Napa Valley EA Exec Board/Council Meeting
April 20, 2020, 3:15-4:15 PM
Minutes

In Attendance:  President - Gayle Young, Vice President - Mary Duenow, Secretary - Debbie Kmiec, Treasurer - Karen Fleming, Directors-at-Large:  High School - Deb St. Clair, Middle School - Sara Kvidahl-Schmitz, Elementary School - Kristin Pruitt, Chief Negotiator - Courtney Garcia, Communication - Mike Wilmarth, Political Action - Michael Alger, CTA Rep - Michelle Washington
 
  • Welcome Michelle
    • No news from CTA world
 
  • Check in - “What’s going well” and What’s I Wonder”
    • First 3 weeks was the launch and the TOSA’s are currently working on the next set of lessons, teachers weren’t supposed to be teaching new material
    • Why have some teachers not had Zoom meetings with their classes yet
    • Wonder about lunch time - designed through food services and giving ample time for students who get Free & Reduced Lunch the opportunity to get to their pick up site and able to eat lunch.
    • Concern about teaching to a black screen with just the student’s name
    • Concern about the inequity of time the teacher is teaching
    • Elementary lessons at 5th grade for example 1 TOSA and 2 elementary teachers, where teachers polled as to where they were at when we left on 3/12/20
    • Some teachers are having issues with the district mandating a set of lessons when teachers know their skill set and where their kids are and now are technically “not highly qualified”
    • What are the next weeks of distance learning going to look like?  District is well aware of the autonomy of teachers, yet the possibility of a high # of teachers going down in the next 3 weeks with COVID-19.
    • Can PLC’s at each school align versus having all middle school and high school at each level doing a set thing.
  • Review of Agenda
 
  • Minutes - Links will be posted 
  • Engagement reports?
    • Want to make sure we have engagement from all schools.  Gayle will be sending things out.  
 
  • RIF update
    • 30 RIF’s of the 120 have been rescinded, 16 middle school multiple subject and 15 single subject
    • Have hearings scheduled for two weeks out if they need them.
    • Some independent studies teachers who were doing part time work are being brought back due to messiness of hours vs. salary etc.
    • Concern that our declining enrollment will be worse, worry if we have a significant drop we could have to enact layoffs in august, which is what we don’t want.
    • Layoff meeting for school board will be the 2nd meeting in May and will be the final layoff and most administrative transfers will have taken place and then voluntary transfers will be looked at
    • TOSA discussion - academic specialists coming back in as a multiple subject teacher, district is looking at hiring some intervention specialists (about 6-8).  These positions will be advertised to everybody
    • Final lay off number is unknown - do not give anyone false hope.  There will be a hire back list.  Leadership mtg will be held tomorrow.  How do we encourage retirements?
 
  • Next Member Engagement Event 
    • Book Club
      • Michael Alger held a book club.  He tweeted the author who answered back and offered any support
    • Webinars
      • CTA offered webinars on curriculum, mindful tuesdays, professional development through CTA offered through IPB (sped, distance learning, on CTA web can go back and access webinars if they were missed)
      • Facebook support group around distance learning etc.
 
  • Possible Members Benefits?
    • Have Michelle do a zoom with our rep council and/or maybe with all of our members make it optional 
  • Ideas?
    • Send out a newsletter out acknowledging all the hard work that everyone is putting in
    • Telemed counseling sessions for those that are really stressed out
      • District will be sending out info on the employee assistance plan and CTA refers employees to their program
 
  • Council
    • Workday 
    • Curriculum
    • Grading
      • grading committee being held and an elementary committee being formed
    • Tech issues - 
      • on going issues, issues at HMS, SMS, teachers not being able to get on due to bandwidth (hotspots available for employees if you go through admin)
      • Updates from district on best way to set up meetings etc. all of the sites are very different and what is happening in 
      • Expectation should be that KIDS NEED TO BE PRESENT in ZOOM MEETINGS, THEY ARE NOT OPTIONAL
 
  • Pending issues
    • Voting -Do we want to move forward with this?
      • Started into our voting season with State Council (it is currently virtual and not sure what it would look like in the fall)
 
  • NVLA
    • Rosanna came to Harvest telling them they had to give up their 7th period day and they were waiting for NVLAS to fail and show financial solvency
    • NVLA was not able to maintain financial solvency and will be returning to the district as a district school.  Board voted last week and the district is welcoming them back with open arms
    • Will more than likely continue to be a bilingual school
 
  • Interventionists - will go out to all employees
 
  • RSCC  and State Council Info
    • Coming up virtually sometime soon
 
  • Site Rep Meeting will be Monday, April 27,2020, Gayle will send out invite
 
Meeting adjourned 5:02pm