File - Billings Classified Employees Association

BCEA NEWS FOR YOU
BILLINGS CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATIO
ASSOCIATION
N
April 2013
MEA-MFT District 27
AFT Local 7514
BCEA Members Report from the MEA-MFT RA
At this time every year BCEA delegates attend the
MEA-MFT Representative Assembly to participate
in conducting the business of our union—the
largest union in Montana. Delegates this year
included BCEA Board members Deana Elder,
Butch Kochel, Peggy Royer, Jeri Anton, Linda
Leligdowicz, Dee Neiter, Jeff Fronk, Decora
Jorgensen. Other BCEA members attending this
year were Lucy Hernandez, Jenny Warner, Jan
McCandless, Don Barcus, and Scott Proctor. Don
and Scott have provided some of their thoughts
for you.
Don Barcus—Riverside Middle School
This was my first RA for MEA-MFT representing
BCEA. I was impressed with all of the pomp and
circumstance that went along with the meeting,
but also felt that it sometimes got in the way of
the business. Clearly some of it is necessary and it
would be hard for me to distinguish between that
which is important and that which was merely self
-congratulatory. It was a good lesson into the
workings of large group meetings and the importance of having rules to follow. I liked that the
meeting, for the most part, ran so smoothly and
so much was accomplished. I liked the fact that
anyone can speak if they take the time to be recognized. I really liked that some humor was
injected and broke up the monotony. Membership Man was a highlight and I thoroughly enjoyed the small, multi-colored, disk shaped
seeds he and his underlings bestowed upon us
as we listened to his amusing anecdotes and
insightful commentary on the importance of a
strong unified membership.
ally shift and rip the waters on which we float.
It is as if they do not realize that a strong, well
intentioned labor force is critical to any and all
industries. We will continue to be the force
that keeps both ships righted while the other
side finds its equilibrium.
Scott Proctor—Lincoln Center
One thing I would pass on to those BCEA members who are not physically at the RA is that I
believe they are being represented well. Those
BCEA members around me who counseled me,
not specifically how to vote, said I should remember not to just vote my conscience but to
vote the conscience of the other 36 members
that I represented. Those in attendance are
dedicated to their membership and truly have
the best interest of all at heart. The assembled
delegates taught me that we are a powerful
force in the tide that is Montana policy and
politics and as long as we keep the greater good
in sight and in our hearts, we will continue to
guide the ships of labor and industry in a mutually beneficial direction. Let us stray but a little
and both of those ships could end up on the
rocks of economic upheaval. It amazes me that
the other side of the tide does not do more to
prevent our ship from crashing as they continu-
I always have fun at the R.A. in Helena!! Good
food, good people, and good times! This year
they almost had to bail me out of jail though, as
I was escorted out of the capitol building by
police for protesting the Senate Republican's
illegal decision to re-convene the Senate and
start ramming through contentious bills. Despite the fact that everyone else in the Gallery
was also protesting, they somehow thought I
had started the "Out of Order" chant. I do love
a little civil disobedience when the situation
calls for it! Thanks again for inviting me to participate in our union!
All of our delegates have returned home with
an excitement and a desire to become more
involved with our union. Every BCEA member
should experience this great event.
BCEA delegates
to MEA-MFT RA
preparing for
opening session
to begin.
Inside this issue:
Special Points of Interest
Sick Leave Donations
2
Contract Negotiations
2
Member Survey Form
2
ESP of the Month—Leslie Owen
3
BCEA Election Bios
3
BCEA Elections
4
BCEA General Membership Meeting
4

BCEA Board Meeting—May 7

BCEA General Membership Meeting—May 15 4:30

Last Day of School—May 31, 2013

BCEA Membership—438 members
BCEA NEWS FOR YOU
Page 2
BCEA Sick Leave Donations Explained
I would like to thank
everyone in the district
who has donated sick
time to me over the last
year. I don’t know what
I would have done without you.
My recovery is a slow
process, but I am up for
the challenge. Thank
you also for your
thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
One of the many benefits
available to BCEA members
that is probably appreciated
the most is the opportunity to
donate and receive sick leave
hours from member to member. This has been a very difficult year for some of our
members. We have two members that have been diagnosed
with inoperable brain tumors,
another member has had a
bone marrow transplant, and
many others have had some
very serious surgeries and
illnesses. Because BCEA members are allowed to donate to
other BCEA members, all of
Dorothy Fangsrud
these people have been
able to use sick leave hours
for the time they have been
unable to work. This means
that they have been able to
receive a paycheck and
continue to receive insurance and all other benefits.
If there is an employee in
need of donated sick leave
hours, a request must be
made to the BCEA President. Once the request is
received, the BCEA President will contact the BPS
Human Resources Director
and request authorization
for members to donate for
that specific person. Once permission has been received, the
BCEA President will send out a
request to members for donations. Members then send the
donation form to the Payroll
Office at Lincoln Center where
they are kept for the specified
individual. The hours are not
subtracted from an employees
balance until they are actually
used by the member. The benefactor of the sick leave hours
does not know who donates.
Please read the thank you note
at the left of this article from
one of our very grateful members.
Time to Negotiate a New Contract
This year the BCEA Bargaining Team will be meeting with representatives from the school district
to bargain a new contract. As we prepare for the bargaining sessions, we are asking BCEA members to provide their thoughts on what our priorities should be this year. Instead of a survey this
year members can write their suggestions and concerns on the form below. Completed forms
should be returned to Deana Elder at Facilities Services by May 2, 2013.
BCEA Contract Negotiations—Member Priorities
This is your
Position/Job Title _______________________________________________________
opportunity to
Hours worked per day _____________________
provide your
Grade Level _____________________________
priorities to be
considered
Concerns and priorities for Negotiations:
during
re: contract language, salary, insurance, hours, other benefits
negotiations
(be specific whenever possible)
this year.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Clip and return to
Deana Elder at
Facilities Services
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
APRIL 2013
Page 3
ESP of the Month
Leslie Owen—Special Needs Assistant—Academy Preschool
Leslie Owens is a Special Needs
Assistant in Debbie Dolezal’s preschool classroom at the Career
Center Academy Preschool, who
truly enjoys her job. Leslie
“comes in to work every day with
a smile on her face and goes
about doing what is expected of
her.” That is why Nancy Schmidt,
Speech/Language Assistant at the
Academy Preschool “truly believes
Leslie deserves to be named employee of the month.” The BCEA
agrees so Leslie Owens is the
BCEA ESP of the Month for April
2013. Here is what Leslie wrote
about herself:
“I have been working for the
school district for 11 years. I began at Castle Rock in 2002 as a
substitute for a one-on-one aide
who was out on family medical
leave. The next year I was placed
in a kindergarten classroom at
Bitterroot Elementary.
My first permanent position was
at Rimrock School. I worked as a
Preschool Special Needs Assistant for 5 years with Lori Gregor.
When Rimrock closed I went into
Debbie Dolezal’s classroom and
have been her SNA for the past 5
years at 3 different schools. I
have been fortunate to work
with many loving and talented
people and countless adorable
students. I often tell people that
one of the enrollment requirements must be that the child is
“cute” because we only get cute
kids. In my time as a SNA I have
come to believe that work is
Love made visible.
Prior to working in the school
district I was a Deputy Tax Assessor and an Accounts Payable
BCEA President and Vice President
Newly Elected Officer’s Bios
With one nomination for
each position of BCEA President and Vice President, it
been proclaimed by acclamation that the BCEA President and BCEA Vice President for 2013-2015 are
Deana Elder and Jeff Fronk.
Many of you know Deana
Elder. She has been our
President for the last 4
years. But for those who do
not know Deana, let me
introduce you to her.
Deana Elder will be entering
her third term as BCEA President. Deana is currently
employed as a Computer
Engineer/Computer Tech
for BPS. Deana has been
working for the BCEA at the
local, state and national
levels. Deana said working
at all levels helps her commitment to working for
BCEA now and in the future.
Deana has dedicated herself
to continuing her work as
BCEA President and working
for the good of all BCEA
members.
Jeff Fronk is our new Vice
President for 2013-2015. I
would introduce Jeff but he
did such an excellent job on
his bio for nomination for
vice president, I thought I
would let Jeff introduce
himself.
“Currently I serve on the
BCEA Board of Directors as
an Area Director for First
Student and Middle
Schools. I also served as a
Building Representative for
the BCEA and have attended
the last 3 MEA-MFT Representative Assembly’s along
with MEA-MFT Leadership
Training, attended the AFTPSRP Conference in Washington, D.C. and I am also
on the BCEA Negotiating
Team. I truly believe in our
Union, and as your BCEA
Vice President I will contin-
Clerk. I stayed home with my 2 sons,
Drew and Graham for a few years
and enjoyed being involved in their
activities. I taught swimming at the
YMCA, served on the PTA at Alkali
Creek, taught CCD at St. Bernard’s
church, supported scouting and
numerous athletics. My eldest son,
Drew, has graduated from MSU with
a degree in Marketing and his brother, Graham is currently enrolled at
MSU studying Music Technology. In
June I will celebrate my 30th wedding
anniversary with my husband, Joe.
Thank you for the card, flowers and
kind acknowledgment.
Leslie Owen “
Leslie is truly an example of what
BCEA wants others to know about
our members - It’s more than a Job,
IT’S A CAREER! Congratulations,
Leslie, for being our ESP for April
2013 and an excellent example of
what BCEA stands for.
Leslie Owen
Special Needs Assistant
Academy Pre-School
ue to learn and move our
union forward.
I’m in my 5th year as a Special Needs Bus Assistant for
SD2. I worked for 15 years
in the security field and 6
years of this time in a supervisory position. I am a Veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
Graduated from Bonanza
High School in Las Vegas,
NV. in 1983 and attended
UNLV, and Taft Jr. College
for 2 years.
I have 3 beautiful daughters
and 2 wonderful grandchildren. My youngest daughter
is in high school now and
my grandchildren are
getting ready to start school
so I have a very vested interest in our public schools
and where they are going.
If I had to say what my best
asset is, it would be common sense. I truly believe if
you use common sense in
Deana Elder and Jeff Fronk
BCEA President and Vice
President
all of life’s situations you will get
things done right the first time.
Congratulations to our President
and Vice President for 20132015.
BCEA Mission Statement: The BCEA (Billings Classified Employees Association), an advocacy unit
for the Education Support Professional (ESP), is committed to promoting professionalism of each member
and furthering the success of all students to become productive citizens.
Billings Classified Employees Association
510 North 29th Street
Billings, MT 59101
President—Deana Elder
Phone—406-281-5790
Email—[email protected]
Editors—Janet Baum and Deana Elder
Find the BCEA on the web at
www.bceabillings.org
BCEA Election by Acclamation
Nominations for BCEA President and Vice President closed on April 19,
2013. Nominated for BCEA President was Deana Elder and BCEA Vice
President was Jeff Fronk. As no other nominations were made, the election committee has reported that they will not run a ballot election by
all members, as provided by BCEA Board Policy. By acclamation Deana
Elder has been elected to a two-year term as BCEA President and Jeff
Fronk has been elected to a two-year term as BCEA Vice President. You
can read about them on page 3 of this newsletter.
Our current Vice President, Butch Kochel, is retiring from the Career
Center this year and we wish him well in his retirement. Thank you,
Butch, for the years you served on the BCEA Executive Board and as
BCEA Vice President.
ted
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You are in
BCEA General Membership Meeting
All BCEA members are invited to attend the annual BCEA General Membership Meeting to recognize
our members. We will recognize our 20 year members, our ESPs of the Month for 2012-13, retiring
members, our Building Reps and other outstanding members.
Refreshments will be served and there will be door prizes for those attending. Join us for this time to
celebrate our members!
BCEA General Membership Meeting
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
4:30 pm—5:30pm
BEA Office
Member Recognition
Refreshments
Door Prizes
TEAM—Together Everyone Achieves More