One of our main goals this year is to settle a contract that brings us closer to the schools our students deserve. It’s time for us to take another step towards that goal.

Portland educators did an incredible job organizing for Measure 97. In addition to demanding adequate funding for education, healthcare, and senior services at the ballot box, many PAT members stepped out of their comfort zone, talking with voters across the state.

On November 9th, the PAT Substitute Teachers' Bargaining Team, comprised of Mark Oshin, Jeff Kipilman, and Stephanie Ritzert, met with the PPS team to start negotiations over a new contract for PAT Substitutes. After a productive session discussing goals and process, the two teams met again on November 22nd to exchange proposals.

Nominations will open at the November 30th PAT Representative Assembly (PAT RA) for election to several PAT positions.  These include PAT Executive Board Directors (4 positions), PAT Delegates to the Oregon Education Association Representative Assembly, and PAT Delegates to the National Education Association Representative Assembly.

Probationary educators shall be evaluated during each year of their three-year probationary period based on the PPS Performance Evaluation Rubric. The evaluation process requires a goal-setting conference in the fall and allows for informal observations by the evaluator. At least two (2) formal classroom observations are also required each year. Read the FAQ for a detailed description of the process.

Do you have a plan that could enhance your classroom skills or boost student achievement? An idea for a site-based professional development activity that could build partnerships? OEA’s Center for Great Public Schools awards Promising Practice Grants to individual PAT members.  

At the 2016 Oregon Education Association Representative Assembly, members passed New Business Item #8 calling for “OEA to provide release time for up to four members to attend State Board of Education meetings. The members released shall have expertise that reflects the agenda topics.

PAT bargaining unit members are not required to submit a short leave form or to use their accumulated leave if they are absent from a Monday or Tuesday after-school staff meeting

Our contract requires that any educator who has a concern about her/his workload or who believes her/his workload is inequitable must first discuss the concern with her/his immediate supervisor. If the concern is not resolved by the supervisor, the professional educator can report this concern to the joint PAT/PPS Workload Committee for review using the following form. The Workload Committee is actively reviewing cases now, using dedicated funds from the School Board to resolve as many problems as possible.

• Workshop Agenda
• Slide Presentation

Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program 

• TLF Overview
• TLF Application

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

• PSLF Overview
• PSLF 7 Steps
• PSLF Employment Certification Form  

Income Driven Repayment Program

• 4 Steps for Enrolling in an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Program

Thanks to those who made it to the October RA! Here are the materials to bring back to you building:

• Agenda
• Know Your Paycheck slides
• Safety Update from the Advocacy Committee:
  • Letter to Sean Murray re: safety MOU
  • MOU re: Student Discipline and Safety
• Barraging Brief 10.20
• Measure 97 Events Reproducible: Please volunteer and get half your members to join you!
• PAT Voters' Guide
• Salary Grievance Form
• Mother Friendly Workplace Information
• Oregon v Federal Law Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers
• Slides for your 10 minute meeting
• On-line Signup form for all of PAT's Measure 97 events

Our next RA is Wednesday, November 30. Please review the Proposed Bylaws Amendment, which we will vote on at the November RA.

The Advocate - October 26, 2016

• What Does Fighting For the Schools Our Students Deserve Actually Look Like?
• Together for Measure 97
• Make Sure and Vote by November 8th
• Get the Latest on Bargaining
• PAT Grieves Added Minutes in PK-8 Workday
• PAT Grieves Salaries Promised (But Not Given) to New Members
• Substitute Given Building Restriction for Heart Condition
• Look for Your Materials and Supplies Stipend
• PAT Is Working to Make PPS Friendly for New Moms
• Join Us at These Upcoming Conferences

We have less than 2 weeks until Election Day, and we are fighting to fund the schools our students deserve by passing Measure 97.

PAT has put out its Voter’s Guide for the November election. Recommendations come from the PAT PAC, and were made on the basis of the candidate’s record or position on educational issues, responses during the interviews, viability of campaign, PAT’s strategic organizational goals, and electability. In this election cycle, the PAT PAC board interviewed and deliberated over a period of 10 months, for over 44 hours in total, to make recommendations for candidates.

Last week, we sent our second bargaining brief to every member’s personal email. If you haven’t already, be sure and check it out online. If you didn’t receive it, that means we don’t have your personal email! Make sure you’re getting the latest updates on our negotiations by sending your personal email to Kelli Williams, [email protected]. 

PAT has filed a grievance on behalf of our members in PK-8 schools after the District unilaterally increased student/teacher contact time for middle school educators. This is a clear violation of the workload language in our contract, and the protocols we have in place for our current Interest-Based Bargaining (IBB) with the District.

PAT has filed a class-action grievance stating that PPS HR representatives promised multiple new members higher salaries than actually received.  In most of these cases the HR specialists ignored salary placement guidelines around receiving a higher degree and/or advanced education hours beyond a bachelor’s degree prior to receiving licensure.  In some cases, HR representatives also ignored information about years of experience.  After members had accepted the position, they were later given a contract with an actual salary that was in many cases several thousand dollars lower. 

A building principal has requested that one of our substitute members receive a building restriction after the member had to leave during the school day because she was experiencing extreme chest pains.  After calling the office for help, the substitute waited over 20 minutes for support to arrive.  After scheduling an emergency appointment with the OHSU cardio clinic, the substitute brought her students to the office and left to go to the cardio clinic.  She later had to seek additional medical treatment for her heart condition.  Unfortunately, human resources processed the request for a building restriction without question.  PAT is demanding that the restriction be dropped, and that the district conduct an investigation into the actions of administration and HR.

The PAT/PPS contract provides that each professional educator shall receive a materials and supplies stipend of $100 each school year to use to purchase materials. This is in addition to materials and supplies budgeted by the school or district.  Educators are NOT required to submit any receipts or itemized requests for reimbursement to receive this stipend. Instead, the stipend is provided as an additional $100 on the October paycheck.

In the last few months, there have been many calls from new mothers who are experiencing difficulties with District administration when it comes to allowing for time and a private location to express milk.  Click the following link to find out more information about legal requirements for expressing milk, and find out how PAT is pushing the District to rectify this situation.

Join PAT members from across the city at the Northwest Teachers for Social Justice Conference on October 29th, and the Black Parent Initiative Conference on November 12th. 

The Advocate - October 12, 2016

• Fixing What Doesn't Work
• PAT Voters' Guide
• Together for Measure 97
• Understanding the Rapid Response Team
• Contribute to the Sick Leave Bank
• Using Professional Development Funds
• Upcoming Conferences

View the PDF

Measure 97 can’t solve every problem we are facing in PPS, but it will give us the tools we need to fix things that aren’t working in our District.