tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56527350276666995192024-03-21T16:44:12.022-07:00Lee Education AssociationMTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-2833017513301233322017-05-14T18:50:00.003-07:002017-05-14T18:50:57.704-07:00Important reminder......<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few things to remember as we move into the final weeks of school -</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are asked to attend a meeting with an administrator which you feel at any level or point could be an investigation or a disciplinary issue I strongly recommend you insist on having LEA REPRESENTATION. This representation is to be the person YOU would like to have in the meeting, not whomever the administration suggests. YOU pick the person and if that means the meeting has to wait - it has to wait - THIS IS YOUR RIGHT.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prior to the meeting, you have the right to know what the meeting is to be about. YOU NEED TO INSIST on this information. I strongly suggest you contact a LEA officer if you are not given this information. Once again - THIS IS YOUR RIGHT.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The administration needs to divulge what the issue is, how they have investigated the matter and interview you for your side PRIOR to handing out any type of discipline, verbal or written. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You also get to know how the administration was made aware of the alleged behavior. In other words, you are allowed to know who reported what to administration. There is no such thing as an anonymous tip or “it’s none of your business”. It is your business and you are allowed to have this information. EVERYONE needs to remember that this is a two-way street. If you report it, you need to own it.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Things happen and administration needs to follow up. We all understand. Good administrative oversight makes all of our school lives better. How they get to do this, however, is subject to the conditions outlined in the contract. Just as they can hold us to the contract, we must do the same when it comes to administrative investigatory actions. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay on your toes, support each other and do not be afraid to solicit advice from any LEA officer or Executive Board member. Once again, these are your rights. </span></div>
MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-72668071478352738042016-09-08T09:21:00.003-07:002016-09-08T12:47:45.958-07:00 Welcome to the 2016-2017 School Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I </span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">hope that the first two weeks of school
have been productive and that you are getting better at rolling out of bed
before the sun is up. Personally, I find the return to a routine a
welcome change after the bustle of the summer vacation and it probably is time
for me to stop consuming entire bags of chips while I binge watch<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>House of Cards</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">As we discussed at
our opening meeting, the negotiation committee continues to work on producing a
Unit A contract which addresses and provides forward movement on the issues
most relevant to our teaching staff. Those would include: teacher
protection, class sizes and teacher workload. We are making progress.
Last night we met with the school committee to discuss our concerns with
some of their suggestions. We will continue to chip away at this. I
remain confident that an agreement will be ready for ratification very soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I would also like
to take this opportunity to introduce the LEA's new MTA Field Representative,
Alex Lomaglio. Our former rep, Brad Brousseau, has transferred to the MTA
Holyoke office. Alex is a seasoned MTA staff member and we will be a
stronger, savvier team having Alex on board. Another interesting tidbit
concerning Mr. Lomaglio - not only did he previously serve as the LEA rep years
ago - he also was a teacher for the Lee Public Schools. Welcome home,
Alex!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Also, please
consider volunteering for one of the many committee opportunities with the LEA.
The strength of our union is dependent on the involvement of the
membership. The time commitment and tasks involved are varied. I
hope you can find something that will work for you. Please feel free to
use the form attached here to sign up. I have left the committee rosters
from last year on the site in case you are like me and have trouble remembering
that far back. Thanks for your help in advance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEAtIlBxw-ilOBfQl3m8dHwFwZEqLmd2pg9FVi0gemH46pcg/viewform" target="_blank">Click here to select committees</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Secondly, MTA has
asked the LEA to staff an information booth during Founders Weekend as a part
of the "Keep the Cap" - Vote NO on #2 efforts. We discussed
this initiative during our first meeting also. As I mentioned at that
time, the impact of a charter school opening in southern Berkshire would be
catastrophic to our local communities fiscally. All local unions in the
state are being asked to pitch in on this campaign. Most locals have to work
a call bank, canvas local neighborhoods, or call parents. Personally, I think
each of those options is painful, so I am grateful for our assignment. Please
sign up for a shift! It is one hour, you will be with others and all you
have to do is hand a flyer to people that stop to talk. Easy-peezy. Once
again, use the sign up form below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://doodle.com/poll/2cq27i25d8cxkvgf" target="_blank">Click here to schedule time to staff LEA Keep the Cap Booth</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Again, welcome
back!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Amy<br />
<br />MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-43654868617949229002016-02-21T19:11:00.000-08:002016-02-21T19:11:30.844-08:00Moving into Spring!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome back to school after what I hope was a really great break. As we move into the second longest stretch of the school year, the LEA will continue to be very busy with contract negotiations and waiting to assess the impact of the health insurance increase on our new contracts. Please read below for updates on both Unit A and Unit C negotiations.<br />
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Paraprofessionals - The school committee has received formal notification from the LEA indicating our desire to begin the negotiation process. As expected, their response indicated that Unit C discussions would begin as soon as Unit A negotiations are complete. That being said, it is time to begin the organizational work, self reflection, and goal setting which should be completed prior to the start of formal negotiations. I will be meeting with the Unit C negotiation team soon and will be calling for a meeting of all Unit C members shortly after. Please check back to this site to stay on top of this process.<br />
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Teachers - The negotiations team will be meeting with the school committee again in the first week of March. Prior to that meeting, we will need to make a decision regarding each school's proposed resolutions to the workload/pay issues arising in Article V. I would like to meet with each group sometime this week to hear your decisions on this issue. Please respond to this email: <a href="mailto:leeedassoc@gmail.com">leeedassoc@gmail.com</a> with any preferences for meeting times. I will pick a time which works best for the majority.<br />
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Health Insurance - The town has been notified of the increase for health insurance and will be meeting with the health insurance advisory committee in the next few weeks to discuss various options for absorbing the impact of the increase while continuing to provide a quality product that employees can afford. Your representatives on this committee are myself and Nancy Cummings. Collectively, since this is a bargaining year for all town units, we are hoping to finalize an option which does not take such a big chunk out of our paychecks that we actually have less take home pay. I will be reaching out to those of you who have business/finance expertise to help me analyze the impact of any proposed changes. If you are willing to help out, please let me know. I would expect that we will also be meeting together as a union to discuss our options. I will keep you in the loop on this.<br />
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Finally, a few reminders from the superintendent's office - please let the central office know of any retirements as soon as you have set your plans. Also, please remember that each member of Unit A is responsible for his/her certification renewals. Please contact the superintendent if there are any issues concerning your certification. Finally, if you are enrolled in this round of SEI, please make sure that the central office is aware by submitting the PD/Graduate course paperwork.<br />
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Take care,<br />
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AmyMTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-26213662560777776442016-01-11T05:53:00.000-08:002016-01-11T05:59:52.982-08:00Welcome to 2016So long, 2015! Welcome to a new year! Hope you survived the hectic holidays and managed to make it through the first week back smoothly. Here at "negotiation central" the team has been busy trying to make good things happen. On the 6th, we held our 3rd negotiation session. The focus was on Article V of the contract - Teacher Hours and Workload. Thank you to everybody who attended the information meetings and submitted suggestions via the Google Form. <br />
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At the meeting, we discussed options for having some of the instruction we provide "on the side" considered as actual class time requiring preparation, guidelines for class size, teacher reimbursement for sub work, adding the floating PD language to the contract, teacher deadlines for submitting grades into MMS, and rectifying the discrepancy concerning the LMHS dismissal time on half days. All of these items produced lively debate and we are confident that we will meet favorable outcomes or compromise on most of the items.<br />
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There were a few additional items discussed which we hope to settle outside of the negotiation process. As you can see, many of the proposals are still under discussion. Some of them will have a financial impact while others effect policy decisions; hence the need for additional discussion.<br />
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Our next session will be on January 20th at 4:30 in the LMHS faculty room. We will move on from Article V to the other items on our proposal list. Please feel free to connect with a member of the negotiations committee if you have questions or concerns. Also, please keep checking your email and this site as we will be soliciting additional information and guidance from membership regarding the upcoming sections of the contract to be negotiated.</div>
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On the superintendent search front, I have spoken to Andrea Wadsworth, Lee School Committe chairperson, about the interview process. The first round of interviews will take place in executive session and will consist of the candidate and three members from the Lee School Committee and three members of the Tyringham committee. Following this round, there will be public interviews with questions taken from the audience. We will be represented at this forum by members of the LEA Executive Board. I will keep you posted on the dates in case you would like to attend.<br />
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That's all I have to report right now as negotiations are really taking up the bulk of our time! I have only heard from a few concerning the Red Cross First Aid/CPR training. If you are interested, please let me know.</div>
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Until next time, I offer the following advice: Buy another lottery ticket and start thinking about what you could possibly do with 12 WEEKS of summer vacation. (June 8 is looking like a possibility, people!)</div>
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Take care,</div>
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Amy</div>
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MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-86306035230287623712015-12-14T17:07:00.000-08:002015-12-14T17:21:59.384-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_1127084770"></span><span id="goog_1127084771"></span>Happy holidays to you all! Feels a little bit like it did when I lived in North Carolina - a balmy December made it tough to totally enjoy hanging ornaments and stringing lights, but it is so much better than the alternative!<br />
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A couple of updates - some good, some not so bad. To begin, thank you to all who attended the recent retirement workshops. We had a total of over 50 participants. What a great turnout! People I have asked seemed to enjoy the speakers. When I called to thank Sheila and Ward, they both wanted me to let you know how much they appreciated your attention and great questions. <br />
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So, what should we do for next semester? I have had a couple of people mention an interest in becoming first aid/CPR certified. Any takers? If enough folks are interested in pursuing this idea I will find out the details. If there are any additional ideas out there, feel free to share - I'm happy to arrange programming that is of interest to you all.<br />
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Last Wednesday, the 9th, was our second negotiation session with the school committee. At the meeting both sides exchanged their preliminary list of talking points to be addressed in the sessions. The school committee's list primarily involved corrections of grammatical errors in the current contract. Also on the list were the following:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Adding a section to Article VI, Section C which would extend the sick leave rights associated with childbearing to those who adopted children.</li>
<li>Rewording the place marker in the teacher evaluation concerning the use of student evaluations.</li>
<li>Correcting the official time for release of students at LMHS on half-days.</li>
<li>A request to close the gap of time LMHS teachers have to record grades in MMS.</li>
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On our side, we presented the LEA Unit A platform which was endorsed by the Executive Board on December 7, 2015. I have attached the platform to the LEA website. The link is on the right hand sidebar. </div>
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At the next negotiations meeting on January 6th, we will be discussing Section V, Teacher Hours and Workload. This is a big area, folks, and it is imperative that we know your concerns and potential solutions regarding these issues. Therefore, although I know it is last minute, we have a request: </div>
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<b>The LEA will be holding UNIT A meetings at both schools this Thursday, December 17th. </b></div>
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<b>LES will meet at 7:30am in the library. </b></div>
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<b>LMHS will meet at 2:35 in a yet to be determined room at LMHS. </b></div>
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<b>These meetings are critical -</b></div>
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<b>We need to make some important decisions and we want you to be involved in the discussions.</b></div>
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Finally, I attended the Health Insurance Advisory Committee on Tuesday, December 8th at Town Hall. As you could predict, the news was depressing. There really was not much hard information available, just projections. The committee asked to reconvene when there were some real numbers and costs available. I will keep you posted as this is a very important issue for us all.<br />
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So even though I am feeling a bit like the Grinch after typing this out, let's hope that 2016 finds the negotiation team riding the sled down into Wildcatville to hand out a solid contract to one and all!<br />
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May you all have a wonderful holiday break and a fantastic start to 2016!MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-39003547690727656392015-11-30T07:26:00.002-08:002015-11-30T07:26:59.351-08:00LEA Upcoming Events and News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Welcome back to school and the most hectic 3.5 weeks of the year! I hope that everybody had a fantastic Thanksgiving and is ready to face the upcoming holidays head on. The next few weeks will be very busy for the LEA. Here is a highlight ……</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Retirement Workshops Reminder</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Wednesday, December 9 at 3:30 in the LES teachers room a workshop for all Unit C, cafeteria, custodial and clerical staff concerning retirement by the Berkshire County Retirement Board will be held and on the same day at 3:45 in Matt Fillio’s room at LMHS, there will be the Unit A retirement workshop. I need to provide a head count for both events, so please let me know ASAP if you would like to attend and have not already let me know. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Negotiations</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Our next negotiations meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 9 at 4:30 in the LMHS Library. As I have previously mentioned, if Unit A members would like to stay in the caucus room during that time, you can participate in any discussions which take place during the caucus. The meetings are capped at two hours.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The negotiations platform is almost complete. The committee hopes to present the plan to the Executive Board at the December 7th meeting. Once the platform has been approved by the e-board, I will post it on this site for the entire membership to view. As the negotiations team presents the platform to the school committee, it is important that we are able to back up our discussions with evidence. One area which we would like discuss involves the continued diminishment of the teaching staff and the growing practice of asking teachers to take on students as independent studies or advanced level students during already scheduled class time. This is a delicate situation since as teachers we are willing to go the extra mile to give students access to what they need, but this practice can be viewed as a contract violation and in some instances has been used to avoid hiring a full-time teacher. Both sides of the negotiations teams need to have an open conversation about these types of practices. I am asking teachers in this situation to please email me with a description of your scenario. All information will be pooled and presented without identification since we will be addressing this issue as a system-wide issue. Thanks in advance for your assistance with this and please know that I may be sending out emails asking for additional information in other areas as we move through negotiations.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Health Insurance:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I will be attending a town meeting on Tuesday, December 8th in regards to the upcoming contractual health insurance policies. The last time this committee met was during the last contract negotiation cycle. At that time, the HMO and PPO plans were altered to address the town’s concern of providing quality health insurance and controlling skyrocketing costs. Once the plans were accepted by the various town units (police, DPW, water, school, etc ) the plans were locked in place for the length of the contracts. As those three years are rapidly ending, it is time to look at the health insurance program once again. I strongly suspect that this news will be painful and it will certainly absorb a huge chunk of any increase we may receive in our pay. This has become a pattern pretty much everywhere and while we will do our best to minimize the impact, we should all be prepared for an increase which will pinch the pocketbook. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Column Movement:</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Any Unit A member who will be moving a column during the 2016-2017 school year must notify the superintendent's office by December 15. Any paraprofessional who will be eligible for the educational stipend must notify the central office by January 15, 2016. Please refer to the respective contract for additional information.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we move into the holidays and the negotiation process picks up speed, it is really important that we reflect on the sentiment of the season and support each other and function as team. We are well equipped to meet the challenges of the negotiations and by sticking together and thinking creatively, we will be able to craft an agreement that we feel is fair and represents the interests of us all.</span></div>
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<br />MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-6043716607734500802015-11-16T12:06:00.000-08:002015-11-16T12:11:55.806-08:00Monday, November 16, 2015<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O8D7kGFusr8KPxTrj4RGU6OmPnGyYCcIjDFfolPhgqh8jm88BZ1ZPOkgQVwfhv9h5GDOt10QWMBTHPdBUOrS_CDM6vl8czXlrCJ3ojqKysSFZX2y_DGhhgmjI7FWV8GfGg3GFxFvClDQ/s1600/thanksgiving-closed-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O8D7kGFusr8KPxTrj4RGU6OmPnGyYCcIjDFfolPhgqh8jm88BZ1ZPOkgQVwfhv9h5GDOt10QWMBTHPdBUOrS_CDM6vl8czXlrCJ3ojqKysSFZX2y_DGhhgmjI7FWV8GfGg3GFxFvClDQ/s200/thanksgiving-closed-image.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Couple of items to pass your way.......<br />
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- I have attached the schedule for the various evaluation components. In our contract, the dates were initially established for the following school year. During the second year of the contract the dates where converted into "times of the month", for example, the "second Tuesday of April." The schedule attached presents the corresponding dates for this school year. Please feel free to contact any LEA officer or Executive Board member if you have questions concerning evaluations.<br />
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- Also attached is a flyer regarding the upcoming pre-retirement presentation being held on Wednesday, December 9 at 3:45 at LMHS. Please let me know if you would like to attend. So far, there are approximately 15 LPS folks and 5 colleagues from Lenox attending.<br />
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- Last week, MA Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester announced his support for an updated version of MCAS rather than PARCC to serve as the evaluation tool for assessing student achievement in Massachusetts. Referred to as MCAS 2.0, this test "would be given for the first time in spring 2017 and would use both PARCC and MCAS items, along with items developed specifically for the Massachusetts tests." On November 17, the DESE Board will vote on his recommendation. I have attached a copy of the press release. If you are interested in learning more about the MTA's stance on MCAS 2.0, click on the MTA link to the right and use the search words, "MCAS 2.0."<br />
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- Finally, United Way enrollment forms have been placed in both teachers' rooms. If you are interested in scheduling a donation to the United Way, please see Sue Baker at LMHS or Rosalie McCollum at LES.<br />
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Happy Thanksgiving to you all!<br />
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<br />MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-87032181362326820622015-11-02T17:33:00.000-08:002015-11-02T17:33:48.816-08:00One down, three to go!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMSZD5Cg8FfYBbme7Bl6fUQEdtwI9jfwA2KPKebbkKs-aHf-eUmLYSHyR7uIpUmHcNzbHVfK9mhT_jC6XdsbA1cD3lrgIg0aH_nAx6DS-OlY-ehfXX9PUfUIdBD-E4hTaR76Jky_C05bp/s1600/smiling-sunflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMSZD5Cg8FfYBbme7Bl6fUQEdtwI9jfwA2KPKebbkKs-aHf-eUmLYSHyR7uIpUmHcNzbHVfK9mhT_jC6XdsbA1cD3lrgIg0aH_nAx6DS-OlY-ehfXX9PUfUIdBD-E4hTaR76Jky_C05bp/s200/smiling-sunflower.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Wow! Where did the time go? The first marking period has come and gone already. The good news is that we are 48 days into the longest stretch of school days without a multi-day break. (Who's counting, huh? There are 63 days from the start of the school year until Thanksgiving break. The run in the winter is 40 days from 2/22 - 4/15) <br />
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So what has the LEA accomplished in those 48 days? If you have been checking this site frequently, you know that the union has been busy prepping for negotiations and keeping membership informed of various events and announcements. Here is the most recent summary of association actions -<br />
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<li> The Unit A negotiations team met with the school committee negotiating team on October 22nd. This meeting was organizational and an opportunity to meet all of the members of the negotiation teams. The school committee is represented by chairperson Andrea Wadsworth and Kathy Hall. The school committee team will also include the district's attorney, Fred Dupere. Joining the five members of the LEA team we will be Brad Brousseau, our MTA field representative. In addition to setting ground rules, the two groups outlined a beginning schedule for negotiation meetings. We will be meeting on the following dates: December 9 & 16, January 6 & 20, and February 3. All meetings begin at 4:30 and are capped at 2 hours. We meet in the LMHS library. While negotiation sessions are closed to the public, the LEA has reserved room A106 as our caucus room. Any Unit A LEA member is welcome to meet in the caucus room. If the negotiation team breaks for individual group discussions, the LEA team will meet in room A106 and any Unit A members present are welcome to participate in our discussions. Please see a negotiation team member if you have any questions about this opportunity. </li>
<li>The results from the Unit A interviews are currently being analyzed by the LEA negotiation team. We are looking for areas of mutual concern throughout the district and items which can be addressed through collective bargaining. Our goal is to have a formal negotiation platform presented to the Executive Board and distributed to the membership by the December 9th negotiation meeting. Thank you to everybody who participated.</li>
<li>The pre-retirement workshop has been scheduled. It will be on Wednesday, December 9 at 3:45 in room B123 at LMHS. Once again, a representative from MTA will be here to discuss various pre-retirement issues. So far, approximately 15 people have pre-registered. Please let me know if you would like to attend as I need to provide a head count. </li>
<li>I was approached by many Unit C members asking about the relevance of the pre-retirement workshop to their unit. During these conversations, I realized that I had not included the Unit C information on retirement on the LEA website. I apologize for that oversight. A link to the the Berkshire County Retirement Board has been placed under the retirement tab. I have placed a call inquiring as to if the BCRB offers information sessions. I will let you know what I find out.</li>
<li>Finally, I encourage all LEA members to consider participating in the Berkshire United Way Annual Drive. I personally, have been giving through pre-tax payroll deduction for over 10 years. Some years I have identified a specific organization to receive my gift, or I let United Way allocate the gift. Contributions can be given in any amount. I have included a graphic of ways that United Way has helped our kids from Lee. If you are interested in participating, please let me know. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, it looks like that is it for now. I hope that this note finds you all well and not too freaked out that there are only 52 shopping days left until Christmas. No pressure, people!<br />
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Take care,</div>
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Amy</div>
MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-65234043917902125622015-10-18T18:42:00.001-07:002015-10-18T19:10:46.054-07:00Unit A Negotiations Begin October 22<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw3amS2iHMd6cHombdUG48L_2Hp7SLA5vc7seAzQLATQ8LJj-s8HaubLMgZXFeJKq5xFaaPxdzFGSKtIfvffGwJ6YgmNiPuxt2ey-Nyddg7xNpXnStsMucrS2aBD8ytGf55RYSX-sbvJf/s1600/leo-cullum-remember-in-this-negotiation-you-re-the-paula-abdul-new-yorker-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw3amS2iHMd6cHombdUG48L_2Hp7SLA5vc7seAzQLATQ8LJj-s8HaubLMgZXFeJKq5xFaaPxdzFGSKtIfvffGwJ6YgmNiPuxt2ey-Nyddg7xNpXnStsMucrS2aBD8ytGf55RYSX-sbvJf/s200/leo-cullum-remember-in-this-negotiation-you-re-the-paula-abdul-new-yorker-cartoon.jpg" title="from The New Yorker" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from<i> The New Yorker</i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #999999;">This Thursday, October 22, marks the first meeting between the LEA Unit A negotiation team and the Lee School Committee to begin the collective bargaining process. This first meeting will be organizational only; both sides will introduce themselves and set the ground rules for the upcoming meetings. The LEA negotiators are Jane McEvoy (chair), Amy Consolati (LEA president), Nancy Forget, Ruth LeCompte, and Ginger Armstrong. We will be joined at the table by Brad Brousseau, our MTA field representative. All of our team members have experience gained while negotiating previous LEA contracts. Both Nancy and Ginger have extensive experience and the LEA is thankful for their continued commitment to this time consuming work.</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999;">To prepare for the negotiations, members of the LEA Executive Board, Grievance team, building reps as well as LEA officers have been interviewing all Unit A members. These brief interviews seek to identify areas of mutual concern throughout the membership and to generate possible ways to address the concerns through the collective bargaining process. Every member's ideas are important. If you have not been contacted by this Thursday, please email me and I will make sure you are interviewed. Once everybody has been interviewed, the negotiation team will establish a negotiating platform which will be shared and approved by the Executive Board. It will then be made available to the entire membership. A similar process will also occur later in the year when the Unit C (Paraprofessional) contract is up for negotiation.</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999;">Each fall, the central office submits to the LEA a list of all Unit A members which includes their years of service and certifications. Known as the "seniority list", this important document needs to be reviewed by all Unit A members yearly. I have attached a copy of the seniority list under the "links" section of this website. Please take a minute and check that the information listed for you is correct. If there are any issues, please email me with the corrections. I will send all corrections to the central office for revision. Please remind your co-workers and help out any new teachers unfamiliar with this process. I will send the corrections next Monday, giving us all a solid week to review the list.</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999;">In terms of training, there are two opportunities to report. First, there is an offer to present an informational session on retirement. The trainer is offering to hold the training session on the LPS campus. We would invite other districts to participate. I plan on contacting the MTRS representative, Ward Johnson, this week and will update you on the date and time shortly. The second training opportunity, sponsored by the MTA, is aimed at the paraprofessional staff. On Thursday, December 3rd at the Crowne Plaza in Pittsfield there will be an Introduction to iPads workshop. Ipads will be provided to use at the workshop, dinner will be provided, and the event is free to MTA members. Promotional emails will be sent out soon so watch your emails for registration instructions.</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999;">Finally, at the last school committee meeting on October 13, it was announced that the district had posted a job opening for a district superintendent. The opening is for a shared superintendent for a one year trial period. The district will accept applications until mid-November. At this point, the district has a few options to explore. Possibilities include: the current search locates a strong candidate to share for one year, Mr. Skrocki could stay on as interim superintendent for another year, or the school committee could decide to begin a search for a full time superintendent. Hopefully whichever avenue is chosen will lead us towards positive resolution of this issue and true movement on our continued quest to share resources throughout the region. </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999;">For many, this is a challenging stretch of time. The days grow shorter and it seems that the calendar will never reach those much need days off at Thanksgiving. Personally, the snowflakes today sent a shiver up my spine at the thought of the warm days of summer and early fall ending. Those of you who live for the snow need to cheer us up (and maybe bring us hot chocolate! And slippers!). Fortunately, we are able to work in beautiful buildings, with fantastic colleagues and teach really great kids. May these good thoughts and the support of your association carry you successfully through these next few busy and most likely chillier weeks. </span><br />
<br />MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-33149160479503243552015-10-04T17:33:00.000-07:002015-10-05T10:51:32.959-07:00Lots of Stuff Going On!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">October 4, 2015</span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;">Early October finds the LEA bustling with lots of activity. Please read through the following to stay on top of developments:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;">This weekend Jane McEvoy, and Ginger Armstrong and I attended the MTA’s Collective Bargaining Summit. This event was very informative (Bernie Sanders stopped by!) and our team was able to formulate a few ideas to bring back to Lee. Our negotiations with the school committee are scheduled to begin on October 22nd. This first meeting will be organizational only, but as a result of our experience at the summit, the LEA negotiation team will be proposing that the negotiations be open to the public for viewing only. Other associations in the state have engaged in this format and feel that it allows for transparency and encourages participation by a larger segment of the membership. In addition, the LEA negotiation committee, with the assistance of a few other committees, will be reaching out to all Unit A members over the next few weeks to solicit opinions concerning the negotiations. Once all members have been contacted, the negotiation team and the executive board will identify areas of mutual concern and craft a platform for the Unit A membership to approve and for the negotiation team to use as its base for talks with the school committee. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;">The Executive Board held a special meeting on September 21st to discuss the Berkshire Record article concerning Berkshire Hills School District’s intention to extend an invitation to the Lee Public Schools to share a superintendent. Board members were in agreement that this possibility could have a direct impact on the association’s members. The group unanimously agreed to stay abreast of developments in the search for a new superintendent and to approach Lee school committee chairperson Andrea Wadsworth concerning the LEA playing a role on the future interview panel. LEA members who would like to read more about this topic can Google search using the keywords, “lee school shared services”. Your results will provide links to Berkshire Eagle and Berkshire Edge articles on this topic.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;">I met with Mr. Skrocki in late September to discuss the focus of our 2015-2016 Joint Labor/Management committee. I proposed the group study the concept of shared services and its impact on students, learning and educators. Mr. Skrocki was in favor of devoting the entire year to this topic. The first meeting of the Joint Labor/Management committee will be Tuesday, November 10, 2015.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;">This week the LEA will be collecting signatures from its membership supporting the MTA’s goal of securing 20,000 signatures towards the “Raise Up Massachusetts” coalition. The goal of the petition drive is to gather enough support to have a question on the 2018 ballot. Raise Up Massachusetts is seeking to change the state constitution by taxing income over one million dollars by an additional 4 cents on the dollar. If passed, this change would generate approximately 1.2 billion dollars of revenue for Massachusetts schools. If you would like to add your name to the petition and you work at LES, please contact Brandon Boule; if you work at LMHS, please see Josh Hall. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;">This Thursday, October 8, will be the first time LEA dues will be withheld from paychecks. Please take a moment and confirm that the deduction has been properly taken. Please email Matt Fillio if you have any concerns.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;">The next school committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 13 and the next Executive Board meeting will be Wednesday, October 14. All are welcome.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;">Finally, I would like to reinforce that the LEA officers and committee members volunteer their time to assist the membership and make our association stronger. Please feel free to contact any LEA officer, Executive Board member, or School Representative if you have questions or concerns about how our union works, questions regarding the contract or other things that may come up. Your concerns will be passed on for research and I will be sure to contact you regarding your question. However, please be aware that all questions/concerns must be filed with ownership. Anonymous concerns cannot be effectively addressed and in situations which involve other association members, anonymous charges create an atmosphere of paranoia and chip away at the association’s strength. Thank you in advance for your understanding. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444;">As you can see, the LEA is busy! Be prepared to have a member contact you in the next few days to discuss negotiations. We are all in this together and your contributions make our team stronger. Take care.</span></span>MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652735027666699519.post-12079567861465205662015-09-18T07:00:00.001-07:002015-09-18T08:56:58.681-07:00It's Mid-September Already.......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCgAaQ0yFYqlmUSDp3skfFuriUunPwMRTkIiAcNVcoOWBS_frfsl-9Vm0knQIznQ9vBS8ES4CgjHQzJwcdUpBgIzCr25t3Qmo000zfxwE3ss72PKP-rnGHytGQNevBENo6RMQTzinoScU/s1600/f2c8f-leaf-fall.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCgAaQ0yFYqlmUSDp3skfFuriUunPwMRTkIiAcNVcoOWBS_frfsl-9Vm0knQIznQ9vBS8ES4CgjHQzJwcdUpBgIzCr25t3Qmo000zfxwE3ss72PKP-rnGHytGQNevBENo6RMQTzinoScU/s200/f2c8f-leaf-fall.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is hard to believe that we are about to complete the fourth week of the 2015-2016 school year! Even more unbelievable is the occasional brown leaf floating onto the sidewalk reminding us that we are approaching the change of seasons. I hope your transition from the carefree, sunny days of summer to the hectic hustle of the school year has been as pleasant as possible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">As promised, here is our new LEA website. Many thanks to Dan Korte for setting this up! I have tried to include information that will be useful to us all. Please check things out and email me at </span><span style="color: #e69138;">leeedassoc@gmail.com</span><span style="color: #666666;"> if there is something else to add.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's been going on so far this year in terms of the LEA? Here is a summary:</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LEA committees have been established. Thank you to all who have signed up to volunteer their time and energy to our association. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Executive Board met for the first time on Tuesday, September 8. This group meets monthly, the Monday before a school committee meeting. We meet in the LES faculty lounge. All are always welcome. I will begin posting the minutes of our meetings on this site. Please check these out occasionally to keep yourself informed.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will be meeting with Mr. Skrocki soon to discuss our goals for the 2015-2016 school year.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jane McEvoy, Ginger Armstrong and I will be attending the MTA Collective Bargaining Summit on Saturday, October 3.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will be attending the Fall 2015 MTA Regional Presidents' Meeting on October 8th. This is an opportunity to learn what is happening in other local unions.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everybody should have received their MTA membership card. Please let Matt know if you have not received a card. Be sure to activate your card at <b>https://validate.mtaleaders.org/</b>. Once your card is activated you will be able to fully utilize the MTA website and receive the full benefits of your MTA membership.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the future, I will be emailing all correspondence via your personal web addresses. Please make sure that Matt has the correct email address. Feel free to create a shortcut to this site on your desktop for easy access.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once again, I hope that you are excited to be back at school, are developing positive relationships with your students, and feel supported by your colleagues and your education association. Remember to take care of yourself and stay healthy as we cruise into the busy coming months.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take care,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amy</span></div>
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MTA Presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051984415557170746noreply@blogger.com