President’s Report to Rep Council

February 2, 2009  

Instead of the usual long report I have been submitting, I am going to experiment with short bullet points. Let me know if you prefer this shorter version for doing 10-minute meetings with your staff.

1. Budget Update

At this writing, there is still NO agreement on a state budget. The current state budget proposal will:

<!–[if !supportLists]–>·        <!–[endif]–>Eliminate Class Size Reduction

<!–[if !supportLists]–>·        <!–[endif]–>Illegally manipulate the minimum school funding law, Prop. 98

<!–[if !supportLists]–>·        <!–[endif]–>Cut $10.8 billion from K-14 classrooms

. We need each and every member to take 5 minutes to:

• Call your state legislators (use CTA’s “Cuts Hurt” hotline at 1-888-268-4334)
• Call 3 friends and ask them to do the same.

2. OUSD Update

At last week’s Board of Education meeting the district presented their recommendations for where to make potential cuts. But remember, these are all just projections since there is still no state budget, and we don’t know what impact the federal economic stimulus package will have.

With $12 million in cuts this year, and an additional $12 million projected for next year, they are looking at:

• Hiring freeze for classified staff
• Freeze on travel
• Up to 77% of the potential cuts are coming from the Central Office
• 4.5% cuts in the classrooms

According to Interim Superintendent Roberta Mayor, they have no plans for RIFs (“Reduction in Force” or layoffs of certificated “tenured” teachers), but we won’t know for certain until the March 15 deadline. In any case we can expect the usual “non-re-elects” of probationary teachers, as well as layoffs of temporary teachers.

3. OEA Activities during January

We have been extremely busy with meeting with individual members, staffs and site administrators, filing grievances, dealing with evaluation and payroll issues. We congratulate all of those sites where Site Reps are playing a stronger role and dealing with issues as they arise!

4. OEA Rally and Membership Meeting

We need 100% attendance at this critical rally and meeting! Bring parents, friends, family for the rally, followed by a members-only meeting.

• 4:00pm: Rally at Oakland High School, MacArthur and Park Blvd. (parking in the back of the school). Bring signs that tell your story! Far too many people don’t understand what our members deal with every day, from serious health and safety violations to top-down bureaucratic demands on our already limited time. We’ll be joined by the Oakland High Lion Dancers and the Brass Liberation Orchestra!
• 5:00pm: Members only meeting in the auditorium. You need to know where we are in contract negotiations, what’s the latest on the state budget, and what to do if you get a layoff notice. We’re also launching our “Ask Teachers” community outreach campaign. Bring your membership card or ID and wear your OEA t-shirt.

5. OEA’s Resolution on Gaza and Rep Council Standing Rules  

Some of the controversy surrounding our Gaza Resolution could have been avoided had we followed our own process more carefully (new business items in writing, time after the first hour for new business, pro and con speakers). If you would like a copy of the Rep Council Standing Rules, please see our Parliamentarian, Jim Mordecai.
 

In unity,  

Betty

In the face of a continuing state budget crisis and the District’s proposal to CUT OUR SALARIES BY 3-6%, hundreds of Oakland teachers took to the streets in front of Oakland High on February 12th and demanded FULL FUNDING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND A FAIR CONTRACT!

During the membership meeting that followed the spirited rally, OEA members got detailed updates on bargaining, signed up for Speakers Training to launch our Ask Teachers campaign, and made it loud and clear that we will not accept further attacks on our profession! The money is there — it’s a question of priorities and political will, and we are united in our determination that students and teachers will NOT be made to do more and more with less and less. If you didn’t join your colleagues at the rally and meeting, ask them for details.

Can we do it? YES WE CAN!