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THE
EAP NEWSLETTER May
2010 May
17 is the EAP General meeting. Election for Executive Board happens at this
meeting. The ballot is
as follows
President- Susanne Bajek 1st
Vice President- Sue Steele 2nd
Vice President- Joyce Goldberg
Treasurer – Norma Olsen –Bartley
Secretary- Melinda Buthe Elections will happen on May 17, 2010 at 3:45 in the Wheeler
School Library. This ballot will be standing unless any nominees will be brought
forth from the floor. Please make time to attend this meeting. May
21 is the EAP Retirement and Recognition Dinner- Please join us The EAP
Retirement and Recognition Dinner is quickly
approaching. The date is Thursday, May 27 at Nuchies
in Forestville. It is not too late to join us for dinner.
Nuchies famous Italian Specialty Station Rotini Marinara, Tortelini
Pesto and Angel
Hair with Seafood Sauce, Veggie
and Meat stuffed breads, Italian
Olives, Melon with Prosciutto, Cherry
Stuffed Peppers with Stella Cheese,
Stella Italian Table Cheese, Many
Italian delicacies served Including:
Marinated Artichokes,Tomatoes,
Eggplant, Mushrooms, Sopressada’s, Cappicola, Hot
Peppers Garlic
Bread, Veal Parmesian, Italian Sausage
Links with sweet peppers, Italian
Breads and much more. Coffee
and Italian mini pastries . Newsletter
Dates of Publication: -Jeff Wanner,
Newsletter Editor
Greetings EAP Members: I am writing this
message in a time of stress and uncertainty. All 1st and 2nd year teachers in
the Plainville schools have
received a notice of non-renewal and the budget issues are far from resolved. I hope that the
principals in each building delivered the non-renewal news to each teacher
with the addendum that this is
not performance based and if the presented budget is passed, as presented,
there will be no lay-offs. The budget is now in
the hands of the Town Council. Many teachers, who reside in Plainville,
attended the public forum on
Thursday evening and spoke very well in support of the presented budget.
There were, however, the group of residents
that believe that a 0% budget should be brought forth and thus the Plainville
voters would not have a chance to
pass the presented budget. Supporters of the school budget should continue to
attend Council work sessions and keep in contact
with Council members by email, phone or US Post. Urge people you know in town
to do the same. This will, I believe or at least
hope, make a difference and town residents will have their say on the
presented budget. The EAP will wait until
there is an adopted budget before making any decisions as to mid-term bargaining
and I would make sure that everyone
was informed, well in advance, as to what issues would be considered. Please
try to remain positive and focused on the
reason we became teachers in the first place. ED REP Council
Members Know you contract, know that it is OK to say
no. This is a
group of questions asked about the severity of opening the contract •
1. The BOE's requested that we open our contract with regard to
"salary and health insurance concessions". Is this information accurate? •
Yes, This is accurate. All Unions affiliated with the
Plainville Board of Education were requested to open their contracts for •
"mid-Term"
Negotiations. •
I believe the date was February 10,2009 •
•
2. If indeed
the membership were to agree to open part of the contract, we could lose
substantially more than just what would be lost if we froze on steps. In other words, theoretically
couldn't the BOE put forth a salary schedule from say 2006-2007 and then we
would be compelled to go to arbitration?. Am I
correct? •
Yes, This is correct. If we open our contract, just to
salaries, we are negotiating a new salary schedule and this could go to
arbitration. •
An arbiter
would look at this as the EAP was willing to open
the contact and knew that salary cuts would be made. •
Therefore, The Board would most likely win. The odds
would be severely against us. •
The same would then be true for health? YES •
•
3. Also, I would like to see the long-term impact if salaries
were frozen at this year's current step? •
The long term minimum is easy to figure out with the
following formula •
(X-Y)-(B-Y) = Z Z x
number of years left to retirement= Minimum loss of $ •
I will use step 4-5 as and example •
B= 2008-2009 step 5= $44,452 •
X= 2009-2010 step 5= $45,919 •
Y = 2008-2009 step 4= $43,170 •
(45919-43170)- (44454-43170)= 1476 •
Z= $1,476 •
1476 x 30 yrs=
$44,280 Almost 1 years salary! •
•
4. If
salaries were frozen, wouldn't those of us on step 15 actually have a
decrease in salary because the percent we pay for insurance increases from
14% to 15% ; a 1% increase. •
Actually, No one would really see a raise in the final
number of their paychecks due to the fact that if the schedule is frozen, •
there would be
only about a 1.2% increase in wages. But Yes people on top step would be
taking home less if this happens. •
•
4. If
salaries were frozen, wouldn't that then becoming the bargaining point for
the next contract? •
This would show the Board that we are willing to be open
and they MAY
possibly look at it as such. •
•
•
5. Is it
also true that if the contract were opened, we would be unable to ask for
anything in return unless we opened another part of the contract? In other words, if we agreed to open •
salaries, we couldn't
ask for more say, conference days in return unless we open that portion of
the contract as well? •
Correct •
•
6. Also,
elimination of positions is different than lay-off's? So can no lay-off' also guarantee no
elimination of positions? •
Yes elimination is different than lay offs. No it
cannot. Elimination is not hiring for a retiree, •
Layoff would be the termination of a job for a position. •
•
7. Also, if
salaries were frozen, wouldn't the amount lost be not just for one year but for the duration of one's teaching career? For instance, hypothetically, if one
were to •
"lose" $1,000 and you had 30 more years to teach,
wouldn't the freeze cost $30,000?
MATH teachers, corrections? •
See answer 3 •
•
8. Is it
also true, that there has been some discussion about extending the current
contract another year? •
Yes, this is true, That is the
whole conversation about opening the contract. •
This could be a scenario: The board could say
, "In good faith, we want to do X in the contract( and supply a
rational for X)." The EAP members vote to open the contract, The board
could say" I know we said that we said X but after further review we
need to offer Y."
Teacher
Tool Tip The White Board
Solution!! Mr. Clean Magic
Erasers are
the perfect solution for cleaning white boards. Have you
got a teacher tip? Email your teacher tip to wannerj@plainvilleschools.org
Do you have an issue
that you feel needs to be addressed? Use the Open Forum
space in the newsletter. Submit your
article via email to wannerj@plainvilleschools.org.
No articles submitted
for this issue. |
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