The creation of wish lists is a common occurrence at the holiday time of year. On a daily basis numerous questions, concerns, requests, complaints, and suggestions come my way. It is very positive that I hear from so many of you, and although many issues are resolved, I am still left with a substantial wish list!

I wish:

• Cross Pointe would either work properly or completely disappear from the district
• communication would be improved to the point that glitches are the exception rather than the rule
• class sizes were reduced
• the HS Learning Center (library/media center) and the HS auditorium were finished and accessible to students and teachers
• parents would become more vocal and visible at Board of Education meetings
• our elementary teachers didn’t have the burden of canceling parent conferences at the last minute because the time frame was unexpectedly changed
• someone would stop to think that children should be developing a love for learning not an aversion to testing
• there could be an honest and open dialogue about the serious problems facing our ESL/Bi-Lingual students
• the proofreading of materials would take place prior to distribution
• HB visitations by central administrators would stop immediately
• the “spinning, spinning, spinning” would be recognized for what it is—lying
• there could be a functional Board of Education (May 15, 2007 BOE elections)
• we could achieve a positive, productive working environment for all district employees

Before I close, there is one more wish: I wish all of you the beauty and joy of this holiday season. May everyone rest, relax, and return in 2007 with renewed spirits!

I would like to start a Tax Deferred Annuity. Does NYSUT endorse any particular program? As of December 31st, NYSUT will withdraw its endorsement of the ING 403(b) program. NYSUT has said that there will not be any future endorsements of a TDA until the Request for Proposals process is completed. Check the Member Benefits page on the NYSUT website for more details.

I am in the process of completing my second Master’s degree. Will I receive a 2nd Master’s stipend? At this time, the CBA does not contain any provision for receiving multiple Master’s stipends. You can receive credit for the coursework you completed to get the additional Master’s if you received prior approval for the courses.

I missed my appointment for the November 29th Will Day. Can I still get my will done? Yes. Just complete the Legal Security Package that you were sent and mail it to the National Law Office. If you need assistance, just call the law office prior to mailing it in.

Am I required to complete the beneficiary card for the $10,000 Accidental Death Policy provided through the MTA Benefit Fund? No, you are not required to complete the beneficiary card but you should be aware that if your family members need to make a claim, UNUM Provident will send the payment to your estate, not any individual family member.

E-mail your questions to: questions@middletownteachers.org.

by Peggy Fellows
Did you take courses this fall? You can expect a salary adjustment if you followed the proper procedures. You need to have an approved prior approval form. You must submit official transcripts of college courses. Inservice courses from the Teacher Center are automatically submitted to the personnel department.

Salary adjustments are made on September 1 and February 1. For courses taken in the fall you receive 1/2 of the annual compensated amount starting with the first paycheck in February. You will receive the full amount starting next fall. In order for summer classes to be credited in the fall the official transcript must be received by personnel by September 1. If not you will have a salary adjustment in February.

Gary Day schedules salary reviews for anyone who is unsure if they are receiving the correct salary. Look for the next announcement of when they will be held.

by Lois Samsel-Cronk, Grievance Committee Chairperson

It has been a rather busy month working to insure that members receive what is deserving of them. We won the two grievances at Mechanics-town and Twin Towers regarding the “Proxy Tags” that were not available to ALL teachers. Without the tags teachers were unable to access the door by the parking lot. All teachers now have the tags.

As a result of Secondary Parent Teacher Conferences High School teachers were being denied their full lunch period. This went to a Stage 1b grievance and we were able to change the schedule to reflect a full lunch period.

There was also a member who had not been given credit for their Masters for a number of years. After working with personnel, the member will be given retroactive pay and the adjustment has been made on their MOE.

The half-day of work before Thanksgiving brought on a 1b grievance at Twin Towers. At the last minute the schedule for the day was changed.

The bus grievance at Maple Hill is still pending. There have been two meetings with central office and MTA representation. A transportation service has conducted an audit on the situation. At this time we are waiting on the verdict from the audit before proceeding with the grievance.