Chico Unified Teachers Association
Chico Unified Teachers Association Newsletter
Parent Newsletter
November 2012
In This Issue
President's Message
President's Board Report
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Greetings! 

 In this back to Parent newsletter we have:
  • A Message From Our  President Kevin Moretti
  • Kevin Moretti's Board Report November 7, 2012 

Help us keep our parents informed by forwarding this email to other parents using the link & at the bottom of this page.

 

President's Message Kevin Moretti
Kevin

 

 

And now for some good news. CUTA sponsored a Pancake Breakfast at Sierra View School to help rundraise for its 6th Grade Environmental Camp. Students sold tickets and raised over $2,500 toward their trip. We will be pulling another school out of the hat at our December Rep. Council meeting to sponsor another Pancake Breakfast for another school in the spring. We buy all of the supplies and the school keeps all the profit from the ticket sales.    

     And now for some more good news. As long as I can remember, CUTA has requested the District develop and make available a criteria that would explain to people how the District makes the decision to move folks from temporary status to permanent status. We recognize that the District has full authority in this decision making process and that the criteria may change from year to year. People just wanted to know "how does it work?"

     This year, the District came through, and I am glad to see that they have come up with a fairly specific criteria. Below, in bold, is the message Bob Feaster sent out to our temporary members explaining the process that was used this year.

 

We, as a district, are allowed to keep a specific number of teachers in "temporary" status.  This entitlement is based on several factors.  Each year about this time, when staffing is stabilized, we calculate the number of temp entitlements we have and then move current teachers in "temporary" status to "probationary" so that we do not exceed our prescribed entitlement.

 

The criteria we used to make the determination as to who in "temporary" status is recommended to move to "probationary" status is as follows;

 

1. Those teachers who had previously been "laid off" by CUSD as a result of reductions in force

2. Those teachers who were currently part time in "permanent" status and part time in "temporary" status

3. Those teachers who were recommended by site principals and/or district administrators based on their performance to date.

 

     This is a step in the right direction for the relationship between CUTA and CUSD. It has been my ultimate goal to improve our relations so that teachers can focus on doing what they do best: educate kids.

Remember, my door is always open, and my phone is always on. I am here to support you to the best of my ability.

Thank you.

Kevin

 

 

 

We appreciate the support you give to our teachers.
Thank you.
Kevin Moretti

 

 

President's Board Report November 7, 2012

November 7, 2012

Dear CUSD School Board,

The two  bargaining teams have not met since the last School Board meeting. Our first mediation session with Stephen Pearl, the PERB (Public Employees Relations Board) appointed mediator, is scheduled for December 6th.

     Now that Proposition 30 has passed, we hope the District will reconsider their position regarding medical benefits. To recap CUTA's position:

In '08/'09 CUTA proposed to go from Silver (more expensive plan) to Red (less expensive plan) for the 9/10, 10/11, and 11/12 school years allowing the District to keep the savings. Those savings, along with the savings from the four furlough days we agreed to, amount to somewhere between 3 � and $4 million.  CUTA agreed to this in response to the District's projected budget crisis and impending state takeover that fortunately, for us all, never occurred.

     CUSD began the '08/'09 school year with a $12.8 million fund balance, but had projected this year,12/13, to begin $7 � million dollars in the red.   Good fortune prevailed. Instead of starting this year $7.5 million dollars in the hole, we started with a positive fund balance of $20.8 million dollars. That is $8 million more than we began the '08/'09 school year with when this all began. We gave CUSD close to half of that $8 million dollars and we're asking for about $250,000 of it back this year.

Regarding elementary prep time:

    Using elementary teacher's prep time to solve the District's substitute problem is unacceptable to us. There are other solutions. The District may consider raising substitute pay closer to what it was here 25 years ago. Or, you may want to consider permanent subs at each site. This would have an incredible impact reducing lost instruction time when a teacher is out. On-site subs would know the kids, programs, and procedures of the school. They would be part of the staff, not a stranger that kids tend to "test".

     However CUSD decides to solve the sub problem, having teachers show up to their site first on their prep days, in case their school is short subs that day, is not the answer. It's a misuse of their time.

The District has stated that one of its goals is to improve relations with its employee groups. We are trying to give you that opportunity. In the past we used a tried and true formula. When negotiations reached impasse, we would get out the buttons, t-shirts and picket signs and rally the troops. Although these activities worked, it created an adversarial relationship between CUTA and the District. In the long run, I don't think that's good for anyone. We have purposely not gone that route. We would much rather work with you than against you. I hope it works. If not, at least CUTA can say we tried.

Sincerely,

Kevin Moretti

 

CUTA President

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for reading this and staying informed.

 

Kevin Moretti, President
Chico Unified Teachers AssociationBottom
[email protected] 343-0226