Newsletter+Nov.+2006

Upcoming Calendar:

This Month: Action planning is taking place to voice our concerns regarding negotiations. Be prepared with logic, wisdom, and the strength of numbers. Next Month: **December** **General meeting**

Health Benefits Nitty Gritty CTA (the big outfit in Burlingame) continues to attempt to develop its own medical plan to cover teachers in order to reduce the health care premiums districts must use to cover their employees.

DTA (little old us) is doubtful that these efforts will bear fruit. However, it is also true that just the threat of a radical change can some times keep costs down.

Negotiations Recap: Current District offer = -3.53% increase on last year on the salary schedule -Cover health benefits at last year’s level, which represents an increase since the plan costs increased.

Our bargaining team (check dtacentral.org for members) will meet with both the District and the appointed mediator on November 21. The mediator has no power to force either side to do anything. The job of the mediator is the bring each side together, look at what everyone’s goals are, and try to find common ground both sides can agree to.

Hopefully, the 21st of this month will really begin a time of Thanksgiving by ending the contractual agreement impasse.

Other than the lack of agreement on $$$, much work has been accomplished on the contract to continue to create an effective learning environment.

Let your Site rep. know your feelings about the current contract discussions, either in favor of settlement or against. We are all teachers. We know that knowledge is power.

Education note: Nationwide, 46% of new teachers leave teaching during the first five years of their career. (Center for Education Policy) The Governor has signed SB 1209 in to law which you may want to see the major details of at the governor’s website. Among other changes to teacher credentialing is that effective 1/1/07, SB 1209 **eliminates** the 150 hours of continuing education in order to renew one’s credential. In effect, all credentials are life credentials again, as of January 1. According to the CA. Commission on Teacher Credentialing website, as of October 19th, you no longer need to keep track of the 150 hours.
 * California**
 * Life Credentials for all become a practical reality again**
 * Life Credentials for all become a practical reality again**

New Executive Board Members DTA has new site reps at two schools: DHS: Tom Adlard Wilson: David  Sanchez and   Holly Jones Chris Peterson continues in here role as the other DHS representative. If you have contractual or other work issues, your Site rep. is the first best resource.

Conferences If you want to go to either Rural Issues (Vegas, Baby!) or the Good Teaching Conference, let you site rep know ASAP. Rural Issues is MLK Jr. Weekend. We want to send people, but only if you are interested. If past years are any indication, if you want to go, you’ll go.

Better yet, on DTA’s dime.

All we ask is that when you return you share with others what you learned.