Chapter minutes and other info

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:

Hello Everyone:

Please click here for the chapter minutes from this month’s meeting.  Also, Markey Lees, our Labor Rep has asked me to list the info below for you. This should be my last email to everyone as your Chapter leader, so I will take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone for your continued support over the years during my presidency. I appreciate all of you and hope for the best for you in the future. You are in great hands with the new President, Vicki Ascher and the new, yet seasoned Chief Union Steward, Adriane Lommel. Good Luck to all of you. Vicki will email you next month the phone number of where she can be reached if need be. Please remember communication with each other is always first and best! 

Be safe always, happy holidays and the best new year for everyone!

From Markey Lees:

California Classified School Employees Teacher Credentialing Program 

Grant Opportunity – Applications Due January 12th at 4:30 pm

Sonoma County Office of Education has been awarded the California Classified School Employees to Teacher Credentialing Program Grant on behalf of interested districts in the region!

Commission on Teacher Credentialing grant funding is available to provide financial assistance for up to five years to current classified staff to become credentialed teachers. Funds pay for college tuition/intern credential tuition, books, and fees (approximately $2,800/year) and to provide guidance/support and credential program preparation.

This program could be particularly helpful for districts with current classified staff who already have a bachelor’s degree and want to become a credentialed teacher. This program would pay more than half of the tuition and include fees for the North Coast School of Education’s intern teacher credential program.

Eligibility: Must be a classified employee at time of application with an AA or 2 full years of college. 

Classified Staff: Any classified employee is eligible to apply for the program. We received fewer slots than requested in the state application. This means, classified staff will be selected based on:

• Districts’ needs

• Alignment of credentials to be earned with districts' needs 

• Districts' support for preparation to become a certificated teacher.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Sherry Navarro snavarro@scoe.org or Karen Ricketts kricketts @ scoe.org

How can you apply?

Complete this short application at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TCPGrantJan2017 by January 12th at 4:30 pm.

Email one letter of district support and one letter of recommendation to Kathy Parnay at kparnay @ scoe.org by January 12th at 4:30 pm.

Funding Announcements:

Funding announcements and selections will be made by January, 13th at 5:00 pm.

Thank you for interest!

Karen Ricketts

Executive Director

North Coast School of Education

Sonoma County Office of Education

5340 Skylane Boulevard

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

(707) 524-2814 phone

(707) 524-2815 fax

webpage: ncsoe.org

Planning Retirement Workshop-SAVE THE DATE

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:


Good Morning:

As promised, there will be a "Planning Retirement" Workshop on February 28, 2017 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm in the Marin Room at the Marin County Office of Education.
Please email Vicki Ascher (vascher @ marinschools.org) to sign up.  If you have any questions before the Holiday break, please go ahead and email me (kayala @ marinschools.org).
Happy Holidays to all of you and be safe!

Union Steward Training: There's still time to sign up for this Saturday's training

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:


PLEASE COME IF YOU CAN EVEN IF IT IS JUST FOR THE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE.  THANK YOU SO MUCH.  SEE FLYER BY CLICKING HERE.

Good Morning All,

This is a quick reminder that there is still time to sign up for the upcoming Union Steward Level I training scheduled for this coming Saturday, December 10, 9-3pm at MCOE.  The training has once again been revised to make it as relevant to your current workplace situations as possible.  The training is also designed to help each participant have a successful experience and walk away with tools to help guide them through potential workplace challenges.

If you are interested in participating please contact Shawna Hawkins to register by calling 800 464-7717 ext. 1154 or by emailing her at northbay @ csea.com.

A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.  Your help in spreading the word about this training is greatly appreciated.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Markey Lees
Labor Relations Representative
California School Employees Association

Chapter meeting 12-14-16 Reminder to RSVP

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:


Good Morning Everyone:

Just a reminder our last Chapter meeting of this year is on December 14, 2016 from 4-6pm.  RSVP's are required by Dec 7 in order to reserve the table at Hopmonk for our meeting.  You can email me at kayala @ marinschools to let us know.  Hope you are able to make it and meet your new President as of January 2017.  Thanks.

Best Wishes and a Safe Journey to ALL of you~

CSEA Area B November 2016 Newsletter

From Nancy Malcolm, Area B Communication Committee Member:


Greetings Area B members,

Happy Holidays!  Here's the November 2016 Area B Newsletter.

Click here

Minutes Chapter meeting 11-16-16

From  Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:


Good Morning Everyone:

Please find below the minutes from our 11/16/16 CSEA Chapter 327 meeting. We have a new president for the 2017 year! Thank you Vicki Ascher for running this year and being willing to learn in this new and exciting adventure. Vicki has the amazing support of the rest of the Executive Board who consist of the same folks as our previous year(s):

Terri Nadell, VP
Nancy Duns, Treasurer
Debbie Aviron, Secretary
Alex Young, Communications Officer
And newly appointed Adriane Lommel, Chief Union Steward as of our last Chapter meeting.

A HUGE thank you to all of you for your past, present and continued future support. While these volunteer jobs seem so easy from the outside, it is only because the Board puts so much work, time and hard effort into making our lives, the membership, so much better. It is a lot of hard work and much time spent on making sure everything runs smoothly. So again, thank you very much for your time, care and devotion! “You are appreciated!” (2-PAC)
As stated in the minutes, our last chapter meeting for this year is on December 14, 2016 from 4-6 pm. RSVP’s are a must by DECEMBER, in order to reserve our table at Hopmonk.


Best Wishes and a Safe Journey to ALL of you~

Chapter Meeting 

November 16, 2016
Marin Room  -  2:30 pm-3:20 pm MINUTES

At 2:30 pm, President Karen Ayala opened the meeting.  Present were: Karen Ayala, Terri Nadell, Nancy Duns, Debbie Aviron, Adriane Lommel, Vicki Ascher, Luz Lopez, Catherine Brady and Alex Young

Hand-outs:

·         Chapter Meeting Agenda

·         Minutes of October 26, 2016 Chapter Meeting

·         Treasurer’s report

·         Meeting Schedule for 2017

Approval of Agenda: The agenda was approved by Terri Nadell, seconded by Nancy Duns with no changes.

Secretary’s Report: The chapter minutes were approved by Adriane Lommel, seconded by Nancy Duns with no changes.

Treasurer’s Report: The treasurer’s report was approved by Terri Nadell, seconded by, Karen Ayala with no changes.

Scholarship Fund: Set up timeline next year to advertise the scholarship fund to spend the money in the fund.

Elections: Karen Ayala has nominated Terri Nadell for Vice President, Karen Ayala nominated Alex Young as our Communications Officer. Terri Nadell nominated Nancy Duns as Treasurer, Nancy Duns nominated Debbie Aviron as Secretary. Karen Ayala nominated Vicky Ascher as the 2017 CSEA President. All nominations are now closed.  Since there was only a single nomination for each office, the single nominee in each category has been declared elected to that particular office and no balloting or other action is required.

Meeting Schedule for 2017: New schedule has been handed out and reviewed by the Chapter. We will change the February meeting to February 15, 2017.

December Meeting/Celebration: The Chapter meeting on December 14, 2016 will be held at Hopmonk from 4:00-6:00pm. Each person can spend $20.00 excluding alcohol.  Karen will email the Chapter for RSVP’s after the Executive Board Meeting.  RSVP is a must to attend. Please do so by December 5th so we are able to secure our table. This can be done via email to any of the board members. Thank you.

Good of the Order: Karen thanked the Board for all their support and help during her terms of service.  Karen thanked Catherine for always attending our meetings.

Adjournment was at 3:21 pm

Short Chapter Meeting 11-16-16 Elections-Catastrophic leave

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:


Good Morning Everyone:

Please find the agenda below for the very short Special Chapter meeting on 11/16/16 from 2:20 - 3:20 for Elections.

Also, thank you very much to the membership who donated hours for the catastrophic leave member.  We received 115 hours and if possible, would love to get the maximum hours which means we need 45 more hours.  If anyone is interested, please read the information below which I originally sent out.  In reading this, you can see if you are eligible to donate.  Thanks much.

"In accordance with Article 8 section 8.15 of the CSEA contract the CSEA leadership has received a request for donations to help a member who qualifies for support under the catastrophic leave provision. The amount being requested is 160 hours.   On the member’s behalf, CSEA is asking for you to consider making a donation of your sick leave to help this member in need.

In order for you to make a donation,  you must maintain a minimum of 160 hours or 20 workdays of sick leave in your personal sick leave bank. The minimum donation is 4 hours and the maximum is 40 hours per school year.

If you are interested in giving a donation please respond email me (kayala@marinschools) with the amount that you are interested in donating.  The personnel department will verify that you have adequate leave available for this request."

Chapter Meeting Agenda

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

2:20 pm - 3:20 pm

Marin Room

• Approval of Agenda

• Secretary's report

• Treasurer's report

• Chapter business
• Elections
• Meeting Schedule for 2017
• December Meeting/Celebration

• Good of the Order

• Adjournment

Chapter minutes-Prof Growth funds

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:


Hello Everyone:

Please find the minutes from the last chapter meeting below.  You can also click THIS LINK to obtain the new form for the Professional Growth funds.  Please use the correct form when you turn it in along with the original receipt(s).
You can send them to MCOE or put them in the CSEA box in shipping.  See you on November 16, 2016 for the special chapter meeting from 2:30 - 3:30 pm for a possible vote for the vacant office for 2017.
I'll send out the agenda next week.
Thank you.
Have a great day.

Chapter Meeting

October 26, 2016

Marin Room 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

MINUTES

At 2:36 pm, President Karen Ayala opened the meeting.  Present were: Karen Ayala, Terri Nadell, Nancy Duns, Alex Young, Debbie Aviron, Vicki Ascher, Frank Rodriguez, Nick Rhodes, Adriane Lommel, Catherine Brady, Liliana Nazarian, Aracelli Castaneda

Hand-outs:

·         Chapter Meeting Agenda

·         Minutes of August 16, 2016 Chapter Meeting

·         Treasurer’s report

·         Professional Growth Form

Approval of Agenda: The agenda was approved by Nancy Duns, seconded by Terri Nadell with no changes.

Secretary’s Report: The chapter minutes were approved by Nancy Duns, seconded by Alex Young, with no changes.

Treasurer’s Report: The treasurer’s report was approved by Adriane Lommel, seconded by Terri Nadell, with no changes.

Constitution and By Laws: We reviewed the Constitution and By Laws for a second time before the Chapter.

Below is the actual changes reviewed and to be voted on:

o   Article II, C-Lifetime retired Dues: changed from $24.00 to $36.00 per year o  Article III, Section 2-Chapter Dues: changed from $20.00 to $40.00 per year o  Article IV, Section B- delivery of information changed to be via email.

o   Article VI, Section 1-Meetings changed from monthly to be held every other month during August through June, including November

We submitted the above changes for Chapter approval and they were unanimously approved by our Chapter. We will submit them to the State for amendment.

Professional Growth Funds: The form has been updated with the current approved amount.  The approved amount previously was $150 for the first half year and $150 for the second half year. We have updated the amount to $200 for this year and $200 for next year on a first come first served basis as per usual and as per stated on the form.

Elections: The current board members holding the office of Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Communications Officer/Webmaster will run for office again for the term of January through December 2017 except for the office of President, which is currently held by Karen Ayala until her term is up December of 2016.  Vicki Asher has requested to run for the President’s position. The term starts in January of 2017 and runs through December 2017. Yolanda Simons has resigned as Union Steward. Adriane Lommel is considering filling the position of Union Steward. She has requested the Executive Board discuss ways strengthen the role of Union Steward by cultivating the program so others can carry on the work for the future. Adriane will give us her answer in writing.

Good of the Order: Frank Rodriguez our area director attended our Chapter meeting and made the announcement about the vacant Union Steward position.  He is a maintenance specialist at Windsor Unified School District as well as our Area B Director which is an elected position. Between February and May, he will be doing an Area B Institute, to bring members together and give trainings to benefit the local unions. These are open to the general membership. They have been working on Prop 55 passage and it is looking favorable to pass.  Karen thanked everyone for coming and Vicki and Adriane for considering filling the positions. Terri wants to thank Vicki for stepping forward.  We will confirm the next year Chapter and Board meeting dates at the Special and very short November meeting which is designed only for election purposes.

Adjournment was at 3:40 pm

Register to vote by Oct. 24

During the current election year, many issues important to working families and classified school employees will be on the ballot so we encourage you to register to vote if you have recently moved or have changed your political party affiliation.

Voter registration in California is easy and only takes a few minutes online. As CSEA members know, voting is one of the easiest ways to make our voices heard.

While the presidential election is the most talked about contest this year, there will be many issues that will affect us locally and at the state level, including Proposition 55, the Children’s Education and Health Care Protection Act. Whether it’s a ballot proposition affecting schools or our benefits, or whether it’s a local school board race, school bond, or candidate to the state Legislature, all the choices we make at the ballot impact affect retirees and our schools. That’s why it’s crucial to make our voices heard through the ballot.

Voter registration deadlines are 15 days before an election. This year’s deadline to register to vote in the November 8 election is Oct. 24 (online, in person or postmark). Visit registertovote.ca.gov to register or for more information.

October Chapter meeting

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:

Good Day Everyone:

Please find below the Agenda for the October 26, 2016 Chapter meeting a the Marin County Office of Education Marin Room.  Hope to see you there.

Best Regards

Chapter Meeting Agenda

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

MCOE-Marin Room  -  2:30 pm-3:30 pm

Approval of agenda

Secretary’s report

Treasurer’s report

Chapter business

·         Revised Constitution and Bylaws – 2^nd reading

·         Professional Growth Update

·         Elections

             Good of the Order

Adjournment

CSEA Union Steward Training Announcement Level 1 and 2 - Marin Area

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:


Please consider attending and helping out our membership.  Thanks much.

Click here to view the flyer.

EMPLOYEE REQUEST-Catastrophic Leave

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:

Good Afternoon Everyone:

Please see the request below. Thank you in advance for your help.

In accordance with Article 8 section 8.15 of the CSEA contract the CSEA leadership has received a request for donations to help a member who qualifies for support under the catastrophic leave provision. The amount being requested is 160 hours.   On the member’s behalf, CSEA is asking for you to consider making a donation of your sick leave to help this member in need.

In order for you to make a donation,  you must maintain a minimum of 160 hours or 20 workdays of sick leave in your personal sick leave bank. The minimum donation is 4 hours and the maximum is 40 hours per school year.

If you are interested in giving a donation please respond email me (kayala@marinschools) with the amount that you are interested in donating.  The personnel department will verify that you have adequate leave available for this request.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Best Regards

2 WORKSHOPS

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:

Hello Everyone:

Please read below and decide which workshop best suits your needs (if any) as space is limited.

For either workshop, please be sure you get your CalPers number.

First workshop: 9/28/16  - 2:30-5:00pm Board room, MCOE.

This workshop is for folks who are eligible and considering retirement in the next year or two.

Second workshop: Later part of February 2017.

This workshop is geared toward folks PLANNING for retirement in the next 5 years. Sign-ups for this, early Feb. MCOE.

ALSO, Please remember if you are not off during these hours, you will have to take either PN or Vacation time. If you have signed up for the workshop and think the second one works best for you, just email me (kayala@marinschools) and I’ll put you on the second one.

Hope this helps everyone who inquired about not retiring too soon but are interested in learning good information for their future.

Best Regards

CSEA Area B Newsletter

From Nancy Malcom, Area B Communication Committee Member:


Greetings everyone,

Welcome to the new school year.  I hope you enjoy the September 2016 Area B Newsletter.

Click here to view

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:


Hello Everyone:

We have the date for the RETIREMENT workshop which will be given by Deb Jachens (CSEA) on September 28, 2016 from 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM at the Marin County Office of Education in the Board room.
We need RSVP’s by September 20, as we only have a certain amount of laptops and the room is not huge either. However, if you have a laptop or ipad, you can bring in just in case and use it.
Also, be sure to have your 10 digit Calpers ID. If you don’t have it, here is the number to call for it. CalPERS 888-225-7377 for your ID.
Thank you and remember to RSVP as room is limited.


Best Regards

From Markey Lees, Labor Relations Representative:

Information on CSEA sponsored Pre-Retirement Seminar for CalPERS members of all ages occurring on Saturday, September 17.

LEARN NOW how CalPERS pays you later

8-16-16 Chapter Minutes

Chapter Meeting

August 16, 2016

Room B 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

MINUTES

At 2:31 pm, President Karen Ayala opened the meeting.  Present were: Karen Ayala, Terri Nadell, Nancy Duns, Alex Young, Debbie Aviron, Erika Greene, Araceli Castaneda, Adriane Lommel and Catherine Brady

Hand-outs: 

·         Chapter Meeting Agenda

·         Minutes of June 9, 2016 Chapter Meeting

·         Treasurer’s report

Approval of Agenda: The agenda was approved by Nancy Duns, seconded by Alex Young,             with no changes.

Secretary’s Report: The chapter minutes were approved by Nancy Duns, seconded by Alex Young, with no changes.

Treasurer’s Report: The treasurer’s report was approved by Alex Young, seconded by Terri Nadell, with no changes.

Constitution and By Laws: Have been revised, the last revision was 1996.  The revised
C and B’s were presented to the Chapter for reading and comments.  The revisions were meeting dates, every other month and dues, now $40.00 per year.  Some adjusts were made, such as all correspondence to Chapter Members will be via email not mail. We will present the C and B’s again at the next chapter meeting for approval.

Professional Growth Funds: The funds have not been released yet, Karen is following up with Raquel on the final amount. Once funds are approved Karen will email the chapter. We are considering raising the disbursement amount for the membership to $200.00 per reimbursement period only if the funds are available to do so. Remember, these funds are on a first come, first served basis.

Elections: We will be holding elections in October and November.  Any qualified members interested in any Board position should notify the Board and attend the October Chapter meeting. All of the officer’s terms are up in December.

Office Communications: The point was mentioned that many employees miss the hallway meetings and information that is passed on.  Email notification of meetings was mentioned in a possible way to inform employees of meetings so more can attend or follow up on what was discussed. This may be brought up to Mary Jane’s Office in the future. However, this is not a union type matter but rather Mary Jane’s options. Anyone is welcome to communicate their interest in these meetings directly to her office.

Good of the Order: Alex thanked Karen for her Presidency and work on behalf of the CSEA Chapter #327.  Erika thanked the Board for all the work updating the Constitution and By Laws.  Karen appreciated Erika for attending all the Chapter Meetings.

Adjournment was at 3:25 pm

Labor Day: What does it mean?

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to honor the social and economic achievements of American workers.
This year, Labor Day is Monday, Sept 2. Labor Day isn’t just about unions. It’s a national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

History of Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882 in New York City in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. On that day, about 20,000 workers marched to demand an eight-hour workday and other labor law reforms. In a parade up Broadway in New York City, workers carried banners reading, “Labor Creates All Wealth” and “Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Rest, Eight Hours for Recreation.” About a quarter million New Yorkers turned out to watch.
After the first Labor Day in New York City, celebrations began to spread to other states as workers fought to win workplace rights and better working conditions and wages at a time when they had little power. In 1893, New York City workers took an unpaid day off and marched around Union Square in support of a national Labor Day.
The following year, 12,000 federal troops were called into Pullman, Ill., to break up a huge strike against the Pullman railway company and two workers were shot and killed by U.S. deputy marshals. In what most historians call an election year attempt to appease workers after the federal crackdown on the Pullman strike, shortly after the strike was broken, President Grover Cleveland signed legislation making the first Monday in September Labor Day and a federal holiday. Cleveland lost the election but Labor Day was now federally recognized.

Labor Day today

Through the years, the country has given increasing emphasis to Labor Day. With labor unions fighting for survival and workers fighting for a living way and to preserve overtime pay, recognizing the contributions of American workers is just as important today as it was more than 100 years ago when Labor Day was first celebrated.

Agenda Chapter Meeting

From Karen Ayala, Chapter 327 President:


Good Morning Everyone and Welcome Back!

We hope you had a great summer.  Below is the agenda for our Chapter 327 meeting this month.
We look forward to a fantastic new year filled with peace of mind and happiness and a fresh new start.
Let's all try and find a way to make this happen!
Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting as well as at Back to School!

Chapter Meeting Agenda

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

2:30-3:30 pm

Cabinet Room

Approval of agenda

Secretary’s report

Treasurer’s report

Chapter business

·         Revised Constitution and Bylaws

·         Professional Growth Update

·         Elections

                 Good of the Order

Adjournment