TVEA Spotlight

Good evening,

I am pleased to have the opportunity to present the TVEA Spotlight for April 2022.

Spring Break was welcomed by our members for rest and rejuvenation, and we expect a busy race to the end of the school year in June.

TVEA appreciates opportunities to collaborate and participate in shaping district policy. Since the last Governing Board meeting, TVEA has consulted with TVUSD through our LCAP Committee and participated in Negotiations through our Bargaining Committee. The TVEA/TVUSD Joint Ad Hoc Budget Committee has met as well. We look forward to rekindling the “Meet and Confer” model with the TVUSD cabinet later this month as this was a positive communication structure the Executive teams utilized twice last school year.

We are finalizing our TVEA Scholarship Recipients and look forward to presenting graduating seniors who are dependents of our TVEA educator members at the coming Temecula Dollars for Scholars Scholarship event in May.

Our Executive Board also nominated and selected our 2021-22 We Honor Ours or “WHO” Awards. The following TVEA leaders will be recognized for their outstanding service to TVEA at a regional awards ceremony on May 13:

Kerri Bodemer, Temecula Elementary SDC Teacher who serves as TES Site Leader and Chair of our Retirement Committee which is named “Generation Next Chapter”

Anastasia Bortcosh, 4th Grade Teacher at Jackson Elementary who has served on the TVEA Executive Board as Elementary Area Representative for four years.

Melissa Gibson, Speech and Language Pathologist at Vail Elementary, who has served on the TVEA Executive Board as a Specialist Area Representative for the last four years as well.

Finally, last month I announced candidates for our six (6) Executive Board positions members voted on right before Spring Break.

With more than 625 members voting, re-elected to their current positions for a two-year term were:

Doug VomSteeg, High School Area Representative

Anastasia Bortcosh, Elementary Area Representative

Amy Eytchison, Secretary

Newly Elected Positions for a term of July 2022- June 2024 are:

Cynthia Lopez, Speech and Language Pathologist at Vail Ranch Middle School and Chaparral High School to one of two Specialist Area Representative roles.

Alan Underwood, VAPA Teacher Vail Ranch Middle School to the position of Vice-President

And… Edgar Diaz, Social Science Teacher at Gardner Middle School to the position of TVEA President

I shared with our Executive Board last week that our membership has affirmed that is no one more prepared nor more deserving to be the next President of TVEA than Edgar.

(At this time, I would like to introduce TVEA President Elect, Edgar Diaz)

(I wish our 2022-2024 TVEA Executive Board the best and will be back in May to share a final TVEA Spotlight)