While we are all looking forward to the holiday recess, I want to give you a few updates.
Behavior issues continue to be a problem in our elementary buildings. If you are experiencing egregious behavior issues in your classroom, and you feel that it is not being addressed within the building even after reporting it, or you are reluctant to report it for any variety of reasons, please continue to document it and share a copy with us at the MITA office. We are keeping our own documentation and will not use anyone's name in these discussions, but it's important for us to be aware of what's going on and to have sufficient level of detail when we address it with Central Office.
There have been several time-consuming projects put on our plates lately, the worst of which appears to be some quarterly Special Ed. spreadsheets that teachers are being asked to complete at the Middle School and Elementary levels. These are extensive spreadsheets. Each field that the teachers are being asked to complete contains data that is already available to the District in one form or another, so we are suggesting more efficient ways for them to accomplish this using clerical staff and existing databases. Additionally your building representatives and MITA officers will be working on updating the current list of clerical duties. This is work that belongs to CSEA as opposed to MITA. So much has changed since the list was developed literally back in the 70s, so it needs to be updated. That list will be shared with everyone as soon as it is complete.
High School AM drop-off time safety issues are still a problem. The Safety Committee agreed to review the study that had been done a few years ago surrounding the logistics of our parking area and access to the lots for the intention of determining if we would need another survey of this kind done, or if we could take some steps based on the decisions that were reached at that time. I will continue to keep you informed of progress.
Attendance is looking good so far this year. It is important that we are continuing to be mindful about using days according to our contractual criteria. It helps us, collectively, to approach issues from a much stronger place if WE are doing our part legitimately.
I wish you all a happy holiday season and a safe and restful recess!
