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.

PAT’s recommendations for candidates in the November Election come from the PAT PAC. The PAT PAC is a voluntary, nonprofit association with the purpose of improving public education in Oregon and Portland Public Schools by supporting candidates who are interested in developing a better public education system. The PAT PAC Board of Directors are elected by the PAT PAC contributors, and must be PAT members, PAT PAC contributors, and members of the PAT Legislative Committee.

We have less than 4 weeks until election day, and we need to make sure that Measure 97 passes. School funding has been in decline since 1990, and Measure 97 will finally produce the reliable revenue we need to give our students the education they deserve. If Measure 97 fails, PPS is likely to face a budget shortfall as large as $42 million.

The Rapid Response Team was created as part of interim bargaining with the District over safety and discipline, and formalized in a March 2016 Memorandum of Agreement between PAT and PPS. The team’s primary responsibility is to stabilize crisis situations for students and teachers. As part of the process, the team determines what existing staff can do, as well as what additional personnel - such as therapeutic intervention coaches, counselors, and other mental health professionals - are required to meet the support needs.

Now is the time to donate hours to the sick leave bank. The sick leave bank provides members with serious illnesses extra time once they exhaust their own sick leave. You can donate between 4 to 24 hours each year. In the last bargain, we expanded the number of hours allowed in the bank, but PPS no longer contributes. Read the guidelines here.

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. Please note that temporary teachers are not currently eligible for the Professional Improvement Fund.

Join us for several great educational opportunities this month, including opportunities to use your PD Funds. Follow the links below to find out more details or register. All events are co-sponsored by the PAT. 

It was great seeing many of you at the RA yesterday! Here are some materials for you to use in your building: 

• Slides and a script you can you for your next 10-minute meeting
• Link to sign up for any of our upcoming Measure 97 events

If you would like me or another PAT leader to come to your meeting to talk about Measure 97, please let me know when. We would love to come out.

Thank you for being a leader in your building, and for all you do to advocate for schools, students, and teachers.

Download the PDF

The Advocate - September 28, 2016

• A Big Ask You Need to Answer
• Organizing for Measure 97
• Bargaining Update
• PAT-PAC Endorsements
• Initial Placement on the Salary Schedule
• Advancing on the Salary Schedule
• Make Time for Mandatory Trainings
• How to Raise Issues with Your Administration
• Using Professional Development Funds
• Two Great Professional Development Opportunities
• Help Us Address Class Size
• Oregon Writing Project - The Politics of Teaching THIS Election
• PAT Members Speak Out on Housing Crisis

Before I was PAT President, I taught 7th grade Math and Science at Peninsula, back when it was a K-8. Despite being a Title 1 school, we didn’t have a counselor. 

If Measure 97 passes, we secure an additional $6 billion in stable funding for education, healthcare, and senior services. If it fails, we are facing a $1-2 billion shortfall next budget cycle. Oregonians have been waiting for two decades for the legislature to fix our revenue system, and we won’t get another opportunity like this. 

Your bargaining team continued its work over the summer and into the new school year.  However, many key discussions will be put on hold until after November 8th.  On that day, voters can decide to add significant new educational funding for K-12 schools by voting yes on Measure 97.  This would mean that the District would have financial resources to lower class sizes, reduce caseloads, improve safety, add instructional time, and restore the services to kids that have been eroded over 25 years of defunding Oregon schools.  We are also delaying discussions on compensation and benefits.  If Measure 97 fails, we expect renewed proposals for cuts to staffing and programs.

The PAT-PAC Board met and has voted to take no position in the race for Portland City Commissioner Position 4. The PAT-PAC Board is recommending Dr. Sharon Meieran for Multnomah County Commissioner District 1, and Tawna Sanchez for House District 43. A complete voter’s guide with all PAT-PAC recommendations will come out October 12th.

Are you new to PPS? Do you have past teaching experience or degrees that you want to count towards your initial placement on the salary schedule? Please be aware that placement depends on PPS' receipt of official verification of your teaching or work experience, and it is your responsibility to make sure they receive it. To get credit for your experience retroactive to your start of employment, PPS Human Resources Department must receive that verification within 60 days of your start. Read more here to see what is required.

Did you take classes over the summer that you want to use to advance on the salary schedule? If you want the salary increase to be retroactive to the beginning of the school year, it's your responsibility to make sure that PPS Human Resources Department receives verification that you successfully completed the courses by October 31. If PPS receives verification after October 31, the salary adjustment will be made effective the second month following the month in which proof is received. Read more here to see what is required.

Each year educators are required to complete mandatory online trainings on topics such as Emergency Preparedness and Prevention and Reporting. This year’s mandatory trainings are estimated to require 3 hours and 15 minutes. Our contract requires administrators to provide time during the workday for all mandatory trainings. Educators required to complete mandatory trainings on their own time should be paid at their hourly rate.

Did you know that every PAT member has the contractual right to raise issues and concerns with the building administration?  All you have to do is talk with your building representatives, and they can present your idea or issues as part of their monthly meetings with the building administration.  Don’t let little issues become big problems.  Talk with your PAT Building Rep so they can make sure administrators are aware of problems and can correct possible violations.  

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. Please note that temporary teachers are not currently eligible for the Professional Improvement Fund.

Two great opportunities to use your PD Funds are coming up this October. Follow the links below to find out more details or register. Both events are co-sponsored by the PAT. 

Join the Instruction and PD Committee’s discussion of class size/caseload.  Our next meeting is on Wednesday, October 5th from 4:30-6:00 pm at PAT.  We will present your concerns the following week to administration at our monthly Instructional Program council meeting.

Join us as we grapple with the complexities of teaching about the 2016 election. How do we lead critical conversations about candidate’s platforms? How do we give voice to important critiques while maintaining professional boundaries? How do we weave this into our opening of the year curriculum? Oregon Writing Project teachers join with Portland Association of Teachers in this discussion. Friday, September 30, 4:30-6:30, at the PAT office.

On Saturday, September 17th, Portland Tenants United held a rally at City Hall to call for an end to No Cause evictions and demand a rent freeze. Teachers see first hand the impact homelessness and housing instability have on our students and their families. PAT President Suzanne Cohen and Social Justice chair Rachel Hanes spoke at the rally in solidarity with PTU and tenants fighting for stable housing.