Minnetonka Teachers Association

Governance Board Meeting, May 18, 2005

In Attendance:

Joseph Ricke, Jan Nelson, Mary Tingblad, Melanie Casiday, Margaret Ruffino, Pam Wertjes, Sara Macke, Debra Drexler, Anita Britton, Rhonda Lundgren,  Sandy Gosen, Jeri Goodspeed-Gross, Doug Kennedy, Ramona Anderson, Rachel Consdorf.

Absent: 

Susan Weber,  Jean Peebles.

Guests:

Mary Benson (Teachers’ Rights Co-Chairs), Mike Cutshall (MTA Negotiator).

Call to Order:

4:40 p.m., by President Ricke. 

Approval of Minutes:

Motion by Britton, seconded by Ruffino, to approve the minutes of May 4, 2005. Motion carried. 

Teachers' Rights Report:

The plans for May 9, 2005, were not well-communicated. The Teachers' Rights Co-Chairs will meet with Claudia Risnes regarding this.

Three grievances have been filed. The first one grieving the district taking away the .4 MTA President Release Time is going to arbitration in late June. The second grievance was filed because a teaching opening was not posted and a non-tenured teacher was moved into that position. The third grievance was filed on behalf of teachers told to move out of their department.

Anyone requesting a Leave of Absence must send a letter to Mike Lovett to request it.

The Budget Committee presented a draft of the 2005-2006 MTA Budget which must be approved in June. We have spent down our reserves. Treasurer Casiday and President Ricke will do more work to finalize an estimated reserves figure for June 30, 2005. We will adjust the budget according to that estimation. The Governance Board discussed proposed changes. 

Looking to finance more scholarship opportunities, the Governance Board is interested in exploring the possibility of a district-wide Staff Talent Show. Doug Kennedy volunteered to chair a Scholarship Fund Committee.

The district still has not decided if the MTA can have a Blackboard presence. They are awaiting a decision from legal counsel. As we did not know if we would be changing to Blackboard or staying with our current provider, the website was not used to its full potential this year. The Building Representatives should ask their members about the MTA website, as it was used last year, this year, and how they would like to see it in the future. 

The district will co-sponsor with the MTA this year's Teacher Celebration at The Marsh. 

Secretary Tingblad will send out a new copy of the budget draft including the suggested changes. 

New Business:

Position Appointments: The appointment of the Teachers' Rights Co-Chairs is tabled until the next Governance Board meeting. 

Motion by Casiday, seconded by Ruffino, that Mary Tingblad continue as the Newsletter editor. Motion carried.  

Motion by Casiday, seconded by Ruffino, that Jeri Goodspeed-Gross be appointed as the Membership Chair. Motion carried. 

Motion by Casiday, seconded by Macke, that Margaret Ruffino, Mary Tingblad, and Doug Kennedy represent the MTA on the Meet and Confer Committee. Motion carried. 

Election Committee: The Election Committee must include the MTA Vice-President and Secretary. In addition to Jan Nelson and Mary Tingblad, the committee will also include Margaret Ruffino, Pam Wertjes, and Debra Drexler. 

Relicensure Chair: The two Co-Chairs have resigned, and no one has stepped forward to replace them. The Chair has to be elected from within the Relicensure Committee. President Ricke will follow up on relicensure. 

Old Business:

Sunshine Committee: The committee will work on the Governance Board Sunshine proposal over the summer.

Teacher Celebration: The district will co-sponsor with the MTA this year's Teacher Celebration at The Marsh on June 3, 2005, 4:00-8:00 p.m. Sandy Gosen will forward an invitation to Secretary Tingblad so it can be sent to the MTA members, Administration, and School Board.

Scholarship Update: The Award Night will be on Thursday, May 26, 2005. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to students interested in going into an educational field.

Tutoring Policy Update: This new policy will be adopted at the School Board meeting on June 2, 2005. Teachers are encouraged to read over the policy and attend the school Board meeting.

President’s Report:

.4 Release Time for President: The arbitration date will be in late June.

Negotiations Update: Negotiators Britton and Cutshall presented the Negotiators Talking Points. Dr. Peterson has agreed to be at the negotiating table, so we will be using Interest Based Collective Bargaining (IBCB). An 8-hour IBCB training session will take place in early June, with negotiations to continue over the summer. 

Education Minnesota President: Education Minnesota President Judy Schaubach will be at the Governance Board meeting on June 1, 2005. 

Meet and Confer Meeting: School Board members spoke with President Ricke after the meeting, giving him their commitment to work on the communication concerns.

Open Forum:

Motion by Casiday, seconded by Tingblad, that we go into Executive Session. Motion carried. This “closed session” is confidential and allows for freer discussion. The minutes do not reflect what is said while in Executive Session, nor can the information be discussed outside of Executive Session. Members are not to divulge the proceedings of an Executive Session and can be punished under a disciplinary provision if they violate the secrecy. Motion by Goodspeed-Gross, seconded by Ruffino, to close the Executive Session and adjourn. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 6:53 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Mary Tingblad, MTA Secretary
5/25/05, Approved 6/1/05