And here we go........................

[Holly Paterniti]

Hello my fellow doodlers and educators :)

 

Well I am sure you all have heard that SB5 has passed and signed in the state of Ohio.  This is such a sad time right now, but we are standing up for our rights to collective bargaining.  I went a few weeks ago to be trained on getting signatures and am ready to go. 

 

We are now waiting for our person from the Ohio Education Association to send us our petitions so we may start.  I really feel good about this and think SB5 will be on the ballot for Novembers elections.  I also think that it will be defeated by the voters.

 

I am hoping that other educators like yourselves will never have to go through what we in Ohio and Wisconsin are dealing with. I know in Ohio some of the democrats are trying to pass a bill stating that is any Ohioan voter who feels that the one they had elected is not representing them properly could be recalled and possibly be taken out of office.  I do not know if this will ever go through all the Republicans in the House and Senate in Ohio, since they would be afraid they would lose their jobs, but it really is a great idea.  As Senator Hagan said in an article, if politicans are representing the voters the way they are supposed to they have no worries of losing their job or being called out to the table.  And I AGREE!!

 

I really think the Governor in Ohio has deceived a lot of the voters who had voted for him and is not doing what he was asked to do at all.

 

Ok, I will stop there and get off my soapbox :)  Thanks for listening everyone!!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Meanwhile in California - permanent state lifeguards make $100,000 a year (including compensations like insurance etc.)  Not knocking lifeguards at all, just noting the salaries of the year-round guys.

[Kyoko]

:-0 !!! Need to chage the job!!!

[Angie, Hudson and Lily]

The teachers in the the district that I live in (but don't teach in) really took a big hit this week. They had been working for 2 yrs without a contract because an agreement had not been reached between the district and the union. In November 2010, an independent fact finder agreed mostly with the teachers and the union. When the report came out, the district said it wasn't valid because it was based the previous year's financial info. Really it was just excuses to not offer the teachers a fair contract. The Board of Education was asking for big pay cuts, salary step cuts, and a big change in insurance (from a great PPOM to an HMO- with no other choices offered). The teachers were willing to do pay freezes, higher insurance co pays/deductibles, and some other concessions, but the district refused to budge on their offer. They just had a board meeting this week and imposed a 9.5% pay cut in addition to imposing that the teacher's pay some of their insurance costs (I think 10%). This district has the lowest paid teachers in our county. The board says that these cuts will last through the summer, while they attempt to negotiate again. The union plans on filing an unfair bargaining suit against the district.  I believe that they are just bullying the teachers with this cut to show them that their last contract deal (as terrible as it was) is as good as it is going to get. The cuts these teachers are facing are huge and then there are the big government cuts that haven't been finalized looming over us. This is not a good time to be a teacher.

[Holly Paterniti]

It is sad when the day comes that those who taught you and got you were you are.......are being attacked.  My teachers are who influenced me to become an educator.  I really enjoy being a teacher, but am really tired of all the attacks from those who are not teachers and do not understand our positions.

 

We are currently in negotiations and it is not going too well :(

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

And my husband and I made the decision to retire in June.  We are very worried that our pensions may be attacked, but more concerned that we are being asked to teach students in ways that goes against our training of how children learn.  And I just cannot get on the bandwagon of being evaluated according to student test scores.  Who would want my mildly handicapped students? NO ONE and I couldn't blame anyone.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I definitely hear your pain and frustration.  I am also against evaluating teachers on their students' test scores, but that is what it has come to.  By the way, there are many other things that you can get involved with when you retire, one of which would be substitute teaching.  I actually rather enjoy subbing when I can pick the days and jobs I want.  And I love subbing in Special Ed.  Love to talk to you sometime.  Are you planning a trip up north in your RV?  Actually we may be coming down south also to bring our friends from Colorado to their mother's house in L.A.  We may be able to meet up sometime in the near future.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Keep me posted on your travel plans.  We haven't set up all our RV trips for the summer yet. I am kind of waiting to see how and when our retirement income kicks in.  I am cautious to spend my husband's summer paycheck without knowing quite when the next check will arrive.

[Holly Paterniti]

I am with you on the evaluating according to student test scores..........I am a SPED Teacher and how is that fair?

 

[Kyoko]

Our district offered the early retirement plan. If you are 1) at the top of the pay scale  & 2) has more than 20 years with any school district in PA , you are eligible to take one of the early retirement plan. Plan A) your entire pay for the 11 ~ 12 school year & option to buy the health care plan. B) $20,000 & 6 years of health benefit. I think a lot of older teachers are taking advantage of this offer. I think district is trying to save furloughed teachers by encouraging people to retire.... Epecially, if you can go under your spouce's health care, then you can take your whole salary as incentives....

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I only wish we had been offered a golden handshake!

[Kyoko]

I saw a lawn sign that read " Governor Tom Corbett's plan - EVERY CHILD LEFT BEHIND - "

[Holly Paterniti]

LOVE IT!!!!!  This weekend I saw several people out collecting signatures to get SB5 on the November ballot......they were camped out in the old Wal-mart parking lot with a sign saying "SB5 Petitions sign here".  I will keep you all updated as I get it :)

 

Also, on Thursday, we are having a General Assembly meeting about a tentative contract.....will let you all know about that one too........please keep your fingers crossed for us :)