Vol. 2, December 2002
The
Professional
A
Publication of the Minnetonka Teachers Association
Editor, Mary Tingblad mary.tingblad@minnetonka.k12.mn.us
MM-West, 6421 Hazeltine Blvd., Excelsior, MN 55331
~
2002-2003 Minnetonka Teachers Association Governance Board ~
~ President Mark Chalupsky ~ Vice President
Julie Anderson-Simonson ~
~ Secretary Mary Tingblad ~ Treasurer Joseph
Ricke ~
~ DEC Gail O’Rourke ~ Deephaven Diane Jost ~
Groveland Pam Wertjes ~
~ Excelsior Mark Broten ~ Minnewashta Melanie
Casiday ~
~ Clear Springs Debra Jensen ~ Scenic Heights
Jan Sellman ~
~ MM-East Mark Brzezinski & Heidi Johnson ~
~ MM-West Mary Tingblad & Jeri
Goodspeed-Gross ~
~ MHS Joseph Ricke, Jan Nelson, J. Beowulf
Boswell, & Mike Cutshall ~
~~
President’s Ponderings ~~
MTA President, Mark
Chalupsky mark.chalupsky@minnetonka.k12.mn.us
There are two issues I’d like to address this month. The first issue is
negotiations. I have sent a formal letter to School Board Chair Peggy Stefan,
and to the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS), to officially request that we
begin bargaining for the 2003-2005 contract. We will meet in early January to
set up the meeting schedule for the remainder of the school year. Please give
any input you have to our negotiators, Joe Ricke and Mike Cutshall, or to your
MTA Building Representative. My goal is
to have a ratified contract completed before we leave for summer break.
The second issue I want to address is alternative compensation for
teachers. Several people recently returned from the third annual national
conference in Chicago. We all know that teachers are underpaid, so we are
collaborating with the district to find other ways for teachers to earn more
compensation. We have no intentions of moving away from the step
and lane system we currently have, but rather we are
looking at additional ways over and above the current salary schedule to reward
teachers.
One of the concepts we are
looking at is the “master teacher” concept.
We have a committee that will meet soon to begin discussions on this
concept and what it might look like in Minnetonka. Any concept we look at will
have to be one in which all teachers have the opportunity to succeed. I will
keep you posted on the progress of the committee.
Let me take this opportunity to wish all of you and
your families a very health, happy, and prosperous holiday season! Best wishes!
~~ MTA Contract Administration Update ~~
julie.anderson-simonson@minnetonka.k12.mn.us
The Contract Administration
meeting on December 11, 2002, included Mark Chalupsky, Joseph Ricke, Julie
Anderson-Simonson, Mike Lovett, and guests Judy Nagel, and Barb Nelson. The
following items were discussed:
·
Status
of Committees: TIP, Group Performance,
and Voluntary Teacher Compensation Strategy
·
Career
Transition Trust Implementation
·
Work
time and issues for part time teachers
·
Teachers
on special assignment
·
School
Calendar Committee
·
Relicensure
Committee
·
Use
of classrooms after school by MCES
·
Extended
day Kindergarten "Specialists" usage in 2002-03
·
Music
staffing ratios
·
Time
sheets for additional teacher compensation
~~ From the Desk of the Treasurer ~~
MTA
Treasurer Joseph Ricke joseph.ricke@minnetonka.k12.mn.us
As you review this month’s budget spending update, you may
notice that the MTA Governance Board has spent almost all of the contingency
fund money. Do not despair. Education Minnesota will be reimbursing us
$2,600.00 for our contribution to the school referendum efforts. If you have
any questions about the budget, please call me or email me.
~~ From the desk of the Negotiators ~~
Negotiator
Joseph Ricke joseph.ricke@minnetonka.k12.mn.us
Negotiators Joe Ricke and Mike Cutshall are finalizing the
survey to be used to prioritize negotiation items. After they get input from
the MTA Governance Board on December 18, they will be sending it out to all MTA
members in January. As always, we anticipate money and benefits to be high
priorities; but with deficit spending by the state, one can anticipate we will
have to be creative in maximizing the best possible outcomes for settlement.
~~ Teachers’ Rights Review
~~
mary.benson@minnetonka.k12.mn.us,
anita.otten@minnetonka.mn.k12.mn.us
We are off to
a great start this year! We hope that everyone is having an enjoyable and
successful year. Just a friendly reminder that if a concern or problem arises
in your building or work area, please go to that person and try to work things
out. If at first you don’t succeed, then go to your friendly MTA Governance
Board Representative or Teachers’ Rights Representative. If you still don’t
succeed, contact your Teachers’ Rights Co-Chairs, Mary Benson or Anita Otten.
Have a very relaxing and joyous break. Thank you for your
hard work and dedication to Minnetonka students. If you have any spare time
over break, check out the following article…
Group-Building
Behaviors
Every member of a team plays, at one time or another, a
leadership role in assisting the group achieve its tasks or goal. Certain
behaviors can contribute to the achievement of a task, but also, in the long
run, strengthen the team. Over time, group members will practice these
constructive, group-building behaviors, not only in the meeting room, but also
outside, in the countless contacts they have with others on the team.
Confronting
Both
issues and people can get buried during a group’s deliberation. For example, a
group member mentions a failure that the group has recently experienced. She is
ignored. The issue is painful, and people don’t want to discuss it. She brings
it up again, and once more is ignored. Someone in the group then says, “Twice Sara has brought up the
Rexford experience, and we treat it as if it
had never come up.” That’s confronting issues, and confronting is one sign of
an effective group. An ineffective group probably would have continued to
ignore Sara.
Confronting also applies to someone’s obstructive behavior.
Someone may be sarcastic or impolite to another. You find the behavior
objectionable and inconsistent with team building, so you express your
discomfort with the offensive behavior. When a group seems to sidestep an
issue, or when members of the group behave in a destructive and offensive
manner towards others, you confront by describing the behavior you saw and its
impact on you: “I was upset when you said that,” or “That made me
uncomfortable.”
Gate-keeping
Some people may monopolize the discussion, making it
difficult for others to speak. They have, if effect, closed the gate. You can
re-open it. For example, you say to them: “I’ve heard your position fully. Now,
I’d like to hear from those who haven’t said much.” Invite them to speak.
Sometimes, one member will be intimidated by the flow of
discussion. She tries to enter the discussion, but no one pays attention. You
say, “Jane’s been trying to get a word in for the last ten minutes. Let’s hear
her out.”
Mediating
Two
people are disagreeing with each other. They keep repeating their respective
positions, and you sense they are no longer listening. Or perhaps you no longer
feel sure you understand what they are talking about. You can help, asking
their permission to try to interpret their respective arguments so you can
understand them better. Then you summarize what each has been saying, and ask
others in the group for their contributions. Mediating is not arbitrating. You
do not take a position. However, your action can restore some forward movement
to the group—and you’ve widened the debate.
Harmonizing
Again,
people are disputing heavily. They’ve probably become so mired in their own
arguments that they cannot effectively respond to each other or assist the
group’s deliberations. Show them their areas of agreement or near-agreement,
which they haven’t been able to see because they haven’t been listening to each
other. Suggest that they concentrate for the moment on whatever positive aspects
exist. Ask the group to help them in
this effort. It is rare, even in the most intense conflict, that you
cannot find some areas of potential agreement that the disputants are less
capable of seeing. Often, people in a debating situation use different words
for the same meanings.
Supporting
When
people advance their opinions, they sometimes get ignored. Or their opinions
are met with such disagreement that they literally fade away. They sit there
quietly. The issue doesn’t get aired. At that point, you support the person and
the opinion. You don’t have to agree with either. You’re simply saying: “Let’s
not shortchange ourselves by ignoring what he has said. Let’s talk about it.”
Making way for even unpopular ideas is the sign of a healthy group. When people
who offer them are shut out, you may lose a valuable resource.
Summarizing
When the
flow of ideas has been so plentiful that members lose sight of where they’ve
gotten to, or when the disputes are hot and heavy, it can be useful to stop the
action and summarize the main points that have emerged. The summary gives
everyone breathing space and highlights the issues that may have gotten
confusing. The disputants may find that they are not so far apart as they thought.
And the group may come to realize that it has made much more progress than was
thought.
Process-observing
When a
group has problems discussing issues, when people’s behaviors keep getting in
the way of getting the job done, when certain people or subgroups are
exercising undue influence, when some members are trying to undermine the
effectiveness of others, it’s time for someone to call attention to what is
going on. This function is referred to as process-observing. Group process is
what goes on between the members of the group that enhances the group’s
effectiveness or impedes it. Anything, therefore, that helps a group or hinders
it is a matter for processing. The process-observer forces the group to look at
itself while it is functioning, something that the group might not otherwise do
because it is so immersed in the discussion.
~~ News from Education Minnesota ~~
2003 Legislature Convenes
January 7
Education
Minnesota pledges to be at the tables as Minnesota’s leaders attempt to find
solutions to the state’s $4.5 billion deficit when the 2003 session of the
Legislature opens January 7, 2003. “Our new governor wants to work with all
groups to find a solution to the state’s funding crisis,” said Education
Minnesota President Judy Schaubach, adding that Governor-elect Tim Pawlenty has
made it clear that he does not intend to cut funding to public education. She
added that it is critical for education Minnesota members to contact their
legislators with concrete examples of the fiscal problems in their districts.
Minnesota Teacher Salaries
Now Rank 20th
Minnesota teacher salaries now rank 20th in the nation, a slight drop from last year’s ranking of 19, according to a new report released this month by the National Education Association. “Rankings and Estimates” reveals that since the 2000-01 school year, total revenues for education nationally are expected to increase by only 4.3%, or 1.6% less than the rate of growth reported for last year. Teacher salaries grew more slowly than the economy, with an expected increase of just 2.7 percent for the 2001-02 school year.
“These new numbers show that despite the vital importance of education for our future, public schools around the country are just barely holding their own,” said NEA President Reg Weaver. “As federal and state policymakers begin planning next year’s budgets, they should be mindful of committing the resources our educators need to ensure that all children receive a quality education.”
The highest-ranking states in pay for teachers were California, Connecticut, and New York. The lowest were Mississippi, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The full report can be found on the NEA website. Go to www.nea.org/edstats/reupdate02.html.
Free Legal Consultation—It’s
a Membership Benefit
One of the services available to all Education Minnesota members through the AFT and NEA is an attorney referral and legal services program. Eligible members are entitled to some free legal advice. Other services are offered at a rate below the usual fees of participating attorneys. Some of the core areas included are wills and estates, real estate, domestic relations, consumer protection, and traffic violations. For a list of participating firms, call ESI at 651-292-4856.
Don’t Get Tangled Up in the
Web
Use Your School Computer
Wisely
In recent years, the Education Minnesota Legal Department has handled an increasing number of cases involving charges that members are using their school computers for inappropriate reasons. Many of these cases involve members who have accessed pornographic or other sexually explicit websites. Other examples have involved members visiting inappropriate “chat rooms” on the web or sending inappropriate e-mails.
Here are a few basic tips regarding using your school computer:
· The computer belongs to the school, not you. Therefore, you have no “expectation of privacy” in what you see or write on the computer. This includes before and after the regular school day or during times when school is not in session.
· Find out if your district has a computer usage policy that covers you. If so, read it and make sure you comply with your district’s policy.
· Even if your district does not have a computer usage policy, you can be subject to discipline for inappropriate use of the computer.
· Be aware that it is quite easy for an employer to retrieve “erased” histories of where you have been on the web.
For more information on use of the Internet and e-mail at school, visit http://www.educationminnesota.org/index.cfm?PAGE_ID=121. You will need to register and login to view this page.
~~ News from NEA and AFT ~~
Learning Is First
If all children are to succeed, they need support from many sources, including, but not limited to, schools. The Learning First Alliance, which includes AFT and NEA, recently joined with the National League of Cities and the National Collaboration for Youth in a joint statement explaining the types of support our children need. The joint statement is posted online at www.learningfirst.org/alliancenews.html.
U.S. Teachers Put in More
Hours in the Classroom
Teachers in the United States spend many more hours in front of their classes than do their counterparts in other developed countries, according to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Their annual report, released in October, says U.S. students on average perform about the same as the rest, however.
The OECD found that U.S. high school teachers spend a whopping 73% more time teaching, roughly equivalent to 59 extra eight-hour days each year. But NEA President Reg Weaver said it’s not enough that teachers spend more time in front of students. They must be well-trained as well. “You cannot just have face time without the opportunity to plan what you’re going to do,” he said. For more information, read this story from the Detroit News: www.detnews.com/2002/schools/0210/30/a02-626462.htm.
CD Sales to Help Benefit AFT
Scholarship Fund
Sales of a music CD showcasing the talents of everyday New Yorkers—including an AFT member—will help benefit an AFT scholarship during December. “Voices of New York: An Odyssey, Volume I: Rising” includes two tracks featuring New York City music teacher Marina Fattore and five of her former students performing “A Heart in New York” and Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Also included are a firefighter, a letter carrier, librarians from the New York City and a security guard at Radio City Music Hall. During December, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each CD will be donated to the AFT’s Robert G. Porter Scholars Program. “Voices of New York” is available at Barnes and Noble music stores. To order the CD online, visit www.voicesofnewyork.com.
He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.
~Richard Henry Dann~
~~ What’s New at Your
School? ~~
Excelsior Baby News
sara.maves@minnetonka.k12.mn.us
Jenn Kitt, 4th grade teacher, is expecting her first baby on June 12th. How’s that for timing! Heidi O’Leary, 1st grade teacher, and husband Scott welcomed their first baby, Jack, on November 2nd. Jack couldn’t wait, so he decided to arrive 3 weeks early.
MM-West Baby News
Spring babies are in this year! Anna Kurth, special education teacher, awaits a March baby. Not to be outdone is Tony Mosser, 6th grade teacher, and wife Lori (former MMW teacher), as they also are due in March. Jeanne Sammelson, Spanish teacher, is expecting her second child in April.
MHS Star
Maggie
Pistner, who directed fourteen plays at
Minnetonka High School, including My Fair Lady, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
and A Chorus Line, will open in Marvin’s Room at Theatre in the
Round on January 10, 2003. The show plays
weekends and runs through February 2, 2003.
In 2001, Dominic Papatola, theatre critic for the St. Paul Pioneer
Press, recognized Maggie as one the top twelve actors in the Twin Cities.
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 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!
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
Ahhh,
Winter Break!
Come on, admit it--you’ve been looking forward to Friday, December
20, 2002, just as much as the kids have! WE GET TWO WHOLE WEEKS OFF! WOW!! Time
to enjoy the time spent with family and friends, time to enjoy the winter
season (I still believe that we’ll have snow), AND time to goof off and do
whatever you want OR do nothing if you so choose! What a luxury not having to
rush through our winter break, just to get back to the grind again so quickly!
In the past, I dreaded my trips to and from Wisconsin during
winter break. Would the weather cooperate? Would there be enough time to get
everything done here in Minnesota AND also in Wisconsin AND still have time to
recuperate? This year, I can say YES!
I celebrate this little victory over the calendar! I know this is
a special year and that this can’t happen every year. Most years we would have
to go longer into June, but not this year! That is why this year is so special
to me, and I bet to so many others, too. We can enjoy a longer winter break and
still have a fairly decent last day in June. Now, I’m not saying that our
school year doesn’t still drag on into June, though. It’s just that this year,
we are able to have a long winter break and not have it affect the last day of
school as dramatically as other years.
This year is unique. We can’t expect this every year, so cherish
your winter break this year. Remember it when we have to have a short winter
break during other years when the calendar doesn’t cooperate. Know that some
winter in the future, we’ll have another long break again when the calendar
does cooperate.
Speaking of calendars, have you responded to the Calendar Survey
that was sent out earlier this week? This is one way to let your wishes be
known. Next month (really, next year, January 2003), you will also have the
opportunity to let your wishes be known through the MTA Negotiations Survey.
Joe Ricke and Mike Cutshall, our MTA negotiators, want to hear from you—they
want to know what’s important to you.
During this long winter break, enjoy YOUR time! Have a good time!
WANTED
YOUR ARTICLE IDEAS!
Write about your colleagues, good news to be shared, anything you’d like to share with the rest of us. Remember, this is YOUR newsletter!
