focus

on educators

focus on educators is an award winning publication of the Pittsburg Education Association/CTA/NEA www.peateachers.org

California Teachers Association

Statement of Mission
The California Teachers Association exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to improve the conditions of
teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education; to ensure that the human dignity
and civil rights of all children and youth are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.

APRIL 2015

Volume XXIII, Number 8

In this Issue
- Day of the Teacher Information
- PEA Teacher Elected CTA President
- WHO Award Winner
- Tentative Agreement Info. and Pictures
- NEA News

Dear Colleagues,
First of all, a Congratulations!
and Thank you! are in order to all
of you. On April 1, we reached a
tentative agreement that we believe
is a fair compromise and a positive

step toward a more competitive

contract that will retain and attract
teachers in Pittsburg. Thank you for
stepping up to do the difficult
organizing work. I know workingto-rule was extremely challenging,
but it made a big difference. Thank
you for talking to parents and
community members and for
showing up at board meetings.
Together we were able to secure a
successful agreement. Three dropin voting days for ratification took
place this past week and the results
will be shared in the next day or
two. The PUSD Board of Trustees
will be voting on the T.A. this
Wednesday, April 22.
While it may be tempting to return
to business as usual, our work as a
union and professional association
is far from done. The next important
task is to elect a pro-public
education, pro-teacher ally to the
State Senate. Were asking
Pittsburg teachers and our
friends and families to support
Susan Bonilla for SD 7. She is a
former Mt. Diablo teacher and chair
of the Assemblys Education
Committee. She has done wonderful
advocacy work for students,

teachers, public education and

working families in our community.
Unfortunately, corporations and
wealthy businessmen who want to
eliminate teacher due process rights
and privatize public schools are
funding Susans opponent. We will
never have the money that corporate
reformers have, but we have the
people power. Please commit to
voting for Susan and speak to your
family and friends in SD 7 and ask
them to do the same. Since it is a
special election and will have a very
low turnout, Susan needs our
support! Only 35% of eligible CTA
members voted in the March 17th
primary electionwe need more
members to vote this time if we
want Susan to win!
In a couple of weeks, on
Wednesday, May 13th, PEA will be
hosting our annual Day of the
Teacher celebration at La Piata!
We hope youll be able to join us to
celebrate our profession and our
new contract agreement!
In Solidarity,
Dawn Cova

PEA Leadership 2014-2015

President
Dawn Cova
Rancho Medanos/PEA Office
Elementary Vice President
Tammy Carr
Highlands Elementary
Secondary Vice President
Shelly Bascomb
BTSA
Secretary
Chris Coan
Willow Cove Elementary
Treasurer
Gale Higgins
Willow Cove Elementary
Committee Chairs:
Grievance Committee
John Kleinjans Pittsburg High
Chris Coan Willow Cove Elementary

Rep. Council Meeting Calendar

April 20
May 18
June 1
************************************

School Board Meeting Calendar

April 22
May 6 & 20
June 3 & 24
************************************

Are you getting your PEA

information?
Having our Site Reps collect your input, attend the
monthly Rep meeting and then report back to you is
vital in the communication chain of our Association.
Roll call at March 23rd Rep Council Meeting:

Negotiations Team
Mark Maselli - Chair
Political Action Committee
Jim Vaughan - Chair
Elections Chair
Ruth Foster
Human Rights & Womens Issues Chairs
Yvonne Burton
Michell Redfoot
O-Team Chairs
Shelly Bascomb
Bertha Ramos
CTA State Council Representatives
Mark Maselli PEA
CTA Director District C
Terri Jackson
NEA Director for California, District 3
Greg Bonaccorsi
Technical Editor
Susan Harrison PEA Site Secretary

Foothill present
Heights present
Highlands present
Los Medanos present
Marina Vista present
Parkside present
Stoneman present

Willow Cove present

MLK Jr. absent
Hillview - present
Rancho Medanos present
PHS - present
Black Diamond present
Adult Ed. present

************************************

UPCOMING 2014-2015 CTA/PEA EVENTS

CTA Political Academy
April 24-26 San Jose
ALCOSTA Lobby Day
April 29, 2015 Sacramento
PEA Officer Elections
May 4-18 School Sites
Ballots due to PEA office at 4:00 p.m. on May 18th

Focus on Educators
is a publication of the
Pittsburg Education Association CTA/NEA
159 East 4th Street
Pittsburg, CA 94565
Phone: (925) 432-0199
fax: (925) 432-4854
email: info@peateachers.org
website: www.peateachers.org

Teachers need to feel they are trusted.

They must be allowed some leeway to use
their imagination; otherwise, teaching
loses all sense of wonder and excitement.
-Alan Bennett

Californias Day of the Teacher

This May 13th, educators around the state will mark the
33rd anniversary of Californias Day of the Teacher. This is
a time to honor teachers, demonstrate their impact and a
great opportunity for CTA chapters to reach out to local
organizations and businesses to strengthen the schoolcommunity connection.
We all know our communities share our goals for quality
public schools and recognize public education as being
the cornerstone for strong communities. But its also up to
us to build those vital relationships with parents,
community organizations, local businesses, other unions,
the faith community and seniors. We are all part of that
community and we will best succeed when we work
together.
Californias Day of the Teacher has its roots in the
community and is patterned after the celebration of the
traditional El Dia del Maestro, which is observed in
Mexico and Latin America countries. Our Californias Day
of the Teacher arose out of legislation co-sponsored by
CTA and the Association of Mexican American Educators
in 1982. (from cta.org)
Hey Everyone! Welcome back from the break. We are
getting closer and closer to June 6th and we need you and
your families to sign up to run/walk! We have some great
local vendors and great giveaways and its so much fun!
PEA invites you to join us in
celebration of

Day of the Teacher

Date: Wednesday, May 13th
Time: 3:30-5:30
Place: La Piata, 95 Bliss Ave.,
Pittsburg
What: Dinner, a drink, and merriment
with fellow educators!
We hope to see you there!
Please RSVP to Susan@peateachers.org
or
432-0199 by May 8th

If you have a small business and would like to have a

booth to sell or promote your business please contact me!
This is an event for the community and we want everyone
to feel included and supported.
Like us on Facebook and INVITE everyone on your
friends list it cant hurt to spread the word and support
Physical Education!!
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Reynolds
Rancho Medanos JHS
************************************

Eric is not only a wonderful teacher, he is an experienced

and dynamic agent of change who has been an integral
part of our biggest student-centered initiatives over the
last decade, said CTA President Dean E. Vogel. It has
been a pleasure and an honor for me to serve alongside
such a dynamic and dedicated education and union
leader. I know the future of California students and our
325,000 members are in good hands with Eric, Theresa
and David at the helm.
************************************

We Honor Ours!

PEA Member Eric Heins Elected

CTA President!

PEA is proud to honor Shelly Bascomb as our

2015 WHO Awardee!

Pittsburg elementary teacher Eric C. Heins has been

elected as the 55th president of the 325,000-member
California Teachers Association. The 56-year-old Heins
was elected at the last quarterly meeting of the CTA State
Council of Education, the unions top governing body
comprised of more than 700 educators democratically
elected across the state. State Council delegates also
elected Theresa Montao, a Chicano Studies and
Education Professor at the California State University,
Northridge, as Vice President, and Los Angeles
elementary school teacher David Goldberg as SecretaryTreasurer. The new leadership team will take office on
June 26th. They were elected to serve a two-year term.
We are on the verge of a precipice of unprecedented
change in California public education and it will take all of
useducators, parents and the communityworking
together if we want to keep moving in the right direction. It
is up to us as educators and unionists to take the lead, to
transform our profession and to create a brighter future for
our students and our state, said President-elect Heins.
Its time to stop substituting testing for thinking and let
students discover and experience the wonder of learning. I
look forward to working with my fellow officers and all
educators to ensure all California students get the public
education they deserve.
A 24-year teaching veteran, Heins has taught kindergarten
through fifth grade, including music in the Pittsburg Unified
School District, and is a member of the Pittsburg
Education Association. Heins has a masters degree in
language and literacy education from the University of
California at Berkeley and a bachelors degree from
Chapman College.
Californias educators and students have gained an avid
supporter, advocate and leader in President-elect Heins.

Shelly has been a tireless advocate for Pittsburg

educators. She has served as the PEA Vice PresidentSecondary where she goes out of her way to personally
engage all members. In addition to meeting regularly with
classroom teachers, Shelly has strengthened connections
with members who are school psychologists, counselors,
and teachers on special assignment. Shelly has also
served as the Organizing Chair during several rounds of
challenging contract negotiations. She has planned and
organized successful events including tailgates, rallies,
postcard blitzes, parent email actions, and more in order
to inform, engage, and mobilize PEA members and our
community allies to ensure a fair and competitive contract!
She was instrumental in securing the most recent
Tentative Agreement reached on April 1. The Pittsburg
Education Association is stronger and more united
because of Shellys advocacy and activism. Thank you,
Shelly!

PEA & PUSD Reach Tentative Agreement!

It was a long and demanding bargaining cycle, but we
finally reached a fair agreement! The major issues prior to
mediation were the term of contract, K-3 class sizes,
effective date of benefit increases, work year, and hours.
We were able to secure a competitive successor
agreement while maintaining our ability to negotiate salary
and benefits each of the next two years once the facts of
the budget are known. Benefit increases will be paid retro
with a one-time bonus check as well. This was a very
important gain for us! PEA members demonstrated they
would not be forced into settling for unfavorable terms
when our benefit increases are being held hostage. On K3 class sizes, we agreed on school averages 24:1, with
maximums of 26:1. If the funding is eliminated or
decreased, the district may return to current class sizes
(30:1), but we would be able to negotiate an alternative at
that time.
Collective Action and Solidarity Led to Agreement
We had an unprecedented amount of support from PEA
members, parents, students, and our community allies as
we worked together for a fair contract. Working-to-rule was
very impactful as well as all the letters, emails, rallies, and
presentations at the school board meetings. It was
especially significant to have high school students and
parents from all levels speak out on our behalf. Our
agreement was a result of the organizing efforts of many
people who care about public education in Pittsburg!
Thank you to everyone who stepped up and got involved!
While we did not get everything we hoped for, overall, we
believe this is a fair agreement and a positive step toward
attracting and retaining great teachers in Pittsburg.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT & ACTIVISM!

Make your 9% raise a 10% raise with

Common Core State Standards
Collaboration Time!!!

From the last election, we saw that Absentee Ballots

dominated the election AND voters mailed their ballots
early. This is why we need to step up NOW to contact
fellow union members.

Hopefully you all have been using your collaboration time

as outlined in the MOU between PUSD & PEA.
Elementary unit members have 13 hours 40 minutes and
secondary unit members have 14 hours 50 minutes of per
diem to use before June 30th. This time is teacher-directed
collaboration. Principals can offer suggested topics, but
ultimately it should be decided by teachers as you know
what you need to continue Common Core implementation.
Several principals have approved conferences and
trainings as part of the MOU, but it is at their discretion
because most occur off-site. Be sure to submit your time
sheets and templates in order to get paid. Two days per
diem is equivalent to approx. a 1% salary increase!
Dont leave money on the table!

Precinct Walks
EVERY Saturday 9AM-4PM & Sunday 1PM-8PM
3350 Clayton Road, Ste. 220, Concord OR
6250 Village Parkway, Dublin

************************************

Labor-to-Labor Phonebanks
EVERY Monday through Thursday 4pm-9pm & Saturdays
10am-2pm
Contra Costa Labor Council, 1333 Pine St., Suite E,
Martinez, CA 94553
Lets work together to get Susan Bonilla elected to the
State Senate!
For more information or to RSVP, contact Joe at (925)
228-0161 or joe@cclabor.net
************************************

NEWS.
Our students are counting on us. We need
to speak up for them now!

Susan Bonilla: A Teacher for Senate District 7

Special Election May 19th
Susan supports teaching over testing. She authored
AB 484, a bill that eliminated outdated standardized
testing and postponed high stakes accountability for three
years.
Susan has bi-partisan support including CTA and the
education communities, firefighters, law enforcement,
working families and veterans. Susan has a proven
record of working for students and families and is
committed to continue working on our behalf. Her
opponent is anti-union and does NOT support teachers
due process rights.
This is going to be a LOW-TURNOUT election! Please
commit to voting for Susan Bonilla and asking your
friends and family to do the same!

Reauthorization of ESEA is moving fast and its

important that our members voices help shape the new
law. This is the most serious effort to rewrite the law,
better known as No Child Left Behind, since it passed
in 2002. This is an opportunity to set a new vision of
shared responsibility for a public education system that
promotes opportunity, equity, and excellence for all
students.
Across the country, educators, students, parents and
community members are uniting to send a strong
message to legislators: Too much classroom time is
being spent on testing and not enough time is spent
on learning.
Will you take these simple steps?
*Visit http://www.getESEAright.com to participate in the
fight for more opportunity, less testing!
*Call Congress today at (866) 232-7471.
*Text STUDENTS to 83224 to learn more from NEA.

Are you an ethnic minority member of CTA?

Are you interested in broadening your knowledge of
the association and exploring the possibility of a
role in leadership?

Ethnic Minority Early Identification &

Development Program

NOW SEEKING CANDIDATES!

Please email: dawn@peateachers.org if you are interested
or would like to recommend a potential leader for this
wonderful program. The deadline for applying is May 1st, so
please respond by April 28th!
************************************

Currently, CTA faces challenges that threaten the very

existence of public education as well as CTAs ability to
function as a guardian of that institution, our students and
members. Today we face unrelenting attacks that fragment
the publics support for our schools and divide educational
employees support for CTAs efforts to come to the aid of
public education.
In many local chapters of the CTA there exists a significant
lack of diversity within the leadership roles. Although it is
recognized that CTA staff, chapter and state leaders have
often encouraged and nurtured minority leaders into
leadership roles, the CTA Board of Directors has determined
that a more systematic approach needed to be instituted.
This program was established in order to sustain and
increase ethnic minority leadership in CTA and its affiliates.
During the last decade, we have been witness to a steady
increase in the number of our ethnic minority members,
which reflects Californias changing demographics.
Caucasian women have been particularly successful in
transitioning to leadership or staff roles, but it appears to take
ethnic minority women longer. Ethnic minority men appear to
have similar struggles entering either role, and are
diminishing in numbers in our classrooms as well.
CTA has had a long-standing commitment to increasing
ethnic minority leadership and staff. This program is
both evidence of that commitment and reinforcement to
continue it in the future.

Program Design
The Ethnic Minority Early Identification and Development
Program has been created to identify ethnic minority
members who are interested in expanding their roles in the
organization. Once identified and accepted in the program,
participants are paired with a coach who assists them in
defining goals and identifying appropriate steps to achieve
those goals. The program builds on existing CTA/NEA
programs, trainings, conferences, events as well as
incorporates interaction and coaching with Local Chapter,
CTA, and NEA leadership and CTA Staff.

30 Ways to Celebrate Poetry during

National Poetry Month
Put poetry in an unexpected place
Read a book of poetry
Attend a poetry reading
Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day
Visit A Poem A Day For American High
Schools: http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/
Read other ideas: http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/94

Tips for Teachers

1. Begin each class with a poem by a different poet.
2. Challenge students to memorize poems and then
write them out or recite them from memory.
3. Read poems aloud to your students.
4. Ask each student to create his or her own anthology
of favorite poems.
5. Organize a poetry contest for teachers and
administrators and select students to act as judges.
6. Introduce a new poetic form each week and give
examples of poems that use -- or reinvent -- the form.

from: http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/103
More Classroom resources:
http://www.cta.org/Parents-and-Community/AwarenessHolidays/National-Poetry-Month.aspx
We are not just teachers,
we are the managers of the worlds
greatest resource: children!
-Robert John Meehan

How to Make Black Lives Matter in Our Schools

(excerpt from Rethinking Schools magazine)
Here are a few ideas for bringing Black Lives Matter into
our teaching:
1. Provide a social justice, anti-racist curriculum that
gives students the historical grounding, literacy skills,
and space to explore the emotional intensity of
feelings around the murder of Black youth. At the
same time, deep discussion of these heavy issues needs
to build on strong classroom community. Students cant
launch into discussions of racism without a basis of trust
and sharing among students and between students and
teacher. That is the slow, steady work of meaningful
classroom conversation, purposeful group work, reading
and writing about critical social and personal issues,
shared writing, and more. Teachers need to nurture
communities of mutual respect and empathy.
2. Support students who want to have conversations
about the Black Lives Matter movement outside the
classroom, in school forums or school clubs.
Educators supporting the work of Black Student Unions in
schools across the country have helped transform the
school climate. Black students sense of pride and selfworth have helped ignite this new civil rights movement.

The Farm Workers Prayer

By Cesar E. Chavez
Show me the suffering of the most miserable;
So I will know my peoples plight.
Free me to pray for others;
For you are present in every person.
Help me to take responsibility for my own life;
So that I can feel free at last.
Grant me courage to serve others;
For in service there is true life.
Give me honesty and patience;
So that I can work with other workers.
Bring forth song and celebration;
So that the Spirit will be alive among us.
Let the Spirit flourish and grow;
So that we will never tire of the struggle.
Let us remember those who have died for justice;
For they have given us life.
Help us love even those who hate us;
So we can change the world.
************************************

3. Raise the Black Lives Matter movement with other

teachers at our schools and in our unions. Its not
enough to provide students with historical lessons. History
is being made today by teachers planning Black Student
Lives Matter forums and die-ins, advocating for hiring
more Black teachers, and participating in many other
actions around the country.
This is the moment social justice educators have been
waiting for. When pro football players ran onto the field
with their hands up in a demonstration of solidarity with
the Hands Up, Dont Shoot protests that followed
Michael Browns murder, some people in the audience
supported them; others were opposed. But everyone knew
what they meant. This is a sea change. The topic of police
violence against Black people and systemic racism is on
the table in a way it hasnt been for a generation. Its time
to put aside the test prep and build a school-to-justice
pipeline.

The Zinn Education Projects If We Knew Our History series

features articles by teachers, journalists, and scholars that
highlight inadequacies in the history textbooks published by
giant corporations and that too often find their way into our
classrooms. Articles in this series puncture myths and
stereotypes. But they also discuss why it is so important that
our students have access to a richer peoples history that
questions inequality and highlights efforts to create a more
just society. Our premise is that if we knew our history, the
world would be a better place.
http://zinnedproject.org/why/if-we-knew-our-historyseries/

Thank a Union:
36 Ways Unions Have Improved Your Life

14.

Worker's Compensation (Worker's Comp)

15.

Unemployment Insurance

Employers and Corporations did not feel generous

and decide to give you two days off every week to
have a social/personal life. (We now call them
weekends). Corporations did not just feel like
being nice one day and give their employees paid
vacations. CEOs didn't get together in a board
room and say "Let's give our employees more
rights at work" or "Maybe there should be laws to
limit our power over an employee".

16.

Pensions

17.

Workplace Safety Standards and

Regulations

18.

Employer Health Care Insurance

19.

Collective Bargaining Rights for

Employees

20.

Wrongful Termination Laws

Virtually ALL the benefits you have at work,

whether you work in the public or private sector,
all of the benefits and rights you enjoy every day
are there because unions fought hard and long for
them against big business who did everything they
could to prevent giving you your rights. Many
union leaders and members even lost their lives
for things we take for granted today.

21.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act of

1967

22.

Whistleblower Protection Laws

23.

Employee Polygraph Protect Act (Prohibits

Employer from using a lie detector test on
an employee)

24.

Veteran's Employment and Training

Services (VETS)

25.

Compensation increases and Evaluations

(Raises)

26.

Sexual Harassment Laws

27.

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

28.

Holiday Pay

29.

Employer Dental, Life, and Vision

Insurance

30.

Privacy Rights

31.

Pregnancy and Parental Leave

32.

Military Leave

33.

The Right to Strike

34.

Public Education for Children

35.

Equal Pay Acts of 1963 & 2011 (Requires

employers pay men and women equally for
the same amount of work)

36.

Laws Ending Sweatshops in the United

States

36 Reasons Why
You Should Thank a Union
1.

Weekends

2.

All Breaks at Work, including your Lunch

Breaks

3.

Paid Vacation

4.

FMLA

5.

Sick Leave

6.

Social Security

7.

Minimum Wage

8.

Civil Rights Act/Title VII (Prohibits

Employer Discrimination)

9.

8-Hour Work Day

10.

Overtime Pay

11.

Child Labor Laws

12.

Occupational Safety & Health Act

(OSHA)

13.

40 Hour Work Week

Calendar
APRIL
1
2
3
3
5
6-10
13
13
20
20
22
22

April Fools Day

Cesar Chavez Day/No School
Good Friday/Passover begins at Sundown
Board Holiday/No School
Easter
Spring Recess
PEA Senior Scholarship Applications Due
PEA Executive Board PEA Office 159 East 4th St. 3:45 PM
Candidacy Forms Due for Executive Board Elections
PEA Rep Council PEA Office 159 East 4th St. 3:45 PM
PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 7:00 PM
Earth Day/Administrative Professionals Day

MAY
4
4-15
5
10
13
18
6
20
25
26

PEA Executive Board PEA Office 159 East 4th St. 3:45 PM
PEA Executive Board Elections
Cinco de Mayo
Mothers Day
Day of the Teacher La Piata - 95 Bliss Ave., Pittsburg 3: 30 PM
PEA Rep Council PEA Office 159 East 4th St. 3:45 PM
PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 7:00 PM
PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 7:00 PM
Memorial Day/No School
PEA Executive Board PEA Office 159 East 4th St. 3:45 PM
Next Deadline for Articles is Monday, May 11, 2015
STAY INFORMED @ peateachers.org

and cta.org & nea.org