EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING, September 13, 2004

President D. Pendino called the meeting to order at 4:05 pm.
V. Fedeli made motion to approve the June Executive Council minutes – sec. by R. Corbman– Approved.
D. Pendino reminded building reps to distribute materials and calendars to members. Any non-members are encouraged to join the Association.

Officer’s Reports:

President’s Report: D. Pendino gave the following report:

1. All new reps and committee members were welcomed and reminded of their importance in the LMEA. Basic functions of the building reps were discussed. Reps at conferences are to listen and record what happens between members and administrators. Building reps are not there to defend.
2. D. Pendino made a motion to amend Policies and Practices #6 to read “Whenever possible, all General Membership meetings of the LMEA shall be held in the LMHS Cafeteria, the LMHS Auditorium, or the LMEA Office.” Second be D. Mandarino. Motion passed.
3. Settlement Task Force – D. Pendino made motion that Russ Loue will be the paid chair on this committee for this year. Second by V. Fedeli. Motion passed.
4. D. Pendino made motion that we use money from our contingency fund to use the Toplin group – Second by R. Corbman. Question regarding the amount of money in the fund – amount is in Treasurer’s report.
5. New LMEA office – D. Pendino explained the need for the purchase of a property in Bala Cynwyd for our future office – $350,000 is asking price. The need for space at Belmont Hills as well as the need for a more secure office space warrants our relocation. We would need to raise dues about $1 per person per paycheck to cover the mortgage. Property and immediate area have adequate parking. Downpayment will come from the LMEA contingency fund. Question about the origin and function of contingency fund? – This fund is available for Association needs with the approval of Executive Council. D. Pendino made a motion to use funds up to $350,000 for the purchase of this property – Second by V. Fedeli. Motion passed.
6. MER Leadership Conference is October 15-17th at the Seaview Marriott Resort in Absecon, NJ. Anyone interested in attending must submit the registration form ASAP.
7. Applecore items were discussed.
8. October’s unit meeting will be at Penn Valley on October 6th.

VP Support Professionals: V. Fedeli gave the following report:

1. Support Professionals were welcomed and thanked for helping the school year start on time. V. Fedeli’s phone numbers are: 610-645-1870 Desk Phone at LMHS; 610-331-8015 Cell Phone; 610-664-5450 LMEA Office.
2. Support Professional building reps are being recruited. Current reps should try to locate potential successors when their term is up if they choose not to run for an additional term. These successors may be invited to attend an Executive Council meeting.
3. PACE forms will be distributed soon. All support professional members are strongly urged to contribute to this worthwhile cause. PACE dollars are used to help find/support candidates who are supporters of public education. Dues dollars can NOT be used for PACE donations. We have the largest support professional membership in the Mideastern Region and the 5th largest in PA so if each member contributes a $10 donation our large membership would give a significant amount.
4. Anyone planning to be a delegate to the PSEA House of Delegates should submit their name to E. Brophy at Merion to get on the ballot. Voting will take place at October’s General Meeting.
5. All are reminded to work first then grieve if necessary. Know who your reps are. Know your contract. You have the right to have a rep present at any meetings in which you feel are disciplinary in nature. Simply request you would like a rep in attendance if necessary.

VP Professional: A. Flicker reported the New Staff Workshop/Dinner will be at Yang Ming on Monday Oct. 18th. Contact her if interested in attending. All members are welcome.

1st Vice President: NR

Secretary Support Professionals: NR

Secretary Professional: NR

Treasurer: D. Pendino made a motion to accept the June, July, and August Treasurer’s reports. Sec. by A. Flicker – Motion passed. Also, D. Mandarino made a motion to donate $100 to the Florida EA to aid those teachers who lost their homes as a result of Hurricane Charlie. Second by V. Fedeli – Motion passed.

Committee Reports:

Constitution: NR

Elections: NR

IPD: NR

CNC: NR – B. Young and L. Giaquinto are at the region’s CAPS meeting.

FAC: NR

Health & Safety: A. Flicker reported their first meeting will be near the end of September. D. Pendino added that he will be making a presentation to the Board regarding the issue of air conditioning in the schools. All are welcome to attend. The Board meeting is at 8PM Monday 9/20. Please forward any anecdotal information on this topic to Dom ASAP.

Legislation: NR

PACE: C. SantaMaria reported that PACE has two funds, one for the state and one at the national level. Arlen Specter is the PACE endorsed candidate for US Senate. C. SantaMaria also informed about the current status of educational issues and the political support they have. The Mideastern Region is running a phone bank in October – any member interested in participating should contact C. SantaMaria at santac@lmsd.org. Forms for PACE contributions will be coming out soon. Write checks directly to the candidate’s own campaign if you want your donation to fund the last weeks of the Presidential campaign.

PR&R: V. Fedeli briefly noted the current report. Investigating the salary scale issue of new hires.

Public Relations: NR – but D. Pendino reported that the LMEA website will be enhanced this year.

Social: NR

Special Services: NR

Sunshine: D. Williams asked to notify school secretaries about any serious member illnesses, births, etc.

Membership: D. Grumbine asked reps to check membership lists for accuracy and alert him of any errors.

Minority Affairs: NR

CARE: NR

Settlement Task Force: R. Loue asked reps to find 2 members in your building to be on this committee. Let him know who was selected.

Special Ed Task Force: NR

Labor Management: NR

Building Reports:

Belmont Hills: NR

Cynwyd: NR

Gladwyne: NR

Merion: NR

Penn Valley: Concern about special area teachers who go to other schools – when at other schools there is sometimes no room and lack of supplies– will be investigated. Also, concern about lack of water fountains and lack of air conditioning.

Penn Wynne: R. Corbman read a statement concerning the inequitable distribution of air conditioning in buildings. Question about “air-cooled” systems instead of air conditioning – will be investigated.

Bala Cynwyd: NR

Welsh Valley: Concern about lack of air conditioning and ventilation in small rooms. Also, no screens in windows – bees/insects fly in. Concern about new computers and lack of training. Also, is water safe to drink – yes, system was flushed as a precaution. Concern about job descriptions. Concern about use of social security numbers as passwords – all will be investigated.

Harriton: NR

Lower Merion: Question about the tech department staff departure at the start of the General Membership Meeting in September – were they told to leave? - will be investigated.

B&G: NR

Transportation LM: Concern about waiting time for repairs in the buildings – will check if a requisition was submitted?

Transportation Harriton: NR

Administration: NR

V. Fedeli made a motion to adjourn – sec. by D. Mandarino. The meeting was adjourned at 5:25 PM.