Vol. 4, May 2005

The Professional

A Publication of the Minnetonka Teachers Association

Members of Education Minnesota, NEA, AFT, Minnesota Local #7173

http://www.minnetonkateachers.org

Editor, Mary Tingblad, mary.tingblad@minnetonka.k12.mn.us

MM-West, 6421 Hazeltine Blvd., Excelsior, MN 55331

2004-2005 Minnetonka Teachers Association Governance Board

~ President Joseph Ricke ~ Vice President Jan Nelson ~

~ Secretary Mary Tingblad ~ Treasurer Melanie Casiday ~

~ DEC Susan Weber ~ Deephaven Margaret Ruffino~ Groveland Pam Wertjes ~

~ Excelsior Sara Macke ~ Minnewashta Melanie Casiday ~

~ Clear Springs Debra Drexler ~ Scenic Heights Anita Britton ~

~ MM-East Sandy Gosen & Rhonda Lundgren ~

~ MM-West Mary Tingblad & Jeri Goodspeed-Gross ~

~ MHS Doug Kennedy, Jean Peebles, Ramona Anderson & Rachel Consdorf ~

~~ From the President ~~

MTA President, Joseph Ricke, joseph.ricke@minnetonka.k12.mn.us

Greetings! Many MTA members have asked me to speak to the administration and to the School Board on issues resulting from the district’s cost containment actions. I am specifically referring to the placement and movement of staff in order to adjust to the ramifications of the recent staff reductions and going to a six-period day, and to certain building decision-making processes or lack thereof.

Throughout the process of recent restructuring, the district and the MTA leadership have been working in a cooperative manner to achieve the most harmony and to maintain the highest level of morale despite the challenges of many difficult changes and decisions. However, that supportive and collaborative working relationship has not been present at all buildings during staff moves and recent building decision-making. For the benefit of improving relationships and maintaining a positive culture, I am encouraging the administration to work with teachers/departments on personnel moves and on action items that impact teachers and students. The desire is to have IMPACT, not input. This is what we went through with the previous superintendent, and it seems to be the current trend.

Teachers are being moved without consideration to the wishes of veteran/senior staff members. Teachers are being moved to teaching assignments of licensure where they have not taught in many years or never have taught. Is this really what is best for kids? Some teachers are being moved to higher levels within their area of licensure where they have not taught for many years. Again, is this what is best for kids? Less senior teachers are getting teaching opportunities before more senior teachers, who have more experience.

All these situations lend to lowering morale and not having teachers in their areas of strength or passion. Overall, this is not what is “best for kids.” If we are given the opportunity to cooperatively work with the administration on staffing issues and building decision-making, better solutions may be found for kids, for teachers, and for overall morale.

We will continue to do our best to advocate for your work conditions, to maintain the quality in our contract, and for district adherence to the contract.

~~ From the Vice-President ~~

MTA Vice-President, Jan Nelson, jan.nelson@minnetonka.k12.mn.us

What a year of change! Some good, some not so good! At the secondary level, some teachers have lost their jobs due to budget cuts caused by reduced educational funding at the federal and state levels. Conversely, the district is hiring teachers because of budget cuts. How does that work? As far as I can understand, the six-period day and the increase in state and district required courses have put pressure on our students to spend more of their school on required courses. High school students now are required to take an additional year of science, an additional year of math, and an additional year taking a course in the arts.

At the time of this article, the district still had not decided whether the high school will continue with the present requirements in of Physical Education, Health, and Social Studies. There could be more changes! Regardless of what happens, registration for next year needed to take place. As students tried to understand the course requirements, most took the safe route and registered for their required courses. This causing the addition of more sections, more teachers, and a scramble to find teaching space. These changes to the required courses made it necessary to add more teachers in the core classes and eliminate more teachers in the elective classes.

I am not sure the teachers in the district whose jobs are safe realize the impact to some of the teachers in the elective areas. There is a group of teachers who have been laid off and others who are still here but do not know where or what they will be teaching. If you are one of the lucky ones with a safe and secure job, please take the time to show your concern for those who will be gone and support those who are in “limbo.” Please attend building MTA meetings and School Board meetings.

~~ Contract Administration Update ~~

MTA Negotiator, Mike Cutshall, mike.cutshall@minnetonka.k12.mn.us

This month during Contract Administration, we have tried to work collaboratively with Mike Lovett on a variety of issues. These include calendar issues, insurance issues, placement of personnel for next year, acquisition of other contracts within our district, and IB compensation. There are so many loose ends that we scheduled an additional meeting to try to resolve these issues. There have been preliminary talks of possible filing of grievances over the unresolved issues, but that may not be necessary if we can work to resolution.

~~ A Note From the Negotiators ~~

MTA Negotiator, Anita Britton, anita.britton@minnetonka.k12.mn.us

The MTA negotiating team met with district negotiators for a two-hour training in Interest Based-Collective Bargaining (IBCB). The Bureau of Mediation Services led the session. In brief, IBCB is a form of bargaining where both sides begin by listing the issues that affect them. Once the issues are presented, both sides brainstorm possible solutions to the issues. Work continues by reviewing research on the issues and ways those issues have been resolved in other districts. The purpose of the intensive work is to bring both sides to an agreement which fulfills as much of each side’s issues as possible. 

Our intention was to explore this form of negotiating to see if it would be beneficial for us to pursue. Several other bargaining units have used it with differing success. After the training session and discussion by the negotiating team, the negotiators decided that it would not be in the best interest of our membership for us to pursue this type of bargaining with the present district negotiating team. For IBCB to be effective, the decision makers must be present at the negotiating table so the work on the issues is not lost with a rejection from a single decision maker. President Ricke sent a letter to the School Board and Dr. Peterson expressing our decision. In response, Dr. Peterson has now joined the district negotiating team and will participate in the process of IBCB. Our next training session is scheduled for June. This 8-hour training will involve both negotiating teams.  After this training, we will begin laying out our issues and working to find resolution. We will also be meeting with Dr. Lovett to clean up errors in contract format.

Some of you may be wondering if the negotiations process seems to be happening later into the year this time. As we looked back through our past negotiations, we find that few issues were resolved by this time during the last negotiations. Much work, time, and effort had occurred, but there was little movement from the district and discussions had broken down. In addition, all stakeholders in public education are certainly anxious to find out the final proposals from the legislature. Once those numbers are approved and shared, we will have a better idea of where districts will be financially. We anticipate working throughout our summer months to complete a contract that is the best we can negotiate for our membership. As always, we thank you for your support, patience, and understanding as we navigate through a difficult negotiating time.

~~ Membership Information Reminder ~~

Please contact Mary Kay Burmesch, marykay.burmesch@minnetonka.k12.mn.us, before the end of this school year if your information is changing—name change, address change, phone number change, or contract time change. It’s important to keep your membership information updated.

A special thank you to Mary Kay for all of her hard work as MTA Membership Chair! She will be handing the Membership reins over to Jeri Goodspeed-Gross this summer. Welcome, Jeri, to your new position!

~~ News From Education Minnesota ~~

~~ Volunteer Now for State Fair Booth ~~

The Minnesota State Fair takes place this year August 25 through September 5. Here’s your chance to volunteer at the Education Minnesota booth and enjoy all the fair has to offer. It’s a fun time working with colleagues. Shifts run for three hours, and you will have the rest of the day to enjoy the fair. You will receive a T-shirt, fair admission ticket, parking and mileage reimbursement. The booth attracts thousands of visitors. The schedule fills quickly, so volunteer by calling Chris Carlin at 651-292-4875.

~~ Tee it up to Benefit Foundation for Excellence ~~

Sign up now to play in the 12th annual Education Minnesota ESI Charitable Golf Tournament August 15, 2005. This charity event will benefit the Education Minnesota Foundation for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The 2004 tournament raised more than $32,400 for the foundation.

The tournament will be held at Majestic Oaks Country Club in Ham Lake. If you don’t have a foursome, ESI will match you with a team. Cost is $125 per person, which includes greens fees, cart, lunch, dinner, prizes and gifts. The top scoring Education Minnesota Intermediate Organization team wins a traveling trophy. For information, contact Deborah Skog, 651-292-4856 or deborah.skog@educationminnesota.org.

~~ Resources for Educators ~~

“National Science Digital Library” invites students to try its “ask an expert” service to get answers to questions about math, science, technology and engineering. A portal for middle school math and science teachers features hands-on experiences with measurement, how energy moves and changes, and the basics of aerodynamics. Visit www.nsdl.org/ for information.

“Brown v. Board: Five Communities That Changed America” describes five cases the Supreme Court agreed to hear in 1952 under one title: “Brown v. Board of Education.” The cases originated in Delaware, Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Each contested the “separate but equal” doctrine of the Court’s 1896 “Plessy v. Ferguson” decision, which by the 1950s had resulted in 17 states requiring racial segregation in public schools and four states allowing it. To find out more, please visit www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/121brown/index.htm.

“The Trail of Tears: The Forced Relocation of the Cherokee Nation” tells about the removal of the Cherokee Nation from their ancestral homeland to “Indian Territory” (now Oklahoma). After passage of the Indian Removal Act and the discovery of gold on Cherokee lands (1830), about 100,000 American Indians living between the original 13 states and the Mississippi River were relocated to Oklahoma. The trails they followed came to be known as the Trail of Tears. To find out more, please visit www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/118trail/118trail.htm.

~~ NEA News ~~

~~ Register in June to Win a Weber Grill ~~

NEA members can register anytime during June in the Free Giveaways area of the NEA Member Benefits Website, www.neamb.com, for a chance to win one of three Weber One-Touch charcoal grills, plus accessories! The grill is 22-1/2 inches in diameter and has a porcelain-enameled bowl and lid, a nickel-plated cooking grate, and a 10-year limited warranty. It comes with a “Barbeque Genius” three-piece, stainless steel tool set. Giveaway runs June 1-30. No purchase necessary to enter.

~~ Federal Reserve Education Site Debuts ~~

The Federal Reserve has unveiled a new educational website to provide better access to materials for teachers, high school and college students, and consumers trying to decipher complicated financial issues. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has campaigned in recent years to get more schools to teach children about finances so they are not saddled by poor financial decisions as adults.

The new Federal Reserve site features matching games and word puzzles for younger students and interactive simulations where older students can become a bank examiner for a day or even try their hand at doing the job of Greenspan and his colleagues by participating in a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the group that meets eight times a year to set interest rates. The site can be found at www.FederalReserveEducation.org.

~~ Apply for an NEA Grant ~~

Applications for the NEA Foundation’s Innovation Grants and Learning and Leadership Grants are due June 1, 2005, with award notification by November 15, 2005. Grants fund activities for twelve months from the award date. Innovation Grants and Learning and Leadership Grants are available for all subjects, including the arts, literacy, science and technology. All practicing K-12 public school teachers, educational support professionals, or higher education faculty and staff at public colleges and universities are encouraged to apply. For information, visit http://nfie.org/grants.htm.

~~ AFT News ~~

AFT PLUS... The Benefits of Belonging

~~ Teachers Have It Easy ~~

Don't judge a book by its cover—or by its title. Hard-working teachers shouldn't be offended by the title of Dave Eggers' latest book, Teachers Have It Easy, since it's actually a sympathetic look at "the big sacrifices and small salaries of America's teachers." For the book's humorous look at the contrasting lives of a teacher and a pharmaceutical rep, click here and scroll down to "A Day in the Life." For the oral histories of teachers who have made extraordinary sacrifices, click