Natomas Teachers’ Association Newsletter

Natomas Teachers’ Association Newsletter
December 2008

Calendar of Events:
§ Rep Council Meeting – Thurs, Dec. 4th, 4:00 pm, LFG, Room 406
§ School Board Mtg. – Wed, Dec. 10th, D.O. 6:00 pm

Board Member Meetings:
§ Lisa Kaplan- Monday, Dec. 8th, 4:30
§ Sue Heredia and Jules Tran- Monday, Dec. 8th, 6:00 pm
§ Bruce Roberts- Tues., Dec. 9th, 4:00
§ Teri Burns – Tues., Dec. 9th , 5:30
Board member meetings will all be held at Giovanni’s Pizzeria (2701 Del Paso Rd) and are generally the Monday and Tuesday before board meetings each month.

Here are the school board members
e-mails. Feel free to contact them:


Bruce Roberts bruceroberts4natomas@yahoo.com

Jules Tran jules.tran@sbcglobal.net

Sue Heredia heredias@csus.edu

Teri Burns terib@sia-us.com

Lisa Kaplan kaplan4kids@yahoo.com

Don’t forget to check out the NTA blog:
http://natomasteachers.blogspot.com/

Congratulations to the winners of the school board election….

Bruce Roberts
Susan Heredia
Jules Tran

Thanks to Volunteers!
Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with the successful campaign. Many dedicated NTA members volunteered their time to help hang door hangers, attend campaign activities and hand out fliers at the polls the day of the election. NTA looks forward to a successful partnership with each the new board members.

Budget Update
The district office has released a proposal of budget cuts for the next 3 years. Site reps have received copies of the budget. Please be sure to look over the proposal and provide any input that you have to your site rep.

NTA Social a Success
On November 4th, NTA hosted a social at Malabar restaurant. Attendees enjoyed delicious appetizers while watching the results of the presidential election. Fun was had by all who attended. Keep your eyes posted for more NTA socials in the future.

Negotiations Update – from Nov. 7th notice:
The district has stated: “The district does not have a proposal to increase employee compensation or benefits at this time.” Although the district has stated that they will provide “More teacher collaboration and preparation time” they have not presented a collaboration time counter to NTA.
The atmosphere at the table has been cordial, but the bargaining team & NTA executive board have agreed that we will not resume negotiations until the district has put forth a compensation offer. The district is considering offering a retirement incentive. Contact Cynthia Bluewater with any questions.

Site Rep List:
If you have any association questions or issues please contact your site rep(s):
· American Lakes: Naomi Nakahara
· Bannon Creek: Linda Wells
· Discovery HS: Therese Collentine
· H. Allen Hight: Allyson Kirby
· Heron: Kou Moua, Peter Talbot, Cara Kruse
· Inderkum HS: Patricia Hite-Leach, Ken MacPherson, Scott MacMillan
· Jefferson: Maureen Ramos
· Leroy Green MS: Kristen Rocha, Justin Vorhauer
· Natomas HS: Joel Schwieger, Ruth Ward Ben Layne
· Natomas MS: Emilio Moran, Anthony Katsaris
· Natomas Park: Lauren Frazer
· Two Rivers: Phil Cox, Jerry Lovejoy
· Witter Ranch: Tanya Praest, Jim Clarke, Kim Chambers

Your Executive Board:
President: Brenda Borge, LFG
Vice-President: Jeanne Gute, TR
Treasurer: Carey Resch, LFG
Co-Secretary: Amber Allison, JF
Co-Secretary: Cora Victorine, HE, WR

Appointments:
Membership Chair: Cynthia Connell, LFG
Grievance Chair: Leslie Levine-McGhie, HE
Bargaining Chair: Cynthia Bluewater, D.O.
PAC Chair: Fred Lavell, AL

Conferences Announced
Natomas Teachers’ Association would like to sponsor some teachers to attend these CTA conferences. If you are interested in attending any of these conferences below, please email the executive board to be considered for a scholarship for registration, travel, and accommodations.

CTA Winter Conference Season!!

Good Teaching Conference-NorthJanuary 9-11, 2009 The Hyatt Regency San Francisco AirportBurlingame, CA

Region 2 Political Academy
Feb. 6-8 at Jackson Rancheria – Sierra Foothills

Urban Issues ConferenceFebruary 27-March 1, 2009The Fairmont HotelNewport Beach, CA
Equity and Human Rights ConferenceMarch 6-8, 2009The Fairmont HotelSan Jose, CA

Good Teaching Conference-SouthMarch 13-15, 2009The Hyatt Regency Orange County, AnaheimGarden Grove, CA

Summer Conferences in Asilomar and UCLA.
Each conference features outstanding keynote speakers, interactive workshops, breakout sessions, and plenty of time to network and share experiences with other CTA members.

Contact the NTA Executive Board for a sponsored registration.

Have a terrific and relaxing holiday break!