Come join the family fun!
Tickets being sold by YTA Association Representatives or
come to our YTA Office at 10940 Ben Crenshaw.
YTA VS YISD OVER SALARY DISPUTE
KVIA NEWCAST
http://www.kvia.com/video/29514252/index.html
YISD sues state over teacher pay
By Caylor Ballinger \ El Paso Times
Posted: 10/11/2011 12:00:00 AM MDT
The Ysleta Independent School District filed a lawsuit Monday against Robert Scott, the Texas Commissioner of Education, in response to his ruling that said the district owed some teachers additional money. The Ysleta district’s lawsuit centers on a disagreement between the district itself and the Ysleta Teachers Association regarding teacher salaries. In 2006, the teachers association said that the state required districts to give teachers a raise and that the district did not give one to teachers with more than 26 years of experience. The association felt that action was unfair and accused the Ysleta district of age discrimination. Arlinda Valencia, president of the Ysleta Teachers Association, said the organization filed a grievance with the district. In it, Valencia said they asked the district to pay teachers with 26 years of experience $700 and those with 27 or more years would get $500. The district rejected the association’s request. Valencia also said the association would not give up on what the district owes teachers within the association. The Teachers Association followed up the 2006 grievance with a hearing against the Ysleta district, which it won. Valencia said the district still did not agree to make payments, so the district took it to the Commissioner of Education who also sided with the association. When the district tried to file against the decision, it was denied. The district’s only action remaining was to file an appeal or lawsuit against Scott. “I don’t see an end to this anytime soon,” Valencia said. “They have already been told three times they are wrong.” The commissioner ruled $250 per month is owed to those teachers based on a nine-month year. In addition, a longevity stipend is owed to each teacher with at least 26 years of experience, which is between $1,000 and $1,500. Valencia said the ruling was more than the association had asked for in 2006. Neither the association nor the district offered estimates on how much could be owed or how many people this could affect. Valencia thinks there are about 300 teachers with more than 26 years of experience in the association. Patricia Ayala, Ysleta public information officer, said Monday the district had to appeal a decision they felt was inaccurate. Ayala said if the Ysleta school board wants to withdraw the lawsuit, it could do so at its Wednesday board meeting. Officials offered no further comment Monday. Charlie Garza, State Board of Education representative for the El Paso area, said it concerns him that Ysleta is resorting to litigation, requiring more taxpayer money, rather than handling the matter themselves. Garza said it also bothers him that the district has not adhered to the commissioners’ ruling leading him to think “they believe they are above the law.” “This direction is not the best for the children,” he said. “I hope the school board will do what is right.”
Caylor Ballinger may be reached at cballinger@elpasotimes.com; 546-6133.
All area school districts are back to school and everyone from teachers to students to support staff and administration, is buzz ‘in around, making sure school starts off without a hitch. (It’s a dream, it never happens.) Summer schedules are gone and have changed; early to bed and early alarm clocks ringing, “GET UP!”
For teachers, they are getting lessons plans done, learning the names of 180 students for those in high school and at least 22 in elementary. Whoever said that teaching is an easy job should stand in front of a class of 22 or more pair of eyes looking back at them. Those eyes are watching to see your every move. Those eyes are also watching to see if they can pinpoint a weakness that they can capitalize on. The majority of students are great but all you need is one to make a teachers life miserable. One student that is uncooperative and unmotivated to learn can turn a great classroom into a nightmare. Teachers not only have to teach their subject but they also have to be counselors, parents, and disciplinarians to their students.
Teachers are facing more than their normal share of hard work on the job. Teachers are finding themselves facing more than usual staff meetings; professional staff development meetings for varies programs and the STARR test. Let’s not forget the regular duties such as teaching, making their lesson plans, calling parents and grading papers.
Teaching has become a battle ground these days. While politicians (who don’t know a thing about education) are arguing about how our students should be taught and tested, teachers are taking the bull by the horns and decorating their rooms and buying supplies with their own money. While politicians are cutting programs and funding, teachers are giving these students the best possible education they can.
Teachers are professionals in a very crucial profession and it’s a shame that they aren’t respected. If they were respected then their salaries would look like doctors and lawyers salaries. Instead, our legislators pass laws that allow furloughs, lower teacher pay, over-crowd classrooms, lay-offs, less preparation and ignore experience.
While politicians are fighting their party lines, students are loosing ground. Some districts, in order to save money, are asking experience teachers to resign so that un-experienced teachers can replace them. Education is one of the very few businesses where experience is considered costly instead of valued.
For all the teachers out there, we thank you for your hard work and dedication. It is because of your determination to “Stand Strong” under so much adversity that our Public Education is the best in the world. America’s educators teach everyone, from Special Education to Gifted and Talented, it doesn’t matter. Teachers are awesome! They affect the future by teaching doctors, lawyers and yes, politicians. Too bad they don’t remember who helped them get where they are today.
As the President of the Ysleta Teachers Association, I am proud to be in a district that is one of the top five finalists’ for the Broad Prize for Urban Education. This is a great honor and we have our fingers crossed that this is the year Ysleta brings home the prize. Yes, it is great to have been nominated and chosen top five out of 75 eligible districts but winning the prize is the ultimate goal. Bringing home the trophy would be nice, but more importantly is the $1 million dollars in scholarships that accompanies it. The Broad Prize awards the top urban school district, which has demonstrated the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among low-income and minority students.
The Ysleta District would not be a finalist if it were not for the hard work of all the employees of the district. This is the second year this honor has been bestowed upon the Ysleta District. Congratulations to all for making Ysleta one of the best school districts in the nation.
The YISD team representing the district has been selected and is ready to travel to Washington D.C. in order to attend the awards ceremony on September 20th.
The Broad’s Selected VIP Representative team will consist of:
Superintendent Dr. Michael Zolkoski
Hanks Trustee and Board President Rosa Kahoe
Ysleta Teachers Association President Arlinda Valencia
Additional members attending will consist of:
Eastwood Board Trustee Deby Lewis
Parkland Board Trustee Shane Haggerty
Riverside Board Trustee Andy Ramirez
Elementary T.O.Y. Lily Lara from East Point
Secondary T.O.Y. Jerry Bowles From Caesar Chavez
Ramona Elementary Principal Ana Silva
Del Valle High School Principal Carmen Crosse
Meet Arlinda Valencia, the newly elected President of the Ysleta Teachers Association. Arlinda Valencia, is no stranger to the position. She was also president from 1999 – 2001. Since her term in 2001, she has held a position on the YTA board. She has mentored and given support to presidents who succeeded her term.
When last year’s president, Noel Candelaria, moved up to the Texas State Teachers Association, Arlinda Valencia was once again asked to run for the full time position of YTA President. With Arlinda Valencia as the Ysleta Teachers Association President, the members of this association receive the wisest and most experienced person to do the job.
The Ysleta Teachers Association welcomes Arlinda Valencia and invites you to stop by our offices to say hello.
Noel Candelaria, President of YTA was elected to be the next Vice President of the Texas State Teachers Association. This is the second highest position in the TSTA organization, which was founded 132 years ago. This is history making, no one from El Paso has ever held this high of an office in the state organization. Noel will begin his new duties on July 15, 2011. We wish to congratulate Noel on his new position and wish him and his family the best as they begin a new chapter in their lives.
Do you want to know what YTA is up to?
Do you want to know how the YISD School Board votes on issues relating to the the employees as it happens?
Following YTA has never been easier, just click on the link below to sign up.
The Texas Comptroller accidentally posted the personal information of about 3.5 million Texans. Among those affected are members of the Teacher Retirement System, Texas Workforce Commission and Employees Retirement System of Texas. The information has been open to the public for about a year now.
The information, which was made public, included birth dates and driver’s license numbers. Both of which can be used to conduct identity theft.
Out of the 3.5 million Texans affected, 1.2 million were Texas teachers. That means YOU!!! There are steps you can take to see if your information was released and to also make sure you are protected.
Step 1: Call 1-855-474-2065. They will ask you for your name and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number.
Step 2: If your name was included, you will be instructed to call one of the major credit bureaus in order to place a fraud alert on your credit. You only need to call one, as they will send the information to the other two on your behalf.
The major credit bureau numbers are:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
The system is completely automated and it takes about 10-15 minutes to complete the process.
Don’t delay! Take immediate action to protect yourself and your identity. It takes only a few minutes and it could be the most important phone call you make.
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
~Henry Ford
In the recent state of the Union, President Obama stated that “In South Korea, teachers are known as “nation builders.” Here in America, it’s time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect”. We applaud the President, but we must not leave it up to others to give us respect, it is time that we show “UNITY” as a profession and demand the respect that we deserve. It is time that we All rise and come together to show Ysleta ISD, El Paso and the world that we are “Nation Builders”. It is time to activate the passion for our profession and begin to make a difference beyond our classrooms, offices, cafeterias, and hallways.
Join us in our quest to bring respect to our profession in our District, State, and Nation!
Join YTA and be part of a group that is geared to make a difference in policy regarding our profession at the Local, State, and National level.
Belong to the voice for public education in Ysleta Tecahers Association (YTA), Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA), and National Education Association (NEA).
If you are interested in becoming an activist for your profession,
contact the YTA office at (915) 778-8222 or email us at ysletateachersassociation@yahoo.com.
You Can Make A Difference in Your Profession!
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU!
On Wednesday, January 19, the School Board will consider and vote to approve a policy update that will prohibit teachers and employees from using their personal computers in the district and will authorize administration to seize personal data storage devices form employees such as USB drives and data-imaging devices without probable cause, which appears to be in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This policy change will now provide full access and employee notice, that system users have no privacy expectations in YISD.
It is unfortunate, that this policy will prohibit teachers, teacher aides, clerks, custodians, and other employee attending our local colleges and universities to use their personal laptops on YISD property. Employees will be required to leave their personal laptops at home or in their vehicles (subject to theft) and will not be allowed to work on advancing their education before work, during their lunch, or after work. This new policy will also prevent them from meeting at work with their colleagues to advance their education, while on their personal computers. This is bad policy that demoralizes and cast a shadow of mistrust on district employees. These same district employees have made the district a “Recognized”, and Broad Prize finalist district. Ysleta Teachers Association urges the YISD School Board to vote it down and we urge administration to begin creating a positive atmosphere of trust and appreciation to the employees that impact our future.
Click here to review proposed policy CQ (Local).
Click here for complete January 19, 2011 Board Book
Part II Policy Update
January 19, 2010
Last night the School Board met in a workshop session, and thanks to the persistence of Trustee Haggerty, some changes were made to the policy language to improve it, by deleting the first sentence. There is still an issue with the second paragraph in the section titled “Personal Devices on the Network” (see below). YTA agrees with the intent of the policy to protect the district intranet network from potential security breech that might put sensitive data in the wrong hands, but the blanket approach is not the way to do it.
Dr. Zolkoski made a statement that “anyone who steps on his district property, is subject to search.” YTA adamantly disagrees with this statement and further insist on it being a Fourth Amendment violation. YTA leadership will submit suggestive language to the policy to make it clear on the intent without jeopardizing the trust and integrity of the employees as well as not violating our Fourth Amendment Right.
Haggerty Proposal accepted by Board last night:
PERSONAL DEVICES ON THE NETWORK
All computer hardware used for YISD purposes or located on YISD property must be the legitimate property of the Ysleta Independent School District. Connecting to the YISD Intranet network (within the District Firewall), either by ethernet cable or wireless, using a personally owned device (computer, tablet pc, iPad, etc.) is not permitted without written approval of the Superintendent or designee is required for any exceptions to this policy.
Any employee using a data storage device (e.g. USB Flash or External HD), or image-recording device on District premises thereby gives permission to the District to inspect the data storage device or image-recording device at any time with personnel of the District’s choosing and to analyze any files, data, data storage devices or media that may be within or conectable to the data or image-recording device in question. Employees who do not wish such inspections to be done on their personal data storage devices or imaging devices should not bring such items to work at all.
When YISD Voted to Increase Health Insurance Cost for Employees, who was there to speak out against it and for your interests?
The Ysleta Teacher Association
From the El Paso Times
“Noel Candelaria, the president of the Ysleta Teachers Association, was one of two teachers who spoke against the plan.
Board President Marty Reyes allowed Candelaria to speak only after he stood up and said that he had requested time in an e-mail last week. She first gave him two minutes until he protested that everyone else was allowed three minutes.
“I think our voices were heard, but they weren’t taken into consideration,” Candelaria said. “They had their minds made up.”
Candelaria maintained that the district should have contributed more. He said increases should have been phased in over two years to allow hourly employees who make less than $20,000 a year more time to adjust.
Bob Ward, the school board’s vice president, said that hourly employees in that category could seek state help through initiatives like the Children’s Health Insurance Program.”
Say What?
Why is YISD trying to shift their responsibility to state of Texas? The board believes we should tell our employees to sign up for CHIP because YISD refuses to take care of our own.
Outrageous!
This has to stop.
It is time for every employee to belong to a single organization and for that organization to exclusively speak for all the employees in YISD.
It’s time to come together. Join us and together we will change YISD.
YTA/TSTA/NEA—One Vision, One Voice
