Cleveland Heights Teachers Union
CHTU Update - September 21, 2009
Supreme Court Ruling-Trouble Ahead. Today the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that provisions in the state’s 2010-2011 budget bill authorizing installation of video lottery terminals (VLTs - slots) at Ohio horse racing tracks are subject to a statewide voter referendum because they do not fall within any of the exceptions to the right of referendum set forth in the Ohio Constitution. Revised projections indicate that the VLT’s will provide $850 million in revenue to the state over the next two years. Now, because of the court’s ruling the voters will have to decide, most likely in February, whether or not to keep the slots provision. The unanswered question with this decision is what the Governor and Lottery Commission will do. The choice is to either continue to implement the slots or wait to see the outcome of the ballot initiative. Either way projected revenue will be affected and additional cuts will have to be made in the current state budget. This decision does not bode well for K-12 Education.
As you know, Ohio Supreme Court Justices are elected. This ruling is another example of why we all need to become political activists.
Union Office Hours in Your School . One of the ideas that came out of our summer reorganization plans was to offer opportunities to hear from members by scheduling “union office hours” in buildings. The plan calls for our Local 795 President and First Vice-President to meet with members without a formal agenda to answer questions and hear concerns. These sessions which begin this week will be scheduled by our building stewards intermittently throughout the school year. We look forward to these additional opportunities to connect with members.
In-Service/Professional Development. We have received inquiries from members regarding in-service sessions that are scheduled beyond the normal workday (8:15 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. Elementary, High School, and Bellefaire; 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Middle Schools). All sessions or portions of sessions that extend beyond the above times are voluntary and compensated.
Pasted below is the pertinent contract language. You will also notice that there are parameters for professional development that occurs within the normal workday.
Fraternally,
Tom Schmida, President
16.054 In-Service Training Courses - All in-service training courses, except as provided below, shall be voluntary and compensated pursuant to one or more of the following alternatives as offered by the Board:
1. An hourly rate of $21.00 per hour effective 11/25/2008; or
2. One CEU for each 10 contact hours; or
3. Graduate credit if offered by an accredited college or university; or
4. One-half credit for salary purposes for every nine contact hours or any fraction thereof.
In-service training held on days when students are scheduled to be in attendance must be held between 8:15 a.m. and 3:45 p.m., must be divided into morning and afternoon sessions of equal length, and must provide a lunch break of not less than one-and-one quarter hours.
In addition to the above, the Superintendent, or designee, may declare mandatory in-service of less than half days. No teacher may be required to attend more than four mandatory hours per year of this additional in-service.
