Join PAT and community members to discuss a shared vision for the future of our public schools!

See our fliers here and below.

Thursday, January 26th, 4:30 PM: Racial Equity Training, Part One

RSVP here to save your spot.

We're excited to continue our training program with our first Racial Equity training session on Thursday, January 26th at 4:30PM at the PAT office. Please see our flier for all of the exciting trainings we're offering our members this year!

This Wednesday, January 25 at 4:30pm, PAT will be hosting a

Retirement/ Financial Planning Seminar, focused on educators who are new(ish) to PERS. (Although you don't have to be new in order to attend!) This seminar is dedicated to financial wellbeing and planning for the future, led by veteran financial advisor Ed Foster. Topics for this seminar include:

• How does your state-sponsored retirement plan work?
• Where does the I.A.P. account fit in?
• How much money do you need to retire anyway?
• What happens if you change careers?
• What can you do to maximize your retirement savings?
• PERS? OPSRP? 403b? TSA? IRA? What do these all mean?!

RSVP HERE. The seminar will be in person on Wednesday, January 25, 4:30-6:00 PM, at the PAT office at 345 NE 8th Ave. A light meal will be provided. See the flyer here.

(*These retirement seminars are a benefit of PAT membership, and only available for PAT members. Not a member yet? Join here!)

Probationary teachers are formally evaluated at least two times during the school year. By the last work day before Winter Break, all probationary teachers should have received their first evaluation report.

This mid-cycle evaluation must be based on at least one formal observation cycle, which requires a pre-observation conference, the observation, and a post-observation conference.

In addition to the formal observation cycle, the mid-year evaluation may include evidence from informal observations, artifacts, assessments, and other evidence collected throughout the first half of the school year.

The mid-cycle formal evaluation requires a Mid-Cycle Summative Evaluation Meeting, separate from the post-observation conference. Prior to that meeting, the evaluator must give the educator a draft of the Mid-Cycle Summative Evaluation Report (Form 5) at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

Any rating given in the evaluation report must be based on direct evidence that is written in the evaluation report. Review Article 27 of the PAT/PPS contract and the PPS Handbook for Professional Growth and Evaluation to determine whether the required procedures have been followed regarding your evaluation. Both are available on the PAT website.

If the evaluator has stated that they “DO NOT RECOMMEND” you for continued employment if your performance continues as it is, contact your PAT Rep ASAP. You also have the right to submit a written objection/rebuttal that is attached to the evaluation report in your personnel file if you feel the evaluation was incomplete or unjust. The written objection should normally be made within 30 days of receipt of the evaluation.

A template to assist you is provided here.

Please submit a question for PAT Eboard candidates to respond to. Pursuant to Section 2, subsection E of the PAT Nominations and Elections Handbook, members have the opportunity to submit written questions for the Executive Board candidates who are currently running for office. The Nominations and Elections Committee will choose up to 4 member-generated questions to ask candidates to respond to via an optional, electronic questionnaire. PAT members will receive a copy of candidate responses along with the voter pamphlet on February 9, 2023. Please submit your questions via this electronic form by 5:00pm on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023. 

Host a Legislator to teach in your classroom at Educator for a Day!

On February 3rd and 10th, PAT Legislative Committee will invite members from the Portland Delegation of the Oregon House of Representatives, and the Oregon State Senate. Please consider filling out this form to volunteer to host a Legislator as a guest educator for the day and to share your educator responsibilities. This is a great way to show them the challenges our schools are facing, in hopes they will help us solve them in the upcoming session. It is also an excellent form of outreach and helps maintain ongoing communication with State Leaders.

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!

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.

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.