TVUSD School Board Public Comments
Good Evening, I am addressing you tonight as the elected spokesperson for our 1300 plus members of TVEA.
I have not conducted a survey but can say with confidence that your largest employee group feels significantly more valued and respected than at this time last year. As the elected trustees of the Temecula Valley Unified, you as the board play a major role in determining the culture of our district. You all deserve credit here!
Our TVEA Vice-Presidents and I had the chance to meet new teachers and specialists as we provided lunch at the TVUSD new hire orientation. There were more than sixty plus new employees at the event. Last week I communicated to our TVEA membership that this sort of growth in our teaching staff is reminiscent of the opportunity many of us had twenty to thirty years ago when Temecula was booming.
Some of the new teachers are home grown products. One of my former Chaparral High students is now a math teacher at TVHS after proving himself as a highly effective district substitute.
Some of these “newbies” really are not new at all. Two are TVHS graduates who were laid off during the lean years. Now they are back as LCAP Elementary PE Specialists, reaping the rewards of teaching (and giving back) to their community.
While the outlook to begin 2015-16 is positive, I am reminded of a comment stated by Board Member Farnbach a few months ago suggesting everything cannot be “Rainbows and Lollipops”. I concur. All organizations, including TVEA and TVUSD must seek continuous improvement. This motivation will serve as a counter to the toxic nature of complacency.
While we should celebrate our successes, here are a few examples of areas TVEA hopes to see continued growth:
Our elementary teachers look forward to continuing the work started last year toward creating structures and systems which assure Case Management time for Pre-School to Grade 5 Special Education Teachers.
Our members looks forward to realizing an Early Retirement Medical Benefit that will mitigate the high cost of health insurance for those of pre-Medicare age.
TVEA members look forward to providing continued feedback and input on the Infinite Campus system. TVUSD has invested much time and personnel in Infinite Campus, yet regular feedback by various user groups is critical to determine its effectiveness.
Thank you
