Ogden Teachers Rally for Collective Bargaining

Ogden Teachers Rally for Collective Bargaining

Friday, December 19, 2008

Merry Christmas

As this winter storm blows in from the north, I wanted to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am looking forward to seeing grandchildren and family in the Phoenix area. Yes, Dorothy, there are golf courses in Scotsdale. 63 degrees looks pretty good when we compare it to the forecast here for this weekend. I know we all need a break and it will be a good time to recharge our batteries and finish off the year. We are meeting this morning with two of our legislators, Brent Wallis (District 10) and Richard Greenwood (District 12). Susan Kuziak, one of UEA's lobbyists (retired Exec. Director of UEA), is coming down to meet and talk about the upcoming session. We will impress upon them to limit any reductions in public school funding. It will be a tough session for all state government.

Enjoy your time with family and friends and again thank you for all you do to make WEA and OEA so strong. It is an honor and a pleasure to work for you. Rick

Thursday, December 18, 2008

UEA Board of Directors

The governing board of the Utah Education Association makes decisions that affect the way your UEA dues are used. Each UniServ unit elects one representative to the board. We also elect a Minority representative. We are lucky to have Mary Courney (OEA President) and Barbera Wayment (Washington Terrace teacher) serve in those capacities. They attend meetings each month and represent our 1600 members very well. We appreciate the dedication and sacrifices that all of our leaders make in serving you.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Last Chance to enter the December Blog Contest

HI, enter today for your chance at winning some neat prizes at our AR meetings in January. The blogmeister will be taking a short vacation (in warmer climes) until after Christmas. Just email rick@ogdenweber.org and use the word "Huntsman" in the message.

Huntsman and the legislature differ on how to deal with the shortage of tax revenue. The legislative leaders want a special session and Gov. Huntsman says no. The legislature wants to meet and make more cuts out of this year's programs (including education). The governor thinks we should wait the five weeks until the session opens Jan. 26, 2009. I think this is a perfect time for the Governor to use some of that political capital he has earned with an landslide victory and 75% approval rating. Plus it is fun to see the political battle.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

New Education Secretary Announced

President-elect Obama has selected Arne Duncan, Chicago public school chief, to be his new Secretary of Education. Mr. Duncan has reformed the Chicago School system over the past few years, improving teacher quality and closing down under performing schools. He seems to be a friend of NEA, but also acceptable to the reform movement.

Governor Huntsman is resisting calling another special budget session to address the diminishing revenue projection. Both the Republican House and Senate Caucus called for a session to cut more out of this year's budget.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Christmas Savings

Yes, it is the time to buy those Christmas gifts. Boost the economy through all of your many purchases. As a member of UEA and NEA you have some places to look for savings to stretch those valuable dollars. Visit the www.utea.org site and check out the savings for members only at the access site. Also, check out www.neamb.org and look for the members only savings on the "click and save" site. You just need to use your membership card number and register. Have a great holiday and use all of the value your membership brings you. Rick

Friday, December 12, 2008

Searching for the real meaning of Christmas...

I made the leap into Christmas spirit today...I set my XM Satellite radio on "Traditional Christmas Music"...you know Dean Martin, Frank and the boys...oh you were born after I graduated from college in '76...well never mind then. Oh, by the by...who was the first person to use "xmas" instead of "Christmas"...must have been someone having a really bad day. Christmas to me is seeing my little grandchildren as excited as I was when I was little. Now my wife has to put up the tree and I say "bah humbug" more than in the summer. Sen. Buttars is trying to get us all in the right spirit...go for it Senator...at least you aren't messing up education. Hope you all have a great "holiday" break...Rick

Thursday, December 11, 2008

"Reasonable and Prudent"

One of the worries that we all have in teaching young people is knowing what to do if a student shares personal information that leads us to believe that some abuse or molestation has taken place. What do I do? Who should I report it to? Should I try and get more information from the student? At what point am I in trouble if I don't report it? In law enforcement the terms "reasonable and prudent" show up when deciding if we have acted correctly. I looked up "reasonable" and the definition states: "possessing sound judgement". I looked up "prudent" and found: "a": "marked by wisdom or judiciousness". My opinion then, would be to let your supervisor and/or counselor know whenever the "red flags" appear in a conversation with a student. The DCFS (Division of Child and Family Services) needs to be notified at the proper time. You can be in jeopardy of disciplinary or legal action if you fail to report. Listen to your administrators and stay safe. That is a CYA strategy. C=Cover Y=Your A=Behind (I know that makes sense) If you have a question please let me know. It is important to be there for the students.

The "password is" DCFS. Email me rick@ogdenweber.org to enter the contest. (prizes to be drawn for in January AR meetings)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Teacher Performance Pay Put on Hold by State Dept. of Education

Don't count that performance pay yet. The economic downturn has forced the USOE to hold back the $20 Million one time money that was to be paid to districts who made a plan to pay for performance. In most districts the payment would be between $350 and $500 for this year only. "In a perfect world where we had loads of revenue no one would want to cut anything..." Larry Shumway, State Deputy Supt. In some districts teachers have been working hard to accomplish goals and tasks and now will not get paid.

Our "BLOG Contest" this month allows you to enter more than once. To enter today email rick@ogdenweber.org and use the word "performance pay" in the message. LINDA GALLEGO AND JUDY HOSKINS FROM SOUTH OGDEN WON $25 TARGET GIFT CARDS THIS MONTH FROM WEA. Thanks Rick

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Our UniServ Secretaries are here to serve you

We have two great secretaries here at the UniServ office. Tina Cordero and Shirley Watanabe are sisters. They were born in Okinawa and we are lucky to have them doing such a great job for us here in the office. They have both been here over 12 years and know everything about the function of a UniServ office. I hope you get a chance to visit on the phone with them or meet them soon.

Monday, December 8, 2008

FEA Conference at Weber State a Huge Success

Nearly 100 students from Davis, Weber, and Ogden School Districts attended the WSU FEA student Conference last Friday, Dec. 5. Dr. Crawford, WSU professor, welcomed the students and advisors and pointed out the importance of teachers who seek knowledge, who are caring and who share their knowledge. The students also heard from Josh Simon on the importance of service learning. There were break out sessions and a tour of the campus. Suzy Davis does a wonderful job at OHS and Jodi Lunt and Lynette Wilkes from Davis have done a lot to get FEA started down there. Stephanie Heath has been amazing as the College of Education Recruiter.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Who Represents Me?

One of the benefits of association membership is the secure feeling that someone will be there to "represent" you in a situation when you feel your job or your profession is threatened. I wonder if the word "advocate" is a better term to use because in most cases we assist the member in knowing what rights they do have. Many times we ask "what can the WEA/OEA do for us? or What do my dues give me?Bold I would like you to ask yourself instead, "What can I do to make our association/union stronger?" Are we stronger with 60% of the teachers as members or are we stronger with 70% of the teachers as members? Wouldn't we be stronger if we all looked for ways to participate in the lobbying of our legislators than just read about how our UEA Lobby team is working on Capitol Hill? Can I say positive things about the association to my "non member" friend that would promote membership recruitment rather than wait for the building rep or Rick or Marlene or Mary to stop by and ask them to join? What can I do to help get elementary teachers more prep time? What can I do to improve working conditions? Building capacity in our membership means increased participation and as a result a stronger association. Do I have time to serve as a rep, join a committee, or run for an association office? Is just paying my dues enough? Only you can answer those questions.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Governor's Budget Introduced

Do you want the good news or the bad news??? The good news is that the Governor's budget (remember it is only a request/plan, the legislature sets the budget) tries to infuse enough one time money to keep education funding stable and pay for the growth (you know those thousands of little guys coming into the school system). The bad news (not unexpected with the revenue shortfalls) is no sight of increases in any wpu, no money for supplies, and no one time funding (where we had received a lot of technology, media, etc. funding in the past). UEA's lobby team is meeting as I write this to strategize and work on a plan to remind the legislature of the priority of public school funding in our state. Stay tuned...See you back on the ground Monday. To enter Dec.'s contest email me with the words San Jose Sharks in the message (they beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2, my first NHL game) thanks again for all you do. rick @ogdenweber.org

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Good Morning From San Jose...does any one know the way?

I represent my other UniServ Directors around the state on the UEA Transformation Team. Our purpose is find ways of "transforming" UEA so that we can meet our strategic goals. You can help us by going to the UEA Website at www.utea.org and answering a few survey questions. If you were unable to hear NEA President Van Roeckel's (sic) fine speech at the UEA Convention, his remarks are there also and I encourgage you to take a few moments and check them out. One of our goals is to listen more to our members. We are a "service" oriented association and we want to hear ideas from you, our strength. Thanks again for checking out my attempt to communicate with you and I love to hear your comments. I will try and survive the 65 degree weather here. Oh, did I hear it snowed in Ogden? I will be hearing reports from our NEA leaders and staff today and tomorrow. Check back and I will share some of what I hear. Rick

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Professionalism Presentation

I will be presenting a power point presentation to the faculty at H. Guy Child Elementary Wednesday, Dec. 3. The title is "Professionalism, Ethics, and the Contract". I robbed it from another colleague, Nikki Peterson, from Granite Education Association. I have shown it at a few schools in Weber and in Ogden. If I haven't been to your faculty meeting, have your Association Rep or your principal call and schedule it. I think it is important that our association promotes professional behavior and it never hurts to have a reminder of the dos and don'ts that get us in trouble. To enter in this month's blog contest, send me an email (rick@ogdenweber.org) with the word "ethics" in the message. I will allow you to enter more than once. Thanks for reading. I will post from my NCUEA meetings in San Jose tomorrow. Rick

New Blog Contest Starts Today

Congratulations to Alicia Mason, Mound Fort, for winning the November contest. Alicia won a 25 dollar gift card to Olive Garden. Weber's winners will be drawn next Monday. The new contest will start now with directions given each week in one of the daily blogs. This month you can enter more than once, giving you better odds. Today I am attending the Transformation Task Force at UEA meeting to look at ways we can better serve you as a member. In these tough economic times, your dues dollars need to be spent in the best and most efficient manner possible. About half of your UEA dues dollars come back to support our UniServ office here in Ogden. I hope you contact us with any concern or question that we can help with. We are here to serve and represent you. I will be attending a NCUEA conference in San Jose Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week. I will post on information I learn at the meetings. Look for rules coming this week. Thanks for reading. Rick

Monday, December 1, 2008

Ogden/Weber UniServ Committees

One of our most important UniServ commitees is membership. This group meets regularly to plan and implement our strategies for increasing our membership numbers. We are only as strong as our membership. This year OEA has seen its first increase in ten years. Ogden's licensed educator numbers have been falling for many years. This year OEA signed up a large number of our new hires at New Teacher Orientation. OEA has about 80% of licensed educators in Ogden District. WEA remains strong after a large increase last year. Weber has over 1000 members this year. We have enjoyed using the funds from a NEA Grant to help us promote the association.

We will draw for an Ogden winner in the Blog contest today in AR meeting. We will draw for WEA's winner next Monday. Look for the December contest rules to appear at this same blogsite in the next few days. Thanks Rick