President’s Insights 8-11-19

The 2019-2020 school year is upon us.

For the first time in a while we go into a school year not having to bargain a contract which allows the ETA to focus on strengthening our union and leading our district in a positive direction.  

The ETA has been hard at work this summer putting together tools that you can use.  That first tool will be presented Monday and Tuesday, at the conclusion of the DCD days There will be SIP and SD training sessions run jointly by myself and Suzanne Johnson at Elgin Community College.  

On Monday, the training will be in Building E, room 121 from 2:30-4:30.  On Tuesday, the training will be in Building E, in the Siegle Auditorium from 2:30-4:30.  You can sign up for these sessions on Wisdomwhere (formally CourseWhere).  

I encourage members of SIP and SD teams to attend these sessions to prepare for the year ahead.  We have new contract language that gives more responsibility to these teams. The best way to ensure that ETA members and Administrators can collaborate is to start by attending this training. 

In the coming weeks, you will also be receiving a copy of the newly printed contract.  The contract is available to members on the ETA website now, but the printed books will be delivered to ETA Members soon.  You will also be receiving a copy of a member handbook that will answer many of the questions we get from our members all the time and better prepare our members for the challenges they face in their building every day.  

The ETA website has also undergone a redesign.  The hope is that the design gives our members an easier experience in finding information related to the ETA.  We are going to be using the website even more this year to ensure that resources are available to our members, and that information from our contractual committees is up to date so all members have a place to get the information that need about what is happening in our district.  

I hope you all have a wonderful start to the school year.  

Barbara Bettis 

ETA President

Transcripts

ETA continues to meet with Human Resources regarding transcript review.  ETA is stressing the urgency to complete this process so that we can fully move forward with the new Elgin Agreement.  

403(b)

ETA has been reviewing all of the questions have been posed by members.  We are seeking answers to all of these questions and the ETA members of the retirement charter committee will be releasing a FAQ to get you those answers.  I strongly encourage members to attend one of the informational sessions listed below. More information will be made available soon.  

September 9, 2019 3:15 P.M. in the auditorium at Bartlett High School

September 9, 2019 3:45 P.M. in the library at Kimball Middle School

September 9, 2019 3:45 P.M. in the library at Abbott Middle School

September 10, 2019 3:15 P.M. in the auditorium at Larkin High School

September 10, 2019 3:45 P.M. in the cafeteria at Eastview Middle School

September 10, 2019 3:45 P.M. in the cafeteria at Canton Middle School

September 11, 2019 3:15 P.M. in room B-100 at South Elgin High School

September 11, 2019 3:45 P.M. in the auditorium at Tefft Middle School

September 11, 2019 3:45 P.M. in the auditorium at Ellis Middle School

September 12, 2019 3:15 P.M. in the auditorium at Streamwood High School

September 12, 2019 3:45 P.M. in the auditorium at Larsen Middle School

September 12, 2019 3:45 P.M. in the library at Kenyon Woods Middle School

September 13, 2019 3:15 P.M. in the library at Elgin High School

September 13, 2019 3:30 P.M. in room 240 at the Educational Services Center

Safety Council Election

Nominations for the Safety Council election will be open until Friday, August 16. If you are willing to be a part of this important work, you can nominate yourself or a colleague at the link below.  The election will take place in buildings on Tuesday, August 27.  

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SWK2K9B

Committee Appointments

We appreciate all of the interest in district committees.  We are in the process of notifying those that have been approved by our board.  We have a few more committee spots to fill and will bring those names forward at the next ETA board meeting.  

First Representative Assembly

Finally, our first RA of the 2019-2020 school year will be on Wednesday, August 21 at 4:30 PM at Elgin Community College.  Make sure your rep lists are up to date and sent to Kathy Difatta so we can quickly check people in for the RA.  

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