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Cincinnati Federation of Teachers
NEWSLINER
Volume 11
Issue 8
April 2015
Kelly Singleton, Editor
Visit our website at www.cft-aft.org
A Message From the President
Dear Colleagues, I hope that everyone had a much‐deserved, fantastic Spring Break! In early March, Ohio Sen‐
ator Peggy Lehner, Chair of the Senate’s Education Com‐
mittee, appointed me to serve on the Senate’s State Advisory Committee on Test‐
ing. This committee will be meeting on a weekly basis to get some preliminary work completed in time for a rec‐
ommendation to the Sen‐
ate—specifically on the PARCC exam by early May. This advisory committee was developed in response to the large numbers of phone calls, e‐mails, post cards, and let‐
ters that were sent to their legislatures for the past few months regarding testing. I would like to personally thank every teacher who contacted his or her legislature. There is power in a collective voice! This committee is proof of that; everyone understands the multitude of problems with the PARCC testing and lack of a smooth implementation. Please contact the Senate at sact.ohiosenate.gov to report any specific issues you experi‐
enced with PARCC dur‐
ing testing. Committee information and re‐
sources will also be posted on this public site. My goal is that our negotiated testing MOU will help guide our state’s testing guidelines. continue. During this term, there will be a school board race, a search for a new su‐
perintendent, and a levy re‐
newal (and also a new money levy). In addition, we will be getting the details of how the Accelerator Fund will oper‐
ate within the city and with CPS, along with the for‐
mat of the Pre‐
School Prom‐
ise, as well as monitoring the CPS Budget through the tran‐
sition of a new Treasurer. All of these issues will need close monitoring and experienced leadership. The swearing in ceremony will be at the May Membership Meeting. Please join us! I, along with the entire CFT Leadership, would like to thank the members for their endorsement of the current leadership. This term (2015‐
2017) had an unopposed elec‐
tion and everyone was elected by acclamation. A few new members were elected with In Unity, this year’s slate. I want every‐
one to know that this team, Julie your peers, worked hard and has earned your support to CFT 2015-2017 Executive Council
Officers Committee Chairs Area Coordinators President: Julie Sellers Collective Bargaining: Angela Nichols Theresa Allen 1st VP: Lee Black 2nd VP: Tom Frank 3rd VP: Lillian Carter Grievance: Brad Dillman Educational Policies: Linda Johnson Melissa Bohmer Jared Caeser Fannie Carradine (CFOP) Vonita Herald Secretary: Brad Smith Social/Member Services: Brandon King Chief Labor Delegate: Robert Sturdevant Community Outreach: Kim Dawson Joyce Johnson (subs) CFOP President (elected 2014) : Sandra Faulkner Human Rights: Chandra Gardner Sonya Lackey Treasurer: Julia Wiant Retirement: Patsy Holmes Sandy Hawley Chipp Knudsen Latosha Wright CFT STAFF
Julie Sellers—President
961-2272 jsellers@cft-aft.org
Sandra Faulkner
CFOP President
475-6048
sfaulkner@cft-aft.org
Christie Bryant-Kuhns
Field Rep
475-6044 cbryant@cft-aft.org
Don Luckie—Field Rep
475-6046 dluckie@cft-aft.org
Kendra Phelps—Professional
Issues Representative
475-6042 kphelps@cft-aft.org
Julia Wiant—Treasurer
475-6049 jwiant@cft-aft.org
Ralph Jackson-Dir. of Org.
475-6047 rjackson@cft-aft.org
CFT Mainline—961-2272
cft@cft-aft.org
The next regular CFT/
CFOP membership meeting will be held on April 15, 2015 @ 5:30 p.m. at the Thom Moore Building (Laborer’s Hall) located at: 3457 Montgomery Rd. BR briefing is held at 5:00 before the membership meeting Right to Work or Forced to Accept?
With the re‐election of Governor John Kasich and the change in majority at the Statehouse, it is rumored that Ohio is in danger of becoming a Right to Work State. A few years ago when Governor Kasich attempted to pass SB5/Issue 2 thousands of union members across the state of Ohio voiced their displeasure by having protests and rallies. Firefighters, Police Officers, Sanitation Workers, Teachers, and many others took a stand. Later that November SB5/Issue 2 was defeated by a 61% to 39% margin. It is important for people to understand that Right to Work is not a piece of legislation that will strengthen the economy. It is By Jared Caeser, CFT A.C/B.R South Avondale
legislation that will destroy labor un‐
ions and take away the voice and rights of many. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican or someone who is not into politics, Right to Work will affect you and your family. Right to work will affect all employees as it will limit col‐
lective bargaining rights. Working con‐
ditions are not negotiable in a Right to Work State. Once a Collective Bargain‐
ing Agreement expires, and a state is determined Right to Work, salaries and benefits will no doubt be reduced. Teachers in Right to Work States have set salaries determined by the district or state. There are fewer incentives and Quebec Heights School Reunion
Yes, the building has been torn down, and 1655 Ross Avenue is now a field of weeds. However, if this was ever your working address, please attend a Quebec Heights School Reunion on Friday, April 17, 2015. The celebration will be at LaRosa’s on Boudinot Avenue from 4:00 – 7:00 PM, plus food and drinks will be provided. All you need do is RSVP by Friday, March 27th to one of the following: Jane Pierman – text ‐ 513‐478‐1059 Diane Sutton – text – 513‐484‐5641 Pat Neidhard – email: neidhap@yahoo.com or @cps email Please pass these details to anyone you know who was on staff at Quebec. We look forward to seeing you Friday, April 17th, but remember the mandatory RSVP. Page 2 benefits for employees. This is something that they are forced to accept. As a member of the Cincinnati Feder‐
ation of Teachers I have become more concerned about the lack of urgency when it comes to what is taking place not only in the state of Ohio but across the nation. I am concerned because it is my hope that I will be able to send my chil‐
dren to college in the future. If Right to Work becomes a reality in Ohio I am afraid that the vision of my children going to college will only be a dream and not a reality. There are many teachers in Cin‐
cinnati who work hard. They too would like to send their children to college. It is my belief that Right to Work will not ben‐
efit any of the hard working teachers in this district. I have been in many meet‐
ings with my Union President, Director of Organization, fellow teachers and many others. I have watched as they worked hard to try and get people involved and to understand that Right to Work is not good for us. It is important that we sup‐
port these dedicated individuals cannot do it alone, your help is needed. We can stop this wildfire before it starts. The extinguisher to end this fire is solidarity. We need our colleagues to be‐
come members. We need to come to‐
gether and let our voices be heard. We can no longer sit by and allow those who are active union members to stand alone. If you are not a union member this is the time to walk side‐by‐side with your union brothers and sisters. Right to Work is a piece of legislation that needs to be elimi‐
nated. My goal is to encourage others to join me in becoming more active in the union and to get others to understand that the union is as strong as its mem‐
bers. We all have families and sometimes we may not have time to go to chapter meetings or union meetings. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t become educated about our state. If you cannot attend a membership meeting for the entire time, make an effort to come for a half hour or forty five minutes. At least come to a chapter meeting after school. With Right to Work, there will be no contract raises, Professional Development or Overload Pay. The facts and evidence is there. The next time there is a chapter meeting or a union meeting, think about this: “Would I rather give up a few minutes of my time to try and fight the cause or ignore the Cause and be Forced to Accept the ridic‐
ulous and unfair legislation? The choice is yours. NEWSLINER
An Up-To-Date License if YOUR Responsibility
ment designed to increase my effec‐
tiveness as a classroom teacher and member of a learning communi‐
ty. These activities will improve teach‐
All employees of Cincinnati Public ing and learning in my classroom as Schools that hold Professional (eight‐ well as the classrooms of my peers.” year) Certificates or an Ohio License (five‐ Standard 7‐Teachers assume responsi‐
year) must have an approved Individual bility for professional growth, perfor‐
Professional Development Plan (IPDP) on mance and involvement as an individual file with the Local Professional Develop‐ and as a member of a learning commu‐
ment Committee (LPDC). The only con‐ nity. tinuing education credits that will count towards your license renewal are those Online License Renewal aligned to your IPDP AND are earned af‐
ter your approved IPDP was on file. The Educator licenses are now LPDC is a committee of teachers devel‐
only renewable online. ODE is oped to assist you with this pro‐
reminding teachers to renew cess. Information about contacting the early to assure the renewal is LPDC as well as the process and forms to complete before the expiration complete an IPDP are available on date of the current license. To Staffnet. To access this information go to renew online all educators must Departments then LPDC Commit‐
have a SAFE account. There tee. Make sure you have an approved are 30,000 teachers in the state IPDP on file today! (This policy does not of Ohio whose licenses are up apply to teachers working under a Resi‐
for renewal that do not have dent Educator, AEL, or Permanent Li‐
one of these accounts. The ac‐
cense or Certificate.) counts are also necessary to sign up for ODE sponsored professional develop‐
When completing your IPDP you will ment and to regularly review your li‐
be asked to identify up to two goals, so cense information. The following link you can align your professional develop‐
will lead individuals through the pro‐
ment activities. In order to use profes‐
cess to sign up for a SAFE account: sional development activities towards https://safe.ode.state.oh.us/portal your license renewal, it will have to align to one of these goals. Therefore, you Here is a link that can guide mem‐
might want to consider making one of bers through the renewal process: your goals general enough to encompass all of the professional development that http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/
you participate in through CPS and May‐
Teaching/Educator‐Licensure/Renew‐
erson Academy. An example goal might Certificate‐License be: “I will engage in professional develop‐
Individual Professional Development Plan by Kendra Phelps
Permanent and Non‐Tax Certificate Holders Those educators, who were fortunate enough to obtain a permanent certificate before they discontinued issuing them several years ago, do not have to worry about the preceding information regard‐
ing the IPDP and license renew‐
al. However, it is important that you are aware of the requirement for permanent and non‐tax certificate holders to get a criminal background check every five years. It is important that you check and monitor your status through a SAFE ac‐
count, please do not rely on solely on CPS for reminders that you of the need to get this done. ODE will inactivate the certificates of those whose backgrounds checks expired and were not updated. The link below will provide you with more information on how to get this done. http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/
Teaching/Tools‐for‐Teachers/March‐
2014/Criminal‐background‐check‐
updates‐required‐for‐edu If you have any questions regarding this information, contact Kendra Phelps at kphelps@cft‐aft.org or 513‐475‐6042. Scholarship Opportunities
The CFT/CFOP Scholarship applications are now available. All high school senior depend‐
ents of CFT/CFOP members are eligible to be considered for a scholarship award. CFOP members who wish to pursue further educa‐
tion leading to a BA/BS degree are also eligi‐
ble (separate application). Please read the guidelines completely. ALL applications and supporting documents must be turned into the CFT/CFOP office by April 17, 2015. Go to www.cft‐aft.org for guidelines and applications. Volume 11
Goedeker’s Appliances Public Service Scholar‐
ship The Goedeker’s Appliances Public Service Schol‐
arship is open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as all fields of study. All public school teachers and their immediate families are eligible to apply. Click the link to the scholarship rules page: http://
www.goedekers.com/college‐scholarship The deadline to enter is July 31, 2015. Page 3 Cincinnati Federation of Teachers
Non-Profit Organization
US Postage
Cincinnati Federation of Office Professionals
PAID
2055 Reading Rd., Suite 120
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Permit No. 1834
513-961-2272
Local 1520, AFT-OFT / AFL-CIO
Return Service Requested
Classifieds and More!
DOES YOUR STUDENT NEED THE HELP OF AN INDIVIDUAL LATIN LANGUAGE TUTOR? DOES YOUR
STUDENT STRUGGLE WITH DAILY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND TEST PREPARATION?
Please call for a no-charge conference. I may be able
to help with some language technique remediation.
Shirley K. Gibson, N.B.C.T., Ed.D.
513-827-2858
vern@1-off.net
www.yourlatintutor.com
RETIRING this school year? Watch your mailbox for the CFT/CFOP Annual Retirement Luncheon Flyer! The flyers will be in schools and worksites the week of April 6, 2015. RSVP required, so Be On the Look Out! CFT/CFOP Scholarship Commit‐
tee presents our annual SWAP FOR SCHOLARS A Teacher Resource Exchange fundraiser benefitting the CFT/
CFOP Scholarship Fund WHEN: Saturday, June 6, 2015 INTERESTED IN EMPLOYEE
RIGHTS? VOTER'S RIGHTS? HOW
ABOUT OUR EVER-GROWING ELL
POPULATION? WHAT ABOUT
RIGHTS AND EQUALITY FOR ALL,
INCLUDING LGBT AND THE
DISABLED?
JOIN THE CFT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE!!!
CONTACT: CHANDRA GARDNER AT
ACIDICSUBTLETY@GMAIL.COM
WHERE: CFT/CFOP Office Parking Lot, 2055 Reading Rd., 45202 (near the intersections of Reading Rd. & Dorchester) TIME: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm RETIRING: Come set up a table to donate your materials for new teachers to “shop” NEED Resources….buy a “shopping bag” and fill it up Go to www.cft‐aft.org for more information. Watch your mailbox for flyer with details. .