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President's Message

To: SEA Bargaining Unit

From: Alex Anguiano, SEA President

Re: RIF Procedures

Date: February 12, 2010

This past week, 1206 of our bargaining unit members received a letter from the District indicating the credential information and seniority date that the District has on file. (I also received such a letter.) We have been asked to check the accuracy of the information. Bargaining unit members hired since 1/01/01, all nurses, all librarians, and teachers with certain credentials received the letter.

The District is preparing for RIF (reduction in force) procedures. Layoffs of permanent or probationary certificated employees must be preceded by a notice of potential layoff, which must be received by the employee no later than March 15, followed by a hearing at the teachers request and a final decision on the layoff by the school board no later than May 15. I have been informed that the school board will be acting on March 8 to issue potential layoff notices to approximately 70 FTE (full time equivalent) SEA bargaining unit members. Since the District has begun the process of exercising a legal right that is available to them, so must we.

SEA will be hosting a series of meetings to prepare our members for the hearings that will be available to them. We will be working collaboratively with our fellow South County CTA chapters in this process.

February 23, 2010: SEA Rep Council - we will review the RIF process with our site reps.
March 11 and March 12: SCTU will host meetings with members who will be going through the RIF process. We recommend that all members who receive a layoff notice request a hearing. These meetings will be at the South County Teachers United office.
March 19: Affected members will meet with our legal counsel. This meeting is tentatively scheduled to be at Hilltop High.
April 5 and April 6: The actual RIF hearing will be held the district office.

Please note: We can only represent CTA members at these hearings. Non-members must become members before the District issues layoff notices if they desire CTA representation.

On March 4, activities are being planned statewide to spotlight the devastation that the fiscal crisis and our State’s budget system has had on education. We are now 50^th in the nation in per pupil funding. Last. I am requesting that you participate in the before school activity at your site. (Details to follow.) I am also requesting that you wear pink on this day in support of our membership that will be going through the RIF process.

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RIF INFORMATION MEETINGS

South County Teachers United will be holding informational meetings on the days listed below. These meetings are a chance for you to pick up paperwork required for all CTA members in order to receive representation. You will also learn about the process, timelines and your rights. Staff will be available to answer questions you may have.

In addition we will have one meeting with legal counsel to answer specific questions you may have. It is in your best interest to be well informed about this process.

RIF meetings with CTA STAFF:

March 11 at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and March 12 at 4:00

SCTU office - 196 Landis Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91910

RIF meeting with legal counsel, Fern Steiner:

March 19 at 4:00

Hilltop High - 1395 Hilltop Dr., Chula Vista 91911

NEA and AFT Urge Support for Fired Rhode Island Teachers

February 26, 2010 -- Teachers and staff at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island were making real progress in improving academics and raising test scores. But this past week, district administrators made national headlines with the now-infamous decision to fire the entire staff of the school. The NEA and the American Federation of Teachers stand together in solidarity with the fired educators and are urging supporters to take action on their behalf.

By signing the petition at

http://centralfallskidsdeservebetter.com/petition

educators, parents, students, and members of the public call on District Superintendent Frances Gallo to do what is right -- work with the teachers instead of scapegoating them, and seek real reforms that help students achieve.

The 74 teachers and support professionals fired are invested in their students and their community, union leaders said. And while they recognize there is still much work to be done, they want nothing more than to stay hard at work and continue the momentum.

In recommending their firing to the Central Falls school board Tuesday, Gallo took the unusual step of blaming the teachers, rather than following a collaborative path to proven reforms that benefit students. As school board members tallied their 5-2 vote that amounted to a humiliating public firing of the educators, teachers packing the room leaned against each other for support and wept.

New federal school reform requirements offer districts four options for turning around under-performing schools. Under the transformation model, educators work in collaboration with administrators. That's what was under way in Central Falls, until Gallo opted to switch to the turnaround model, by which every teacher is fired at the school.

NEA and AFT leadership and members are working closely with the Central Falls Teachers Union and the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals to get the Central Falls administration to return to negotiations and find a resolution to the crisis.

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