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Writer's pictureErinn Washburn

October 5th, 2020 Rep. Council Minutes

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.




Date: October 5th, 2020 4:00-5:30PM

Meeting ID: 996 9000 6427

Passcode:


1. Call meeting to order at: 4:04 pm


1.5. Check your SPAM. Tell your email that anything from @rctacares.com is not SPAM

Site Reps spread the word on your site!


2. Roll Call Site Reps:

Rita Melton-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

Susanne Pillay-McKinley

Brenda Whitla-Pinto-North Star

Chris Holm-Roosevelt

Maureen McPeek-Roosevelt

Belinda Mendez-Roy Cloud (Christina Granata will report back)

Kim Combs-Taft (Amber Fisk will report back)

Aida Ortiz-CDC

Bernadette Garcia-SDC preschool (Jon Buhay will report back as well)

Lisa Cox-Nurses


3. Review and Approve 9/14 Minutes


Minutes from last rep council meeting on 9/14 approved without objection




4. Stipend Increase Move, Discuss and Vote:

Temporary Increase

Grievance Chair total: $2,500 (increase of $1,000)

Bargaining Chair total: $2,000 (increase of $500)


Rep council was asked to approve temporary RCTA stipend increases for the Grievance and Bargaining Chair positions.


Motion to temporarily increase Grievance and Bargaining Chair stipends for the 2020-2021 school year, to be revisited next year.


  • Unanimous votes for temporary stipend increases to RCTA Grievance Chair and Bargaining Chairs as defined above!


Floor opened for discussion:

  • Questions:

    • Is this a one time increase?

      • Yes, it is a temporary increase for the 2020-2021 school year


  • Comments:

    • Grievance is too big for one person; Grievance should be a committee, not necessarily all on one person.

    • Any members want to be an assistant grievance




5. Election Results: Simply Vote

Executive Board-Meghan Blackburn: Vice President and Kohlby Hong: Recording Secretary

State Council: Carol Marque and Kevin Sugar

Representative Assembly: Erinn Washburn and Carol Marque


  • Have the initial concerns connected to workload being resolved on your site? Fill out this form to inform RCTA of what is going on at your sites if you still have workload concerns.

  • Be sure this form goes through personal emails NOT RCSD emails


  • Spread the word on your sites. We are growing and need more members to help run new committees and committee chairs! Send the survey out during your next 10 minute meeting!

-Connect with parents. It would be great to have an RCTA member at site PTO meetings.

PTO Presidents and Officers RCTA members identify who they know; Do not sent to parents

  • Parent Liaison committee: Already working at School Site Council or PTA/PTO Meetings for adjunct? Sign up for this committee to report meeting news to RCTA and develop a bridge to work together with the parents.


  • Strong, mobile unions have the backing and support of the community. We need to link with our parent leaders in the community.


8. Safe Return to Schools

-When we go back, it will be disruptive. Classes and teachers will shift.

-Interactive Process-Erinn Kekos

- Procedure for district members with underlying conditions to identify that a return to

school would be a threat to personal health.


Questions:

One member asked if there is a deadline for the Interactive Process forms.

  • Email Erin Kekos ASAP to begin this process, if needed.

Another member asked about living with family members who are high-risk

  • Erin Kekos has given forms for some inquiring family members of staff.


Is there any procedure/protocol to inform staff if students are exposed to someone

COVID? Is there tracing for contacts with families and students? Disclosure layers for

Students exposed to possible conflicts?

  • Teachers working in pods had to find out from families that there was a sick child, shouldn't the admin let us know if there are known exposures/contacts?

  • Teachers need to take their own health precautions.


-Contact and tracing guide

  • Erin Kekos is the lead on tracing procedures. The Recovery Framework linked above lays out the procedures for multiple COVID exposure case-scenarios


9. Bargaining suggestions

-In-Person MOU?

Mask for every student in class

Covered outdoor area

15 minute outside breaks every hour

Curriculum materials for socially distanced activities

Parent signed document-”will not send children to school sick”

Immediate removal from classroom those who are sick or cannot follow safety precautions

Lunch at home

Cleaning between cohorts in middle school as well


  • Mandatory and Timely Information letter home informing families, staff and classified staff that site members have been exposed to COVID contacts (like protocol for flue, lice, etc on campus)

  • Better PPE masks! Masks should be more appropriate for the level of contact we will face upon returning to the classroom. N95 and shields provided. MEDICAL GRADE PPE.

  • Contact limitations to protect higher exposure positions (middle school, RSP, etc.)

  • Fine details need to be determined and agreed upon before opening classrooms

  • Working sinks in all spaces, doors remain open, clear communications to outline custodial protocols to teachers/staff and families. Updated ventilation to allow true ventilation, one door open in a room isn’t enough.

  • Research data from experts verifying our protocols are safe for our school communities

  • Clear boundaries for parent and volunteer drop off/pick up, limits and boundaries clear and agreed upon.

  • MUST keep full day prep- This model is taking more time than the 6.5 hours of prep, the least RCSD can do for the teachers is keeping the full day protected prep.

  • Insist on bare minimum instructional minutes.

  • Designated ELD first group to arrive with staggered start to front load instruction for ELs and provide them with a more effective time to learn versus the end of the day when they don’t show up. Ex. 8:30-9:00 ELD only, first full class at 9:00-10:30.


-For January CBA (2 openers)


We will revisit this at a later time.


10. Current Member Concerns

School Grade Level Concern

CDC Preschool: There is a lot of disruptions in preschool’s proposal to return

before other schools, and the parents are concerned with the

survey “options”


Adelante-Selby Second story building custodial staff was refusing to clean

bathrooms every hour


Roosevelt Portables No sinks, no running water for handwashing, not equipped to

handle students during a pandemic


Misc If you fill out a timesheet for extra time, be sure that you are

receiving the $35/hour rate not the $30/hr



Misc For the return cleaning schedule mid-day, where are teachers

expected to take their lunch and prep if the custodial staff is in the room cleaning?


Misc Re-engagement: What is the district doing to reach out to families

whose students are not engaging during class and asynch time.



Meeting adjourned at: 5:28 pm

___________________________________________________

10 minute meeting To Do’s:

-Check SPAM for @rctacares.com

-Workload Resolution Survey

-Committee Members!

-PTO parent information

-Share Increased Risk Factors for COVID19

-Share Pandemic Recovery Framework


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