In this time of uncertainty, I want to assure you that our unity is our greatest strength.  It was this strength that brought us a fair contract settlement last June that continues to pay dividends. The salary and benefits sections of the contract are closed until 6/30/2010 and we will receive a 2% salary increase on the February 2009 in addition to any Cost of Living Adjustment provided by the state.  This appears to be increasingly unlikely in light of the dysfunction exhibited at the state level.  Please go to CTA.org or CFT.org to get ideas to communicate your frustration with the state budget process.  I also want to assure everyone in our bargaining unit that the district has made meeting its payroll the number one administrative priority and there will be no IOUs issued and in addition all of our employment contract provisions will be honored.  Please go to our website, pasoteachers.org for information on these and other important subjects. 

At the local level, we have made a great deal of progress in addition to our contract settlement.  Our new superintendent has proven to be a reliable partner in our continuing quest to improve the education of every Paso Robles School District student.  We have met on a regular basis to improve communication, brainstorm ideas for improvement and solve problems in the early stages.  I want to commend Dr. McNamara and our school board for their commitment to our students and their willingness to listen to many divergent viewpoints.  In December, three of the four school board candidates that we endorsed were sworn in for a four year term including the former president of our organization, Tim Gearhart.  We now have three retired teachers on the board,  Dr. Robert Simola, Jay Packer and Tim.  They provide a valuable “in the trenches” perspective on policy issues and they have always been willing to listen to our viewpoints.  Indeed, the entire school board (Pastor Ruben Tate (endorsed member), Debbie Saunders, Jeanne Dugger  Joe Quiroz and the three retired teachers listed above) has been very receptive to our concerns and although we have not always agreed, we have always had respectful communications and discussions.  We have never expected nor wanted board members who march in “lockstep” with anyone, but we are very grateful for members who listen with an open mind, gather information and make an informed decision that they think is in the best interests of our students.

The most recent important decision that reflects this is the change to the trimester schedule adopted for the high school.  As many of you know the high school schedule has been a contentious issue for many years.  As part of the settlement referenced above, the district was charged with the goal to examine the schedule and work with us to find an improved alternative.  A decision such as this has always been and will continue to be a site decision by the stakeholders at the affected site.  In this vein, a High School Scheduling Task Force was formed consisting of representatives of all the stakeholders facilitated by Dr. McNamara and me.  After a six-month process that included site visitations and much research the Task Force recommendation was to move to a trimester schedule.  A school board study session was held on the subject on 1/20/09 and the approval vote was made on 1/27/09 after much discussion and input. Although no schedule is perfect, the majority of stakeholders and board members believe that this schedule will improve the education of our high school students and the challenges that it presents can be overcome.  The most impressive part of this journey has been the process itself. Many disparate voices came together to respectfully research and debate the various choices all the while conscious of the fact that our students needed more opportunities to excel. I certainly hope that this process can serve as a model for other difficult decisions that may need to be made in the future.  Now that the elementary schools and the high school will be on a common schedule we need to focus our attention to the middle schools.  A district wide common schedule could provide opportunities for a common collaboration time that could reduce the demand for meetings scheduled outside of the workday.   

I also want to assure you that we have not been idle in terms of improving your working conditions (which I also firmly believe benefits our students).  Soon we will meet with the district to discuss our stipend structure and begin work to harmonize the sections of the contract that have different language for K-8 and 9-12 employees.  Your negotiations team works year round to survey members, communicate concerns to our executive board and meet with the district to improve language.  Please thank them when you see them because they devote a lot of extra time and energy for you.  Lisa Tate (KK) Negotiations Chair, Robert Skinner (PRHS), Brigid Woods (WP), Kathleen Saxby (BS), Sue Knupper (FMS) and Dan Sharon (Liberty).  

In addition, perhaps the most important people in our organization are our school site representatives that report all of the conditions throughout the district at our executive board meetings on the first Monday of each month.  They are: Robin Kosin (PB), Beth McGill (VP), John Hagy (KK), Georgia Brown (open), Jillian Johnson (BS), Jennifer Bell and Elaine Bertolette (WP), John Hutchings (FMS), Whit Donaldson (LMS) and Shannon Gidcumb (PRHS).  Please thank them for their hard work on your behalf and use them as a resource to connect with your organization.  

Finally, I want to make it clear that you are the strength and the focus of our organization.  We are in constant communication with our affiliates CTA (California Teachers Association), CFT (California Federation of Teachers), NEA (National Education Association) and AFT (American Federation of Teachers).  We are only one of three merged locals in the state and we consequently have the resources of two state and two national affiliates. They are fighting for you at the state and national level in this time of crisis.  We have hope and together we can overcome our challenges and make education better here and throughout our nation.  Please contact me with your ideas and concerns.



                            Jim Lynett
                            PRPE President
                             This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  
                            805- 239-0410