If any of you have been checking the page, you will have noted that it has been awhile since any blogging occurred. The last year has been overwhelmingly busy - in your classrooms and here in the office. Now that we are back in the office, and the holiday season approaches, we have time to reflect on how very lucky we are. The new office is so very lovely to work in. Earlier this month, members signed petitions earlier asking Town Council to take some action regarding child poverty - and we were so happy to see the petitions accepted and actually heartened by the response of the council members. We have just received a copy of a letter from the School Board which informs the Minister of Education that a request to make more cuts to an underfunded system is not possible. We know that we have continually urged the Board to realize that the funding provided by the government is not adequate - perhaps this baby step will begin the path to understanding that we cannot keep the education system functioning properly without an increase to the levels of funding. We are thankful for teachers who continue to speak out for children, and who dedicate their lives to ensuring the children in their classes receive the education they need to become the future leaders in our society.
As we approach the holidays, we wish all of the CVTA members a restful holiday. See you in the New Year!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Spring Changes
Well, it seems the cold weather may have left us, and spring is bringing changes all around us. The CVTA office is also finally changing, the old office is being torn down and we await the beginning of a new one. Shayne Ducharme will be taking the leadership role here, working with his students from the high school.
Other changes, of course, have taken effect in our professional lives. Bill 22 was passed, and we have such great concerns about our profession’s future. Most of you have attended school based meetings, and we hope you are all planning to attend the General Meeting at the Rec Centre on Tuesday, April 17that 3:30, when we will be discussing and voting on the Action Plan developed at the AGM.
Lorraine Tyne has once more been appointed as our Returning Officer, and the voting dates are April 17th (Rec Centre),and April 18th and 19th from 12 to 4 at the CVTA office.
On March 27th, Tom Newell and I presented our concerns regarding the budget. There were presentations from other partner groups, including DPAC and Homelinks. Both the Technology teachers and Kindergarten teachers gave presentations, as well. Our presentation focused on our concerns regarding technology, Special Needs funding, and the growing rate of management in the district. Please note the link to our presentation. We have been informed that the district knows that it will be over one million dollars short next year, and that “business as usual” cannot continue.
Thank you for all of your work during the last few months; members of the CVTA have clearly demonstrated a clear understanding of the importance of standing together. We would not want to say the strike was fun, but we have some great photos from the strike which will remind us of the work we did together. Chris has posted these on the website. We will need to help and support each other as we move forward in our plans to deal with Bill 22, if you have any questions or concerns, please check with your staff rep or contact the office.
(Originally posted by Becky on April 10, 2012)
Other changes, of course, have taken effect in our professional lives. Bill 22 was passed, and we have such great concerns about our profession’s future. Most of you have attended school based meetings, and we hope you are all planning to attend the General Meeting at the Rec Centre on Tuesday, April 17that 3:30, when we will be discussing and voting on the Action Plan developed at the AGM.
Lorraine Tyne has once more been appointed as our Returning Officer, and the voting dates are April 17th (Rec Centre),and April 18th and 19th from 12 to 4 at the CVTA office.
On March 27th, Tom Newell and I presented our concerns regarding the budget. There were presentations from other partner groups, including DPAC and Homelinks. Both the Technology teachers and Kindergarten teachers gave presentations, as well. Our presentation focused on our concerns regarding technology, Special Needs funding, and the growing rate of management in the district. Please note the link to our presentation. We have been informed that the district knows that it will be over one million dollars short next year, and that “business as usual” cannot continue.
Thank you for all of your work during the last few months; members of the CVTA have clearly demonstrated a clear understanding of the importance of standing together. We would not want to say the strike was fun, but we have some great photos from the strike which will remind us of the work we did together. Chris has posted these on the website. We will need to help and support each other as we move forward in our plans to deal with Bill 22, if you have any questions or concerns, please check with your staff rep or contact the office.
(Originally posted by Becky on April 10, 2012)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
News on Continued Job Action
We have found it difficult to find the time necessary to contribute a blog on a regular basis – just like all teachers, the “busyness” of our job sometimes forces us to prioritize and somehow the blog has fallen way down on our list of jobs.
Certainly the job action – and answering questions, meeting with members, and looking for answers has filled our days. We are beginning our sixth month of the job action, and we have maintained our actions have ensured parents and students face very little disruption in their school experience. We have been commended in public for this, and we believe that teachers have become more aware of the amount of voluntary activities to which we contribute every year. We have been teaching what we enjoy teaching, participating in extracurricular activities and ensuring student progress is reported to parents.
The BCTF has recently released some very good advertisements regarding our job action, and we have been attending provincial meetings to ensure members’ voices are heard. The next few weeks will likely move us towards further discussions, and we will ensure the opportunity to speak to all members happens.
One of the concerning issues of the strike is the inequity which is occurring when rulings by the LRB are made around such things as supervision or government exam marking. Because most of the CVTA schools are termed “remote” from the Board Office, we do not see excluded staff providing supervision or providing markers for exams. We are challenged by this – if there are district principals, or directors who are paid to work throughout the local, why are we not seeing them in our schools? We always state that it is the Board Office which is “remote” – moved from the location right beside our office through amalgamation ten years ago.
The decision by our Board to direct teachers at PCSS to mark was a dark day for us. Thank you to those of you who wore black on that day. At least one photo is posted for your enjoyment.
On another fiery note – we have had the opportunity to sort through documents which survived the fire. We have rescued many, and others are now being thawed and dried. We have started to purchase essential items for the office, and we believe there have been some quotes provided for reconstruction of the office. More to follow on this issue…hopefully in a timelier manner than this post!
(Originally Posted by Becky on February 7, 2012)
Certainly the job action – and answering questions, meeting with members, and looking for answers has filled our days. We are beginning our sixth month of the job action, and we have maintained our actions have ensured parents and students face very little disruption in their school experience. We have been commended in public for this, and we believe that teachers have become more aware of the amount of voluntary activities to which we contribute every year. We have been teaching what we enjoy teaching, participating in extracurricular activities and ensuring student progress is reported to parents.
The BCTF has recently released some very good advertisements regarding our job action, and we have been attending provincial meetings to ensure members’ voices are heard. The next few weeks will likely move us towards further discussions, and we will ensure the opportunity to speak to all members happens.
One of the concerning issues of the strike is the inequity which is occurring when rulings by the LRB are made around such things as supervision or government exam marking. Because most of the CVTA schools are termed “remote” from the Board Office, we do not see excluded staff providing supervision or providing markers for exams. We are challenged by this – if there are district principals, or directors who are paid to work throughout the local, why are we not seeing them in our schools? We always state that it is the Board Office which is “remote” – moved from the location right beside our office through amalgamation ten years ago.
The decision by our Board to direct teachers at PCSS to mark was a dark day for us. Thank you to those of you who wore black on that day. At least one photo is posted for your enjoyment.
On another fiery note – we have had the opportunity to sort through documents which survived the fire. We have rescued many, and others are now being thawed and dried. We have started to purchase essential items for the office, and we believe there have been some quotes provided for reconstruction of the office. More to follow on this issue…hopefully in a timelier manner than this post!
(Originally Posted by Becky on February 7, 2012)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
New Office, Trustee Elections
Where has the time gone? I am sure you are asking yourself the same thing – there we were at the beginning of a new school year and suddenly it is Halloween. We had a good turn out for the General Meeting earlier this month, and we have elected the remainder of this year’s CVTA Executive. Thank you to those who participated at the meeting, and a big thank you to the members who have put their names forward to work on behalf of the CVTA this year.
We have just signed a lease for a new office – ironically, the classroom I last taught in. The new office is located directly across from Sunset Seeds, at 1621 Canyon Street and we will be attempting to set it up as a temporary office until we can rebuild. The latest on the old office is that there is evidence of asbestos, and it will need to be properly cleaned up before we can have any chance of entering the building, or even to begin on reconstruction.
We will be co-hosting a forum regarding the Trustee Election on Wed., Nov 2nd at the PCSS auditorium from 7 to 9 pm. This is a very important issue, and we wish to encourage every member to come to the forum to hear the candidates respond to questions and to speak on what they feel are important issues in education. Your vote will have a direct impact on the classrooms in which you work – please take the time to vote, and to encourage your friends and neighbours to do the same.
Thank you again for your support and actions during Phase One – we have been impressed with level of member support. Please continue to contact the office regarding questions about the job action, and any other topics.
(Originally posted by Becky on October 24, 2011)
We have just signed a lease for a new office – ironically, the classroom I last taught in. The new office is located directly across from Sunset Seeds, at 1621 Canyon Street and we will be attempting to set it up as a temporary office until we can rebuild. The latest on the old office is that there is evidence of asbestos, and it will need to be properly cleaned up before we can have any chance of entering the building, or even to begin on reconstruction.
We will be co-hosting a forum regarding the Trustee Election on Wed., Nov 2nd at the PCSS auditorium from 7 to 9 pm. This is a very important issue, and we wish to encourage every member to come to the forum to hear the candidates respond to questions and to speak on what they feel are important issues in education. Your vote will have a direct impact on the classrooms in which you work – please take the time to vote, and to encourage your friends and neighbours to do the same.
Thank you again for your support and actions during Phase One – we have been impressed with level of member support. Please continue to contact the office regarding questions about the job action, and any other topics.
(Originally posted by Becky on October 24, 2011)
CVTA Office Fire
Where to start? With the job action, with the fire, or with a simple welcome back? We are already well into our jobs, and the summer vacation memories may be fading with our tans and the hot weather!
Speaking of heat, you will know by now that we have been devastated by the fire which destroyed our wee office building. Thank you to the members who helped at the time of the fire, thanks to those of you who have offered your help and your shoulders for me to cry on. The CVTA is a family of teachers who really know how to work together and to look after each other. We have had the very good news just yesterday that the data files have been recovered by Pro-To-Call. The office is temporarily in various sites in my home – and Doug has allowed us to store some of the rescued files from the basement in his house. We are working out details with insurance and the executive will need to make some decisions soon as to the road forward.
Please keep front and center that our actions in Phase One of the job action is supposed to enhance your professionalism – do what you enjoy doing, and know that we are in a legal position to withdraw from certain activities to emphasize our concerns around the state of bargaining. Our students are always front and center in our concerns, and gains we make in our bargaining essentially are also gains for them. This is to be a year of joyful teaching; ask your staff rep if you have concerns – and enjoy the ability to focus on our concerns in our classrooms.
Forgive the lack of a calendar and list of Executive Members, 2011 has started off with a bang and it may take me awhile to find time to update the web information. Talk to you soon!
(Originally Posted by Becky on September 16, 2011)
Summer Bargaining
Hoping that you are enjoying the summer break, and get the rest and relaxation we all
need. Our classrooms are very challenging, and we need to ensure that we have taken the
time to recharge our professional batteries, and to spend valuable time with loved ones.
Thanks to all of the executive members who have dedicated hours of voluntary work this school year to provide services to the members of the CVTA. We are so lucky that we have members willing to take on the challenging role this is. Many of them will be attending Summer Conference in Kamloops, and will return with ideas and information which will benefit us all.
You will be hearing and reading articles regarding both the BCTF and the BCCT this
summer; please take the time to email or phone with your reactions to the media
coverage. If it is not reflecting your concerns, speak out on behalf or our students and concerns. Contact the medium yourself – as a classroom teacher you are believed by the public and your voice speaks much more loudly than an organized event or response. Our working conditions are the learning conditions of our students, and we need to be
prepared to inform others of our concerns.
Of course, one of the issues worth consideration is the fact that despite our gains in salary since the last strike, we have fallen further and further behind. We have provided a link to a salary grid which shows just how far we have fallen.
Locally, bargaining has been an interesting experience – someone must have cursed us
with the proverb, “May you live in interesting times.” Again, the work of the Bargaining Team has been outstanding on your behalf and I must again thank members who work on the behalf of all. Thank you to Bill, Mike and Doug for all of the work you have done. A bulletin will be posted soon to the web which frames our work so far on your behalf. We are looking forward to more work in this area in the fall.
Finally, may your summer be peaceful and relaxing. May the mosquitoes be few, may the
sunshine feel unending, and may all of the days of summer be what you need.
(Originally Posted by Becky July 6, 2011)
need. Our classrooms are very challenging, and we need to ensure that we have taken the
time to recharge our professional batteries, and to spend valuable time with loved ones.
Thanks to all of the executive members who have dedicated hours of voluntary work this school year to provide services to the members of the CVTA. We are so lucky that we have members willing to take on the challenging role this is. Many of them will be attending Summer Conference in Kamloops, and will return with ideas and information which will benefit us all.
You will be hearing and reading articles regarding both the BCTF and the BCCT this
summer; please take the time to email or phone with your reactions to the media
coverage. If it is not reflecting your concerns, speak out on behalf or our students and concerns. Contact the medium yourself – as a classroom teacher you are believed by the public and your voice speaks much more loudly than an organized event or response. Our working conditions are the learning conditions of our students, and we need to be
prepared to inform others of our concerns.
Of course, one of the issues worth consideration is the fact that despite our gains in salary since the last strike, we have fallen further and further behind. We have provided a link to a salary grid which shows just how far we have fallen.
Locally, bargaining has been an interesting experience – someone must have cursed us
with the proverb, “May you live in interesting times.” Again, the work of the Bargaining Team has been outstanding on your behalf and I must again thank members who work on the behalf of all. Thank you to Bill, Mike and Doug for all of the work you have done. A bulletin will be posted soon to the web which frames our work so far on your behalf. We are looking forward to more work in this area in the fall.
Finally, may your summer be peaceful and relaxing. May the mosquitoes be few, may the
sunshine feel unending, and may all of the days of summer be what you need.
(Originally Posted by Becky July 6, 2011)
Summer News
Indeed, we are living in interesting times. Two weeks ago at the General Meeting we
celebrated the historical win regarding Bills 27 and 28. We also mourned the loss of our CVTA contract – the result of the BCTF Executive’s decision not to appeal the Supreme Court’s ruling that “significant harm did not occur” when our contract was vaporized in 2002 and we were forced into an alliance with the Nelson District teachers. The meeting also unanimously called for the executive to arrange a meeting with the BCTF President Susan Lambert to discuss our concerns regarding this momentous loss. That meeting will be held at the PCSS music room on June 14th at 4 pm.
This meeting will be crucial as the result of a motion passed at the Representative
Assembly calling for a strike vote this month. The lack of progress at both the provincial and local table has clearly indicated the need for a mandate which will empower bargaining teams in order to motivate progress at the bargaining tables. We will be conducting school visits leading up to the vote to be held June 24, 27, and 28. The executive will need to make some decisions around the model of the vote, and we will be communicating with staff reps so you are kept well informed and participate fully regarding this issue.
We have had questions around the idea of professional development being held during
the summer months – a vote which will be held at all schools soon. Our contract clearly
states that the Board cannot force teachers to work outside the regular school
year. However, some staffs wish to take days in lieu for time worked in the summer. The
CVTA has encouraged staffs to make school based decisions regarding this – with the
information that the BCTF actually has policy which encourages members to resist
this. We believe that if members have developed and planned good professional
development opportunities at schools – not in service or meetings to deal with
accountability – members should have the right to choose. This being said, the key is the involvement of members in planning the summer professional development. PD
Committees at schools will be able to fully advise members of what will be occurring in
the summer dates.
On a much lighter and positive note, the Retirement Banquet this month will be expanded to include an Induction Ceremony for new members to our profession. We are hoping members will be encouraged to attend a ceremony which celebrates the conclusion of successful careers, and the beginning of new careers. You can buy your ticket from your staff rep - $25 for a great meal and evening of professional comradeship. See you there!
(Originally posted by Becky May 30, 2011)
celebrated the historical win regarding Bills 27 and 28. We also mourned the loss of our CVTA contract – the result of the BCTF Executive’s decision not to appeal the Supreme Court’s ruling that “significant harm did not occur” when our contract was vaporized in 2002 and we were forced into an alliance with the Nelson District teachers. The meeting also unanimously called for the executive to arrange a meeting with the BCTF President Susan Lambert to discuss our concerns regarding this momentous loss. That meeting will be held at the PCSS music room on June 14th at 4 pm.
This meeting will be crucial as the result of a motion passed at the Representative
Assembly calling for a strike vote this month. The lack of progress at both the provincial and local table has clearly indicated the need for a mandate which will empower bargaining teams in order to motivate progress at the bargaining tables. We will be conducting school visits leading up to the vote to be held June 24, 27, and 28. The executive will need to make some decisions around the model of the vote, and we will be communicating with staff reps so you are kept well informed and participate fully regarding this issue.
We have had questions around the idea of professional development being held during
the summer months – a vote which will be held at all schools soon. Our contract clearly
states that the Board cannot force teachers to work outside the regular school
year. However, some staffs wish to take days in lieu for time worked in the summer. The
CVTA has encouraged staffs to make school based decisions regarding this – with the
information that the BCTF actually has policy which encourages members to resist
this. We believe that if members have developed and planned good professional
development opportunities at schools – not in service or meetings to deal with
accountability – members should have the right to choose. This being said, the key is the involvement of members in planning the summer professional development. PD
Committees at schools will be able to fully advise members of what will be occurring in
the summer dates.
On a much lighter and positive note, the Retirement Banquet this month will be expanded to include an Induction Ceremony for new members to our profession. We are hoping members will be encouraged to attend a ceremony which celebrates the conclusion of successful careers, and the beginning of new careers. You can buy your ticket from your staff rep - $25 for a great meal and evening of professional comradeship. See you there!
(Originally posted by Becky May 30, 2011)
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