UBC MEETING
JANUARY 5TH, 2009 AT 12P:10PM
IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY
TENTATIVE AGENDA: (SEND OTHER ITEMS ASAP)
· BUILDING REP UPDATE
· ASSEMBLY SUMMARY
· MEMBER CONCERNS
· OTHER BUSINESS
DECEMBER 15, 2008 UBC MEETING SUMMARY
27 MEMBERS ATTENDEDÉTHANK YOU
UBC REPS: J.MOORE, D.BRYSON,J.GERBER,L.WOOTEN,
M.MCCACHREN,D.WILLIAMS,J.GALGANO
M. BELLO /RECORDER (THANK YOU)
1. THANKS FOR DR. EDDINGS AND DR. GIBSON ON BALANCE SCORE CARD HELP
2. WATCH WHAT YOU DO ON YOUR SFUSD DISTRICT EMAIL
3. MIDDLE SCHOOL UNION MEETING
* PROBLEMS EXPRESSED AT MANY MIDDLE SCHOOLS OVER IRFS ROLE
4. CALENDAR SURVEY
* REGULAR SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS SAME TIME NEXT YEAR, UNION WILL HAVE TO
ONCE MORE VOTE ON 2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR SCHEDULE.
5. PRIVATE EMAIL SENT TO ADM SENT OUT TO ALL
* EMAIL DISCUSSION
6. UBC BUILDING REP AND UBC REPS ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY TO ENFORCE
CONTRACT ARTICLES AND PROTECT ALL MEMBERS RIGHTS
* C. SCERRI CONCERNED ABOUT REPETITIVE ISSUES AT MEETINGS AND TONE.
*J.MOORE-CORRECT WORK SHOULD BE THE PRIORITY, NOT MORE WORK AND
MEETINGS.
*D. BELLUOMINI- LETS GET POSITIVE
* D. BRYSON- WE NEED TO BE PROACTIVE NOT REACTIVE
* M.MCCACHREN- MEETINGS ABOUT DISCUSSIONS AND ISSUES SHOULD BE SET UP
DURING UBC AND SSC MEETINGS EACH MONTH
* J.GERBER- UBC NEEDS TO PROTECT RIGHTS OF ALL MEMBERS AND INDIVIDUAL
MEMBERS
* J.GERBER- EMAIL BLASTS SHOUL D NOT SENT OUT TO EVERYONE
* E.GIBSON-USE EMAIL
* C.SCERRI-AGREES
Coat Drive for Those in Need
Bring Coats to UESF Executive Board
Ð January 7th.
MH CSO/NSO
Coat Drive Extended!
UESF is joining other Bay Area
labor unions this winter in
participating in a coat drive
to help out those in need.
If you have an extra coat to
spare, please bring it to the UESF
Executive Board meeting on Wednesday, January
7th. The meeting takes place at the Civic Center Secondary School (727
Golden Gate Ave.) starting at 4:15 p.m. Better yet, talk to your
coworkers
and bring in several.
The drive is being coordinated with the Salvation Army and the One
Warm Coat organization. Coats will be given away free of charge.
Coat Drive for Those in Need
Bring Coats to UESF Executive Board
Ð January 7th.
MH CSO/NSO
Coat Drive Extended!
Members Split on SFUSD-Proposed Calendar Changes
District Proposing Early Start Calendar for 2010-2011
(Adopted from the December 08 edition of the SF Educator)
Despite deep concern expressed by members of UESF, SFUSD administrators
are moving forward with a proposed calendar change that would start the
2010-2011 school year on August 10th and include a three week holiday
break.
Setting the calendar is a mandatory subject of bargaining between the
district and the union, and UESF President Dennis Kelly has notified
the district of members' concerns and reconfirmed that we have not
agreed to the proposed changes.
On December 3rd Superintendent Carlos Garcia sent an email out to all
SFUSD staff, stating that his administration would submit a proposal to
the Board of Education to develop a new instructional calendar for the
2010-2011 school year that schedules the fall semester prior to a three
week winter recess (essentially, Calendar A below). The proposal would
not make any substantive changes to the 2009-2010 school year.
Calendar Draft A - Early Start
Monday, August 10th - Teachers report back
Wednesday, August 12 - First day of instruction
Tuesday, December 22 - Fall semester ends
Wednesday, December 23 - Friday, January 8 - Winter break
Monday, January 11 - First day of spring semester
Monday, March 29 - Friday, April 2 - Spring break
Friday, May 28 - Last day of instruction/spring semester ends
In the email Garcia also points out that he will hold meetings with the
various stakeholder groups to discuss the rationale for the proposed
changes. He anticipates that the Board of Education will make a final
decision by the end of the school year.
"In order to better inform our position at the bargaining table, we put
out a survey asking our members' opinions," says Dennis Kelly. "The
feedback we got in the 925 responses shows that the district has a lot
of work to do to convince teachers and paras that such a move would be
advisable."
The results of the survey (below) indicate a nearly even split between
those who prefer moving the start date to the semester up to August
10th (34.4% prefer Calendar A, 11.5% prefer Calendar B) and those who
prefer the calendar as it stands now (51.4% prefer Calendar C). The
results also clearly show that most members would be more comfortable
with the shift (about 60%) if it took place over a year out. The
challenges for the district, however, comes in convincing educators,
students, and parents that the change would be a beneficial one.
Comments given on the survey suggest several areas of concern.
Presented below is a summary of the concerns raised by members.
1. Are you a teacher or a para?
Teacher 85.9% (795)
Para 4.4% (41)
Other 9.6% (89)
2. What kind of site do you work at?
CDC 1.1% (10)
Elementary 51.4% (476)
Middle 13.8% (128)
High 27.2% (252)
Other 6.4% (59)
3. Which calendar do you prefer?
Calendar A 34.4% (314)
Calendar B 11.5% (105)
Calendar C 51.4% (469)
No Preference 2.6% (24)
4. Would you prefer starting the calendar earlier and finishing the
fall semester before the winter break?
Start Early 40.4% (364)
Start Later 42.1% (379)
No Preference 17.5% (158)
Comments 162
5. Would you prefer having a nearly 3-week winter break (Calendar A)?
Longer Break 40.8% (369)
Shorter Break 52.4% (474)
No Preference 6.7% (61)
Comments 99
6. Would you be willing to try the earlier calendar if you had a year
to prepare?
Yes 60.2% (532)
No 39.8% (351)
Concerns About Early Start in Summer
* Starting earlier is a disadvantage to kids when they enter
kindergarten. A two-week shift would hurt those kids who are too young
to begin with when entering school.
* It conflicts with private and preschool schedules.
* The weather is better in August than in June. Let the kids enjoy it.
* This would cut the summer short.Teachers already spend a week setting
up their classrooms. They would need to come in even earlier to set up
for the school year.
* The change would mean the loss of ten days of summer break.
* This would make scheduling family vacations in the summer difficult.
Many families go on vacation in August.
* Many have travel plans for next August that cannot be changed.
* The change will interfere with the summer school schedule.
* Many families take vacations in August. The 10-day count would be
before or right at Labor Day, which could lead to incorrect staffing.
* Childcare issues in mid-August for both parents and educators.
* Childcare issues in early June Ð most camps don't start until
mid-June.
* Many teachers have their own kids in other districts. This would be
disruptive.
* Creates a problem for intern teachers because it doesn't match
University schedules.
Concerns About an Extended Holiday Break
* Longer break would leave paras financially disadvantaged.
* Ending so close to Christmas (Dec. 23) would inconvenience families
and disrupt holiday travel.
* As it stands now, kids work on projects over the winter break. This
change would jeopardize those projects.
* For those with child care issues this would be a burden.
* Doing report cards in December will add to holiday stress levels.
Members don't want to correct finals or average grades over the winter
break.
* Kindergartners would have a harder time adjusting back to school
after a three week break.
* A longer holiday break would negatively impact substitutes, who would
be forced to look for work elsewhere.
Additional concerns include the effect on the Summer School schedule
and the beginning of the year professional development schedule, how
this would effect after school and summer programs, concern about the
timing of standardized testing, and the negative experience of other
districts who tried such a change.
Reasons for Change
* Students have difficulty retaining material during winter break. This
will help improve academic performance. Teachers often spend the first
week in January reviewing what went on before the break.
* Students could start the mid-year fresh.
* May help attendance issues when returning from winter break.
* Students could travel with families during winter break, instead of
missing class.
* The change would make it easier to send mid-year grades to colleges.
* It would eliminate wasted time after AP tests and give more time to
prepare for them.
* Earlier start would benefit students taking STAR tests.
* It would align the calendar with the City College schedule, and would
help students and teachers who take courses there.
* A shorter summer would benefit the students and families.
Moving Forward
UESF will bring the concerns expressed by members to the district in
order to get them addressed by SFUSD administration. Look for further
information via email blast and on the UESF website as to when and
where the district will solicit future comment.
One final note. By far and away the comment made the most by UESF
members was a simple longing for days gone by: "Why Can't School Start
After Labor Day?!!!"
SUMMARY OF UBC/ADM MEETING FRIDAY 12/12/08
(AS OF YET NOT PROVIDED FROM PRINCIPALÉ)
1. CONCERNS REGARDING PLACEMENT OF STUDENTS INTO CLASSEES AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WHICH CHANGED WHAT TEACHERS AHD, PROPOSED IN
MAY/JUNE.
2. REQUEST THAT GRADE LEVEL TEACHERS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PLACING
STUDENTS IN CLASSES
3. REQUEST THAT TEACHERS HAVE INPUT INTO WHO IS PLACED IN THEIR ROOM IN
ADDITION TO STUDENTS THEY ALREADY HAVE ON ROSTER AND THAT RESOLUTION OF
MATTER BE MUTUAL
4. REQUEST THAT TEACHERS BE PLACED IN THIRD PERIOD READING/ELEECTIVE
CLASSES ACCORDING TO NCLB HIGHLY QUALIFIED ABILITY TO TEACH THESE
CLASSES.
5. THE IRF HAS ENOUGH TO DO IT IS NOT IN HER JOB DSCRIPTION TO PLACE
STUDENTS INTO READING AND ELECTIVE CLASSES.THAT SHOULD BE DECIDED BY
GRADE LEVEL TEACHERS
6. REQUEST TO SEE ME UESF FLIERÉ. TEACHERS SHOULD NOT BE CALLED INTO
OFFICE UNLESS INFORMED ABOUT SIBJECT TO BE COVEREDÉNO CHANGING SUBJECT
WHEN TEACHER IN OFFICE. SHOULD BE OFFERED UBC BUILDING REPRESENTATIVE
REPRESENTATION OR ANOTHER PERSON TO REPRESENT THEM. DATES ON PRINCIPAL
OBSERVATION CALENDAR NEED TO BE HONOREDÉ. CONCERNS ABOUT BOTH IRF AND
LSP OBSERVING AND QUESTIONING TEACHERÉ. IS THIS PART OF LSP JOB
DESCRIPTION
7. REQUEST FOR DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION PRESENTED TO PRINCIPAL
REGARDING
A. MIDDLE SCHOOL OPERATIONS MONDAY REMINDERS
B. SFUSD ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP COMMUNICATIONS AND DIRECTIVES
C. SFUSD PRINCIPALS MEETING MINUTES
D. UPDATED BALANCED SCORE CARD DOCUMENTATION TO REVIEW FOR CONTRACTUAL
ALLIGNMENT
E. COPY OF SSC BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 10/08
8. 12-09-08, BUILDING REP ENOTE TO PRINCIPAL SHARED REGARDING CONCERNS
ABOUT UNILATERAL DECISIONS MADE TO DATE BY ADM
7.2.1.2 All teachers regularly assigned to a school shall be at their
respective
classrooms or other places of service at least fifteen (15) minutes but
not
more than thirty (30) minutes before the regular opening of school as
communicated by the administrator. The UBC, following consultation
with the faculty, may designate additional before or after school time
within the workweek described above.
7.2.1.2.1 At sites where common planning time is built into the
schedule, the
minimum report time referred to in Section 7.2.1.2 shall be five (5) to
ten (10) minutes. Common planning time shall be used for the
following types of activities: team planning, student study teams,
parent conferences, curriculum development, faculty meetings and
other professional activities.
7.2.7 Teachers may be required to attend no more than two (2) faculty
meetings per
month, such time to be considered part of the work week described above.
Time for common planning time, after school parent events and all other
meetings shall be considered part of the workweek described above. This
time
shall be scheduled with the concurrence of the UBC, except in case of
emergency. Site administrations and UBCÕs are encouraged to complete the
yearÕs schedule within the first two weeks of the school year.
9.1.2 The District and Union agree that the process of reducing class
size requires
accurate, verifiable, and timely reports of current and projected
enrollment
and attendance, coordination and cooperation between Central Office and
school sites in assigning students, and participation of the UBC with
the
principal in the shared decisions determining utilization of allocated
staff.
9.2.4.2 If the assignment of a student after the tenth (10th) day of
school causes
this number to be exceeded, the UBC shall be provided documentation
describing the efforts made to place the student in a less crowded
class.
9.3.1.3 No later than March 15th the UBC and the principal at each
school will
meet to review the projected staff allocation numbers and the
utilization of
the assigned staff for the next school year.
9.3.3.5 By March 15th, staffing allocations for the following year are
provided to
the schools, with copies provided to the Union; these allocations may
reflect District layoff plans for August, if any.
9.3.3.6 By April 1st, the first voluntary transfer process is conducted
pursuant to
Article 15, Staffing and Assignment, of the Agreement, unless the
District
and the Union agree to cancel/postpone said process.
9.3.3.10 Classes shall be balanced as quickly as administratively
feasible by
September 15th. The Assistant Superintendents, in consultation with site
and program administrators, will give due consideration to the
possibility
of capping school and class enrollments; the UBC shall have input on
such
site decisions.
9.3.4.1 After the initial enrollment verification, the principal shall
meet with the
UBC periodically to make every reasonable effort to balance class
sizes. If
the situation cannot satisfactorily be resolved at the site, the
Central Office
and the Union shall be alerted for possible resolution.
9.5 Class size goals
9.5.2 Middle Schools
9.5.2.1 English ....................................................25
9.5.2.2 Foreign Language ...................................30
9.5.2.3 Mathematics............................................30
9.5.2.4 Science....................................................30
9.5.2.5 Social Studies..........................................30
9.5.2.6 Art
...........................................................28
9.5.2.8 Homemaking...........................................28
9.5.2.9 Industrial Arts .........................................28
9.5.2.10 Music (excluding choir, band,
orchestra) and performing arts ................ 28
9.5.2.11 Physical Education .................................37
9.5.2.12 Core Program..........................................28
9.5.2.13 English as a Second Language................ 25
9.5.2.14 Reading, Reading Lab, Math Lab........... 25
14. Health and Safety
14.1.1 Each work site to which teachers are regularly assigned shall
have a
comprehensive safety and disaster plan, which shall be updated annually
by
October 1st of each school year.
14.1.1.1 The site administrator shall develop or modify the plan after
collaborative
input from the UBC, classified employees, the site council and/or the
parent-teacher organization at the site. The plan shall be submitted to
the
Superintendent or his/her designee for approval.
14.1.1.4 Hazardous conditions in the work place which are made known to
the
District and which pose an immediate danger to the health or safety of
teachers or students shall be reported by the District to the Union and
UBC at the site with plans to rectify them. A complaint by a teacher or
Building Representative that there has been a violation of the safety of
students, teachers or other employees shall be made to the site
administrator as promptly as possible. The complaint shall be reduced to
written form. The site administrator/designee shall provide a written
response as to the disposition of the complaint to complainant, the UBC
and the Labor/Management Health and Safety Committee (LMHSC) unless the
matter has been turned over to the LMHSC, in which case the
LMHSC shall provide the response. (See Section 14.5)
15.3.4 Transfer out of regular cycle Ñ In the event a vacancy occurs
outside the
regular transfer cycle, such vacancy shall be posted for a ten (10) day
period.
Appropriately credentialed applicants shall be interviewed. The notice
of
acceptance or denial shall normally take place within ten (10) days of
the
close of posting.
15.3.5 The principal shall interview and recommend for transfer from
among those
teachers who interview. The principal of a secondary school will
normally
involve the department head or department representative in the
interview and
recommendation process. Teachers from the Union Building Committee of a
school will normally also be involved.
25. Union Building Committee
25.1 At the site the duly elected Union Building Committee (UBC),
designed to
represent both UESF bargaining units, is responsible for implementing
and
enforcing provisions of this Agreement. The duly elected Union Building
Representative shall serve as the chair of this committee.
25.2 The Union Building Representative at each site represents UESF at
that site,
represents the site district-wide, and serves as liaison between the
faculty and the
site administration.
25.3 Roles and responsibilities of the Union Building Committee (UBC)
25.3.1 The site administrator shall meet at least once a month with up
to seven (7)
members of the Union Building Committee on matters of contract
administration. This committee shall also coordinate site elections to
identify
representatives for various other functions within the contract. The
UBC shall
have a place on the agenda at each faculty meeting, and shall have the
opportunity to make a brief statement/report on matters of Union
concern or
business.
25.3.6 The UBC at each site shall have timely access to all pertinent,
nonconfidential
information available to site administration regarding staffing,
assignment, programming, facilities management and planning, staff
development, and budgeting, and including timelines and deadlines as
set by
district administration.
25.3.7 The UBC shall meet with site administration to share information
and ideas
with the goal of achieving consensus agreement on matters of mutual
concern
regarding the operation of the site including staffing, assignment,
programming, facilities management and planning, staff development, and
budgeting, and including timelines and deadlines as set by district
administration, and all other matters pertaining to school policy and
operations.
25.3.8 The UBC serves as a liaison to the Restructuring Council or
successor (Article
21, Restructuring).
25.3.8.1 The UBC shall conduct the election for teacher and
paraprofessional
positions on the School Site Council or other similar governing bodies.
25.3.8.2 The Union Building Representative shall be a member, either
elected or
ex-officio, of any shared decision-making body to the extent permitted
by
law. The Union Building Committee at a school site is encouraged to work
in conjunction with the shared decision-making body as a unified
representative body.
25.3.8.3 In the case of any school identified as a low-performing
school by the
process described in Article 21, Restructuring, or as part of a District
Union collaboration such as the Ford Foundation supported Labor
Management Community Committee (LMCC), the UBC shall work with
the LMCC to schedule meetings regarding disseminating information and
planning, coordinate site activities with the School Site Council, and
to
conduct any elections by the instructional staff that may be required to
approve the proposed site plan.
Section 2. Building Representatives
a. The Building Representative shall be the chairperson of the Union
Building
Committee (UBC).
b. The Building Representative shall be the representative of UESF in a
school,
center, or other unit, and shall serve as liaison between the members
therein and
the UESF.
c. Building Representatives shall automatically be members of the
Assembly and
shall be part of the apportioned delegation as set forth in Article I.
of these
Bylaws.
d. Building Representatives shall be members of any shared
decision-making body
as set forth in the Contracts.
Section 3. Union Building Committees (UBC)
a. The UBC together with the Building Representative shall be
responsible for
implementation and enforcement of the Contracts.
b. UBC members shall be members or alternate members of the Assembly as
set
forth in Article I of these Bylaws.
c. The UBC shall design and conduct elections, subject to guidelines
established by
UESF, for Building Representative(s), UBC, and any other shared
decisionmaking
body at the site as provided for in the Contracts.
d. The UBC together with the Building Representative shall represent
UESF
members at the site.
