FMEA Members,
There are a number of important and timely issues I want to update you on:
Overly burdensome lesson plan requirements continue to be a drain on our time and energy, but there has been a shift: Principals have been told from above that, with so much on our plates, lesson plans should not be the biggest frustration teachers are having right now. What each principal does with this information, and how it is communicated to teachers will vary. For now, if your principal appears to be overly preoccupied with lesson plans please let me know immediately, as this is no longer supposed to be one of our district focuses.
Most recently I've been working to clear up confusion over teacher-directed Thursdays. The Contract guarantees us every-other Thursday. The only exceptions are holidays and conference weeks (which count as neither teacher or administration directed). With the huge increase in meetings this year, many principals are having trouble keeping to the contract. I am working with administration on this issue, but ultimately it is up to administrators to figure out how to fit their meetings into the Thursdays that they get to direct.
For all of you who are close to retirement, it looks like there will probably not be 34 teachers signing up for the early-retirement incentive. It is possible The District may still choose to offer it to the teachers who do sign up. Another strong possibility is that The District will quickly move to offer a traditional end-of-the-year retirement incentive later this year if the mid-year retirement doesn't yield the numbers they are looking for.
The District is paying a group of consultants to look at ways The District can save money (yes it's a little ironic). If you have ideas on the matter please send them to me or discuss with your site's Superintendent's Advisory Committee representative.
You should have received an orange FMEA Bargaining Survey. If you have not, let me know immediately. It is a bit confusing this year so feel free to get in touch with any questions.
