independence day - PCTA-PESPA - Pinellas Classroom Teachers

No. 27
In this Issue: Independence Day, Referendum, School Board Races,
MyBargaining
Union brothersUpdate,
and sisters,Order Your Ballots, Student Loan Forgiveness, For
Faculty Reps
INDEPENDENCE DAY
Brothers and Sisters,
One week ago we celebrated our national Independence Day. Family, friends, outdoor grilling and fireworks are
the way many of us celebrate the political and personal freedoms that our founding fathers fought for and won.
We are the beneficiaries of their successful struggle. We are also indebted to countless American military
personnel who fought to defend and preserve those freedoms and continue to do so today. Declaring
independence was a courageous act but actually winning independence did not occur until George
Washington’s army forced General Cornwallis to surrender after the siege of Yorktown in 1781, over five years
after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, the war was not officially ended until the Treaty of
Paris was signed in September of 1783. Declaring Independence showed the courage of those fledgling
Americans but the years of sacrifice and struggle to win that independence demonstrated their grit.
The reason that I bring up this short history lesson is not only because I miss teaching history, although I truly
do, but to point out that every generation of Americans have an obligation to secure the blessings of liberty for
ourselves and our posterity. Declaring we are for a cause is noble but causes worth fighting for require
perseverance, commitment and some of that grit our founding fathers possessed, a grit that should be our
birthright as Americans. In short, we need to act like Americans. Americans are rebels by nature. We are not
afraid to question those in authority, we believe in fair play, an educated citizenry and a free public education as
part of our core beliefs and Americans simply cannot be silenced.
Educators have a responsibility to pass on these traits to their students. We have a responsibility to future
generations of Americans to ensure that we are learning what it means to be an American, not just how to
bubble answers on a standardized test. We need to defend the very idea of a free public education system,
especially now that it is being deliberately destroyed by groups that view our students as products they can
profit from.
Too many educators have that “what can I do about it?” attitude when faced with issues that beg for our
intervention. That attitude is a far cry from the attitude of a school teacher by the name of Nathan Hale whose
last words were, “My only regret is that I have but one life to give to my country”. I have heard people say that
unions are not as strong in Florida as in the Northern states, but they fail to consider how quickly that could
change if they just started acting “union”. What does it mean to act union? Acting union simply means acting
like an American and standing up for yourself. Our contract protects professional educators from being treated
in an unprofessional manner, but a contract is just words on paper unless an educator is willing to stand up for
themselves.
Creating great public schools for every student, regardless of zip code, is our mission. To achieve this, we need
collaboration with the District and our communities. The stool will not support the weight of great schools
without all three of these legs firmly under it. A District that is used to handing down mandates, bypassing the
community and the unions representing its employees, will resist collaboration. We have declared our goal, now
our struggle is to help the District understand that PCTA-PESPA should be a powerful ally in the creation of
great public schools. All they need to do is show our organization and our educators the respect we all deserve
as professionals.
Currently, we have an opportunity to change the face of our school board. We have spoken to the board at
School Board meetings and expressed dissatisfaction with the climate of fear that exists within Pinellas County
Schools. We have pleaded for relief from testing for our students, senseless mandates and unfair evaluations.
Are you satisfied with the responses you have received? Do you feel that the School Board members are
listening and willing to work with us to make life better in Pinellas County Schools for educators and students?
If not, what should you do?
Well, as Union members and as Americans, you have a responsibility to act. First, make sure you are registered
to vote. Secondly, support the school board candidates endorsed by your Union’s political action committee.
Call all your friends and ask them to vote for our candidates, use social media to spread the word, and volunteer
to help our candidates and/or contribute to their campaigns. Finally, vote on August 30th and drag everyone you
can to the polls with you.
The 2016/17 School year can be “our year” brothers and sisters. We can change the way the School Board
interacts with its employees. We can change the climate of fear into a climate of collaboration and cooperation.
We can transform all our schools into great public schools. We can build PCTA-PESPA into a powerful and
respected organization that is the driving force in public education. Change is coming and Union members are
going to be the ones to initiate it. The way we do that is to remember, on Independence Day and every other
day, we are Americans. Then, we act like it!
God Bless America.
In Solidarity,
Mike
REFERENDUM
Citizens for Pinellas Schools Referendum November 8th
APPROVAL OF CONTINUATION OF ONE-HALF MILL AD VALOREM TAX FOR
SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATING EXPENSES:
Shall the Pinellas County School District ad valorem millage of one-half mill per year be continued beginning
July 1, 2017 and ending four fiscal years later on June 30, 2021, for necessary operating expenses including
funds to recruit and retain teachers; preserve reading programs and music and art classes; and provide up-todate textbooks and technology, with oversight of these expenditures by an independent citizens financial
oversight committee?
_____ YES
______ NO
THE REFERENDUM AND TEACHERS
80% of all funds raised are used for teacher salaries and benefits. In the 2015/16 school year teachers received:
- $513 in fringe supplement
- $3,417 in direct salary supplement
The remaining 20% goes into program areas which include additional teacher benefits. For example, teachers
receive stipends for some professional development and additional support through coaches and coordinators.
Because of the referendum, teachers get new tools in their classrooms including consumable supplies,
technology and books.
HOW THE MONEY HAS BEEN US




Recruiting and retaining quality teachers
Preserve reading programs
Preserve music and art classes
Provide up-to-date textbooks and technology
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE REFERENDUM FAILS?
The referendum has produced almost $360 million since approved. Many of the programs instituted have
been one-time costs in case funding is not continued, and the district will do its best with the money it has;
however, all programs that exceed minimum state requirements will be in jeopardy.

Teachers would lose almost $4,000 in supplemental pay and we would have difficulty attracting
quality applicants to teach here.

Cutting courses and specialized programs such as art, music, foreign language, advanced placement
and drop-out prevention. Cuts could also include magnet programs and fundamental schools.

Reducing adult education options and vocational training.
SCHOOL BOARD RACES
It is Time to Shake Up the Pinellas County School Board!
Eliseo
Santana
On August 30th 2016, the voters of Pinellas County will be going to the polls to decide who will sit on the
Pinellas County School Board. It’s an important election that will affect everyone but, none more so than the
educators of Pinellas County.
The Educators of Pinellas have been asking for change for some time now. They have demonstrated, rallied and
spoken at School Board Meetings. Our current Board members are well intentioned people and have been very
understanding and sympathetic but have yet to be moved to action. Educators have packed school board
meetings and expressed their displeasure on issues like testing, evaluations, termination without cause, health
care and the right to a living wage. They have expressed feeling unappreciated, bullied, intimidated and
disrespected. They have cried over the level of stress we have been putting on our students and the effects of
stress on our own health. All these concerns have been largely ignored and swept under the rug by our School
Board.
The Tampa Bay Times Failure Factories series exploited the results of having a Board that is reactive instead
of proactive. PCTA-PESPA has been working with the District to transform these schools into great public
schools but the problems in our District run much deeper. Currently the middle schools in our county are getting
ready to boil over. The behavior issues have been kept quiet from the public for too long and if we do not have a
Board that is willing to attack problems before they blow up into full-fledged disasters, we can expect another
Pulitzer Prize winning series for the Tampa Bay Times in the near future.
Not only are the educators of Pinellas among the most affected by who sits on the School Board, we are also in
the strongest position to make changes to that Board. An election on August 30th without any other major races
on the ballot will most likely have a small turnout at the polls. Our numbers will have a greater impact. There
are approximately 14,000 employees in Pinellas County Schools. If we can organize all the employee groups
and their families and friends, we can tilt this election in our favor. Now is the time to start spreading the word,
contributing to the campaigns, passing out flyers, posting yard signs in front of your house, using social media
and telling every person you come into contact with that they need to get out and vote to ensure we have the
changes we need on our School Board to move our District forward.
If you live in North County, we need teacher and PCTA member, Eileen Long to knock off Ken Peluso from his
District 4 seat. If you live in mid-county, Carol Cook is the incumbent we need to replace with Eliseo Santana.
Eliseo understands our concerns and is straight on our issues. Most importantly, he understands that if you want
to find out what is really happening, you have to go to the front lines and talk to the people that are doing the
heavy lifting. No matter where you live, you will be voting for the “At Large” District 1 Seat. In this race the
PCTA Political Action Committee has endorsed two candidates. Joanne Lentino is a former PCTA member,
recipient of the PCTA Human Civil Rights Award and a current member of our retired union member group,
PEER. She understands the issues and is unafraid to ask the questions that need to be asked of Administration.
Dr. Matthew Stewart is the other candidate endorsed by our PAC committee for the District 1 seat. He is
intelligent, articulate, and knowledgeable and we believe he would be a solid Board member.
The important thing here is that the Union show its muscle during this election. If we want the Board to listen to
us, we must demonstrate that it is not in their best interest to ignore us. I have a good deal of respect for the
current Board members. It is, however, important to note that when teachers felt they had been threatened, by
the Deputy Superintendent’s now infamous e-mail before the last contract ratification vote, not one Board
member came to the defense of teachers or even made an attempt to soften the blow. Most of us took their
silence to mean that they condone that type of behavior toward their employees. It is not a slight I personally
will soon forget.
On August 30th we will have the opportunity to change the make-up of our School Board and as Eileen Long
likes to say, to “Wipe the Slate Clean”.
BARGAINING UPDATE
The Bargaining teams have not been able to meet yet this summer to work toward an agreement on a total
compensation package for next year. The financial picture is looking bleak because despite the fact that there
will be an increase in the number of students in Florida schools, money from the state will only increase by a
single (1) percent. Even though the District claims that they are hard pressed to offer raises, PCTA and the other
employee unions feel that our District should spend less money on non-essential programs and start investing in
its most valuable resource, the employees. The PCTA bargaining team is determined to see teachers move along
the step schedule but there are currently steps that only provide a minimal raise that we would like to see
adjusted. The term “step raise” really is deceiving because it implies that these raises are automatic and that
teacher income climbs each year as steps on a ladder. Steps are not guaranteed, not automatic and must be
negotiated each year.
The PCTA bargaining team is also cognizant of the fact that our brothers and sisters in PESPA and SEIU earn
significantly less than teachers do and that a percentage raise equal to what teachers may earn could translates to
only a few cents per hour for them. PCTA’s position is that all workers deserve a living wage and that will
remain our position as long as we have employees, who contribute to the educational process of our students
while earning poverty wages.
With a recommendation from the Employee Well-Being and Satisfaction committee, the bargaining team is
hoping to prevent any changes to our health insurance plans or employee premiums even though the price of
insurance premiums has gone up. The District’s position is that if they have to pay for increased employee
premiums, the money should come from what would be used for raises.
The PCTA bargaining team’s number one priority is and always will be to ensure that all teachers receive due
process. The policy of “termination without cause” is responsible for the climate of fear that exists in our
District and as long as Administrators are permitted to use this unfair practice, PCTA will continue to fight and
to challenge Pinellas County Schools to show the courage that is required to do the right thing by their
employees and students
___________________________________________________________________________
Order your mail-in ballot Today
2016 Primary Election
August 30, 2016
AUGUST 30, 2016
PRIMARY ELECTION INFORMATION
Voter Registration Deadline & Deadline to change political party: August 1, 2016
***Florida is a closed primary state***
ALL registered voters may vote in nonpartisan school board and judicial contests.
Remember to vote for PCTA-PESPA endorsed candidates for School Board:
Eileen Long, Joanne Lentino, Matthew Stuart, Eliseo Santana
http://www.votepinellas.com/
FOR FACULTY REPS ONLY