President C. SantaMaria called the meeting to order at 4:09 PM.
J. Ruse made a motion to accept the December Executive Council minutes - sec by C. Demaray. - Passed.
Officer’s Reports:
President’s Report: C. SantaMaria gave the following report:
- Redistricting issue – Board meeting on January 12. The plan to be voted on was discussed. This is an emotional issue in the community; local press articles were examined. What if the board votes this proposal down? – Back to the drawing board. This has been an open process with lots of community input.
- Vanguard is returning – agreements between Kades-Margolis and Vanguard appear to be bringing Vanguard back to the district. No timelines yet.
- Monday/Friday absences – Members have expressed concern regarding the non-approval of IEP writing for Fridays and Mondays. This policy from HR appears to be in response to a substitute shortage on those days. The LMEA will monitor the situation and encourages members to appeal if they are under a time constraint with regard to particular IEPs.
- Maternity/Child Leave Workshop – with the membership becoming younger, it would be beneficial to run a workshop addressing the issues of maternity and child leave. It will be held March 3 from 4:00 to 5:30 at the LMEA office.
- Applecore items were discussed – the Applecore is distributed monthly by the LMEA officers.
VP Support: V. Fedeli gave the following report:
- Support Professional members should have received their NEA-RA ballot in the mail. Please do not throw it away. Your VOTE is needed. We have three Support members who are running on the ballot. Their names are Lynda Scavitto, Frances D. Benjamin, and Monica L. Mixon. In the write-in section of the ballot please write in the name of Joanne Ruse. Joanne missed the cut of date for the ballot. All four candidates need our HELP to get elected as a state representative. The ballots are due back by January 30th. We are one of the largest ESP locals in PA but if we do not exercise our right to VOTE then it all means very little. Please VOTE and help support our members. Also if you only vote for our four members on the ballot it would increase their odds of winning but it is your choice. Thank you in advance for responding to this need.
- Chapter 14 – Vic has a meeting scheduled for January 30th. I hope to report in February the process needed to make all Instructional Assistants highly qualified before July 2010.
1st Vice President: NR
VP Professional: NR
Secretary Support: NR
Secretary Professional: NR
Treasurer: D. Mandarino made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s report for December. - Approved.
Committee Reports:
Constitution: NR
Elections: NP
IPD: NR but A. Flicker reminded about the function of the Staff Development Council.
CNC: R. Loue reported they have a meeting on January 15. C. SantaMaria noted that Tim Mohan has been promoted to be the Asst. Principal of BCMS. Tim was a member of the CNC committee. Andy Thomas will fill in for Tim for the remainder of the year. Marge Anderson was promoted to principal at BC.
FAC: C. SantaMaria reported that the LMEA has purchased a safe for holding critical documents.
Health & Safety: A. Flicker reminded to all to be careful when walking in and around school grounds to avoid slips and falls. If other H&S concerns arise please start by addressing them at the building level.
Legislation: NR
Minority Affairs: M. Mixon reported they will have a meet and greet at 4:00 on January 14th at the LMEA office. This will be an annual event.
PACE: A. Pass gave a summary of the PACE contributions so far. Donations are still being accepted. Congratulations to Cynwyd ES with a 75% contribution rate and congratulations also to LMHS with over $4800 in contributions so far.
PR&R: P. Dawson noted the grievance for the IAs was resolved. Please let V. Fedeli or P. Dawson know of any unsatisfactory or provisional evaluation. Some disciplinary letters may stay in an employee’s file even after 5 years. Due process clause only applies if you’re suspended or lose pay.
Public Relations: C. SantaMaria noted that our website is being redesigned – more information next month.
Social: T. Tyler reported that the Spring Banquet will be Wednesday May 27 at Eviva. This is a different date than in the District calendar.
Special Services: NR
Sunshine: D. Williams reported that if you move please let us know so we can keep your information current.
Membership: NP – but we now have over 1300 members.
CARE: NR – but M. Rios briefly described the new peer mediation service.
Education Foundation: D. Simon reported to send in grant applications. Go to www.educationfoundationoflm.org for information.
403(b): NP – but they will have a meeting on February 24th to look at more 403 vendors.
Building Reports:
Belmont Hills: NR
Cynwyd: NR
Gladwyne: NR
Merion: MR
Penn Valley: NR
Penn Wynne: NP
Bala Cynwyd: NR
Welsh Valley: NR
Lower Merion: Concern about IAs being reassigned to the library to do physical/clerical labor during some inservice time. None of the IAs were consulted for input. – Will be investigated.
Harriton: NR
Building and Grounds: NR
At-Large Reps: NP
Administration: NR
Matson Ford Transportation: NP
Connolly Transportation: NR
P.Dawson made a motion to adjourn - second by A.Avellino. The meeting was adjourned at 5:16.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael Stettner, Secretary Professional |
