Volume 2, Issue 6
February, 2009
SCOPE FOR PSRP’S
McAllen AFT, 1500 Dove, McAllen, TX, 78504
Telephone—682-1143, Fax—631-0190, Cell—607-0193
Stories contributed by McAllen AFT PSRP’s
REINVEST IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
Send this letter to your State Legislators
Despite the current economic downturn, a moment of opportunity has arrived for reinvestment in our public schools. I urge you as a state policy-maker to seize this opportunity.
Since 2006, state education funding per pupil in Texas has stagnated. Funding inequities have been frozen into place. School districts have been left to try to make up for inadequate state aid by raising local tax rates, even as the state has made it harder for them to do so. In more and more school districts, the budget squeeze imposed by the state is translating into real educational program cuts, layoffs, and larger class sizes.
Now we see a first draft of the state's K-12 education budget that does not even begin to address these budget woes and would leave unmet for two (2) more years many urgent needs of our students. It seems that a slowing economy has become the latest excuse for neglecting the state responsibility for public education.
But this is no time to stop investing in public education, which holds the key to a prosperous future for our state. You have tools available to take care of our students' needs, if only you have the will to use them. You not only can use the state's rainy-day fund, a reserve of $9 billion built up to deal with exactly the sort of economic and revenue downturn Texas now faces. You also have a golden opportunity to reinvest in public education thanks to the economic-recovery legislation now pending in Congress and likely to be enacted next month.
The U.S. House version of this bill, to be voted on this month, would invest more than $120 billion in the nation's public schools. Under this bill Texas stands to gain billions of dollars a year in extra federal education aid to be passed through to school districts. Beyond the billions specifically earmarked for education, massive increases envisioned in federal Medicaid and other funds would free up still more billions of dollars of state revenue to address other priority needs in education and health care.
The federal economic-recovery package promises to wipe out every last excuse for continuing to short-change our Texas public schools in the state budget. I, therefore, ask you to use the powers of your office to ensure that Congress passes an economic-recovery package with maximum funding for Texas public education--and then to use that funding to make overdue improvements in the conditions for learning and working in our public schools.
See website at: http://tx.aft.org/ click on send a letter.
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New Law on Caring for Students With Diabetes at School: Know Your Rights
The Texas legislature recently enacted a new law on medical care at school for students with diabetes [HB 984, 79th Regular Session, 2005]. Based on concerns voiced by our members, the Texas Federation of Teachers (TFT/AFT) opposed parts of the original proposal, which would have required unlicensed school employees, instead of school nurses, to give insulin injections to school children. After hearing TFT’s concerns, the legislature passed the new law with the following provisions:
- The new diabetes law states that school employees “may not be subject to any penalty or disciplinary action for refusing to serve as an unlicensed diabetes care assistant”
- A school principal is not “required” by law to assign school personnel to serve as “unlicensed diabetes care assistants.”
- A school employee serving as an “unlicensed diabetes care assistant” may not provide the diabetes care unless the child’s parent signs an agreement authorizing the school employee to do so. In addition, the parent must understand that the school employee is not liable for non-criminal damages to the child while performing the diabetes care
- The school principal, not the school nurse, is responsible for supervising “unlicensed diabetes care assistants.” School nurses are responsible for coordinating the training of “unlicensed diabetes care assistants”
- In case a school nurse is not assigned to a campus, the “unlicensed diabetes care assistant” MUST have access to a diabetes care expert such as a physician or registered nurse OR the principal must have access to the child’s diabetes care doctor
For more information check the website at http://tx.aft.org under Our Issues
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Pointers for PSRP:
Health & Safety Tips
Health and safety are top concerns for any union. But at the AFT, our locals have employed a number of successful strategies to build comprehensive health and safety programs for members.
Accidents and Injuries
Important facts about accidents and injuries in school settings:
- Audio-visual equipment that is not used properly accounts for thousands of injuries in schools. Unsteady or wobbly A-V carts, along with the placement of equipment on surfaces that are not stable, may cause equipment to fall and injure staff and students. Using equipment with frayed wiring may cause serious electrical shock or injury.
- Boxes and materials that are stacked too high can also pose a risk of accident and injury at school.
- Food service workers are threatened with slips, falls, cuts and burns.
- Bus drivers are often injured because of improperly maintained buses.
- Custodial/maintenance staff risk electrical shock and injury when equipment and tools are not used properly or improperly maintained. Custodial staff also suffer injuries from slips and falls on wet floors and icy sidewalks.
What you can do:
Good work practices and common sense are often the best weapons against accidents and injuries. Here's some advice:
In the classroom: Avoid stacking boxes and materials; avoid placing heavy objects on high shelves. Report any frayed wiring on electrical equipment and avoid using it until it is repaired. Don't allow children to ride on A-V carts and place all equipment on sturdy surfaces.
In food service: Wipe up all grease and spills from floors immediately. Wear non-skid/rubber-soled shoes. Don't remove machine-guards from slicing equipment; keep knives sharp; know where fire extinguishers are kept and how to use them; report any frayed or worn out plugs and faulty equipment immediately to supervisors.
In custodial/maintenance areas: Prevent others (as well as yourself) from walking on freshly mopped or waxed floors. Report damaged equipment, frayed wires to your supervisor immediately. Use equipment as instructed by the manufacturer. Avoid stacking equipment, boxes and materials.
In buses and the bus yard: Don't rush your daily pre-trip check out, follow the procedure every day. Report any faulty equipment to your supervisor immediately.
Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas with Gooey Jack Cheese
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies
- 1/3 cup prepared salsa, mild, medium or hot
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 1/3 cups shredded Monterey jack and or Cheddar
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken and sauté 5 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove half of the chicken and reserve for another use.
Stir in black beans, green chilies, and salsa and simmer 5 minutes, until sauce thickens and reduces. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
Arrange 4 tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken mixture. Roll up tortillas and place side by side in a shallow baking dish. Top tortillas with shredded cheese (1/3 cup per tortilla).
Bake enchiladas 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and gooey!
