I started the first year as president of this union with a very positive attitude and have maintained that so far. Everyone in this district is great to work with and it is important to let everyone know that your union reps have been hard at work sorting through a new contract, as well as working to maintain an excellent relationship with our administration.
There have been a lot of questions pertaining to our new contract, so I will try to answer some of them here. First of all, I promise you that you will receive a copy soon. Errors were found in the original sent for print, so it had to be recalled, corrected, and sent back out for printing. The second concern is that of the new value added system for keeping track of student progress and using it for teacher evaluations. Our contract language is solid in keeping our current APPR until we have to renegotiate in 2014. Our district has every right to maintain their records and get a head start on the value added program, but should not be using it for teacher evaluations.
In closing, I would like to add that every individual member’s participation in the union is just as important as the president’s. I am continually reminded that I do not have any more power than anybody else. It is us as a whole that have the power, I just represent you. Make a very small effort and the results can be huge.
Kevin Healy
President, HPTA