Correction in last paragraph in Monday's post:
 in last paragraph instead of instructional coaches it should read instructional strategists.  Sorry about the error.

Hello Everyone!

The following information is from the recent budget hearing and school board meeting.

• You will have the 174 days of instructional time, 6 professional development days, 2 parent/teacher conference days and NO  SKINNY.  It was rejected. 
• The insurance committee has determined that an increase of 10% to insurance premiums should help us stay within budget. This increase is the first in 3 years. Only employees with basic and enhanced plans will see the increase. People with the high deductible plan will see no increase.
• Board member Greg Awbrey’s discipline survey was approved by the board.  You will receive a survey in the mail about discipline in the school.  It will be an anonymous document that will be numbered (hand stamped) to insure that duplicates are not made.  Different people will stamp, stuff, and label the envelopes so no one will know what number goes where.  The stamping is done so that if there is a duplicate, both will be discarded.  It is IMPORTANT that you return the survey and put the school name. This survey is a method by which the board will receive a true look at discipline in the classroom. Marcella Baudoin, President of the Lafayette Parish RETIRED Teachers Association will receive the surveys at her home and the tally of the surveys will be done by volunteer members of LPRTA.  You cannot be identified by your handwriting because it is mostly just circling your answer. On the "COMMENT" part, all you have to do is print out your comments from your computer and attach it to the survey.This is an opportunity to express (in total anonymity) your concerns and feelings of what is happening in your school.  The board is just now coming to grips with the discipline problems in the parish and want this survey to be able to make changes to the discipline matrix. 
  This is YOUR opportunity for INPUT in this matter.
• The board will conduct an evaluation of the superintendent in the next few weeks.
• LPSS has heard two proposals from charter schools wishing to open in Lafayette. Be aware that students in charter schools draw them away from public schools, thus loss of teachers, funds, etc. We as public school employees should remain diligent in this matter.
• The LPSB has been looking at the budget for 2013-2014.  The next budget workshop is Tuesday, May 21^st at 5pm.  Many items such as higher pupil/teacher ratio, loss of instructional coaches, and using excess funds from the 2002 Teacher Tax to fund some programs may affect you.  The next workshop is May 28^th at 5:30 pm with a public inspection scheduled for June 6-19 and the final approval by the LPSB at 4:30 pm on June 19^th.

Karen Martin, LPAE President

Many bills have been submitted that duplicate Act 1 and Act 2 from the 2012 Legislative Session. Since the courts have ruled them unconstitutional (too much in Act 1 and not MFP dollars in Act 2) Jindal and his supporters have reworked them in order to try to pass the court system.
Jindal realized he couldn't pass his tax measures this Legislative Session so he has dropped the proposal. That means he will be able to put LOTS more effort into passing the legislation that gets the measures in ACT 1 and Act 2 approved. Be prepared. Read what is happening. Register with CapWiz on the LAE site. Personally contact your legislators whenever you can. They need to hear from you.

Wonderful guest article in (March 12, 2013) yesterday's blog, Louisiana Voice by Tom Aswell.  Guest column written by educator Christa Allan with great video at end.  Be sure and check it out at http://louisianavoice.com/.

LPAE Leadership Addresses Conferences and Instructional Minutes Concerns

Hello Fellow Educators:

We have had a busy week during the intersession. I wanted to keep you posted on the recent meetings that have been held with Dr. Cooper and Mrs. Billeaudeau. We addressed the concerns that teachers had for parent conference days and the existence of banked days that some schools have in place.

After the meetings, we have a better understanding of the situation. We need to have 182 contract days of work per year as a teacher. The instructional minutes and the parent conference times are separate issues yet they play into the situation. I will address each separately.

The days missed for Hurricane Isaac will be made up as part of parent conferences. This will honor the required 182 contract days. The two days equaled 15 hours, yet we will be required to make up 12 hours of contracted time.

Schools which have a deficit with instructional minutes will have minutes added to their day to account for a lack of instructional minutes required by the state. Schools will add only the minutes that are required to get them into compliance. Through our meetings, we have found that almost each school is different with their need.

Teachers will need to be in attendance for parent conference sessions scheduled for October and November. Teachers who have scheduling issues with the time set by their school may plan make up time with their administration to handle the conferences. Documentation must be kept to show that you are meeting the requirement and your administration must be aware of these changes. Parents must be made aware of these changes. We have been told by Dr. Cooper that teachers will not be docked for rescheduling the conferences. Every effort must be made to be in compliance.

All employees in the district are faced with state mandates and the parent conference (Act 845) issue is a prime example. LPAE/LAE leadership will continue to work on your behalf. Dr. Cooper has committed to us that we will work together to transition through all of the changes and mandates that all educators face day in and day out. We ask that members make every effort to be a proactive part of their profession and stand together with leadership as we go through this year of change.

WELCOME!

Thanks for stopping by our brand spankin' new blog! We're here to keep you in the "know" about what's going on in the world of public education in Lafayette Parish. We want to be your local source for education news, so check back frequently for the most current updates on LPAE activities and information vital to your professional future.