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Informational Meeting on Contract Scheduled.District Director, Mark Hoffman, the E.C. and the Negotiations team have scheduled an emergency Information meeting about the new contract for Monday, August 22, 3:00 p.m. at the Woodhaven UAW Hall on Van Horn Rd in Woodhaven. Originally scheduled for Aug. 29, it was moved forward due to developments in the legislature in Lansing. Below is the content of an email sent by Mark regarding the meeting. >Hi everyone! >The Trenton Education Association is holding an emergency meeting on Monday, August 22, at 3:00 pm at the Woodhaven UAW Hall on Van Horn Road in Woodhaven. It is vitally important that you attend this meeting. >It has come to our attention this week that pending legislation from Lansing makes it necessary to expedite our informational meeting, and possibly our ratification voting. >Your presence and your feedback are critical. Please make every effort to attend this important meeting. >Regards, >Mark You may have received a "robo call" concerning this meeting as well. for a map to the UAW hall follow this link Letter of Understanding SignedOn Tuesday, June 23, 2009, a letter of understanding was signed by Darlene Strasser and Dr. John Savel that Continues the Trimester system at the High School, Continues the Expanded Exploratory Schedule at the Middle School and establishes a 2009-2010 calendar for the school year. The TEA and the District have further agreed to move the contractually mandated start of bargaining from July 1, 2009 to "no later than September 15, 2009" and continue bargaining throughout the school year. An email that announces the letter of understanding was sent by Dr. Savel to all TPS staff on June 23. Pete Youngblood appointed Grievance Committee ChairDuring the regular December meeting of the Representative Council (RC), Pete Youngblood, Science Teacher at Trenton High School was appointed as the new Grievance Committee Chair. Sue Yee appointed Sick Bank ChairDuring the regular December meeting of the Representative Council (RC), Sue Yee, Librarian at Trenton High School, was appointed as Chair of the Sick Bank Committee. TEA Withdraws from WC-MEA/NEA MABOIn an election held by MEA, 131 members of the TEA voted in an election to decide if the TEA would stay a member of the WC-MEA/NEA MABO. Of the members voting, 64% voted to leave the MABO. 36% voted to remain in the MABO. Results of January TEA Elections:The results for the 2010 Elections are as follows: 1 year terms, term runs from February 1, 2010 until January 31, 2011 1 year of a 2 year terms, term runs until January 31, 2011 Local Dues Increase passesThe vote for a dues increase for the Trenton Education Association passed by a healthy margin. Dues will increase $3.00 per pay for 20 pays, for a total of an additional $60.00 per year. District plans to change 403B providersGLP associates have been selected as administrator of the District's Teacher
403b plan. According to an email from Dr. Savel, dated January 27, 2009
the following list of provider/brokers have been approved: American and Vangard funds are still in process of reaching an Information
Sharing Agreement with the district. Redford Union needs supportOur sister unit, Redford Union, is working under an imposed contract and difficult working unions. Call the MEA office at 313-381-5100 to see how you can help. IRS Rules on 26 versus 20 pays.Subject: IRS has resolved issue of possible tax penalties when school
employee defers part of salary for payment during the summer months
For
the past couple of years, the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) has been wrestling with the issue of deferred
compensation as it applies to school employees who are allowed
to elect whether to receive all of their pay during the 10 month period that
they perform services or spread their pay out over the entire 12 month
period. (The latter option is often referred to as the 26 pay option, as it
is usually paid over 26 biweekly periods.)
Nearly 18 months ago, the IRS issued comprehensive regulations dealing with deferred compensation. Those regulations generally provided that an employee who is given the option of either receiving pay as it is earned or deferring some of the pay into another taxable year is subject to taxation in the first year on the portion of the pay that is deferred into the second taxable year. Moreover, an employee who does not pay taxes on the amount deferred, even though the employee has yet to receive that amount, is potentially subject to a 20% penalty on the additional taxes owed. After the regulations were issued, the IRS received numerous questions and concerns regarding how those regulations would affect the traditional practice of school districts and institutions of higher education to allow 10 month employees the option of receiving their pay over 26 pay periods. (This issue does not arise when the decision to pay over a 26 pay period is not based upon the election of the employee, but rather is determined for all employees either by the employer or pursuant to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.) Consequently, the IRS issued a clarification that for the last school year, the 2007-2008 school year, school employees were not required to follow the new regulation. During the course of the school year, the IRS changed its regulations to exempt from the additional taxation and possible penalties situations where the employee makes an irrevocable written election to receive compensation over 26 pays. Many school districts, community colleges, and universities have provided our members with the opportunity to make such a written election for the 2008-2009 school year. In July, the IRS issued its latest "guidance" on the issue in IRS Notice 2008-62. That notice advises that it is the intention of the IRS to amend its deferred compensation regulations to exclude "recurring part year compensation" when two conditions are satisfied: (1) the arrangement does not defer payment of any of the compensation beyond the last day of the 13th month following the beginning of the service period, and (2) the arrangement does not result in a deferral of more than $15,500 per year. Moreover, the notice provides that taxpayers are free to rely upon this guidance even though the regulations have not yet been formally amended. What this means is that the 26 pay period option for school and higher education employees is no longer subject to the deferred compensation taxation rules. While the IRS guidance lists two conditions, those conditions will be met in all of our situations. The 26 pay period option is paid out over no more than a 12 month period. Further, the arrangement will not result in a deferral of more than $15,500, unless the employee is earning more than $186,000 during the school year. In those situations where employees have already entered into written, irrevocable elections, a discussion may be appropriate with representatives of the employer on the possibility of making the election revocable, since there is no longer a tax reason for making the election irrevocable. If employees have not yet entered into a written, irrevocable election, there is no longer a tax consequence for the 2008-2009 school year for failing to enter into such a written election. The deferred compensation regulations continue to apply to severance pay and other situations where compensation is deferred at the option of the employee from one tax year to another. If you have any specific questions regarding the application of this latest guidance from the IRS, please do not hesitate to contact me. Fall Representative Assembly, November 7, 2009The Fall MEA Representative Assembly will be held at the Lansing Center on Saturday, November 7, 2009. Our representative will attend the meeting and participate in the governance of the MEA. General Membership Meeting AnnouncedThe Fall General Membership Meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. at the Woodhaven UAW Hall. The regular RC meeting will coincide with the General Membership Meeting. All members are urged to attend. Ben Topping receives MEA Scholarship for second year.Trenton Alumnus Ben Topping has received a scholarship from the MEA for the second year in a row and has been invited to speak at the Spring Representative Assembly. Congratulations Ben. School Starts September 3, 2009On Thursday, September 3, members of the TEA will return to work under our old contract. Dr. Savel has emailed an itinerary for Thursday which includes continental breakfast at the High School, welcome statements from Wayne Sieloff of the Board of Education, district superintendent Dr. Savel, our TEA District Director Darlene Strasser, and Paul Frost, the T. E. Foundation Chair. The remainder of the day will be in-service training at both the district and building levels. Staff at the high school has been informed that they can get into the building on Wednesday, September 2 (subject to passing building inspections), final word to be emailed on Sept. 1. Wayne Westland reaches agreementWayne Westland EA has reached agreement. Their new 4 year contract gives them a 1.75 raise in the first year and 1.5% raise for each succeeding year of the contract. Wayne Westland teachers walked out for four days at the beginning of this school year. Medical Benefits, previously different based on year hired, have been regularized with MESSA Choices, although deductibles and co-pays have increased. 2009 Officer Election ResultsThe 2009 TEA Officer Elections
Results as Ratified by the TEA RC. 2 Year Terms Positions
Candidates District Director
Darlene Strasser 1 Year TermAnderson Association Reps
Nicole Johnson Thank you so very much to all who have held these positions in the past and to
those who are willing to take on these responsibilities now.
Your commitment is vital to our future. Our success depends on our
ability to be committed, supportive, and united. March MEA elections to be held "on-line"The March 4, 2009 MEA elections will be held via email. Voting begins March 4 at 8:00 a.m. and ends March 11 at midnight. General Membership meeting postponedThe much awaited date for the Fall General Membership meeting has been announced for Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 4:10 p.m. at the UAW hall in Woodhaven Michigan. The UAW hall is located on Van Horn Road, West of Allen Road. We will have a financial expert on hand to explain the changes to the 403b IRS regulations and how that affects our retirement savings. There will be information about the District's plans to move to a single third party provider for 403b programs. For a map to the UAW hall, click this link. UAW hall Map
TEA NEWSLETTER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED WE NEED YOUR HELP!! As we enter the final year of our current contract, we are gearing up for new contract negotiations. We need to be pro-active and ready to start negotiating by February. We are asking individual members to step up and make a commitment to serve your local. We will be holding interviews for the following positions: District Negotiator Thursday, October 2 Time TBD Negotiation Team Tuesday, October 14 Time TBD (5-7 members representing each level) These positions are defined
in our Local Constitution which can be found on our local website:
www.teachtrenton.org If you have further questions, contact Darlene
Strasser (contact info at
the bottom) We are also looking for individuals to chair the following committees: Grievance, Political Action, and Public Relations (2) (external & internal). Each committee requires a varying amount of work. To indicate your interest or for more information, please contact Darlene Strasser (see contact info below) WC BARGAINING
CONVENTION WC Retirement Workshops Darlene Strasser / Arthurs Wednesday, October 22nd 5
– 6:30pm
dstrasser69@hotmail.com PAC PAC forms should have been passed out in your buildings already. Needless to say, in these very tough economic times, your PAC dollars are needed more than ever. The November election is an extremely critical one and we must support the candidate that supports us. Please contact your building rep for more information and consider donating to PAC today. All completed forms/funds should be given to your building rep ASAP. If you have any questions, ask your building rep or contact Laura Trosien (Anderson) @ ltrosien@hotmail.comAre you planning to retire within 5 years?MEA
RETIREMENT WORKSHOP
2B-WC
TO
THOSE PLANNING TO RETIRE WITHIN THE NEXT 5 YEARS AND THOSE WHO WANT TO
UNDERSTAND THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM SHOULD ATTEND.
Among
the topics to be discussed:
*
Calculating your retirement
*
Purchasing time in the system
*
Retiree fringe benefits (and costs)
*
Working after retirement
*
When to apply and what to do before you apply
*
Everything you need to know about YOUR retirement system
*
Explanation of the many retirement options available
RSVP:
Due
to limited seating, the workshop will be limited to the first 50
people that RSVP. You must RSVP with your name and district to Becky
Charbeneau @ 313/381-5100 or by email to RCharbeneau@mea.org Science Opening at Arthurs Middle SchoolThere is also an opening for an 8th grade Science Teacher at Arthurs Middle School. The TEA has agreed to a 5 day posting for this position as well. The board has posted the opening effective August 26 and listed an approximate effective date of September 22, 2008. For a copy of the posting visit the Trenton Schools web site at www.trenton.k12.mi.us or follow this link: AMS 8th grade Science Posting Social Studies Opening at Trenton High SchoolThere is an opening for a Social Studies teacher at Trenton High School. Due to the suddenness of the resignation that lead to the opening, the TEA has agreed to a 5 day posting of the position. The Board has posted the opening effective August 25 and has listed an approximate effective date of September 22, 2008. For a copy of the posting visit the Trenton Schools web site at www.trenton.k12.mi.us or follow this link: THS Social Studies Posting The MEA has awarded a scholarship to THS studentThe MEA has awarded a $1500 scholarship to THS senior, Benjamin Topping. Congratulations Ben. Association Negotiator ResignsDebbie Romo, citing personal reasons, has resigned as Association Negotiator for the TEA. District Director Darlene Strasser has assumed the position pending the selection of a new Negotiator in September. We wish to thank Debbie for all of her hard work and dedication during a very difficult time for our Association. TEA NEWSLETTER
As we enter the
final year of our current contract, (in September) we will be gearing up for new
contract negotiations. We will be
needing individual members to step up and make a commitment to serve your local.
We will be holding interviews for the following positions:
District Negotiator
Negotiation Team (5 to 7 members) These
positions are defined in our Local Constitution, which can be found on our local
website; www.teachtrenton.org or
please contact Darlene Strasser,
dstrasser69@hotmail.com
for more information. We
will also be looking for individuals to chair the following committees: Grievance,
Political Action, Crisis, and Public Relations.
Each committee requires a varying amount of
work. For more information, please
contact Darlene Strasser. We
also need a member from each level to serve on the Budget Committee over the summer; high school, middle school,
elementary, and special services. Please
contact Laura Trosien at ltrosien@hotmail.com
Payroll
Information and Change Due to a
calendar “glitch” which occurs approximately every 5 to 7 years, the Local
has signed a Letter of Agreement with the District changing our pay weeks, for
the 2008-2009 school year only, from 26 pays to 27 pays.
Our last pay for this school year, 2007-2008 occurs on August 7, 2008.
If we follow the 26-pay schedule, members would not receive a paycheck
until September 4, 2008, making it approximately one month between pays.
The letter of agreement allows 27 pays for next school year starting on
August 21, 2008 and ending on August 20, 2009 thereby ensuring our pay continues
bi-weekly. I
also want to remind you that we are due for an increase in pay starting on
August 21, 2008. Members on the steps will receive a 1% increase on the first
pay of the year. For members at the 10th step
only, in all categories, this
increase will be a blended amount (the same as it was in 2007-2008.
Our increase calls for 2% the first semester and
1% the second semester. See the following for members at max pay: Increase
based on
Blended Amount
Base for future increases after 2009 BA
max
$71,704
$72,858
$73,220 MA
max
$82,444
$84,513
$84,934 2nd
MA max $85,477
$87,623
$88,059 2008-2009
Placements As many of you are aware, the District has decided to delay placement
notification until the week of June 16th.
The Union has been working very hard to protect our member’s rights in
this regard. After
several meetings, at the last meeting (on Monday afternoon) with Administration,
the Union “again” explained our position with regards to why we would file a
grievance if the district chose to follow through with their placements.
We asked them to revisit those decisions, but to please let members know
on Tuesday, June 10th.. They
declined. I
spoke to the Board of Education on Monday evening regarding
this issue and the following:
*Violation of Contract and
possibly Tenure Law on placements for ‘08-09
*Violation of Contract on failure
to notify teachers of placement by June 1st
*Pending Arbitration on Class Size
with deliberate disregard of contract
*Additional
elementary teacher cut not approved
by the School Board in the Special Board Meetings AnnouncedThe Trenton Board of Education has announced that they will have special meetings prior to the regular board meetings on June 23 and every second board meeting of the month until June 27, 2011 to discuss the board approved building improvements. The special meetings will be held in the Board of Education Conference Room at 6:00 p.m. Dr. Savel to stay in Trenton.The Howell school board has selected Theodore Gardella, superintendent of the LakeView district in Otisville, to be new superintendent of Howell public schools. Dr. Savel, one of three finalists for the position, was not selected. Dr. Savel, in an article published June 29 in the News Herald newspaper, is quoted as saying that he did not seek the position but was approached by the Howell consultant to apply for the job. He has also indicated that other districts have asked him to apply for superintendent openings but he has declined. Dr. Savel said that he is elated to be in Trenton and was not planning on going anywhere. The Trenton school board has approved a raise for Dr. Savel of $5,200 for the 2008-2009 school year. Board President Christine Howe said this was to make up for a year in which he did not get an increase. Dr. Savel is currently earning $128,470 according to the article. for the full text of the News Herald article, follow this link. Dr. Savel is one of 3 finalists in Howell."Howell Board trims superintendent field to three"This headline tops a news item in The Livingston Community News. Dr. Savel, current superintendent of Trenton Public Schools is one of 3 finalists in the race for superintendent of Howell Public Schools. The other two finalists are William Coale of Parma Western School district in Jackson County and Ted Gardella of LakeVille Community Schools in Genesee and Lapeer counties. Howell board president Phil Westmoreland was quoted as saying that all six people interviewed prior to selecting the final three were "of excellent caliber." The article, posted by Tom Tolen of the Livingston Community News on June 21, goes on to say that on Wednesday, June 25 a committee will come to Trenton to talk to members of the district about Dr. Savel. The Howell board will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, to make their final selection after which they will begin informal talks about a contract. The article reports that the base pay for superintendent in Howell is $140,000. Howell is a larger district than Trenton boasting 11 buildings and 8000 students. Dr. Savel was recently one of 3 finalists in Dexter for superintendent of Dexter Schools. For more information from the Livingston Community News, follow this link. Tom Tolen can be reached by email at: ttolen@livingstoncommunitynews Laid off members recalledAs of the beginning of this school year, all but two laid off members have been recalled. New start times for High school and Middle School
|
| School | Teachers Arrive | Instruction begins | Students Dismissed | Teachers Dismissed |
| Elementary | 8:20 a.m. | 8:35 a.m. | 3:30 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. |
| Middle School | 06-07: 7:40 a.m. 07-08: 7:55 a.m. | 06-07: 7:55 a.m. 07-08: 8:10 a.m. | 06-07: 2:45 p.m. 07-08: 3:00 p.m. | 06-07: 3:15 p.m. 07-08: 3:30 p.m. |
| High School | 06-07: 7:30 a.m. 07-08: 7:15 a.m. | 06-07: 7:45 a.m. 07-08: 7:30 a.m. | 06-07: 2:45 p.m. 07-08: 2:30 p.m. | 06-07: 3:15 p.m. 07-08: 3:00 p.m. |
C. Teachers will be free to leave the building ten minutes after students' dismissal time, provided there is no conflict with parent conferences or teachers' meetings.
Spring General Membership Meeting Scheduled:
The regular Spring General Membership meeting, has been scheduled for Thursday, May 15, 2008 at the UAW hall on Van Born Rd in Woodhaven at 4:00 p.m. Please contact your building rep for more information.
Election Results from the TEA Elections Committee
| Anderson Association Co-Reps | Heide Darnell & Nicole Johnson |
| Hedke Association Co-Reps | Angie Essenmacher & Steve Kowalski |
| Taylor Association Co-Reps | Peg Carter & Diana Klingelhafer |
| Middle School Association Reps (2) |
1)
Max Monas
|
| High School Association Reps (2) |
1)
Rebecca Lowe |
| Special Services Association Co-Reps | Janelle Wofford, Leslie Sutherland, & Julie Rooney |
Thank you to all who have held these positions in the past. Your efforts have been so appreciated! Welcome to all the members that are new to their positions! The future can be bright as long as we continue to unite!
Any questions
concerning the election may be directed to:
Marianne Ruloff,
email: marianneruloff77@hotmail.com,
or school phone 676-2177
Wayne County MEA elections have been concluded. Since all of the present MEA/WC officers ran unopposed, the current officers have been elected by acclamation.
Wayne County MEA meetings are held once a month during the school year. Trenton sends two delegates to these meetings, our District Director and our RA delegate. We have two votes on the Council. WC/MEA is our official bargaining agent in our contract negotiations. The seven associations share common goals and bargain for these shared goals.
Union Elections
The Trenton Education Association will be holding it's yearly election in January of 2008. All Building and Association Representatives are open this year.
TO:
All T.E.A. Members
FROM: Nomination
and Election Committee
DATE: December
7, 2007
RE:
T.E.A. Nominations from Dec. 7, to Dec. 20, 2007
T.E.A. Elections on Jan. 25 and Jan. 28, 2008
The
following TEA offices are open for nominations.
1
year term
Anderson
Association Rep
Hedke Association Rep
Taylor Association Rep
Middle School Association Reps (2)
High School Association Reps (2)
Special Services Association Rep
Any
TEA member may nominate themselves or others at the same level for appropriate
positions. Nominations for office
will be accepted in writing several ways: by
U.S. mail, inter-school mail, or by email. Written
notification of intent to run for office should be sent to Marianne Ruloff,
Chairperson of the Nomination and Election Committee, Anderson Elementary or marianneruloff77@hotmail.com
. All written declarations must
be received no later than 3:30 p.m. December 20, 2007.
Please be sure to allow for delivery time if using mail or email.
The
election will take place in the buildings on January 25th and January
28th, 2008.
Any
questions concerning nominations, the election, duties of various offices, etc.
may be directed to Marianne Ruloff.
Thank
you, The Nomination and Election Committee
~
Sue Yee, Yvette Gronda, & Marianne Ruloff
On Wednesday, September 26, 2007 several Board of Education Candidates participated in a Meet the Candidate Night. Candidates were interviewed and asked their positions on various educational issues that affect the Trenton School District. After consultation, the three unions, Trenton Educational Association, Trenton Educational Service Personnel, and the Trenton Paraprofessional Support Association agreed to endorse Kris Davidson and Mike Hawkins.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in the Meet the Candidates Night. We ask everyone to show support for these two candidates. Members will be receiving additional information in the near future. Keep an eye on your Association Bulletin Boards and your mail boxes for further announcements.
As August rolls around we start getting shorter days
and a letter from the Board of Education saying that school is about to get
started again (August 28, 2007). This year we have a signed contract to
start the year. Still, there are still many challenges ahead, the High
School and Middle School will have new start times (see below), and 3 board
positions are open this November, so stay united and support each
other.
We will begin the new year with many old faces missing
due to the buyout, and a several new faces to replace them. Let the new folks
feel welcome, let them know what a great bunch of people we are. See you
all soon.
We have results for the January Elections. The Officer's page has been updated. Congratulations to all candidates.
| District Director, 2 year term: | Darlene Strasser* |
| Assistant District Director, 2 year term: | Marianne Ruloff |
| Secretary, 2 year term: | Vince Preuthun |
| Treasurer, 2 year term: | Laura Trosien* |
| MEA RA delegate, 2 year term: | Darlene Strasser* alternate: Vince Preuthun |
| NEA RA delegate, 2 year term: | Vince Preuthun alternate: Darlene Strasser |
| Elementary School Level Co-Directors, 2 year term: | Marianne Ruloff* and Michelle Sorensen |
| Middle School Level Co-Directors, 2 year term: | Anissa Cobetto and Leanne Kawadri |
| High School Level Director, 2 year term: | Rosemary Menna* |
| Special Services Level Director, 2 year term: | Mary Harvey |
| Anderson Elem. Assoc. Co-Reps, 1 year term: | Heide Darnell and Nancy Ford |
| Hedke Elem. Assoc. Co-Reps, 1 year term: | Angie Essenmacher* and Steve Kowalski* |
| Taylor Elem. Assoc. Co-Reps, 1 year term: | Peg Carter* and Vince Preuthun* |
| Middle School Assoc. Reps (2), 1 year term: | 1) Max Monas* 2) Sheryl Whitwam |
| High School Assoc. Reps (2), 1 year term: | 1) Sue Yee 2) Eric Towe |
| Special Services Co-Reps, 1 year term: |
Leslie Sutherland and Janelle Wofford |
A big “THANK YOU”
to all who have held these positions in the past and to those willing to take
on these responsibilities during this very challenging time in Trenton.
Your commitment is vital to our success!
Unfortunately, the many hours spent to protect our members, maintain and
improve our working conditions, and obtain a fair and equitable contract for US
ALL often goes unnoticed and under appreciated.
Our success depends on our ability to be committed, supportive, and
Any
questions concerning the election may be directed to:
Yvette
Gronda, e-mail: ygronda@hotmail.com
or school phone: 676-8700
In a change of district policies, lay off notices were mailed on April 17 to
Association members. In the past, lay off notices were hand delivered by
the building principal at the conclusion of the teaching day.
District Director Darlene Strasser has reminded members that the district always
issues lay off notices in higher number than actual proposed staff reductions.
The votes have been counted, the tentative agreement reached between the district and the TEA has been ratified by a large margin. In an email sent on Friday, District Director announced "that the Ratification of our Professional Agreement through August of 2009 has passed overwhelmingly!!!!" She also thanked the membership for their "support, solidarity, and unity."
In an email sent at about 1:30 p.m. on April 5, 2007, Darlene Strasser announced that a Tentative Agreement has been signed with the Trenton School District. Details of the agreement will not be available until after the Spring Break. Copies of the agreement will be passed out to members on Tuesday, April 17, and a General Membership meeting will be held on Thursday, April 19 at the Trenton Masonic Temple on Jefferson to explain the contract and a vote on ratification. A final voting opportunity will be available on Friday, April 20, at the Westfield Center Drop In room.
Layoff Notices to be mailed April 17.
In other news in the e-mail message it was noted that the District planned to mail layoff notices (pink slips) to the homes of affected teachers. Building Principals will not personally deliver the messages due to changes in contract language. Mrs. Strasser reminds members that many more teachers will be notified than will actually be laid off.
FROM: Nomination and Election Committee
DATE: December 4, 2006
RE: T.E.A. Nominations from Dec. 4, to Dec. 18, 2006
T.E.A. Elections on Jan. 26 and Jan. 29, 2007
All TEA offices are open for nominations. The terms are as follows:
2 year term
1 year term
District Director
Anderson Building Rep
Asst. District Director
Hedke Building Rep
Secretary
Taylor Building Rep
Treasurer
Middle School Reps (2)
MEA/NEA/RA Delegate
High School Reps (2)
MEA/NEA/RA Alternate
Special Services Rep
High School Level Director
Middle School Level Director
Elementary Level Director
Special Services Level Director
Any TEA member may nominate themselves or others at the same level for
appropriate positions. Nominations for office will be accepted in
writing several ways:
by U.S. mail,
inter-school mail,
or by email.
Written notification of intent to run for office should be sent to Yvette
Gronda, Chairperson of the Nomination and Election Committee, Arthurs Middle
School or ygronda@hotmail.com
.
All written declarations must be received no later than 3:30 p.m.
December 18, 2006. Please be sure to allow for delivery time if
using mail or email.
The election will take place in the buildings on January 26th and January 29th, 2007.
Any questions concerning nominations, the election, duties of various offices, etc. may be directed to Yvette Gronda.
Thank you, The Nomination and Election Committee
~Nicki Johnson, Debbie Rossi, Sue Yee & Yvette Gronda
TEA
REMINDER
The
TEA cannot support nor does it encourage collective absences in protest of the
District’s failure to bargain a fair contract, as those types of activities
are illegal. However, if it becomes necessary due to a personal or family
illness, etc. for any individual member to miss district scheduled PD hours or
Parent/Teacher conferences, you are not required to make up those PD
hours or to reschedule conferences on your own time. As always, teachers should
make every effort to be available at reasonable times within contractual
guidelines to meet with parents should they have concerns regarding their child.
In addition, remember that PD days are regular duty days for all
teachers.
How Trenton pay compares to other districts:
B.A. Minimum Salary
1. Lincoln Park (highest)
2. Wyandotte ($-857)
3. Romulus ($-1185)
4. Westwood ($-1170)
5. Dearborn Heights #7 ($-2307)
6. Trenton ($-3672)
B.A. Maximum
1. Romulus (highest)
2. Lincoln Park ($-256)
3. Wyandotte ($-358)
4. Trenton ($-1018)
Masters Minimum
1. Lincoln Park (Highest)
2. Westwood (($-106)
3. Romulus ($-1053)
4. Dearborn Heights #7 ($-1660)
5. Wyandotte ($-2095)
6. Trenton ($-6009)
Masters Maximum
1. Wyandotte (Highest)
2. Romulus ($-17)
3. Lincoln Park ($-193)
4. Westwood ($-1087)
5. Trenton ($-2191)
How Trenton compares in Instruction and Professional Development (PD) hours
with other districts.
State Mandated Minimum is 1068 instructional hours + 30 PD = 1098 total.
1. Wyandotte 1068 + 30 PD =
1098
2. Redford Union 1093 + 5 PD = 1098
3. Westwood 1071 + 33 PD =
1104
4. Lincoln Park 1075 + 30 PD = 1105
5.
Romulus
1067 + 51 PD = 1118
6
Trenton
1142 + 30 PD = 1172 (A staggeringly higher amount)
Note: Trenton and Dearborn Heights #7 are currently unsettled.
Contact your building rep for information. For a list of building reps., see the TEA Officers page.
Is there a fellow teacher who is just blowing you away with their professional attitude and ability to deliver the goods? Do they have a real rapport with the students they serve? Then get ready to nominate her or him for the TEA Teacher of the Year! The annual TEA Teacher of the Year nominations are just weeks away. Beginning October 31 through November 12 nominate one of your coworkers for TEA Teacher of the Year.
Who is that person who is a real friend to education. That parent, paraprofessional, or service worker who is always there for us when we need some help. Nominate them for Friend of Education between October 31 through November 12. Awards will be given out during the Jaycee Banquet in January 2006.
See your building rep for information about how to nominate someone. Put on your thinking caps!
The
state is expected to notify school districts of the names of employees who have
previously been convicted of crimes, as required by a series of new state laws
collectively known as the “Pupil Protection Laws.”
The
list is part of a package of laws expected to directly impact school employees.
The law now:
 | Requires all school employees to
be fingerprinted by the Michigan State Police, including school employees
who have previously been fingerprinted. |
| Requires a criminal background
check on each school employee. The
law does not specify whether the school district or the employee is
responsible for the cost of fingerprinting and background checks. |
| Requires a school employee charged
with a crime covered by the Sexual Offenders Registration Act (SORA) to
report to his/her local
superintendent and the state superintendent of public instruction the fact
that he/she has been charged with the crime. |
| Requires
the
discharge of school employees who are convicted of crimes covered by SORA.
Those convicted of other felonies may continue to work with permission of
the superintendent and board of education. |
| Establishes
“Student safety zones” within 1,000 feet of a school facility, where
individuals registered under SORA, with certain exceptions, may not reside,
work or loiter. |
For
an overview of the laws provided by MEA legal counsel or a list of the SORA
crimes that will require a
district to discharge an
employee, go to www.mea.org
Fall General Membership meeting:
The Fall General Membership meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 15, 2006, at the Woodhaven UAW hall. The district negotiation team has presented the TEA with its "Last, best, and final offer."
Refreshments will be served
BE INFORMED! BE THERE!
For a discussion of the District's
“Last, Best and Final” Offer
Guest Speakers:
Bill Murray, Eastern Zone Director
John Mitroka, WC/MABO President
Cheryl Ann Robinson, Uniserv Director
Gay Shaw, Uniserv Director
For a Map to the UAW hall click here.
Subject: MEDIATION UPDATE 10/2/06
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2006 00:13:12 +0000
OTHER NEWS
The Trenton School District posted what has been previously considered confidential information on it's contract offer to the WC/MEA and the TEA on its web site (www.trenton.k12.mi.us). The TEA is consulting with the MEA's legal staff concerning the propriety of this action. Darlene Strasser, district director for the TEA, addressed the Board of Education and criticized them for their actions.
The TEA Representative Council (RC) will be hosting a Meet the Candidate Night on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 beginning at 4:15 p.m. The RC will interview each of the candidates for the two open positions on the Trenton Board of Education. The interviews will be conducted at the UAW hall on Vreeland Rd. in Woodhaven. All TEA members, TESP members, TParas members are invited to attend.
In a news item in the News-Herald newspaper it was reported that Bruce
Wyke has assumed the president's position on the Trenton Board of
Education. At the board's annual organizational meeting Mr. Wyke became
the board's new leader. Mr. Wyke says that "This year we're going to
have a lot of communication on where the district is going. It 's going to
be very positive."
Christine Howe is now vice-president, Wayne Sieloff has assumed the job of
Secretary, and Richard Zimmerman is the new Treasurer.
source: The News-Herald newspaper, July 12, 2006 pg. 15-A
Darlene Strasser issued a message March 13th that addresses several issues concerning the TEA's relationship with the District administration. For the full text of the message click this link.
During Picketing of the February 20th Curriculum night, nervous administrators had Trenton Police watch the picketers, a waste of City time and money.
Rumors of the District keeping negotiations on a back burner fly while additional pay raises for administration are reported by the News Herald..
A warning that district email accounts are NOT private. Reports of irregularities abound as people have "odd" problems with their accounts. Members are advised to seek non-district email accounts for sensitive information. (addendum from the web chair: Remember that ANY data, or information stored on district owned equipment, computers, hard drives, file servers, network drives, and etc. is not private nor secure from district examination or confiscation. They paid for the computer, they can take it back!)
Our Life Insurance carrier will be changed effect April 1, 2006, from United of Omaha to Standard Life. Coverage will remain at the same level. There are some issues with members who are or will be out on disability at the time of transfer. The change is "legal" because the contract does not specify a carrier for this insurance.
The TEA will not participate in the Administration's budget presentation because in past years they have disregarded Association input about balancing the budget without lay offs, and misrepresentation about the extent and tenor of our involvement in the budget process. Darlene also included a copy of the letter she sent to Dr. Savel declining participation.
In an announcement on the District web page, the Trenton Board of Education set the opening day for students for September 5, 2006, a.m. classes only. As of this writing, and noted in the board statement, this start date has not been one negotiated with the TEA. The District web page included the following information taken from the Board Minutes:
"Subject to any other agreement between the Trenton Public Schools and the Wayne County MEA/NEA (Trenton Education Association), the Board of
Education reaffirms the following: Trenton Public Schools will open for pupils on Tuesday, September 5, 2006 for morning classes only. will begin at 7:55 a.m. and end at 11:15 a.m. Students in grades nine, ten, eleven and twelve will have classes beginning at 7:45 a.m. and ending at 11:00 a.m."In a letter dated August 15, 2006, Dr. Savel informed all staff of an imposed start date for teachers. In the absence of a successor agreement with the TEA, the Board of Education passed a resolution at its' August 14th meeting to have teachers start Tuesday, August 29, 2006. See the negotiations news for important information regarding our negotiations with administration on a new calendar. The TEA leadership has called for a General Membership meeting on Monday, August 28 at 3:00 p.m. at the UAW hall in Woodhaven. For a Map, follow this link.
In an email message sent to personnel and a posting on the district web site, Trenton Public Schools announced their intent to sell surplus equipment from across the district at Owen Elementary School, Saturday August 19, 2006 from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The sale is open to Trenton residents only until noon, and the general public after 12:00. For more information follow this link: to open a Adobe PDF File. You must have Acrobat Reader to open. Get free Acrobat Reader by following the link below.
GENERAL
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Elementary Level director: Marianne Ruloff
Anderson Association Rep: Claudia Gaynier
Hedke Co-association Reps: Angie Essenmacher and Steve Kowalski
Owen Association Rep: Vacant
Taylor Co-association Reps: Peg Carter and Vince Preuthun
Special Services Association Rep: Leslie Sutherland
Arthurs Middle School Association Reps (2 positions): Max Monas and Kent Sikora
Trenton High School Association Reps (2 positions): Tom Bridges and Eric Towe.
All office terms are February 1, 2006 to January 31, 2007
Congratulation to the winners, and thank you to all who have held these
positions in the past.
Thank you to the Election Committee:
Nikki Douglas, Jody Sejnost, Sue Yee, and Yvette Gronda
NOTE, 3/21/2006
Dianne Klingelhaffer has accepted the position of Association Representative for
Owen School, welcome aboard Dianne.
June
19, 2006
On
Monday, June 19, we met all day for another mediation session.
Dave Harrell, our Temporary Uniserv Director, was there along with Cheryl
Ann Robinson, our recently hired Uniserv Director. (Dave’s last day is June
21)
Shortly
after our arrival, the administrative team sent their counter proposal with
Wanda Mayes, Labor Mediator, in response to our counter from June 6. The issues
are on Article VIII, Vacancies, Promotions and Transfers; Article X, Reduction
in Personnel and Job Sharing. Our original proposal on Article VIII was
essentially a re-write and was 5 pages in length.
In a major move on our part and after laborious work on the many issues
in that Article, we condensed it to just a one and quarter page version in the
June 6 proposal. We were deeply
disappointed and
disgusted that the Administrative teams’ counter
didn’t address the major issues in this Article.
The only changes to their previous proposal
were ‘additions’ that were “clerical” in nature.
It is very frustrating for our team to spend additional time on something
that is only being given a cursory glance by their side.
OTHER
NEWS
The
written briefs for the arbitration heard
in April on the extra day we worked August 30, 2005 were submitted on June 16.
The arbitrator's decision will be made within 30 days.
As soon as we hear anything, we will notify you.
The
ULP hearing is being re-scheduled for sometime in August.
Our side already presented in March.
The District has to present their case when we meet again.
TEA Newsletter
Negotiation Update
WC-MABO
Congratulations to our MABO member Dearborn Heights District 7, with their contract settlement covering 04-05, 05-06 and 06-07. They are receiving a 1.5%, 1.5% and a 2% increase in salary, plus an additional per diem for three days worked beyond their contracted days. They also received an increase in longevity pay at the 25th step. They switched from a Super Care 1 to Choices (1) in their MESSA health insurance with a $5/$10 RX co-pay. The calendar was reduced in hours and days. The high school instructional hours will be at 1117 hours, the middle school at 1112 and elementary schools at 1102. Professional Development is included at all levels in this calculation.
On Monday, April 10 your
negotiation team traveled to the MERC building to begin the first step in
mediation. Mediation is defined as a
dispute resolution process in which a neutral third party, who has no final
decision making authority, assists in disputing parties in developing options
for an acceptable resolution of the dispute.
Mediation is a facilitated negotiation.
The parties maintain control over the outcome if a settlement is reached.
If the parties do not agree in mediation, then they have the statutory
recourse of submitting their dispute to the fact finding procedure.
We
were introduced to our state mediator, Wanda Mayes.
The session went pretty much as anticipated. Ms. Mayes did introductions
all around with both our team and the management team present. While we were all
together we also recapped each other’s table positions on the unresolved
issues. We then were assigned to our separate conference rooms and did not come
together for the rest of the evening.
Ms. Mayes spent most of the
evening with our team gathering some historical information on the bargaining of
the 2004-05 re-opener and then moving into the full contract negotiations as a
result of the expiration of the existing contract.
The last hour and half were spent reviewing our position on two articles
in the contract dealing with Article VIII Vacancies, Promotion, Transfers and
Article X Reduction in Personnel. There was much discussion and clarification in
order for the mediator to understand our concerns and what we need to have
addressed in order to reach agreement on the language.
April
15
Transfer requests due to Human Resource Office
April 17
April
24
VERY IMPORTANT Board of Education Meeting
All
members requested to attend
April 27
Spring General Membership Meeting
Uniserv
Directors Diane Langan and Gay Shaw
will report on several important issues for our members
Trenton
Education Association - Negotiation Update
March 20, 2006
Gary
King, the district’s attorney, announced on
ULP
NEWS
On
March 16, seven TEA members traveled to Downtown Detroit to testify at the
Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) hearing. Several
of these teachers had to use a personal business day, as the district wouldn’t
approve the use of school business days for this activity. The district also
refused an offer for reimbursement by WC-MEA for the seven substitutes needed.
Does the district have so much money to spare, that it can afford to turn down
approximately $560? Or were there other motivations behind the refusal? The
issue became clearer on Friday when the Director of Human Resources emailed
Darlene asking how many of the seven teachers should have a day’s pay deducted
from their next check - in case TEA didn’t have enough Union business days to
cover all seven.
On
March 6, Diane Langan began her service as the newly hired Uniserv Director.
Dave Harrell, our Uniserv Temp’s last “official”
day was March 10.
The TEA will hold elections January 27 and January 30, 2006. Ballots will be distributed at the building where you are assigned on Fridays. See your Association Representative for ballots. Contact Yvette Gronda or Sue Yee if you need an absentee ballot.
Positions Open:
All Association Reps (1 year terms)
Elementary Level Director, (year 2 of 2 year term)
Negotiations
Update
Dec 22, 2005
From the Negotiations Team
At the recent negotiation meeting on Tuesday, December 13, the administration team countered our proposal on Article X, Reduction in Personnel. There was some movement from their original position but we still have to work towards language that we can agree upon. Our team gave a revised proposal on Extra Pay under Professional Compensation Article XXVII to resolve some gender issues and to provide compensation for clubs and committees. A new Article XX for Local Implementation for Federal ESEA was presented with some additional language to resolve any future problems with interpretation on compliance.
Our next two meeting are scheduled for January 11 at the WC office and January 17 at the Board Office.
At the November 14, Board of Education meeting, Darlene Strasser addressed the board concerning it's unprecedented posting of previously confidential contract offer information on the internet. Her comments follow:
November 14th
Board Statement
I
come here tonight to speak to you with many mixed emotions – anger, sorrow,
weariness, confusion, and to be honest, some disgust.
I
am angry that you have chosen to circumvent the negotiation process… by
posting the district’s last offer on your website. It is your legal obligation
to negotiate in good faith with your employees. I feel that you have utterly
failed to do that and have treated us, your employees, with nothing but disdain.
I am also angry that you feel it so easy to ignore your responsibilities to us
and this community and that you think so little of the teachers in the district.
I
feel tremendous sorrow at the effect your actions have had on this district and
the community. I don’t think you realize the incredible cost of what you have
done, but I’m here to tell you that you’re ripping the district apart and
polarizing the community. You have created a negative work environment certainly
but more crucial is the growing loss of confidence in your ability to
effectively manage this district.
I
am also sad for what might have been – we could and should be working
together. There are so many teachers who are creative, enthusiastic, and
dedicated, but who are now disillusioned and angry at being discounted and
ignored. You have turned your back -
more than once – on our input. You have arrogantly decided that you can
dictate terms to us instead of approaching us as the professionals we are. This
is indeed, much to feel sad about.
I
am weary from months and months of attempting to forge a positive relationship
and climate in this district between the teachers and this new administration.
It is apparent that we have been naive in our thinking, that you were interested
in developing that relationship too. I understand now - that you only want us to
do what we’re told. We are to accept without question any offer you make to
us. And now we all see that you are more than willing to spend thousands of
dollars on attorneys and devote days and months of staff time rather than
negotiate in good faith.
It’s clearly ‘your way or the
highway!
Well,
I am here to tell you that that tactic is not going to work! We are not going to
roll over! We are not going away! We
are where we’ve always been! Ready to negotiate with you to find a win-win for
both sides. We want a contract that will recognize the professionalism of the
staff and provide an excellent educational environment for students. This can
only occur through negotiations…AT THE TABLE!
WE
WILL NOT negotiate in public as you have chosen to do. It is a mistake for you
and WE WILL NOT follow your lead. We will continue to uphold the integrity of
the negotiation process.
Our
negotiation team has not even had the chance to formally respond to your last
offer. We have discussed it with
your team and we asked a number of questions for clarification at our last
bargaining session. Our plan was to come back at our next official session with
a response. You don’t know if we will reject the offer…. present a counter
to all or part of it…. or accept it in its entirety.
It would have been smarter and surely more honorable to have at least
waited to hear our official response before attempting to bypass our MABO and
our negotiation team, by posting it on your web site.
By
stepping outside of the accepted boundaries of negotiation, you have seriously
impaired the process, raised questions as to the integrity of the district
leadership, and alienated your staff and the community in the process. Your
actions have only thrown up major obstacles to meaningful discussion and
negotiation. This approach cannot solve any of the problems we face.
It resolves nothing.
And
finally, I’m sorry to say that we are all disgusted at what you’ve done.
Posting an offer on the district web site is poor judgment at best and possibly
illegal at worst. We are, of course, pursuing this incident with MEA legal.
However, regardless of whether your actions are found to be technically
legal or not, they are clearly unethical. You have tried to subvert and bypass
the negotiation process by attempting to take an offer directly to our members.
What you have done is unprecedented in the history of this district and every
other district that I am aware of. It is a poor way to do business and not
worthy of the fine tradition of Trenton Public Schools. The damage you’re
causing in employee relations and community confidence will set this district
back for years.
It
would be so much easier for you to simply work
with us, which would cost you far less in time, money and loss of
employee morale. We really do want a
win-win contract agreement. But that can’t be achieved if all you say is no,
no, no. That is not “good faith
negotiating”! We urge you to
follow our lead and return to the bargaining table – this time in good faith
- and explore with us an equitable settlement that will benefit both
teachers, and the district.
It
is my fervent hope that you will take a step back, away from the brink that you
have brought us to, and re-evaluate your position.
The ball is definitely in your court now as to the direction this
district will go. Either we find a way to work together as professionals, and
move forward “together”, or you can continue on this path of confrontation
and decline.
It
is your choice! There is a lot at
stake for all of us. I hope you make the right choice for the community of
Trenton and their children.
October 24,
2005
Note: The Hearing for the TEA's ULP is scheduled for January 11, 2006.
From the TEA Negotiations Team:
September 26, 2005
At the September 22 meeting, the TEA Negotiation Team presented a rationale for our proposal on Article VIII, Vacancies, Promotions, & Transfers. We described in substantial detail the problems our members have had with favoritism, vindictiveness and private deals cut with administrators for assignments. We also discussed the unfair practice of some teachers having a choice of their teaching assignment while others do not and the generally capricious nature of teacher placement.
Afterwards, Gary King, the Board’s attorney, provided us with a financial “fact” sheet summarizing the district’s difficulties. It had a number of misrepresentations and didn’t include the additional money the district is getting this year nor the additional revenue the last two years due to increased student enrollment. It also didn’t include the substantial savings in personnel costs of approximately 1.5 million for this school year due to reductions in teacher personnel.
The Board’s team then presented a settlement agreement withdrawing all items on the table. After a caucus, we notified the board’s team that their agreement was UNACCEPTABLE! This settlement agreement failed to address the significant concerns of our membership and ignored the many substantive issues we’ve brought to the table. We remain far apart on many issues.
Obviously they don’t get
it! We need YOUR help to convince them that we are resolved
about obtaining protections and improved working conditions for our
teachers.
Our next meetings are scheduled for
October 26, 2005 at the WC-MEA office, and Tuesday, November 15 at the
Board of Education office.
Fred Baker of Midland wrote an interesting letter to the Editor of the Midland Daily News. In it he examines some of the misrepresentations of Dick DeVos about public education. Click on the following link to read the letter.
Larry Digon, our Uniserve Director, has submitted his resignation effective August 5, 2005. Dave Harrell has been assigned as Temporary Uniserve Director, effective August 15, 2005. Mr. Harrell has been appointed, effective immediately, as the MEA Staff Negotiator for our unit. The district has been notified of the change. Our negotiations team has been meeting with Mr. Harrell to bring him up to date on our current negotiation situation. For more information contact a member of your school crisis team.
As reported in the News Herald newspaper on June 29, 2005, the Trenton Board of Education has approved a 1.5 percent pay increase for non union employees. Board President Carol Oakley is quoted as saying that the employees had "a zero percent increase last year."
From the TEA Negotiations Team:
SEPTEMBER 19, 2005
The TEA negotiation team met with
administration on Thursday, September 15 at the WC/MEA office in
The TEA team presented a calendar proposal for the remainder of the school year. No meaningful discussion took place on this issue. We also presented a second proposal dealing with a different issue which was summarily rejected by the administrative team. It was clear that no further progress would be made, so the TEA team terminated the meeting.
The negotiation session scheduled for Monday, September 19 was cancelled by our team. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 22, at the Board of Education office.
OTHER
Westwood Education Association will be voting to ratify their contract on Monday, September 19. They have been without a contract for 4 years.
A letter was received by Dave Harrell,
Uniserv Director from Gary King stating
Dr. Savel emailed
District Director, Darlene Strasser with reminders that picketing on school
property and signs in support of the union’s position or requesting support
may not be placed anywhere on school property. Teachers are asked to
please comply with these legal requirements.
DO
SOMETHING!
READ YOUR CONTRACT
ATTEND A BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
Bruce Barrow, a long time Trenton Middle School teacher died July 13, 2005. Mr. Barrow had been active in TEA affairs during his lifetime. He retired after teaching 36 years in Trenton and was living in Elk Rapids. To read the Fassbender funeral home's online obituary for Mr. Barrow click here.
Our chief negotiator Debbie Romo sent out this message from the TEA Negotiations Team on negotiations progress. Please remember that most of what happens during negotiations is confidential in nature and cannot be published.
The TEA negotiation team met again with the district in formal negotiations on August 19 and 22, 2005. The primary subject of discussion involved calendar. The District’s proposal increased teacher workdays and stipulated that most professional development would take place in the days prior to the student start date. Despite our efforts to accommodate the District’s concerns with considerable movement towards their position (without adding days), no agreement was reached. Gary King informed the negotiation team that he would be recommending that the Board set the start date for teachers.
As a result, at the Board meeting on
It is vitally important that all members attend the general membership meeting on August 29th. The meeting will take place at the UAW Hall on Van Horn in Woodhaven at 3:00 pm. Information will be presented regarding negotiations and other developments. Questions and comments will be heard and addressed.
Please plan to attend and show your support but more importantly, be an informed member.Click this link button for a map:
To read the complete text of Dr. Savel's letter follow this link.
For the full text of the TEA response follow this link.
Your negotiation team met with the administration team on Monday, July 25 and Wednesday, July 27. The administration team members present were: Ann Deneroff, Gary King, Gary Schwartz and Stephanie Spurr.
The TEA distributed a newsletter with negotiations updates to all members during the week of May 16. The letter gives a negotiations update, a note about the letters to parents (see above) and a request that members attend regular board meetings to show their support for each other, the teachers who have received layoff notices and our elected association representatives. Remember that all members are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in association meetings. See the meeting schedule above for the date and time of meetings.
REMINDER: All members need to give their building reps summer contact information for updates on negotiations. If your summer address or phone number is different than your school year information, let your building rep know now. You can contact them from the Association Officers page.
At the Board of Education meeting on May 23, 2005, the Board of Education approved the proposed budget for school year 2005-06. This $27.1 million budget includes many cuts totaling almost $2 million. This includes the layoff of 21.5 educators, 4 class C custodians, and one paraprofessional position. The TEA has repeatedly asserted that the cuts to personnel and programs needn't be so drastic but the district has been unresponsive. Many teachers and supporters were present at the meeting. We urge all members to attend regular board meetings to show support for our fellow teachers and staff who face loss of a job next year. The next board meeting is June 13, 2005.
The MEA Region 2B Coordinating Council has offered the position of Uniserve Director to Diane Langan. Diane is a long time worker for educators rights with the MEA. Since last August Diane has served as Uniserve director for Hillsdale County. Prior to that position she has served as Region 2B Coordinating Council Director, the WC Bargaining Chair, the WC Grievance Chair, a MEA Board of Governors member, was Lincoln Park Education Association District Director and Representative to the State and Local Representative Assemblies. Diane is scheduled to assume her new position August 1, 2005. Our current Uniserve Director, Larry Digjon is resigning so he can return to teaching. Congratulations Diane, and Good Luck Larry back in the classroom.
MEA/WC is our local MABO, and is the bargaining agent for our local association. The Uniserve Director is the chief bargaining agent of the MABO and is the person who does most of the face to face bargaining with the district negotiators. She is empowered to accept a tentative agreement between the Association and the District. MABO stands for Multi Association Bargaining Organization, and is an association of local associations who band together for the common good. While the MEA hires Uniserve Directors for the different regions, the MABO is able to hire its own Uniserve Director and pay them over and above what the MEA pays them.
The Trenton Education Association sent letters to the homes of our community with the TEA's views on the current situation. Letters were composed for the Elementary level, the Middle School level and High school level. The elementary letter focuses on reduction of programs, increase in class sizes, outdated textbooks, and maintenance cutbacks. The middle school letter goes over the decimation of the electives that have been developed over the years in favor of an easier to schedule slate of required courses that have not been adequately developed. The high school letter looks at the changing of the curriculum for administrative scheduling convenience, increase in class sizes, poor building and technical maintenance due to staffing cuts, and fiscal waste. For a copy of these letters, click here. To download a copy click on the following links: elementary, middle school, high school. Members of the community are encouraged to attend Board Meetings to voice their views and contact Board Members who are their elected representatives. For Board Member addresses follow this link: Board
At their board meeting Monday, April 25, 2005, the Board of Education authorized the lay off of 21.5 teachers in the district. Due to the need to examine teacher certification for reshuffling certified staff, the district sent lay off notices to 40 teachers in the district. The TEA in a show of solidarity with their laid off colleagues has asked that teachers wear black on Wednesday, April 27, 2005. Dr. Savel sent an email to all certified staff explaining the need for issuing pink slips to so many of the staff.
The TEA Negotiations Team has issued a newsletter updating the negotiations process. Please remember that contract negotiation is a sensitive and confidential process and that the Association has committed to releasing as much as they can of the process.
THANKS for completing the 2005 Negotiation Survey. We received 152 surveys! The negotiation team has compiled the results and YOUR input will definitely shape the issues we bring to administration in this next round of negotiations.
The STRONG cry of NO reduction in benefits and wages has been heard. This will definitely strengthen our resolve in those areas.
From your responses, unresolved curriculum issues are a serious concern, especially for elementary teachers. “Beneficial, meaningful, and relevant” were words used frequently to describe the need for improvements in professional development.
It came as no surprise, given these uncertain times and the financial climate, that language improvement in the areas of reduction in personnel and vacancies, promotions and transfers ranked very high.
Surprisingly, a strong majority was indignant by the incentive for attendance question. The overwhelming comment generated by this topic is “I only take sick days when I absolutely need it” and “I rarely take any days”. However, most of you would appreciate some financial consideration for days not used.
The survey results indicated teachers spend an average of 11 hours per week beyond the contractual requirements. Teachers are also spending just under $500 per year of their own money. As an aside, the elementary staff spends more per year on average.
Overwhelming numbers indicate you are willing to take
action and “fight”. We will be putting you to the test! The community survey results
will be reported at the February 28,
Board of Education workshop, at
More detailed information will be available at the spring
general membership meeting on
The Trenton TEA held elections on January 14 and 17 to elect all officers. The winners are as follows:
2 year term: (*Incumbent)
District Director: Darlene Strasser*
Assistant District Director: Yvette Gronda*
Secretary: Sue Yee*
Treasurer: Laura Trosien*
MEA/NEA RA Delegate: Darlene Strasser*
MEA/NEA RA Alternate Delegate: Vince Preuthun
High School Level Director: Rose Menna*
Middle School Level Director: Lorna Hardin*
Elementary Level Director: Janelle Rohlfs
Special Services Level Director: Mary Harvey*
1 year term:
Anderson Elementary Building Co-Representatives:
Marianne Ruloff & Julie Schwandt
Hedke Elementary Building Co-Representatives:
Angie Essenmacher & Steve Kowalski
Owen Elementary Building Representative: Jennifer Krolak
Taylor Elementary Building Co-Representatives:
Nancy Prone & Debbie Stoyek
Arthurs Middle School Building Representatives (2):
Max Monas & Kent Sikora
High School Building Representatives (2):
Tom Bridges & Eric Towe
Special Services Association Representative: Vince Preuthun
Thank you to all who have held thes positions in the past, your efforts have been appreciated.
Welcome to all of the members that are new to their positions, the future can be bright as long as we unite.
For a copy of the printed flier with election results click here.
If you have any questions concerning the election may be directed to Yvette Gronda, e-mail: ygronda@hotmail.com or school phone: 676-8700
We wish to congratulate our 2004 Teacher of the Year Cindy Langlotz. The 2004 Friend of Education is Raul Robledo. Both will be honored at Banquet held by the Trenton Jaycees later this month.
At the General Membership Meeting Asst. District Director Yvette Gronda explained the proposed changes to the Constitution and Bylaws that were occasioned by the revision of the election procedures. Voting on the Constitutional changes was done in conjunction with the meeting.
District Director Darlene Strasser gave the news on the progress (or the lack thereof) in contract negotiations, supported by District Negotiator Debbie Romo. As always the confidential nature of negotiations prohibits too much disclosure, but as much as can be reported will be.
Darlene distributed brightly colored paper to the association reps for use with union communications. Watch for that bright color in your mail boxes. She also reported on Sue Yee's corrections to the Teacher Absence Report that the Personnel Director delivered at a previous Board Meeting, and the attendance of Teachers at the last board meeting.
Darlene pointed out that Romulus and Wyandotte (both members of our MABO WC/MEA) have recently settled their contracts with raises and full medical packages. Both are now settled with a Masters Max of over $80,000, reduced student and teacher days and both have incorporated professional development as part of their 1098 instructional hours.
The TEA will be working with members on appropriately filling out Highly Qualified Forms. We will be contacting all members who indicated that they were not or didn't know if they were highly qualified. Our goal is that all teachers in Trenton are highly qualified.
Lu Battaglieri, President of the MEA, wrote to the Detroit Newspapers an Editorial Page opinion published February 25, 2005, that discusses some of the realities of school funding and teacher and support personnel wages. In his article he writes, "Honesty, Respect, Responsibility. We teach the values every day...they are the basics. Sadly they seem to be in short supply among some lawmakers and school officials in Lansing as the debate over the lack of school funding intensifies." He goes on to define each value and how teachers and support personnel are not the "greedy bad guys" that some are painting us. To read the full article, follow this link: Battaglieri Article. You can send letters to: Editorial Page, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226 or letters@detnews.com
The 05-06 budget proposal presented to the Board of Education at their March 14 meeting features $1,966,787 in budget reductions. The budget, presented by Dr. John Savel, includes layoffs of 21.5 elementary teachers, and 8 secondary school teachers divided between the high school and middle school. Other staff reductions include all class C custodians at the elementary level, 1 special ed teacher, 1 special ed paraprofessional, .5 psychologist and .5 purchasing clerk. The proposal does add 2 class B custodians to be split between the elementary schools.
Other budget considerations include the increase in class sizes at the elementary level, change in the middle school from a 7 period to a 6 period day, and an increase in the ratio of certified staff to students at the high school from 22% to 24%.
Dr. Savel promised that the budget proposal would be posted to the district web site for examination. Point your browser to www.trenton.k12.mi.us for more information.
Darlene Strasser, TEA District Director, has sent an open letter to the Trenton Board of Education contesting the District's reaction to the current fiscal situation and it's proposed solution. The TEA feels that an unfair proportion of the proposed cuts fall on the backs of the dedicated teaching professionals working for the Trenton School District. The TEA is concerned that an illusion of consensus between the District and the TEA was presented by the administration in their budget proposal. The full text of the letter is available on line at this link. You may download a copy of the letter at this link.
The annual Spring Representative Assembly will take place at Lansing Center on Friday and Saturday April 29 and 30th. The Representative Assembly is the legislative body of the Michigan Educational Association. The assembly formulates and votes on the MEA budget, bylaws, positions and sets dues. Our District Director, Darlene Strasser will be attending and representing us at that meeting. If you have any questions or suggestions for issues for the MEA to examine, contact Darlene via email at this link.
The Spring General Membership Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 13, 2005 at the Westfield Center.
Your State Association, the MEA, is divided into 18 regions. We are in Region 2. Each region has a MEA negotiator, called a Uniserve Director, offices which members can call for various services, and delegates that take care of Association business at regular monthly meetings. Our MEA/RA Delegate or her alternate attend these monthly meetings and bring the news of them to our local. The Region elects delegates from among the MEA/RA delegates to attend regular Board of Governors meetings in Lansing where business is conducted between Representative Assemblies (RA). We the members, elect these delegates, an election for delegates is planned for March 1, 2, and 3, 2005. Absentee ballots are available by notifying Darlene Strasser prior to Feb. 21.
Candidates:
MEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS/NEA-RA DELEGATE:
1 position, 3 yr. term: Roger Bodell, Grosse Ile.
1 position, thru 8/31/06: Nancy Strachan, Wayne Westland
MEA-RA AT-LARGE DELEGATE-REPRESENTATIVE OF THIRD WORLD PERSONS
4 positions, 3 yr. terms: Carmen Stuyvenberg, Redford Union;
Katherine Murphy, Van Buren; Mable Stroman, Van Buren; Joseph Batts, Van Buren
MEA-RA AT-LARGE ALTERNATE-REPRESENTATIVE OF THIRD WORLD PERSONS
5 positions, 3 yr. terms: Cheryl Sims, Jackson; Debbie Maloni,
Plymouth Canton; Barry Frazier, Woodhaven; Lauren Altenbernt, Van Buren, Peter
Mackie, Van Buren.
EA NEA RA AT-LARGE ALTERNATE-REPRESENTATIVE OF THIRD WORLD PERSONS
4 positions, 3 yr. terms: Joseph Batts, Van Buren; Falisadoll
Pegues, Van Buren; Debbie Maloni, Plymouth Canton; Cheryl Sims, Jackson.
EA/ESP NEA RA AT-LARGE DELEGATE
1 delegate thru 8/31/05: no nominations received
EA MEA RA CLUSTER DELEGATE
1 delegate thru 8/31/08: no nominations received
EA MEA RA CLUSTER ALTERNATE
1 delegate 3 yr. term: no nominations received
The Region Elections Chairperson is Christine Smith, 3330 Heritage Parkway, Dearborn, MI. 48124
Old News Items Repository
TEA Secretary Sue Yee stood up during the public participation portion of the October 11 Board of Education Meeting to offer a more balanced interpretation of teacher absences during the 2003-2004 school year.
Due to an unusual increase in the number of members who had major long term illnesses, the Personnel Director reported that teachers had an average of 11.6 days of sick time last year. This unfairly represents the average teacher in Trenton as taking an excessive number of sick days. Sue factored in the long term Illnesses and pregnancies and reported that 79% of TEA members took an average of 4.9 days off last year. For the full report follow this link.
At the October 12, 2004
General Membership meeting the changes to the Constitution and Bylaws were
passed with 100% approval of the members voting.
Yvette Gronda, TEA Asst.
District Director, has headed a constitution revision committee who for the past
two years has been reviewing our Constitution, Bylaws, and Procedures to bring
them line with MEA recommended guidelines. Thanks to the previous
constitutional committee there have been just a few changes. The TEA
Procedures manual changes were voted on at the September RC meeting and
passed. The changes to the Constitution and Bylaws must be voted on by the
TEA Membership.
The proposed changes have been distributed to all Association
Reps for membership inspection. Constitutional changes are also posted on
the Constitution Page of this web site.
Thanks to Yvette and all of the hardworking members of the
committee on a job well done. They are highly qualified ;-)
At the last Board of Education meeting a large contingent of TEA members and well wishers attended wearing black shirts to show the sorrow over the lack of progress in this contract re-opener. Even though we have a contract, we are saddened about the unsettled nature of the teacher's pay schedule, calendar and other issues. Seven of the members wore black shirts emblazoned with the letters R E S P E C T to demonstrate the TEA's dissatisfaction.
TEA members are encouraged to regularly attend Board of Education Meetings to show our support of our school district and listen to how the Board does business. We appreciate the work the Board of Education does to reach the same goals as the teaching staff, the education of the children of Trenton using the best tools, in the best buildings, with fairly compensated professional staff. We respect our students, our community, our administrators, and each other.
Mr. Patrick Hawkins made comments at the September 27, 2004 board meeting criticizing the informational picketing at September's Open House at Trenton Public Schools. He stated that the comments were "as an individual" during the Board Comments portion of the meeting. Teachers who attended the meeting were surprised at the vehemence of his comments. A newsletter with information for the members on Mr. Hawkins comments was distributed to the membership through association reps. The newsletter is available on the Contract News page of this web site. You can download the newsletter by following this link.
An account of the incident was reported in the News Herald (click to read the story). Darlene Strasser, our District Director has written a response to the article. In the response Darlene expresses her frustrations at the slow pace of negotiations with the district. She concludes with a hope that the Board will engage in a productive win-win settlement, but notes the TEA is determined to fight for the right of our members to engage in lawful actions, such as the informational picket, without fear of reprisal. See the Contract News page for the full text of the response. To download a copy of the letter, follow this link.
The TEA Negotiations Team has published a newsletter that notes the progress on negotiations which can be shared publicly. The content of the newsletter appears below:
Thanks
for all the support demonstrated by so many over the past few weeks.
It was so encouraging seeing everyone dressed in black shirts and wearing
MABO buttons on the first day. It has been uplifting to see the many who
participated in the informational picketing held during open houses.
These activities have had an impact. So what’s next?
It
is important for all TEA members to continue to support negotiations and
demonstrate our commitment to the district.
Everyone should continue to DO something….
·
DO attend a Board of Education meeting.
Sign up sheets are circulating in your buildings
·
DO attend a PTO meeting
·
DO become familiar with the TEA contract and the issues currently being
negotiated
·
DO contact parents who support TEA and ask them to contact Board Members
and the Superintendent. This is very important, as the disgruntled have been
vocal. They need to hear from those
in the community who DO support teachers
·
DO attend the Board of Education Special Workshop set for September 28
at
·
DO stay informed. Ask your
EC/RC members for updates. Check the
TEA web site teachtrenton.org regularly.
·
DO attend the fall TEA membership meeting on October 12,
Dr.
Savel has met informally with several members of the TEA leadership over the
past few weeks. These ongoing
discussions have been very helpful and we look forward to more dialogue on
issues of importance to us all.
Aug 30, 2004
(This is brief and to the point)
The negotiation team met with administration on Monday, August 30, 2004.
Basically, the door is shut on any issue involving money which includes:
ESEA & Extra Pay & Salary
No movement in calendar
No date for next meeting per administration's request
There is the possibility of a Labor/Management Team to review the grievance procedure.
Other News
Crisis Team members will be contacting you for a building meeting soon.
At our July 28 negotiation
with the District, TEA presented a package proposal in an effort to resolve
issues and bring settlement. Administration caucused to review this
package proposal and after their return, outlined their responses to each piece
of the package. They held firm to their previous position regarding salary
decreases and employee benefits co-pay. On ESEA there is agreement in the
areas the Michigan Department of Education has already approved but we are far
apart in areas regarding reimbursement and protection of teachers.
Administration has indicated the Extra Pay Schedule issues can only be resolved
by re-distributing the current funds budgeted for those activities and positions
– the result would be a pay decrease for all. We also presented a grievance
process counter proposal that the district will review. No discussion took place
on this issue
The negotiation team members
left very frustrated. It is our assessment that administration has not
taken this re-opener seriously and intended to maintain the status quo with the
current contract provisions.
With their insistence on a
salary reduction and substantial co-pay on insurance premiums, it appears to us
that the district is viewing teachers as a potential source of revenue to
maintain or improve the 2.3 million fund balance. Administration certainly
did not look at creative ways to deal with compensation and were not open to any
of our suggestions or proposals if they would cause an increase in the 04/05
budget.
The bottom line? We
technically have a contract in place. We do not have settlement on the
contract re-opener.
Numerous grievances were
filed on the excessive terminations and order of recall and involuntary
transfers. All grievances have been denied and will be referred to the WC
Bargaining Committee for arbitration.
The job-sharing proposal will be submitted to the Board of Education and Central Office but doesn’t look likely for this year
The position of Middle School Principal has been
filled. Dr. Savel sent an email announcing the appointment of Mrs.
Stephanie Spurr as the new Principal of Boyd Arthurs Middle School. Mrs.
Spurr previously taught Math at Arthurs and was named Assistant Principal last
year. Congratulations Mrs. Spurr on your appointment.
There has been no news about the High School position.
"Beginning Sept. 1, 2004, each member who is not already a member of MEA-Retired will have $1 a month included with their MEA dues, earmarked for MEA-Retired fees. Once members have paid $200, they will be lifetime members of MEA-Retired."
The MEA has instituted what it calls AIM, or All Inclusive Membership for all MEA Members. In an effort to boost membership in MEA-Retired, a branch of the organization that represents retired MEA members, has decided to assess all members $1 per month for 10 months each year until lifetime membership dues of $200 is reached. This will take a member 20 years to reach full dues. If a member has already joined MEA-Retired they are exempt. HOWEVER, you must fill out the appropriate forms by May 28.
Currently dues for MEA-Retired are $150, but they will increase beginning in September 2004. If you wish to join at the lower rate, contact your Association Rep (Building Rep) for the appropriate form. If you are unsure of who your Association Rep is, go to the Association Officers Page.
A Member may also "opt out" of membership in MEA-Retired. You must fill out the appropriate form to opt out.
For the full information newsletter and form to Opt Out, follow this link to MEA-Retired AIM.
In a move applauded by teachers, parents, and board members, the Trenton Board of Education voted 7 to 0 to offer the Superintendent position to Dr. John Savel. After site visits to all of the candidates, Dr. Savel had unanimous support of all members of the site visit committee. Dr. Savel began his new duties on July 1, 2004. He has met with our union leadership and has expressed his desire be process oriented, pro-teacher, and collegial in his leadership role.
Congratulations Dr. Savel and welcome to Trenton Public Schools!
MEA dues are set to increase by $13.00 for the next school year and NEA dues are set to increase by $3.00 as well. All dues increases are automatically passed on to the membership. The TEA (our local unit) dues will not increase.
The dues that members pay are divided up between the NEA, the national association, the MEA, the state association, Region II, our regional unit, Region IIb, our MABO (WC/MEA) unit, and the TEA, our local association. Only the national and state dues were increased.
Jim Stewart, former District Director of the TEA has resigned as High School Level Director to assume new duties as Language Arts Department Head at Trenton High School. Jim, a veteran of the Trenton Education Association is elated at the opportunity to lead his fellow teachers in the Language Arts Department, but regrets having to leave the fellowship of the union.
Good Luck Jim, we look forward to working with you in your new capacity.
The Trenton Board of Education at a budget workshop meeting on Wednesday, April 21, clarified their current intentions about layoffs. Member layoff numbers are slated at approximately 14.5 teaching positions. Four are proposed for the High School, three at the Middle School, and seven and a half for the Elementary Schools. In addition two elementary teachers would be laid off to return two members, who are early literacy coaches, to the classroom. For a full text of the recent TEA budget update newsletter, click here to download a PDF file.
Over the Easter Break, long time School Board Member, Boyd Arthurs, passed away after a prolonged illness. Mr. Arthurs was active in many areas of life and politics in Trenton, Mi. The newspapers called him Mr. Trenton because of his long history of participation in local events, committees, and commissions. In honor of his dedicated service to Trenton Public Schools, Monguagon Middle School was renamed Boyd Arthurs Middle school. Mr. Arthurs will be missed by the many people whom his life has touched.
The Spring General Membership meeting was held April 1, 2004 at the Westfield Center. Topics for this meeting were the contract re-opener and ESEA.
The News-Herald published an article about the Wednesday workshop meeting. Our District Director, Darlene Strasser, figures prominently in the article. The union proposal seeks to preserve personnel and programs and proposes that only three elementary positions be lost. Click on this link to see a PDF version of the article.
Members are urged to wear black on Monday, April 26 to school, to show solidarity. Members are urged to attend the April 26 board meeting to let the board know we want them to consider other alternatives.
On Friday and Saturday, April 30 and May 1, our delegate will be attending the Spring Representative Assembly in Lansing. The RA is the legislative body of the MEA and it meets twice a year to enact a budget for the organization, revise the Constitution if needed, set dues, and add articles to the bylaws. If you have any comments or questions about the issues in the upcoming RA, contact our Delegate (Rebecca Lowe) or the Alternate (Darlene Strasser).
The Trenton administration has issued "pink slips" to 64 of our members. These pink slips are issued at this time due to our contract stipulation that members receive news about their employment 60 days prior to the end of the school year. The administration assures members that the actual lay offs will be less than 65, but that they need a buffer to work out the details based on members' teacher certifications. Members with up to four year seniority have received the sad news.
Our TEA district director, Darlene Strasser has issued a statement to the Trenton School Board at the April 5 board meeting, congratulating the board on the process used for hiring a new superintendent, descrying the alarming number of layoffs proposed, and offering the assistance of the members of the TEA to find ways to balance the budget without the wholesale elimination of teaching positions. For the full text of the statement see the District Director page.
In related news, all of our school psychologists, social workers, and audiologists have been notified that their contracts have not been renewed for next year.
The TEA contract with Trenton Public Schools has been reopened. On the table are calendar issues and salary for the final year of the contract.
In January our District Director, Darlene Strasser was elected as Treasurer of our MABO, WC/MEA. Darlene will serve a two year term as treasurer. This is a position that Darlene held in our local prior to becoming our District Director. Congratulation Darlene!
Wayne County MEA Board of Governors held elections in January. Effective February 1, 2004 the new officers are:
President: Kathleen Yadach -
Redford Union
Vice President: Glen Meisel -
Wyandotte
Secretary: Jason Salhaney - Romulus
Treasurer: Darlene Strasser - Trenton
Terms of office are from Feb 1, 2004 to Jan 31, 2006.
Congratulation to all officers.
As of June 20, 2003, the WC-MEA has a new Uniserve Director. Larry Digon, President of the WC-MEA Board of Governors has accepted the position of Uniserve Director. Mr. Digon has worked in Association business for many years, serving as president of Redford Union, NEA-RA Delegate, and President of WC-MEA. With his change in status, he has resigned as President of WC-MEA
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Larry Digon |
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The TEA has honored Barbara
Jackson from Hedke Elementary School as the TEA Friend of Education. Barbara
was presented with her award at a banquet hosted by the Trenton JC's at
Westfield center.
Congratulations Barbara!
With balloting closed at the end of the school day, Monday, January 19, 2004, the RC and the elections committee counted the ballots for Building Representatives and the Middle School Level Director positions. There were several positions that had no nominated candidates and write in ballots were used. In those races marked with an asterisk (*), reporting on results will await the notification of the top vote getters of the results and the candidate's acceptance of the position.
Arthurs Middle School
Building Representatives, two positions:
Max Monas
Cathy Smith
Middle School Level Director
Lorna Hardin
Anderson Elementary School
Building Representative:
Janelle Rohlfs
Hedke Elementary
School
Co-Building Representatives:
Angie Essenmacher & Cindy Langlotz
Owen Elementary School
Co-Building Representatives:
Debbie Thomas & Cheryl May
Special Services
Building Representative:
Vince Preuthun
Taylor Elementary School
Co-Building Representatives:
Nancy Prone & Debbie Stoyek
Trenton High School
Building Representatives, two positions:
Mark Bronson
Co-reps: John Irvin & Rosemary Menna
Note: all Building Representative positions are for a one year term from
February 1, 2004 to January 31, 2005.
Middle School Level Director will serve out the remainder of a two year term
ending January 31, 2005.
The results of the recent Bargaining Conference Delegates Election are as follows:
THS-Mark Bronson and Mark Hoffman
Arthurs: Max Monas and Lorna Hardin
Owen: Dorothy Holdren Hedke:
Leanne Kawadri Anderson: Lisa Held
Taylor: Vince Preuthun
The delegates will be attending the Wayne County MEA Bargaining Conference in January. Watch the website for further developments.
Special Negotiations will soon open with Trenton Public Schools and members
are needed from the Elementary School Members of the TEA and the Special
Services Members of the TEA.
Members are needed for members of the Negotiations Team to negotiate the
contract re-opener. Negotiations will focus on the salary schedule for the
third year of our current contract. In addition, we will be able to bring
one economic issue and one non-economic issue to the bargaining table. If
you want to be a member of this team, contact Darlene
Strasser before October 27, 2003 at 3:30 p.,m. See related story on
the Announcements Page
There will also be formed three Labor/Management teams
to discuss 1) Job Sharing, 2) Mentoring, and 3) Schedule B. If you are
interested in representing your fellow TEA members on one of these teams,
contact Darlene Strasser before
October 27, 2003 at 3:30 p.m. See related story on the Announcements
Page
Teresa Killeen suddenly tendered her resignation as MEA Uniserve Director last month. When she announced her resignation she said, "I have decided to tender my resignation. I have decided to return to the practice of law." She is intending to join a law firm headquartered in Ann Arbor. Ms. Killeen recently negotiated the TEA contract in conjunction with our negotiations team. We wish her the best in her decision to return to the practice of law.
After the RC interviewed Debbie Romo and Jim Stewart for the position of Chief District Negotiator March 20th, Debbie Romo was selected to fill the position by the RC. This position held during negotiations by John Sadowski, is a Wayne County position, and must be voted on by the WC-MEA/NEA Board of Governors. On Tuesday March 25, Darlene Strasser submitted Debbie's name to Larry Digon, president of WC-MEA/NEA, he presented her to the Board of Governors for approval. The Board voted in favor of appointing Debbie as our new District Congratulations Debbie.
The letter of agreement that you recently received regarding the date changes for Article XXVII had a typo. The year for which the agreement is valid is 2002 – 2003. This has been corrected and both the Union and the District has corrected copies. Please correct yours.
Reminder: Article XIX, Section D requires each of our members to obtain 9 hours of Professional Development beyond what is provided through inservice by the District. Each individual must meet this requirement regardless of whether the District has funds remaining. For those of you who have not completed this requirement, the Union will be offering one or two professional development sessions (based on your response to the recent TEA survey) in May to help fulfill this requirement. Please watch for announcements in your mailboxes or check the TEA Website for upcoming dates for these sessions.
Spring General Membership Meeting May 8th
The Spring General Membership meeting has been scheduled for May 8, 2003 at the Westfield Center. The meeting will start at 4:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. For a map to the Westfield Center follow this link.
Our District Director, Darlene Strasser issued a statement to the Board of Education on the proposed staff reductions. The full text can be found on the District Director page. Follow this link.
The TEA Elections Committee met to count the ballots at Boyde Arthurs Middle School Monday, January 27, 2003. When the votes were counted and tallied, the clear winner was incumbent Darlene Strasser as District Director. Challenger Vince Preuthun came in 62 votes behind Darlene with 196 ballots indicating a preference for District Director. Yvette Gronda garnered 183 votes to take her position as our new Assistant District Director. Sue Yee and Laura Trosein easily retained their jobs as Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
Following the tally the Representative Council met and ratified the voting results. The results will now be forwarded to the MEA and the ballots will held for one year in case of any challenges. Members from all levels were on hand to assist in counting the vote and make sure that the process was without flaw.
Thank you to all of the members who helped make this election run smoothly and congratulations to the winners.
Preliminary Results of the Election.
Winners are indicated with Bold Face type
Offices of the TEA (note building Rep positions are all 1 year)
| Office | Term of Office | Candidates (*=incumbant) |
| District Director | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | *Darlene Strasser, BAMS |
| District Director | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | Vince Preuthun, Taylor |
| Asst. District Director | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | Yvette Gronda, BAMS |
| Secretary | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | *Sue Yee, Owen/Hedke |
| Treasurer | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | *Laura Trosein, Owen |
| MEA/RA Delegate | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | Rebecca Lowe, THS |
| NEA/RA Delegate | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | Rebecca Lowe, THS |
| MEA/RA Alternate** | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | *Darlene Strasser |
| NEA/RA Alternate** | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | *Darlene Strasser |
| High School Lev. Dir. | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | *James Stewart, THS |
| Middle School Lev. Dir. | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | Debbie Romo, BAMS |
| Elementary Lev. Co-Dir. | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | Heidi Darnell/Nancy Ford |
| Spec. Serv. Lev. Dir. | 2/1/03 to 1/31/05 | *Leslie Sutherland |
| Spec. Serv. Lev. Dir. | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | (write-in) Mary Harvey |
| Anderson Building Co-Rep. | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | *L. Held/*K. Miller |
| Hedke Building Rep. | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | *A. Essenmacher/*C. Langlotz |
| Owen Building Co-Rep. | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | *D. Klingehafer/C. May |
| Taylor Building Rep. | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | *N. Prone/*D. Stoyek |
| THS Building Rep. #1 | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | *Mark Bronson |
| THS Building Rep. #2 | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | *John Irvin |
| BAMS Building Rep. #1 | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | *Max Monas |
| BAMS Building Rep. #2 | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | Gloria Ladley |
| Special Services Rep | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | *Mary Harvey |
| Special Services Rep | 2/1/03 to 1/31/04 | (write-in) Leslie Sutherland |
**Note on MEA-RA Alternate and NEA-RA Alternate positions, there were several write-in candidates to these positions, and since there is no limit to the number of alternates we may elect. pending notification of the candidates to see if they wish to serve in this capacity this page will only list the nominated candidate.
Congratulations to all of the winners in the Election. All offices will take effect Feb. 1, 2003. Committees and committee chairs will be selected at the next EC and RC meetings in February.
Jan Misko of Owen Elementary School has been selected as the Teacher of the Year. Congratulations Jan.
At 5:00 December 12, 2002, the polls closed for voting on the proposed agreement between Trenton Public Schools and the WC/MEA-NEA TEA. When the ballots were counted the contract passed with a vote of 165 yes votes. For more information see the Contract News Page
Negotiations updates from the negotiations team have been posted to the Contract News page. Please be aware that negotiations are confidential in nature and the information that can be shared is limited. Check out the Link on the welcome page.
In
a stunning black tie (optional) event, the MEA Celebrated 150 years of serving
the teaching profession. On Saturday, May 12, 2002, at the Lansing Center
in Lansing, Michigan, the MEA held a party, paid for in large part by donations
from sponsors, to commemorate this event. Several hundred teachers,
politicians (including Gubernatorial Candidate Jennifer Granholm), and representatives
from MESSA, Delta Dental and other corporate sponsors were in attendance.
The sudden retirement of Neil Oldham led to some shuffling in the officers of the WC/MEA Board of Governors and the WC/MEA-CC (Coordinating Council). Neil was President of WC/MEA BOG and Chair of WC/MEA-CC. With his retirement, the Vice-president of WC/MEA BOG, Larry Dijon from Redford Union, moved up to the presidency. The Coordinating Council Vice-Chair, Diane Langlan of Lincoln Park, moved up to Chair of that body.
During the September meeting of the WC/MEA Board of Governors, Glen Meisel from Wyandotte, was elected by the board to fill the vacant Vice-presidency of WC/MEA BOG. In separate action, the WC/MEA-CC elected Diane Langlan of Lincoln Park as Chair for the new year, Darlene Strasser of Trenton was voted as Vice-chair, and Terry Kamensky as Secretary-Treasurer.
A flier with details of the Ratification Meeting and the Voting Meeting has been delivered to all teacher mailboxes. A copy of it can be found following this link.
You can get a packet containing a copy of the articles of the contract that have changes in them from your building representative on Monday afternoon, Dec. 9, 2002. Changes to the contract language will be highlighted in bold face print. You will have two days to review the changes.
On Wednesday, Dec. 11 there will be a Ratification Information Meeting at the UAW Hall in Woodhaven at 22693 Van Horn Rd. beginning at 4:00 p.m. The Bargaining team will be on hand to explain all of the changes and answer questions. The meeting is slated to last until 6:30 p.m. (map to UAW)
At the end of the meeting, at 6:31 p.m. members will have an opportunity to vote until 6:55 p.m.
Voting will continue at a second Ratification Meeting on Thursday, December 12 at the Westfield Center behind the Trenton Memorial Library from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. (map to Westfield).
Ballots will be counted and verified after 5:00 and results will be available to the membership on Friday, December 13, 2002.
On Tuesday, December 3rd, Wayne County MEA, our bargaining agent, approved the proposed agreement between the Trenton Education Association and Trenton Public Schools. This clears the way for formal ratification by the members of the TEA. The Leadership of the Negotiations Team and the TEA announced that a tentative settlement has been reached. Although details are not available at this time, there will be an informational meeting before Christmas break and a vote on the proposed contract. Keep an eye on your mail boxes and check back here for more information.
Chief negotiator, John Sadowski, today announced that a "Framework for settlement has been reached". The next step in the process if for the agreement be taken to Wayne County MEA's negotiations committee for ratification on Tuesday, November 26, 2002. Following that step a general membership meeting for information will be held. Copies of the prospective agreement will be available at that meeting and questions will be answered by the negotiations team. A ratification meeting will be held two days later for a ratifications vote. District Director, Darlene Strasser, estimates that that will be during the week of December 16, 2002. Location for that meeting is still being determined at the present time. There will be more information on this site and in your mail boxes in the coming week.
The negotiations committee requests that you put away your signs and buttons at this time.
(8/17/02) In a letter of understanding between the TEA and the Board of Education, the School Calendar for 2002-03 has been agreed upon. A mailing announcing this news was sent by the negotiations team to all TEA members on August 16, 2002. A revised letter announcing personnel reporting times was sent out by the Superintendent of Trenton Public Schools, Dr.Leapley,. The start date for the year is as noted in the above news item. The end date is still under negotiation but will be either June 12 or 13, 2003. See the Contract News for more information.
General Membership Meeting Set
There will be a meeting of the general membership on Wednesday, November 6, 2002, at 4:00 p.m. This will be the day before the next negotiations session is scheduled.
At the regular September RC meeting a Contract Crisis Committee was formed. The committee will be the conduit for information about contract negotiations and contact for questions. For more information, contact your building rep.
On September 30, Trenton teachers and residents have the opportunity to decide on a very important issue that will impact local spending. Your TEA supports this mileage. We encourage all members to donate $10 to help defray costs for necessary publications. Please make checks payable to CCQE (Concerned Citizens for Quality Education).
The NEA at its recent Representative Assembly in Dallas Texas has selected the following officers to begin their terms in September.
President (3 yr.
term)
Reg Weaver
Vice President (3 yr.
term) Dennis
Van Roekel
Secretary-Treasurer (1 yr. short term) Lily Eskelsen
Executive Committee two positions (3 yr.
term)
Mike Billirakis
Marsha Smith
Board of Directors, ESP at large, five positions (3 yr. term)
Ray Heideman
Sarah Horton
Annie Hutchinson
Sharon Scott
Rosemary Riley
For a list of current NEA officers, Executive Committee members, and Board of
Directors, follow this link: NEA
Governance
Our NEA RA Representative, Mr. Rick Frye,
attended the NEA Summer
Representative Assembly in Dallas Texas the week of June 30 through July
6. What a gas, Summer in Dallas Texas, Yee Haaaa! (Boo hiss, lots of
rain)
Over 8,000 delegates from all over the United States were in
attendance and came together as the largest deliberative body in the
world.
Big news this year is that long time president, Bob Chase reached
the end of his term limit and could not run again. His Vice
President, Reg Weaver, successfully ran for the office of President. Look
below for more NEA election results.
For more information about the assembly, check out this link at www.nea.org/ra/ra02/rainfo02/.
At it's regular meeting April 11, 2002, Region 2 of the MEA re-elected Bill Wooster as Region President, Becky Smith as Vice-President, and Mabel Stroman as Treasurer. Yvonne Pierce was elected as Secretary. Since only one candidate was running for each office, officers were elected by acclamation.
The annual Spring Representative Assembly, the governing body of the MEA is scheduled for April 26 and 27, 2002. The RA Delegate, M. Richard Frye, will be attending this meeting to vote on behalf of the members of the TEA. Members will be getting a survey the week of April 15 outlining known issues and soliciting member wishes on these items. In addition there will be elections for the officers of the MEA. Please return these surveys as soon as possible.
The Spring RA could possibly see a major change in the way that dues are assessed if the Bylaw changes to the MEA Constitution passes. The 2001 Spring RA voted to move from a flat fee structure to a percentage structure with a dues floor and ceiling to be phased in over five years. The proposal will change the membership year from the school year as it currently stands to the calendar year and will assess members around 1% of their bargained salary as shown in FICA wages amount they receive. (The actual percentage will range from 1.282% the first year (2004) to settle at 1.072% the fifth year (2008) of the phase in.) For more information, follow this link to the MEA. Note: The bylaw change failed to gain enough votes to pass. Percentage dues has failed.
At its January 2002 meeting the RC voted to accept proposed changes to the TEA Constitution as proposed by the Constitution Revision Committee. The committee chair, Mr. Barbantini, explained that there were several technical wording changes that were necessary to bring the constitution into compliance with MEA guidelines. The revised constitution can be viewed on the constitution page at this link. The document is viewable in Adobe PDF format with the changes indicated in Upper Case (capital) letters and in Rich Text Format, Microsoft Word format, or in HTML format with no caps.
Jim Stewart was nominated TEA Teacher of the Year. Jim has been a teacher at Trenton High School for thirteen years and is a former District Director of the TEA. He was honored at a banquet on January 19. To see the text of the presentation speech given by Darlene Strasser, President of the TEA, click on this link.
Bob Wilson was nominated as TEA Friend of Education. Bob is the Chairman of the Voice of Democracy Program, a speechwriting contest which encourages students to think, write and speak about the meaning of democracy. He was honored at a banquet on January 19. To see the text of the presentation speech given by Darlene Strasser, President of the TEA, click on this link.
The EC interviewed the following applicants for the Contract Bargaining Team.
| Lorna Hardin, Middle School level |
| Debbie Romo, Middle School level |
| Michelle Sorensen, Elementary level |
| Eric Towe, High School level |
| Sheryl Whitwam, Middle School level |
The candidates for the bargaining team were officially confirmed by the RC at it's December meeting.
At its regular January meeting, January 29, 2002, the Representative Council certified the TEA Election Results. The winning candidate is in Bold Face, Write in candidates are in Italics. Congratulations all winning candidates.
| Assistant District Director, (1 position, Mike Abdo*) Candidates: Mike Abdo, 116 Vince Preuthun, 66 |
| Middle Level Director, (1 position, Robert Barbantini*) Candidate: no nominees Bob Barbantini, 18 Mike Abdo, 1 Steve Burk, 1 Pete Youngblood, 1 |
| Elementary Level Director, (1 position) Candidate: Michelle Sorensen & Kellie Teska, , Co-Directors, 89 Sally Gale, 1 Cheryl May, 1 |
| Special Services Level Director, (1 position, Lesli Sutherland*) Candidate: Lesli Sutherland, 25 |
| Treasurer (1 position, Laura Trosien*) Candidate: Laura Trosien, 131 Heather Doree, 1 Debbie Franczak, 1 Kathy Skupin, 1 |
| High School Building Reps, (2-positions, William Rapin
& Rob Lindsay) Candidates: no nominees Mark Bronson, 29 Rob Douglass, 3 Glenda Fioretti, 2 Bill Giffin, 1 John Irvin, 3 Rob Lindsey, 1 Becky Lowe, 2 Bill Rapin, 1 Bill Rupp, 1 |
| Middle School Building Reps, (2-positions, Debbie Romo
& Max Monas*) Candidates: Max Monas, 42 Debbie Romo, 42 John Sadowski, 1 Gary Slade, 1 |
| Anderson Building Rep, (co-reps, Korinne Miller &
Kellie Teska) Candidates: Korinne Miller & Lisa Held Co-Reps, 22 |
| Hedle Building Rep, (co-reps, Angie Essenmacher &
Cindy Langlotz) Candidates: Angie Essenmacher & Cindy Langlotz, Co-Reps, 25 |
| Owen Building Rep, (Dorothy Holdren) Candidate: no nominees Diane Klingelhafer & Cheryl May, Co-Reps, 5 Dorothy Holdren, 1 |
| Taylor Building Rep, (co-reps, Nancy Prone &
Debbie Stoyek) Candidates: Nancy Prone & Debbie Stoyek Co-Reps, 27 |
| Special Services Rep, (open) Candidate: Mary Harvy |
There was an election of officers for the WC/MEA MABO Board of Governors on Wednesday, January 22 & 23, 2002. Officers who were up for election were President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer. Ballots were distributed in the buildings on Wednesday, voting took place "from thirty (30) minutes prior to the official opening of" your building "until fifteen (15) minutes beyond the departure of the students" from your building. Winning Candidates are in Bold type.
Candidates for Offices on the Ballot:
President of WC/MEA:
Robert Barbantini, 307
Neil D. Oldham
(incumbent), 946
Secretary/Treasurer
Robert Barbantini, 226
Jill Basherian, 1062
Vice President
Larry Dijon (by
acclamation)
special notes:
The candidate for Vice-President had no opposition and thus was elected by
acclamation as provided in the WC/MEA Constitution.
Ginny Sobak, the incumbent Secretary/Treasurer, is not running for re-election.
George Trudell, the Wayne County MEA Uniserve Director announced his retirement as of December 31, 2001. George has been instrumental in bargaining contracts in the districts that belong to the WC/MEA MABO for three decades.
A retirement banquet was held to honor retired WC/MEA Uniserve Director George Trudell on February 8, 2002 at the Dearborn Inn in Dearborn Michigan. About 140 people gathered together to honor a man who was often described as a legend in Michigan Teacher Labor Organization. The audience included members of George's family, rank and file teachers, and administrators from the seven districts that make up the Wayne County MEA/NEA MABO.
Among the speakers who attested to Mr. Trudell's integrity, care for members, and tireless passion for fair settlements in Association contracts were Ken Gabel, Ginny Czadzeck, Harvey Wax, Dr. Patricia Cole, Jim Urbanski, and Neil Oldham. George spoke about his grandchildren and the importance of his family in his work.
Neil Oldham also introduced Tom Felte, the acting Uniserve Director since George's retirement became official and Theresa Kaleem, who has been hired to take George's position effective March 1, 2002.
The Fall Representative Assembly was Saturday November 10, 2001. Mr. M. Richard (Rick) Frye attended the meeting to represent the Association members. There were several issues that were voted on at the assembly. More information about the assembly can be found at the MEA web site at www.mea.org.
The only item on the ballot, a proposal to increase local dues, passed with 74% in favor. 160 voted "yes", 28 voted "no", 1 abstention. The RC ratified the election results at it's regular meeting September 18, 2001.
At it's September meeting the TEA RC ratified the following office changes and committee chairs nominated by Darlene Strasser, District Director: Max Monas, second building rep. for Arthurs Middle School, Robert Barbantini, Middle School Level Director, Angie Essenmacher (ne. Kass) and Cindy Langlotz, co-building reps. for Hedke Elementary School, Robert Barbantini, Constitution Committee Chair, Bill Dunn, Grievance Chair and P.A.C. Chair, Heidi Darnell, Sick Bank Committee Chair, and Rick Frye, Web Committee Chair. The positions of Assistant District Director, and Public Relations Committee Chair are open. Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest to Darlene Strasser, care of Arthurs Middle School.
Through the efforts of our President, Darlene Strasser, the TEA
has made arrangements with UAW Local 3000, 22693 Van Horn, Woodhaven, MI, to use
their meeting rooms, and store TEA records. The Local 3000 is letting us
use these at no charge.
In years past the TEA rented office space for record storage and
meetings and hired a secretary to take care of TEA business. As expenses
went up, rather than raise local dues, the TEA closed their office and laid off
the secretary. Local records were kept in the home of the president and
meetings were held in school buildings. This did cause some problems with
access by people other than the president.
Now Executive Council and General Membership meetings will be held
in Local 3000's modern facility. We have access to their office equipment
and can even host social gatherings for the Trenton Education Association.
We do however remain responsible for our own secretarial work which each elected
and appointed official handles as part of his or her duties.
Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Service has posted Michigan School Evaluations on-line at their website ses.standardandpoors.com. We have included a link to the site on our link page. The Detroit newspapers have published articles explaining the evaluation project, a recent article in the Detroit News can be see here.
At its annual banquet meeting, MEA Region 2 honored Dr. E. Lea Schelke with their Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Schelke has been a long time work horse serving Trenton and Michigan teachers on the local, state and national levels. She has maintained throughout a full time teaching schedule as a language arts teacher at Trenton High School. Her high energy style has been an inspiration to countless students and colleagues in Trenton. Lea's dedication to the students and teachers of Trenton still keeps her sights high, most recently she was one of three final candidates for the position of District Curriculum Coordinator for the Trenton School District.
Also in attendance at the banquet were our District Director, Darlene Strasser, Assistant DD, Lorna Hardin, Treasurer, Gloria Ladley, Elementary Co-Level Direcor, Colette Whalen, and RA Delegate, M. Richard Frye.
Lawanda
Jones, crossing guard at Anderson Elementary School was recently named
"Friend of Education" by the Trenton Education Association. The
award is given to a member of the community who shows special devotion to the
students and staff of Trenton Public Schools. The award was presented at
an assembly at Anderson Elementary School on Friday, March 23, 2001 by Darlene
Strasser, District Director of the TEA. Photo by Pat Kujala.
May 7, 2001, at 4:00 p.m. at Westfield Center, Refreshments will be provided. Mary Ann Adams will speak on re-certification.
M. Richard Frye will be attending the 2001 Spring Representative Assembly in Lansing Michigan on May 4, and 5, 2001. A Questionnaire has been circulated and can be viewed by clicking on this link. If you haven't been able to send in your form, send an email to ra-delegate@teachtrenton.org and use the following format: list the item number (see questionnaire), y for yes, n for no and dd for delegate decision e.g.. 1y, 2n, 3dd etc. This assembly and the fall assembly are when we vote to govern the MEA. This survey guides the votes that the delegate casts on your behalf. More information about the assembly can be found at the MEA web site at www.mea.org.
January 2001 Election Results.
note: These are "official" results. They have been certified by the elections committee, and have been validated by the Rep. Council on Feb. 6, 2001. Numbers are as reported by the nominations and election committee, bold faced names are those who have either received the most votes, or have agreed to fill the position they received write in votes for. Gloria Ladley has volunteered to fill the Treasurer's position and has been validated by the RC. rf.
District Director:
nominated candidate
Preuthun, 70
write ins:
Strasser 100,
Dunn, 1
Assistant District Director: no nominated candidates
write ins:
Hardin, 9
Strasser, 6
Raupp, 4
Romo, 3
Stewert, 3
Dunn, 2
Preuthen, 2
Schelke, 2
Chrissey, 1
Frye, 1
Maher, 1
Sadowski, 1
Sobak, 1
Whalen, 1
Whitwam, 1
Youngblood, 1
Secretary: no nominated candidates
write ins:
Menna, R, 18
Yee, 6
Holdren, 3
Romo, 2
Vos, 2
Azeez, 1
Lowe, 1
McCarthy, 1
Whalen, 1
Treasurer: no nominated candidates
write ins:
Gardner, 2
Lowe, 2
Menna, R, 2
Romo, 2
Armelagos, 1
Dunn, 1
Gambino, 1
Hardin, 1
Kowlaski, 1
Miller, K, 1
Schelke, 1
Sobak, 1
Towe, 1
Whalen, 1
MEA/RA Rep.:
nominated candidate:
Frye, 138
write ins:
Barbantini, 1
NEA/RA Rep.:
nominated candidate:
Frye, 131
write ins:
Barbantini, 1
Lowe, 1
MEA/RA Alternate:
note, alternates are seated by number of votes.
nominated candidates:
Lowe, 92 (first alternate)
Strasser, 89 (second alternate)
write ins:
Preuthun, 1
Gambino, 1
Whitwam, 1
NEA/RA Alternate:
note, alternates are seated by number of votes.
nominated candidates:
Lowe, 89 (first alternate)
Strasser, (second alternate)
write ins:
Raupp, 1
HS Level Director: no nominated candidates
write ins:
Dunn, 1
Stewart, 36
MS Level Director: no nominated candidates
write ins:
Hardin, 7
Youngblood, 7
Sadowski, 3
Miller, 1
Romo, 1
Strasser, 1
Elementary Level Director: no nominated candidates
write ins:
Holdren, 2
Yee, 2
Carlin, 1
Gale, 1
Pendall, 1
McCarthy, 1
Sobak, 1
Teska, 1
Whalen, 1
note: Gale and Whalen have agreed to share the position.
write ins who are not elementary level teachers.
Hardin, 1
Strasser, 1
HS Building Reps (2)
nominated candidates:
Lindsay, 41
Rapin, 45
Arthurs Middle School Rep.
nominated candidate:
Romo, 34
Anderson Building Rep:
nominate candidates:
(co-reps) Miller/Teska, 20
Hedke Building Rep: no nominated candidates
write ins:
McCarthy, 3
Yee, 3
Gale, 1
Kowalski, 1
Monas, 1
Owen Building Rep:
nominated candidates:
(co-reps) Carlin/Holdren, 18
Taylor Building Rep:
nominated candidates:
(co-reps) Prone/Stoyek, 22
Special Services Rep: no nominated candidate
write ins:
Sutherland, 11
Harvey, 2
Brown-Platts, 1
Gambino, 1
Gronda, 1
Rowe, 1
Sejnost, 1
Strasser, 1
Weise, 1
Willenborg, 1
January 2001 General Meeting Results
A general meeting was held Thursday January 11, 2001, from 4:00 p.m.
until 5:00 p.m. at
the THS Media Center (see map). Attendance was
light. This meeting was for the purpose of
nominating officers for a term that begins February 1, 2001. It was noted that
additional nominations could be filed prior to the deadline of 12:00 a.m. the
evening of January 11, 2001.
Open offices and the nominees are:
District Director, two year term, Nominee, Mr. Vince Preuthun
Assistant District Director, two year term, no nominee
Secretary, two year term, no nominee
Treasurer, two year term, no nominee
MEA-RA Representative, two year term, Mr. M. R. Frye
MEA-RA Alternate #1: Ms. Rebecca Lowe
MEA-RA Alternate #2: Mrs. Darlene Strasser
(note there is no limit of the number of alternate delegates)
NEA-RA Representative, two year term, Mr. M. R. Frye
NEA-RA Alternate #1: Ms. Rebecca Lowe
NEA-RA Alternate #2: Mrs. Darlene Strasser
(note there is no limit of the number of alternate delegates)
High School Level Director, two year term, no nominee
Middle School Level Director, two year term, no nominee
Elementary School Level Director, two year term, no nominee
Building Representatives, one year term
High School, two positions, Mr. Robert Lindsay, Mr. Wm. Rapin
Middle School, one position, Mrs. Deborah Romo
Anderson, one position, Co-reps: Ms. Corrine Miller/Mrs.
Kellie Teska
Hedke, one position, no nominee
Owen, one position, Co-reps: Mrs. Debra Carlin/Ms. Dorothy
Holdren
Taylor, one position, Co-reps: Ms. Deborah Stoyek/Mrs. Nancy
Prone
Special Services, one position, no nominee
Constitutional Amendment Voting Results:
In the recent vote on amendments to the TEA constitution, the following results
were certified by the RC (Representative Council):
Amendment 1: Passed (100% of those voting in favor)
Amendment 2: Not Passed (48% of those voting in favor)
Amendment 3: Not Passed (38% of those voting in favor)
Amendment 4: Passed (94% of those voting in favor)
The constitution has been changed to reflect the results of the voting.
See the on-line copy of the constitution.
March
13, 2006
Police called on Teacher Picketers
At the February 20th Board Meeting / Curriculum
Night, about 50 Trenton teachers walked an informational picket line to share
with parents their unhappiness about working without a contract. As
Administrators watched from inside the building, as many as five Trenton Police
cars patrolled the area while teachers demonstrated.
Trenton’s mayor (a former board member) requested that a patrolman be
assigned to stay on site while the teachers were picketing. The patrolman
assured the teachers that he was there for their benefit as well as the
District’s. What a waste of city
resources!!
RUMOR MILL:
“HAVE YOU HEARD….”
…At a meeting with city officials, the District was
alleged to have said that negotiations with the teachers is on the back
burner…. and that they didn’t want it to appear that they were buying
teachers off to get their support of the bond …. and that money spent on
raises/salaries was money down the drain, that you never get it back (we are a
big, black hole)…..
…we know that Administrators received at least a 1½ %
raise in September, but according to a News Herald article on March 5th,
those same administrators were given a 2% pay raise in November…. and we have
a deficit???
Trenton E-mail Accounts
WARNING!! Be
advised that email administrators have full access to your school email account
and they can see any activity in that account. Your school email account may not
be that secure… numerous reports
have come in from members about emails disappearing, email boxes being full
(when they weren’t), emails being received by people whom they were never sent
to, and account passwords (all of a sudden) not working.
Be smart!! There are lots of
options for free web-based email accounts, including hotmail, gmail (thru
Google), yahoo, etc. Your Internet
provider (Comcast, Wide Open West, Ameritech, etc.) may also provide web-access
to your personal email account. REMINDER!!! YOU SHOULD NEVER
SAVE YOUR NAME AND PASSWORD ON ANY SCHOOL OR OTHER PUBLIC COMPUTER SO THAT IT
AUTOMATICALLY LOGS IN TO YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT!
The Union received an email from the Human Resources Office
notifying us of a change in carrier for our employer provided life insurance
effective April 1, 2006. We will be
changing to Standard Life (from United of Omaha).
There is no change in coverage except, for those who will or are expected
to be out on disability at the time of the conversion.
These individuals will be covered, but may be required to apply for a
“Waiver of Premium” with United of Omaha in
case they became totally disabled prior to returning from their current medical
leave. This change is legal
because the carrier of our life insurance coverage is not named in our current
contract.
The three Union Presidents received an invitation from Dr. Savel to see a presentation (and give our input) by Mr. Mull and himself regarding the 2006-07 Budget. Following is my letter declining to participate and why:
TRENTON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
27290
Weddel Brownstown, MI
48183
Even worse,
when your recommendations for the budget were presented to the Board of
Education, the attendance of union leaders in that preliminary meeting was
grossly misrepresented. You stated that there was “consensus” reached with
the unions suggesting that we agreed with the decimation of the teacher ranks to
save money. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
Respectfully,
Darlene Strassser
TEA District Director
Cc:
Trenton Board of Education
TEA Membership
Open Letter to the Trenton Board of Education
The budget proposal (with reductions) presented to the
Board on March 14th raises very serious concerns for the Trenton
Education Association, especially when 84% of the budget cuts are in educational
personnel. We are in the business of
education and educators
represent our largest, most valuable resource. The proposed cuts are not
equitable within the total budget and will severely impact the quality of
education offered by Trenton Public Schools.
We have itemized our concerns below:
| There
is NO “real” budget deficit. The district has money in the bank and owns
property. The district has a stable student population. We even saw a small
gain in the number of students this past year and another small increase has
been projected for next year. Given these facts, eliminating nearly
$2,000,000 from the budget - mostly in the area of educational
personnel - is an extreme and unnecessary move. |
| We
unequivocally state that there was NO consensus reached between the union
and administration regarding this budget proposal. We had NO opportunity to
review what was proposed in order to offer input prior to the presentation. |
| TEA, TESP, and TPASA provided many budget suggestions, but NONE were included in this proposal. We requested additional information about many specific areas but were given little with which to formulate further concrete suggestions. |
Elementary Level
| The
class size targets are within levels that already exist in some elementary
schools. Will class size be equalized across the elementary buildings in
order to preserve the “target” numbers? |
| Twenty-Five
students in kindergarten is absolutely too high. |
| There are an inordinate number of elementary teachers being terminated under the budget proposal. |
Middle School Level:
We have serious disagreement with this portion of the proposal from a curricular standpoint. The proposed middle school curriculum changes are NOT necessary because of budget. We urge the Board to reconsider these massive and ill-conceived changes and to NOT approve the curriculum as proposed. Specifically:
| The
middle school cannot be arbitrarily “returned” to a six period day. This
is a misleading statement as the middle school has had a seven period day
for over 25 years. Additionally, this is a subject involving contractual
issues that must be addressed with the teacher’s union. |
| The
elective/exploratory program at |
| Considerable
money for equipment, software, and maintenance as well as dedicated staff
time has been focused on the development of technology courses such as Web
Page Design, Keyboarding, Desktop Publishing, and Video Production. The
removal of key technology personnel has seriously hampered the integration
of technology this year but the proposed curriculum will completely
destroy what is left of a once strong technology initiative. Expensive
equipment will go unused and/or underutilized. Teachers with no technology
background will be assigned to teach courses like Keyboarding and Computer
Education. This does NOT need to happen. We have all the resources and
personnel in the district that are needed to provide an excellent
technology program that truly integrates technology resources in
meaningful and sensible ways. Our students deserve this. We can do better
- and we have done better - than the proposed curriculum allows. |
| The
physical education program has been developed again by dedicated, expert
staff to help prepare students for a lifetime of fitness and an awareness
of a healthy lifestyle. Students an athletes enjoy PE and many elect to
take PE courses all year – beyond the twenty weeks currently required at
all grade levels. The program fully utilizes the building facilities
including the renovated locker rooms, updated pool, the mat room with the
traversing wall, rebuilt tennis courts, resurfaced track, and a variety of
sports equipment. The
curriculum proposal will reduce the required PE course to ten weeks
instead of twenty and students will have NO choice for electing any
additional PE activity. Facilities that are currently used will be
underutilized. There will not be enough time in ten weeks to introduce
students to the depth of information and physical training they currently
enjoy. With national studies showing that so many young people suffer from
obesity and unhealthy, inactive lifestyles, why would we reduce the
opportunities for students in this area? Again, we have everything needed
to provide an exceptional program in physical education. Why would we
settle for a mediocre one instead? |
| Other
elective/ exploratory classes have also been developed by staff to provide
students with an exceptional experience. An emphasis has been placed on
Career Education with considerable money expended over several years for
research materials in the media center and videos used across many
curriculum areas. Staff members on their own initiative have sought out
speakers and community resources to expose students to a variety of
“real-life” career opportunities. This is also true in regard to Art,
Economics, Foreign Language, Drafting, Skills for Adolescence, Study
Skills, Wood Shop, Public Speaking, etc. Staff have built these programs
from the ground up – often with no textbooks or even a curriculum
outline as guidance. They have sought out materials and worked to provide
students with a wealth of information and relevant experiences. However,
with the proposed curriculum, most of these courses won’t exist or they
will be taught by core teachers who have no background and virtually no
time to prepare for an entirely new subject. The proposed curriculum
trades away staff expertise and dedication for a roster of classes that is
“easier to schedule.” |
| The
staff at |
| The
proposed middle school exploratory curriculum looks more like a slightly
revised elementary “specials” schedule than the coordinated, choice
driven, middle school program where the staff has worked over two years to
plan and design and four years to implement. Why are several years’
worth of work and expense being abandoned? If money is the main
consideration, how do these changes save enough money to justify the move
to a “mediocre” curriculum instead of maintaining an excellent one?
Why is this wholesale abandonment of the middle school curriculum and
organization taking place? One of the strongest statements in the
community survey was that the community DID NOT favor the elimination of
electives in the educational offerings of the district. Under the plan
proposed, students at the middle school would have NO elective choices
other than to be in band/chorus or not to be in band/chorus. The proposed
overhaul of the middle school curriculum will force students into a set
sequence of exploratory courses. Where is the budgetary need for these
drastic measures? We believe the middle school can continue to offer a
full course of electives and exploratories even with some staff cuts – although staff cuts truly may not be a
budgetary necessity and are certainly not desirable. Bottom line -- the
proposal for wholesale curriculum change is NOT necessary. |
| Under
the proposed curriculum changes, if a student attends middle school in |
| One reason given for the drastic overhaul of the middle school curriculum is that it would be “easier to schedule.” No doubt it would be easier to remove all choices from students and work through a pre-set series of courses that all students are required to take. However, administrative ease is a very poor reason to abandon the entire middle school organization and curriculum. |
High School Level
| “Staffing ratio” is just a soothing way to say that class size is going up. Increasing class size is not a reasonable approach considering that currently, SIXTY (60) classes at the high school already have more than 28 students. |
Overall Budget
| Teaching
staff makes up less than 64% of the budget but is suffering 84% of the cuts. |
| The
discretionary budget should be examined for cost containment and savings. 5%
-10% can be found and would be a significant overall reduction that would
not adversely impact instruction. Specifically in the area of athletics
there are savings that could be realized without adversely affecting the
program. With an increase in “pay to play” fees, the cost of athletic
programs has simply been shifted to parents and students but NO cuts have
been made in the athletic budgets. |
| There
are NO cuts to administration or transportation reflected in the budget
proposal yet these two areas combined make up 20% of the budget. |
| Union
representatives asked administration about the possible cost savings that
would result from closing an elementary building. No concrete information
was provided other than a general statement that it might save between
$500,000 and $750,000. This is still a substantial amount towards the target
reductions. Why isn’t this an
option when some buildings will sit half empty next year? |
| We
also stand by a recommendation made a year ago – that this Board open the
district to a School’s of Choice program. All revenue sources must be
examined in order to maintain the viability of the educational programming
of this district. Destroying quality programs in order to save the district
from “outsiders” is NOT a reasonable approach. |
| The
district has not included any of the additional revenue currently being
proposed in |
| What is the plan if there are three or four retirements in the district? Will a commensurate number of staff members be added back? Three retirements means that three less people should be laid off plus two additional teachers, at the low end of the salary range, could be returned. Surely five additional staff would make a dramatic difference in the programs that can be offered. More staff equals more programs equals a quality education in Trenton Public Schools. |
To:
Trenton Board of Education
From:
Darlene Strasser
TEA District Director
Date:
I would
like to commend the Board for your recent decision in choosing Terre Davis to
assist in the search for our new Superintendent.
By choosing this process, which not only encouraged employee, parent, and
community participation, it also gave ownership to all involved and fostered a
sense of value and worth to those who contributed their time and effort.
This
recent collaboration between teachers, parents, administration and board members
showed us all, that collaboration truly works.
When all of the stakeholders are involved in the process, and when
information is gathered from multiple sources, the resulting decision has a far
better chance for success.
I speak
to you tonight with a heavy heart because of the cuts that are being proposed to
you for adoption. I think we were sitting right here one year ago talking about
this same issue, the bleak financial outlook for public education.
This time, unfortunately, even more is at stake for this community,
its’ teachers, and support personnel.
I have
met with Dr. Leapley regarding these proposed cuts and there is not a doubt in
my mind that he is as disheartened as I. However,
in our view, the layoffs that are being proposed are excessive in number and
unnecessary to achieve a balanced budget. The resulting fear, anxiety, and
unease created by a proposed layoff of almost 30% of your teaching staff is bad
for the educational climate, this district and its’ community.
We
understand the necessity for a reduction of staff when there is a decline in
enrolment and we understand the need to carefully examine programs for
effectiveness. We do not understand
why you would not come to us, your employees, to ask our input in finding
creative, alternative solutions to this budget crisis.
We are stakeholders. We all
have a vested commitment to continuing the excellence of education in
I also
come before you tonight with the hope that you would be willing to “step out
of the box” again and allow us to assist you, the Board, in bringing about the
best possible solution to the budget and staffing issues of this district.
We stand
ready to offer you that collaboration and input. We invite you to meet with us
on a regular basis to discuss and problem solve educational issues that are
plaguing public education today. We will approach this as partners and
shareholders who all have the same goal.
We urge
you to consider this request in the spirit it is given and work together with us
as professionals who are committed to the continued excellence of education in
Trenton Public Schools.
