Vol. 7, Issue 5 December 2006 • January 2007 Important Dates CCEA Hires UniServs December 1-15, 2006 Horner & Miller Join the Team $5 Movie Tickets @ CCEA CCEA is happy to announce the employment of December 12, 2006 Steve Horner and Chet Miller as UniServ Directors. CCEA Executive Board Meeting Steve and Chet are CCEA Rep Council Meeting CCEA Election Nominations Close replacing Kim Radich and Debbie Staten who WELCOME TO THE TEAM— December 18-29, 2006 accepted other CCEA welcomes Steve Horner and Chet Miller to the CCSD Winter Break employment during the UniServ staff. summer. December 21, 2006 Following a Las Vegas College Football Bowl @ Sam Boyd Stadium nationwide search it became apparent that Steve and Chet possessed the qualifications that CCEA was seeking. Steve, a special December 22, 25-29, 2006 education teacher, most recently taught at Pittman Elementary School. In CCEA Office Closed addition to his expertise in special education he also worked extensively in government relations. January 1, 2007 Chet left his position as a second grade teacher at Jacobson Elementary New Year’s Day CCEA Office Closed School to join CCEA’s staff. He was very involved in his local teacher’s union when he was in New York. He continued that level of involvement when he January 9, 2007 moved to Clark County, serving as an Association Representative and a member CCEA Executive Board Meeting of the Board of Directors. Welcome, Steve and Chet, as CCEA UniServ Directors. January 15, 2007 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Day CCEA Office Closed January 19 & 20, 2007 CTE Offers New Program Disney On Ice @ The Arena And Another Opportunity to Advance on NSEA Board of Directors Meeting January 23, 2007 the 07/08 Salary Schedule CCEA Rep Council Meeting The Center for Teaching Excellence behaviors and mindsets January 25-27, 2007 began enrolling students this fall. • Why students from generational Crayola® Dream-Makers® Visual Those students will have completed 9 poverty often fear being educated Arts & Literacy PDE Class credits by the time they are enjoying • The hidden rules within Winter Break and will complete all 18 economic classes January 26, 2007 credits in time to head off for a nice • Interventions that improve CCEA Night with the Wranglers summer vacation. Ready to join your behavior colleagues and move up on next year’s • The eight resources that make a Inside This Issue salary schedule? It’s not too late! difference in success Sign up for “Understanding and • Five cognitive interventions that Pg 2 • Message from the President Responding to Economic Diversity: improve achievement Pg 3 • Legal Corner Building Success for CCSD Students,” • Interventions to build emotional Pg 4 • 2007 CCEA Elections offered by Touro University. Based on resources Pg 5 • PPP Award Winners the works of world-renowned educator • Techniques for improving state Pg 6 • Member Mall & Discounts Ruby Payne, it’s a comprehensive, in- assessment scores Grant Opportunities depth study of poverty, the impact of Pg 7 • Study Sessions Offered poverty on education, offering effective Making achievement possible for Pg 8 • STEP UP Logo Contest pedagogical and sociological strategies ALL students -- that’s what this 18- Pg 9 • 2007 Legislative Session and practices. credit graduate level program is all Pg 10 • SES Classes Begin Sign up now and learn: about. Pg 11 • PDE Class Offering • How economic class affects (continues on page 8) Frequently A Message from President Asked Mary Ella Holloway Questions By Kathy Foresythe CCEA Deputy Executive Director The Session Ahead Legal Services The election is over, the votes have been counted, and we know who will be in Carson City in February. Topic: Personnel Files I want to thank all the volunteers who helped the endorsed candidates during the election season. Your help was vital to the Does CCSD maintain more than one campaigns whether your candidate won or lost. Either way you personnel file for a teacher? made a difference. Yes, Article 14 of the Negotiated The governor and the legislators will spend 120 days from Agreement provides for two (2) February to July making decisions that will affect your personnel files: one is kept at the professional and personal lives. A multitude of bills will be central office and one is kept at introduced—and perhaps passed—that could affect your salary the school location. and benefits, retirement, classroom working conditions, and bargaining rights. Can written reports, comments, and NSEA and CCEA will be lobbying during the 2007 Legislative Session to make sure good things happen and bad things are other documents be placed in these files stopped. But we need your help. We need educators who are without the knowledge of the teacher? willing to e-mail, write and call the legislators to tell them what No, a copy of any document placed is happening in the schools and classrooms. The legislators in the personnel files must be need to hear your personal stories about how their decisions provided to the teacher. could impact you and your students. If you are willing to help, send me your personal email Are teachers required to sign documents addresses so that I can create a list of educators who will contact to be placed in their file? their legislators when education bills are being considered. Yes, if you are directed to sign a Include your teaching area (second grade, high school special document, other than a education, etc.) so that we will have a bank of people who will be resignation, you must sign it. able to provide information as specific issues arise. Help CCEA be your voice in Carson City. Can a teacher be disciplined for refusing to sign a document? Yes, refusal to follow a direction to sign a document is considered insubordination and could result Scholarship Nominations in an admonition. The Clark County Education Association is Does your signature mean that you agree sponsoring its annual scholarship program with the contents of the document? for the 2006-2007 school year. Students No, by signing a document you are must meet the following criteria: acknowledging that you have received it, not that you agree 1. Nominated by any CCEA Member. with it. 2. Be related to a CCEA Member. This relationship is defined in Article 1-11 of the CCSD/CCEA Negotiated Can teachers respond to documents Agreement. CCEA membership must be effective for the placed in their personnel files? prior two (2) years or the member must have joined when Yes, you have thirty (30) work days first becoming eligible for membership. (see definition in Article 1-13) to submit a response to your 3. A 2007 graduating Clark County public school student. administrator. (Not applicable to student teaching/educational internship applicants.) Where does the response go? Scholarship nomination forms will be mailed to all The response is signed by your members the last week in January. Nominations must be administrator and a copy is placed returned to CCEA by 5:00 p.m. on February 16, 2007. in your work location file and one There will be no exceptions. If you do not receive a form, please is sent to Human Resources to be contact Pat at 866-6174. placed in your central office file. Page 2 • CCEA Express www.ccea-nv.org Enhance Your Economic Benefit$ One of our primary goals at CCEA is to constantly assess members’ needs and look for additional benefits and resources we can provide to fulfill those needs. Signing We have become much more aware of the need to educate our members on financial matters, especially as they relate to the Public for Receipt of Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). It is critical that you understand how PERS works Documents Required because you will then be able to better plan for your financial future. Advantage Financial, Often times teachers call the Association requesting representation for a an approved Economic Benefit Specialist, will meeting in which they are receiving a copy of a document, be it a provide guidance with your economic and memorandum or a disciplinary financial needs built around PERS. document. While on occasion Advantage Financial can effectively assist CCEA representatives have you with determining your appropriate 403(b) been in attendance, employees …employees can be held funding, life insurance through CCEA Life do not have a right to Choices, and other financial matters that may benefit you. representation when they are insubordinate for refusing It is never too early for you to gain the signing for receipt of a to sign for receipt of a knowledge needed to prepare for your financial document. Because the future. CCEA invites you to learn about employee may not know this, document. financial resources and how you would best employees have refused to benefit from them. To learn from those who sign for receipt of the specialize in meeting the needs of educators, document. It is imperative that employees are aware that they can be call Advantage Financial. They have the tools held insubordinate for refusing to sign for receipt of a document. and resources available to help you prepare Article 14-1 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, (“Agreement”), your retirement. requires the District to provide “a copy of each written report, comment, Contact Advantage Financial for a personal no obligation consultation regarding your reprimand, or any other document concerning a teacher which the current and future benefits. They are located District places in either of the two (2) personnel files” to the employee. at 2860 East Flamingo Road - Suite F, in Las The two personnel files maintained by the District are the work site file Vegas, and can be reached at (702) 733-7890.