Idaho is laboratory of teacher pay plans

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700193149/Idaho-is-laboratory-of-teacher-pay-plans.html

Read this article in the Deseret News about Idaho's teacher pay plans.
Rick

School District to allow "Bible" on slip

Read
Amy Choate-Nielsen's article in the Deseret News today: "A California school district has given the OK to a Christian church group to include the word "Bible"on permission slips distributed in schools"

Go to www.deseretnews.com to read the entire article on religious freedom in schools.

Rick

State Senator A. Osmond and State Supt. Shumway propose changes to Orderly Termination Law

Representatives from Ogden and Weber school districts will be meeting with Senator Osmond (took Chris Butters place) and Supt. Shumway in the next couple of weeks to discuss their legislation to change the current orderly termination law.  We will have OEA and WEA representatives there to listen and represent teachers.  This is only one of many negative pieces of legislation we will be dealing with in the next session.  We have planned to meet with all of our Weber legislators before the session to discuss our priorities.

Rick

Good news and bad news

The good news first:  OEA's VP Sara Byrd gave birth to a healthy baby boy (8lbs +) named Marcus Alexander...congrats to the parents.

Bad news: we are sorry to announce the passing of Lynn Trenbeath, long-time Davis District administrator and a mediator for both WEA and OEA during our troubled negotiations.  She was a special lady and will missed by many.

Read Randy Shumway's opinion article in Deseret News

Go to www.deseretnews.com and read Randy Shumway's comment piece: "Education must be legislature's highest priority.

Rick

Go to USOE website to see new PSD Gateway

Go to www.schools.utah.gov/main to check out the new Public School Data Gateway.  This new website allows the public to compare schools.  Eventually this will be the site that grades schools also.

Rick

UEA Convention

Go to www.myuea.org to read information about the UEA Convention that was held last week.
Rick

Attend UEA Convention Oct. 20-21

Hope you are able to attend the UEA Convention Thursday and Friday.  If not, enjoy the "Fall Break"...you surely deserve it.

Rick

Utah asks Federal Govt for waiver of some NCLB standards

Read in today's Salt Lake Tribune the article about Utah State Office of Education's request to grant waivers from the feds for NCLB.

www.sltrib.com

Rick

Ogden Interest Based Bargaining Training Scheduled

OEA's negotiation team will meet with the District's team, Supt. Smith and one school board member in preliminary Interest Based Bargaining training, November 7th under the direction of Kathy Yamamoto, Boise Education Association Executive Director.  Kathy has extensive experience in facilitating IBB training.

Rick

Sl Tribune supports improved funding for schools

Go to www.sltrib.com and read the editorial about funding education in Utah.


Rick

Read in today's SL Tribune about Gov. Herbert's message to High School students

You can read in today's SL Tribune or Deseret News about Gov. Herbert's message to students
www.sltrib.com or www.deseretnews.com  Gov. Herbert will be speaking also at the UEA Convention next week.

Rick

Utah State Supt. Larry Shumway laments wilting funding

Read Lisa Schencker's entire article about Supt. Larry Shumway's "State of Education" speech. He said, "Our effort, our willingness to invest, just doesn't match our claim of valuing children, our claim of being committed to the future.  I believe we must do more."  (www.sltrib.com)

Rick

Ethics, Professionalism and School Law: Ed 1010

I presented to Dean Rasmussen's Ed 1010 class at WSU today.  I talk to the students about the role of the association and the boundaries that teachers must be aware of to stay out of trouble.

Rick

WEA AR and Executive Board Meet today

The Weber Education Association Building Reps and Executive Board will meet today at 4:15 at the UniServ office.

Read today's Lee Benson column at www.deseretnews.com to read about how teachers can get things donated to their classroom.  Also check out Kate Bideaux's list of grants on our webpage at www.ogdenweber.org


Rick

Read about the Future Educators "Read for the Record" event in the Standard-Examiner

You can go to www.standard.net and read the article about the Ogden and Weber Future Educators reading to break a world record in elementary classrooms yesterday.

Rick

Future Educator students "Read for the Record"

Today, for two hours, Future Educators around the world are reading "Llama, Llama, Red Pajama" to thousands of students in order to break the world record.  Our OHS and Weber FEA Chapters, under the direction of advisors Suzy Davis and Joan Iverson are reading to elementary students around the districts.  Grants from the UEA Children at Risk Foundation helped buy the books and the WSU FEA chapter directed by Stephanie Heath also sponsored some books. 

Rick

Ogden School Board fills open seat

You can read in today's Standard Examiner www.standard.net about the replacement for Supt. Brad Smith on the Ogden School Board. The board interviewed five applicants and chose Jeffrey N. Heiner, 36, a Roy native and a manager at MarketStar.  He will be sworn in at the school board meeting Thursday, Oct. 6 at 5pm.

Rick

Evaluation Summit

The Utah State Office of Education Evaluation Summit brought in experts on evaluation from around the area and country.  The keynote speaker made it quite clear that evaluations were not to "fire teachers", but to help identify those who need help and prescribe the support needed.

Annette Brinkman, Granite District, presented their support for teachers and principals they use in their district.

Rick

Redistricting Drama to Play out : Deseret News

The special legislative session to start the redistricting of legislative and school board boundaries begins today.  You can read more about it at www.deseretnews.com

Tomorrow I will be attending an "Evaluation Summit" in SLC where keynoters and presenters will discuss the new evaluation plan that each district must complete.

Rick