Dear Colleagues:
After what seemed like a short summer, I would like
to welcome back members of the Tumwater Education Association. I would also like to extend a special
welcome to new certificated members to the TEA.
The 2016-17 school year should be interesting in
a number of ways. First, there is construction and/
or remodeling going on at several sites around the
District. Obviously, this is going to lead to inconveniences for staff and students alike, however, the
District has been working hard to keep them to a
minimum.
Secondly, this is another bargain year. The Collective Bargaining Agreement inked last spring is in
effect through this school year and expires August
31, 2017. That means the TEA and the District will
be back at the table late this winter or early spring.
Your TEA Bargaining Team will start meeting soon
to begin preparations.
Finally, the 2017 Washington State Legislative session could have an unprecedented impact on education in our state. Legislators have kicked the
financial can down the road for too many years.
The Washington State Supreme Court’s McCleary
Decision has mandated that the state amply fund
education as ordered by the Constitution by 2018.
That means a funding mechanism has to
be addressed in this
legislative
session.
Things are likely to get
pretty crazy up on the
hill come spring time.
The State’s lack of action has adversely affected school employees, school districts,
and most importantly
September 2016
students across our state for too long.
By now you are all settled into your classrooms
and have been working with students for several
weeks. I’ve been in many buildings and have had
the opportunity to see some of the great work
many of you have been doing. It reminded me
that Tumwater is a great place to be a student, a
parent, a community member, or a teacher. I hope
you all have a great year!
Tim Voie
[email protected]
TEA President’s Schedule
My work schedule will be as follows: I will be at
Secondary Options from 7:30 to 11:00 and at the
TEA Office (352-5256) from 11:30 to 4:30 daily.
I can also be reached on my cell phone at 360269-0486 or via e-mail at [email protected].
CBA Online
The 2015-17 Collective Bargaining Agreement
between the TEA and the District can be accessed on the TEA website: http://tumwaterea.
org. Hard copies of our contract have been provided to TEA Building Representatives at your
site. If you have a contractual question or concern, please check the contract first. If you need
further clarification contact your TEA Building
Representative. The CBA runs through August
31, 2017.
Greetings to New Members!
TEA welcomes the following new members to our
district:
Black Hills High School
Kirk Glock, Kari Morgan, Patrick Taggesell, and
September 2016, Page 2
TEA Advocate
Lynanne Miller
Black Lake Elementary School
Susan Daniels
Bush Middle School
Vanessa Walter
Early Childhood Learning Center
Judy Mortifoglio-Lang
East Olympia Elementary School
Jewell Hemenway and Kaila Bell
Littlerock Elementary School
Emma Leimback and Kelsey Lincoln
Michael T. Simmons Elementary School
Dana Bastin
Peter G. Schmidt Elementary School
Holly Coty
Tumwater High School
Kristen Maring and Harrison Fry
Tumwater Hill Elementary School
Megan Anderson, Michelle Paul, and Tina Luther
Tumwater Middle School
Cherie Andreassen
UNION WORK MATTERS
10 REASONS YOU SHOULD THANK A UNION:
1. Weekends
2. Workday Breaks
3. Health Insurance
4. Sick Leave
5. Social Security
6. FMLA
7. Minimum Wage
8. Child Labor Laws
9. Work-Place Safety
10. Due Process
TEA Kickoff BBQ
How do you welcome Tumwater Education Association members to the 2016-17 school year?
Throw them the 1st Annual TEA Kickoff BBQ at
Black Hills High School! When members rolled out
of their Professional Development classes, they
were greeted with hamburgers, chips, cookies and
bottled water. We served over 200 TEA members,
and even some other union brothers and sisters
who were working at BHHS. This was a great opportunity for TEA members to catch up with coworkers, to welcome our new TEA members, and
to start preparing for another bargain year.
Thank you to the TEA Bargaining Support Team
(BST) for the planning and the heavy lifting that
had to take place for this event to occur. Great appreciation goes to TEA member, George Rother,
who was instrumental in coordinating this event at
his worksite.
A special thanks to our wonderful volunteers who
got things cookin’ while our members were in
classes. Helping out were David Roberts, Erin
Valz, Michelle Quinlan, Kurt Henneck, and Sherry
Buckner, and former TEA members, Bobbi Rieder
and Jim Adams. We couldn’t have done this without their help.
More special thanks goes out to WEA Chinook
UniServ President, Kathie Axtell, and WEA President, Kim Mead, for coming out to support the
TEA. This event was funded by a Membership
Matters grant from the WEA – your dues dollars
September 2016, Page 3
TEA Advocate
at work.
Site-Directed
Three Days (per 1.0 FTE)
Before the grills were even cold, discussions be- Paid on Additional Time Sheet
gan about next year’s event and how we can do it Site Plan should include opportunity for bigger and better. All in all, it was a great day for you to earn this money
the TEA.
Can pay you for attending:
Staff Development Trainings Committee Meetings
Building Representatives
Extended Staff Meetings
TEA policy provides for one Building Representa- Collegial Planning
tive for every 10 members or major fraction thereof All
Self-Directed
Activities
at each site with a minimum of one building Representative per site. Thus, your site could have from District-Directed One (per 1.0 FTE)
one to six Building Representatives depending on
the size of your site.
Building Representatives receive training and a stipend. It is important that your members are represented and that their voice is heard at Council
meetings where decisions are made that affect you.
Resources for Compensation
From Article 35
TEA/TSD Collective Bargaining Agreement
Professional Days (TRI):
(All paid at per diem rate)
Self-Directed Twelve (per 1.0 FTE)
Documented for Pay by:
Timesheet (Appendix H-1) or
Supplemental Contract (Appendix H-2)
Opening Day (day before first student day)
Paid on “Additional Time Sheet (7.5 Hrs.)
WEA Children’s Fund
Do you know a child whose family can’t afford to
buy a warm coat, a new pair of boots, or basic
school supplies? The WEA Children’s Fund can
help. The goal of the WEA Children’s Fund is to
help meet the modest and immediate needs of
students encountered by WEA members in their
daily workplaces. Physical, social and emotional
needs of students should not stand in the way of
success within the school setting. Access the Children’s Fund online for pre-approval of a purchase
of up to $75. Many TEA members have taken advantage of this important membership benefit to
help a child in need. Please contact the TEA office
if you know of a child in need. Accessing funds is
an easy process, and as winter approaches, we all
know at least one child who could benefit from this
wonderful program.
PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM
Do you want to improve your professional practices
or expand your current content knowledge?
Would you like to receive help and advice from
a fellow practitioner on classroom management,
special education issues, time management or
organizational skills?
Would you like to improve your skills in an area in
which you have experienced difficulty?
If so, try WEA Chinook’s Peer Support Program.
• Request an application from WEA Chinook or
the TEA office.
September 2016, Page 4TEA Advocate
• A PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM committee
member will interview the applicant to select
an appropriate mentor match.
• The applicant and mentor will determine how to
best proceed based on the applicant’s identified
needs. Periodic updates will be provided to the
committee throughout the process.
• All assistance is provided with competence,
concern, and confidentiality.
Association using one of the following methods:
• The form and postage-paid envelope in the
Membership Card packet.
• An email message to member.records@
washingtonea.org.
• Go to www.washingtonea.org/member.
Please also notify the TEA Office of any changes
via email to [email protected].
Whether a colleague has suggested you look into
the Peer Support Program or you have decided
on your own to participate, all it takes is a phone TEA Representative Council
Mark your calendars now for the Representative
call to get started.
Council Meetings to be held this year. All meetA great opportunity to secure professional success ings will be held from 4:15 to 5:45 at WEA Chiis here for all WEA Chinook members. Give WEA nook. All TEA members are welcome to attend:
Chinook a call at 360-943-1776 or drop by their
office. You can also call the TEA office at 360-3525256. PEER SUPPORT. Just another example of
how your UNION is working for YOU.
Missing your WEA calendar?
In order to save on costs, WEA decided that
pocket calendars would not be sent to members
this year. We were able to get a limited supply to
give to members who want one. If you would like
to have a 2016-17 WEA pocket calendar, please
contact Miranda Robinson at the TEA office (360352-5256 or [email protected]).
Has your information
changed?
October 26
December 14
February 22
April 15
Team Up with California
Casualty!
Thomas R. Brown Athletics Grants- provides
grants to support public middle and high school
athletics in financial need. Applications and eligibility can be found at www.calcasathleticsgrant.
com.
Classifieds
Please report any changes to your personal
information (mailing address, phone number,
email address, etc.) to the Washington Education
FREE office copier available. It is approximately 10 years old. Works well, probably has a few
more years of life. Comes with a side collating
tray and supplies. Free but must be picked up.
Call Miranda at 360-352-5256 if interested.
TEA Executive Board
President: Tim Voie, Sec. Options Secretary: Lori Tibbetts, BMS Advocate:
November 30
January 25
March 22
May 24
2016-17
Vice President: Melissa Swart, THS
Treasurer: Katie Gates, PGS
Page Brock, MTS
Members At Large: Gordan Quinlan, Patricia Kulp, Rhonda Crawford
Log on to www.tumwaterea.org