Seattle Education Association:
The voice of Seattle Public Schools Educators
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Seattle Educators Rally Against MAP
By Jonathan Knapp, SEA President
Participatory representative democracy is hard to get a handle on. In the union it has a long-standing and robust history. Even so, there are challenges. Are ARs supposed to advocate their own opinion and lead their buildings to an understanding of an issue? Or are they supposed to take the temperature of their buildings and reflect in their voting whatever it is that they discover, regardless of their own opinion? These are the prickly and problematic opposite ends of the spectrum of the question about the nature of representation. There are no easy answers to those questions. As for the participation part, however, there is an easy answer: everyone should be involved. At the January 14th RA, association reps voted overwhelmingly to support a teachers' boycott of the MAP test that started at Garfield High School. With the biggest turnout in months, the RA voted to voice SEA's support of the boycotting teachers, to hold a public rally about opposition to the MAP test, and to hold building meetings across the district where a petition would circulate about the MAP issue.
At the SEA offices, we worked furiously with WEA to get press releases out to the media and public. Requests for interviews came in at an unprecedented rate. SEA and WEA sent information out directly to members. WEA's communications staff seemed to drop everything in Federal Way to help us. They have done a wonderful job. Much of the rest of the country is watching. The California Teachers Association sent a letter of support on behalf of California's 325,000 teachers. Emails and calls have come in, not just from across the state, but from across the country. On Wednesday, January 23rd at 4 o'clock, SEA put on a rally to "Scrap the MAP" in front of the Stanford Center, just before the school board meeting. You can see a short video, put together by WEA communications staff, on the SEA website. More than two hundred people cheered students, parents, and teachers who spoke about why the MAP is not working for students in Seattle Public Schools. Speakers were concise, on message, and moving when recounting their experience. Everyone was buoyed to hear NEA President Dennis Van Roekel's voice on my cell phone with a powerful message of solidarity. TV, radio, and print media coverage was extensive and by most accounts (I later heard) relatively fair. After the rally, the school board heard our clear, unequivocal message: scrap the MAP this year. Everyone has done a great job with regard to the first two of the three pledges we made to each other at the RA on the 14th. Now it is time for more of us to live up to the third pledge. ARs voted to hold an SEA meeting about MAP testing and gather signatures for a petition. If your ARs have not proposed a meeting time yet, you should help them to get it started. Your ARs have a charge to carry this task out. They must gauge the level of dissatisfaction or satisfaction with the MAP. It is crucial to do this, not just for the boycotting teachers, but also to see how ready the membership is to support the new contract bargaining that will start this spring. Regular building meetings are one of the goals that SEA has set out for itself.Many things are happening that indicate that SEA is remaking itself into a transformative institution, one that will reshape the world we function in. We have given birth to a new scope of union action. Look at our initiatives: a Teacher Advisory Council, the Finland conference, National Board support, a decisive presence in school board elections, Creative Approach Schools, full delegations to NEA and WEA RAs, the Seattle Teacher Residency program, and more. In four organizing "blitzes" since June, in forty-two schools, we have had one-on-one conversations with over 1100 members. The true marker of our transformative work is direct participation in the union, "democracy in action".
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Fed up with Special Education concerns?
There are more concerns about Special Education this school year than ever. Reports of overages that don't get resolved; placement problems that stretch out over months; inappropriate teaching assignments and safety issues are concerns that members bring up.
There are resolutions that members are working on. Let's get together and get something done!
Every school should send a team of at least 3 members to:
SEA Special Education Meeting
For school teams
4:30 p.m., Thursday, February 21
Cleveland High School
5511 15th Ave S, Seattle
We will talk about how we can come together to address some of these problems. Your Association Rep should RSVP who is coming to rredmond@washingtonea.org.
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Interested in Becoming Nationally Board Certified?
Teachers interested in the process for becoming a National Board Certified Teacher should be doing some research and investigating the standards and requirements for this process. What follows is some information on how to get started in this research so you are prepared for next fall.
The first site you should visit, if you have not already done so, is www.nbpts.org. Here you will find the information about fees, the standards, and where you can actually see the instructions for the portfolio entries required for your area. An important readiness step is to become familiar with your standards. You will need to identify the certificate area closest to your own preparation and practice. There is an information number where you can direct questions you may have about the standards and the process.
You will also learn about different products like the Take One program, where you can do one of the portfolios this year and save that score for the next year if you decide to do the whole program.
The assessment fee is $2500 and there is an application fee of $65. The $65 gets you registered as a candidate. You will receive your box and materials once a $500 initial payment is made. The balance is typically due no later than January 31. If you go to the website, NBPTS offers a payment plan, but it's all due by March 15.
Washington offers a loan program administered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. There are conditions on the loan so you will need to go to their
website,http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/nbpts/default.aspx. information. One condition of the loan is that candidates who apply for the loan must be part of a support program. Washington's experience is that support programs are a critical element to successful candidates. There are several programs run by area colleges and universities. SEA has begun its own support program this year at a significantly less cost and run by Seattle NBCTs for Seattle teachers. We use a cohort framework with lower numbers assigned to coaches than most programs. Tim Kopp (tkopp@washingtonea.org) is the SEA staff contact for this support program. Watch the upcoming Unity for more information regarding this support program next fall.
One more source of information is WEA's Learning and Educational Policy Center. Dr. Jim Meadows provides information on WEA supports like the JumpStart event held in the summer and HomeStretch events held in winter. You can contact him at jmeadows@washingtonea.org.
SEA wishes you the best in your effort to attain the highest certification available in the United States.
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S.P.S. Offers Race and Equity Workshops
It is a top priority for Seattle Public Schools to eliminate racial inequity in our educational system. In the spring of 2012, the district appointed veteran educators Bernardo Ruiz, Jerri Harris, Anita Morales, and Fran Partridge to a newly formed Race and Equity Team. The focus of the team's work is to eliminate the disproportionality of academic achievement based on race.
On Friday, February 1, a four hour workshop exclusively for first year teachers and their mentors was held, which focused on Cultural Competence for those new to the profession. This winter the Race and Equity Team is offering a series of 5 workshops focused on race, equity, and cultural competence in the classroom. The first session will be held on February 7. NEXT WEEK! These workshops are optional, but strongly encouraged for ALL STAFF in the district. Please go into SAP and sign up for one of, or all of the workshops. Clock hours are available for each session.
Additional workshops are all held from 4:30-6:30pm in the JSCEE Auditorium:
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Thursday
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February 7th
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Race and Equity: Racial Identity and Bias
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Monday
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March 4th
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Race and Equity:
Cultural Cues
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Monday
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April 8th
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Race and Equity: Classroom Leadership
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Monday
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April 29th
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Race and Equity: Culturally Relevant Instruction
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Monday
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May 13th
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Race and Equity: TBA
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Electronic Voting for WEA/NEA Delegates open Jan. 25 - Feb. 6.
Now is your chance to weigh in on who will represent Seattle at the Washington Education Association and National Education Association Representative Assemblies in 2013. At these conventions, our Delegates meet with Delegates from across the state and country to set the priorities and direction of our Association. These are pivotal times in public education. Be sure that our representatives reflect the opinions of all the members by VOTING. For complete voting instructions, click here. The short version is: - Initial Login (MID) is your SPS employee ID number. DO NOT enter leading zeros (0).
- Your initial PIN number is your zip code(the one that is on file with SEA). (If your current zip code doesn't work, try the one where you previously lived.)
If you change your mind after voting, you can vote again. The system will count the last vote you submit prior to the end of the voting period - February 6, 2013, 11:59 PM. If you wish to vote by phone, the number is 1-800-538-9774 (for candidate statements, you will be directed to the Internet). Ready to cast your vote? Read Candidate Statements and VOTE NOW!
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Know Your Contract:
Long Term Leave Without Pay:
(Reprinted from last month as a reminder due to March 1 deadline)
Do you plan to take a long-term leave without pay next year?
If you plan to take a year of non-paid leave for 2013-2014, notification in writing is due to Human Resources by March 1. The contract allows members to take a year of non-paid leave for professional growth, education, employment opportunities (except teaching in another school district, state, or foreign country), serve in public office, travel, and any other reason that is not covered in the contract. This leave is applicable for only one year, unless there is a valid exception (i.e., Peace Corps).
To be eligible for leave, you must have worked in the district at least two full years immediately prior to the request for leave. The leave is also available for any FTE status. However, people on a plan of improvement, probation, or currently subject to discipline are ineligible for this type of leave. You must intend to return back to the district and will return to the same position held before the leave. After the leave is granted, the employee must contact the district in writing by March 1 of the year they are out on leave if the intent is to return back to work in the district. Failure to send notification will constitute resignation.
More information regarding long-term leave without pay is available in the contract under the Other Long-Term Leaves without Pay section, which is located under the Leaves article in the contract.
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WEA Lobby Day SEA participated in a WEA led statewide lobby day on Tuesday, January 29. SEA members, Bill Harris (Whitman Middle School), Andrea Redmond (Broadview-Thomson), and Liz Hayden (TOPS and SEA WEA-PAC Chair), along with President Jonathan Knapp, Vice President Phyllis Campano, and Executive Director Glenn Bafia met with the fifteen Seattle legislators. They were joined in some meetings by representatives of the school district, including Superintendent Banda and school board members, to speak jointly about the need for fully funding the McCleary decision laid down by the State Supreme Court. The main topics discussed included: funding the McCleary decision; lowering class size; reinstating the voter-approved COLA for all educational employees; supporting the "parent right to know" bill on testing which would require all school districts to inform the public about the number of hours spent taking and the costs associated with district, state, and federally mandated tests; asking legislators to leave the certificated evaluation bill as is so we can implement it; and for bargaining rights and full funding for our union brothers and sisters in higher ed. We were informed by a number of legislators that some of their colleagues in the Senate will be going after some aspects of our bargaining rights; eliminating seniority for displacement and RIF; transfer rights; making student test scores a percentage of our evaluation; and maybe even reducing the TRI pay that a union can bargain for its members. We encourage you to be informed by keeping up with the news, blogs online, and/or the WEA website on the Our Voice page.
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Members will elect Bargaining Support Team members
If you are interested in being one of the elected representatives to the Bargaining Support Team, it's time to start filling out your Nomination Form. This is largely an appointed body, but this year there will be elected representatives, one from each of the following membership groups:
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Elementary Certificated Members
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Centrally Dispatched Certificated Members
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Middle School Certificated Members
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SAEOP Members
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K-8 Certificated Members
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Paraprofessional Members
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High School Certificated Members
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Substitute Members
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The Bargaining Support Team members ensure the connection between the Bargaining Team and members. Specific responsibilities include: informing the Bargaining Team about bargaining issues as requested; soliciting member participation in focus groups; and soliciting opinions on specific issues. They will also encourage members to participate in activities that support negotiations. From that group, the President will appoint the Bargaining Team.
Nominations are open until the end of the February 11 SEA Rep Assembly (Cleveland High School, 5 - 6:30). Voting for the Bargaining Support Team election is electronic and runs February 18 - 27, 2013!
For a Nomination Form: See your Association Reps; contact SEA (283-8443), or go Click here!
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Organizing For Power
Educational Support Professionals (ESPs) from Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington attended the third year of Organizing for Power training for ESPs. The training was held in Reno, January 24th - 28th . The training is to enhance members' skills in doing one-on-one conversations, how to analyze the strength and weakness of a local, and how to improve on them. One key learning in the training is the importance of staying connected with members through one-on-one conversations. It also teaches the importance of staying connected with membership to build capacity of their locals.
SEA sent Vallerie Fisher, Pearl Amabile, Carrie Marsh-Alefaio and Evelyn Hunter, along with SEA UniServ Representative, Sapina Pele. There will be two more weekend sessions; one in March, in Yakima and the last one in May, in Burlingame, CA. This training is part of a commitment that all of the Presidents from the above States and NEA made that would invest dues monies to train ESPs for leadership and build capacity within their locals.
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SEA Calendar of Events
Upcoming Association Meetings:
SEA Board of Directors- Monday, February 4th, 4:30 pm
@ SEA Offices, 5501 4th Ave S.
SEA Representative Assembly- Monday, February 11th, 5:00 pm @ Cleveland High School, Building 3 Cafeteria-
5511 15th Ave S.
Upcoming Interview Hiring Training's:
Tuesday, February 12th, JSCEE, Room 2770, 4-5 pm.
Thursday, March 14th, JSCEE, Room 2770, 4-5 pm.
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