• Negotiations for the 2013-14 contract will continue over the summer. The passage of the state and district budget in late June should give us a better picture of the financial situation which will guide bargaining. Check the vacateachers.org website in the later part of July for updates. We hope to have a tentative agreement ready to put forth to membership by the start of the new school year.
• The Elementary Prep MOU has been signed and is posted on the website. Much is the same as the current MOU.

-it is a two year MOU, sunsetting June 30, 2015

-three (3) minimum days have been added each year for completing report cards and conducting conferences

-no Wednesday collaboration is scheduled for the Wednesday of the first full week of instruction or on Wednesdays prior to progress reports or report cards being due

-there is full P.E. prep during conference weeks and the week before Christmas break

-the P.E. prep for grades 1-3 is increased from 40 to 50 minutes

• Remember to get your name on the voluntary transfer list if you are interested in being considered for vacancies that open over the summer. Check the VUSD website or get on the district’s distribution list to get emails with updates on openings throughout the break.

Have a great summer break!

…check it out by clicking here.

…Richard Bammer, from the Vacaville Reporter, received a John Swett Award from the California Teachers Association for his outstanding education coverage.

VTA state council member Corey Penrose, Richard Bammer and VTA vice-president Larry Baker.

Richard Bammer, from the Vacaville Reporter, has just won a John Swett Award for a series of columns last year that examined vital school issues in the Vacaville Unified School District and neighboring districts.

Writing in a strong voice showing his compassion for public schools, his winning columns looked at the recent recession’s damage to local school budgets, the need to pass the governor’s Proposition 30 to halt more cuts, parental involvement in school reform, and how a local spelling bee showed the value of learning about the magic and origins of words (the bee contest words included ukulele, moccasin and ophthalmology).

For more information, go here – http://www.cta.org/en/About-CTA/News-Room/Press-Releases/2013/05/20130528_1.aspx

The VTA and VUSD teams met on May 24, 2013.

VTA: Brenda Hensley, Kent Puddy, Kim Campbell, Gary Masterson & Lynne Grow
VUSD: Randy Henry, Ed Santopadre, David Robertson, Christie Cochran, & Kari Sousa

The teams discussed School Services’ take on the Governor’s May Revise. It is still uncertain as to how VUSD will be funded in 13-14; the Governor has proposed a new Local Control Funding Formula but we don’t know if that will replace the current Base Revenue Limit funding structure. The District is holding a budget workshop for the Board on May 28th at the District Office at 5pm for the school board. The School Board is scheduled to adopt a 13-14 budget at the June 27th board meeting.

Hopefully the state budget will be adopted by June 30th. It will take some time to see how the budget impacts school districts.

The teams agreed to meet on July 19th and July 22nd.