One of PAT’s standing committees is the Instruction and Professional Development (IPD) Committee.  All members are welcome to attend the monthly meetings and raise instructional/professional development issues.  The first meeting will be at the PAT office on Wednesday, September 14th starting at 4:30 pm.  A light dinner will be provided. 

Thank you so much for those of you who were able to be with us for our Membership Meeting and first RA.

Here is a link to the slides for your use at your "Union 10" this week.

Here are the materials from the RA Meeting:

• Building Meeting Script
• Building Rep Checklist
• Better Oregon Flyer
• PAT Picnic Flyer

If no one from your school was able to attend today, your materials will be ponied to your site.

Best of luck as you begin your school year!

The Advocate - May 31, 2016

• Proud, And Still Inspired
• Oregon Rising
• PAT Awards
• Outdoor School for All
• Public Forum: Governor's Council on Educator Advancement
• Teaching with Purpose Hip Hop Education Summit
• Professional Improvement and Tuition Reimbursement Funds
• National Board Certification Workshop

Our annual celebration last week made me so proud. What a wonderful chance to honor the work our activists, organizers and building reps do day-in, day-out for our students and for our profession.

Whatever my role in PAT -- building rep, chair of the Advocacy Committee, Vice-President, and now President -- I've always believed my main job is to bring people together. 

As part of our 2013 bargain, PAT developed a vision for the Schools Our Students Deserve. Now, through our state affiliate, Oregon Education Association, we're developing a vision of great public education for the whole state. 

Last month OEA launched Oregon Rising together with the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) and Oregon School Boards Association. As educators, you need to take the survey and make your voice heard, but we also encourage you to organize a discussion with parents, students and community members in your building. Find out more here.

Because of dwindling budgets, less than half of Oregon students get to experience outdoor education. PAT has endorsed an effort to try and change that. 

Outdoor School for All wants to put a ballot measure before voters this November that would give every Oregon fifth or sixth grader a hands-on week of science-based outdoor education. This initiative would create permanent, stable funding for Outdoor School. 

Earlier this year, Governor Brown created the Council on Educator Advancement. The Council will make recommendations on how to "deliver relevant, high-quality, and culturally competent professional development for Oregon's educators."  

On June 7th, the Council will be taking public comments at the Marshall Campus of Franklin High School. Please attend and offer your input into what real support for professional educators looks like. You can find out more about the Council here, and download a flyer for the June 7th event here.

Tuesday, June 7th
5:30-7:00 p.m.
Franklin High School @Marshall Campus Auditorium
3905 SE 91st Ave.
Portland, OR 97266

The PAT Executive Board has agreed to sponsor registration for up to 10 members at the Teaching with Purpose Hip Hop Education Summit on June 16th at Harriet Tubman Middle School. These slots are first-come, first-serve, but any educator can attend and use their professional improvement fund to pay the cost of registration (see below). The summit will explore the links between hip hop culture and culturally responsive instruction, including guest speakers such as Columbia University professor Christopher Emdin. For more information, visit the Teaching with Purpose website. If you're interested in attending, contact Suzanne Cohen:[email protected].

Thursday, June 16th
Harriet Tubman Middle School
2231 N Flint Ave
Portland, OR 97227

Are you thinking about taking classes this summer? Interested in attending a conference? The PAT/PPS contract provides funds for professional development as well as tuition reimbursement. The Professional Improvement Fund allows educators to spend $1500 over three years for transportation, meals, lodging, and registration costs to attend a conference, provided it has a legitimate pedagogical purpose. 

You will need to follow these guidelines to access the Professional Improvement Fund. The District will also reimburse professional educators for tuition cost for up to six (6) noncumulative hours in a 12-month period for which graduate credit is granted by a college or university. See the PAT/PPS contract for details and the PPS website for how to access your tuition reimbursement.

Do you have questions about National Board Certification? The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards will host two presentations this month for PPS teachers. Come learn more about state and local supports (and incentives) and what it takes to become a National Board Certified Teacher. 

Tuesday, May 31st at BESC Board Room 4:30-5:30 pm.

A short presentation will be given, followed by a time to ask questions.

For further information, please contact Cindy Dulcich: [email protected] or Stacy Meyer:  [email protected].

The Advocate - May 16, 2016

• Living Up to Our Agreements
• Watch Out for IP 65
• Get Out and Vote May 17th
• Reviewing School Boundaries
• PAT Members' Scholarship Awards
• No Contract Exceptions for Conferences
• Elect Your Building Representatives
• Join Us to Celebrate PAT, May 25th
• Weigh In on the PPS Budget
• Support the Gas Tax!

View the PDF

Recently, Stand For Children has been trying to gain access to school buildings in order to promote a ballot measure they're sponsoring, Initiative Petition 65. The proposal promises to improve graduation rates by promoting career technical education (CTE). As educators, we all want to see Oregon's graduation rates go up, but Stand for Children's proposal will actually do more harm than good.

For over a year, the District has been reviewing school boundaries and discussing whether and how they need to change.

Two PAT members have been a part of the formal review process, known as DBRAC, the District Boundary Review Advisory Committee. While we will not take a position on the scenarios currently being considered by the District, PAT has consistently made our priorities clear.

This year, we had an amazing number of qualified candidates for the PAT Members' Scholarship. Thanks to everyone who applied, and congratulations to the recipients for 2015-16 each of whom will receive a $1,000 scholarship:

With so many serious issues facing Portland educators, it is more important than ever to have a group of committed representatives, who listen to and advocate for the teachers in your building. It's time for each building to elect their representatives! 

The Advocate - April 27, 2016

• You Are Appreciated
• Meeting a Milestone for a Better Oregon
• May 17th Elections: Here's How to Get Involved
• Report from the OEA Representative Assembly
• Support Fast Food Workers
• Workshop on Licensure and Highly Qualified Status

View the PDF

When my daughter was little, one night at dinner she announced that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up.  I come from a family of educators; both my parents were teachers and so are my brother and sister. 

On Friday April 15th, PAT surpassed its goal of collecting 10,000 signatures for the Better Oregon Campaign. We couldn't have done it without your hard work, so thank you!

PAT has released its full voters' guide for the May 17th election. Download, share, and be sure and make your voice heard!

The PAT delegation participated in the OEA Representative Assembly on April 15th and 16th. PAT was recognized for our hard work collecting signatures for the Better Oregon campaign, and our Legislative Committee was given an award for our work in last year's School Board races.

The Advocate - April 15, 2016

• Act Now to Build a Better Oregon
• Labor Activists Stand Up in Chicago
• OEA Representative Assembly: April 15-16
• PAT Members Weigh In on Housing and Environmental Issues
• Shaping ESSA in Oregon
• Internal Transfers: Postings Open April 19th
• Making the Case for Fossil Fuel Divestment
• Workshop on Licensure and Highly Qualified Status

We're down to the wire with our goal of collecting 10,000 signatures by mid-April. We have counted 8,110 signatures as of April 7, and OEA still has over a thousand in process. PAT members should be proud of the fact that we've collected over ten percent of the signatures statewide, but we can't stop now!