January 11th 2021 Representative Council Meeting
Updated: Jan 28, 2021
RCTA Representative Council Meeting Agenda
Redwood City Teachers’ Association Rep. Council RCTA Mission Statement: The Redwood City Teachers Association exists to promote and protect the professional health and longevity of its members. It is dedicated to the pursuit and support of excellent teaching, equity, collective bargaining, and fair working conditions. We are devoted to the education of the children, their families, and the community of Redwood City.
Monday, January 11, 2021 4:00-5:30PM
1. Call meeting to order at: 4:05 pm
2. Land Acknowledgment: With gratitude, we practice this work on the traditional lands of the Ohlone Nations.
3. Roll Call Site Reps: (✓present)
Rita Melton-Adelante/Selby
Yessenia Bravo-Adelante/Selby ✓
Sandy Hoover-Clifford (Carol Marque will report back)
Anyone from Garfield?
Sandra Covacha-Henry Ford ✓
Angie Teupel-Henry Ford ✓
Kevin Sugar-Hoover
Julie Gordon-Kennedy
Ann Berljafa-Orion and Staff Development (Jackie Kroner will report back)
Susanne Pillay-McKinley ✓
Brenda Whitla-Pinto-North Star ✓
Chris Holm-Roosevelt (Meaghan Blackburn/Kohlby Hong will report back)
Maureen McPeek-Roosevelt
Belinda Mendez-Roy Cloud (Christina Granato will report back)
Kim Combs-Taft ✓
Aida Ortiz-CDC (Indra Hernandez will report back)
Bernadette Garcia-SDC preschool ✓
Lisa Cox-Nurses (Diana Camara will report back)
4. Review and Approve 12/7/20 Minutes
Motion to approve 12/7/20 Rep Council Minutes without objection.
5. Announcements
You must get tested to go on campus, even if it's just to grab something or on the weekend.
Everyone will be getting a new Macbook Air soon. Put everything on your Google drive. Put your personal stuff on a flash drive and delete it from your computer by January 31st.
FYI: Teachers are getting new computers, but Nurses/PE/CDC teacher would like to know if they can get new, or at the very least get used Macbooks in good condition from teachers replacements
Gov. Newsom’s “Safe School For All” plan- Not sure what this means for us yet…
There’s no further news for K-2 teachers, but we will follow updates/news as it comes and keep it on our radar.
Nurses are asking about the vaccine timeline at a county meeting this week and will report back if they learn more.
FFCRA ended. You will have to use your own sick time and leave for Covid related absences.
Extra 10 days of leave has ended. COVID sick leave is no longer available via FFCRA and we must use our own sick days.
9. Committee Reports
Human Rights and Equity Committee
CTA LGBTQ+ Conference
Creating and Maintaining an Effective GSA
RCSD sites working on creating a GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance)
GSA in the works at Cloud
GSA in the works at Garfield
Learn more about GSA and LGBTQ+ student groups check out CTA conferences and the link above.
Other Committee Chairs?
Meaghan Blackburn has set a meeting for Committee chairs on Tuesday, Jan, 26 3:30-4:15
Please check spam for emails regarding committees: rctavp@rctacares.com
5. February negotiations: 2020-2023 CBA
Negotiations will happen February 5
Asking for previously agreed upon 4% increase
Longevity Stipend
No pro-rate, but is an incentive used in other districts to retain teachers based on years within the district.
Need Member input: site, grade, experience
*Article 8.4.4 Exceptional Circumstances
If you are in a situation where a single student requires an exceptional amount of additional work to prepare, differentiate, modify, etc. for, you may be eligible for compensation, or decreased class size, upon paperwork and case approval by RCSD.
RCTA has been trying to re-work this article with RCSD for many years.
We need clarity in a lot of the language of Article 8!
Need Member input: site, grade, experience
Member Input:
Taft: “Self-Contained”
(8.1) Language should not be manipulated against teacher interest/wellness. The language is outdated, and self-contained in elementary school is not a norm at all schools and all grades.
Teaching multiple cohorts in lower elementary, therefore members are not protected under contact via class size/student contacts
Moves into 8.4 issues, if elementary schools are moving into mixing students across grade level teachers, teachers are planning and prepping more.
Adelante/Selby:
31 students per group, seeing 4 groups in elementary grades
Roy Cloud (3rd)
Was advised by admin to fill out, and was rejected by RCSD
Severe emotional needs increased need for parent contact, IEP, teacher meetings, etc.
Henry Ford(5th)
Past Emotionally disturbed student, missed deadline, at 6th IEP, advised by Wendy Kelly to apply and was approved
Clifford (MS)
Massive number of IEP students, tried to apply based on the volume of students, but had Wendy help fill out and was granted.
Clifford (3rd)
Applied 3 times, approved once (before Wendy), at this time there was no opportunity for dialogue. 3 SDC students in gen. Ed class with no SDC class.
Members Thoughts moving forward:
Why are we not looking at how these cases impact the whole class, not only are the individual student cases challenging, but the amount of time and work required for the whole group on top of the individual students’ needs.
There should be observations taking place to see how the student(s) impact the class and classroom environment.
Chouldn’t this exception be tied to individual students and travel with the student from year to year (with the student needs being evaluated each year…)
What are we bargaining?:
Clarifying language throughout Article 8
Departmentalized elementary classes need updated language
*Article 14 Student Discipline
Email suggestions to rctaprez@rctacares.com
RCTA is working on the language under Article 14, with CTA support to address that student discipline is not uniform throughout the sites in RCSD, how discipline is reported, and handled on site and within the district.
When reporting students admin/district support is not always given. Student record is not always acknowledged. Our sites need counselors AND timely follow-through.
Why are we not tracking behavior schoolwide, maintaining transparency, mainstreaming communications with teachers, admin, parents, students etc.
Cloud (3rd):
Student climbed through library window, no action taken
Student threatened and made a move to “attack” teacher, teacher was injured and left position
Receiving students from other schools as forms of discipline, but no follow through with students. Students are being sent to other schools as disciplinary action.
Kennedy (7th)
Transfer placed on behavior contract, violated within the first day on the new campus, and continued to violate contract. Consequences was that the student was placed in an opportunity school on the same campus which lent to an audience.
There are no lines, inconsistent consequences, IF there are consequences. Students are learning that it is okay to violate behaviors because there are no consequences.
6. Parent Liaisons Needed to:
Go to PTO meetings
Introduce yourself to PTO officers and maintain relationships and communication.
Be helpful
Report back to RCTA
Interested? Fill out the officer form
***RCTA Reps! Find Volunteers at your next 10 minute meeting
Garfield
MIT Susanne
Roy Cloud Christina Granato
Roosevelt Kohlby Hong
Kennedy
Taft Kim Combs
Ford Sandra Covach
Adelante/Selby Eva Beddar
Orion
Clifford Carol Marque
North Star
Hoover
CDC Aida Ortiz
SDC Preschool
10. Member Concerns
Can we have conversations with RCSD around the possibility of quarantining in-person students after the February and Spring breaks (each a week long, guaranteed travels). Perhaps survey parents like we surveyed teachers to filter families who traveled.
Possibility of adding a column(s) for preschool salary schedules. Their salary schedule only goes up to BA +30, but there is no Masters stipend for preschool teachers.
Erinn needs to check on Article 6 to address this need, if part of article 6 then we can address this in negotiations.
If the preschool salary schedule is part of article 12, we cannot negotiate this yet.
Meeting adjourned at: 5:24 pm
___________________________________________________
10 minute meeting To Do’s:
Anecdotal data needed for article 8 and 14 rewrites.
Find a parent liaison(PTA or SSC) for your site.
Start a GSA or Unity Club on your campus!