HACKENSACK EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Faculty Council Meeting

June 13, 2005

The June 23, 2005 HEA Faculty Council Meeting in the High School Auditorium was called to order by President Fran Borg at 3:30 p.m.

The May 16 minutes stated that Maria Catena volunteered to be in charge of the HEA T-shirt orders. The minutes are amended to read Maria Catena was asked if she would be willing to be in charge of the HEA T-shirt orders. Maria agreed to do so. A motion to accept the amended minutes of the May 16 Faculty Council meeting was presented by Vida Story and carried by unanimous vote.

OFFICER’S REPORTS

Treasurer. Lorelei Kaminsky made available a copy of the Treasurer’s report to each member. A motion to accept the report was made by Vida Story and was carried by unanimous vote.

Corresponding Secretary. Betty Meeks Manning reported a note was received from Georgie Brown thanking the HEA for the wonderful Honors Dinner. It was noted there is no charge for Hackensack school district teachers to attend the summer institute. However, teachers from outside the district do pay a fee. President Fran Borg will check to see if teachers will be notified regarding acceptance in the summer institute.

Recording Secretary. There was no report.

BCEA Representative. Elaine Williamson reiterated the importance for members to keep writing to their senators regarding the bills that are now before the Senate. Vice President Amy Fink sent email forms that may be used to contact the senators.

Vice President. Amy Fink noted that not all the T.A.L.C. reports have been received. President Fran Borg will be meeting with the Superintendent and would like to have all the reports in hand for that meeting. Chris Ryan commented on the excellent job Ron Durso has done with the T.A.L.C. reports.

President. Fran Borg announced there is a Board of Education position open. Things are in flux in the high school and in the district because of the death of the high school principal, Joe DeFalco, so several issues have been on hold. Work will be done on the PRIDE committee with Ron Durso and Chris Ryan. Another workshop will be offered in the future. There was a second discussion regarding an HEA donation in the name of Principal Joe DeFalco to the Blue and Gold scholarship fund. It was stated that the HEA dues money is earmarked for specific purposes. The donation could not come out of the budget unless the entire body took a vote. Vice President Amy Fink will check on the legal aspects of the matter. Vida Story made a motion to authorize T-shirt sale money to be given to the NEA fund for children. The motion carried.

School Reports. Individual school reports were discussed.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Membership. Denise Corso agreed to become the Membership Committee chairperson.

Election. The building representative from the Middle School is Matt Facella and from Jackson Avenue School is Peggie Patterson. There are still two vacancies for building representatives from 5ive/6ix School. President Fran Borg will investigate if attendance at meetings will be able to be applied toward professional development hours.

Negotiations. Lou Ferrante has requested an initial meeting with the Superintendent and Dr. Amatuzzi during the summer.

Legislative. Vida Story attended a pre-NJEA Convention meeting. Vida distributed postcards to be duplicated for members to mail to acting Governor Richard Codey to retain the current cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses for retirees in the State Health Benefits Plan.

Teacher Education. There was a motion by Vida Story to increase the fee for in-service courses from $20 to $25. The current fees do not pay for all the costs of providing the courses. The motion carried.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION. There was no report.

OLD BUSINESS. There was a second discussion by President Fran Borg regarding a constitutional change to hold elections of officers every two years instead of every year. Vida Story motioned to present it to the entire faculty for a vote. The motion carried. An initial discussion regarding term limits on executive staff was also presented. Elaine Williamson motioned that a second discussion of limiting executive positions to two (two-year) consecutive terms be brought up in the September meeting. The motion carried. President Fran Borg requested each school representative arrange a Monday date with her for a meeting with the staff at that school. There is a recommendation to appoint a student to be at the high school entrance to open the doors for Faculty Council members on meeting days. The student would receive activity points for the service. Representatives were requested to post a list of Board of Education meeting dates at each school. It is important to have at least one representative from each school to be present at the meetings, which are usually held on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Vida Story motioned to allot funds from the discretionary account for the purchase of an HEA banner. The motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS. There was no new business.

ANNOUNCEMENTS. There were no announcements.

ADJOURNMENT. On motion by Vida Story, with no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Melanie Stagg

Recording Secretary