The AgendaMount Vernon Federation of Teachers

Over

Sixty Years of Excellence in EducationMVFT

Volume 17, Issue 1 September/October 2015www.mvft.org

A NEW SCHOOL YEAR BEGINSEXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTIONSAND CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONSBy Jeff Yonkers, MVFT President

This year, 2015-2016, is both an MVFT executive board election and a contract negotiation year. We expect there to be several executive board openings this June due to leader retirements. The MVFT has and will

continue to spend much time and energy training and preparing our building leaders to step up and fill the void left by those moving on to new challenges.

The contract negotiations teams are expected to have many new faces as well. Where each negotiation usually is reflective of the specific circumstances at the time, there certainly is an education process that must take place for those leaders interested in being part of the team. There is protocol for mandatory, permissible, and prohibited subjects for bargaining. One must understand the current contract and its history to defend it and to effectively negotiate positive change. We will begin talking with the District shortly about a timeline for formal negotiations. Once we have agreed on a formal schedule, we will choose three representative teams, one for each unit; teacher, teaching assistant, and security.

From those three research teams, we will choose “table teams.” Those smaller teams will meet directly with the District’s representatives to discuss the issues recommended by the larger research teams. We usually begin this preparation process around the New Year. Prior to beginning that formal process, we will reach out to the membership for ideas and suggestions for our contract proposals. Until that time, I expect we will continue to protect and follow the contract we have, helping and supporting one another, as we do our best in this ever challenging profession we have chosen.

PRESSING MATTERS“OPT OUT MOVEMENT”Incredibly, twenty percent of New York parents opted their children out of state exams in the ’14-’15 school year. We hope for an even larger number in ’15-’16. Even with the threat from State Ed of withholding funding, parents all over the state made a huge statement that Albany could not ignore. By the way, no state funding was lost. This year, NYSUT leadership is asking its members to consider “opting out” their own children in their home district. As a teacher, we can inform parents, but not suggest that they “opt out”; however, as a parent, the choice is ours.

APPRThe APPR for this school year is unchanged at this time. The MVFT APPR committee, led by Jeanne Casino has been meeting with the District in the first stages of coming up with a new agreement. As you know, the state keeps changing the regulations and moving the bar. For that reason, and due to its significance of this agreement, our District along with many others, will be submitting their application for a waiver to the state.

As an interesting sideline, a New York teacher, Sheri Lederman, has sued the state, based on the “legitimacy” of her APPR evaluation. The Long Island elementary teacher’s case was moved forward by the State Supreme Court. She is claiming that she has

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MVFT Executive Board: (L-R) Back Row: President Jeff Yonkers, Rochelle Brown, Richard Suozzo, Dominick Ciccone, Cesar Matanzo, Thrusha Henderson, Pat Duggan, Mike Baldino, Melvin Campbell, Carl Caprio Front Row: AnneMarie Kiernan, Carene Domato, Sophia Williamson

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APPR By Jeanne Casino, APPR Chairperson

APPR 2014-2015 RECAPFor the most part, the overall implementation of the 2014-2015 APPR was more successful than previous years. The number of ineffective and developing ratings in our district declined. This is due to our members. We were effectively involved from the very beginning. We developed the Locally Selected Measures (LSMs) and teachers worked collaboratively with administration to set appropriate targets and goals for their Student Learning Objectives (SLOs).

Our biggest gain came with the LSMs. Teacher teams, chosen by the union and district early, allowed for teams, designated by grade level, to meet and create appropriate exams for our students. The proficiency score was lowered from 70 to 65. Special area teachers included in their LSM only the classes that were not part of their SLO. This greatly reduced the amount of testing days by our students and grading done by staff. Special Educations teachers had their LSM score attached to the grade level and Co-teachers were linked to their entire class. Pull out service providers had their LSM attached to grade levels as well. This gave our members a chance for a better LSM score.

Allowing administration until the start of classes in September to give teachers their completed composite score on Form #3 gave our members until the last day of school to correctly grade and input all scores.

Kudos and thanks to everyone involved.

APPR APPEALSBy now, most of us should have received our Form#3 which contains our composite score and overall performance ratings for the 2014-2015 school year. If your composite score was less than 75, which gives an ineffective or developing rating, you should have filed an appeal.

The Joint APPR Review Committee ( JARC) will be meeting to review all appeals soon. I want to thank Julia Bonura (Grimes) and Anne Marie Kiernen (Davis) for again being the MVFT members on the JARC committee. The district members are Dr. Denise Gagne-Kurpiewski, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Associate Superintendent of Human Resources, Dr. Jackielyn Manning-Campbell. Should you need to appeal

FROM THE GRIEVANCE CHAIRPERSONBy Dominick Ciccone, Vice President

WHAT’S A GRIEVANCE?Just a reminder to all members to please refer to your contract for the requirements that constitutes an actual “grievance”. A grievance is a violation of contract language by the District. It can also pertain to adopted District policy as it relates to terms and conditions of employment. It must be filed against the District within 15 school days of the actual violation.

After the member has attempted to resolve the issue with their administrator, it should then be brought to the building rep, and then the building rep will bring it to the attention of the president or grievance chairperson if necessary. Each step is important in case the issue does go to arbitration. Don’t skip over your rep! An arbitrator may use that against you for not trying to resolve the issue at the lowest possible step.

ADULT EDUCATION ARBITRATION SETTLEDSince 2012, the MVFT has filed grievances against the District regarding the hiring practices in the Adult Education summer and evening programs, claiming that there was a violation of the Article III Section Q language “SUMMER AND NIGHT SCHOOL EMPLOYMENT”.

After 3 years, finally the issue has been settled by an arbitrator’s decision. The arbitrator agreed that indeed the District had violated the language whenever it failed to hire tenured MVFT teacher unit members before anyone else. Because of this, nine of our members received some type of monetary compensation for denied positions or cut hours in the past years.

Effective immediately, the District must first fill positions with tenured MVFT teacher unit members with 3 years of satisfactory service in the adult education program, then tenured MVFT teacher unit members with less than 3 years in the program, then non-tenured MVFT teacher unit members, then any MVFT teacher unit member who is laid off and on a Preferred Eligibility List, and finally, if after exhausting all the applicants listed above, the District shall have the discretion to fill the remaining positions however they deem fit.

This was a huge success for the MVFT in protecting the rights of the current teachers and future teachers of these programs!!

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KISA BAGINSKI, ScienceTONI ANN TROMBETTA, Guidance CounselorLAURIE TUCCI, ReadingCATHERINE TIBALDI, Health/PESABRINA VELEZ PAYNE, Guidance CounselorLAUREN ANTONECCHIA, Guidance CounselorDAKS ARMSTRONG, Guidance CounselorJONATHAN BAGWELL, Guidance CounselorCYNTHIA PALMER, School MediaHENRY JOHNSON, MathJESSIE VEGA, ScienceMARKELL WATSON, EnglishALEKSANDRA NASSIS, Foreign LanguageNICOLE CHARRIEZ, Foreign LanguageMERCEDES WOODLEY, ScienceIAN SMITH, Social StudiesVANESSA NEWBY, CosmetologyJENNIFER GOIRE, Guidance CounselorMURIEL SAMEDY, Literacy SpecialistKAITLYN HANSON, ReadingSTEPHANIE MARTINO, Guidance CounselorMICHAEL SMITH, HeathMARIA TULLY, Foreign LanguageBRITTANY WHITE, Special EducationJULIE TERMINI, Staff Development CoordinatorELIZABETH DONOVAN, PsychologistTANGANYIKA LINDNER-BROWN, Staff Development CoordinatorMARIBEL MARCHENA, Bi-LingualSTEPHANIE DIMATTEO, ElementaryASHLEY RINALDI, ElementaryKATHERINE TARNOK, Pre-KJULIANNE METZ, ElementarySHANNON O’DONNELL, ScienceMARIANNA ANASTASIOU, ElementaryJOLIE VITA, Special EducationCHRISTINE MINECOLA, Special EducationHAYDEN MORRIS, Physical EducationDEBRA MEDINA, Early LiteracyNATASHA JAVED, ElementaryLAURA FISHLOCK, EnglishAYAMI ABEL, MathSTEVEN MOLLETTE, Social StudiesRACHEL BOETTIGHEIMER, Special EducationMARIA FALCO, ReadingRANDI FRANKEL, ReadingJELENA CHILTERN, ESLTHOMAS SMITH, MathCHRISTINE SCIARRETTA, ReadingKEVIN CHRISTIE, Special EducationJOSEPH PETRULO, Special EducationSAROYA BROWN, ElementaryMICHAEL BOLLATI, Math CoachBARBARA SANCHEZ-PERKINS, ReadingDENISE MINCIN, Library/MediaMARILYN FUSARO, ElementaryNORMEARLEASA THOMAS, MusicSAMANTHA CRONEY-KAPLAN, EnglishVIVIAM RUSSO, Foreign LanguageJOSEPH DEMPSEY, DramaEVAN DESANTO, MusicANITA BROWN, MusicSONNIA SHERIDAN, ESLSHEREENE SHAMES, Science

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MVCSD MENTOR PROGRAMWELCOMES OUR NEW TEACHERS!By Carene Domato, MVFT Mentor Program Coordinator

Welcome and congratulations to all of our newly hired teachers! You have survived your first month! For those of you who are first or second year teachers with initial certification, and have never been formally mentored, the MVCSD Mentor Program will assign you a mentor. Ideally, new teachers are matched with trained mentors within the same certification area and located in the same school, when possible.

The MVCSD Mentor Program is state mandated, and was first implemented in our district in 2005. It is partially funded by NY State Education, Mentor Teacher Internship Program (MTIP). The basis of the MTIP funding is in providing instructional release time to both mentors and their interns. A large portion of the funding is also used to offer professional development to new teachers and their mentors. Participants of the mentor program meet monthly, offering collegial support and an opportunity to share positive experiences.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at cdomato@mtvernoncsd.org.

If you’re not a member of MVFT, we want you! We are only as great and effective as our membership makes us.

Please consider joining us as we continue to fight for equitable funding for our schools, a fair and effective APPR, collective

bargaining, protection of tenure and due process and so much more. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the leadership of the MVFT! Also, take time to visit www.nysut.org which has plenty of beneficial programs, services and information for our diverse needs and interests. Have a wonderful and productive year!

Thrusha A. Henderson, MVFT Secretarythenderson@mtvernoncsd.org

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MVFT : PUTTING THE “ACTION “ IN POLITICAL ACTIONBy Carene Domato, MVFT/NYSUT PAC Coordinator

The MVFT Political Action Team put the “ACTION” in Political

Action this summer! After interviewing and then voting to recommend that the MVFT endorse Senator Ruth Hassel-Thompson in the Mt. Vernon Mayoral Primary, the MVFT Executive Board supported the PAC Team’s recommendation.

“Ruth-Hassell-Thompson understands the important issues in education today. She is the best choice. She is well versed with child development, issues with the common core curriculum, teacher evaluations, and tenure. She has worked to increase state aid to education by $1.6 billion which in turn enabled the school district to avoid property tax hikes. We stand with Ruth.” ~MVFT Press Release Statement

Although Ruth did not win the September 10th democratic primary, it was not due to lack of effort from our MVFT members and union secretaries, who sent out over 1600 mailings and volunteered at the phone banks in support of Senator Hassell-Thompson.

Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson will continue her commitment to the Mt. Vernon Community and stay in the mayoral race under the working families’ party.

Special thanks to MVFT phone bank volunteers: Tonja Hills, Thrusha Henderson, AnneMarie Kiernan, NYSUT PAC Michael Grubiak, Carene Domato, and Richard Suozzo.

(L-R) Melvin Campbell, Thrusha Henderson, Jeff Yonkers, Ruth Hassell-Thomspon, Carene Domato

PRIMARYPHONE BANKSSEPTEMBER 9th ATTARRYTOWN NYSUT OFFICE

AFL –CIO ENDORSESRUTH HASSELL-THOMPSON

(D/WF)MOUNT VERNON MAYOR

REMEMBER TO VOTEON ELECTION DAY

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

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Peer Observation’s: Possibilities & Pitfalls Seminar held at NYSUT Headquarters on August 24, 2015, attended by VP Elementary Schools, Carene Domato, with Kerri Broderick, President of White Plains Teachers, and representatives from the YFT.

WHAT HAS THE UNION DONEFOR ME LATELY?By Carene Domato, VP Elementary Schools

What has the union done for you lately? …. This year, because of the changes made by the MVFT in the APPR in July

2014, the number of ineffective and developing teacher ratings was drastically reduced, as we had hoped and expected! Last summer, when we met with the district to amend the 2014-2015 APPR Plan, our goal was to represent you and make sure that you didn’t go through another humiliating start to the school year. Last year, when most of us signed off on our APPR Form#3, we were demoralized and confused by a score that certainly did not sum up the kind of teachers we knew we truly were!

I personally refused to leave the APPR negotiations table until we had insurances, in writing, that our SLO growth targets were set only by the teacher and building administrator, that LSM proficiency was defined as a score of 65% - NOT 70% - and in order to reduce the amount of testing, PE, Art, Music CTE, and Health teachers would only have to administer the LSM to their students that were not a part of their SLO and the MVFT would recommend the teacher teams who would create the LSM exams!.

Furthermore, as reading specialists, the majority of us receive developing or ineffective each year, as it is with most pull out teachers, such as resource room, ESL, and AIS. It was my contention during negotiations, that we would not be forced to consider our needy students a liability! Since the entire class benefits when we pull out our students, our LSM scores should be attached to the grade level we serve, not just the students on our pull out roster. This same type of average was also applied to the special education teachers whose LSM average was based on the entire grade level scores this year!

It is because of these efforts, and our relentless commitment to our members, that the number of ineffective and developing ratings were reduced this year!

THAT, my colleagues, is what the union has done for you lately!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR WELFARE FUND BENEFITS!!!!By Dominick Ciccone

Did you know that it is not too late to put in a claim for reimbursement for prescription or doctor visit co-pays from last school year ( July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015)? If you use SWSCHP as your medical insurance from the Board, then you have up to June 30th of the current school year to put a claim in for money you spent on prescription co-pays or doctor visit co-pays from the previous school year! All you have to do is submit a claim form to Administrative Services Only and attach proof of the money you paid in co-pays.

Every SCHOOL year, our members could get reimbursed for out of pocket co-pays they spent (up to $200 per covered individual with a $400 family maximum). Hey, that adds up to a lot of money over the years!!

Claim forms are available from your building rep, the union office, or by logging on to www.asonet.com or www.mvft.org.

If you are still unsure what to do after reading this article, then give us a call at the union/welfare fund office (664-3189) and the Welfare Fund administrator, Karen Molinaro, will talk you through it. It’s easier than it sounds! Once you do it, you’ll kick yourself for letting your money fly out the window for these past years. No gimmicks….no catches…..come on, people….take advantage!

OPTICAL BENEFITS

P.S. – Don’t forget to use your 2015 optical benefit before December 31, 2015! Hey, even if you don’t wear glasses, everyone should get an eye exam!!!! Most members use Raymond Opticians in Yonkers (914)337-3322. Call for your appointment now. Just tell them you are a member of the Mount Vernon Federation of Teachers Welfare Fund. Optical benefits run on a CALENDAR year.

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MOUNT VERNON FEDERATION OF TEACHERS was “All In” as one of the sponsors of the Fourth Annual Backpack Giveaway at Hartley Park in Mount Vernon. During the week of August 24th, culminating on August 29th, MVFT members volunteered their time by participating in preparation for the event. Holmes School welcomed many MVFT members and their families who came to pack over three thousand backpacks with supplies, many of which were donated by the MVFT.

In addition to the notebooks, custom made MVFT folders and pencils donated by the MVFT, we were able to distribute

MVFT: “ALL IN” AGAIN – 3000 BACKPACKS!“BACKPACK GIVEAWAY” AT HARTLEY PARK By Sophia Williamson, MVFT Community Liaison & VP Elementary

Special thanks are bestowed upon Office Depot for donating three hundred draw string bags!

3000 new books from our collaboration with “First Book” through the “Leaders for Literacy” program with NYSUT and AFT.

MVFT members were also on hand at Hartley Park on the Saturday of the event to distribute the backpacks to the eagerly awaiting students. A heartfelt THANK YOU to all MVFT members who were able to make a contribution by filling out an application for First Book, sorting books, packing, or distributing the backpacks in Hartley Park. Once again, your presence made a great difference!

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The Tarrytown Regional Office (TRO) of NYSUT held its Summer Leadership Conference in Parsippany, New Jersey August 11 – 13, 2015.

Members from locals such as Yonkers, Harrison, White Plains, and New Rochelle attended this event. Additionally, there were members from independent schools like The Windward School.

Some examples of workshops given were: Law in the Workplace, Saving Public Education, Think before You Speak, We are Under Attack and Social Media/Communications.

The primary goal of the leadership conference was to help union leaders learn strategies for having our members maintain their union membership and succeed at converting agency fee payers to union members. This is absolutely critical for us to do because public sector unions are faced with the prospect of the U.S. Supreme Court finding agency fee to be illegal.

Agency fee is the mechanism by which bargaining unit members who are covered by the collective bargaining agreement, and who choose not to become members of the union, pay their “fair share” to the union for the representation they receive as bargaining unit members. The “fair share” is calculated as a percentage of the dues that union members pay.

The purpose of agency fee is for those who do not want to be members of the union to pay for the representation they receive in the workplace, but not to pay for political and organizing activities in which unions engage in addition to workplace representation.

It was a great opportunity to gain professional development, connect and collaborate with members from various locals throughout the region.

Front row : Jeanne Casino, Nicole Shields-Alcalde, Isabel Garcia: Back Row: Stuart Hemby, Jeff Yonkers, Patricia Griffin, Thrusha Henderson, Patricia Duggan, Keith McCall

SUMMER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCEBy Thursha Henderson, MVFT Secretary

the decision of the JARC refer to section F of the 2014-2015 Appeals process. It is available on the district website under “staff ”.

APPR UPDATE 2015-2016The new state budget included language that requires districts to have new APPR plans approved by the State Education Department by November 15, 2015 in order to receive the district’s scheduled increase in state aid for the 2015-2016 school year.

APPR plans that were in effect on April 15, 2015, remain in place until a new plan is agreed upon by the district and local union.

The district is in the process of applying for a hardship waiver. This waiver will extend the November 15 deadline to March 15, 2016.

The new system replaces our “60 point observation, 20 point SLO/student growth, and 20 point LSM” with a two category matrix that includes student performance and teacher observations.

For the past month, your APPR team has been meeting with the district to negotiate a new plan. We will inform the members when any new information is available.

APPR continued from page 2 by Jeanne Casino

Membership ReportActive 1067Leave 5Retirees 519Total 1591

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HIGH SCHOOL NEWSThe alarm went off at 5 am and another school

year was underway in our high schools. No more beach, tennis or golf; it was time for new schedules, APPR and baselines.

As our union members received their schedules, it was important to make sure they were in compliance. If you are a teacher who is scheduled to teach between 26 and 28 classes per week, make sure you receive the proper number of prep periods, which can be found on page 22 of our contract. If your schedule is out of compliance, you will have 15 days to grieve your schedule. At MVHS, there were problems with schedules being late, students being switched well into September, and NYS Regents classes with up to 40 students. Our building reps and High School Vice-Presidents have brought these issues to the attention of the highest levels of administration and will continue to press forward with member concerns. Due to these issues, central office has taken over the scheduling and hopefully, these issues will be rectified shortly.

After the extension of deadlines for APPR appeals, our JARC Committee and the district have reviewed all appeals. Presently, our APPR Committee is negotiating with the district on this year’s implementation of baselines and SLOs. Moving forward, make sure that you properly document all student data that may impact this school year’s APPR.

Finally, with the ongoing building repairs and general maintenance, we have experienced issues with air quality, mold and dust. Make sure that any correspondence with administration concerning these issues also is sent to your building rep. Our Health and Safety Committee, chaired by Mike Baldino, is in constant contact with district officials and is always working to provide the safest environment for staff and students.

Welcome back, have a good school year and use your union representatives who were elected to work on your behalf.

Yours in solidarity,Rich Suozzo, High School Vice-President

LAYOFFS AVOIDED FOR TEACHING ASSISTANTSBy Melvin Campbell, TA Chapter Leader

During the first few days of the school year, teaching assistants were in a frenzy due to not having their assignments. Concerns began to swell when clear answers were not immediately available. Due to changes within the District with supervisors of special education, some teaching assistants became worried.

In the end, the efforts of the MVFT kept twenty-three (23) teaching assistants originally slated to be laid-off from the unemployment line. Special Education Director Felicia Goan’s cooperation with the MVFT helped to make this happen.

This was a challenging time for us, but we are thankful that the union was able to resolve this matter without any setbacks. I work with the MVFT Executive Board to make sure our concerns are heard. Human resources later gave thanks to MVFT Teaching Assistants for their support in handling this situation and appreciate their patience with the delay in assignments until the District was sure that all jobs could be saved. The District promised that next year would be a smoother opening.

Any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me: MCampbell@mtvernoncsd.org

been personally injured by her rating, claiming it is both statistically flawed and unreliable. Sheri Lederman’s case was heard in August with an expected ruling by November or December. While her case is fact specific to her experience, it may open the door for several others!

SCHEDULESThe leadership at Mount Vernon High School brought to our attention the many problems and issues related to this year’s faculty and student schedules. We immediately contacted Deputy Superintendent Gorman, who quickly put into motion a plan to address the issue. The schedule at the high school has always presented a great challenge. Our message was heard loud and clear and we are hopeful that corrections will be quickly enacted.

continued from page 1 by Jeff YonkersAPPR

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SPOTLIGHT

LONGFELLOW ELEMENTARY IS RENAMEDREBECCA TURNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

LONGFELLOW MIDDLE SCHOOL IS RENAMEDBENJAMIN TURNER MIDDLE SCHOOLBy Jeanne Casino, Rebecca Turner ES Delegate

Rebecca Turner was born a slave during the American Revolution. She married Benjamin Turner and had six children. Upon giving birth at age 29, she was

granted freedom due to the New York Emancipation Law. A widow by the 1840s Rebecca Turner became a business woman. She maintained her property and land by becoming a cook at the local tavern on Third Avenue and a laundress, washing clothes in the creek. Her six children attended local integrated schools and the family worshipped for a while at St. Paul’s Church before founding a local Protestant Church. Rebecca Turner died at 93 years of age on March 27th, 1874, a widow for over 50 years.

The official renaming of the schools happened at a ceremony on May 16, 2015.

On October 1, the fourth and seventh grade classes attended the Rebecca & Benjamin Turner Commemoration at St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site. Students learned more of the Turner family history and then had an opportunity to lay flowers at the gravesite of Rebecca Turner.

We are proud to have our schools named after such courageous and hard-working individuals.

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TREASURER’S REPORTby Cesar Matanzo, MVFT Treasurer

Once again, it is the time of year for the treasurer of each union local in New York State to gather records for the annual audit. The CPA

firm of Wendell-Walowitz Associates, Inc. conducts our audit. Once the audit is completed, the firm forwards a copy to the office of the treasurer of the AFT in Washington, DC.

One of the major steps in preparing for the audit is the gathering and the organizing of the monthly Chase Bank statements dating from September 1st, the beginning of our fiscal year, through August 31st. Each month, just like you at home, the MVFT Treasurer must reconcile the bank’s statement. The monthly statements are then aligned with the checkbook stubs and our monthly deposit tickets. These statements and stubs are key for the independent auditor to confirm and verify the checkbook balance and the accuracy of our financial statements.

In previous newsletter articles, I mentioned that I have attended the workshops offered by NYSUT presented by Helen Vickery, Senior Accountant with NYSUT. These workshops are geared specifically towards preparing local leaders to perform the tasks related to being a local’s treasurer. A strong point of emphasis at the workshops has been the importance of maintaining the checkbook and the reconciliation of the monthly statement. These bank statements are necessary, not only for the auditor, but also as a future reference for the IRS and the New York State auditors should they ever be needed for any type of assessment. We have, for years, been given a clean bill of health; not just by our auditor, but by AFT and NYSUT, our national and state affiliates.

On a slightly separate note, I wish to remind our membership of an explanation I wrote in a newsletter article many years ago. It was more than thirteen years ago that MVFT President Jeff Yonkers arranged with the payroll department to provide a separate check representing the monthly Vote Cope contribution from our membership. This check is kept separately, never placed in our Chase checking account or our Stacey Braun investment account in which we have our dues and savings. Instead, it is sent directly to NYSUT. Additional Vote Cope contributions from our retirees are recorded by our office manager, Karen Molinaro, and forwarded in the same fashion directly to NYSUT.

As a local, we can be proud of the record Vote Cope dollars that we raise each month and how we have managed our funds over these many years. We have actually been able to show steady investment gains before, during, and after, several market crashes. The MVFT treasurer’s position has evolved and grown along with the union’s role in the District. It is one that demands many after school hours and the trust of the leadership. It could not be done efficiently without that trust and the help of the officers and MVFT office staff.

FACT SHEET 15-15:CHANGES TO TENURE AND THE TENURED TEACHERREMOVAL PROCESS*SOURCE: NYSUT RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICESSummary of Tenure Changes• The new requirement begins with those

teachers appointed on or after July 1, 2015.

• The mandated changes to tenure enacted by Chapter 56 in 2015 specifically tie the granting of tenure to §3012-c and §3012-d of NYS’s Education Law regarding teacher and principal evaluation law.

• The probationary period is extended from three to four years for untenured teachers. Boards of Education will no longer be able to specify an end date to the probationary period and teachers will be notified at their appointment that tenure will depend on their APPR ratings.

• A teacher seeking tenure would need to attain an effective or highly effective rating for at least three of the four years. These ratings do not need to be consecutive.

• A teacher rated ineffective in the fourth year cannot receive tenure at that time. A Board of Education can agree to extend the probationary period an additional year (thus offering a fifth probationary year). The law does not prohibit additional years of probation.

• A tenured teacher in a school district or BOCES who obtains employment in another district will now have a three year probationary period, provided the teacher did not receive an ineffective in their last year at the prior school.

• School boards will be able to terminate probationary teachers without regard to their Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) rating.

*Read the article in its entirety at nysut.org and search for Fact Sheet 15-15: Changes to tenure and the tenured teacher removal process

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EXECUTIVE BOARDJeff YonkersPresident

Dominick CicconeVice President

Carl CaprioHigh School Vice Pres.

Richard SuozzoHigh School Vice Pres.

Anne Marie KiernanMiddle School Vice Pres.

Patricia DugganMiddle School Vice Pres.

Carene DomatoElementary Vice Pres.

Sophia WilliamsonElementary Vice Pres.

Mike BaldinoAt Large Vice Pres.

Thrusha HendersonSecretary

Cesar MatanzoTreasurer

Melvin CampbellTeaching Assistant Chapter Leader

Rochelle BrownSecurity Chapter Leader

UNION OFFICEMVFT Rm. 30322 West First St.Mount Vernon, NY 10550

Phone:(914) 665-5082or 664-3189Fax: (914) 664-0860

Online at: www.mvft.org

BUILDING REPSAnnette Coppola #1Karl Nifontoff #1Toba Duggan #2Karen Wheeler #2Angelique Perez #3Diana O’Sullivan #4Charlene Clarke #5Rebecca Challop #6Kathryn Santoro #6Keith McCall #7Lisa Cavallero #8Christine Ceglio #9Kathleen Wermann-Lawlor #9Melissa Hogan #10Laura Mason #10Monique Bell #12TBA #12Donald Emerson #13Patricia Griffin #13Jeanne Casino #14Tonja Hills #16Nadine Shields Alcalde #17Isabel Garcia #17Patricia Battles #18David Israel #18Linda Gordon #18Eddie Sauls #18Patti PellicciTeaching Assistant, Non-Voting At Large RepDavid Watson, Jr.Security, Non-Voting At Large Rep

The AgendaEditorKaren Wallace

StaffMike BaldinoDominick CicconeCarene DomatoThrusha HendersonMelissa HoganAngelique PerezSophia WilliamsonJeff Yonkers

CORRESPONDENCE REPORTby Thrusha Henderson, Secretary

WEDDING BELLSNicole (Oliva) Chappas (Graham)

Francia (Svelty) Mendoza (Graham)

Ediris (Marmolejos) Squitieri (Columbus)

Peter Squitieri (Grimes)

BIRTHSSuzette Francis (Graham) sonJennifer Fuller (Parker) daughterElizabeth Lee (Graham) daughterGlenda Sanchez (Graham) daughterTiffany Sansevera (Holmes) daughterAliha Talton (Columbus) son

CONGRATULATIONSJackie Biaggi (Retiree) daughter's engagementJason Earle (Turner ES) birth of nephewLinda Earle (Turner ES) birth of grandsonBarbara Foley (Retiree) birth of grandsonMs Francis (Grimes) birth of grandsonApril Fraulo (Columbus) daughter’s marriageRachel Gaitas (Retiree) daughter’s marriageMichael Malocsay (MVHS) birth of grandsonKaren Molinaro (MVFT) birth of granddaughterAnnabelle Strozza (Graham) Son's wedding

CONDOLENCESTo the family of Lisa Aufiero (MVHS Social Worker)

Rick Anderson(MVHS) loss of daughterJackie Biaggi (Retiree) loss of fatherAnna Cammarata (Lincoln) loss of father-in-lawDesiree Darlyn (Traphagen) loss of fatherCathy Dileo (Traphagen) loss of motherZuri Fairman (Traphagen) loss of grandmotherTashina Haywood (Turner ES) loss of motherThomas Itri (Grimes) loss of uncleTracy Kayser-Messing (Parker) loss of brotherHarriet Smith (Traphagen) loss of motherSharon Vann (Holmes) loss of son

12 MVFT The Agenda NYSUT

In the summer gardenwhere butterflies gatherto enter transformationfrom enclosed chrysalis into winged bursts of color that dance through the airthere was a rose

the other flowershere in the summer gardenall looked to the roseleaned toward herdrawn by her beautyand soft words spoken sweetly to themwords of wisdom, direction, hope where so many would gofor this rose had a way to hear a person’s story without judgementwould turn things around in a momentwith common sense, levitywould show a new perspectiveto any situationno matter what the gravityand teach a better way to livethat is what she would giveyet she always remained sensitive to othersand the trust that she inspired a testament to her integrity

Lisa created a havenand truly - it was often nothing less than a life she was savingfor that was her callingto lift those who were fallingto listen, give support to whomever entered her circleeach would find comfortin her little office space such a welcoming place

this rose grew so very tall in the gardenreaching straight up, above allstraight toward the sunresplendent in full bloom shining beautiful colorstoward all otherssharing magnificent strength with those around her

this lovely rose finding two young rose buds invited them to come and share her strong branchesand there in her protective surroundthey thrivedsafe, nurtured, led to greater heightsin her guiding care

now at summers endas leaves begin to turnall the flowers do recalltheir last rose of summerher sweet presence imprinted in their lives foreverfor she stood among them so tall spreading loving fragrance to alland will always continue to inspire them

they shall never forgettheir rose of summergathered back into the arms of the Gardenerwhere all flowers long to be no, they shall never forget and, Last Rose of Summerneither shall we

~ IN MEMORIAM ~Lisa AufieroRose of Summer for Ms. Lisa Aufiero, MVHS Social Worker

- from a colleague