August 24, 2020
LFT Weekly Memo
Reminder of Your Rights—A reminder of some of your rights that are protected by federal law and our contract:
- Duty Free Lunch: Federal law states that you are entitled to a 30-minute duty-free lunch, scheduled at a time that falls within a normal lunch time. You can always agree to meet during lunch if that is more convenient for you. If your scheduled lunch time is longer than 30 minutes, your site administrator could ask that you meet during the remainder of the time.
- Meetings: Our contract states, “Site administrators may require unit members to attend two mandatory site meetings per month, one lasting no more than 60 minutes and one lasting no more than 40 minutes” (Article 9.3.4). This does not include meetings with parents or other staff members, or for SST meetings, IEP meetings, or other professional responsibilities. Additionally, our contract states, “A draft of meeting agendas for staff meetings, common minimum days, and professional learning communities will be sent to unit members at least 24 hours prior to the meeting (excluding weekends, holidays, and non-work days)” (Article 9.3.4).
COVID-19 MOUs—LFT and the District signed two COVID-19-related MOUs (one in March and one in June). Click here for the March MOU, and here for the June MOU.
Waiver Status—Recently, Governor Newsom announced that elementary schools in counties that are still on the Governor’s county monitoring list could reopen through a waiver process if certain criteria were met. LFT reached out to the District to inquire about where LUSD is in this process, and the District shared the following in response:
Countywide Superintendents are working through requirements for testing, contracting with a testing agency, contact tracing, and other logistical items. In addition, we will need to review the waiver, then obviously work with both labor unions before officially submitting anything.
Joining the Union—Not a part of the union? LFT’s membership application is now available online at https://leadernet.aft.org/webform/lompoc-federation-teachers.
LFT General Meeting—LFT’s first General Meeting of the school year is Wednesday, September 2 at 3:30 PM. A Zoom link will be sent out a couple days before the meeting.
U.S. Census—There is still time to complete the U.S. Census! This important process, done every ten years, is vitally important for everyone to complete. The Census determines the allocation of billions of federal, state, and local dollars. Make sure you are counted! To complete the Census, or for more information, visit https://my2020census.gov/.
Distance Learning Resources—Our state affiliate, the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), provides an array of resources to support distance learning, available for members on their website at https://www.cft.org/learning-home.
LFT Website—LFT’s website can be found at www.lompocfederationofteachers.org.
Know that your union is here to support you! If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your Site Rep or anyone on the Executive Board. We hope you have a great week, LFT!
LFT Executive Board
Skyler Petersen, President
Cindy Spangler, Secretary
Robin Madden, Treasurer
Lodene Blair, Vice President of Elementary Schools
Margaret Tennant, Vice President of Middle Schools
Tom Garrard, Vice President of High Schools
Carol Arnerich, Executive Director
Martha Bauer, Executive Director
8.17.20
LFT Weekly Memo
Welcome back! We know how hard everyone has been working to get ready for the new school year, so first—a big THANK YOU to all of you for the effort you all have put in adjusting to these difficult circumstances we are in. This year hasn’t been easy for anyone, and we know there has been a lot of anxiety, frustration, and stress as we’ve been gearing up for today, but there has also been a tremendous amount of strength, perseverance, positivity, and an overwhelming desire to everything we can to do what’s best for our students this year. For this, we are so proud to count each and every one of you as fellow union members.
LFT Site Reps—Thefollowing members are serving as your LFT Site Reps this year. Feel free to reach out to any of them for union-related questions or concerns.
- Buena Vista Elementary School: Beth Cothran and Christina Haggerty
- Clarence Ruth Elementary School: Jamie Mathews and Wendy Culver
- Crestview Elementary School: Channon Mitchell
- Fillmore Elementary School: Tamara Martinez
- Hapgood Elementary School: Elizabeth Miquelon and Jun Ong
- La Canada Elementary School: Bridget Paskett
- La Honda Elementary School: Lodene Blair*, Karen Hamner and Carolyn Russell
- Los Berros Elementary School: Natalie Ricci
- Miguelito Elementary School: Linda Hogan and Robin Madden*
- Lompoc Valley Middle School: Lisa Carbaugh
- Vandenberg Middle School: Doug Baker, Rob Cantrell and Margaret Tennant*
- Cabrillo High School: Scott Alvarez and Stacey Gray
- Lompoc High School: Casey Brooks, Tom Garrard*, Mike Johnson and Skyler Petersen*
- Adult Transition Program and Bob Forinash Community Day School: Carolina Allen and Laura Garcia
- Maple Continuation School: Rebecca Ingraham, Daniel Jacobson, and Matt Makowetski
- Education Center: Cindy Spangler*
*Also serves as an Executive Board Member
LFT Membership—Non-members: With these uncertain times we’re in, never has it been more important to have the security of union membership in place. To make applying easier, this year we have an online membership form, which can be accessed at: https://leadernet.aft.org/webform/lompoc-federation-teachers. If you have questions about joining or about the many benefits that come with your union membership, please reach out to anyone on the Executive Board or your Site Rep.
New members: Welcome! We are glad to have you as part of our union. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever have any questions or concerns.
Veteran members: If you have new hires at your site, please reach out to them to welcome them and encourage them to join the union if they haven’t already.
Check Your Site Mailbox!—American Federation of Teachers Union Benefits information, the LFT Quick Reference Guide tri-fold brochure, and a small gift were delivered to members’ school site mailboxes. If you didn’t receive these, please contact your school site representative or Carol Arnerich at (805) 294-2300.
Teacher Prep Days Reminder—Teachers: Thanks to a negotiated change to the contract, now ALL teachers (not just elementary teachers) can submit a green sheet for up to 12 hours of teacher prep work done before our contractual start date (8/13). Don’t forget to submit your green sheet!
Elementary Leadership for 2020-2021—Although LFT’s intent was to renew the Elementary Leadership MOU for the 2020-21 school year, citing budgetary concerns, the District chose not to agree to extend the agreement for another year. These positions, therefore, will not be funded as they were in previous years.
Taking and Reporting Leave Days—Please see the attachment for important information regarding taking and reporting leave days.
Absence Protocols—When absent, make sure to submit your absence through Frontline. Substitutes will be reporting to sites when substituting. Make sure you leave log-in information to your Zoom sessions and any other needed platforms (Google Classroom, Class Dojo, etc.) on your sub plans. Sub plans can be submitted through Frontline. The District will be providing all substitute teachers with the recordings of last week’s PD, so they can access the trainings and better prepare for distance learning.
Emergency Lesson Plans—As is always the case, but especially this year with the public health crisis we’re in, make sure you prepare three days of emergency lesson plans for any unexpected absences (Article 9.21).
Pink Insurance Cards—If you need to update beneficiary information for the $25,000 Accidental Death Insurance provided free of cost to union members by LFT, please contact Carol Arnerich.
Weingarten Rights—You are entitled to request union representation at any investigatory interview (either at your school site or at the District Office) before or during the interview. If you are in a meeting and you have concerns about whether it could be considered investigatory or disciplinary in nature, you need to state clearly that you are requesting union representation before the meeting can continue, or the meeting needs to be rescheduled as soon as representation can be arranged. These are known as Weingarten Rights, based on a 1975 Supreme Court ruling, and are detailed in the LFT Quick Reference Guide brochure that was left in your mailbox.
Current Contract—The 2020-21 contract will soon be available on the LUSD website (https://www.lusd.org/departments/human-resources/certificated-teaching) and on the LFT website (https://lompocfederationofteachers.org/contract-and-mous/), once language and formatting updates are completed. There will be 3 hard copies available at each school.
Scholarships—Opportunities are available for high school seniors and college students who are dependents of LFT members through the California Federation of Teachers (our state affiliate). Complete information is available at http://www.cft.org/scholarships. The site also provides information on additional scholarships offered through the American Federation of Teachers (our national affiliate).
LFT General Meeting Dates—We will be holding LFT General Meetings on the dates below. Meetings begin at 3:30 PM and will be held via Zoom until further notice. Zoom links will be sent a few days before each meeting. All members are encouraged to attend.
LFT General Meetings
September 2
October 7
November 4
December 2
January 13
February 3
March 3
April 14
May 5
June 2
LFT Website—LFT’s website can be found at: https://lompocfederationofteachers.org/.
We hope you have a great start to the school year, LFT! Thank you again for all that you’re doing to support our students!
LFT Executive Board
Skyler Petersen, President
Cindy Spangler, Secretary
Robin Madden, Treasurer
Lodene Blair, Vice President of Elementary Schools
Margaret Tennant, Vice President of Middle Schools
Tom Garrard, Vice President of High Schools
Carol Arnerich, Executive Director
Martha Bauer, Executive Director
7.20.20
LFT General Meeting Dates, 2020-2021
September 2
October 7
November 4
December 2
January 13
February 3
March 3
April 14
May 5
June 2
All meetings will be held at 3:30 p.m. via Zoom until deemed safe to meet in person.
6.30.20
COVID Response MOU for 2020-2021
On Monday, June 29, 2020, LUSD and LFT continued their collaborative negotiations regarding reopening schools for the 2020-2021 school year. We reached 10 Tentative Agreements, which are reflected in the attached MOU. Both the District and LFT are committed to providing a safe environment for students and staff and will continue to meet and confer as needed.
6.10.20
Congratulations, LFT Retirees!
Today LFT delivered congratulations and a gift of appreciation to our LFT retirees, Margaret Sadowski, Janet Lizarraga, and Tina Vance. (Jackie Munoz, your gift is on the way!) LFT thanks these members for their service to our district and our students. Best wishes on a relaxing retirement!
6.1.20
CFT Statement on the Killing of George Floyd: A Call for Racial Justice
https://www.cft.org/post/cft-statement-killing-george-floyd-call-racial-justice
For immediate release.
Contact: Matthew Hardy – mhardy@cft.org
The murder of George Floyd by a police officer was an unspeakable act of violence, and our communities across the country are responding to his murder with understandable grief and rage.
But we know this is not an isolated incident. Black communities, especially men, are exhausted and terrified because of the omnipresent structural and institutional racism they experience every day that often leads to violence against them.
As a union of educators and classified professionals, our work includes taking action to dismantle the systems and structures that uphold anti-Black racism in our schools and our communities.
We must continue to show up and speak up in solidarity for Black lives and refuse to be distracted from the urgent need for us all to work for racial justice every day. This work of anti-racism is for all of us – as individuals, as a union, in our schools, and across society – and we must remain fully committed to it until our vision of a just society is realized.
This is a time to be angry and demand justice. This is a time to demand change. This is not a time to look away. We honor these lives lost by pledging to do our part to dismantle systemic racism. We say their names: #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd #JusticeforAhmaudArbery #JusticeforBreonnaTaylor #BlackLivesMatter.
The California Federation of Teachers represents 120,000 teachers, faculty, and school employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. It is the statewide affiliate of the AFT. More information at http://www.cft.org.
LOMPOC FEDERATION OF TEACHERS 