholders informed about the Consortium’s work, and to providing opportunities for input.
Thank you for your support as we continue to collaborate on the development of our assessment system.

English, Language Arts, Literacy Common Core Assessments Review

2011-08-25T07:44:00.000-06:00

The following is from Judy Park, Assistant Superintendent at the Utah State Office of Education. If you teach English, Language Arts, or Literacy, please provide input on the assessments by following the directions on the link included by Monday, August 29.

"The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) has released the English language arts/literacy (ELA/literacy) content specifications. The contents of this document describe the extent of the consortium’s current development to specify critically important claims about student learning that are derived from the Common Core State Standards. When finalized, these claims will serve as the basis for the Consortium’s system of summative and interim assessments and its formative assessment support for teachers.

"Open and transparent decision-making is one of the Consortium’s central principles. This draft of the English language arts/Literacy content specifications is being made available for comment consistent with that principle, and all responses to this work will be considered as it continues to be refined. In addition to an official state response that is being prepared, we strongly encourage you to provide your individual/group survey response through the link below. Your input is essential to ensure that Utah’s voice is considered in the final product.

"SMARTER Balanced will provide two rounds of review for the ELA/literacy and math content specifications (the math specifications will be released later this month). The first ELA/literacy draft is now available for review through August 29th (11:59 p.m. Pacific time). Instructions on how to provide feedback through online surveys for both individual reviewers and groups are included with the materials posted at:
SMARTER Balanced Consortium. In addition to the draft ELA/literacy content specifications, the link above includes press materials and a recorded webinar on evidence-based design."

In Memoriam

2011-08-24T06:47:00.000-06:00

Craig Peterson, career-long JEA member, colleague, and friend passed away on Saturday. See Craig's Obituary.

General Membership Meeting

2011-08-24T06:44:00.000-06:00

About 60 members attended the JEA Negotiations General Membership Meeting yesterday. The PowerPoint shown has been sent to AR's along with ratification ballots being sent today. Talk to your AR about voting on the tentative agreement. If you have questions on any part of the agreement, call Cindy or me at the JEA office at 801-262-2449 ext. 2 or Negotiations Chairperson, Melissa Brown at melissa.brown@jordan.k12.ut.us. Ballots are due in the JEA office by Thursday, September 8 at 5:00.

New Teacher Induction

2011-08-24T06:42:00.000-06:00

The last two mornings were New Teacher Induction for traditional scheduled schools. Total, we have 25 new members! Two other unions/associations were there: AFT (American Federation of Teachers), and AAE (American Association of Educators). The people with AAE were a bit pushy, so you may have new teachers with questions.

AAE promotes $15 dues and $2 million in liability protection. New teachers may ask why they should join JEA if the dues are $50 with $2 million in liability protection. There is obviously more. JEA has a teacher representative in every building, a half-time president, and two local UniServ directors to assist with questions or problems. AAE does not have local support. JEA has immediate access to the UEA attorney. With AAE, you hire your own attorney, then AAE will reimburse the expenses later. JEA has representation on every District committee along with relationships with District Administration and School Board members.

If you come across a question you cannot answer, call the JEA office at 801-262-2449 ext. 2, and we will help you delineate the additional benefits of membership in JEA.

JEA Negotiations General Membership Meeting

2011-08-21T10:35:00.002-06:00

JEA and the Jordan District have reached a tentative agreement for the 2011-2012 school year. A JEA General Membership Meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 23 at 5:00 p.m. at Bingham Creek Library (9000 S. 4800 W.). You will be given information about the negotiations process and the settlement. The initial presenatation should last about 30 minutes with time for questions if you choose to stay longer.

UEA Excellence in Teaching Award

2011-08-18T14:18:00.000-06:00

The UEA is pleased to again sponsor the “Excellence in Teaching” awards for 10 outstanding teachers. This year, each winning teacher receives $1,000 and will be honored at a banquet on Thursday, Oct. 20, in conjunction with the UEA Convention. I encourage each of you to nominate at least one teacher for this award. You may submit as many nominations as you like. Both nominees and those completing nominations must be UEA members. It would be great for a Jordan teacher to be one of the winners!

AR Training 2011

2011-08-18T08:02:00.003-06:00

Last evening we had a great AR Training that was well attended. We started by watching the NEA "Standing Strong" video while eating dinner and catching up with one another. I was so pleased to see a lot of new AR's. It is great to have more members becoming involved in the association. Karen Brown, Bluffdale, won the On Time Drawing!

Jane Martain from the District came to talk about the new JPAS Interim Evaluation. From the JPAS website, you will log in to complete the JPAS Interim Evaluation forms of reflection, planning, goal setting, and professional development. You may want to use your most recent JPAS Feedback Report to help you in reflecting and planning. Look through your own files to see if you can find it. If not and you are at the same school, the principal should have one in your local school file. If you have moved schools, you can contact JoAnne Yingling at joanne.yingling@jordan.k12.ut.us for a copy. The forms are interactive, so you simply type in the boxes and save to your computer. These will be due to your principal or supervisor by October 1. Your principal should give you the log in information.

Throughout the year, your principal will likely do short visits to your class. At the end of the year, you will review the forms with your principal or supervisor. You will only complete the JPAS Interim Evaluation on years you do not have a JPAS Observation and Interview Evaluation. If you have questions on the JPAS Interim Evaluation or your principal is requiring more than is described here, please contact JEA.

Laura and Cindy led a brainstorming session about moving dues payment from payroll deduction to EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) from a checking account. There were more benefits than road blocks brought up. Some of those benefits are being proactive, pre-emptive strike against Senator Howard Stephenson, and the District won't know how many members we have. Watch for more information on this transition to come later this year.

Melissa Brown, JEA Negotiations Team Chairperson, along with members Janeen McMillan and Kara Goodwin gave a negotiations update. She addressed the entire process, the communication problems between the District Negotiations Team and the School Board, our proposals to the District and the District's proposals to us, and the bottom line. There will be no steps, lanes, or COLAS this year. There had to be some changes to policy based on changes in the law, and JEA is fighting to maintain your rights to due process through the Reduction in Staff, Reduction in Force, and Orderly Termination policies. She also talked about how important it is for us to keep talking to the District, even if the process is slow and time consuming. Ogden Education Association and the Ogden School Board quit talking to one another, and that gave the Ogden School Board the opportunity to not negotiate this year. We didn't want an Ogden situation in Jordan, so we have to work at building a relationship with the School Board.

The District is presenting our changes to the RIS/RIF and Orderly Termination policies to the School Board at the study session on August 23. We should hear back from them shortly after that. A JEA General Membership Meeting will be held as soon as we have a tentative agreement.

Thanks to all of the AR's who attended the meeting last night. Congratulations to Dorrelyn Young, Terra Linda, who won the Stay To The End Drawing!

Joint Committee Meeting

2011-08-15T16:19:00.001-06:00

The negotiated Joint Committee had its first meeting of the 2011-2012 year. Serving on the committee for JEA are Melissa Brown, Negotiations Chairperson; Cindy Carroll, Jordan UniServ Director; and me. On the District side, Dr. Patsi Johnson, Superintendent; Dr. June LeMaster, Human Resources Director; and Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Administrator of Schools.

Dr. Johnson started by saying that she had met with the Utah School Boards Association and Utah School Superintendents Association. Both groups are looking at supporting nine proposed bills in the next legislative session. Eight of the nine are about restoring financing, with one of those providing five professional development days. When the legislative session begins in January, watch for information on these and other bills to support.

Laura Finlison, Curriculum Director, reviewed the professional development tentatively planned throughout the year for the Common Core. Watch for information on the classes applying to you. Some classes will be offered after school at no charge, but unpaid. A couple of Saturdays are scheduled where you would be paid inservice rate to attend a 6 hour training with an hour for lunch.

Bevan Wasden, Administrator of Schools, scheduled the first meeting of the Elementary Preparation Time Task Force. Watch for an e-mail for volunteers to serve.

Dave Stoddard, Administrator of Schools, came in to talk about high school parent teacher conferences. We have the data from the survey last spring to analyze. We are also going to look at models from around the nation. The goal is not to eliminate PTC, but to restructure it so more parents attend.

Finally, we talked about Interest Based Bargaining (IBB) training. Dr. Johnson was trained in IBB in Nevada. We are going to bring more information about the length and cost of the training to our next meeting. The training would be sometime during the year with a new form of negotiations starting in 2012.

Jordan UniServ Training Retreat

2011-08-05T09:13:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the Jordan UniServ (JEA and Canyons Education Association, CEA) met for training. Ross, CEA President, and I were pleased with the attendance with only one person excused due to taking classes for an administration certificate. After showing the NEA Standing Strong Video, we did an ice breaker then went into the "Learning to Listen" training. We did an assessment to see how well we do in each of the Three Dimensions of Listening: Staying Focused, Capturing the Message, and Helping the Speaker. I learned a lot about myself and some of the behaviors I need to change to become a better listener. In being a better listener, I hope to be a better president.

Cindy and Laura then led a discussion on establishing a plan for helping members change their payment of dues from payroll deduction to EFT (electronic funds transfer). You will hear more about this as UEA and JEA work out the logistics of this change.

In the afternoon, the JEA Executive Board met. We discussed how each Executive Board Member can best serve their liaison schools, which have been changed to be roughly by feeder system for closer proximity to facilitate more personal contacts. We also discussed items we want built into the JEA budget this year.

The training retreat was quite successful!

Meeting with Superintendent Johnson

2011-08-05T07:53:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, Cindy and I met with Dr. Johnson for our monthly meeting. We discussed items for our upcoming Joint Committee Meeting. One of those items is an Elementary Prep/Collaboration Time Task Force to study options of how to include time during the elementary contract day for preparation and collaboration. The Task Force will study what other districts do, as well as brainstorm ideas. These ideas will then be presented to the Joint Committee in April.

Dr. Johnson talked about the SMARTER Balanced Consortium assessments that are being developed. These assessments are going to be for the Common Core of State Standards. She also said that there could be a change in evaluation systems to go to using a valid and reliable assessment (from SMARTER Balanced Consortium) of student growth as part of teacher evaluation for performance pay. This will take several years, and Dr. Johnson has said she wishes to be collaborative with JEA, so teachers have a voice in what changes to the evaluation would be.

We also discussed JEA, District Administration, and the School Board being trained in Interest Based Bargaining (IBB). This is a different model of negotiating than has been used in Jordan School District. Dr. Johnson said she has been trained and used IBB as a member of the District Negotiations Team in Clark County. School Board President Rick Bojak told me that the School Board is interested in going to IBB also. This is a paradigm shift. Last year during mediation, the mediator suggested IBB training. JEA was interested, but the District was not. We see the District's willingness to be trained in IBB as a positive step toward a smoother negotiations process in the future.

Matt Damon at Save Our Schools Rally in New York

2011-08-03T20:46:00.000-06:00

If you liked Matt Damon before, you'll love him now! Check out his speech from the New York Save Our Schools Rally.

This clip has a couple of expletives, but Matt defends teachers with his mother, a teacher, beside him.

School Board Study Session

2011-08-03T09:03:00.000-06:00

Superintendent Johnson has held focus groups with various employee groups over the past several weeks. She had them brainstorm in four areas: Jordan District’s current situation, the District’s ideal situation, barriers to the ideal situation, and solutions to those barriers. Then each group ranked their top three priorities within the list of solutions. At the School Board Study Session last night, she summarized the priorities. Public relations, communication, and professional development seem to be the top three overall.
Support staff priorities:

public relations
money to students and employees
one-on-one conversations

Teacher priorities:

educate legislators and parents and public relations
higher expectations (JPAS too easy)
communication

Middle school principals:

improve communication
public trust
high expectations

Directors:

improve public relations
build trust and networks
open communication within District

High school principals:

professional development opportunitites
collaboration
use time differently

Traditional elementary principals:

professional development
build trust and relationships
restructure and prioritize budget

Year round principals:

PLC at all levels
tell story
communication to stakeholders

Cabinet:

focus on achievable goals
common priorities
spread the word

School Board:

professional development
change policy governance
more money through lobbying legislature, communicate our story.

Council of Local Presidents

2011-07-30T16:18:00.001-06:00

There was an emergency Council of Local Presidents meeting today. We heard about the history and current situation in Ogden. We also discussed the items Senator Howard Stephenson and Representative Bill Wright brought before the Education Interim Committee: no more collective bargaining, no more payroll deduction for dues collection, and tuition tax credits or vouchers. These are study items for now, but study items often lead to bills put before the legislature.

Arts for Teaching Grants

2011-07-27T10:14:00.000-06:00

Educators can apply for grants up to $1,000. The grants are to support teachers who will use the arts as an effective learning tool in teaching children who learn differently. Application deadline is September 30, 2011 for the 2011-2012 school year.

See Moss Foundation for more information and an application.

Save Our Schools Rally

2011-07-22T09:19:00.001-06:00

Save Our Schools is a national call for action. We want equitable funding for all public schools, assessment that informs instruction and doesn't close schools, curriculum that is responsive to the needs of the community, and policy that is informed by teachers and parents. We are also very concerned on a local level at the attacks on collective bargaining by the Ogden School District and the State Legislation. We want to create a forum for educators to respond to these kind of attacks and form policy that will enable us to do our jobs effectively.

On Thursday, July 28th, 3-5 pm in the City Main Library Auditorium, we will be screening The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman and holding a public debate on charter schools.

On Friday, July 29th, beginning at 9:30 in the morning in City Main Library Conference Room Level 4, Keynote Speaker Representative Carol Spackman Moss will speak on policy informed by teaching experience. Carol taught for many years at Olympus High School before joining the Utah legislature. We will also have workshops on teaching and activism and preventing corporate takeover of public schools.

1-3 pm, we will hold a rally in the outdoor amphitheater, followed by a brief march over to the Utah State Office of Education.

I am unable to attend on Friday, so if you attend, take some pictures and let me know how the day goes.

The National Fight Has Come to Utah!

2011-07-19T16:32:00.000-06:00

The following is an e-mail I just received from UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh. I will be attending a meeting on July 30 to learn more about this situation and what we plan to do to combat these attacks.

"As I write this, local media have been calling to get my response to a letter that surfaced today at the Utah Legislature. The letter, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, and from Senator Howard Stephenson and Rep. Bill Wright, calls on the Education Interim Committee to study the following:

Whether to prohibit a public entity, or a public education entity, from engaging in collective bargaining;

Whether to prohibit a public entity’s payroll system, or a public education entity’s payroll system, from collecting union dues; and

Whether to allow a tax credit for private school tuition of certain students, including students from low income families or failing schools.

"Regardless of when these items are studied or introduced as legislation, it is clear the gauntlet has been thrown and we will be in the battle of our lives.

"We will communicate with you as more information becomes available.

"Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, M.A., NBCT

President, Utah Education Association"

Year-Round New Teacher Induction

2011-07-18T14:24:00.000-06:00

A BIG thank you to all the JEA Executive Board Members and AR's who helped this morning at Year-Round New Teacher Induction. Of the 78 new teachers attending, 10 became JEA members today! We are excited to have these great new teachers as part of our professional association.

More Ogden Rally Coverage

2011-07-15T17:40:00.000-06:00

Ogden teachers have received a great deal of media attention over the past week or so. UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh asked that I invite you to watch two local news programs that have been taped to air this Sunday, July 17, both focusing on the Ogden situation:

- Sunday Edition with Bruce Lindsay, KSL Channel 5, 9 a.m.

- Take Two, KTVX Channel 2, 10 a.m.

Ogden Rally

2011-07-14T13:58:00.001-06:00

Today was the rally in Ogden, where about 1,000 people were in attendance! Several JEA members were there to support the Ogden District teachers in their fight for collective bargaining and negotiating in good faith.
Speakers included Greg Johnson from the NEA Executive Committee, Dr. Donald Thompson who started shared governance in Salt Lake District, a mom of Ogden District students, UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, and OEA President Doug Stephens. Following the rally, we walked two blocks to the Ogden District office so the Ogden teachers could ask questions they have about the letter they received and the over 100 changes to their contract. No one from the Ogden District Office came out to talk.

We hope the Ogden District will see the support the Ogden teachers have and will return to negotiating with OEA in good faith.

Performance Pay

2011-07-11T12:26:00.002-06:00

The following is from Dixie Allen, Vice Chair of the Utah State Board of Education followed by UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh's response.

To my friends who serve education,

I wanted to share with you a deep concern I have, which I hope collectively we might solve.

The newspaper bylines noting the concerns of Utah teachers about the precedent that is being set by the Ogden School District only underlines the extra concern that should be felt by not only educators, but all who have a vested interest in a quality education for our state and nation. Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, UEA President, has stated, "this move is a symptom of a national controversy" which I believe effectively takes teachers/educators completely out of the process to insure quality education.

During the past decades, under a Federal reform effort proclaiming "No Child Left Behind", teachers have become the "heavy" in a race to insure that every child can read and do math at the state standard grade level, while throwing out that which has made America the leader in innovation and leadership for well over a century. That being the process of providing opportunities for everyone to find their talent and build upon that talent for the individual, community and national success.

Teacher/Educators, before Socrates, have provided the mentor-ship to enhance and build on the talents, prior knowledge, and dedication of students as they strive to increase their ability to become life long learners. Teachers come from many different roles in a child's life, but when as a community we entrust that role to those who choose to be the teacher/mentor of many as a vocation, one would believe that we should entrust them with the latitude and respect to determine not only the methods for educating each individual child, but also the outcomes as defined by the partnership they develop with the student and the parents.

As we continue to move even farther away from entrusting teachers to control the educational environment and entrust the determination for quality education to the political process, I fear we chance to loose all we have gained and what other nations are now finding so important as they try to compete with this nation. Look at the common denominators of the quality education programs around the world and you will find that first and foremost is the respect and honor of teachers. They are rewarded with equitable salaries, esteem befitting the highest careers of their nation and support not only in the classroom, but continued support from parents and the community, as they collectively work to educate their most valued treasure -- their children.

Where have we lost this very valuable understanding and belief in a time honored profession? I hope we soon refocus on the quality education by supporting quality educators with respect, salaries and trust.

Dixie Allen, Vice Chair

State Board of Education

My Dear Dixie,

Thank you on behalf of all of the teachers in Utah and this nation. Your advocacy and support goes beyond any other leader I have known. You exemplify the courageous leadership needed so desperately in public education.

I suppose the piece that is most concerning for us is that the Ogden Board of Education never mentioned performance pay to the teachers-not in 2009, 2010 or 2011. It is difficult to be against something when you have no knowledge that it is even “on the table.” Now, OEA and the teachers are being vilified as the obstacle to this idea. How can we collectively allow this to go unchallenged? UEA and its locals have collaborated on many alternative compensation models in our state. We have never taken a position of opposition but rather advocated for being partners in the design of any type of alternative compensation model. The Ogden Board notified teachers of their intent to implement “performance pay” in the letter sent to them on July 4^th. Even the Board has no idea as to its parameters!

In addition, Utah Supreme Court Judge Zimmerman was the fact finder in this case. The Board ignored his findings of fact. What happened to good faith negotiating? What happened to collaboration? When did teachers become the enemy?

As we have seen this past legislative session, when we collaborate on issues affecting us all, we can win. UEA stood behind the School Boards when the legislature wanted to eliminate state and local boards and give control to the Governor. We stood by our USOE and our local school boards when they were being maligned by those in our legislature. UEA needs you all now. Your dedicated teacher need you now. We must stand together in our belief that collaboration is the only way to improve our schools for our precious children.

Dixie, the words “thank you” are simply not enough. I hope through your example others will be courageous and stand up together for what is right!

With deepest admiration and respect,

Sharon

Ogden Rally - July 14 at 10:00 a.m.

2011-07-08T16:22:00.000-06:00

The following is from UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh.

"I am writing today with utmost urgency. Our Ogden colleagues have been given an ultimatum: sign a contract in which they had no input and that they do not understand, or their position will be open for hire.

"The Ogden Board of Education drafted an employee contract without any negotiations or input from teachers. The teachers recently received a letter that concluded with the statement: 'Please note that should we not receive your signed contract by 4:00 p.m. on July 20, 2011, we will declare your current position open for hire.'

"Background

"The Ogden Education Association entered into 2010-11 negotiations with their Board in good faith. They have been working without a contract for a year. OEA and the Board went to fact finding on the 2010-11 contract and the Ogden Board rejected the conclusion by the fact finder.

"The 2011-12 contract unilaterally proposed by the Ogden Board takes away basic rights, freezes steps and removes other previously negotiated items. There were no attempts to negotiate any of the contract terms and educators are being asked to sign a contract without full knowledge of its implications.

"Meanwhile, the Ogden Board of Education is continuing negotiations with classified employees and administrators. Why? Is OEA being targeted?

"OEA will be asking to return to the table in a spirit of collaboration to benefit the students of Ogden School District. Indeed, collaboration is essential to student success. We have seen successful collaboration at the USOE level, in Salt Lake District with the School Improve Grants, in Granite and Jordan with designing and implementing teacher evaluations, in Alpine with teacher performance pay and countless others.

"Setting a Precedent

"If you think this only affects Ogden teachers, think again. These actions are precedent setting. If we do not stand up and protest this attack on OEA, others across the state will be encouraged to do the same.

"The actions being taken by the Ogden Board of Education are exactly what those who would like to dismantle public education, in favor of private schools, are hoping will happen. If this precedent is set in Ogden, it will move across our state like a wildfire. To disenfranchise the teachers who are on the front lines every day in their classrooms will result in a mass exodus of educators from the profession. Ogden teachers serve some of the neediest students in Utah. It will be difficult, at best, to attract the best and brightest educators to a district where teachers are not valued as essential partners in education.

"Rally!

"We now need the help of parents, schools boards, superintendents, activists—anyone who supports our teachers and public schools—in an effort to collaborate and recognize our teachers need to be included if we want to make a positive difference for our children.

"Everyone who supports public education is encouraged to attend a rally on behalf of Ogden teachers:
      Date: Thursday, July 14
      Time: 10 a.m.
      Location: Ogden Liberty Park, 21^st and Monroe Blvd., Ogden

"Participants are asked to wear red in support of public education.

"We Need Your Help

"Please get as many people as you can to attend! We need your support.

"We also need letters to the editor (Standard Examiner, Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News) and to the Ogden Board of Education encouraging collaboration.

"Yes, I know its summer and this is asking a lot, but, if we do not stand together, as educators, parents, administrators and communities in supporting one another, we will become a private system designed for those who 'have' to the detriment of those who 'have not.'

"The Ogden School Board has a choice to make…they can intimidate and alienate teachers, or they can work with them. In the best interest of our students, we will continue to fight for the latter.

"Now is the time for us to stand strong for our students, our public schools and our profession!

"Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, M.A., NBCT
President, Utah Education Association"

Jordan Education Foundation Meeting

2011-07-07T15:56:00.000-06:00

This morning I attended the bi-monthly Board meeting of the Jordan Education Foundation. If you like to golf, the JEF fundraising golf tournament is on August 11 at Riverbend Golf Course. See Foundation Website for more information to come.

Superintendent Johnson spoke about her meetings with mayors and what they see businesses looking for in students who are graduating from high school and looking for work. She believes that Jordan District should be providing skills for all students to be successful when they leave high school, whether they are going to college, military service, trade school, or straight into the workforce.

These are the skills mayors said they are looking for:

Science, technology, and math
Comfortable with technology
Noncurricular skills like professional dress and trade skills
Social skills including appropriate behavior, respect for authority, teamwork, problem solving, setting and accomplishing goals, self discipline, personal responsibility, and leadership
Financial management around credit and interest
Job search skills
Citizenship
Foreign language
Service