TVEA SpotlightOctober 29th, 2024

Good evening Board members and staff,

It is a pleasure to bring you the TVEA Spotlight, although now more infrequent.

It’s great to report that TVEA membership is steady and is on track to reach new heights for a third year in a row.  Since TVEA is composed all types of educators; teachers, counselors, social workers, psychologists, ROTC, behavior analysts, speech language pathologists, our group is as diverse in our work with students, our involvement in the community, and in thought.

From over our 1300+ membership, we come from many different backgrounds and subscribe to different religious and political beliefs.  It’s odd that out in the community I hear that unions are liberal extremist, yet our educators, our union is reflective of the community we live in.  Of the registered voters, our union is about 33 and 39% of the two main political parties and 20% as No political party preference. Our educators love the community they work in! 63% choose to live within the borders of TVUSD.

With all the diversity, our educators, our teachers, our union members are committed and dedicated advocates to providing a quality public school experience for our students.

One of the main points I make to every new person hired, is that Our union is invested in you, because if you are successful as a professional, your team is successful, and we are all successful with students.

Thanks to a grant by the California Teachers Association, our Vice-President is on 40% release, where she has completed listening sessions with our secondary sites to determine where we can focus our energies to provide for stronger supports for students. I’ll tell you that 40% really means 60% more work, but we appreciate Cyndy for taking it on.

During Site visits, SpEd professionals appreciated the reduced workload of completing progress reports 2 times a year and having stable technology platforms.

Although the concerns that have dominated for a couple of years now are the shortages in staffing and training, continue to impact our programs.  This is a serious issue for our moderate to severe Special Education classrooms not having stable and trained teams, leads to lapses in delivering the continuum of programs and services as well as providing a safe learning environment.

Many of our new moderate to severe teachers are also coming in as interns, some with classroom experience, but they are as green as you can get, going through a credential program and trying as best they can to implement a program for their diverse group of learners. They need help now and often.  Many times they do not know the questions to ask, and they go with out. We had multiple teachers leave last year to other districts with manageable programs and one resignation this year for the lack of support. If we continue to churn through teachers our programs and students will suffer.

One way to make an impact immediately is to recruit support staff by providing livable wages, and that can be done with increasing hours to a full day.  They deserve the respect.  Our students deserve the stability.

Caseloads are higher than they have ever been and with students with IEPs at 17% in TVUSD, the added burdens of initials and consults as well as extra demands by TVUSD are draining our special Education teachers and support staff.  Many go without lunches, some are not taking their contractual caseload or prep time, all to provide services to students. Our Special Education Professionals need the time to breathe so they can be their best when they work with students. Since TVUSD is its own SELPA, we can implement programs that meet the needs of students without churning through the professionals that deliver the services.

On my final note, TVUSD needs to move forward with bargaining all aspects of the contract; compensation and cost items included. Currently at the table, anything that has a dollar sign attached is completely shut down by TVUSD in discussion.  Which means that any tentative agreement is pushed further away.  This TVUSD board accepted the sunshine articles last school year. Our contract expired on June 30th.  Now on October 29th, there are not three members who can carry out the business of the board?  What are you elected for? What are you waiting for?  The community did not elected you to keep those seats warm.  They expect you to deliberate and move to action.

The Tentative Agreement moves CTE teachers to the contract, it acknowledges the work our VAPA teachers do with students after hours, it helps employees with no dependents access their health benefits, it helps our mourning members with bereavement leave, it provides grade and department teams with stipends and a voice in their leadership, it provides elementary teachers with needed preparation time, and can provide elementary sped professionals with case management time.  What we really need is smaller class sizes and manageable caseloads and assignments in SpEd, but that is a longer conversation.

Further delays only disrespects the work that all of the TVUSD employees do day after day.  Even when they do not know the answers.  They show up and make decisions and impact their students. Honor them.  We the educators of TVUSD have bargained in good faith.  So should you.  Provide TVUSD staff what they need to continue discussions at the table now!