• 'Teacher Times' 2010 Spring Edition (pdf)
• CTA Election Recommendations
• RTA Begins Negotiations With District
• SB 955 Threatens Teacher Security
• Backroom Manuvers Keep SB 955 Alive
• We Shall Not Be Moved

SB 955 (Huff) is on the floor of the California Senate which means at any time the bill could be heard on the floor.

This Senate bill proposes to:
1. Eliminate the March notice to RIF'd teachers and eliminates their right to request a hearing 2. Allows districts to ignore teacher experience in the classroom when making layoff and rehiring decisions 3. Eliminate teachers due process rights in a dismissal hearing 4. Authorize assignment, reassignment and transfers based on subject matter needs and without regard to experience

It is vitally important that Senators receive calls from you, their teacher constituents, expressing your discontent with this attack on teachers and labor when we should be focusing on the decimation of public education: Closure of libraries, schools, elimination of counselors, art, music, etc.

PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND URGE THEM TO CONTACT THEIR STATE SENATOR AT 888-202-2246. This phone number is through CTA and it walks you through the process and automatically connects you to the appropriate Sentator or Assemblyman's office.

This bill must die. It is an urgency measure right now which would require a 2/3 vote to pass. CTA anticipates that the vote will be close. This fight is a fight to stop teaching from becoming at “at-will” profession.

Attached are two documents that provide talking points on this bill that tries to 'fix' education by stripping away teacher rights and ignoring the real problems facing our schools.

Donna Braye-Romero
RTA President

Your RTA bargaining team had our first negotiations meeting with the district team (including superintendent, Bob Graeff, which is unusual for in the past, the superintendent has not attended these sessions) on Tuesday. The District conducted a budget presentation which was followed with a formal proposal. As expected the District's proposal asks for a 2.75% salary and/or benefit concession (reduction) from our teachers. They also told us that they are asking for the same 2.75% concession in their negotiations with the classified staff and administration. They made it clear that this reduction would NOT save any teacher jobs. They told us that if RTA wants to reduce or eliminate teacher reductions in force (RIFS), additional "concessions" would be required.

We have not yet responded to this proposal but have asked the District to explain certain items on their financial documents which we find questionable. Additionally, the District reponded to a list which we provided to them that detailed many of the suggestions given to us at our site meetings as to how the District might save money and/or generate more revenue without eliminating teacher positions or reducing the salary/benefit package. The District has already implemented some of these ideas and will be investigating some of the other ideas on the list to determine the plausibility of implementation.

Your bargaining team wants to keep all members updated on a regular basis and plans to do so as the process continues. Currently we do not have a date for our next meeting, but will keep you abreast of any new developments.

-Bill Clark-
RTA BArgaining Chair

As part of the 'Stand UP for Schools' movement, "Start the Day for Students", held on March 4th, was an urgent statewide day of action for students and California's future. Teachers, support staff and adminstrators joined together at school sites all over California to protest budget cuts and pass out infomational flyers to parents. Events were held at all school sites in Ramona.
Last year, $17 billion was cut from schools and colleges. Entire art, music and PE programs were eliminated. More than 16,000 educators were laid off. And this is while large California corporations enjoyed tax breaks! This year, in the wake of all thses cuts, our student and schools are being threatened again. We can't let that happen! We need your continued help and support in this urgent effort to speak out about the painful effects these cuts are having on our stuents, schools and communities. We must reform the state's tax structure and repeal the tax breaks handed out to large corporations. It's time everyone paid their fair share.
We all know that education is essential to building a better California. Working together, we can make sure our students get the resources they need to succeed.

All teachers and non-management certificated employees:

In this message jointly authored by the District Superintendent and the RTA President, we would like to inform all District teachers that the District’s Governing Board approved a program at its October 29 Special Board Meeting which provides an Early Retirement/Resignation Incentive to eligible certificated employees. In spite of the fact that the District offered a similar program last year, all indications are that the state budget for public education in 2010-11 will likely be even worse than the current year, prompting our Local Governing Board to take this important step. Although much more analysis will come later this winter, we see this current move as a critical strategy to ease looming challenges in our local budget situation to reduce the potential for more austere alternatives later this spring.

After working closely with the leadership of the RTA, District leaders have worked hard these past several days to craft a plan designed to encourage and support veteran teachers in a decision to resign from the District in January 2010, yet continue to provide their current services through June 2010. The basic elements of the plan are as follows:
Incentive
• $80,000 resignation incentive paid over a period of five (5) years in equal annual amounts.
• Mandatory participation in the RUSD Emeritus Teacher Program through June 17, 2010 (see details below).
• Current medical, dental, vision, life insurance benefits will continue through June 30, 2010.

Participation
• Resignation of District service, submitted by December 14, 2009 and effective January 29, 2010.
• Participation is irrevocable (if program participation target met and program implemented).
• Must participate in Emeritus Teacher Program, February 1, 2010 through June 17, 2010.
• District must receive twenty (20) participants for implementation of the program.
• Program is limited to the first fifty (50) eligible teachers who apply. Board action will be needed to approve additional participation beyond the first fifty (50) teacher-applicants.
Eligibility
• Active employee of the District as of January 29, 2010.
• Placement on Certificated Salary Schedule as follows: Column IV, Steps 13-35 OR Columns III, Step 25-35 OR Column II, Step 35.
• Part-time emploees eligible to participate on prorated basis.

Additional Features
• Guaranteed pay-out to designated beneficiary.
• First-year payment dates on July 30, 2010 and April 30, 2011; thereafter, semi-annually for four (4) school years on November 30 and April 30, with the final payment on April 30, 2015.
• Participants that resign from the District (but do not retire from CalSTRS) are required by CalSTRS to contribute to the CalSTRS system from all earnings (Emeritus wages and Incentive payments) until such time of submitting for retirement from CalSTRS.

Emeritus Teacher Program
• Enrollment in District Retirement/Resignation Incentive Program by December 14, 2009.
•Participants will be required to fulfill their current teaching responsibilities during the spring semester of the 2009-10 school year, including extra-duty assignments, coaching assignments, etc.
• Daily rate of pay will be $180 for each day present; plus extracurricular stipends as appropriate.
• Participants will receive one day of sick leave per month from February through June for use only, not accumulative.
• Emeritus Teachers will be designated as members of the bargaining unit for purposes of rights and responsibilities relative to the Agreement between RUSD and RTA, except as otherwise provided by the Retirement Incentive Program for the 2009-10 school year.

Detailed explanatory packets are being mailed home to each eligible employee on Friday, October 29. The packets will list details of District-sponsored information meetings on November 4 and November 9 – including opportunities to meet with STRS representatives at specified times in the District on December 7. Eligible employees are asked to review the print materials carefully and to return the enclosed participation letters to HRD no later than December 14, 2009. Any questions should be directed to HRD at (760) 787-2016.

Teachers should note that even though the District offered a similar program last year, it is extremely unlikely that we will offer an incentive program of this caliber for several more years. In fact, the Governor’s recent signing of Assembly Bill 506 ensures that public school districts in California can never again offer “emeritus programs” of this type after June 30, 2010. Any eligible teacher close to retirement should carefully consider this unique District program carefully.

Finally, the primary reason for offering this program this winter is due to the very challenging budget situation which is again on the horizon for all school districts in the state of California. Although the Board, the Administration, and our teacher leadership all recognize the tremendous contributions provided to our school children over the past several decades by our veteran teachers, this effort is both an attempt to support staff members in achieving an important milestone in their lives and an essential strategy to safeguard the District’s resources for the years to come.

Please join with us in encouraging eligible teachers to take full advantage of this unique offer.

Sincerely,
Bob Graeff, Superintendent Donna Braye-Romero, President
Ramona Unified School District Ramona Teachers Association

RTA News August 27th marks the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year for Ramona Unified School District. It is the first day back for teachers, with students returning on Monday, August 31st. The first event of the school year will be the opening Convocation for all RUSD employees to be held at the OPMS/PAC. Refreshments will be served at 7:30am with the meeting beginning at 8:00am. RTA welcomes back teachers and will hold a meeting for all teachers immediately following the Convocation at the PAC. Important issues will be discussed so all teachers are encouraged to attend. The first RTA Executive Board meeting will be held later that day at the new RTA office.

August 27th marks the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year for Ramona Unified School District. It is the first day back for teachers, with students returning on Monday, August 31st. RTA/CTA/NEA have been working hard all summer on behalf of teachers. The National Education Assn. held its Representative Assembly here in San Diego from July 1-July 6 at the Convention Center. Nine thousand NEA regional representatives from all over the United States convened for the largest democratic assembly in the world, larger than the Democratic Convention and Republican Convention combined.

CTA was busy during that time as well, intervening in budget talks in Sacramento to save Prop 98 funding for schools and preserve Sacramento's commitment to repay public education. CTA President David Sanchez referred to CTA's efforts in Sacramento in his speech at the CTA Summer Institute held at UCLA in early August. Multiple strands were offered to attendees from throughout California, including Emerging Leaders, Barganing Essentials, Member Benefits, Legal Issues and Communication.

RTA members and officers attended many of the offerings this summer. Mike Harrelson was a representative at the NEA Representative Assembly. RTA President Donna Braye-Romero and newly elected Vice President, Goldie Kakacek, attended the CTA Presidents Conference in mid-July and they, along with Secretary Stephanie Hurst, attended the CTA Institute in August. RTA started the summer by moving into their new office on 'D' street.

An agreement has been reached between the RTA Negotiating Team and the Ramona Unified School District regarding our contract for the 2009-2010 school year. Click here to see a copy of this agreement. Essentially, the agreement provides for no change to our health and welfare benefits and no change to the salary schedules. The contract also remains unchanged. A ratification vote took place at each site on May 27th. The results of the contract ratification vote was 197 in favor and 6 opposed. Thanks to all who voted! The next step in the process will be for the Board of Education to approve the tentative agreement. This should take place at the next Board meeting. Given the current fiscal situation, your team believes that this is a fair settlement which protects our salary and benefits.

The Ramona Teachers Association is pleased to announce that we have three teachers that received the CTA WHO award this year. We are proud of the service and assistance that these wonderful teachers have provided for our association. This years recipient are:

Grant McNiff James Dukes Elementary
Jeanine Hawkins Montecito High School
Stephenie Hurst Barnett Elementary

The dinner/award ceremony put on by the San Diego CTA Council was held on June 6 at the Westin San Diego. Each recipient of the award receiced an engraved WHO owl statuette, a framed award, and their photo with the text of speech given by Mike Harrelso, who presented the award. CTA Vice President, Dean Vogel attended the ceremony honoring WHO award recipients from throughout San Diego County.