Minnetonka Teachers Association Members of Education Minnesota, NEA, AFT, Minnesota Local #7173
Governance Board Meeting District Service Center  October 4, 2006
In Attendance:	Mark Chalupsky, Julie Anderson-Simonson, Mary Tingblad, Ramona Anderson, Susan Weber, Margaret Ruffino, Pam Wertjes, Sue Alexander, Julia Antonsen, Debra Drexler, Kim Diekmann, Sandy Gosen, Jeri Goodspeed-Gross, Joel Gotz, Mike Matthias, Rachel Consdorf.
Absent:	Rhonda Lundgren.
Guests:	Joe Ricke (MHS), John Borgen (Education Minnesota Field Staff Representative).
Call to Order:	4:34 p.m., by President Chalupsky.
Approval of Minutes:	Motion by Ruffino, seconded by Consdorf, to approve the minutes of September 20, 2006. Motion carried.
Open Forum:	Joe Ricke asked for clarification on the Q-Comp election results.
Treasurer’s Report:	Treasurer Anderson will send the budget reports to Secretary Tingblad and she will send them to the Governance Board members. The budget reports will also appear in the MTA newsletter.
Teachers’ Rights Report:	Teachers’ Rights Chair Anderson-Simonson reported that the first meeting of the Teachers’ Rights Committee was on September 27, 2006. President Chalupsky and John Borgen also attended. All Teachers’ Rights Representatives have been invited to participate in training provided by Education Minnesota. Records are missing from the past four years, so the committee worked together to set up a new meeting system. The Teachers’ Rights Representatives will go over a part of the contract at each meeting and then review this with members at the monthly building MTA meetings. Grievance Update: The School Board is willing to move to the next step, a meeting with President Chalupsky, Vice-President Anderson-Simonson, and John Borgen.
Election Report:	Q-Comp Election: MTA members voted on Tuesday, September 26, 2006. Absentee voting was available on Friday or Monday for members that knew they would not be in the building on Election Day. As Q-Comp voting is similar to contract ratification, members were also allowed to phone in their votes to President Chalupsky on Election Day. The MTA membership voted to approve Minnetonka Q-Comp (225-214). Building Representative Deb Drexler and Clear Springs and DSC MTA members are to be commended—all members voted!
New Business:	Teacher of the Year Award: Any educator can be nominated. The deadline for nominations is November 15, 2006. Nomination forms are available at www.educationminnesota.org. Distinguished Educator Program: The Distinguished Educator Program will finally be implemented this year. 13 educators have applied. The original agreement in 2004 was for $1,000 per year for three years (total of $3,000). President Chalupsky is insisting that the district follow the original agreement. Hiring of MTA Negotiator: President Chalupsky explained the history of MTA negotiations. Chuck Kehrberg assisted with two contracts. John Borgen has had 40 years of negotiations and training experience. The Governance Board is not interested in using the same bargaining as the last contract. The Governance Board and MTA members didn’t feel enough information was shared. We want open communication and more communication. The Governance Board will further discuss negotiations at a later date. Use of ALL E-Mail: President Chalupsky sent out an e-mail to all teachers regarding cautious use of any ALL e-mails (ALL Teachers, ALL building, ALL MTKA). The district is looking at our use of e-mail, so use cautiously. There is an interest in using the MTA website for membership communication. Appointment of MTA Political Organizer: President Chalupsky has appointed Jan Nelson (MHS) as MTA Political Organizer. Grass Roots Advocacy also falls under this title. John Borgen shared an e-mail about volunteering for phoning and door-knocking for the upcoming election. Building Representatives should share this information with members. President’s Schedule: President Chalupsky sent out his summer schedule to the membership so members know how the MTA President uses his time. He will send out his schedule each month.
Old Business:	Talent Show for MTA Scholarships: President Chalupsky is checking for dates that this would work. Joel Gotz has volunteered to chair the Talent Show Committee and will contact Doug Kennedy. Relicensure: In the past, there were two co-chairs, and the MTA paid $1,000 and the district paid $1,000. Now there is one chair and the MTA is paying $1,000, but the district is not paying anything. We would like the district to pay for this. Chair Julia Antonsen reports that she spends 5-20 hours per week. Bev Ginther and Antonsen will meet with the MyLearningPlan people to revamp the plan to make it more specific to Minnetonka. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): President Chalupsky, John Borgen, Bev Ginther, Lee Drolet, Mark Larson, and Mike Lovett will meet regarding PLCs and will make recommendations to the Q-Comp Oversight Committee. There probably will not be any PLC meetings until mid-December/early January. The Oversight Committee will be meeting next week. President Chalupsky has chosen the MTA members for the committee, but we are still waiting for Dr. Peterson to appoint the administration members. The Program Coordinator and Oversight Committee will run the Q-Comp program, not administration. Building Representatives have reported that other PLCs have already been set up. The Q-Comp PLCs will not start until December or January and cannot be directed by administration. There should be no new initiatives, so Building Representatives may need to talk with their principals regarding PLCs. Building Magnet Study: The district is looking at the International Baccalaureate program in all grade levels in the future. This is part of the Strategic Plan.
	Motion by Ruffino, seconded by Anderson, to adjourn. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 6:02 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Mary Tingblad, MTA Secretary, 10/30/06 Approved 11/1/06