Welcome Back to the 2011-2012 School Year.   Each year brings new challenges and opportunities for our staff as well as our students, so it’s important that we start the year off with a positive attitude and a renewed excitement for our profession and our impact on student learning.

 Our impact can be measured by the results of our California State Testing. Our scores are in and once again Walnut Valley Unified Schools have excelled!!!  These scores not only tell parents what their child is learning, but it also tells everyone in the state of California that we have outstanding and remarkable teachers in Walnut.  I want to personally say, “Thank You for all your hard work!”

 WVEA’s efforts to resolve and finalize our agreement have placed us in constant contact and negotiations with the district in regards to The Memorandum of Understanding dated December 3^rd of 2010. WVEA has agreed to extensions, to assess the Federal Jobs Money, School Services input, the May revise, the FBRL as of July 1^st, and the savings from Fair share. As of this weekend, The District under the leadership of Dean Conklin, Kathy Granger and the Educational Board met with WVEA and came to an honorable agreement that eliminates all four remaining furlough days for this school year. (Details to follow).

I, personally, would like to thank our members for your resiliency and professionalism during these critical times. Your efforts, patience and faith in your bargaining team have paid off.

 I would also like to acknowledge the District s leadership for honoring this agreement. Is this the beginning of good faith bargaining?  We will be here to adhere to all of your needs to ensure an excellent, truthful, honorable working relationship with our administrators and other staff.

Let’s continue to stand strong and remain unified to attain what we deserve.
Be proud, we are members of the most rewarding career in the world.

Looking forward to a WONDERFUL School Year!!!

Mr. Johann K. Aaron
President

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Membership News

 Welcome to the start of a new school year! WVEA is your representative in employment matters with WVUSD. Because WVEA operates under a collective bargaining agreement, all bargaining unit members share in the cost of that representation. Please note that annual dues have increased this year as follows: CTA $647, NEA $178, WVEA $214 pending ratification.

As a certificated employee of the district you have the following options: Membership, Agency Fee Payer, or Religious Objector Status.  As a member, you become a full member of the Association and pay full unified dues to WVEA/CTA/NEA and take advantage of all the rights and benefits that come with membership. In lieu of membership, you may pay an agency fee equal to unified dues. As an agency fee payer, however, you will not be a member of your local and will not be able to hold local office or vote in local elections. You will also forfeit access to membership benefits. You have the right to receive a rebate of the fee equal to the portion that represents political or ideological spending on the part of the local, CTA and NEA that is not related to collective bargaining or employment matters. If you do not sign up for membership, you will automatically become a fee payer, unless you establish religious objector status.  As a religious objector, in lieu of payment of dues or agency fees, you may pay the equivalent of full unified dues to an pre-approved non-labor, non-religious charitable fund which is exempt from taxation under IRS Code 501 (c) (3). Proof of payment must be provided. Please contact WVUSD payroll for a list of pre-approved organizations.

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Attending School Board Meetings

Thank you to those of you who signed up for and attended the school board meetings over the past few months.Our goal this year is to have a WVEA presence at every school board meeting throughout the year. meet this goal we will assign particular schools for each board meeting.Each school will have a sign up for its staff, coordinated by the head rep. are about 21 meetings during the year. We have 9 elementary, 3 middle schools, and 3 high schools (including Hockwalt Academy). will allow all schools to be assigned to seven board meetings.We ask that for each assigned meeting /3 of your staff sign up to attend. each elementary and middle school has about 30 teachers and the high schools have about 100 teachers, we should have about 70 teachers, plus WVEA board members at each board meeting.Each meeting will have teachers from 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school.The importance of members attending regularly is invaluable.It allows members to be better informed, gives the actions of the school board more ears and varied perceptions, and perhaps most importantly, shows the board that we are interested in the decisions that are being made that affect our students, our parents, and our work environment.Of course members are encouraged to attend as many meetings as they like, but this approach will hopefully give some structure to help us reach our goal.

Negotiations Update

Hello, and hope that each of our members had a restful and relaxing summer break.

State Budget

     As most of you have heard by now, the state budget as adopted reflects a flat funding for K-12 education. What this translates into, is that K-12 education will receive the same FBRL monies as they received in the 2010-2011 school year. This adoption is based on projected increases to state revenues in offsetting the deficient. So what happens if the projected revenues don’t materialize? The impact could result in budget reductions for the remaining 2011-2012 school year. How, when and where, still seem to be a mystery at the state, county and district levels. More to follow as information becomes available.

District Negotiations

(MOUs dated; April 2^nd, 2010 and December 3^rd, 2010)

     I  wanted to give our members a brief overview as to what took place in regards to negotiations over the summer break. For those that remember but would like to forget, the MOU dated December 3, 2010, will be implemented for the 2011-2012 school year. There have been some modifications relative to the 4 furlough days for the 2011-2012 school year. The 4 furlough days will be eliminated and we will use the salary schedule in affect during the 2010-2011 school year. The remaining components; class size, $15,000 additional prep/ instructional materials per elementary site, cash in lieu $3,000, Open house option at each of the sites, Personal Necessity Days (10) per year, Parent conference K-5, 3 minimum days, grades 4-5 (1) sub day in addition to the minimum days and Kinder P.E. 45 minutes, will continue through the 2011-2012 school year.

Health Benefits

     The benefit renewals did come back for WVEA bargaining unit members. There was no increase to premium cost and status quo on coverage components. As was promised at the June 2011 representative meeting, I will bring back to the rep council the Request for Proposal (RFP) from the CalPERS benefit plan for consideration in reducing WVEA members premium costs.