CUTA Speech to the School Board ~ June 13, 2012

Posted on | June 13, 2012 | No Comments

Dear Fellow CUTA Members,

Thank you to the teachers who came out to support CUTA, especially our retirees who were honored tonight by the district.  We are thankful for their years of service and wish them the best in their future endeavors.

The board is expected to vote on contract ratification on June 27.  That is also the date when RIF notices will likely start to be rescinded.  Depending on the high school scheduling, we expect to bring back all but about 5 of our teachers.  Hopefully, possible retirements and increased enrollment will have all of our teachers back sooner than later.  No matter what, all RIF’d teachers should file for unemployment this Saturday.  http://eapply4ui.edd.ca.gov .

Please remember to vote for the contract ratification by Friday afternoon.  See your site rep.

For those of you who don’t know, Devin Vodicka was named as the Superintendent of Vista Schools.  He will be sorely missed, and we wish him the best.

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/vista-carlsbad-school-official-to-be-vista-unified-s-new/article_7a6011e8-4261-5b2b-809d-644c2cebd02d.html

 Our new superintendent, Suzette Lovely, spoke to the board tonight.  I’ve had the opportunity to speak with her by phone, and I am hopeful this new chapter in Carlsbad’s history will be a positive one under her leadership. 

Stay strong and united!  And have a peaceful and restful summer ~ you deserve it.

 In unity,

 Sally Estep

CUTA President

 

Good Evening

I stand in front of you today, in front of our whole community, one of the proudest women I know.  To be able, finally, to look you all in the eye and celebrate an anticipated ratification of the tentative agreement the negotiating teams of CUTA and CUSD collectively created and collectively bring to our respective stakeholders—is an accomplishment we all feared might not happen.  And yet, here we are.

I have to give credit to CUTA’s bargaining team ~ they were steadfast in their determination to get a fair contract settlement respecting our students and their teachers.  And I’d also like to thank the district bargaining team for the respectful manner in which negotiations were handled. Both sides listened and both sides looked for solutions.  And, of course, we are grateful for the patience the Carlsbad community showed as we worked through this trying process.

We are now hopeful for subsequent negotiations.  We are hopeful that we can, together, move forward as a cohesive unit, all dedicated to the betterment and education of our students.  We are hopeful that we can, together, battle this fiscal tidal wave encroaching on public education.  We are hopeful that we can, together, restore Carlsbad schools to the beacon they have been and should be once again.

And so, with a collective sigh of relief and hopeful anticipation, I will sign off for the last time this school year as I have ended all our communications:  In Unity.

Have a wonderful summer break.

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