THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EAST ORANGE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
September, 2016
Ms. Jacqui Greadington
EOEA President
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
LOOKING TOWARD THE YEAR AHEAD:
As you know we ended the school year without settling our contract. We are into the process of Fact Finding. To prepare for
this process, we have requested numerous documents from the Board of Education. We are awaiting receipt of the
documents we need. This will not be a quick process. It is necessary for all members to be engaged in our efforts to secure a
fair and equitable settlement.
I am sure you’ve noticed that, although we are at the same salary as last year, your take home pay is less than it was in
June. In essence, this is our fight. As the Board continues to benefit from automatically increased deductions for Chapter 78,
our take home pay is diminishing. We deserve a settlement that allows us to feed, clothe, and educate our families. The
struggle is not over, and we must remain united. Make sure you read the Constant Contact emails you receive from the
EOEA. They will contain valuable information for ALL members.
EOEA WORKING FOR YOU:
On the weekend of September 9-10, 2016, EOEA Reps and Officers participated in a weekend training to help us serve you
better. We have a plan to have better communication with EOEA members. We will be engaging in one on one
conversations to better address your needs and concerns. The EOEA is not just the leaders, it is each and every member. We
exist to serve and protect your rights. Please be prepared to participate when we come to your school.
BE AWARE:
1. Please let us know if you are teaching outside of your certification as this is against state regulations.
2. Your prep period belongs to you to do what YOU want to do. If you are told what to do during your prep period, you are
entitled to compensation. Please contact the EOEA immediately.
3. If you are entitled to a Teacher Assistant or another adult in your classroom, and that additional support has not been
provided, please contact the EOEA.
As always, if you have any questions about your assignment or working conditions, please let us know so that we can
proceed on your behalf.
Here's to a successful year for students and for members.
Volume 14, Issue 1
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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EAST ORANGE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
EOEA HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY
COMMITTEE (HSSC)
By Keith Hinton II, Chairperson
Welcome back for another exciting year!!! Building issues from last
year have been brought to the attention of the maintenance
department as well as the Principals and the Superintendent. Dario
Lambkin explained that there was a summer work list this year. I
have the list for you to view at your convenience. The maintenance
department will address the problems. At this time, the department is
averaging a 75% summer completion rate which is up from last
year’s 60 %. They are still aiming for a 100% completion rate. I am
waiting for Mr. Lambkin to give an update.
The school visits are as follows:

September 14, 2016- Houston Academy

October 12, 2016 – Houston Academy follow up

November 16, 2016 – Healy

December 15, 2016 – Healy follow up

January 11, 2017 – Carver

February 8, 2017 – Carver follow up

March 8, 2017 – Fresh Start (Edmonson Center)

April 19, 2017 - Fresh Start (Edmonson Center) follow up

May 10, 2017 – EOCHS C wing

June 14, 2017 – EOCHS C wing follow up
Please continue to direct issues to me as soon as possible. You can
also send your concerns to the EOEA office. I hope all of you have a
safe, healthy, and prosperous school year!
P.R.I.D.E. By Ericka Currie, Chairperson
Welcome Back! Hoping summer was restful and relaxing.
In 1994 NJEA initiated PRIDE in Public Education, a campaign
aimed at sharing the successes of New Jersey’s public schools and
building community support and involvement. PRIDE projects
bring our schools, our union, and our communities together to
celebrate the achievements of NJ’s great public schools. One of
the most important aspects of PRIDE is the recognition and
publicity the projects often produce. The more a community
knows about how good its schools are, the more likely it is to get
involved and offer support.
The PRIDE 2016-17 activities are up and ready for your
enjoyment. Let's show our PRIDE in Public Education.
September- National Hispanic Heritage Month
(Sept 15 - Oct 15)
September, 2016
NEGOTIATIONS
By Clarence Osborne, Chairperson
Welcome back EOEA members!!!! Hopefully you have had a
safe and restful summer. Now it is time to get back to work
and that’s just what your Negotiations Team is planning to do.
The Team met on Monday, September 12, 2016, to plan
strategies for the upcoming Fact Finding hearing. The Team
was prepared to meet this summer to continue the bargaining
process, however, the East Orange Board of Education had
other plans. The Board once again dragged its collective feet
and did not formally file for Fact Finding until the beginning of
September. Mind you, the Board had all of July and August to
notify the Fact Finder of its intentions. This stalling only
prolongs an already lengthy process.
I realize that this was not the news you expected to hear. After
all, we are entering a third year without a new contract. The
Team wants you to realize that we made ourselves available
throughout the summer to meet with the Board. It appears that
the Board does not feel the same urgency to settle a new
contract.
Please continue to read the EOEA newsletter online.
Please continue to communicate with your Building Reps.
Please continue to remain committed to and supportive of the
Negotiations Team as we proceed with this process.
INSTRUCTION & TRAINING By Stephen Laird,
Chairperson
Welcome back colleagues! I hope you had a chance to enjoy
your summer with some deep breathing and relaxation as you
mentally prepared for the new year.
The start of the school year, unfortunately, came with some bad
news from the governor, no surprise, as Language Arts and
Math teachers will now find their evaluation based upon 30%
(mSPG) of the PARCC results. Teachers of other subjects have
a 15% rating on SGO’s and 85% on Danielson.
Folks, ALL of us have to work even harder so that our students
pass or show growth for the PARCC. Another update for our
evaluations, tenured teachers who receive an effective or highly
effective rating might find their administrator opt out of a face
to face post conference, hopefully, if you would prefer a face to
face, your evaluator would honor your request.
––We must remain strong and diligent for our students, but we
must also look out for ourselves…. COME TO ALL OF THE
BOARD MEETINGS AND RALLIES, we know the Board
started feeling the pressure, we need to turn it up!
Volume 14, Issue 1
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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EAST ORANGE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
September, 2016
GRIEVANCE REPORT By Priscilla Burke, Chairperson
Present Grievances
1. A grievance will be filed on behalf of a teacher who was recommended for appointment to an extracurricular activity and was removed
in response to an unfounded complaint. It is in arbitration.
2. A hearing was held on behalf of a member who has complained that her administrator was continuously implying that certain students,
who were inclusion or may need to be in inclusion, be looked at and addressed. There was also a concern that the Teacher’s Assistant
was being utilized for other tasks in the building and was not available for servicing students. The hearing was held; the grievance was
not sustained although there was a notation that the issue with the T.A. was a valid issue. It was moved to Level-IV
3. There are some concerns regarding the evaluation process, the forms and indicators. Several members are grieving that their
observations are not based on evidence but on opinion and misinformation. In these situations, teachers are saying they were not given
post observations, and they have not had an opportunity to present their evidence that indicators are inaccurate. Administrative
directives have been given which do not allow them the opportunity to be effective and that the evaluation process is being utilized in
retaliation. In response grievances are being filed for the following schools, there may be more to come:
a. Langston Hughes-A hearing was scheduled; however, it was cancelled due to Administrative absence. It was moved to Level-III.
b. Tyson Elementary- A hearing was held, the response to this grievance was not acceptable. It will be moved to Level-IV.
c. Banneker-A grievance was filed at Level-II for a procedural complaint.
d. Banneker and Dept. of Special Ed-Both are included in an Association complaint that a member’s evaluation was improperly
completed outside of the guidelines of the evaluation regulations.
4. An instructional coach is grieving that her Evaluator of Record refused to discuss her concerns and review her evidence in a post
observation and that the observation was closed in Teachscape before she had the opportunity to complete her discussion and present the
data that would support her claims. She also believes that her insistence on writing rebuttals has led to the creation of a hostile working
environment. The grievance was denied; we will be moving it to Level-IV/Commissioner.
5. The Association is investigating that an Administrator may have written an unfair observation for an Association Representative
because he refused to give her information about the concerns of the staff. The Association is moving forward to file an ULP (Unfair
Labor Practice) against this Administrator. A hearing regarding the ULP is scheduled in November.
6. The Association is filing a grievance on behalf of a teacher who received an additional group of students from the class of a teacher out
on leave. The teacher’s request for compensation has been denied. The Association believes she is entitled to compensation under the
Article for combined class coverage. Update-The teacher received her combined class compensation.
New Grievance
7. The Association is filing a grievance that the Administration informed a teacher of a change in his assignment on the day he returned to
work contrary to the contract language. (Violation of ArticleXIII-A.1, B)
8. The Association is investigating the docking of a teacher’s pay. The teacher who was out due to illness, used Aesop and has a Doctor’s
note. (Article VII-A.2)
SOLIDARITY!!!!!!!!!
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
By Brian Rock, Chairperson
Pensions. Welcome back! When we left in June we were talking
about a constitutional amendment to mandate pension funding.
Unfortunately, that is not going to happen this year. Senate
President Steve Sweeney broke his promise to post the bill.
We put an enormous amount of pressure on him, but long story
short he was adamant in double crossing us. This is why NJEA has
taken the unprecedented step of beginning the process for
screening gubernatorial primary candidates - so that we can ensure
Steve Sweeney will not be elected Governor. More on that soon.
Throughout the summer, a group of 250 pension fellows worked
diligently to contact members, put pressure on legislators, and
organize rallies. Along with myself, five of our members
participated: Tiffin Carter, Keila Catching, Carolyn O’Connell,
Bibi Shahabudeen, and Nareema Shahabudeen. If you see them…
be sure to say thanks for their hard work!
Volume 14, Issue 1
2016 Endorsements. The NJEA PAC Committee met in August
and concurred with the NEA’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton.
Previously, the Committee voted to endorse Congressman Donald
Payne, Jr. A full list of endorsements is available on NJEA's
website.
School Funding. Governor Christie and Senate President Steve
Sweeney have proposed dueling plans for modifying the school
funding formula. NJEA is adamantly opposed to the Governor's
plan, which would provide an equal dollar amount per student to
each district. This would abrogate the principle of Abbott and
decimate urban districts. Sweeney's plan is less damaging, but
NJEA is also opposed to it. Although it passed the Senate, it is
currently being held up in the Assembly by Speaker Prieto.
Evaluation Bill. Assembly Education Chair Caride and
Assemblywoman Jasey have introduced a bill (A-4122) that
would eliminate the use of student test scores in teacher
evaluations. Needless to say, NJEA is strongly in support of this
bill. We need your help to drum up support for the bill. Be on the
lookout for more info as this progresses.
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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EAST ORANGE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
FAST By Carla Hinds, Chairperson
Well, I am happy to greet all of you as we enter a new school year.
I have already had a meeting in Trenton at NJEA to help determine
how we will view FAST in the upcoming year. Our former director,
Janet Morrison has retired and we want to formally say thank you to
her for all the work she put in to making FAST a reality. She was
indeed focused and dedicated to making a difference all across the
state. Kudos Janet, you’ll be missed!
I have submitted our grant for 2016-17. We have included some
new and different activities and events. I am sure you will want to
assist us in making a difference, a true impact on the community in
which we serve. Make no mistake about it; educators, we are here
to serve. We are here to leave East Orange better than we found it;
starting with our students, then parents and beyond.
Let this year be your defining year. Step up and be a change maker!
Feel free to join our committee and have firsthand experience with
those who seriously want to strengthen the community as we
educate our students. Have a great year!
SOCIAL By Jennifer Longo, Chairperson
September, 2016
MEMBERSHIP By Jill Rogers, Chairperson
What do I get for my dues dollars?
NJEA understands our members want to get the most from their
dues. That is why we work to provide you with the best member
services in the nation. Here are some ways your dues dollars go to
work for you:

Legal Services
NJEA attorneys provide direct representation to local
associations and members, in support of contract enforcement
and employment-related issues.

Research and Economic Services
NJEA’s Research Division provides state-of-the-art research
in support of contract negotiation and other NJEA programs
as well as works with individual members on their pension
and benefits needs.

Member Benefits
NJEA Member Benefits enriches the lives of members by
providing cost-saving consumer programs.

Professional Development
NJEA’s Professional Development Division provides training
and support for members through conferences, local
workshops, and other means to further their growth as
professionals.

Conventions
Covers the cost of the annual NJEA Convention and NJEA’s
participation in the NEA Delegate Assembly.
Welcome back to the 2016-2017 school year!
The EOEA officers and representative council convened a
workshop entitled “Organizing Your Local” on Friday, Sept. 9
thru Sat. Sept. 10, 2016 at the Holiday Inn in Clarke, N.J. A
positive experience was had by all!
As a union we are here for all of you! We are going to make this a
positive year for everyone. Please reach out to your reps if you are
in need.
ECEA WORKSHOPS
Registration Forms must be completed on line at eceanj.org
SEPTEMBER
ECEA Professional Rights & Organizing Association Rep.
Training Dinner/Workshop - Appian Way - 9/28/16 - Flyer
ECEA P.D. PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS & ORGANIZING
ASSOCIATION REP TRAINING - 9/28/16 - Registration Form
Stay tuned for the 1st Happy Hour of the year. Details to follow.
SOCIAL MEDIA
By Dawn Nichol-Manning, EOEA Secretary
Please register with the EOEA text messaging service to stay
updated with member information. As of today we only have 155
members linked to text messaging. Let's get the word out to each
other and stay updated on the information that we need to know
regarding our contract, evaluations, action events, negotiations
and more. Simply text "eoea" to 973-273-4096. You can also
sign up through our website at www.eastorangeea.org and like us
on Facebook (https://m.facebook.com/eastorangeea).
Submit your pictures of members involved in Association events
to [email protected]. Let's share how we smile and educate
no matter the circumstance. Let's remain unified and connected
this school year!
Visit our website: www.eoeamembers.com
Volume 14, Issue 1
ECEA Registration tips: Please do not use district email on the
registration form as it may "bounce back". Use your personal email. Save your confirmation e-mail to remember the workshops
you signed up for. Encourage colleagues to attend with you, bring
new members, and get them involved and informed.
The EOEA INFORMER is the official publication of the
East Orange Education Association
576 Central Avenue, East Orange, NJ 07018
Phone # 973-672-7331
Fax # 973-672-1194
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.eoeamembers.com
Ms. Jacqueline Greadington, President
Mr. Brian Rock, Vice President
Ms. Patricia Landon, Treasurer
Ms. Dawn Nichol-Manning, Secretary
Ms. Joyce McCree, Editor
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