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  • Bargaining Brief, October 2nd, 2023

  • Sign the Petition for Safe, Sustainable & Equitable Schools

  • President’s Message: Working Without a Contract

  • Resources for Parents & Allies

  • Join Our Movement!

  • Featured post

    A Manufactured Crisis-A PAT White Paper

    Dear PPS Community,

    Today, we released our report A Manufactured Crisis using five years of data from Portland Public Schools financial filings and budgets to show how the district is misspending funds that should be going to direct student supports, including what we’ve laid out in our contract proposals.

    Here are some report highlights: 

    • A 2019 state audit found “PPS ranked high, relative to large districts, in executive administrative services, fiscal services, principal services, educational media services, and employees earning salaries of more than $100,000.”
    • The Portland Public Schools Community Budget Review Committee’s May 2023 annual budget review recommended PPS, “closely review the added administrator positions, specifically those that are not school-based nor student-facing daily.” The report added, “We question why more administrators are being added to support and manage fewer licensed staff.”
    • The district cut 268 licensed and 46 classified full-time employees from the 2023-24 budget while adding 31 professional, central office staff and administrator full-time employees compared to the previous year.
    • District-wide, 2023-24 budgeted salaries for administrators and professional, central office staff increased by $6.2 million over the previous year.
    • PPS has let the general fund balance increase to almost $100 million, well over the district's policies for reserve funds. 

    Our report shows that the money is there, it's just not going to students and schools. 

    PPS won't take our proposals seriously until we show our power as a union, in solidarity with PPS families, community and labor allies.

    Join us for the October 10th Practice Picket ➤

    Join us in a show of solidarity with our Labor Partners; SEIU, PFSP & DCU in a practice picket at the October 10th PPS School Board Meeting.

    We will bring the banners and signs we made in community during this past weekend's PAT Community Art Build for Public Education!

    In solidarity,

    Angela Bonilla
    Portland Association of Teachers
    PAT President

  • Featured post

    Know Your Contract: GIVE YOUR SCHEDULE A CHECK-UP!-ARTICLE 7

    Article 7 (Workday) of the PAT/PPS Contract includes language to ensure a fair work schedule that allows you to support your students. Using the Schedule Check worksheets further down, review the contract and your schedule. Select the worksheet appropriate for your assignment (grade level/building and full-time or part-time). 

    NEW 2023-2024 Due to the Overage Methodology (see HERE):

    Special Education Case Management time: All SPED case managers who do not currently receive a case management period will receive a case management period each day for due process paperwork, evaluation work, and IEP work. At the elementary level, the case management period will be at least 40 minutes per day, and no less than 320 minutes total per week. At the middle school and high school levels, the case management period will be not less than the equivalent of one standard class period per day. High school SPED educators will receive a substantially equivalent amount of case management time as other SPED educators. School Psychologists and Speech Language Pathologists are also entitled to self schedule a period of time each day equivalent to a standard class period (or at least 40 minutes per day, and no less than 320 minutes total per week, for those at the elementary level) for due process paperwork, evaluation work, and IEP work. These periods of time for SPED case managers, School Psychologists, and Speech Language Pathologists reserved for SPED paperwork will be in addition to planning time already guaranteed under Article 7.8.  

    Advisory/Homeroom Overage: Advisory, homeroom, or other similar periods that require attendance-taking, delivery of content, and tracking student performance and/or participation, count for the purposes of student load and unique preparation in a prorated relationship (based on minutes per week as described in the example) to a standard class period. 

    Schedule Check worksheets:

    An important part of our union’s ongoing work is making sure the terms of the contract are honored. All educators are responsible for checking their schedule to confirm it provides the contract hours, planning time, duty and lunch periods which the contract requires.

    If your schedule needs adjustment, raise the issue now. If you have concerns about your schedule, talk to your administrator. Your PAT Building Representative is available to help.

  • Featured post

    HOT TIP: PREPARE FOR ABSENCES!

    Emergency sub plans: Please remember to make 3 days worth of Emergency Substitute Educator/Guest Teacher plans! These plans could include:

    • A general run down of the routine in your classroom: How do students ask to leave the classroom/space? Is there a morning Routine? Bell work? Typical end of period routine?
    • Make sure to leave a message for students in the folder reminding them to be flexible, and that with guest teachers sometimes things do not always stay the same and that is ok! 

    How to request a substitute

    Remember: As SOON as you start to feel sick or show any symptoms, please go to Absence Management and request a substitute. Then email your school secretary and admin sharing your absence. If you know you need to schedule a day in advance for training or Professional Development, please add your jobs to Absence Management ASAP.

    Remember, you do NOT need to explain why, just what type of leave you are using. For example:

    • Sick leave (mental and physical): “I am unable to come in because of illness. I have already requested a substitute with Absence Management under the code SICK.”
    • Personal leave: “I am unable to come in due to an emergency [OR an appointment I cannot reschedule].  I have already requested a substitute with Absence Management under the code PERSONAL.”
    • Professional Development leave: “As we discussed, I am taking a day for PD today.  I have already requested a substitute with Absence Management under the code Professional Dev.”
    • COVID quarantine: “I have tested positive for Covid and must isolate for 5 days. I have put this into the notes on Absence Management under the code ‘Quarantine’. I will let you know if my symptoms have not improved and I must continue to isolate after the 5 days of my isolation period.”
  • Featured post

    Community Art Build, September 22-24

    PAT is proud to partner with NEA and Art Build Workers. Come together with your colleagues and community and make art that supports our organizing campaign! No experience necessary, bring the kids! RSVP HERE. See our flyer for more details. 

    Community_Art_Build_2023_fall.png

  • Featured post

    Tuesday Blue-sday

    Don’t forget to wear blue on Tuesdays! It doesn’t have to be a PAT blue shirt: You can rock a blue scarf, a blue pin, a blue sticker, a blue sweater or anything else you can imagine. But why, maestra? What’s the point? Well, the Tuesday Blue-sday tradition helps us show each other our union solidarity and reminds PPS leaders that our power is in our numbers and unity. Remember, campaigns are not built on one action but many escalating actions. This is just the beginning!

  • Featured post

    Substitute Educators: Opportunities to Engage with Your Union

    Substitute PAT members have the opportunity to shape our union and participate with other substitute and full time educators to organize inside our union and in our communities for quality public schools for all.

    Not a member of PAT? Click HERE to Join PAT now!

    Take a look at the Contract to become familiar with your rights. 

    Announcements:

    • Next Substitute Committee Meeting: Monday, 10/17 from 4:30-6:30 PM at the PAT Headquarters (345 NE 8th Ave). Come eat, drink, and chat with substitutes and get involved in making our union strong! Here’s the agenda for the next meeting.
    • The district will be offering another paid professional training day on "Building Your Guest Teacher Toolkit" on Friday 10/14 for substitute educators. If you didn’t attend the last one, you can register through Pepper here.
    • Earn an additional $50 per day/ $35 half-day incentive pay if you work at one of the following schools:
    • SE: Grout, Harrison Park, Kelly, Kellogg, Lane, Lent, Sellwood
    • NE: Beaumont, Faubion, Rigler, Roseway Heights, Sabin, Scott, Vernon
    • N: Beach, Cesar Chavez, Chief Joseph, George, Harriet Tubman, James John, Jefferson, Ockley Green, Rosa Parks, Roosevelt, Sitton, 
    • If you are applying to renew a teaching license from  01/01/2022 through 12/31/2023, educators are not required to report Professional Development Units (PDUs) to TSPC to renew or reinstate a license. For more information on this waiver, click here.
    • Did you know you get a sick day as a substitute for every 17.7 days you work? If you need to take a sick day, whether or not you had to cancel a job on Absence Management, fill out this form.

     

  • Featured post

    Donate to the PAT Sick Leave Bank

    Do you have unused sick leave hours? Please consider donating them to help support PAT members  facing serious health issues.

    Members may donate up to 40 hours of sick leave annually. Employees who have already submitted their notice of resignation are exempted from this maximum limit, and may contribute as many hours as they would like. 

    The PAT Sick Leave Bank (see PAT/PPS contract Article 17.2.1.2) provides aid for colleagues who have exhausted their accumulated leave balances and are unable to work due to extended or recurring personal illness. With the help of the Sick Leave Bank, they are able to avoid the additional hardships of lost salary and lost insurance coverage during their illness. 

    You can donate hours using this online form, or go to our website for additional information.