Welcome back. I hope this finds everyone rested and ready for another year. It has been an interesting summer to say the least. We’ve spent numerous hours trying to get the remainder of our annual contract members placed. School board member Rodney Walker has taken a keen interest in the process followed in rehiring this year. He has repeatedly advocated for teachers with excellent evaluations to be placed before new teachers are hired. Ultimately, some of our annual teachers were not rehired, and over 40 new teachers were hired. There will probably be more conversations in the future about the need to evaluate annual teachers accurately and timely. Since every school will be piloting the new Teacher Evaluation instrument, it will be more important than ever that you understand the significance of the process.
Please be aware of the email sent from Eric Mitchell concerning the Acceptable Use Policy for district computers. It is imperative that you watch the video and read the document before signing.
Insurance was placed out for bid this summer. OCEA has been a part of the committee to review the submitting companies. We will be meeting mid- September to hear further presentations. The top health companies appear to be Blue Cross Blue Shield and
There will be numerous trainings over the coming weeks. NONE of them should be scheduled during your planning time. Only you can stand up for you!! But if you need encouragement I am a click away. Please email me anytime with a phone number and best time to call, and I will contact you.
A big thanks to all the Building Reps who gave up time last Thursday to attend the training. Thank you for taking the challenge to meet monthly with your school’s members, don’t forget to ask others to help if your plate gets too full.
Karen