President's Update August 25, 2024

• Welcome to all new Members - Whether you are brand new to teaching, new to our district, or are just back for another new year. Welcome back and Welcome to TEA. We are so thankful that you are here and are a part of the TEA family.

• FYI/ Communication -

  • If you are reaching out to TEA in any fashion, whether to myself, our office, our officers or even your site reps, please use your personal email. We cannot and should not be using TUSD email for any communications pertaining to our Union work, or membership. TUSD owns their email servers and anything you send on their servers belongs to them.

  • Also, if you are communicating with colleges please use your personal email and If you are discussing students in any way, please use initials not names, and remain professional.

• Numbers, Hiring, Positions -

  • It was a long summer of waiting to see if our temporary teachers would be with us as we started. Numbers are lower in return than anticipated.

  • This summer TUSD hired close to 40 people. It is still mostly in the area of Special Education.

  • Enrollment numbers were down and we had movement the night before we returned that shifted and moved people due to changes at sites.

  • TEA is still working on items pertaining to sites, temps, permanent status and percentages.

• Temp/Prob/Perm -

  • If you were Probationary 2 last year - the great news is that you are permanent status now!!! If you are unsure if you are Prob. or Perm., please reach out to HR at TUSD to double check and make sure your contracts are permanent.

  • TEA is aware that there are members who are listed as only 50% permanent, but are currently working 100% contracts. Please let us know if that is what you have been told. You may also send the contracts, agreements you signed when you became permanent.  

• Update Contact Information:

  • If you really want us to know how to get a hold of you, or if you have new contact information, address/ phone / email, please update your information with the TEA office (714) 505-6365 or please go HERE. We want to make sure all members are receiving all information being sent.

  • To make sure that you are receiving all emails from TEA please go HERE and update. This should help us make changes for this program quicker. Make sure that your site reps have your updated information as well so that they may best reach out to you.

• New Laws For This School Year -

  • There are a couple of laws that take affect this school year:

    • RECESS LAW -

      • Starting in the 2024-25 school year, recess provided by a public school must meet the following requirement under new Education Code section 49056:

        • Pupils cannot be denied recess, unless participating in recess poses an immediate threat to their own safety or the safety of peers. This new requirement is intended to ensure schools do not take away recess as a form of punishment or student discipline, which was previously allowed.

        • Recess must be held outdoors whenever weather and air quality permits.

    • SAFETY LAW - This law sounds like it will help to stop, or start in stopping, many of the issues we have been dealing with over the last couple of years. There are several parts that are very important. I encourage everyone to read the actual Bill AB553 - HERE or check out a more cliff notes version.

      • Some of the most important parts are:

        • Each district MUST create a safety team at the district level, they must also have a plan and a way to document all threats of violence -the law defines workplace violence as “any act of violence or threat of violence that occurs in the place of employment,” and includes a “threat or use of physical force against an employee that results in, or has the high likelihood of resulting in, injury, psychological trauma, or stress, regardless of whether the employee sustains an injury.”

        • SB553 specifically includes within its definition of workplace violence acts directed at employees by…those receiving services, such as customers, visitors, or students.  

        • Your safety records on site must be done by a committee on site.

        • You must also be trained, review and change the site safety plans yearly. Everyone must know what is expected and what happens in case of any threat.

        • This new law dovetails with Education Code Section 32281 (A) which requires all TK thought 12 grade schools…to develop and maintain a CSSP to address campus risks, prepare for emergencies, and create a safe, secure learning environment for students and school personnel. These annually revised plans must address the prevention and response to potential incidents, including acts of violence, bullying and cyberbullying, and related discipline, suspension and expulsion.

      • TUSD has their safety document that you can READ HERE please read over the 8 page document and let TEA know if there are any issues with safety on your sites. The final page of the document states a Violent Incident Report - but upon reading the whole document you will see that it’s more of a basic incident report.

      • Here is what the incident report looks like - please click the link HERE or the picture itself, to also get a one page copy of the incident report.

• Special Education -

  • TEA is aware of the issues that have already been bubbling in Special Education. We know that there are many more of you who may be so overwhelmed you have not reached out yet. If you have issues that pertain to special education that you already are needing an answer, or wish for a fix - Please fill out THIS GOOGLE FORM so that we at TEA can begin to work as well with you on this.

  • SDC/SAI - TEA is already aware of issues in the SDC/SAI middle school setting.

  • SAI - please remember that if you are at 28 that is the Ed. Code Cap and you must be asked to sign a waiver. You cannot surpass that number unless there is a waiver and even with the waiver you can only go to 32 and must be provided with additional assistance per California Ed. Code. While it may seem hard, it is to make sure that our students are getting what they deserve with attention to their needs, while also making sure that your workloads do not increase and that you do not break California Ed. Code.

• Contract Informational Items -

  • TEA Contract - Article 11 - Evaluation:

    • Everyone should be aware of their contract and the following pertains to everyone at the start of the year.

    • No later than twenty (20) workdays following the commencement of duties - the immediate supervisor shall review the following materials with each unit member: Annual goals and objectives as adopted by the Board of Education; Appropriate curriculum guides; Non-instructional duties normally required to be performed by certificated personnel; California Standards for the Teaching Profession; Tools and criteria to be used in observing and evaluating the unit member.

  • Catastrophic Leave Open Enrollment:

    • If you haven’t already enrolled, now is the time. During the open enrollment period, all unit members employed by the District are eligible to contribute to the Program provided that you will still have a minimum of nine (9) accumulated sick leave days remaining after contributing a sick leave day to the Program.

    • The enrollment must be printed and delivered to the district with a wet signature. Click on the form below or GO HERE to get a copy. Copies may also be found on the TEA website -tustinea.org

    • If you have donated a day to the catastrophic leave program during a previous open enrollment, an additional donation is not required. It is one day only to pay into the program. You will not be asked for any additional days unless the pool of days ever runs low. In the decade of having this option, there has not been a need to ask for any additional days from those enrolled.

    • If you are not sure if you are already enrolled you may contact the TEA office 714.505.6365 or the district office.  

• Open House - Come Join Us At YOUR TEA office - 4940 Irvine Blvd, Suite 205, Irvine 92620;  on Tuesday, September 10th from 4:00pm - 6:00pm - there will be food and vendors and drawings. We hope to see you there!

• Fall Fest at BJ’s will be in October - date coming soon!

• CTA Conferences - Please fill out a TEA conference request if you are interested in attending any conferences, for the first one it happened before approval so I already have a few who have registered and sent the forms. Form Here

• Special Education - September 27-29, Hyatt Regency OC - The first conference of the year is the Special Education Conference. It features sessions full of strategies, topics and proven research to help you support your exceptional students. This is a very popular conference and is for both special education and general education teachers. TEA has spots for sponsorship attendance (includes: conference fee, parking and mileage). Follow the link above or GO HERE to register.  

• Member Benefit Services - One of the perks of membership are the benefits that you have access to. Through our state (CTA) and national (NEA) partners we have access to a multitude of resources. Check out their webpage HERE.

• The Standard - TEA’s special enrollment opportunity for CTA-endorsed Disability and Life insurance from Standard Insurance Company is now open! During this enrollment period any member that signs up would not have to answer any medical questions or provide any medical history. Whether you are a brand new hire or a district transfer, you may have a limited-time opportunity to help protect your paycheck and loved ones with CTA-endorsed Disability and Life insurance from Standard Insurance Company. To learn more or apply go to TUSTIN EA STANDARD LINK . The Standard is important if you are planning pregnancies, want your paycheck protected in case of any accidents, etc. Sign up today to protect yourself, your paycheck and avoid any questions about your medical history being asked.

• Learn more about your Member Benefits straight from the people who work on making sure you get the best additional benefits. Check out the following to learn about what interests you. Join CTA Member Benefits every first Tuesday of the month, 4 pm PST, to learn about your member benefits. To register for MB4U sessions, click here.

• Here's a schedule of the topics they will be covering each month.

• Enter Now: Provident Credit Union's $4,000 educator giveaway!

  • Enter to win! In honor of all CTA Members, Provident Credit Union is hosting a giveaway with a chance to win up to $4,000 in prizes. Founded by the California Teachers Association in 1950, Provident Credit Union continues to serve the needs of the educational community and we would like to celebrate you!

    • Contest Rules:

      • You don’t have to be Provident member

      • You do have to be a CTA member

      • Must be a resident of California

      • You can enter once a month (max 3 entries) per household

      • Entry Period

      • August 1 - October 31, 2024

      • Winner will be announced: November 15, 2024

    • ENTER HERE

• CALM APP - And don’t forget about our CTA CALM APP - a free subscription just for being a CTA member. And you can give membership to up to 5 members of your family once you log on. Your Calm subscription gives you unlimited access to their full library of resources. It may not be therapy, but you can listen to music, sounds, have a book lull you to sleep by a narrator of your choice, they even have a kids section. I am even listening to it as I finish this update. There is so much it’s overwhelming, but listening to Cillian Murphy talk about Ireland - totally worth it.

• Other Information:

  • All educators should have paid pregnancy leave, and our union continues to fight hard to make this a reality through AB 2901 (Aguiar-Curry).  Last week, we took a big step forward as the bill made it out of committee and onto the Senate floor. But we’re not taking our foot off the gas any time soon! Join our fight for the pregnancy leave teachers deserve by clicking below to demand that lawmakers approve #PregnancyLeaveNOW.

• August is:

  • Children's Eye Health and Safety Month

    • NEI for Kids - National Eye Institute Website Kids section has links for kids to learn about eyes and safety with the eyes. Check in out HERE

  • National Immunization Awareness Month - highlights the importance of getting recommended vaccines throughout your life. We know that busy schedules can sometimes impact your ability to attend important appointments and receive routine vaccinations.

    • CDC Website

    • American Association of Immunologist

  • August 26th - Women's Equality Day

    • Women’s Equality Day is an official holiday in the United States celebrated every August 26 to commemorate the day when the 19th Amendment was passed giving women the right to vote in 1920. Since 1971, the day is celebrated to remember the suffragists and their efforts as well as other women’s rights issues.

      • Kid’s Connect Website

• September is: (to get a head start)

• Library Card Sign-Up Month

  • American Library Association Website with resources

  • The History of Library Card Sign Up Month

• National Preparedness Month - Meant to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies and disasters.

• 2nd - Labor Day - recognized on the first Monday of September every year this holiday celebrates the hard work and accomplishments of workers in America and how they helped make our country strong and successful. It’s a day for all of us as workers. 

  • CTA’s Labor Day Page

  • AFL-CIO Union Made Products for your Labor Day BBQ

  • Ducksters for Kids

  • Britannica for Kids

  • PBS Kids Labor Day Video

• 8th - International Literacy Day - happens around the world to remind policy-makers, practitioners, and the public of the critical importance of literacy for creating more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable society. This year’s theme is: "Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace". Click the picture above or HERE to go to the UNESCO site.

• 9th California Admission Day - commemorates the anniversary of the 1850 admission of California into the Union as the thirty-first state.

• 11th- Patriot Day - Observed as the National Day of Service and Remembrance, occurs on September 11 of each year in memory of the 2,977 people killed in the 2001 September 11 attacks. The flag of the United States is flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset (36 United States Code 144).

• 15th - National Hispanic Heritage Month Begins - The theme for 2024 is “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.”

• 17th - Constitution and Citizenship Day- Commemorates the formation and signing of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787. It is dedicated to all American citizens.

It truly was a busy and far too short summer this year. I feel like we have already spent at least six weeks back. But I am beyond excited to start getting out to sites soon. While we won’t be meeting one:one with members at sites, we will be on sites more this year. There is so much we are building on from our meetings last year. Look for group meetings after school by grade level/ subject or areas that people asked that will help bring you together from across the district. There will also be more (shorter) emails coming and I am formulating a way to not get rid of these updates, but create something that makes it easier to refer back to if you have things you want to find later. Please, as always, reach out and let me know if there is anything that you are thinking about that you think we could/ should do, and let’s get to work together!

Have a wonderful start to your week and a great three day weekend!

In Unity,

Lisa Hickman
President, Tustin Educators Association
Itinerant Teacher, Heideman Elementary
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