Dear Educator, 

In the last few months, PAT has been in the spotlight, locally and nationally. Our campaign for the Time to Get It Right for our students grew directly out of your needs, ideas, and priorities. Our proposals are all designed to address the crushing stress that educators are experiencing this year, the necessity to turn around a historic staffing crisis, and the need to better serve our students during this incredibly challenging year for all of us.

We are not alone. Educators around the country, and from as far away as Brazil, have been reaching out in solidarity because they’ve experienced similar struggles and they share our vision. Together, we are all working toward a public education system that values each one of our students, and our educators and school staff. 

Here in Oregon, we are in solidarity with educators around the state. This weekend, the Oregonian published my op-ed about the workforce crisis, which was co-signed by 46 education union presidents in Oregon. The op-ed details how this workforce crisis impacts our students, and why we owe it to them to find solutions that allow beloved educators to continue in this profession– throughout this year and for the long haul.

On behalf of the entire PAT Executive Board, we are wishing you rest and rejuvenation, as well as hope this winter break, as we continue to organize for a public school system designed to enable students and educators to be their best selves. 

In Solidarity,

Elizabeth Thiel

PAT President

There will be no PAT Advocacy Cadre hours during winter break, Monday December 20 or December 27th. The Advocacy Cadre will return for regular Monday Zoom drop-ins on January 3rd, 2022 from 5:00-6:30P.M. 

The PAT office will also be closed from December 20th through December 31st. PAT staff will return January 3rd.

Article 8 in the 2020-2022 PAT Contract defines workload “thresholds” for class-size, teaching load, caseload, and the number of unique course preparations. PPS is required to compensate educators whose workload exceeds those thresholds. 

October 18th was the date for determining individual workloads and calculating overage pay for the fall semester. If you qualified for overage pay this fall, you should have received your stipend in a separate check on the November payday.

Overage pay for the second semester will be calculated on either Friday, February 18 or Tuesday, February 22, 2022 (the  third Monday date called for in the CBA is Presidents’ Day, 2/21/2022). 

If you did not receive the pay you anticipated for the first semester, please notify PPS payroll and HR immediately (using this link) and a PPS HR representative will review your information and respond about whether or not they will make any corrections. 

On Tuesday,  December 14th the PAT Legislative Committee hosted their Teacher for a Day event. We had 23 teachers hosting school board members, legislators, legislative candidates, union leaders, and District personnel across the city. Teachers put their guests to work teaching lessons and leading small groups, and provided them with  the authentic experience of a frontline PPS educator.

After spending several hours in classrooms, teachers and their guests were invited to the PAT office for a debrief of their time in the classroom. Our teachers clearly communicated the intensive needs of so many of our students this year, and the difficulty of meeting those needs when we are under-resourced and short staffed. 

Many thanks to all our host teachers and their guests!

• Chris Adams-Brown @  Roseway Heights hosted Colleen Connolly, Schoolhouse Supplies Programs Manager 

• Caitlyn Angulo @  Rigler hosted Enrique Farrera, OEA Vice President 

• Jacqueline Borean @ George hosted Sara Ryan, Multnomah County Commissioner Jayapal's Chief of Staff 

• Megan Boyeas @  Beverly Cleary hosted Nolberto Delgadillo, PPS Chief Financial Officer 

• Samantha Breen @  Woodmere hosted Courtney Westling, PPS Director of Government Relations 

• Brennan Brockbank @  Grant  hosted Lisa Roth, All Hands Raised Vice President of Strategic Engagement & Communication 

• Alisha Chavez @  Atkinson hosted Liz Large, PPS Contracted General Counsel

• Brittany Dorris @  Capitol Hill hosted Dacia Grayber, Oregon State House Representative 

• Sam Fisher @  Kelly hosted Casey Kulla, Yamhill County Commissioner 

• Laura Fisher @  Roosevelt hosted Eric Delehoy, Oregon State Representative Candidate

• Kate Good @  Beaumont hosted Jessica Vega Pederson, Multnomah County Commissioner 

• Grace Groom  @  Markham hosted Christine Lewis, Metro Councilor 

• Amy Henry @  Benson hosted Lori Stegmann,  Multnomah County Commissioner

• Ginger Huizar @  George hosted Sharon Reese, PPS Chief Human Resources Officer 

• Daniel Jacobs @  Roseway Heights hosted Andrew Scott,  PPS School Board Vice Chair 

• Katy Janega @  Woodlawn hosted Shannon Singleton, Multnomah County Chair Candidate 

• Cecelia Kauth @  Whitman hosted Julia Brim-Edwards, PPS School Board Member 

• Ian Mauer @  Cleveland hosted Rob Nosse, Oregon State Representative

• Cynthia Radler-Okby @  Roosevelt hosted Tina Kotek, Oregon Legislature Speaker of the House 

• Laurel Richards  @  West Sylvan hosted Maxine Dexter, Oregon State House Representative 

• Emily Robins @ Roseway Heights hosted Barbara Smith Warner, Oregon House Majority Leader 

• Michele Stahlecker @ Harrison Park hosted Reed Scott-Schwalbach, OEA President 

• Ciara Williams @ George hosted Eilidh Lowery, PPS Board Member

PAT is a democratic organization, and our leaders are elected by you and all our members. Our elections are held via electronic ballot in February. This year there are open positions for the following: 

• PAT President
• PAT Vice President
• PAT Secretary
• PAT Treasurer
• PAT Executive Board Director-at-Large (5 seats)
• OEA RA Delegate (approximately 40 seats) Nominate yourself here
• NEA RA Delegate (approximately 28 seats, 9 of which are funded to travel)

Any PAT member in good standing may run for elected position. Nominations for these positions are now open. Nominations for Executive Board and Officer candidates will close on Friday, January 7, 2022, at 5:00 PM, and nominations for OEA and NEA RA Delegates close at 7:00 PM on January 12 at the January RA.

Learn more, and find online nomination forms on our website. Contact [email protected] with any questions about these positions.

When Oregon students wake up and head to school, things look different this year. But one thing hasn’t changed: our students living in shelters, struggling with poverty, navigating the foster care system or grappling with parental illness, come to school with a few less resources than other students. That’s where the OEA Foundation can step in. A new winter jacket, waterproof boots, personal hygiene products – these are the types of basic and essential needs our students have that the Foundation covers. If you have a student who needs extra support to cover the basics, consult the complete OEA Foundation guidelines today and apply with the easy online application.  

If you are able, we invite every OEA member to give through payroll deduction, even just $1 per month to the Foundation – 100% of every dollar donated goes to support Oregon public school students. 

If you are reading this, please click this link to receive a small gift from your PAT Membership Committee.

The early notice deadline for resignation or retirement is fast approaching. If you submit a written notice of resignation or retirement no later than January 15th, you will receive $1,250. See Article 18.2.1 of the PAT-PPS Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please keep in mind that once you submit your resignation, you are still required to complete the full academic year.

Donate up to 40 hours of your sick-leave to help a colleague in need.

Last school year, dozens of colleagues exhausted their accumulated leave balances and were unable to work due to extended or recurring personal illness. Thanks to the generosity of so many of you, PAT was able to help them avoid the additional hardships of lost salary and lost insurance coverage through the Sick Leave Bank .

Last year we met our goal of collecting the maximum number of voluntarily donated hours allowed under our contract. Recent improvements in our contract (CBA Article 17.2.1.2.f) mean that we now have almost enough hours in the Sick Leave Bank to fulfill all applications for assistance. This is a great way putting our principles into practice, and showing the District that an injury to one is an injury to all.

You can donate hours by filling out this online form! You will need to log in with your PPS email account and include your PPS employee ID number on the form.

For more information, and to apply to the sick-leave bank, go to our website.

Thank you for being part of this crucial program that allows us to support our colleagues through our union.

Join us and Financial Advisor Ed Foster on Thursday, January 6th at 4:30 PM-6:00 PM, via Zoom, to get all the information on PERS, pensions, and IAP accounts. Get the knowledge you need to best strategize your plan for retirement.  

RSVP today! Please remember that you need to be a PAT member to attend, so if you are not already a member, sign up here today.

Your union is working on several fronts to help with the student loan debt crisis in this country. On an individual level, we want to help you better understand the Federal Loan Forgiveness programs, including the newly announced PSLF Waiver and to move you toward loan forgiveness. 

Please join us Thursday, January 13th, 4:30-6:30 PM, on Zoom, to learn the facts about the current federal loan forgiveness programs and to gain access to the NEA Member Benefits Loan Forgiveness Navigation tool available at www.neamb.com/start.

RSVP here. Please remember that you need to be a PAT member to attend, so if you are not already a member, sign up here today.