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BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD INSURANCE UPDATES
(5/14/08)

We are currently waiting on info regarding premiums for the 2008-09 school year. At this time the financials for 2007-08 are complete through April. The financial year for insurance runs through June 30. Somtime around this date we should have further info regarding premiums.

Currently expenditures are $6,097,618 for the first 10 months. Last year expenditures were $7,462,429, so with 2 months remaining an a average monthly expenditure of $609,761, we should be very close to last year's amount which is very good news.

Also, the revenues indicate that we could have a positive fund balance for the 3rd year in a row, which is also very good news.

As indicated the medical plan doc. is being proofed and questions are in the process of being clarified by and to BCBS and BPS. The intent is to make sure the new doc. under BCBS mirrors the old doc. under BSSI and includes the additions to the plan which were part of the negotiated contract. If the doc. is not finalized and printed by the end of the school year, we'll need to develop a plan for distribution during the summer for members who would like a copy in their hands.

The Delta Dental doc. has not been presented for our review at this time. We will pass on further info as we receive it.

SICK BANK UPDATE

If you have been watching your BR minutes carefully, you will know that the sick bank has been a busy place this year. Unfortunately we have had a number of members who have had to withdraw days from the sick bank this year due to personal illness or illness in their immediate family. As of May 14th we had only 161.15 days remaining in the bank. Next year it will be necessary for all members of the certified sick bank, which is all certified staff, to donate one sick day to the bank. This will be in addition to all newly hired staff members, who in order to join, must donate one day. I am hopeful that this will allow us enough days to carry us through next year's requests. It is hard to predict from one year to the next what types of requests the sick bank will receive.

NEW READING PROGRAM

There was extensive discussion on the new reading program being implemented at the elementary level. There will be a meeting with the Union and the District regarding this soon. In addition this will be a discussion item at the next Operational Summit (OS) meeting between the Union and the Central Administration Staff (COA).

Some of the Union's/members concerns include: all students moving at the same pace (from CARE students to academic students), the training of only 2 hours for staff, the fact that specialists are not being allowed to attend the training, the altering/elimination of the workbook list, the accompanying technology not being purchased with the series, how novel studies will or will not be included and the fact that teachers are also being asked to use the electronic grade book and school center site all at the same time.

If you have additional questions or concerns about the implementation of the new reading series at the elementary level, please contact Lynn Kearney or Dan Ralston with these issues.

AFT CONVENTION: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS JULY 2008

Six people expressed interest in being delegates to the AFT convention in July and we had approved sending six people. These delegates were approved during the May BR meeting.

As of today, the HFT is in compliance with each of the required areas for this summer's convention. Lynn Kearney and Bev Neff will also be preparing the Pride of the Union paperwork. Bev Neff will send this in. The HFT has received the Pride of the Union award every two years for quite a while now.

MEETING MINUTES FOR MAY'S BUILDING REPRESENTATIVE MEETING ARE NOW ONLINE.

SPECIAL EDUCATION ISSUES IN THE DISTRICT

Lynn Kearney and Mary Beth Westin recently attended a meeting with Tony Rosilez and Sybil Kobza on special education issues.  This meeting was requested by the Union in February and finally held in the beginning of May. 

The District was disappointed that we were bringing many of these issues to them via this format.  They believe employees who are having special education issues need to be raising these issues with their supervisors (special education coordinators/building principals) first and then bringing to their BR if they aren’t satisfied with the results.  The BR would then go back to the supervisor and attempt to work the problem out. 

Mary Beth pointed out that the issue she brought from the middle school had gone to her supervisors the past three years in a row and nothing had changed regarding this issue.  Lynn tried to get them to understand that going to the supervisors has not been effective in the past, but they just couldn’t see this. 

Tony and Sibyl did indicate that documentation was critical.  For example, if there is a child in your classroom who is so disruptive that the learning/teaching stops and/or you remove the rest of your class from the room during the disruption, please document the date and duration of such disruptions. If this information is forwarded to the BR, please do not include any child’s name. 

In addition the District does not believe that students are going without their 1:1 paras or classroom paras.  They doubt the reassignment of paras to certified substitutes happens on a regular basis either.  The Union needs all examples of this documented with date, time and who reassigned the para. Regular education teachers cannot agree to give up their classroom para, just because they will be “OK.”  If a child or children has a classroom para on their IEP then a classroom para should be present for those minutes.  Supervisory assistants and office assistants cannot be reassigned as 1:1 paras. 

If a students para is absent and there is no substitute a supervisor should be contacted immediately and they must come up with a plan.  Please document all special education issues and forward them to Sibyl, Tony and Lynn Kearney.  REMEMBER DO NOT USE ANY CHILD’S NAME IN THESE COMMUNICATIONS.