HACKENSACK EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
Faculty Council Meeting
September 23, 2002

The September 23, 2002 HEA Faculty Council Meeting was called to order in the Middle School Faculty Dining Room at 3:32 p.m. by President Robert Curtis.

A motion to accept the June 17, 2002 minutes was made by Vida Story and approved.

OFFICERS' REPORTS

Treasurer. A motion to appoint Mark Porto as Acting Treasurer was made and approved. Mark Porto presented the Treasurer's report. A motion to accept the report was made by Vida Story and approved.

Corresponding Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary had no report.

Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary had no report.

BCEA Representative. The BCEA representative reported: calendars, pencils, and flyers on laser eye surgery and workshops were available after the meeting; the Teacher of the Year addressed their meeting; BCEA was the only county which donated $50,000 for a 9-11 fund; Ridgewood is proposing a PPO instead of the traditional medical coverage; BCEA endorses Robert Torricelli and Steven Rothman in the November election; funds were again borrowed from the pension fund to balance the budget; superintendents from Rutherford and Park Ridge were appointed to the Standards Board; Governor McGreevey pulled the subcontracting bill as he does not want colleges included; plans are under way to change disability insurance from Washington National to Prudential; a Fall Focus meeting is on October 22; mentoring plans for September 2003 were sent to the county; pensions (a property right) and health benefits are on shaky grounds; the October 3 TV show "West Wing" will have characters portraying NEA members.

Vice President. The Vice President stated TALC reports contain common problems of maintenance, school security, and parking. She will send a letter to the committees to determine which problems have been solved and then send a letter to Dr. Montesano requesting a meeting .

President. The President reported minor problems were solved.


SCHOOL REPORTS

Fairmount. There was good attendance at Back to School Night.

Hillers. Parking stickers were distributed; Kindergarten assistants are not present the entire time.

Jackson Avenue. There were no problems.

Parker. Supplies were late; prep time is being used for grade level meetings. (Prep time is duty-free time).

5ive6ix School. Teachers who attend summer workshops have not yet been paid; some grade 6 teachers have horrible schedules due to "specials" schedule.

Middle School. Many changes have been made.

High School. There are not enough teachers; classes are overcrowded; bilingual teachers have no in-class support; contractors did not adhere to completion dates; concern about proposed uniform in-class rules; the Senior Class and Student Council want to revive the Thanksgiving Pep Rally and Homecoming.


COMMITTEE REPORTS

Membership. President Curtis presented the Membership Report. Some new teachers have not returned their applications. The status of ten teachers is questionable.

Election. Chris Ryan was elected to replace Robert Cerco on Faculty Council from the High School; Georgie Brown was elected to replace Heather Mecka on Faculty Council from the Middle School. A teaching assistant Faculty Council member is needed at the 5ive6ix School.

Social. The Opening Day Luncheon was a huge success. Student teachers are not included at the luncheon.

Negotiations. Survey results have been tallied. There will be a meeting of the committee September 30 at 3:30 p.m. at the Middle School to prioritize the proposals and send a letter to the Board requesting a first meeting.

Legislative. Help will be needed in making phone calls. A report on the July NEA convention will appear in NEA Today.

Professional Rights and Responsibilities. There was no report.

Teacher Education. Flyers for in-service courses will be distributed. Dr. Riley wishes to expand offerings.

T.A.L.C. This was included with the Vice President's Report.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION. There were no recommendations.

OLD BUSINESS. There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS. It was requested that membership dues be itemized on pay stubs.

ANNOUNCEMENTS. There were no announcements.

ADJOURNMENT. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:15 p.m. on motion by Vida Story.

Respectfully submitted,



Valerie Gancarz
Recording Secretary