From the President

Race to the Top is a federally funded program to initiate “reform” of the public school system. States and school districts apply for grants and must abide by federal regulations in order to receive funding. A primary tenet is “Turn Around Schools” which targets the lowest 5% of schools, and takes the reform effort much too far. According to federal regulations there are four options for turning around the lowest performing schools: reconstitute and remove half the staff and administrator, close the school and reopen as a charter school, close the school permanently, or transform the school by tying teacher evaluation to student growth.
As you can imagine, none of these choices are acceptable. That is why your PAT
Executive Board, as well as the Executive Boards in Eugene, Beaverton, and many around the state have chosen not to participate in the application process.

Your state association, OEA, chose to participate and signed off on the state’s application. Each application is deemed more “competitive” when a union participates in the process. Each local must choose whether or not to participate, if Oregon receives any funds. Your PAT leadership is extremely disappointed.
If the district, state or federal government is serious about turning around low
performing schools, they should ask the licensed, highly experienced and highly educated professionals what it will take to make that happen.

Bargaining Update
Your Bargaining Team spent over eight hours on January 27th attempting to settle our contract. There is continued and growing frustration with the District’s positions. We will send an At The Table early next week. Stay tuned.

“Job Alike” Meetings
Last year, PAT members who work as specialists in ESL and Special Education demanded that their “Job Alike” meetings be resumed monthly in order to share best practices and other information with their colleagues across the district. These monthly meetings may replace, but not be in addition to, a weekly staff meeting. According to Article 20.A.10, you are only required to attend a meeting for up to two (2) hours beyond your workday on Mondays or Tuesdays, but not both. You are also entitled to mileage reimbursement for your travel to attend the “Job Alike” meeting.

Read Across America
Applications for Read Across America grants must be submitted to the PAT office by 4:30 p.m., Thursday, February 4th. The Read Across America grant application forms are available on the PAT website.

PAT Members’ Scholarship Applications
The PAT Members’ Scholarship applications have been in the school buildings and on the PAT website (www.patpdx.org) since before Winter Break. They are available for the high school seniors of PAT members. The PAT Members’ Scholarships are due in the PAT office by Friday, March 5th at 4:30 p.m. If sent via U.S. mail, they need to be postmarked no later than the March 5th deadline.

Labor Movement Parents Support Portland Teachers
Come to a meeting at the PAT office on Thursday, February 4th, 6:00—7:30 p.m. to hear about the Portland Public School teachers’ contract struggle. Dinner and child care provided. RSVP to Margaret (Jobs with Justice) at (503) 236-5573 or email margaret@jwjpdx.org

2009 DUES FOR TAX PURPOSES
For the 2009 year, members should look at their final pay stub in 2009 to find their annual union dues paid.

Members may be able to deduct their union dues for 2009 income taxes. This includes NEA, OEA and Local dues. The deduction still has to run the gauntlet of the limitations on miscellaneous itemized deductions (deductible when “Miscellaneous” limited deductions exceed 2% of adjusted gross income). You can only claim union dues as a deduction if you use the Long Form 1040. On the Schedule A (Form 1040) - Itemized Deductions, the union dues are reported on line 21.

Members that purchased qualifying education supplies qualify for an Educator Expenses deduction, regardless of whether they itemized their deductions. The maximum deduction is $250 per person. Be sure to review the tax form instructions for an explanation of the qualifying educators and qualifying expenses.
Further information concerning individual income tax deductions for union dues will be in the February edition of Today’s OEA. Consult your tax adviser regarding your personal return.

If you have any questions, please call the PAT office (503) 233-5018 and ask for Mary Berg, Membership Secretary.

Victory for Education Funding
Tuesday’s results are a credit to the hard work of educators, parents and thousands of Oregonians from every walk of life who stood up to protect our schools. Our legislative leaders deserve credit, too. They challenged the corporate lobbyists and special interests that said Oregonians would never pass tax fairness measures. The message from Oregon voters was loud and clear: protect our classrooms.
Now, educators want to change the conversation. We want to talk about investing in education, investing in our future. Dollar-for-dollar, education is the best investment Oregon can make. Please extend a big thank you to those who volunteered their time to phone bank in order to pass Measures 66 and 67. We apologize if we have inadvertently missed anyone.
Kris Amling, Ray Amling, Eileen Wende, Susan Germundson, Stephanie Pringle, Steve Rosenfeld, Rob Melton, Dick Cherry, Robyn Wagner Matsunaga, Judy Cappleman, Bobbi Yambasu, Theresa Scotto, Rachel Ryer, Joann Benson, Claudine Werner, Diane Lewis, David Dugo, Jane Morgan, Carol Martin, Erika Schneider, Suzanne Cohen, Sandi Rosenfeld, Pam Quale, Lourdes Fernandez, Ric Oleksak, Andy Benhardt, Kent Spring, Paul Kroswek, Rebekka Baker, Nancy Fulton, Merry Mix, Tim Hahn, Celine Stroinski, Charlotte Hales, Andrew Jaquiss, Thomas Finch, Jan Donald, Deanna Wood, Theresa Hawkins, Dana Miller, Barbara Garrett, Pam Garrett, Mary Jo Beeber, Laura Bulinski, Mike Cullerton, Mary Mitchell, Carly Neerman, Lisa Goyne, Dan Brown, Radha Szenasy, Kate Anderson, Sarah Lee, Linea King, Jamey Billig, Dee Simmons, Emilly Urbach, Irene Ikada, Reed Clark, Judith Matsumoto, Ken Pierce, Stacy Rosoff, David Brady, Cate Boyce, Allison Couch, Lily Watkins, LaVonne Blowers, Joseph Blowers, Barbara Brown, Susan Snyder, Kathi Koenig, Amanda-Jane Nelson, Tristan Gleason, Tija Smith-Winslow, Marilyn Moss, Heidi Masienger, Phyllis Taber, Miriam Al Faiz, Jane Nicholson, Ari Kohn, Sean Caruthers, Catherine Brittingham, Marcella Loprinzi Hardin, Sofia Loprinzi Hardin, Colleen Loprinzi, Tim Hardin, Tami S. Pruitt, Johanna Vaandering, Lisa C. Manning, Russell Brown, Jan Peterson, Janice Davis, Toni Mendenhall, Meghan DeNiro, David Lifton, Kim Altig, Leeanne Heuberger, Geoff Stonecipher, Nicole Leggett, Diane Dean, Eileen Wiedrich, Sherena Meagher-Osteen, Barbara Kutasz, Carol Jo Kennedy, Alex Dawson, Martha Robeck, Lana Miles, Martha Heller, Marcia Wirsig, Lisa Davidson, Nancy Arlington, Diane Hendricks, Naomi Fisher, Rebecca Levison, Mical Barasch, Karen Boyer, Beth VanElswyk, Amy Spunaugle, and BethAnne Darby.