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Governance Board Meeting, October 6, 2004 |
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In Attendance: |
Joseph Ricke, Jan Nelson, Mary Tingblad, Melanie Casiday, Linda Morantez, Margaret Ruffino, Pam Wertjes, Sara Macke, Katie Tuthill, Sandy Gosen, Jeri Goodspeed-Gross, Doug Kennedy, Mike Cutshall, Miles Mortensen. |
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Absent: |
There are vacancies on the Governance Board for a representative from Clear Springs, a second representative from MM-East, and a fourth representative from MHS. |
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Guests: |
Mary Benson and Anita Otten, Teachers' Rights Co-Chairs; Anita Britton, Scenic Heights. |
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Call to Order: |
4:40 p.m., by President Ricke. |
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Approval of Minutes: |
Motion by Ruffino, seconded by Casiday, to approve the minutes of September 15, 2004. Motion carried. |
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Teachers' Rights Report: |
Strategic Planning Days: Joe Ricke, Mary Benson, and Anita Otten
attended the two-day Strategic Planning sessions. They requested that the
district be aware of emotional and physical stress levels of all staff members
as we move forward with so much work.
Technology: Sue Hine will come around to each school building to be
available for a two-hour period of time to answer questions about technology.
Mary Benson has requested that the district release something to parents
regarding Blackboard. Teachers have been told that we need to have a presence
by June 2005, but parents are expecting things now. This will be addressed at
Meet and Confer. |
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Treasurer's Report: |
Treasurer Casiday will send out the MTA Monthly Budget Report and the MTA Checking Account Statement to the Governance Board members via e-mail. The MTA Audit meeting is scheduled for October 7, 2004. |
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New Business: |
Negotiator Selection Process: President Ricke and Education Minnesota
Field Staff member Sue Vento will be part of the MTA Negotiations Team. Motion
by Casiday, seconded by Goodspeed-Gross, that the MTA have three negotiators
for the upcoming negotiations cycle. Motion carried. The MTA
Negotiations Team will be Joseph Ricke, Sue Vento, and three negotiators. The
Governance Board will address the negotiators' stipends at the next Governance
Board meeting. The next Governance
Board meeting will be on October 27, 2004. Secretary Tingblad will send the Governance Board members the
MTA Negotiators' Stipend document which was approved two years ago. President
Ricke is targeting November for getting things going for negotiations.
MTA Survey: We will address this at the next Governance Board meeting. Scenic Heights Building Representative: Katie Tuthill will continue to attend the Governance Board meetings until she takes her child-rearing leave in January. Anita Britton will also attend the Governance Board meetings as a guest with Tuthill, and will represent Scenic Heights during Tuthill's absence. Conference Scheduling: All schools must keep the conference schedules as approved on the district calendar. Child-Rearing Leave: A woman is allowed 6-8 weeks disability leave after the birth of her baby. The exact date the woman's disability ends is determined by the woman's doctor. Mike Lovett has requested that women return to work at a "natural break" in the school year. This issue will be discussed at Contract Administration. Special Education Hiring: Previously, a team of teachers interviewed a number of qualified Special Education teachers, but none were hired. Now, someone else has been hired as a "community expert," without even a student-teaching experience, and without a variance. The Teachers' Rights Co-Chairs and Sue Vento will discuss this situation with the Administration. Meetings Before and After School: Many more meetings are being scheduled before and after school. President Ricke will address this issue through e-mail. Insurance: If both a husband and wife work in the district, each is required to pay for single coverage, rather than one paying for single plus one or family coverage. This will be addressed with the Insurance Committee and may need to also be addressed in Contract Administration. Child-Rearing Leave for Fathers: After the birth of his baby, a man can take Child-Rearing Leave. It appears that some men are allowed to take more time, and others are requested to shorten their time off. This issue will be addressed by the Teachers' Rights Co-Chairs and through Contract Administration. Skyward Grading: Teachers report that the training has been inadequate, with little support and time to do it. This issue will be addressed through Meet and Confer. Students Leaving Early: The students' school day at MM-East and MM-West end at 3:55 p.m., but many students are leaving school between 2:00 and the end of the day for school-sponsored events. This issue will be taken to Meet and Confer. Motion by Cutshall, seconded by
Tuthill, that we continue our meeting past 6:00 p.m. Motion carried. |
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Old Business: |
2004-05 Calendar Issue: The 8 hours of prep issue will go back to Meet and Confer. Relicensure Chair Update: President Ricke is still waiting for an update from Mike Lovett regarding the Relicensure Co-Chairs positions. Clear Springs Building Representative: There is still a vacancy for
a building Representative from Clear Springs. President Ricke will find
someone at least to be a contact for the building's members. |
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President’s Report: |
Packing/Unpacking
Time Sheets Update: President
Ricke wants to show the district our realistic numbers to make them more aware
of the extra time we spend at school on behalf of the district. E-mails:
E-mail is not necessarily the best way to surface issues, and we must be
careful about using specific names in e-mails when dealing with issues. Anyone
with concerns should talk with President Ricke. Constitution/Bylaws Review Team: President Ricke announced that the MTA Executive Board will work on the MTA Constitution and Bylaws first, then bring recommendations to the Governance Board and open up the process to others. Building Representative Resignation: Heidi Bunde, MM-East Building Representative, has resigned from the Governance Board for personal reasons. President Ricke has contacted MTA members at Clear Springs and MHS regarding new Building Representatives. The MTA Election Committee will contact MTA members at Clear Springs, MM-East, and MHS regarding electing new Building Representatives once MTA membership lists are updated. Campaign Materials: Education Minnesota provided materials in support of John Kerry. Building Representatives must distribute this material to MTA members only. |
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Motion by Nelson, seconded
by Casiday, to adjourn. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 6:16
p.m. |
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Respectfully submitted, |
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