Vol. 5, October 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

2005-2006 Minnetonka Teachers Association Governance Board

~ President Joseph Ricke ~ Vice President Jan Nelson ~

~ Secretary Mary Tingblad ~ Treasurer Ramona Anderson ~

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

~ Excelsior Heather Stowman ~ Minnewashta Position Open ~

~ Clear Springs Debra Drexler ~ Scenic Heights Anita Britton ~

~ MM-East Sandy Gosen & Rhonda Lundgren ~

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

~ MHS Doug Kennedy, Ramona Anderson, Rachel Consdorf & Mike Matthias ~

~~ From the President ~~

MTA President, Joseph Ricke

Greetings! I hope all of you are well rested for conferences. I anticipate, once again, you will be affirmed for the excellent job you are doing and the value you bring to this district. Based on the feedback I receive from teachers as I visit other buildings, I believe the stress level this year is the highest ever. For the first time that I can remember, teachers are starting to worry that they will “burn out” before the end of the school year. We will be addressing this in Meet & Confer and through the Workday/Work Year Task Force, which will also allocate $45,000 for some form of assistance. Jan Nelson will be chairing this committee comprised of MTA members and district administration.

We are still waiting on the arbitrator’s ruling on the .4FTE MTA President’s release time, but we have the issue resolved and in the contract for this year. We will be adjusting the MTA dues for this year based on a .4FTE release time starting in the second quarter of this year and a .5FTE release time for second semester. MTA dues should start coming out of paychecks in November.

The MTA leadership is addressing some proposed changes for our Constitution and Bylaws. Some of the changes involve term start time for the newly elected MTA President to take place in June rather than May and voting on amendment changes by the entire membership rather than voting by the MTA Governance Board.

The concept of having a newly elected MTA President taking office in May does not afford the district enough time to hire or put in place a person to give the President release time. The start date of June allows for transition time and effective coordination of the transfer of power and will not necessitate a .4FTE release time since the end of the school year would be within two weeks.

As for the voting on proposed amendment changes to require a majority of the voting membership, this is widely accepted as the general practice of other Locals, as well as, the process recommended by Education Minnesota. This would place the visibility of changes to the MTA Constitution and Bylaws in front of all members and hopefully give more ownership to the membership. A consequence of giving the power to the Governance Board for changes to the Bylaws is the concept of a simple majority of votes to decide the fate of a tentative contract agreement. It is my belief that a majority of the membership should decide the fate of proposed Bylaw changes and voting on a tentative contract agreement.

Not having the .4FTE release time has been somewhat difficult with a new, full time teaching schedule, but I feel as though the MTA leadership team is effectively addressing pressing issues and is maintaining a positive presence and attitude while representing the MTA membership. We will continue to do our best to advocate for your work conditions and adherence to the contract.

~~ From the Vice-President ~~

MTA Vice-President, Jan Nelson

NEA… Hollywood Style

The National Education Association Representative Assembly was held at the Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles, CA. The Minnesota representatives were housed at a hotel near the airport that was about a 20- to 30-minute drive. Each morning and evening we boarded busses that brought us back and forth to the Convention Center. I was fortunate to serve as a partner delegate with a very nice lady from Idaho. We met each morning for a few moments and exchanged information concerning issue scheduled to be brought to the floor that day. We also exchanged small gifts from each of our Local unions.

This was a rather quiet year at the NEA convention with only a few hot issues. Although there is always interesting and informative things about unions to be learned, I believe that the NEA convention should be held every year similar to the AFT. Imagine what a saving this would be for Local unions.

At every convention there are always special activities that delegates can sign up to attend. The Minnetonka delegates chose to go to the 4^th of July concert at the Hollywood Bowl. It was wonderful to be outdoors for a concert and sit in the seats of the famous Hollywood Bowl. The acoustics were amazing as we listened to a musical tribute to Walt Disney and “oohed” and “aahed” to a fantastic firework display. My favorite thing about going to the Hollywood Bowl was being able to see the huge white “HOLLYWOOD” letters on the side of the mountain.

~~ New MTA Treasurer ~~

At the Governance Board meeting on October 19, 2005, the Governance Board elected Ramona Anderson (MHS) as the new MTA Treasurer. Ramona fills the vacancy left when the former Treasurer resigned.

~~ MTA Budget and Dues Amended ~~

At the Governance Board meeting on October 19, 2005, the Governance Board amended the 2005-2006 MTA Budget to include a new line item required by the recently ratified contract. The addition to the budget is the MTA President Release Time: $24, 447. This figure was calculated out in the following way:

0.4 x 0.75 x total cost of contract = $24,447

0.4=release time FTE

0.75=3 quarters

total cost of contract=salary+FICA+TRA+fringe benefits refund

The new line item to the budget was necessary because it was included in the contract that was recently ratified. To pay for this new item in the budget, the MTA dues were increased by $45. Dues will be taken out over 15 paychecks, so the $45 increase will amount to $3 per paycheck ($6 per month). In the contract, $8 per month was added to the fringe benefit pool to offset the increase in dues.

Total dues for full-time (.76-1.0 FTE): $682.80

· NEA/AFT: $166.80 (increase over last year=$5.40)

· Education Minnesota: $368.00 (increase over last year=$16.00)

· UniServ: $8.00 (increase over last year=$3.00)

· MTA: $140 (increase over last year=$45.00)

If you have further questions regarding the contract, please contact the Negotiators: Anita Britton, Mike Cutshall, Joe Ricke. If you have any other questions, please contact your MTA Building Representative.

~~ Teachers’ Rights Review ~~

MTA Teachers’ Rights Co-Chairs, Mary Benson and Anita Otten

Happy October to all members! The Teachers’ Rights Co-Chairs would like to welcome all of our new Teachers’ Rights Representatives this year. A special thanks to all of you for the time and effort you give to the district. Here is the list of the Teachers’ Rights Representatives and the buildings they represent.

· Linda Morentez, DEC

· Cathy Fitzgerald, Deephaven

· Colleen Gruel, Groveland

· Anita Otten, Excelsior

· Sarah Becher, Minnewashta

· Brett Bernard, Clear Springs

· Jonathan Maki, Scenic Heights

· Mary Benson, MMW

· Kieran Monaghan, MME

· 2 Open Positions, MHS (Jan Nelson is continuing in this position until new people are assigned. If interested in filling these positions, contact Jan Nelson.)

~~ News From Education Minnesota ~~

~~ Foundation Grant Applications Ready ~~

The Education Minnesota Foundation for Excellence in Teaching and Learning 2005-06 year begins with newly revised questions and instructions for the Foundation grant applications. Applications (for Education Minnesota members only!) are available online in the “Education Issues” section of the Education Minnesota online community at www.educationminnesota.org. Click on Foundation Grants, download a copy and follow the filing instructions. You can also contact the Foundation office for fax or paper copies. Contact Mary Ann Hemann at maryann.hemann@educationminnesota.org or you can call 800-652-9073.

~~ Anna Quindlen Keynote Speaker at Conference ~~

About 8,000 educators attended this year’s Education Minnesota Professional Conference on October 20, 2005, which featured more than 60 workshops and more than 330 exhibits. Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Anna Quindlen was the keynote speaker.

Quindlen told conference-goers that Americans must do more to support families and children if we are to preserve the things we value. Although businesses have adopted “family friendly” policies and the feminist movement has provided many more professional choices for women, child-rearing, in recent generations, has been the sole responsibility of women.

Today’s mother needs the community support she once had when working in the fields or in the family business to do a successful job of child rearing, she said. “Research about cognitive development shows us that very young children, even infants, are learning constantly. I think you could make an excellent case that teaching a 12-month-old is a more demanding task than teaching a college freshman. Yet the average college freshman has five teachers—each of whom is expected to spend five to seven hours a week with that student. Why would we expect the greater task of teaching a baby to fall on the shoulders of one human being—of ten an undereducated exhausted one, 24/7?”

And mothers need the support of fathers, Quindlen continued. “Where are the guys? Why aren’t they examining their consciences the way women are?” she asked. Men do not usually take advantage of companies’ “family-friendly” policies because they are not encouraged to do so by upper management, she said. "There is a clear message from the top that using flex time or taking a day off just doesn’t send the right message about having the right stuff.” Corporate executives should realize that it’s good business to provide working conditions that support mothers and fathers.

~~ Enter to Win a Target Gift Card ~~

Boost your holiday shopping power with a $100 gift card from Target. NEA members can register anytime in the “Free Giveaways” area of the NEA Member Benefits website at www.neamb.com for a chance to win one of three $100 Target gift cards. Giveaway entry runs November 1-30, 2005. No purchase is necessary to enter.

AFT PLUS... The Benefits of Belonging

So, What’s New at YOUR School?

There are “good news” things happening everyday in our schools. Send your school’s good news to mary.tingblad@minnetonka.k12.mn.us to be included in the next issue of The Professional. I’ve been told that this is one of the favorite features of the newsletter. It’s the way that we can share all the good things going on with our teachers!

News From MHS

Wedding bells rang for MHS teachers! English teacher Judy Ward and Math teacher David Thomas were married in June.  Social Studies teacher Travis Sutten also tied the knot. ASL teacher LeAnn Slama married Dan Dow in August.

Teachers kept the stork busy, too! Science teacher Clinton Fenner and his wife welcomed their baby girl in June. Social Studies teacher Mark Harris and his wife welcomed their baby boy named William John Harris on June 12. Art teacher Steve Nugent and his wife became proud parents of a baby boy named Rocky James Nugent.

This just in… ESL teacher Deb Freeman just became a grandma! Grandma Deb’s granddaughter was born on Thursday, October 20, 2005. What a good girl to be born on the first day of MEA so her Grandma could spend lots of time with her.

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND Kicks Off 2005-06 Theatre Season

The MHS Performing Arts Departments kick off the season in November with a lively and colorful musical, Once on This Island. A Tony Award nominee for best musical, the show is a bittersweet, romantic and highly theatrical tale of two star-crossed lovers whose fates are entwined by the powerful gods of a mythical Caribbean island. The lovers’ story plays out against the rousing rhythms of reggae and calypso and is told almost completely through song and dance. Kent Knutson directs; Paula Holmberg and Joel Gotz are the vocal directors; and Paul Rosen conducts the orchestra.

Once on This Island runs only two weeks: November 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 13, at 1 p.m. The performance on Thursday, November 10, is a special preview for which tickets are $5. Tickets for all other performances are $10 and all seats are reserved. To purchase tickets, call 952-401-5898 or visit www.minnetonkatheatre.com.

Halloween Ha-Ha’s!

Why did the witch stay home from school?

She had a wicked cold.

What do baby ghosts wear?

Pillowcases.

Editorial/Commentary/Opinion Page

Editorials, commentary, opinions, and letters to the editor are not necessarily the position of the MTA. All members are invited to share their unedited views, thoughts, concerns, etc., by submitting them to: mary.tingblad@minnetonka.k12.mn.us, Mary Tingblad, MM-West, 6421 Hazeltine Blvd, Excelsior, MN 55331.

Time Flies?

That old saying says, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” I’m looking around for some more of that fun this fall. Time sure goes flying by, and sometimes I have to wonder where all that time goes. I can’t believe that it is already conference time! And following that will be the end of the first quarter. Wow! Where did all that time go? I look at my grade book and my lesson plans, and I can see the wonderful progress I’ve made with my students. I can see that time is passing correctly in that sense. But where’s that other time—the time that allows me to catch my breath and gives me a sense of accomplishment?

Don’t get me wrong—I love what I do! I really love being an ESL teacher. I’m so happy that I am the middle school ESL teacher. Yes, there’s something about middle school students (and the staff that works with them) that makes my assignment feel just right. It’s hard to get my arms around what seems to be missing this year. I guess it’s the breathing room. It seems that I am busy every single second of the day, and there’s still not enough time to get everything done. I’m coming in early waay too often, and I’m staying late waay too often, too.

And that’s happening all over the district. Many people are commenting on the many extra hours before school and after school, plus evenings and weekends at home. As we struggle to keep up, making sure we are doing our best, what is it that we are giving up? Collectively, that may prove to be too much.

President Ricke will be sending an e-mail out to all MTA members soon, asking for you to join the Workday/Work Year Committee. This committee will study the “issues of workload, including but not limited to: number and length of classes assigned, direct time with students, variations by subject areas and age of students, the number of students per class, and other issues affecting workload.” Consider participating on this committee. The work accomplished on this committee could make such a difference for all of us. And I for one, thank you in advance for all of your hard work!

Mary Tingblad, Editor