Building the Future the High Desert Way: Excellence, Innovation, Equity and Pride (YHU\RQHLV,QYLWHGWRWKH :(/&20(5(&(37,21 IRU )RRG6SLULWV0XVLF 'DQFLQJDQG)XQ RQ )ULGD\1RYHPEHU SP &RKLED%DOOURRP 6SRQVRUHGE\WKH%XVLQHVV3DUWQHUV CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION Page Welcome Letter . 1 CTA Board of Directors and NEA Directors from California . 2 High Desert Service Center Council Facts . 3-4 General Information . 5-6 Agenda Friday, November 21. 7 Saturday, November 22 . 7 Sunday, November 23 . 8 Your Personal Conference Schedule . 9 Workshops-at-a-Glance. 10 Workshop Descriptions . 11-16 Trainers and Conference Staff . 17 Biographies Dean E. Vogel, CTA President . 18 Eric C. Heins, CTA Vice President . 19 Mikki Cichocki-Semo, CTA Secretary-Treasurer . 20 Joyce Powell, Executive Committee Member, National Education Association . 21 Business Partners. 22 Urgent Care Information . .. 23 EMAC Reception . .. Inside Back Cover Hotel Map . .. Back Cover CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION Welcome to the 2014 High Desert Service Center Fall Leadership Conference Building the Future the High Desert Way: Excellence, Innovation, Equity and Pride! Welcome to the 2014 High Desert Service Center Fall Leadership Conference. It is a pleasure for our Service Center Council to again host this annual conference! We are excited to join with you to share, learn and teach so that we all may be the most effective education advocates for our members and the communities in which we serve. Prior to 1989, High Desert chapters participated in the San Gorgonio and Sierra Service Centers. However, it became clear that the best way to address the unique needs of our unique region would be to establish our own service center. As a result, the High Desert Service Center was formed and from 1989 forward, we have been partners in advocacy in our far-flung and distinctive school communities. We are pleased to provide sessions that will both educate and empower members and leaders of our many diverse associations. This year, we offer sessions covering a variety of themes including curriculum, negotiating, capacity building for reps and leadership, advocacy for social justice and human rights, organizing, political action and membership development. Break-outs will present in-depth information in seminar-like settings on Common Core, Smarter Balanced, best practices for bargaining, tax fairness issues, rep trainings and many other important topics. We hope our conference will equip you with new tools to represent your members by giving you the most current information CTA has to provide. We work hard to meet your needs! From small beginnings over twenty years ago and with your participation, our Fall Leadership Conference has grown steadily. In fact, attendance has sometimes exceeded that of CTA’s regional conferences. Whether you serve on a bargaining team, a political action committee, or a rep council, if you are serving your local in some manner, this conference will reinforce skills and provide you with new resources to get the job done for your members! Again, thank you for your participation in the 2014 High Desert Fall Leadership Conference! In unity, Simone Zulu High Desert Service Center Chair 1 CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION CTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dean E. Vogel, President Eric C. Heins, Vice President Mikki Cichocki-Semo, Secretary-Treasurer José Alcalá Jerry Eaton Marty G. Meeden Gayle Bilek David Goldberg George Melendez E. Toby Boyd Jim Groth Theresa Montaño Tyrone Cabell Terri Jackson Michael Stone Elana Davidson Leslie Littman Kendall Vaught Don Dawson Sonia Martin-Solis Curtis L. Washington Dana Dillon Sergio Martinez Joe Nuñez, Executive Director Karen Kyhn, Deputy Executive Director NEA DIRECTORS FROM CALIFORNIA Gilda Bloom-Leiva Gerri Gandolfo Krista Patterson Greg Bonaccorsi Karl Kildow Robert V. Rodriguez Colleen Briner-Schmidt Sonia Martin-Solis Bill Sammons Ron Edwards Doreen McGuire-Grigg Bill Freeman Claire J. Merced NEA ALTERNATES Robert Ellis Erika Jones Ken Tang NEA Executive Committee Member George Sheridan 2 CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION HIGH DESERT SERVICE CENTER COUNCIL FACTS What is the High Desert Service Center Council? The High Desert Service Center Council is composed of 43 local chapters affiliated with the California Teachers Association and the National Education Association, representing more than 8,000 educators in Kern, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono and San Bernardino counties. What is the Purpose of the High Desert Service Center Council? 1. Coordinate member participation in California Teachers Association activities. 2. Receive tasks from the CTA State Council of Education and offer information following study and discussion of professional issues. 3. Establish statewide channels of communication between CTA State Council committees or commissions and the membership; to act as an agency for CTA State Council committees or commissions to conduct hearings on current professional issues. 4. Develop Service Center objectives regarding programs and services. 5. Advise the Service Center/CTA staff on regional programs and service needs and to evaluate programs and services. 6. Provide a foundation for regional political activities and legislative contact programs. Which chapters are served by the High Desert Service Center Council? Hesperia RRC Adelanto District TA Mammoth EA Apple Valley Unified TA Mammoth ESP Baker Valley TA Mono COE EA Barstow EA Needles TA Big Pine EA Owens Valley TA Bishop TA Round Valley TA Desert Area TA Silver Valley EA Eastern Sierra TA Snowline TA Helendale Professional TA Southern Inyo TA Hesperia TA Trona Classified EA Inyo County Assn. of Certificated Personnel Trona TA Inyo County TA Victor Elementary TA Lucerne Valley TA Victor Valley TA Lancaster RRC Acton-Agua Dulce TA Muroc EA Antelope Valley TA Palmdale Elementary TA Eastside TA TA of Lancaster Gorman EA Tehachapi Association of Teachers Keppel Union TA Rosamond TA Lakes TA Westside Union TA Mojave FA Wilsona TA Community Colleges In Our Area Antelope Valley College Barstow Community College Victor Valley College 3 CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION 2014 HIGH DESERT SERVICE CENTER COUNCIL FACTS When does High Desert Service Center Council meet? The 2015 scheduled meetings below are held at 5:30 pm. January 7, 2015 Lancaster RRC March 25, 2015 Hesperia RRC May 27, 2015 Lancaster RRC All CTA members are invited to attend Service Center Council meetings. The business portion of the meetings is targeted for CTA State Council representatives, association presidents and High Desert Service Center Council Steering Committee members. Who are the Members of the High Desert Service Center Council Steering Committee? Chair Simone Zulu Vice Chair Sharon Vega Secretary Nancée Fine Treasurer Stephanie Kelly-Cloward Area A Director Barbara Walls Area B Director Bill Lindoff Area C Director Candy Michelson Area D Director Nancée Fine Minority-At-Large Director Hugo Estrada Minority-At-Large Andrew Ramirez Political Action Chair Gordon Williamson GLBT Chair Sharon Vega Human Rights Chair Nancée Fine Elections Committee Chair Jeanne Marks Women’s Issues Chair Christine Van Allen CTA Board Director, District H George Melendez CTA Board Director, District O José Alcalá CTA Board Member-At-Large Marty G. Meeden CTA Board of Director, District Q Theresa Montaño NEA Director, District 8 Karl Kildow ABC Committee Member, District H Karen Schuett ABC Committee Member, District O Amy Hall CTA Elections Chair Jeanne Marks ABC Committee Member District Q At-Large Joan Sholars Need more information about the High Desert Service Center Council? Contact any of the above committee members or telephone the Hesperia Regional Resource Center at 760-244-2239. 4 CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION GENERAL INFORMATION CONFERENCE FORMAT The agenda on the following pages provides you with the times and locations of the workshops. CTA Go! MOBILE APP The app is available now from iTunes and the Google Play store or text CTAGo to 99000 to get the app. Use the app to access all the conference information, agenda, workshops, materials, maps and evaluations. Create your own personal conference calendar with CTA Go! by favoriting workshop sessions, preview session handouts and post directly to Facebook through the app. HOUSING The check-in time at the Tropicana, Las Vegas is 3:00 pm and the check-out time is 11:00 am. The Tropicana’s phone number is 702-739-2222. MEALS AND REFRESHMENTS A meal ticket along with your badge is required for all meals. Meals will be served in the Cohiba 5. Please look at the daily agenda to see what times the meals will be served as they fluctuate based on the program schedule. Registered non-participants will be provided a guest meal ticket that will allow them to dine with the group. Meal tickets may be purchased at the CTA Registration Desk. PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AND UNIVERSITY CREDIT Each conference participant will receive 12 hours of professional growth. Professional growth hours will be awarded based on the number of workshops attended. Verification of professional growth hours will be sent to the participant within three weeks after the conference. University Credit will be available through California State University, Chico. Conference participants are entitled to receive one unit of credit. To be eligible for university credit, you must attend all of the trainings, general sessions and the workshops. You may register for units online at http://rce.csuchico.edu/teachers/cta or at the CTA Registration Desk. University Credit application