Colleagues,
Welcome back. Hope you had a restful Memorial Day weekend and enjoyed the nice weather as we paused to remember all those who sacrificed for our country.
Here’s a brief update on a few timely reminders:
– Teacher Placement Days. *Updated 5/31* Teacher Placement Days are this week and next. They are by Zoom.
For all who are participating in Teacher Transfer Day, ESOL will now be on June 1st. Please note that Social Studies is now showing on June 5th.
May 30th : Elementary, Elem Bilingual tenure areas
June 1st : K-12 & K-12 Bilingual – ESOL, Library, Counseling, Music, Art, PE, Social Work, Reading tenure areas
June 5th: Secondary & Secondary Bilingual – Social Studies, Math, Science, Foreign Language, ELA, CTE, Health, Family Consumer Science, Technology tenure areas –
June 7th: Special Ed & Special Ed Bilingual tenure areas –
. Please check the RTA website <www.rochesterteachers.com> for sign-in times, start times, and other specific information. If you cannot attend for your tenure area, you can be represented by a proxy that you designate but must complete the Proxy Designation Form that can also be found on the RTA website. But know that your proxy’s actions on your behalf are irrevocable – so you might want to give that person your cell number to confer, if needed. As always, contact Martha Keating, Margaret Sergent, Aimee Rinere or Matt Lavonas if you have questions or need assistance.
– Unencumbered 15 Minutes. Contrary to the mistaken impression conveyed in last Friday’s District email to Transfer Day teachers, there is no agreed-upon change with the unencumbered 15 minutes in the mornings – including for Elementary schools. Nothing new or different has been negotiated and the morning 15 minutes remains unencumbered. Inadvertently omitting a column for Elementary schools in last Friday’s email caused unnecessary confusion and we asked the District to clear it up and correct it. Please let us know if the confusion surfaces at your school.
– Emergency Coverage of Extra Students or Classes. Please know that teachers who assume emergency responsibility for either extra classes or extra students, because of a lack of substitute teachers, are entitled to extra compensation. Teachers should keep a record of such instances and notify the supervisor in each case. The payouts are to occur at the end of each quarter. The forms are to be filled out and filed by the school principals or program directors – not by the teachers. The link for the administrator can be found here.
– Cameras in Multi-Purpose Areas. RTA is requesting immediate Impact Bargaining with the District on issues related to video cameras in multi-purpose and other school locations such as hallways, gyms, libraries and cafeterias. While the District may have the right to have cameras for security and safety purposes, we want to ensure that video footage is not used to violate privacy rights or for APPR or teacher evaluation purposes. We are also seeking to learn the location of the cameras, the times they are activated, how they are monitored, and who are authorized viewers.
– Impasse in Per Diem Substitute Negotiations. The New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) has assigned a mediator to help resolve the stalled negotiations for a successor contract between the Rochester City School District and RTA’s Per Diem Substitute Teachers Unit. The substitute teachers unit has been without a contract since July 1, 2020 and this has compounded the RCSD’s ability to recruit substitute teachers at a time of severe shortages of candidates. It is also adversely affecting our students and their regular teachers. The compensation, benefits, rights, and work conditions for RCSD Per Diem Substitute Teachers are in dire need of improvement.
Wishing you a productive and safe final month of the 2022-23 school year.
Adam Urbanski, RTA President