Update on Fact Finding

Here a link to the tentative agreement. It will open a pdf in a new window:

Click here:  Tentative Agreement

Aloha,

The fact-finding hearing between the Association and the District on December 7th was very positive and productive.  Some issues were resolved, and some are still being discussed.

In fact-finding, a panel of three--one neutral party appointed by the state, one appointed by the Association and one appointed by the District - hear the parties's positions and their rationale for taking those positions.  During the hearing, each team presented a binder full of information.

The District presented its position that it may legally differentiate the employment rights of people who do the same job for the same employer and that giving regular employment rights to all of the Orcutt Academy teachers would cause financial hardship on the District.  The Association disagrees with those positions.

The Orcutt Educators Association presented evidence that the OUSD has spent little or nothing on employee discipline or dismissal since 2006.  We also found that there is not one District employer charter in California that differentiates the employment rights as the District has proposed.  Basically, this tells us that equal rights is the clear "industry standard".  We also presented evidence that the District's current position, as we understand it, creates a confusing mish-mash of rights, and that the current uncertainty regarding the rights of some employees is a greater threat to the District than giving equal rights to all.

The actual Tentative Agreement signed by both parties is posted.  A quick highlight is:  1. A tentative agreement that the OEA transfer language would apply to all Bargaining Unit Members, 2. A tentative agreement that all Bargaining Unit Members would have Education Code rights and process for layoff and recall, although Orcutt Academy and non-Orcutt Academy members will be on separate seniority lists, 3. An agreement to form a Joint "Super Committee" to continue discussing the issues of discipline and dismissal rights for members who work at Orcutt Academy.  Please see the actual Tentative Agreement for specific details, or feel free to contact me with further questions.

The Association is very pleased with the result of the fact-finding so far, and we look forward to this additional opportunity to resolve these issues with the District.  Thank you for your support and have a wonderful Winter Break!

Mahalo,
Monique
714-9861

Election Support

Aloha,

As you know the election is coming close upon us.  Please remember to get out the word that we are recommending Yes on Prop. 30 and No on Prop. 32!  We also would like to support Liz Phillips during this last week of campaigning.  We have 2 events that OEA needs your help with:

1.  On Saturday (Nov. 3) and Sunday (Nov. 4) we working to get teams of 4 to stand and hold a Liz Phillips sign on the corners of Clark and Bradley.  We would like to run 1 hour shifts starting at 9 am.  Please let your OEA Site Rep. know if you are willing to give an hour of your time to support Liz Phillips.

2.  On Monday, November 5th we will be passing our flyers again after school.  Please note that you cannot be in the parking lot or on campus.  Your OEA Site Rep. will have all flyers and signs to use for this event.

Please let your site rep. know how you can help or you can always contact me for details.  I thank you in advance for all your support!

Mahalo,
Monique
714-9861

OUSD Board Votes for Exclusive High School

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free

So the poem goes. Or in education parlance, give me your sub-groups, your minorities, your socioeconomically disadvantaged.  This was the spirit of Orcutt Academy at its conception; if you believed and had the will, you were welcome.  That’s been the narrative for the past five years—largely a true one—until now. The Orcutt school board’s recent decision to exclude outlying communities from its high school has demonstrated the board’s disregard for those who put their faith in OAHS, believed in its promise, and built it into the success we see today.   

Orcutt Union School District is a K-8 district.  They wanted a high school of their own, but the challenges of building a high school exclusively for Orcutt residents were nearly insurmountable.  A solution presented itself in the form of a dependent charter high school.  Dependent, because OUSD wanted to control it; charter, because they needed students from beyond the Orcutt boundary to attend it.  But it was a risk.  It required the bravery and bold faith of a small group of visionaries who would walk away from St. Joe’s, Righetti, Santa Maria, and other local high schools and take a chance on OAHS.  The Orcutt community alone did not have so many brave souls. Thankfully, since anyone in California could attend, enrollment was achieved by relying on the courage of families from Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Los Alamos, Lompoc, and Vandenberg.  Like America itself, the bond that held OAHS together was ideology, not race, religion, or region.  And it flourished.  In fact, it did so well, that those who once lacked conviction were given the courage to send their kids to OAHS based on its growing reputation and continued success.  Whereas in the beginning filling seats was difficult, today it is necessary to hold a lottery for enrollment.  Or, rather, it was until the school board decided to abandon those outlying communities—those sub-groups—who not only gave the school its diversity and fulfilled its promise, but who helped to build it in the first place.  Once they were used for their purpose, they were discarded.  They will have to return to yearning to be free because four board members decided OAHS is no longer for them.

The Orcutt Academy’s mission statement includes the promotion of “intercultural understanding” and its Single School Plan reminds us that “because the charter accommodates students who live outside of the Orcutt community, the school enjoys a greater ethnic diversity than that of the community of Orcutt.”  While the school may enjoy its ethnic diversity, not all board members do.  As one of them said publicly at the last board meeting, “People live in a community to either have diversity or to not have diversity, that’s why they live there.”  Sadly, in a modern example of taxation without representation, the communities who are affected by this decision have no recourse; they don’t vote in Orcutt elections.  The wall of the board room where this vote took place announces that in Orcutt “kids come first.”  If some members of the board would rather protect votes than kids, then I suggest they revise that statement.  In the board room, maybe votes come first, but in the classroom, kids still do.  As teachers at Orcutt Academy, it is our responsibility to protect our kids and our school, and that means representing the communities from which they come, and representing those who have no voice.  It means putting our kids first.  All of our kids.

Orcutt Academy High School Teachers:  Scott Gelotti, Vickie Gill, Ricardo Gabaldon , Patti Garcia, Jenny Hubbard, and Jan Brown.

OEA Needs Your Help

YES on 30, NO on 32, LIZ PHILLIPS for OUSD School Board

1. Thursday, October 18^th your Site Rep. will have flyers to pass out afterschool across the street. 
2. Saturday, October 20^th Precinct Walking (LUNCH PROVIDED) 11:00-4:00 PM.  Please meet at the CTA office (2325 Skyway Dr. Suite A).  Please email or call Monique L. Segura   (mseguraoea@yahoo.com/714-9861) so she can make sure there is enough food for all participants.
3. Monday, November 5^th your Site Rep. will have flyers to pass out after school across the street.

Pre-Election Festival

Just in case you need one more reason to come out and walk precincts, the North County Coalition is hosting a “Pre-election festival” on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. (see link below). There will be speakers on 32 and 30, a raffle, food and a bounce house for the kids.

Click here for the flyer with more information.

Contract, Endoresements, Resolving Issues, More...

Aloha,

I hope all is well as many of us begin our week of Parent Conferences.  Please review the following updates:

1.  As a reminder your 2% one time increase will be in your September 28th pay check...it will be in a lump sum payment.

2.  We have not ratified our contract, but we have voted to implement the Tentative Agreements and Memorandum of Understandings that your negotiating team has resolved.  We are going to Fact Finding on:  The rights of Unit Members at the OAK-8 program to transfer to positions in the non-charter sites and The rights of Unit Members at the Charter sites in cases of lay-off, discipline, and dismissal.

3.  Thank you to Cindy Maloney, Anita Perales, Michael Taubenheim, and Lisa Wilkanoski for being on the Interview Panel for OEA's School Board Endorsement.  The Interview Team presented their recommendation to OEA's Rep. Council and both the Interview Team and Rep. Council agreed to endorse Liz Phillips for OUSD School Board.  Your site reps. have copies of the interview questions and the responses submitted by the four candidates that responded to our interview invitation and are happy to share this with you.  The teachers in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District are asking residents to vote for Linda Cordero, Helen Galvan, and John Hollinshead for School Board.  The teachers in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District are asking residents to vote for Diana Perez and Victor Tognazzini.

4.  Liz Phillips is looking for help to pass out flyers at the following functions:  OCAF Arts Festival on Saturday, Sept. 29th from 10 am- Noon and Albertsons in Orcutt on Sunday, Sept. 30th from 8-11 am.  Please email me (meseguraoea@yahoo.com) if you are able to help on these 2 days...also if you would like flyers to pass out on your own I can get some for you next week.  There will be many more opportunities to help with her campaign...I will have sign up sheets at our lunch site visits.

5.  Andy Watson, a teacher from the Santa Maria-Bonita School District on special assignment with CTA,  will be joining me on lunch time site visits to talk about Proposition 30 (yes) and Proposition 32 (no) and any other questions and/or concerns you would like to share with me.

6.  I have just received the CTA pocket calendars and will be delivering them to your Site Rep. this week for distribution.

7.  Please see your OEA Site Rep. to sign up to attend a School Board this year (Oct. 10, Nov. 14, Dec. 12, Jan. 9, Feb. 13, March 13, April 10, May 8).  Your OEA Rep. Council sees great value in having teachers at board meetings.  In October we wanted to share our concerns with Class Size in the OUSD.

8.  Last year Bob and I started meeting once a month with Jan Y. (Human Resources) and Steve Blackie (Grievance Chair) to try to resolve issues before they get to the grievance stage.  Please let me or your site rep. know if you have any concerns that you would like to have brought up at these Labor Management Council (LMC) meetings.  The dates for our meetings are posted on this website along with Rep. Council meetings, Team OEA, and OEA Scholarship forms.

9.  This Friday OEA is sponsoring a TGIF at Orcutt Brew from 4-7 pm.  You are on your own for beverages, but OEA will purchase appetizers.

As always I am available to answer questions, listen to concerns, and help in any way that I can!

Mahalo,
Monique L. Segura
Orcutt Educators Associaiton, President
805-714-9861

Tentative Agreement

Aloha,

Thank you for your patience as your negotiating team has been working to get the following information out to all of you.  Below you will see the actual Tentative Agreements and Memorandum of Understandings that we are asking you to vote on Tuesday, Sept. 11th at the General Membership Meeting.  We will be going over a "Master MOU" so that we can implement the tentative agreements that have been made.  Please join us on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012 at 4 pm in the OAHS Multi-Use Room to review the "Master MOU", answer questions, and vote.  I thank you in advance for your support!

Click here for Tentative Agreement Articles (a pdf will open in a new window).

Mahalo,
Monique L. Segura
Orcutt Educators Association, President
714-9861