January 2008

PSEA Grant Deadline is February 4

There is still time to apply for the 2007-2008 Innovative Teaching Grant! With this year’s grant the PSEA has targeted the achievement gap issue. The LMEA has pledged to match the $1000 grant for any member who is chosen as a recipient and honored at the PSEA House of Delegates in Philadelphia this May. Members can see their building rep for an application and more information is available online at: www.psea.org.

Global Connect System to Replace Phone Trees

The Lower Merion School District has decided to invest in the Global Connect Phone system as a means of notifying staff, parents, and students of school closings, late openings, and other urgent information. This system will replace the phone tree system. As staff members would have done under the old system on mornings of inclement weather, if they do not receive a call from Global Connect they should check the district website, KYW (1060 AM) school closings, or local television before heading out to work to make sure schools are opening on time [or at all].

ISDO/GSDO Changes May Impact Upcoming Holiday Weekend

The individual staff development option(ISDO) and group staff development option(GSDO) were updated last year to reflect changes made to the contract since their first inception several years ago. In addition to allowing any partition of the 14 hour requirement and to reduce confusion it was decided to remove the designated ISDO/GSDO days from the school calendar. These days had appeared on the Friday before President’s day weekend and the day following the last teacher day in June. Professional staff are reminded that the Thursday, February 14, is the day before a holiday weekend and will require a special consideration form in order to use a personal day. The same rule applies to Monday, June 16. Beginning next year the deadline for submitting ISDO/GSDO approval will be moved back to April 1 st for professionals employed for the entire school year.

April 10 LMEA Retirement Workshop Now Full

Due to popular demand the LMEA scheduled a third retirement workshop on April 10. This workshop filled to capacity in just two weeks! Working with Les Benzak and Lincoln Investments the LMEA hopes to plan more of these highly informative workshops next year for members who are within five years of retirement.

How Technology Can Send You to [Early] Retirement

Social networking sites like my MySpace and Facebook along with personal online blogs have become a major online phenomena that has presented teachers and other educational professionals with a dilemma. How can they make use of this medium without risking their jobs? Teachers are held to a high moral standard by the community and can be dismissed if their online behavior is deemed inappropriate, offensive, or illegal. The PSEA legal department cautions all members to guard their privacy and not post (or allow to be posted) anything online that they would not otherwise want their students, parents, colleagues, and administrators to see.

Compensation Awareness: Tracking Increases in Pay

Beginning this month the AppleCore will assist our members in understanding the issues, terminology, and factors that can effect the bargaining process. As part of learning about the way salary schedules are designed and negotiated read the following and see if you can answer the question that follows. See next month’s edition for the answer!

NEA researchers recently reported that over the past ten years average teacher salaries have increased just 1.3 percent in constant dollars. Can this be true, and if so, how?

[Source: Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 16, p.4, December 16, 2007]

Unit Meetings

Once each year the president of the LMEA holds a unit meeting in each of the schools and major departments. These meetings are an opportunity to share issues and have questions answered directly by the LMEA leadership. The schedule for the remaining 2007-08 Unit Meetings is as follows:

NEXT UP:

Building & Grounds……...Jan. 16 @ 7 am Welsh Valley…………Mar. 3 @ 3:15

Transportation Harriton …Jan. 17 @ 9:45 Penn Wynne…….…..Mar.27 @ 3:45

Operations………………….Jan. 29 @ 3:30 Merion………………..Apr.24 @ 3:45

Transportation LM………....Feb.4 @9:45 Harriton………………May 6 @ 2:45

Did You Know This Is In Your Contract?

District job vacancies must be posted and “prominently displayed” in all schools, transportation and maintenance buildings, in the administration building, and on the district website. All employees who apply and meet the stated qualifications must be interviewed before the position is filled. Upon written request, any employee who is unsuccessful in obtaining the vacant position must be given in writing the reason(s) why they were not selected. [Article 52, page 55]