Happy Holidays, Policy Meeting, Calendar

Year End Reflection: I’d like to take a moment to end 2011 by thanking you all for what you do.  Over the past year, we passed big levies, considered Q-Comp, settled a contract, dealt with a state shutdown, raised test scores, and weathered considerable media attention - all while supporting our students better than ever. That’s quite an accomplishment. On behalf of all of us in the AHEM office, we are honored to have the opportunity to help you in your work.  We hope you’ll take this coming break to recharge, reconnect with the people closest to you, and relax.  You deserve it.  Happy holidays!

Meet January 4^th to Respond to Policy Changes:  Proposed changes to district polices, particularly the changes to the Sexual Orientation Curriculum Policy, have gotten plenty of attention over the past couple of weeks.  Many of you checked out the changes at http://tinyurl.com/cqgkfz5 and http://tinyurl.com/d7onufw and gave us your feedback at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AHPolicyChanges (the survey is still open).  Early responses indicate that most teachers can find things in the policies that make sense and feel other parts need work.  We invite you to meet on January 4, 4:45 pm, at the AHEM office to help put together our union’s response.  No reporters or TV cameras will be allowed – just educators coming together to ensure district policies support our work and students.

Calendar proposal:  The school board will vote on the proposed calendar for 2012-2013 (below) in early January.  AHEM members were part of the committee that put together the proposal. Balancing teacher, community, and district interests with a myriad of testing dates and other mandates was a challenge.  Thanks to all who responded to our request for feedback.  While we weren’t able to accommodate suggestions like two full weeks for winter break, we were able to protect things like having a full day of planning at the end of each trimester and adding a half day of elementary conferences the second half of the year.

2012-13 Calendar Key Dates for Grades 1 through 12

• July 4: School District closed
• Aug 21 – 23: New Teacher Orientation
• Aug 27 – Aug 31: Workshop Week. Elementary: 3 planning days, 1 building staff development, 1 day  ½  collaboration & goal setting and ½ district staff developmentSecondary: 2 planning days, 1 day ½  collaboration and  ½ planning, 1 day building staff development, 1 day district staff development

• September 3: Labor Day, School District closed
• September 4: First Day of School
• October 8: Elementary ½ Collaboration and ½ Conferences, no elementary students
• October 17: Staff Development, no students
• October 18 – 19: Education Minnesota Professional Conference, no school
• November 21: Conference conversion day, no students
• November 22 – 23: Thanksgiving break, School District closed
• November 30: End of Trimester I
• December 3: Staff Planning Grading, no students
• December 24 – January 1: Winter break, no school
• December 24 & 25: School District closed
• January 1: School District closed
• January 2: School resumes
• January 21: Martin Luther King’s Birthday, no school
• February 18: President’s Day, School District closed
• February 19: Elementary ½ Staff Development and ½ Conferences, Secondary Staff Development, no students
• March 7: End of Trimester II
• March 8: Staff Planning Grading, no students
• March 11 – 15: Spring break, no school
• March 15: School District closed
• March 18: School resumes
• March 29: School District closed
• May 27: Memorial Day, School District closed
• June 6: End of Trimester III
• June 7: Staff Planning Grading, no students

Proposed Changes to Neutrality Polices and Harassment, Violence and Discrimination Policy

Proposed Changes to Neutrality Polices and Harassment, Violence and Discrimination Policy: Wednesday evening, the school board agenda was posted and it includes proposed changes to the Sexual Orientation Curriculum Policy (SOCP), the Religious Activities Policy, and the Harassment, Violence and Discrimination Policy (HVDP).  Board members say this is an attempt to clarify these policies for staff like us.

To view the specific proposal of changes to the SOCP and Religious Activities policy, visit http://tinyurl.com/cqgkfz5 ; to view the HVDP changes, visit http://tinyurl.com/d7onufw. 

In short, the changes include changing the SOCP and Religious Activities Policy to a Controversial Topics Policy similar to ones used in Wayzata and some other districts.  The focus of the policy would shift from being neutral about sexual orientation and religion to being unbiased about controversial topics.  In the HVDP, significant changes include adding protections for gender nonconforming behavior, perceived membership in a protected class, and association or advocacy for those who are LGBT.

Your Ideas:  The school board will need to hear from those of us who will be working with these policies every day.  They may set up opportunities for public comment, but until then, let’s start the discussion ourselves.  As a union, we plan set up a time for educators to come together and talk about the proposals – we will figure out the exact date(s) next week.  We have set up a survey for you to leave comments at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AHPolicyChanges as well. We will use this feedback to decide our next steps and will share the main ideas with the school board.

Next Year’s Calendar, Meet & Confer, If a Reporter Calls

Calendar Committee:  A committee of staff, administrators, and parents puts together a district calendar proposal each year.  The school board has the final say on the calendar and makes the decision in January or February.  To help the teacher representatives on the committee, we’d like some feedback as we work to balance testing dates, holidays, and state statutes to create an effective schedule.  To share your ideas, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FF7ZN6R . 

Meet & Confer:  Thank you to all who attended and special thanks to those who spoke at Wednesday’s Meet & Confer with the school board.  Speakers Kristin Weidlein, Betsy Quist, Kim Thole, Alecia Pankratz, Doug Bakkum, Ann Erickson, Jay Wilkins and emcee LeMoyne Corgard set a productive and engaging tone.  School Board members Marci Anderson and John Hoffman believed the meeting would be helpful to them in making decisions for our district.

Good Question:  Can the union help if I am contacted by the media? It could happen to any of us – a reporter calls about something unflattering a parent or student told them, true or untrue. The district Communications Department handles media calls about its staff, and we can help too.  If you are contacted by a reporter, let your supervisor know right away and give us a call at 763-421-9110.  On the weekends, you can call my cell at 763-438-3527.  We’ll be happy to assist you during what can be a stressful experience.  We can also walk you through the legalities of talking to press about your work when you want to use the media to help support your students or profession.