Thank you to the approximately 250 members who packed the school
board meeting in red last night! The over capacity crowd sent a strong
message that we are engaged and united behind a fair, competitive, and
affordable settlement. You can see pictures at our Anoka Hennepin
Education Minnesota Facebook page
(facebook.com/pages/Anoka-Hennepin-Education-Minnesota) and visit
ahemnegotiationsnews.blogspot.com for the statement our negotiators
shared with the school board.
Next opportunities to
show your support include wearing Red on Wednesdays and attending our
next bargaining session Wednesday, November 6th, 4:45 pm, at the AHEM
office.
Thank you again and let's keep up the momentum!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Bargaining, School Board Meeting, Buttons
Wednesday's Bargaining Session: Wednesday's bargaining session yielded no real progress. The district presented "an alternate economic offer". They changed their salary schedule improvement by just fractions of a percent while adding a new step in between Step 11 and Career 1. The district team admitted that any increase in one part of the offer came from a decrease somewhere else. In summary, we have had three economic offers from the district that are effectively the same value as our last settlement, despite an improvement in district finances. For details visit http://ahemnegotiationsnews.blogspot.com.
We Need You at Monday's School Board Meeting: To avoid getting bogged down, we are delivering a message to the school board that it's time for a fair, competitive settlement. We need you behind us, both figuratively and literally, to get the process moving in the right direction. Please join us at the school board meeting:
Good Question: Can I wear an AHEM button at school? Yes! Wearing buttons or t-shirts is not a problem. If a student asks why you are wearing it, you can simply say something like "AHEM is my union" and get back to the important work you do preparing students for a bright future.
We Need You at Monday's School Board Meeting: To avoid getting bogged down, we are delivering a message to the school board that it's time for a fair, competitive settlement. We need you behind us, both figuratively and literally, to get the process moving in the right direction. Please join us at the school board meeting:
- Monday, October 28th,
- 6:30 pm – about 7:00 pm
- Sandburg Educational Center
- Wear Red
Good Question: Can I wear an AHEM button at school? Yes! Wearing buttons or t-shirts is not a problem. If a student asks why you are wearing it, you can simply say something like "AHEM is my union" and get back to the important work you do preparing students for a bright future.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Bargaining – We Need Your Support
Now that major proposals are all on the table, it's time to ramp up. To show the district that we are serious about a fair, competitive settlement, we need your help:
Red on Wednesday! Show support for the process and your negotiations team by wearing red this Wednesday. Nothing gets the word out that we are together than a visible show of support. Digging out that red sweater is more than fashion, it's a show of unity and resolve.
Bargaining Session Wednesday: Join us this Wednesday, October 23rd, 4:45 pm, Erling Johnson Room A at the ESC (due to increasing turnout by AHEM members, we've moved to a larger room). It's the district's turn to respond on a number of issues, including the economic offer. Come hear their positions for yourself and show them very directly that you are watching and engaged.
School Board Meeting on Monday: We plan to extend an invitation to school board members to join us at the table at the Monday, October 28th board meeting. The meeting starts at 6:30 pm with an open forum early on the agenda. There, AHEM Negotiators will make a statement to engage the school board more fully in the process. Your attendance in red during that part of the meeting will make a strong statement.
By supporting one or more of these shows of togetherness, you will be directly supporting a fair, competitive settlement. We need you – see you in red!
Red on Wednesday! Show support for the process and your negotiations team by wearing red this Wednesday. Nothing gets the word out that we are together than a visible show of support. Digging out that red sweater is more than fashion, it's a show of unity and resolve.
Bargaining Session Wednesday: Join us this Wednesday, October 23rd, 4:45 pm, Erling Johnson Room A at the ESC (due to increasing turnout by AHEM members, we've moved to a larger room). It's the district's turn to respond on a number of issues, including the economic offer. Come hear their positions for yourself and show them very directly that you are watching and engaged.
School Board Meeting on Monday: We plan to extend an invitation to school board members to join us at the table at the Monday, October 28th board meeting. The meeting starts at 6:30 pm with an open forum early on the agenda. There, AHEM Negotiators will make a statement to engage the school board more fully in the process. Your attendance in red during that part of the meeting will make a strong statement.
By supporting one or more of these shows of togetherness, you will be directly supporting a fair, competitive settlement. We need you – see you in red!
Friday, October 4, 2013
Bargaining, Meet & Confer, School Board Elections, Veterans Day
Bargaining: We met for session #8 this past Wednesday. Virtually everything is now on the table, so it's time to really get down to business. The details of the session can be found here: www.ahemnegotiationsnews.blogspot.com. Our next two sessions will be Wednesday, October 23rd, 4:45 – 6:45 pm, at the ESC and Wednesday, November 6th, 4:45 – 6:45 pm, AHEM Office
Meet & Confer: You are invited to discuss the following topics with our school board this Wednesday:
School Board Election Forum: Half of our district's school board seats are up for election this November 5th. Meet the candidates at the League of Women Voters forum on Tuesday, October 8th at 6:30 at the Sandburg building in Anoka. All the candidates have agreed to participate:
Veterans Day: Getting ready to celebrate Veterans Day with your students? Visit NEA's lesson plan area at http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/veterans-day-activities-intro.html for some good ideas. Honoring Veterans Day is another way to show military connected families that we support them.
Meet & Confer: You are invited to discuss the following topics with our school board this Wednesday:
- Traveling Teachers' Issues
- Special Needs of Students Regarding Clustering
- Media Specialists Perspective on the Book "Eleanor & Park"
- Open Forum (where you can bring issues not listed here)
School Board Election Forum: Half of our district's school board seats are up for election this November 5th. Meet the candidates at the League of Women Voters forum on Tuesday, October 8th at 6:30 at the Sandburg building in Anoka. All the candidates have agreed to participate:
- District 3 (Champlin, Dayton and parts of Coon Rapids): Bill Harvey and Grace Baltich
- District 4 (Ham Lake, Nowthen, and parts of Andover and Ramsey): Janelle Kirkeide, William Fields and Paul Meunier.
- District 6 (parts of Coon Rapids and Andover): Jeff Simon
Veterans Day: Getting ready to celebrate Veterans Day with your students? Visit NEA's lesson plan area at http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/veterans-day-activities-intro.html for some good ideas. Honoring Veterans Day is another way to show military connected families that we support them.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Bargaining, Red on Wednesday, Voter Registration, Teacher of the Year, Eleanor & Park Response
Next Bargaining Session Wednesday, October 2nd, 4:45 pm, AHEM Office: Our next session will include our proposal on class size and caseload issues and a response to the district's last economic offer. Hope to see you there!
Red for Ed on Wednesdays: Remember to wear red on Wednesdays to show your support for our bargaining process and public education in general!
Online Voter Registration: You can finally register to vote in Minnesota online! If you need to update your voter registration or register to vote for the first time, all you need to do is fill out an very short form at https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/VoterRegistration/VoterRegistrationStep1.aspx . Want to double check that your registered so you can vote this November 5th? You can do that there as well.
Teacher of the Year: Teacher of the Year nominations open October 1st. It takes just a few minutes to nominate a colleague. Even if your nominee chooses not to go on with the process, your compliment will mean a lot to an educator who is doing great work for students. Here are the details: http://tinyurl.com/lowewys
Good Question: Where can I find AHEM's statement on the Eleanor & Park book issue? If we make statements on behalf of AHEM to the school board or public, we post them on the Weekly Update page. Here's the link to our statement we read at Monday's School Board meeting supporting our Media Specialists: http://ahemweekly.blogspot.com/2013/09/statement-to-a-h-school-board-on.html
Red for Ed on Wednesdays: Remember to wear red on Wednesdays to show your support for our bargaining process and public education in general!
Online Voter Registration: You can finally register to vote in Minnesota online! If you need to update your voter registration or register to vote for the first time, all you need to do is fill out an very short form at https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/VoterRegistration/VoterRegistrationStep1.aspx . Want to double check that your registered so you can vote this November 5th? You can do that there as well.
Teacher of the Year: Teacher of the Year nominations open October 1st. It takes just a few minutes to nominate a colleague. Even if your nominee chooses not to go on with the process, your compliment will mean a lot to an educator who is doing great work for students. Here are the details: http://tinyurl.com/lowewys
Good Question: Where can I find AHEM's statement on the Eleanor & Park book issue? If we make statements on behalf of AHEM to the school board or public, we post them on the Weekly Update page. Here's the link to our statement we read at Monday's School Board meeting supporting our Media Specialists: http://ahemweekly.blogspot.com/2013/09/statement-to-a-h-school-board-on.html
Monday, September 23, 2013
Statement to the A-H School Board on Eleanor & Park Book Selection
Chair Heidemann, members of the
board, and Superintendent Carlson:
My name is Julie Blaha and I am
president of Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota, our local teachers union.
At the public work session of
September 9th, members of this board questioned the judgment of our
high school media specialists. Specifically, the board members criticized the
choice of “Eleanor & Park” for the summer community reading program called,
Rock the Book, which for our high school students.
Those comments by members of this
board were reported by the local paper. National Public Radio has subsequently
reported the story on its website.
Our library media specialists were
shocked to see their work disparaged.
They followed every policy set by
this board.
They went above and beyond their
required duties to encourage students to read.
They recommended a book that has been
widely praised for its high quality and relevance to teens.
And most bewildering of all, was that
a board that prides itself on collaboration, would make snap judgments (like
declaring the book age inapporiopriate in the paper before completing the book
challenge process) without talking with media specialists themselves, or even
reading the book.
If the board members had read the
book, they would know that it’s a story about two students who fall in love,
make the right choices and beat the odds. They rise above bullies, poverty and
domestic abuse.
To ignore that is to ignore a
powerful, positive message for every teen who ever felt awkward or isolated in
high school. As Linda
Holmes wrote for N-P-R, focusing only on the profanity of bullies and abusers,
“makes the act of telling a story about rising above misery a miserable thing.”
A deeper concern in our community is
that the reaction by the board harkens back to issues surrounding LGBT bullying
in our district.
About four years ago, we came to you concerned
that district policies created a chilling atmosphere regarding LGBT issues in
our classrooms. Some of you questioned, or flat out dismissed, our assertion
that teachers were unsure if they would be supported for standing up for LGBT
students. Some of you wondered what kinds of specific school board actions
could cause that kind of atmosphere.
Well, this is the kind of thing we
were talking about.
Knee jerk reactions to complaints
cause a chilling effect that stifles creativity, innovation and student
engagement.
We need to know that our school board
can stand up for us when we exercise good professional judgment. At minimum, we
need to know that you will at least talk with us before making decisions.
If you won’t stand up for us, it is
harder for us to stand up for our students.
Before you make any further decisions
on this topic, I hope you will talk with the professionals working directly
with our students.
Beyond that, it is clear that we need
further discussion on how we as professionals use our judgment. We look forward
to working with you so that you can understand the work we do.
Julie Blaha
President, Anoka Hennepin
Education Minnesota
Email: julie.blaha@educationminnesota.org
Friday, September 20, 2013
Negotiations, CAT, Part Timers & Q-Comp, Book Controversy, Schedules
Negotiations: We held our 7th bargaining session on Wednesday. Over 80 members joined us to see the process first hand, continuing the trend of increasing attendance each time. Basically, things moved around, but little moved forward. For more info, visit www.ahemnegotiationsnews.blogspot.com.
Contract Action Team (CAT): The next CAT meeting is Wednesday, September 25th, 4:45 pm at the AHEM Office. This group helps take action to achieve a fair contract settlement – they plan things from the root beer float tailgating before the last bargaining session to messages that help members understand complicated contract issues. Hope you can join the team!
Book Selection Controversy: You may have heard some controversy regarding the choice of the book "Eleanor & Park" for the high school "Rock the Book" summer reading program. We at AHEM proudly stand by the professional judgement of our librarians. Here is an eloquent commentary that describes some of the many reasons we trust our colleagues in this matter: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/09/18/223738674/true-love-book-fights-and-why-ugly-stories-matter
Part Timers and Q-Comp: We are getting a lot of questions and concerns about how part time members work with Q-Comp, particularly regarding pro-ration of incentives and workload. We have heard many valid points and will be discussing them at our Q-Comp Steering Committee meeting next week. If you are a part timer and want to weigh in, email us at ahem@anoka.k12.mn.us.
Good Question: Is my schedule right? This is a good time of the year to deal with schedule issues. If you have a concern that you may not be getting the right time for lunch, prep, travel, duties, etc. please call the office at 763.421.9110 and ask for David. He'll check out your situation and make sure we nip any errors in the bud.
Contract Action Team (CAT): The next CAT meeting is Wednesday, September 25th, 4:45 pm at the AHEM Office. This group helps take action to achieve a fair contract settlement – they plan things from the root beer float tailgating before the last bargaining session to messages that help members understand complicated contract issues. Hope you can join the team!
Book Selection Controversy: You may have heard some controversy regarding the choice of the book "Eleanor & Park" for the high school "Rock the Book" summer reading program. We at AHEM proudly stand by the professional judgement of our librarians. Here is an eloquent commentary that describes some of the many reasons we trust our colleagues in this matter: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/09/18/223738674/true-love-book-fights-and-why-ugly-stories-matter
Part Timers and Q-Comp: We are getting a lot of questions and concerns about how part time members work with Q-Comp, particularly regarding pro-ration of incentives and workload. We have heard many valid points and will be discussing them at our Q-Comp Steering Committee meeting next week. If you are a part timer and want to weigh in, email us at ahem@anoka.k12.mn.us.
Good Question: Is my schedule right? This is a good time of the year to deal with schedule issues. If you have a concern that you may not be getting the right time for lunch, prep, travel, duties, etc. please call the office at 763.421.9110 and ask for David. He'll check out your situation and make sure we nip any errors in the bud.
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