Dawn Nichol-Manning, EOEA President
December 2019
December 2, 2019 was my first day serving as full-time release President. There was a ULP (Unfair Labor Practice) that was filed against the Board in regard to matters surrounding full- time release for the Association’s President. The case was won and full-time release has been put back into effect for the EOEA. I appreciate everyone’s patience as I settle in and adjust from the classroom to the EOEA office. I have been reading your emails and addressing your issues as they come. I do ask that when you send in an email to also follow-up with a call to the office if you have not heard from me within 24 hours. The office becomes busy during the course of the day and there are many facets pertaining to the upkeep and progression of the Association. None the less it is my priority to adhere to your concerns.
I also suggest that you join our Facebook page. I put updates and FYIs to keep members informed on issues that may arise that I may deem important for you to be aware of. So, make sure you go to our page and stay on top of information that pertains to your Association.
I would like to start our “EOEA Talks” social media broadcast. If you are interested in sharing your best practices, class projects, or happy experiences as an educator we want to showcase you. Call the office to arrange a time to come in for about 15 minutes to share your story and have it posted to our social media sites.
Here are a few concerns that I would like members to be aware about:
If you are on a CAP make sure you stay in sync with your administrator and the plan they have prescribed for you to do. Make sure you are presenting how you are making improvements so that you are placed off of the CAP. Make sure during the evaluation process your conferences are held. This is of upmost importance. Do not assume that your administrator is going to effectively work with you to get off of a CAP. Make sure you are diligent in having meetings several times before the closing of the school year. Tenure charges are real, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that a CAP will just disappear. Be proactive in making the greater effort to come off of the CAP. Do not hesitate or wait until May to contact the office for advice and/or support.
Academic Coaches and teachers are in the same bargaining unit. Academic Coaches do not be persuaded to do anything under the requirements of an administrator such as writing your fellow teacher up, reprimanding your fellow teacher, or evaluating your fellow teacher. Education Statute 18A regulates along with PERC (Public Employment Relations Commission) decisions, have upheld the fact that members of the same bargaining unit may not have input into each other’s evaluations, therefore being that Academic Coaches are members of the EOEA they cannot have input into another teacher’s observations/evaluations. Let’s be mindful of that and remember where are in this together.
I do hope that you have an enjoyable holiday with your family, friends, and loved ones. You deserve time to relax and have fun for all the hard work you have put in to make East Orange School District thrive. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa and have a Happy New Year!
Meeting with Superintendents
The EOEA and Superintendents meet on November 20, 2019. The concerns that were submitted before the deadline were discussed during this time. The responses do not reflect the endorsement of the Association, this is simply the report of the remarks towards the concerns given. If your concerns did meet the deadline it will be placed on the next meeting’s agenda which is scheduled to take place on January 29, 2020.
- Will it be mandatory to sign a logbook with the Biometric finger print machine up and running?It would seem redundant since the new system is supposed to be more accurate.
Response: At the start of the Biometric Fingerprint sign- in, staff will have to sign in as previous along with the fingerprint until notice. Once the Biometric Fingerprint machine is functioning effectively, staff will no longer need to sign in manually.
- Is there a way wherein teachers can be informed about plans to fix HVAC issues? There are several schools that have these issues. Water damage and air quality in classrooms at Campus High is very poor. Is there anything being done to test air quality?
Dr. West reported that he will have to meet with the business administrator, Ms. Brooks, Mr. Lambkin, and Mr. Mitchell to discuss issues about the heat and to check on the HVAC system in the district. There is funding that has been given to the district for repairs but we will look into more immediate ways to address these issues while waiting.
- Special Education-Members are feeling overwhelmed with various grade levels in one classroom.What are the resources provided for teachers with all of these grades? Harvest mentioned that in LD classrooms you could possibly have up to four grade levels. Dr. Harvest said she will speak with Mrs. Santos and make sure teachers have training, assistance, and resources as need to help with such classes.