PESPA PRIDE 8/27/10

VOLUME XXX, Number 1              PCTA-PESPA.ORG                          August 27, 2010
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PCTA-PESPA Endorsed Candidates Victorious on Election Night

When the Primary Election results were all counted on August 24th, nine of the ten PCTA-PESPA endorsed candidates won or moved on to the November 2nd General Election. Terry Krassner, Peggy O’Shea and
Linda Lerner were all elected to serve four-year terms on the School Board. Lew Williams received the most votes in the three-person race for School Board District 7 and will be on the November 2nd General Election ballot to determine the winner of that seat. The PCTA-PESPA endorsement is highly valued by School Board candidates and all the candidates for the School Board participated in the endorsement process. Congratulations to Terry, Peggy, Linda and Lew!

In statewide races, Alex Sink won the Democratic Primary for Governor and will face Republican Rick Scott in the November election. Kendrick Meek and Kathy Castor both won their primaries for U.S. Senate and Congressional District 11 and will compete in November. At the legislative level, Peter Nehr and Darryl Rouson both moved on to the November ballot. 

We certainly learned through SB 6 that the importance of political advocacy is crucial to our profession. We must stay engaged in our support for our endorsed candidates between now and November!

Governor Crist Attends AR School of Instruction

At 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, August 21st and after a long day of training, more than 200 PCTA Faculty Reps and PESPA Association Reps received a special visitor – Governor Charlie Crist. To the delight of the audience, Governor Crist gave them a rousing sendoff to a new school year. He reminded them of how everyone came together to make sure he understood how SB 6 punished teachers and the importance of the Governor’s veto. The Governor’s visit was a grand finale to a day where leaders were trained in empowerment, communications and advocacy.

Earlier that day, PCTA President Kim Black and FEA President Andy Ford welcomed the participants and challenged them to stay involved in their profession and Association. Lee Hedgepeth from the National Education Association also motivated the participants with a humorous presentation of how advocacy and politics are critical to our members’ lives.

All in all, the training received rave reviews from your school representatives. These members, your co-workers, are your PESPA voice at your school. Thank them for all their efforts and time spent on your behalf!

Welcome New PESPA Leadership

Please join us in welcoming your new and returning PESPA Board members, Marjorie Emr, William Davis, Randy Dodds, David Bupp, and Kim Palfy.  This year Gayle Frey will assume the job of Secretary, and Gladys Morgan is the newly-elected Vice President.  Newly- elected President, Nelly Henjes has been busy visiting schools throughout the district bringing news of bargaining successes as well as recruiting Association Reps. She has been able to recruit 20 new PESPA members.  Please contact the office to arrange a convenient time for a school visit at your school with Nelly and staff. They will meet with members and potential members, answer questions and bring the news from PESPA. Nelly’s goal this year is to visit every school and meet with as many members as possible.

Highly Qualified Status

During the 2009-2010 school year ESE Associates in Non-Title I schools were told that they must meet the Highly Qualified Standard by summer 2011. PESPA participated in the district committee planning the process and efforts to support you in that.  Over 220 of you have achieved that status to date, but there are many still in the process. PESPA has been involved in coordinating the alternative to the ParaPro and Associates Degree and will continue to provide the (ER&D Meeting the Standards for Para Professionals) to help those challenged by the ParaPro test.  You need to follow through with the support to help you prepare for the ParaPro and take the ParaPro test. Only after you have done so, will the ER&D class be an option. Our priority right now is to help the Associates in the new Title I schools.  We are working closely with the district to monitor who needs the ER&D training and whether or not they must meet that standard by January or summer.

PESPA still has some of the NEA study guides for the ParaPro and will be happy to send a copy to any member.

                 Bargaining Update – PESPA and District Reach Agreement!
 
PESPA and the District have reached tentative agreement on four critical issues for the 2010-11 school year. After days of negotiations, agreement was reached on the following items:
 
• The agreement re-affirms the 1.5% salary increase as negotiated in September 2009.
• The agreement contains NO mandatory unpaid leave/furlough days.
• The agreement states an increase of .50 a day in the Bus Rider Supplement. The pay shall now be $6.50 per day for duty on the bus. 
• Health insurance for the 2011 calendar year was also agreed upon by all four unions at the Bargaining Leadership Team meeting.
“I am excited that we were able to finally reach agreement, especially in a difficult economic period,” says PESPA President Nelly Henjes. “Even in these tough times, we need to consider and sustain our support professionals because their assistance is extremely valuable. The Bus Rider increase is a small victory, but a victory nonetheless,” says Nelly Henjes.

Ratification Timeline

August 21st –   AR Council Recommendation
September 7th –  Ratification Materials in Schools/Worksites
September 13th –  Ratification Vote (All PESPA Bargaining Unit Eligible to Vote)
September 14th –  School Board Members Act on Ratification

FINALLY, ASK A CO-WORKER TO JOIN PESPA IN SUPPORT OF THEIR PROFESSION!!