September, 2008
McAllen AFT MAKING A DIFFERENCE
1500 Dove Avenue, Mcallen, TX, 78504, 682-1143
EYES ON THE BOARD
WORKING FOR YOU!
At the McAllen ISD School Board meeting on September 22, the board approved a clinic for all employees in a 3-2 (Garcia and Lee voted no and Farias and Moore were absent) vote. The contract is pending approval of Steve Crain, school attorney. We won’t release any details until the contract is signed by both the school district and the clinic.
We have called the clinic representative to arrange a tour for us so that we can tell you first hand what is available. This benefit will keep money in your pocket. Of course, you can continue to use the family doctor and specialists you already have. For those of you requesting gastric bypass that issue will be reviewed in January and hope is there. One of our members appeared before the District Insurance Committee asking for gastric bypass consideration. We have worked all these issues for 2 ½ years—A WIN for you and McAllen AFT.
The McAllen ISD Board agreed TO NOT INCREASE health insurance rates for this school year. We lobbied the board for months to not increase health insurance rates. A WIN FOR YOU and McAllen AFT.
In addition, the McAllen ISD Board agreed to lift the cap of 50 days for those retiring to 75 days. Thus, teachers would receive $100 a day up to 75 days at retirement. A WIN FOR YOU and McAllen AFT. We have lobbied for this for 1-½ years.
The board spent a long time discussing the Lincoln Gym. Monies were approved to get the gym right. The bond manager is on top of this—IF NOT we will work on it.
A large number of bills were paid for the 2005 Bond. We have visited Fossum Middle School and the building is really nice. Landscaping is occurring and many details are being completed. We gave an HP Printer as a door prize to a deserving teacher on this new campus.
Mrs. Chapa announced that the Gonzalez PTO raised $40,700 and was donating the money to Gonzalez Elementary School.
At the end of the meeting on September 22, Mrs. Chapa, superintendent, mentioned that on September 24, the bids to hire a firm to search for a new superintendent will be opened at 3 p.m. After that the bids will be ranked on September 25. Then a special board meeting will be held to interview the finalists.
An interesting event occurred at the September 8, 2008 board meeting. A resolution was passed by the McAllen ISD Board urging the University Interscholastic League to hold regional meets and tournaments of the UIL in the Rio Grande Valley and the McAllen ISD offering its classrooms and sporting facilities. We understand that the MISD Board is considering doing some renovations to the McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium costing approximately $2 million. There would be a new press box, an elevator, and other features to allow for increased sporting events.
Also on September 8, the MISD Board approved the AVID program (designed to help underachieving middle and high school students prepare for and succeed in colleges and universities) funded through a grant received by UTPA. McAllen ISD will be appropriated a total of $150,174 for the 2008-2009 school year. The program will be implemented at Cathey, Travis, Morris, De Leon, Lincoln, and Fossum.
On September 22 the District held a public hearing for The Annual Financial Accountability Management Report. The ISD’s rating under Schools FIRST for the year ended August 31, 2007, is “Superior Achievement”. This report briefly describes data used to calculate the rating and the significance of each indicator.
A copy of the Superintendent’s current Employment Contract was included. Beginning the 1st day of June, 2008 the Superintendent’s pay was changed to $190,000 ($6,000 was added to $184,000 to reflect IRS rules about auto expenses being shown in salary rather than separately).
Also the report reflected that the superintendent received no outside compensation and/or fees for professional consulting and/or other personal services in fiscal year 2007.
Another disclosure indicated that the executive officers and board members received no gifts in 2007.
Reimbursements (meals, lodging, transportation, motor fuel, other) received by the Superintendent and board members for 2007 were as follows:
Mrs. Chapa - $5,591;
Moore - $1,143
Kent - $2,349
Garcia - $2,349
Alvarado - $397
Farias - $2,499
Dr. Chapa - $365
Tippit - $683 - still on board
Vela - $0 - not elected yet
Total - $15,376
September 8, 2008
Good evening. My name is Ruth Skow, and I represent McAllen AFT. Our professional organization represents everyone from the teacher to the bus driver.
We wish to continue encouraging you to support and implement a health clinic for all employees. A clinic will mean a healthier staff and fewer workdays missed, which impacts the school district budget positively. My members want you to know their big concerns are better pay and better benefits.
As you consider changes to schools in the district, we ask that you finish the work you started at Navarro Elementary. The classroom wing is done, but the rest of the school needs to be replaced. In addition, we need to replace Crockett Elementary. We recommend building a new Crockett on the north end of the property and demolishing the old Crockett and just reversing the play ground to the south end.
At a recent school board meeting, the board approved renovations to the McAllen High School Auditorium. We want to thank you and encourage you to move these renovations along. Many former students will be attending events celebrating the 100-year anniversary, and they deserve a great facility. McAllen High School is showing its age and needs attention not just words.
We want to encourage all McAllen ISD employees and citizens to be sure they are registered to vote. You need to register by October 6, 2008 to vote in the November 4, 2008 election. The McAllen AFT has registered 219 voters from all over the city since school began.
Lastly, we would like the McAllen ISD Board of Education to be aware that the Governor of Texas and the leadership of the Texas Legislature are interested in taking the $1 billion in the Texas Teacher Retirement System (the entire fund) and using that money for roads, bridges and prisons.
This concern will be one of most important in the up coming 2009 Legislative Session. We will be keeping you informed. You may or may not be aware that a former Governor now President of the United States took $650 million from the TRS fund some years ago and those funds were never replaced.
As a profession, we cannot allow this to happen to all the educational employees in Texas.
Thank you.
AFT Announces Groundbreaking Fund To Foster Reform
The AFT has announced the creation of the AFT Innovation Fund, a groundbreaking initiative to be funded by the union and philanthropies to support sustainable, innovative and collaborative reform projects developed by members to strengthen our public schools.
This initiative is based on the AFT’s extensive experience with successful reform ideas developed and nurtured in classrooms—by the educators who work with students every day.
Simply put, the AFT is leveraging “top-down” support for “bottom-up” reforms by harnessing the strengths, experience and know-how of our teachers and the unions that support them.