Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Bargaining Update: December 16, 2013

Dearest Faculty,

I was hoping that I would be able to send you Holiday Greetings that included a “gift” of concluded negotiations for our CBA. This, however, was not in the cards because the administration was unwilling to compromise.
On December 5th  and 16th , the administration stated that they must have the following items in order to wrap up negotiations:

                              1) non-tenured track faculty
                              2) change in load points
                              3) changes in tenure and promotion
In exchange for these, they offered a lump sum of $100,000 to $120,000 to address the market inequity of some of our faculty members and the 2% cost of living increase that was given to the rest of the college.

We have continuously gone to the table with honest attempts to counter with offers that allow the administration as many items from their must-have list while making every effort to minimize the impact on working conditions and job security on our faculty members.
We recognize that the State Board of Education has changed its rules and that it will take longer (5-7 years) for faculty to gain continuing contract in the future; however, the rule also allows for grandfathering in (3-5 years) faculty hired before the rule change. Just like students being allowed to follow the catalog under which they started school, the administration should honor the rules for attaining continuing contract that were promised to faculty when they were hired.  And although the state board rule now states that you MAY establish a non-continuing contract faculty, it does not state that you SHALL, and it has plenty of wiggle room for the impact to be tempered.

And then there are the issues we don’t understand! If, as administration states, the proposed change to load points is not about money, why would they want to reduce load points for clinical labs? The impact will be that faculty who teach those will be forced to teach more for less. If, as they state, it’s about trying to reduce the clinical lab class size for nursing, why are they involving dental hygiene and EMT? And if they already have five nursing positions they’ve been unable to fill, how will increasing their load and lowering their ability to get overloads help them fill those positions? And if there is not enough room in the hospitals for the number of labs now, how will reducing the class size (and consequently having to increase the number of labs) be realized? And when did an administrative decision to lower a class size correlate to less load points to the faculty member (and isn’t that a scary precedent)?
When we pose questions like these to the admin bargaining team, they seem to understand our concerns and even seem to recognize the honest attempts to compromise in our counter offers. As a matter of fact, we genuinely thought that we had some real movement yesterday (even possibly a settlement). The administrative bargaining team asked for a two hour break so that they could confer with those who have the authority to accept the deal we offered--we were very hopeful! Disappointingly, they returned to state that they could only reoffer the same deal they had started with and that the admin was unwilling to compromise on ANY of their positions—except, they offered a one-time bonus (non-recurring) of a whopping $300!! Do they really think that we are so easily bought off?

So- surprise, surprise—we have not come to an agreement on our contract!
I am, however, very grateful to the many faculty members who were in attendance, and believe it or not, you really are important to the process. 

The next bargaining session will be on Wednesday, January 29th, 2014 at 2:30 PM.

Enjoy your much deserved break,
Jennifer Brahier
PSCFA
 Chief Negotiator

 

 

 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Faculty Member Speaks Out

It has been very disturbing to me to sit and watch the administration at each and every bargaining meeting completely disregard the role that full time faculty members play at PSC. What I really mean is how the administration’s lawyer interprets the role faculty plays, because nobody else on the administrative side ever says anything anyway (yet they get paid quite nicely to bargain, hmmmm?)

Without our quality instruction, we would not be known as one of the best community colleges to attend. Adjuncts are great, but let’s face it, a college can’t exist without the dedicated full-timers. There are so many of us who could be working at higher profile jobs, making more money, but we chose to stay local, give back to the community of Pensacola, and do what we love: TEACH. For the first time, I am second guessing my decision for working here. Instead of worrying about what lesson I am going to be teaching the following day, I find myself worrying more about how my job is going to be affected again by changes the administration is trying to make. At the root of this worry is how the administration is trying to change the load points for several departments. Have any of them (admin) visited these specific departments and really dug into what goes into running these various programs? Absolutely not. To say that because a program doesn’t make enough money for the college, we are going to reduce the money going to the instructors running it is just ridiculous. All this is managing to do is pit departments against each other, instead of uniting us. If this logic is what salaries should be based on, then why are department heads, deans, VPs, and even the president paid so much more? What money do they generate for their areas? Better yet if faculty have to suffer, then shouldn’t other PSC employees sacrifice something too? I want an administrator to explain to me, to my face, why my hour of instruction is worth less than someone else’s hour of instruction! Each department has a crucial role at the College, but more importantly, in the community. The college should be supporting every faculty member equally, because that is the right thing to do. I have an even better idea: if the administration wants to save money, then how about they consolidate some of the administrative positions for once?

I think it is time to get this story out to all the trustees and more importantly the public. It is time for our community to understand how little respect the faculty are receiving here at PSC and because of that we now have no RESPECT or CONFIDENCE in the abilities of our administration!!

Thank you to all those faculty members in leadership roles and on the bargaining team willing to put their time and essentially their careers on the line to represent the best interest of all faculty. They may be trying to get rid of some of our best faculty, but we will not give up the fight. WE ARE PSC….and students keep coming back for us, not the administration.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Bargaining Update!

Well--what a crazy round of bargaining (if you can call it that!) we have been experiencing this year.It seems that for every two steps forward, the administration backs us up three! It has been frustrating for all. Anyway, after the ridiculous articles presented by the administration on October 10th, we really thought that our willingness to try to come to terms with a possible temporary full-time faculty track had caused the administrative side to back off their draconian positions. We really (and possibly foolishly) thought that the positions (which show a complete lack of respect towards faculty) were meant to scare us into allowing the temporary full-time faculty track (TFF). Once we presented a comprehensive article which allowed for a respectful and judicious use of TFF, the admin team seemed pleased with us and seemed willing to back off their harsh positions and promised to come back to bargaining on October 17th with new articles reflecting mutual ground. You can only imagine our shock and dismay when ,on October 17th, the administration presented to us the EXACT articles they had presented on October 10th. So some progress made -The admin did agree to back off striking all references to starting salaries for newly hired faculty -They agreed to a pot of $100,000 for us to start repairing market inequity among some of our members -Surpise, surprise--they are willing to give us a 2% raise Please, please take the time to read the proposals and mark your calendars for the next bargaining session at 2:30 PM on November 14th. But before then we've got some work to do. We need to be at the next Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, October 22nd at 5:30 PM--they need to know that we are UNITED and won't sit still while they try to negativeley impact our work conditions, and subsequently our ability to maintain high academic standards for our students. Also, keep an eye out for an anouncement for a faculty meeting for us to share concerns and strategy with each other. And last but not least, please post all comments and concerns on this blog instead of through work email--we would not want anyone to suffer any repercussions for using work email. And please remember that we cannot fight among ourselves--we all need to offer the support and respect to our fellow faculty members that we are NOT recieving from our administrators!

Bargaining Update: October 17

Although administration's reps indicated that they were working diligently toward compromise on the open articles, what they presented Thursday didn't indicate much "compromise."  Instead Articles 9 and 17 were essentially re-presented with minor changes---changes which actually moved further away from the middle.

It seems that the administration believes that throwing some money at the faculty will make us agree to draconian changes to load points, continuing contract language, involvement in decision-making, non-tenure track faculty and more. What the administration did offer was the following:
  • a flat 2% raise to base salary
  • the starting salary and experience pay schedules to remain in the contract
  • $100,000 to be allocated among all faculty who did not receive full experience pay upon hire, the method of distribution to be determined by PSCFA
  • 5% for each raise, with a minimum of 5 years in rank to be eligible for promotion
What administration is still holding out for would substantially increase the workload for Collegiate High and ABE, health occupations, seat-hour classes:

                                             Current Points                        Proposed Points
Collegiate High:                              50                                             36
PSAV lecture:                                60                                             36
PSAV lab:                                      40                                            36 
ABE lecture/lab:                             40                                             36
Clinical w/student supervision:         50                                             30  
Externship:                                     20                                             15    

In addition, the administration wants the ability to hire non-tenure-track faculty teaching 1260 load points per semester up to 25% of the number of tenure-track faculty. These temporary faculty would do no departmental or college service or professional development. The administration also wants to be able to hire these faculty with NO hiring committee, NO advertising of positions, and NO faculty input into the process. 

The full text of administration's proposals can be found in Jennifer Brahier's e-mail of October 17. 

The next bargaining meeting will be November 14 in the Atwell Room of the library.                                                    

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Meet: Mitzie Sowell














Department: Biological Sciences

How you came into this subject matter/profession: It took me a little while to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. As an Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab, I conducted a great deal of patient education. The more I taught, the more I loved it and realized that was my calling.

Favorite class to teach: That is a tough decision because I love teaching Anatomy and Physiology because I am fascinated that our body functions considering what we put into it and how we treat it. I guess I have come to love Non-Majors Biology - it is applicable to every student and it is a challenge to get non-majors interested in Biology!

How long you’ve been at PSC: That is complicated – since 2003 in some capacity.

Hobbies: Running, gardening/yard work, water sports, traveling

Favorite book/movie: The Old Man and the Sea/Steel Magnolias

Favorite place on campus: The brand new labs at the South Santa Rosa Center.

Why you joined the Union: I joined to be a part of an association that supports my profession.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Meet: Bobby "Doc" Roberson













Department:  Physical Sciences

How you came into this subject matter/profession:  When I was an undergraduate at Auburn University I participated in a National Science Foundation Summer Research Program for Undergraduates by working in a biochemistry laboratory.  After completing my B.S. degree and returning from Vietnam, I decided to apply to graduate school to work with the professor who directed my NSF project.  In graduate school, I was training to become a research biochemist.  When I was within 3 months of completing my Ph.D., my plans changed due to the sudden death of my father.  I had accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Purdue University but decided to stay closer to home for a while.  I was hired at a junior college in northwest Alabama and fell in love with teaching.  I taught and served as a Division Chair and as Distance Learning Administrator for a 4-campus college for 25 years.  I retired from that position and accepted the position of Administrative Director of Academic Programs at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis for a few years.  And even though I thoroughly enjoyed the position and the challenge, I always felt that something was missing.  Even my former students continued to encourage me to come back to the classroom.

How long you’ve been at PSC:  When I learned about the opening for a chemistry faculty member at Pensacola State College for the fall of 2006, I decided to apply.  I was fortunate to get the position and feel that I am once again home.  I work with some wonderful people in this department.  I was selected to be the Outstanding New Faculty member in 2006-2007 and was selected to be inducted into the Academy of Teaching Excellence in 2009-2010.

Hobbies:  I enjoy photography, physical fitness and astronomy.  In addition, I read a lot.

Favorite book/movie:  My favorite book is “The Prophet.”  My favorite movie is “The Grapes of Wrath.”

Favorite place on campus:  My favorite place on campus is definitely in front of my chalkboard.

Why you joined the Union:  I feel that the Union provides opportunities for professional development and interaction with other faculty members.  And it also presents faculty issues and concerns to the administration.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Meet: Deborah McClintock





Department:  Collegiate High School

How you came into this subject matter/profession: History has always interested me.  Even as a child, I preferred to watch Daniel Boone rather than Looney Tunes.  Fortunately, my parents feed my interest by taking family vacations every summer that included visiting historical sites throughout the United States.  So it was no surprise that I wanted to major in history when I went to college, but what did I want to do with all of this accumulated knowledge and excitement about history?  Share it!  So I became a teacher.

Favorite class to teach:  United States Government is probably my favorite class to teach because so many Americans know so little about our government.  My goal is for each of my students to know how our government works, to be responsible citizens and active participants in our democratic processes.  I want them to feel empowered to make a difference and prepared to assume their role in our country’s future.
 
How long you’ve been at PSC: I was an adjunct from 2005 to 2007, and have been a full time faculty member since 2007.

Hobbies: I enjoy cooking and spending time with my family, and traveling any time I can.

Favorite book/movie: I don’t have any recent favorite books or movies because my grad school classes take up so much of my time.  But way back when . . . I enjoyed books by Patricia Cornwell and Robert B. Parker, and my all-time favorite movies are The Sound of Music, The Ten Commandments, and Gone With the Wind.

Favorite place on campus: My classroom, whether in class or out, is my favorite place to be when I am on campus because of our great technology and the constant flow of students.

Why you joined the Union: As a historian and a “yankee,” the role and power of unions is very important to me.  I acknowledge and am grateful that unions strive for the advancement of all workers everywhere, but as a recipient of union gains, I believe it is my responsibility to support our union and I am proud to be a member.    

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Meet: Rodney Whatley





Department: Music & Theatre

How I got into this profession: My first play was in the 7th Grade, I was the “Ghost of Christmas Future,” and the screams and cries of horror stricken children in the audience hooked me with the sheer power of live theatre.  I auditioned for scholarships first at Jefferson Davis over in Brewton, then at the University of Montevallo, and was successful both times.  University of Montevallo changed my life and made me the artist I am today, but it was when I taught my first class at FSU as a graduate teaching assistant that I decided I wanted to be in the college classroom for life.  Working as a professional actor has its ups and downs, and the constant search for the next gig is exhausting.  Even when working, you feel as though you are unemployed because each gig is a limited run engagement.  That’s not easy, but I really enjoyed it.  While at my master’s program at Lindenwood University, I handled various duties but the most rewarding was taking new/transfer students and directing them in a studio production to integrate them into our department’s practices and policies. While it was not officially a class, it was my first real teaching experience, and led me to apply to FSU’s Ph.D. program. I love theatre and I love education, so I’m here to stay. I used to say that when I die I’d like to come back as a squirrel on a college campus, but now I just want to come back as another educator.

Favorite Class: Directing I. Watching actors transform themselves into directors and apply the philosophies and practices to their real lives is a most rewarding experience.

How long at PSC: I started as an adjunct in 2002, and became Director of Theatre in 2005.  I’ve been promoted to Asst. Professor and granted tenure, so once again, here to stay!

Favorite book/movie: Favorite book is “The Color of Light” by William Goldman, and favorite movie is “Forrest Gump.”

Favorite place on campus: Ashmore Auditorium

Why joined the union: Because Stan Dean told me to.  Administrators are fine and dandy, heck, I’m half administrator (Program Coordinator) and half teacher, so I love administration. However, teachers and their relationships with students, what happens in the classroom is what college is really about. We deserve whatever we get the leaders to give us.


Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Meet: Tamares Cockfield












Department: Developmental Studies

How you came into this subject matter/profession:  Initially, I believe I first became interested in teaching by watching my grandfather, who has only an 8th grade education, teach Sunday school with passion and conviction.  As I completed my graduate work, I had the opportunity to teach college success classes when I worked as an academic advisor at a prior university and community college.

Favorite class to teach: College Success.  I love equipping students with the tools that are needed to successfully matriculate through college and life.

 How long you’ve been at PSC:  I'm in my 2nd year.

Hobbies:  I love traveling, watching movies, working out, and spending time with my family and friends.

Favorite movie:  The Antwone Fisher Story, Denzel Washington was phenomenal in his role as a psychiatrist.     

Favorite place on campus:  The classroom, of course.

Why you joined the Union:  Growing up with a parent who is a member of the Duval County teacher’s union, I understood at an early age the importance of having a professional support system and camaraderie with fellow colleagues.  

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Meet: Jennifer Brahier














Department: Mathematics

How you came into this subject matter/profession: I am an accidental mathematician. Like too many of my students, when I first entered college I thought that I couldn’t do math and I didn’t want to learn. The thing is though, I’ve always been extremely attracted to the sciences and spend a great deal of my time reviewing research. So, I finally accepted that I needed to at least attempt some extra math classes so that I could open the doors to harder science classes. And then, after a few math successes I found myself looking forward to math classes and couldn’t get enough. Since then, my goal has been to help others get over their math obstacles so that they can achieve what they want without math standing in their way.

Favorite class to teach: Statistics-it is very applicable and allows students a real hands on experience for a math class.

How long you’ve been at PSC: 1997-2005 as an adjunct and fulltime since 2005
Hobbies: My current favorite “hobby” would be spending time with my little granddaughter Clementine. I also enjoy gardening and am particularly attracted to native plants and medicinal herbs.

Favorite book/movie: My first response to this question is To Kill A Mockingbird, however, on second thought the book I’ve purchased the most times to give as a gift and recommend to everybody  is The Tao of Pooh –so maybe it’s my favorite book!

Favorite place on campus: In the classroom with my students!

Why you joined the Union: In a perfect world unions wouldn’t be needed, however….you know the rest. Unions help us hold up our profession and participate in shared governance. Heck, I think even SAC’s mandates shared governing. I don’t feel obligated to be a member, on the contrary, I am grateful to have the right to honor my professional responsibility and stand united with my colleagues.

Monday, March 18, 2013

FEA Frontline Report: 2013 Legislative Session - Week 2


FEA Frontline Report
2013 Legislative Session - Week 2

March 15, 2013


We made it through another week with most of our limbs and digits still intact.  Murmurs ricocheted around the Capitol about who might be the next Lt. Governor after the abrupt resignation of Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll.  Political intrigue flourishes as usual, but for the most part the work of the Legislature chugged along without even a pause for reflection. 
Bill Tracking
RETIREMENT
Both the House and Senate moved their respective retirement bills through committees this week – but not without continued controversy and heated debate. A study by a Virginia actuarial firm, Milliman, was supposed to provide answers, but has only made the case for reform even more suspect.  The House bill HB 7011 would close the defined benefit plan (also known as the pension plan or ‘DB’ plan) to all new employees starting after January 1, 2014  The Senate plan SB 1392 preserves the employees’ ability to choose between the DB plan or the 401(k) type investment plan.
HB 7011 passed this week by the House State Affairs Committee by a vote of 12 to 6, once again along Party lines.  Voting NO on the bill were Representatives Rangel, Rouson, Stewart, Taylor, Waldman, and C. Watson.  The bill now goes to the House floor for a full vote.
The Florida Senate is going in a different direction. SB 1392, sponsored by Sen. Wilton Simpson (R-New Port Richey) would allow most new employees the choice between a 401(k) type plan and the defined benefit retirement plan. SB 1392 was passed unanimously by the Senate Government Oversight & Accountability Committee. The bill would:
  • Require only the highest paid employees such as senior managers and department heads would be forced to enroll in the 401(k) type investment plan. Other employees, from teachers to bus drivers to police and secretaries, could remain in the system as long as they choose to stay
  • Include a new default to the 401(k) type investment plan. Currently the default is to enroll new employees that do not make a choice in the DB plan.
  • Offers an incentive to enroll in the investment plan by requiring employees in the investment plan to contribute 2 percent of their salary towards retirement. Employees participating in the DB plan will continue to pay 3 percent.
SB 1392 will next be heard in the Senate Community Affairs Committee.  The bill requires an actuarial study before it can move ahead.  We’ve been told to expect a study mid-April.  With that in mind, no hearing date has been set as of yet.
It is important to note that HB 7011 is Speaker Weatherford’s bill and he has told the media that if no changes are made eventually the DB plan will require a major taxpayer bailout.  But the Senate is not convinced of those dire predictions.  At this time as you can see, the House and the Senate are far apart – and someone will have to compromise before a final bill can pass BOTH chambers.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
PCB KTS 13-03 now filed HB 7091 passed the House K-12 Education Subcommittee unanimously with the support of all education stakeholders except the Foundation for Florida’s Future.  Freshman Rep. Karen Castor Dentel (D-Maitland) (who is a teacher and FEA member) and Lake CTA President B Grassell were key to convincing committee members to eliminate language from the bill which would have completely removed from statute of the Dale Hickam Excellent Teaching Program.  Rep. Castor Dentel was also successful in amending the bill by passing three amendments: 1) allow districts to publish school district annual performance reports on their website rather than the newspaper 2) allowing the district flexibility with the 90 minute reading block in letting it be divided into smaller increments of instructional time of not less than 20-minute time blocks 3) Remove redundant language regarding individual professional development plans. 
Foundation for Florida Future’s lobbyist Patricia Levesque spoke against the reading block amendment saying students must have the uninterrupted 90 minute block citing early 2000 research data.  Castor Dentel asked for committee support and said “Research now shows that reading instruction is most effective when in segments of not less than 20 minutes; what’s important is we retain the 90 minutes. With my Masters in Literacy Studies and teaching reading and writing, I would not propose something that was detrimental. In fact this will help.”  The amendment passed. You may watch the committee meeting by clicking here.
The 101 page bill has many moving parts, but for the most part it is a good bill. The bill creates three new standard high school diploma designations: the College and Career, Industry, and Scholar designations. The course and testing requirements vary for each designation, thereby enabling students to tailor their course of study to their post-high school graduation goals.
It conforms the Florida statutes to the recent replacement of the Sunshine State Standards with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and Florida’s transition to Common Core State Standards in mathematics and English Language Arts. The bill also makes changes to statewide assessments, and changes the weighting of the middle school Civics EOC assessment from “must pass” to 30 percent of the course grade.  And much more.
The next stop for this bill has not yet been released.
SCHOOL SAFTEY
A little background on Florida’s School Safety budget allocation: The Legislature appropriates Safe Schools funds as a part of the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) in the annual Appropriations Act.  The funds are used for after school programs for middle schools, programs for correction of specific discipline problems, conflict resolution strategies, behavior driven intervention programs, alternative school programs for adjudicated youth, suicide prevention, bullying prevention, and school resource officers.  In the 2012-13 budget year $64.5 million was allocated to schools (incidentally this amount is 15% lower than it was 5 years ago). School districts spend 65% of their safety funding on school resource officers. The rest is spent on items such as security cameras and fences. Many systems also spend local dollars to keep officers in their schools and most split the total 50/50 with law enforcement agencies.  A report to the Senate education committee estimated it would cost more than $100 million to place resource officers in every school.

This week several school safety issues began their journey through the committee process:
HB 609 Bullying in Public Schools by Rep. Reggie Fullwood (D-Jacksonville) and SB 626 By Sen. Dwight Bullard (D-Miami)  were both passed in committees this week.  These bills are aimed at preventing cyberbullying, spelling out what that entails and requiring investigation of certain computer harassment claims.
SB 284 Student Safety by Sen. Joe Negron (R-Palm City) passed the Senate Education Committee unanimously.   That same day, HB 369 by Rep. Mike LaRosa (R-Saint Cloud) also passed the Choice and Innovation Committee unanimously.  These identical bills address require emergency response agencies to notify private schools in the school district of occurrences that threaten student safety if the private school requests opts into the district school board’s emergency notification procedures.  Private school emergency policies are not regulated by the state. Private schools typically make arrangements to receive notification of emergencies from the appropriate emergency response agency. Florida law does not expressly authorize private schools to opt into school district emergency notification procedures for the purpose of receiving emergency notifications.

RESEARCH ENGINE
SB 878 Education Accountability by Sen. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton) passed the Senate Appropriation committee unanimously – but we still have concerns about the possibility of student identifiable data being available to vendors. The bill, among other things, requires the Commissioner of Education to improve and streamline access to data maintained in the K-20 data warehouse by creating a web-based interface designed to serve as a single location for public to access aggregated data from the K-20 data warehouse and create a self-service, restricted access component of the K-20 data warehouse called the “Research Engine” that is capable of providing student-level data to organizations and authorized representatives under FERPA.
The problem seems to reside in FERPA (Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act) because of changes made to the federal code a couple years ago. FERPA contains exceptions for the non-consensual disclosure of student information and perhaps the hole one could drive a bus through is this: 
A school may non-consensually disclose personally identifiable information from education records “to organizations conducting studies for or on behalf of the school making the disclosure for the purposes of administering predictive tests, administering student aid programs, or improving instruction”.
We continue to wrestle with this issue and parents across the nation are beginning to question who will be able to get their hands on their children’s school data.
Next Week
Full week agenda calendars are not being released on Friday as they had been in the past – the Legislature is sticking to the 2 day notice rule which makes warning you about the next week’s happenings far more difficult.  We do know that Monday is a BIG day for education in the Florida Senate.  The Senate Education committee will be hearing 9 education bills and work shopping 12 charter school bills from 3:30 p.m. until 6 pm.  This just off the wire Parent Trigger will be heard in the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday.
Member Lobbyists
Thank you to members from Broward, Orange, Pinellas, St. Johns, and Volusia Counties for joining us this week in chilly Tallahassee.  Remember: Tuesdays at 8 a.m. FEA will be holding legislative briefings on the third floor of the FEA Headquarters for our visiting member lobbyists.  Please let Debi.McDaniel@floridaea.org is you will be joining us.

Thanks to Kevin Watson and Lynda Russell for their contributions to this report.

Questions?  Call us at 850-224-2078.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and on the web at www.FEAweb.org

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If you would like to subscribe the FEA Frontline Report go to http://tinyurl.com/FEAFrontline

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Meet: Rita Thrasher
















Department: Biological Sciences

How you came into this subject matter/profession: I have been fortunate to always live near the gulf or Atlantic Ocean so I was fascinated with all types of life from a young age.  I also started working at the hospital at a young age and so in college I couldn’t choose so I specialized in both and haven’t been happier.  Who else gets to teach about the vast complexity of the human body and then at night teach about Cnidarians (jellyfish)? Me, that’s who!

Favorite class to teach: that is like asking which child is your favorite.  If I had to choose just one I would have to say Zoology lab because we dissect and do microscopy work and the students absolutely love this lab!

How long you’ve been at PSC: January 2006

Hobbies: spending time with my family

Favorite book/movie:  Pride & Prejudice, National Treasure

Favorite place on campus: The rock garden on the Milton campus

Why you joined the Union: To have a collective voice to speak for the betterment of the faculty.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Meet: Edward Pate













Department: English/Communications

How you came into this subject matter/profession: During my original career as an attorney in New York City, I learned value of creating lasting connections with other people. Teaching, I’ve found, is a more effective and rewarding way for me to make those connections. Literature and writing have been two of my greatest teachers, so through those disciplines, I strive to pass on my learning and the lessons my students continue to teach me.

Favorite class to teach: English Composition 1102 because it’s a literature and writing intensive course

How long you’ve been at PSC: Since August 2012

Hobbies: Movies, art, horticulture, dining out, and traveling

Favorite book/movie: Because I appreciate so many, favorite, for me, means the books I’m reading now or the most meaningful film I recently experienced. In regard to books, I especially enjoy short stories and historical novels. Currently I’m reading Tenth of December by George Saunders and The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman. Lincoln, which I saw during winter break, is the most recent movie I’ve seen that continues to resonate with me.

Favorite place on campus: My classrooms

Why you joined the Union: Initially, I became a PSCFA member to better understand my responsibilities and rights as a PSC instructor. Since joining, I’ve discovered other benefits. For example, PSCFA has helped me to gain insight into the larger learning environment of PSC beyond my classroom setting, a perspective invaluable to becoming a better, more effective instructor. Finally, PSCFA has facilitated my interaction with faculty and staff from all of our campuses, and these interactions have given me a deeper appreciation for the quality, scope, and commitment of the talented people at PSC.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Post-Tenure Review: What's Being Proposed


          After seeing the latest draft of DOE proposed language regarding continuing contract and post-tenure review at Florida’s public colleges, it’s obvious that Governor Rick Scott has declared war on Florida faculty. Among the proposals are the following:

  • Minimum of FIVE years of service before eligibility for continuing contract;
  • Each Board of Trustees will establish eligibility criteria for both continuing contract award and for post-award reviews;
  •  After earning tenure, faculty members must undergo post-tenure review (how often is unstated and up to each board);
  •  Each Board of Trustees must develop ways to measure student success because student success shall be included in continuing contract eligibility ;
  •  Criteria for continuing contract shall include “quantifiable measured effectiveness,” “relevant feedback from students, faculty and employers of students” and the always popular “other criteria as shall be included by the board”;
  •  Creation of a new category of NON-tenure track faculty;
  •  The BOT may terminate a tenured professor “for failure to meet post-award performance criteria”;
  • The BOT may terminate a tenured professor if a program is eliminated . . . with no possibility of retrenchment.
          Additionally, the BOT is to develop the student success criteria, which is to include (you guessed it) course completion, graduation/certification rates, success in subsequent courses, job placements, and “other criteria.” While the rule states that such policies shall be made after “ensuring that input has been received from the faculty,” we have all experienced what “receiving input” really means. Our administrators receive our input all the time; however, they are under no obligation to consider it when setting the criteria for tenure.
          In other words, folks, the state DOE is trying to gut the protections in our CBA by instituting a “rule,” not a law, which makes continuing contract harder to get and hold.  That the granting of continuing contract seems overly dependent on undefined “quantifiable measured effectiveness” is a serious problem. That the effectiveness of a faculty member is believed to be something that can be measured quantitatively, not qualitatively, puts us all the category of factory workers producing widgets. 
          The hearing on this rule is being held March 19, 2013, in Tallahassee. If you think, as we do, that the proposed rules changes will harm higher education, PSCFA urges you to post your thoughts on the DOE's website (https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=6A-14.0411), contact your state congressman, AND contact
Chancellor Randy Hanna
Division of Florida Colleges
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL

Monday, March 4, 2013

Bargaining

The bargaining session set for tomorrow, March 5th, has been cancelled by administration.
The next bargaining session is April 2 at 2:30 pm. Please drop by, if only for a few minutes, to show your support!

Friday, March 1, 2013

DOE: Notice of Proposed Rule

From Blaine Wall- "In his All College Day address, Dr. Meadows made reference to the proposed changes to the Department of Education rule regarding continuing contracts for college faculty.  Please take the time to read the revised proposed DOE rule by clicking the link below.  The changes are significant and will impact every faculty member.  Should you wish to post your opinion of the proposed change, the DOE’s website has a place to do so."

Notice of Proposed Rule
Department: Department of Education 
Division: State Board of Education 

Rule No.: 6A-14.0411 

Purpose: The purpose of the rule development is to revise the current process and criteria for issuing continuing contracts. In addition, criteria for post-award performance reviews are added, and grounds for termination of continuing contracts are revised to include failure to meet the post-award performance criteria. The effect will be a rule aligned with Florida Statutes.

https://www.flrules.org/gateway/View_Notice.asp?id=12667829

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Meet: Cindy App











Department:  Visual Arts

How you came into this subject matter/profession:  I was about 22 and doing some soul searching, trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I "grew up".  I knew it had to involve working with people, having fun and learning.  I chose television production because there would always be demand for video, it involved working with people from all walks of life and it was ever changing so it would keep my attention. Besides, it's fun to start with nothing and end up with cool art. I started teaching as a grad student and realized I truly enjoyed my students and watching them learn and succeed.  Being able to combine teaching and video came about as kind of a happy accident.

Favorite class to teach:  Media Law.  I love teaching students about their rights and responsibilities as artists and the content has a direct bearing on their ability to practice their professions.

How long you’ve been at PSC:  I'm in my 11th year.

Hobbies:  Travel, sailing, snow skiing, camping, hiking, biking, going to music festivals and hanging out with friends, family, my husband and my dog.

Favorite book/movie: I like anything written by Carl Hiaasen and my favorite movie is "Harold and Maude". 

Favorite place on campus:  The Visual Arts Building

Why you joined the Union:  Because it was the right thing to do and it provides me with protections I wouldn't have otherwise. PSCFA is "the" faculty voice here at PSC and we are lucky to have this union, especially given our current managerial, political and economic climates.


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

2013 Session Outlook: Education



The stage is set for the third act of a 14-year old ideological battle pitting traditional public education supporters against proponents of competition to improve schools.
“I think with or without legislative involvement there is a disruptive intervention coming to our education system: higher ed and K-12,” said House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who sees opportunities to improve education through the use of digital technology.
“It’s like a frontier; we know there’s something great there and we’re going after it,” Weatherford said this week. “Schools and universities are going to be able to take advantage of the tremendous opportunity that technology brings. We have an opportunity to get ahead of the curve.”
The House is working on a proposal, CIS 3, from the Choice and Innovation Subcommittee, to allow more providers to offer online K-12 education. It includes a pilot program that would allow districts to launch schools offering virtual education.
“That idea has some merits, certainly,” said Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, the Democrats' policy chairman. “But you don’t want that component of education -- the digital learning or whatever we are going to call it -- beginning to displace your traditional education in a school setting because it is cheaper.”
Spending on the Florida Virtual School program, a statewide online elementary through high school program has increased from $8 million in 2003 to $214 million this year.
Pafford sees interest in using the Internet to replace classrooms and proposals to expand charter as part of a long-running battle that began with debates over former Gov. Jeb Bush's A+ grading plan for public schools. Act 2 was the uproar created by SB 6 three years ago, a teacher merit pay bill that ended tenure.  Former Gov.Charlie Crist vetoed the measure, resigned from the Republican Party and the next year newly elected Gov. Rick Scott signed SB 736, SB 6’s replacement.
Now, Pafford expects 2013 to feature the opening skirmishes of Act 3, the debate over how far will Florida adopt virtual learning as oppose to brick-and-mortar schools and how big it will allow the charter school industry to grow.  One proposal in the House would require school districts to let charter schools use any building that is below 50 percent capacity.
“There definitely is an ideological discussion on the differences with the way the state treats charter schools and online schools and traditional neighborhood schools,” said Mark Pudlow, spokesman for the Florida Education Association. “More and more we’re seeing charter schools and virtual schools getting more resources at the expense of our underfunded neighborhood public schools, while not being required to use the same measurements and meet the same requirements.”
 
Here’s a breakdown of the education issues before the Legislature:
HIGHER EDUCATION
Description: The Governor’s Higher Education package includes $1.1 billion for state colleges and $3.85 billion for universities. The proposal calls for a $118 million base funding increase and 167 million tied to performance incentives for the university system. It includes $15 million for the University of Florida to achieve a national ranking in the top 10.
Outlook:  Scott has embraced education as a means to a better life. Some may find his references to his modest if not stark upbringing as politically motivated but he consistently credits education for the successes he has achieved.  Expect him to stand firm while lawmakers shape his proposal to their liking. Florida State University alums will try to match the $15 million UF grant for their alma mater.
K-12
Description: Scott recommends $10.7 billion in state spending for public schools and an additional $1 billion in early learning funds. The package includes a teacher pay raise, $100 million for digital learning initiatives, $74.9 million for school safety programs and more money for teachers to purchase classroom supplies.  
Outlook: Lawmakers fret about backing away from performance-based raises for teachers and whether the state has the $480 million to spend on teacher raises.  They will tinker with the figures in each silo but expect the Gov.’s proposal to form the basis of what finally emerges at the end of session for education.
CHARTER SCHOOLS
There are at least four proposals filed in each chamber regarding the creation, regulation and expansion of charter schools, independent public schools operated by a nonprofit organization. Charters control their own finances and sometimes contract with a for-profit management company.
SB 862, The Parent Empowerment Act by Sen. Kelli Stargelwould let parents of students in low-performing schools call for a private-management company to take over. A similar parent trigger bill died last year in the Senate on a 20-20 vote. Proponents think that with the new makeup of the Senate they have the votes this year to pass the bill.
SB 744 by Sens. David Simmons, R-Maitland, and Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, would require an applicant wanting to establish a charter school to submit information on annual employee compensation and to demonstrate financial capability to open, operate and maintain a high-quality charter school.
SB 780 and HB 373, Regulates contracts charter schools can sign and compensation for employees, and provides for closing a charter school under certain circumstances.
CIS 1 out of the House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee would require school districts to let charter schools use any building that is below 50 percent capacity.
 
Key Players:
Gov. Rick Scott, in the words of Rep. Pafford, has done a 180-degree turn on education funding. “He’s discovering the importance of teachers,” Pafford said.
Senate President Don Gaetz is a former Okaloosa County school superintendent. He is proposing expansion of the 2007 CAPE Act, which he helped pioneer as superintendent. He calls the proposal historic and concedes it may take two years to pass.
Sen. John Legg, a charter school administrator, helped shape Florida education policies during eight years in the House. He believes in harnessing technology and performance-based evaluations of schools and teachers.
Speaker Will Weatherford embraces digital technology and said it will revolutionize how people learn and educators teach. “I think the state has to figure out how to leverage technology to give more Floridians access to higher quality education, sitting in the comfort of their living rooms,“ he said.
 
Key Committees:
House Education Committee
House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee
House Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittee
House K-12 Subcommittee
Senate Education Committee
House Education Appropriations Subcommittee