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Long Beach Classroom Teachers Association
239 Lido Blvd., Long Beach, New York 11561 • (516) 554-2830
President
Vice-President for Secondary Schools
Recording Secretary
Executive Vice-President
Vice-President for Elementary Schools
Corresponding Secretary
Steve Freeman
Keith Harvey
Karen Bloom
Beth Prostick
nysut.org/longbeach  facebook.com/longbeachteachers
Executive Board Minutes
I.
Nora Bellsey
Elleen Parks
Treasurer
James Fiola
March 23, 2015
President’s Report – Steve Freeman
A.
B.
C.
D.
Boss vs. Leader
During the past four decades working in the Long Beach
schools I have never encountered a superintendent as
intent on challenging our professional agreement as
David Weiss. He has promoted a “shoot first, ask
questions later” culture among his administrators and
rarely does a week goes by that the association has not
been dragged into a dispute of the meaning or
interpretation of long standing contract language. Rarely
does a week go by that we have not had to contemplate
filing a grievance, a charge at PERB or an appeal to the Commissioner. If it has been David Weiss’
aim to demoralizing and de-professionalize the teaching staff or to destroy labor/management
relations; he has earned an APPR rating of “highly effective”. I wonder how much longer the
Board of Education and the taxpayers will tolerate his insatiable appetite for squandering the
district’s resources on divisive and unnecessary litigation.
The iRefuse Movement
The Executive Board has unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the iRefuse movement to
oppose the state’s overreliance on high-stakes testing. Joining almost all of the locals on Long
Island the resolution will be presented at this year’s NYSUT Representative Assembly. In addition
the association is co-sponsoring a mobile billboard which will travel along Park Avenue beginning
April 1 during our schools’ start and dismissal times, as well as placing an ad in this week’s Long
Beach Herald advising parents of our objections to high-stakes testing and assuring them that we
value their children as more than test scores.
Report of the Elections Committee - Jonathan Bloom Chairperson
The following members have announced their intentions to run in
this year’s officer and delegate election:
President – Keith Harvey
Executive Vice-President – Karen Bloom
Vice-President for Secondary Schools – John Anfossi, Amy Powers
Vice-President for Elementary Schools – Beth Prostick
Treasurer – Jim Fiola
Recording Secretary – Alison Kataulka, Patricia Van Loon
Corresponding Secretary – Elleen Parks
NYSUT Delegate (2) – Perry Bodnar, Elleen Parks, Beth Prostick,
Jessica Vetter
AFT Delegate (3) – Perry Bodnar, Elleen Parks, Beth Prostick,
Jessica Vetter
By April 1, 2015 candidates must submit petitions to me with signatures of thirty-five (35)
members of the association who support your candidacy. There will
be a Candidate’s Forum on Monday, April 27 at 4 PM in the MS auditorium. Ballots will be mailed
via 1st class mail to your last known home address by May 1. Ballots must be returned by May 15.
Thanks to your generous contributions of time and money the association has received the NYSUT
Community Service Award which will be presented at this year’s Representative Assembly.
E.
F.
G.
H.
II.
Report of the Chief Negotiator – Steve Freeman
A.
B.
C.
III.
Federal Tax Deduction for Teachers
Teachers who use their own funds to purchase school books, supplies, computer equipment or
other materials for their classrooms can deduct up to $250 ($500 if married filing joint and both
spouses are educators, but not more than $250 each) from their adjusted gross incomes when
filing their 2014 Federal tax return. You do not have to itemize in order to receive this deduction.
Summer Study Money
Applications to participate in the Summer 2015 Study Money program must be received by the HR
department c/o the Middle School by May 15. The application is available online at
http://www.lbeach.org/Assets/Personnel_Forms/participation_groupa.pdf
Coaching Pay Dates
Spring HS
Spring MS
First half: 4/10
First half: 4/24
Second half: 5/8
Second half: 6/5
New Member Report – Jim Fiola
If you have any questions, please e-mail Jim Fiola or
Alison Katulka at jfiola@lbeach.org or akatulka@lbeach.org.
Alison and I are attending the mentor meetings to speak to
our new members about any issues or concerns they have and
will make each monthly meeting. We attended the meeting on March 24 and spoke about how
new members can get more involved in the union. One way to get a taste would be to run for a
delegate slot in the near future. The next meeting is Tuesday April 21st at 3:45 in the East School
library. All new members are encouraged to attend even if they have a union buddy and not a
mentor. Please do not be afraid to ask for help if you need it. We (and many others) are here for
you.
The Rescheduled New Member party will be held April 17 at 4 pm at The Ale House in Point
Lookout. A reminder e-mail will be sent out as we get closer to that date.
District COO Michael DeVito has informed me that our retroactive payments will be made as
follows:
April 24 - $400 for all those who did not receive a monetary step movement in 2012-13 and the
2013-14 (1%) salary and rates increases.
April 24 – the 2014-15 salary schedules and rates go into effect.
June 24 – the 2014-15 retroactive payments for the period of 7/1/14-4/24/15 (1%).
I am pleased to report the ratification of the Permanent Sub contract. They will receive the same
monetary awards as contained in the recently ratified CTA contract.
The negotiating team met on March 16 to review the items submitted by the membership and to
prioritize our demands for the upcoming negotiations. We expect to meet with the Board of
Education on April 21 to exchange proposals.
Executive Vice-President’s Report – Keith Harvey
A.
B.
C.
D.
Board of Education meetings
Please consider attending a minimum of 2-3 Board of Education meetings each year. Look for the
dates on the signup sheet in your faculty room.
Grievances
We are currently dealing with a significant number of pre-grievance issues. I believe the district will
overturn their new interpretations once they review the clear language, long-standing practice or
direct administrative testimony in prior actions.
Health and Safety
Please see District Safety Team report below.
District Safety Team
The February 3 meeting was canceled and no makeup date has been announced. Far too often
these meetings have been canceled. For 15+ years this committee met monthly. However once
the Capital Improvement Projects began they were reduced to every other month and after
Superstorm Sandy they were reduced yet again to just quarterly. Too many items are being overlooked and/or tabled due to the infrequency of these meetings. Issues such as the lack of
November and the HS main entrance security station and elementary windows have not been
reviewed since January. I hope the district will consider having a meeting prior to the next
scheduled meeting on May 5. I will be requesting that the committee resume meeting monthly at
the next meeting. If you have any health or safety issues that you are unable to resolve at the
building level please e-mail me.
IV.
Vice-President for Elementary Schools’ Report – Beth Prostick
A.
B.
C.
D.
V.
Last Friday and Saturday I attended the NYSUT Health and Safety Conference in Saratoga
Springs. I received a wealth of information about many issues. I was very proud to be one of
the very few districts in attendance that actually has a Health and Safety committee in place.
I encourage all of you to make every effort to attend the Board of Education meetings. We all
need to be aware of the district’s plans as they prepare next year’s budget.
Elementary Council will meet on March 30 at 3:45 PM in Lido School.
If you have any questions I can be reached at bprostick@gmail.com.
Vice President for Secondary Schools’ Report – Karen Bloom
A.
B.
C.
D.
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F.
G.
We are still waiting for the traffic pattern at the HS to be addressed. It continues to be a hugh
safety concern; especially for students walking and/ or on bikes. Now that the weather is warming
up, there will be more students exposed to this dangerous situation. We sincerely hope that the
administration addresses this issue in the near future.
APPR targets are now being shared and are not consistent across departments. In addition some
of the targets were arbitrarily chosen without input from teachers. It appears that there was not
much collaboration among the directors, as each department has its own methods and targets. In
the case of using Regents Exams as post-assessments there is no reason why the departments
should not be consistent in their bands and target scores.
Security at the HS continues to be an issue. There is no buzz-in system and people can walk right
into the building without being questioned. We are hoping that a system similar to those in other
buildings is put into place before the next school year begins.
We would like to see an increase in the proposed budget in the area of technology hardware for
the HS for next year to address the shortage of computer labs and laptop carts.
We hope that all MS and HS positions vacated by retirements will be fully replaced next year.
The next Secondary Council meeting will be held on Monday March 30 at 4 PM in the HS guidance
conference room.
Have a great spring recess! Happy Passover and Happy Easter to all!
VI. Treasurer’s Report – Jim Fiola
A.
B.
C.
As the month is not over the March Financial
results will be included in the minutes of our
next Executive Board meeting.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter
and Passover. Enjoy the break. I hope we get
some nice weather. If you have any changes to
your personal file (address, name, etc.), please
e-mail them to me at jfiola@lbeach.org.
Union dues for 2014/2015 for full-time members
will be $954.76. The break-out is $370 local, $358
NYSUT, $218.76 AFT dues and $8 PTA. $95.48 will
be taken from your first check of the month and
will show up under the column “MDED-03.”
(The 2014 union dues for tax purposes was $944.36.)
We are determined to keep your dues as low as possible while still meeting our local obligations
and making charitable contributions to the Long Beach community.
VII.
Building Reports
A.
West School
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B.
Lindell School
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6.
C.
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5.
A big thank you to Alfredo Gomez and his crew for the extra effort this winter which was
required to keep our walkways safe.
The families of East School enjoyed the Health and Fitness Fair held a few weeks ago. Many
vendors shared their knowledge in various health related fields. The Zumba class led by Ms
LaMarca was a challenge to all. The entire school body has accepted the challenge to
accumulate daily steps to complete a walk across America from Long Beach NY to Long
Beach, California. We are approaching Texas as of this report!
A very successful Book Fair was held by our PTA. Over $2,000 was raised to purchase books
for the library and various centers and classrooms. An additional $5,000 in Scholastic money
was awarded for the purchase of more equipment throughout the school.
We are still awaiting the repair and/or replacement of the lift in the gymnasium.
The main elevator still in operable due to litigation according to the administration. This
situation is preventing East School from being a handicapped accessible building.
Wishing all a restful Spring break and joyful holidays with your families.
Lido School
1.
2.
3.
E.
We hope this is the last time this year we will be thanking our custodial staff for a
remarkable job in keeping our stairs and walkways clear of ice and snow.
Thank you to the PTA for providing another successful Book Fair.
Yum! Lindell’s PTA Luncheon for teachers and staff was fantastic. We truly appreciate their
time and effort as well as the excellent taste in menu choices and wonderful raffle prizes.
Our Bus Driver Appreciation Day presented by our Student Council and Golden Rule Club was
a great success. Our bus drivers especially enjoyed the “silent ride” challenge.
Our condolences to Patrice Baxter on the loss of her sister.
Wishing you a happy and healthy spring recess.
East School
1.
D.
Parent conferences were well attended thanks in part to our faculty’s significant reach out
efforts. We value parent input and participation.
Supermarket Bonanza evening fundraising event was sold out! Thank you to the West School
PTA for the great success. This was truly a community event as many local businesses,
parents, and staff donated generously to fill the prize baskets.
Thank you to our PTA for the delicious luncheon, the generous raffles and the wonderful Book
Fair!
Paramount Person Day for K, 1, and 2 was a fun filled way to stimulate literacy skills while
honoring those special people in our students’ lives.
Our PTA sponsored B.I.G. event (Be Into Geography) was a parent-student activity to promote
interest in geography. Thank you to our PTA.
Our year-long Denim for Dollars fund raising for West School families in need continues. Each
staff member contributes $2 to wear denim on Fridays
Congratulations to Kristi Gerhard on the birth of her son Bradley Michael.
Thank you to the PTA for organizing a successful Spring Book Fair.
Thank you to the PTA for hosting the annual Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. The
delicious food, monogrammed tote bags and the raffle prizes were appreciated
by all.
Pre-K
1.
Congratulations to BethAnn Salter on her engagement to Billy Snow.
F.
HALB
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Middle School
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H.
The HALB staff would like to congratulate Steve Freeman on the announcement of his
retirement. Thank you for all of your hard work during your years of service.
Congratulations to Nora Bellsey on her retirement. Thank you for your service to our union
Congratulations to Kerry and Sean McNichols on the birth of their daughter Reagan.
Condolences to Jill Cherlin and her family on the loss of her father in law.
Condolences to Carrie Stern and her family on the loss of her father.
Congratulations to Michele Bennett and the LBMS Singers on their performance at Westbury
Theater singing with Andy Rooney.
Kudos to our art students who had their work exhibited at the All County Art Exhibit under
the guidance of their teachers Laura Swan, Scott Knyper and Alison Katulka.
Thanks to out PTA for a CAMFEL assembly.
Our 8th graders participated in a very successful Career Day last week hosted by our
counseling department and 8th grade teachers.
High School
1.
We are concerned about a lack of uniformity between departments regarding computations
of the 20% of teachers APPR scores measuring student growth. Some directors are basing
student growth on passing the Regents exam regardless of their pre-test scores. We believe
that this score should be based solely on student growth, not passing an exit exam.
2.
We are still waiting for building administration to properly outfit our faculty room.
3.
The temperature of the building remains inconsistent. It is extremely warm in some areas
while very cold in others.
4.
We are concerned about the implementation of the district hat, headphone and cell phone
usage policies. We would like the see the building administration continually enforce
these policies.
5.
We are still greatly concerned about the state of technology in the building. There is serious
lack of access to computers and a need for tablet integration into our classrooms. We have
recently heard that the district is developing a plan to consider purchasing new technology.
We are hopeful that teacher input will be included in the selection process before making
any purchases.
6. There is still great concern for the safety of students, staff and residents under the current
traffic pattern.
7. The lack of cleanliness in the building is still a great health concern.
8. We are concerned about the number of students in the hallways throughout the day. Due to
the lack of teachers available for hall duty assignments and the number of study halls; the
presence of students in the halls has increased recently and we are concerned that this is
becoming an academic and safety issue.
9.
We are troubled by the state of the inclusion program at the HS. Many classes have large
number of students in them as well as a high percentage of classified students. We believe
that class caps for these classes need to be re-examined in order to effectively meet the
needs of the students. Class offerings in the co-taught classes restrict students from striving
for an Advanced Regents Diploma or choosing classes that meet their educational levels and
and needs.
10. We are eager to learn more about the proposed plans for NIKE for the next school year.
While details of this plan are still being formulated, we are concerned how the needs of all
students involved will be met.
11. Best wishes to all staff and their families for a happy and healthy Spring Recess.
VIII. Meeting dates
April
14
20
Board of Education, 7:30 PM MS Auditorium
Exec. Bd. Meeting, 4 PM MS Library
27
LBCTA Candidates Forum, 4 PM MS Auditorium
May 2015
20
End of the Year Celebration, 4:30 PM Bridgeview
In attendance:
HALB – Gari Ann Harris
Pre-K - Liz Fichtelman
West – Mary Ann Colucci, Cherylanne Fontenot
Lindell - Migdalia Schneider, Heather Puckhaber, Jane Quinton
East – Lori Montgomery
Lido – Marilyn Pilo
Middle School - Patty Van Loon, Jill Cherlin, Jessica Vetter, Jenn
Garrett
High School – Amy Powers, Jonathan Bloom, Elena Frishman, Eric
Heck, Perry Bodnar
Officers – Steve Freeman, Keith Harvey, Karen Bloom, Nora Bellsey,
Jim Fiola, Beth Prostick, Elleen Parks, Frank Volpe, Dale Greenstein
Respectfully submitted by Nora Bellsey, Recording Secretary.
LB Herald March 26, 2015
New York State Teachers’ Retirement System
I.
2015 Winter/Spring Pre-retirement Planning Seminars
These day-long (8:30 AM-3 PM) seminars feature presentations and
discussions on financial planning, Social Security, adjusting to retirement,
legal considerations, and other retirement related topics. The seminars are
open to active members age 45 and older. Spouses/companions are also
invited to attend. There is no cost to attend but you must call NYSTRS at
1-800-348-7298 X6180 weekdays between 8:30 AM and 4:15 PM to make a
reservation and spaces fill up fast.
Plainview
Saturday, April 18
Residence Inn
Saturday, May 2
9 Gerhard Road
Plainview, NY 11803
Riverhead
Friday, April 17
Hotel Indigo – East End
1830 West Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
Ronkonkoma Friday, May 1
Courtyard by Marriott
5000 Express Drive South
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779