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from the lighthouse in the west to the lighthouse in the east the beacon boces educators of eastern suffolk union local 3037 president s report thelma shaw volume 25 issue 3 december 2011 inside this issue president s report board elections teacher do s and don ts that s what teachers do for the past few years a trend has been occurring here at esb the trend has been paperwork paperwork and more paperwork the copious amounts of this paperwork are different from years ago before medicaid and sed requirements but it is what it is folks yes teachers do take home work this includes speech teachers social workers psychologists and all other related service providers no taking home paperwork does not mean that you have extended your working day and you should be paid for it nor does it mean that you are not responsible for completing it or you just don t have to do it teachers have been responsible for paperwork probably since the dawn of the written word lesson plans i remember the days of the black book and monthly title sheets the black book consisted of page numbers a textbook title and words and phrases like quiz unit test review lesson on global warming etc those days are long gone you ask but why because lesson plans don t tell the story about what a great and innovative teacher i am you are right and they don t we have wonderful creative and dedicated staff that work here at esb the phenomenal things going on in our classes whether they are sce cte or special ed are mind blowing yes they reflect quality teaching but that may not be reflected in what is written on those lesson plan sheets or in those black books however the face of education in the 21st century is accountability and documentation we know just by turning on the tv or reading the papers that educators are being attacked and blamed for contributing to our country s problems we are being blamed for the fall of the american economy and the decline in our professions thinking nationally one of the reasons we are in this position is because not every single teacher is a good teacher 1 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 investing in our future social suicide basing greatness is your license valid it benefits you to know ready to retire links pages building reps

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president s report continued unfortunately as it is in most professions it seems that the few bad apples are the ones that get the most press of course there were and still are many reasons why not everyone could read see dick chase spot or see jane kick the red ball and why our regents test scores took a nose dive sadly the fingers pointed at education and the way educators were delivering it to their students as a union we have asked for more professional development workshops so that our members can have the opportunity to view and familiarize themselves with the characteristics of good quality lesson plans the agency has complied with this request there should be no criticizing by administration we have asked building level administrators and upper administration to work with our members they are allowing them the time to comply with lesson plan requirements and establish familiarity and comfort with the process the agency has tried out new programs trying to make things easier to document some of these have worked some not so well as a team we continue to look at ways to make the transition easier we will continue to do so in the future we all know that what is written down in a book or on lesson plan sheets doesn t reflect the magic that happens here day in and day out sometimes in life things aren t always fair we are caught up in the bureaucracy that is contributing to teacher burn out across the nation the best thing we can do is speak with our coworkers and colleagues if someone has an easier way then please share it if someone has lesson plans that you can use as a model then ask to borrow them collaboration is the key to success that s what teachers don t do technology in the 21st century is an amazing thing for all its wondrous and positive attributes it can also be a vessel for some negative things to occur this is especially true for a public forum like facebook if you are a non tenured teacher teaching assistant or an aide who has less than 5 years of service at esb i am telling you do not use facebook notes to your students should deal solely with educational matters jokes can get you in some serious trouble and don t belong in your classroom i am not referring to the appropriate use of humor irony and sarcasm can also easily be misinterpreted and need to be used with caution your school emails are not private esb is a public employer and as a school district has the ability to access your emails the general public can also read them if they use the freedom of information act just deleting your emails from your account does not delete them from the computer system at esb texting is also recoverable and it is never never right or acceptable to text your students do not place yourself in situations outside of the school where you are alone with a student that includes driving him/her in your car taking him/her to a movie shopping lunch etc do not call your students they are not your friends or your peers they are your students you are the adult the role model and the educator think before you speak/act we are so used to responding in an instant that we often forget it is okay to take a deep breath and think first before making a statement it is okay to be cool but be professionally cool not one of the gang cool 2

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president s report continued even if you are tenured or permanent and you cross the line charges can be brought against you that could result in the loss of your job or worse you could lose your license in certain circumstances we are the role models for each and every one of the students that we work with daily it is our responsibility to foster their mental and moral growth as well as train them to acquire a skill or learn subject matter the bottom line is to be professional esb has a code of conduct that every employee should be familiar with if you haven t read it you should do so immediately now that we have gotten the previous issues out of the way let me be clear on one very important fact boces functions extremely well on any given day this is due to the dedication of staff including teachers itinerants and para-educators who give of themselves ceaselessly and tirelessly in order to educate care for and inspire the students in their classrooms we are the champions of education we can all breathe a little easier now that cte has passed the lock in date of october 28 2011 even though our enrollment is a few less than last year with the addition of about 100 adults who pay tuition our numbers are stable and that means that there will not be further excessing of staff at this time in addition our special education numbers are solid we are about 50 students over budget and we have recalled all of the teachers assistants and aides that were on either the pel recall list or the contractual recall list for our aides all additional teaching positions for the rest of our school year will be filled with certified teachers who are employed as assistants as bump ups or certified substitutes based on an administrators decision we have agreed to this as a union for this school year in order to save as many of our staff members from excessing as possible come june this is all good news and helps ease the minds of those staff working in classes where enrollment is low beginning on november 7 2011 esb has been going though a special education quality review the sites involved are bac cac hbw and whblc this is our first review by sed in 21 years as we move forward in this process if any staff member at these sites has any questions related to this review please give them to your building representatives who will bring them forward though our chain of command i will keep everyone apprised as to the results as the process unfolds there are some professional development concerns that need to be addressed in the past year esb has been looking to hire teaching assistants with teacher certification questions have arisen from those teaching assistants about their professional development hours it is important to clarify and get the correct information out to our members so please pay close attention to the following if it is applicable to you 3

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president s report continued when a teaching assistant is hired with an initial certification in teaching he/she is not required to complete the 75 hours of pd in most cases see below if the teaching assistant working under his/her initial certification does not get hired as a teacher before his/her initial certification expires 5 years he/she must apply for an extension of his/her initial certificate usually that extension is only good for 2 years again he/she does not have to complete the 75 hours of pd unless he/she does not get the extension of his/her initial certification the teaching assistant test must now be taken in order for him/her to stay employed as a teaching assistant at esb once he/she takes the test and is using that certification he/she then must take the 75 hours of pd starting after the july 1 date of obtaining his/her teacher assistant certification they would be level 3 teachers who receive their professional teaching certificate are required to complete 175 hours of pd every 5 years the 5 year period commences on july 1 after the effective date of the professional certificate and every subsequent 5 year period thereafter each year of the 5 year cycle starts on july 1 and ends the following year on june 30th the 175 hours may be completed at any time during the 5 year pd time frame if the certificated teacher teaches less than 90 days in any instructional year for any reason such as approved leave extended sick time etc the required hours are reduced by 10 for each instructional year that this is the case lately and with greater frequency students have been leaving schools/campuses without authorization whether this will change with the cold weather or not remains to be seen many questions have arisen due to the needs of our different student populations and our varied campus locations it is okay for a staff member to be directed to follow a student off school property i have checked with nysut and spoken with administration about this policy we have agreed that when a member needs to follow a student off of school property that 2 staff members will do so in addition if staff should be hurt off school grounds they are covered by workers compensation benefits the policy of dealing with students off campus may be different based on the needs of the student and will be determined by the building administration per situation this will be the last beacon of the year 2011 i can not believe that in another few weeks we will be wishing our friends co-workers and students adieu as we head off for a much needed and well deserved winter recess upon our return we will usher in yet another new year and the start to 2012 i want to wish all of our members their families upse the administrative and supervisory unit cesa dp middle management csea unit 8768-01 csea #3 and our esb board members and administrative council members a happy and healthy holiday season additionally let s not forget the men and women who continue to serve our country in the armed forces this holiday season and keep them in our thoughts and prayers as well let us hope that they will soon be home with their families enjoy the holiday break spend time with the people who mean the most to you remember to rest and take time to smell the roses along the way 4

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happy 50th birthday executive vice president pat copertino bees executive board election 2012 participate yes believe or not it is already time to think about your unions e-board elections all bees executive board position as well as delegates to nysut and aft are two year terms executive board positions are open to all members in good standing that have served a full term two years as a representative delegate or board appointee prior service is not required to file a petition as a delegate candidate you the current membership of 1,278 have the opportunity to vote for the president executive vice president 1st vice president treasurer recording secretary membership secretary and contractual benefits officer area vice presidents are only elected by their constituent group please be informed that for this upcoming election there will be a reduced number of area vice president positions and that will be reflected on the ballot mailed to your most current address specifically the area vps for cte and sce are now combined as the cte/sce area vp in addition the itinerants and sas area vp are merged to one itinerant area vp according to our constitution if more than 2 candidates run for the positions of president or executive vice president and no one receive 50 of the votes cast a runoff election takes place between the two candidates with the greatest number of votes important election dates january 3 2012 last day for incumbent e-board members to notify election chairperson if running for current position january 14 2012 notification to the membership via rep council and the web of unencumbered positions january 24 2012 all e-board candidate petitions to bees election chairperson january 27 2012 candidate biographies to beacon editor march 15 2012 all ballots postmarked and returned to election committee july 1st 2012 new board members begin a 2012-2014 term important reminders of election procedures candidate biographies are not campaign speeches boces owns our building mailboxes and has permitted our association to use them for meeting notices and other informative reasons they are not to be used for any election campaigning all literature should only be placed in areas away from students such as facility rooms and staff centers all petitions are located on our website www.beesbeacon.org we encourage you to participate in your union by voting 5

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first vice president ray stenberg investing in our future on november 5th i took the train up to saratoga springs for the 91st annual meeting of delegates to the new york state teacher s retirement system two very important things happened 1 a long time long island special education teacher and unionist was elected to the board of the new york state teacher s retirement system nystrs tim southerton from the sayville teacher s union was elected to the board to represent teachers from across the state 2 the financial security of the retirement system is solvent it is funded at over 100 compared to 62 in the adjoining state of new jersey with current assests totalling over $89 billion dollars we pay out $4 billion dollars in benefits annually to people living in new york state investment returns are the single largest source of funding comprising a healthy 86 of funding most of this money gets pumped back into the state s economy thus having a positive effect throughout our states cities and small communities as was clearly stated at the meeting one person s spending becomes another person s income however it is clearly evident that we are under much scrutiny for our six-figure pensions which get portrayed as being the norm in fact to the contrary less than 1 of retirees in our system receive a six-figure pension our system remains as one of the best funded public pension systems in the nation last year nystrs average one-year return was 13.5 i certainly wouldn t mind following their investment strategies with my own money unfortunately the other 99 survive on five-figures with many retirees living from paycheck to paycheck on meager pensions it s time to stop blaming us for the damage caused by others it s not our fault that we have a plan that guarantees us a permanent retirement benefit for life and it s not our fault that the state is in debt the debate over our pensions continues with many criticisms of the defined benefit plan which we currently have there are those in our state government who would like to have us participate in a defined contribution plan under this plan employees would have seperately managed individual accounts and make their own individual investment decisions this translates into higher costs and lower benefits which provide little certainty regarding one s level of retirement income additionally there is no provision for death or disability benefits tier 5 didn t really help the state so now there is talk of a tier 6 which could be a defined-contribution plan this proposal would stand much criticism simply because it doesn t work in fact two states nebraska and west virginia chose to put new hires into a defined-contribution plan this resulted in lower returns and higher administrative fees and ultimately both states have now changed back to defined-benefit plans our system is well funded and managed extremely well and we should be proud that it is as strong as it is the leaves are falling at a rapid pace and the holiday season is approaching i wish you and your families a very safe and joyous holiday 6

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area v.p para educators gail reissman social suicide i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving with family and friends now that the leftovers have been used in 15 different ways it is time to get back to the work we do so well this fall i had the opportunity to attend the 33rd annual school ­ related professionals leadership conference in saratoga springs ny it is tradition that the srp s who attend bring a new book to be donated to a library a total of 1,130 books were collected during the conference more than three times the usual amount the books were split between the owego and johnson city schools which were devastated by the floods from hurricane irene srp s are a very generous group of people one of the workshops i attended at the conference was electronic communications ramifications of social networking this workshop looked at how staff can safely use facebook and twitter as well as the ramifications of abusing employers e-mail the presenter stressed that employers e-mail is their property and can be used in court to emphasize this he said to the rhythm of green eggs and ham would you like it in the press would you like it on a colleague s desk would you like it the bosses hand would you read it on the witness stand it was very funny at the time ,but it does make you realize that any jokes or communications passed on boces email is not private and can be used in court in the past i have tried to share some pro-practice agreements below are several agreements that i have been asked about recently half-day absences ­ half days are taken by the clock in other words if an employee s lunchtime falls during the period when he/she is out on approved time he/she is not compensated/given an extra lunch period during the portion of the day he/she is at work if lunchtime occurs during the half day that the para is scheduled to be at work then he/she does take lunchtime student information access ­ all classroom personnel are to have access to their students records excessing ­ each excessed teaching assistant or sign language interpreter will be given every consideration for a vacant teacher aide position during a recent mentor program workshop it was stressed that aides or assistants do not call parents if you are bumped up as the teacher for the day it is still not your responsibility to call the parents or guardian if it is necessary to make a call home it is the responsibility of the administrator if you have any questions please call my voice mail at 218-0316 thank you for all your support gail 7

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area v.p special education jim beck basing greatness by the time this article reaches you the bustle of the holiday season should be well underway hopefully this is a time for giving thanks spending time with family and friends and sharing the bounty of our lives with those less fortunate this year it is especially true for me last week ,i visited the hyde park home and presidential library and museum of one of my favorite presidents franklin delano roosevelt it was a first time visit and one of those place on my historical bucket list what can i say once a history teacher always a history teacher as i usually do i struck up conversations with the national park service guards and employees they shared several stories and took me into several places that the public generally does not get to share it was a great day one of the many admirable beliefs of fdr was his strong support of unionized labor in an address he made to the teamsters in 1940 he said it is one of the characteristics of a free and democratic nation that it have free and independent labor unions here was a man from money and privilege that clearly recognized the organized labor is essential in a democracy i think of those foes of labor fighting today to take away our hard fought and long established collective bargaining rights they seek to divide conquer and exploit working people fdr was a man who also valued free public education in 1936 he said the school is the last expenditure upon which america should be willing to compromise how right he was no one knows better than us that our children are the future of this country we know it from our own children and those children we work with i think fdr who lost the use of his legs to polio at age 39 would agree with the idea that one great measure of a nation is how it treats those who face the greatest hardships the most severe handicaps and the toughest situations greatness is not based on the outcomes of the richest and most privileged and who knows more about these children than their parents and the educational staff that works with them every day we go out and make a difference in those kids lives with professionalism expertise and yes love if you my brothers and sisters are the standard by which this nation is judged then we indeed remain strong caring and free i close with my continued request for solidarity among us be supportive not divisive put principals before personalities unity is our strength may your holidays be filled with love and your lives with hope please take some time to help those in need send comfort to our seriously ill brothers and sisters and give those we love an extra long hug and embrace thank you for the opportunity to serve unity and strength jim 8

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s.a.s lisa reilly is your license valid to all social workers psychologists and guidance counselors welcome back to a new year unfortunately this is the first year that i am not welcoming new employees we have like the rest of the boces staff been feeling the crunch of excessing so it is important for all of you to continue to do the great work that you do so that our services remain intact the counseling component to our students and their parents is invaluable keep it up just a reminder for all the licensed psychologists and social workers lcsw if you have not submitted your license please do you are all going to be paid $250 for your license it is imperative that if your license expired you need to renew it if you renewed it or updated your license you must submit it to nicole schiano it is imperative that all licensed therapists either interoffice or send a copy of your most up to date license to nicole schiano in personnel or at 201 sunrise highway patchogue ny 11772 this copy of your license must be received by the end of the may to ensure that you receive payment the expected date of this payment will be in your june paycheck please do not delay if you do they will not go back and send it after the may deadline just a reminder that is imperative for all counselors to review the handbook for counseling services this handbook does clarify the issues of counseling role of the counselor release of information and confidentially and much more also just a reminder we are all mandated cps reporters it is our responsibility to make the call to cps we do not determine the validity of the issue it is up to cps to investigate and determine if they will take the case please work together with the principal in your building and follow the procedures that are set in place happy thanksgiving and happy holidays always remember if there are any problems questions or concerns that need to be answered please contact me at jefferson academic center lreilly@esboces.org or 476-0564 boces lobbying day february 28th 2012 bees members will be granted a professional day for attending the annual lobbying trip up to albany a full breakfast is provided upon arrival in albany and your local union will reimburse you for lunch email ray at rstenber@esboces.org to guarantee yourself a spot on the list 9

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benefits officer bob love it benefits you to know hello again i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving before you start reading the few things you might need to take care of i would like to wish you all happy holidays and a very relaxing winter recess retiree meeting thank you to all who attended and thank you to thelma for an informative presentation for those of you who were not there some of the key points were check with the retirement system to make sure you will get the retirement income you think you should be getting know when your contract expires there is always the possibility of changes in terms and conditions when a contract is negotiated make sure your retirement letter is on time and time stamped yes you really should hand carry it to human resources keep your individual health insurance contract in a very safe place there are a lot of factors that go into retiring don t be afraid to ask questions a careless mistake now could cost you money in every retirement check dependent college student do not forget to submit the dependent college student affidavits for the spring semester to continue dental insurance of your college dependent you must submit the form every semester your retirement everyone should visit their retirement system website both websites have loads of information on how the retirement system operates membership pre-retirement publications and contacts the new york state teachers retirement system is at www.nystrs.org and the new york state employees retirement system is at http www.osc.state.ny.us links to both are on our website ­ beesbeacon.org if you do not have internet access the phone numbers are nystrs 1-800-348-7298 nysers 1-866-805-0990 remember as in everything that s important ­ keep copies of everything i can be reached at milliken technical center 244-5821 or at beesvpcb@optonline.net 10

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you might be ready to retire if you remember when talking to younger faculty members there are times where there is commonality in our cultural remembrance this often happens because those under 40 saw tv with vcr s and endless cable television repeats but there are certain items that were iconic in the collective psyche of our members whose hair color only their hair dresser knows for sure if you don t know the answers ask a veteran staff member or look at the next page of this issue 1 what was the name of the alka­ seltzer mascot 2 before stop and shop had gas points people collected these from their supermarkets 3 this strange drawing was a fixture on tvs late at night 4 every girl seemed to want this doll 5 this cartoon character got kids in hot water when they didn t use his magic sheet 6 it was still cool to bring your lunch in their vinyl lunchbox 7 they were comical cops 8 if you went to public schools you probably saw this muscle bound character on a reel to reel movie projector 9 before there was kfc there was kfo 10 it was harder to get seats for his special area than it is to get letterman seats bonus can you complete this phrase romper stomper bomper boo 11

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link directly from the beacon you can click on any of the links in this beacon and go directly to a website or send an e-mail employee e-mail employee portal access your e-mail access forms esbcoes home page eastern suffolk boces boces 2011-2012 calendar american federation of teachers new york state afl-cio national education association afl-cio nysut local web sites education resources new york state department of education new york state office of teaching initiatives certification u.s department of education national board for professional teaching standardsnational board certification aft teachers aft paraprofessionals and school-related professionals aft tools for teachers aft leadernet nea teachers nea education support professionals new york state congress of parents and teachers nyspta new york state teacher centers school report cards state education department retirement resources medicare interactive alliance for retired americans new york city employees retirement system new york state and local employees retirement system new york state teachers retirement system 1 speedy 2 s&h green stamps 3 test pattern 4 chatty cathy 5 winky dink 6 beanie and cecil 7 toody and muldoon on car 54 where are you 8 hemo that magnificent 9 kukla fran and ollie 10 to be a member of the peanut gallery with howdy doody and buffalo bob romper bomper stomper boo tell me tell me tell me do magic mirror tell me today have all my friends had fun at play ready to retire quiz answers 12

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where you can find frequently requested forms on e-docs employees are responsible for using the latest forms when filling out requests or necessary paperwork paper copies found in most offices may not be the latest version of these documents it is your responsibility to use the correct form failure to do so could result in an employee not being credited or compensated all forms are available through the boces portal and can be searched on by the form number to access these documents click here 5320f.1 http portal.esboces.org name number absence request-paras 8004f.10 absence requestteachers 8004f.5 appointment notice 5150f.1 art 7 staff development 5380f.3 asset transfer 4470f.1 bereavement 8004f.1 hourly timesheet 4411f.7 coach trip request 7320f.3 conference receipt 5211f.1 conference attendance 5210f.1 custodial service 4511f.5 direct deposit 4411f.1 driver move request 4470f.2 duplication request 8005f.1 employee injury incident report expense voucher 5211f.2 exposure incident 4532f.1 4532f.3 facility alteration 4511f.4 field trip request-trans 7320f.2 mileage expense voucher 5211f.2 network user request 5112f.1 no charge workmen s comp 5320f.3 observation 5150f.6 overtime for summer 4411f.8 professional advancement 5380f.2 prof course approval 5380f.1 professional day request 5150f.8 release of info to boces 8003f.4 release of student info 6420f.1 release of student photo 2210f.3 computer graphics 2110f.2 sell back days 8004f.3 staff evaluations coordinator 5150f.23 guidance 5150f.20 paras 5150f.4 teacher assist.5150f.14 ta s-rubric 5150f.16 teacher 5150f.14 teacher-rubric5150f.15 student accident report 6540f.1 student incident 2410f.7 student referral 2410f.7 substitute evaluationfeedback 5152f.2 substitute time sheet 4411f.11 theft/vandalism report 6213f.1 time sheet summary 4411f.4,4411f.7 transportation request 7320f.2 ups request 8005f.5 use of facilities 2230f.1 13

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bees union representation by building/area 2010-12 term buildings areagroup bac bac at eastport cac outreach sherwood corp tech setrc hbw including phoenix house iac iac icc jac jac @patchogue lw mlc including mlc bellew blc blc included tsp hauppauge samoset plc plc gariepy ridge longwood sac including sherwood e sac stony brook sac wflc whblc including whblc aquebogue riverhead btc mtc icc para-professionals mary longo michelle olsen angela richie margaret dean wendy humphreys katherine mall azzaro noreen cathy brown annick brundieck karen williams bernadette digirolamo janet flower donna hansen christine lent marilyn winters evelyn lebron-mele evan guild peggy dolcimascolo elaine laverty na na teachers schultz angela patricia rizzi dominick santoro jill cassara cheryl rosolie john bacherty chris granville kate russell robert bayley carol esposito tom rosati jeannine mckenna tricia brandt rosaria broseler darren rios christopher tierney supportive employment na sas lisa aitken itinerants not at boces locakim ingenito tions incarcerated youth reout saa aviation linda dackow 1 ta represented by hbw para rep sign language interpreters will be represented by para reps of assigned program 14

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boces educators of eastern suffolk union local 3037 440 waverly ave building 4 suite 12 patchogue ny 11772 631 475-4704 the beacon is the official publication of the boces educators of eastern suffolk first supervisory district union local 3037 email:beeshivepres@aol.com bees executive board president thelma shaw executive vice president pat copertino treasurer michelle tinter first vice president ray stenberg membership secretary marje strawbridge recording secretary linda bufalo benefits officer bob love area vice presidents career ed fran nilsen itinerants rachele alwais para educators gail reissman sas lisa reilly special education jim beck special career education joseph postiglione beacon editor dr thomas rosati grievance officer asha shaw retiree chairperson mary harris social coordinator rod diamant office secretary linda cardone honored for 4 years in a row as the nysut website of the year and the 2010 american federation of teacher s national award for best website www.beesbeacon.org proud members of nysut aft and afl-cio 15

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