Faculty
Council Meeting
March
22, 2004
The March 22, 2004 HEA Faculty Council Meeting was called to
order in the High School Library at 4:00 p.m. by President Nikki Van Ess.
A motion to accept the February 23, 2004 corrected minutes was made by Karen Randolph and approved. The correction is: It was reported that the grammar schools use different textbooks while following the same curriculum.
OFFICER’S REPORTS
Treasurer.
The Treasurer’s Report was presented.
A motion to accept the report was made and approved.
Corresponding Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary stated that Honors Dinner posters and
fliers will be sent to the schools the week of March 29. If the names of any honorees are missing
from the list, please inform Maria Matera as soon as possible.
Recording Secretary.
The Recording Secretary had no report.
BCEA Representative. The BCEA representative distributed a "hot bills" list. The final BCEA workshop will be held May 12. State aid was a 3% increase, but that actually will not be seen because of other factors. Steven Rothman was endorsed for re-election. The BCEA telephone banks are available for school board election calls. Bill 1125 (medical benefits for retirees) will be reintroduced in the Senate. Any member or dependent anticipating surgery should check that the anesthesiologist is a participating doctor. Elaine Williamson is a candidate for the Delegate Assembly.
At the Delegate Assembly meeting on
March 20, it was reported that average salary increases are 4.7%. Consideration is being given to establishing
starting salaries at $40,000. An
amendment to grandfather K-8 teacher certification with the No Child Left Behind
law is being considered; it is impossible to fulfill all requests of the
law. Grade 3 and 4 testing times need
to be changed.
Vice President.
The Vice President urged the schools to hold their TALC meetings.
President. The President reported that the secretaries approached the HEA about discussing the possibility of re-joining our union. After discussion, a motion was made to have this question placed on our April ballot: Would you be in favor of including the secretaries in our union? Leadership workshops will be held August 7 - 13. The NEA convention will be held July 4 - 7 in Washington, DC. If anyone is interested in attending either of these conferences, please inform the President. There is a possibility of high school parking spaces/shuttle bus be made available to Fairmount and Hillers faculty; their faculty will be surveyed for their interest in this matter. At the February 24 Board meeting, medical coverage for part-time employees was changed back to 20 hours. Information is available on Atlantic home loans. NJEA information packets on non-tenure rights were distributed. NJEA is sponsoring a Health and Safety Conference in Long Branch on April 17; one of the topics concerns your rights to air quality in buildings.
SCHOOL REPORTS
Reports were made by each school in the district.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Membership.
The Membership Chair has sent letters to non- paying members encouraging
them to join the membership. Without
membership, they are not eligible for participation. The Membership Chair needs an updated roster from each
school.
Election. The
Election Chair presented the nominations for this year's election. Ballots must be returned by April 14. The Election Chair must obtain a current
list of members to insure that only those members receive a ballot.
Social. This
report was included in the Corresponding Secretary's report.
Negotiations.
The Negotiations Chair urged members to attend the rally on March 25 at
the Board office; it will be from 6:15 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. BCEA has contacted other districts to
support our rally. Members are urged to
attend the Board meeting on March 31; it will be held in the Middle School
Auditorium.
Legislative.
This was included in the BCEA representative's report.
Professional Rights and Responsibilities. The Professional Rights and Responsibilities
Chair reported that Norman Danzig is handling one grievance which was filed
March 19.
Teacher Education.
The Teacher Education Chair reported that seven courses are being
conducted this spring. There is
interest in summer courses.
T.A.L.C. Some
schools have held their TALC meeting, but reports have not yet been submitted.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION. There were no recommendations.
OLD BUSINESS. There was no old business.
NEW BUSINESS. There are problems with the Prudential Disability coverage; the company is making members prove loss of salary. There was a question on voting rights and procedures; Robert's Rules of Order will be consulted. There was a problem with the amount of state taxes deducted from our payroll. The old company that prepared the payroll was not using the correct chart; the new company adjusted it.
ANNOUNCEMENTS. There were no announcements.
ADJOURNMENT. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m. on motion by Amy Fink.
Respectfully submitted,
Valerie Gancarz
Recording Secretary