Bloomington Federation of Teachers
March Newsletter
President Message
Hello Members--
The staffing of our schools has started. Principals were given their FTE numbers and must now figure out what they can afford with the compensatory dollars. All leaves, TOSA's returning to classrooms, retirements and transfer requests have been given to Human Resources.
In the past, the building principals managed all the staffing changes and informed teachers who had a position for next year. Because the cuts will go in to tenured staff, the district will need to look across the entire district while placing teachers. That means that it will take time and Human Resources will not start placing staff until all information is received from every site.
The goal of HR is to have the majority of staffing numbers, the scope of needed layoffs and movements completed the week of March 3. Then the principals can meet and work together to save as many positions as possible. It is still the goal to have probationary staff informed whether they have a position or not by spring break. The same is true if you will be in a layoff position.
Postings will not happen in a license area if there is a qualified tenured teacher to fill it. This means all license areas, even if the teacher has not taught in one of their licensed areas. The position would be offered to those licensed in that area and on layoff, in order of seniority. Each tenured person on layoff retains rights back to a position for 5 years. If they obtain a license or certificate while on layoff, they can use that for bumping purposes as well.
Human Resources will be communicating any layoffs and bumping information. Without their approval, principals can't make those types of decisions.
As I attend meetings with other union leaders around the metro, I have shared that we have many qualified teachers that may want to move districts. District 196 has posted over 30 positions for teachers that close on March 2. The DCUE president shared that they are predicting 100 new positions by fall 2020. Bloomington teachers are highly regarded. As a district, we valued great professional development opportunities for teachers and other districts know that. I can't say that for this year because of the PD cap, but we have of history of investing in our teachers.
I will continue to share information as it comes in. It pains me to tell you about other openings as we are losing QUALITY teachers - - teachers our students deserve. BFT members, please continue to come to school board meetings. I'm sitting alone again! There are many seats available. The next meeting is March 9.
In Solidarity,
Wendy
The Real Bloomington Story
Read the The Real Bloomington Story
This information is something every BPS teacher needs to be aware of. It is the missing piece to our district's story of why we need to make cuts. This presentation happened at our Unity 2020 conference sponsored by EDMN.
BPS teachers opened the conference for the small session discussions. They were amazing! It was a proud moment for the BFT to see teachers share their stories in front of 550 Minnesota educators. BPS teachers rock!
PROBATIONARY TEACHER MEETING
Thursday, Mar 19, 2020, 05:30 PM
ESC ROOM 610
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Support our fellow teachers!!
South Washington County Teachers Start Work to Rule
UTSWC has been without a contract for 240+ days and began Work to Rule on 2/27/20. Their contract negotiations have been similar to ours in the past. You can show your support by leaving them a message on UTSWC Facebook page.
St. Paul Teachers Set Strike Date
March 10 is the strike date for St. Paul teachers. Please show your support on your Facebook profile or send a message.
Neighboring District Without a Contract
The BEA has met 13 times plus 1 mediation session. Two more mediation dates are scheduled for March 5 & 12. Send your support. BEA was there for us when we needed them, it is our turn. Check out their Facebook page.
BFT BINGO AND TRIVIA FUNDRAISER
Come join us March 13th from 4:30-8:30pm at the Bloomington Event Center for an entertaining evening of trivia, BINGO, food, drinks, and prize drawings. We will alternate between rounds of trivia and rounds of BINGO, all with awesome prizes! Your $25 ticket includes two drink tickets, a prize drawing ticket, food, and unlimited rounds of BINGO and trivia. Tickets can be purchased online at https://BFTMarch13.bpt.me or at the door (cash only) when you arrive. Additional prize drawing tickets can be purchased during the event for just $1 each. All proceeds will go to the Education Foundation of Bloomington Scholarship Fund.
THIS IS OPEN TO ALL BPS STAFF & their guests.
Friday, Mar 13, 2020, 04:30 PM
Bloomington Event Center, American Boulevard West, Bloomington, MN, USA
Retirement Basics website now open
Got 403B? BFT RETIREMENT SPECIALIST NOW AVAILABLE
Jeremy will:
1. Create and maintain a website to post current and new financial information.
2. Be available to members with questions.
Be a delegate for the BFT
The annual EDMN Representative Convention is scheduled for April 24-25. We must send in our 12 delegate and 2 alternate names by March 20. All BFT MEMBERS ARE ELIGIBLE. Come check out how decisions get made plus have some fun with colleagues at the Doubletree in Bloomington. Meals & hotel included. For more information, check out this link.
If you are interested in being a delegate, please add your name and information here. More questions? Ask your building steward or email cbennett@isd271.org.
Early Learning Services and Adult ED Restructure Announced
Order your BFT gear
Upcoming Events
Stay Tuned for Dates in April
All officers will be up for re-election in April. Jackie Kuhns is our election chair and will be sending out information in the bft_group on email. Please make sure you are a member of this group if you want to get election notices. If you have specific questions, please contact her at jmkuhns@isd271.org. Also, if you want to know more about what each position is responsible for, your building stewards are your best resource!
Retirement Meeting Sponsored by ESI Set for April 20
A representative from ESI will sponsor a retirement workshop at Education Minnesota Southwest Office in Edina April 20 4-6:30 PM. A box dinner will be provided. A sign up sheet with flyer will be posted in the bft_group soon. If you are retiring within the next 5 years, this is an excellent workshop to attend. If you plan on retiring within one year and haven't connected with TRA yet, please make an appointment. Do not wait for the meeting.