focus
On educators
focus on educators is an award winning publication of the Pittsburg Education Association/CTA/NEA www.peateachers.org
The California Teachers Association exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to improve the conditions of
teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education; to ensure that the human dignity and civil
rights of all children and youth are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.
FEBRUARY 2017
Volume XXV, Number 6
Dear PEA Members,
Ive come to the conclusion that
we have a dream. The dream
related to substance in our
profession cannot be inflicted by
all the harshness we hear in our
daily lives. My dream for our
profession is to lead it to the
highest level of prominence. The
public education system has been
looked at as failing. Well, failure
is not an option and we are not
failures.
California Teachers Association
Statement of Mission
Ive come to the conclusion we
have hope. There are people that
believe in something bigger than
themselves and they are willing to
rally around it. When we see
people that make decisions for
public education as being
opponents to public education, we
dont sit around and let it happen.
We make our voices heard; we
urge others to walk with us in this
battle.
Ive come to the conclusion we
have perseverance. Many give up,
but we continue to move forward
not letting what we fear to drive us
to let it happen. There are folks
being part of the solution and
working together to the betterment
of us all.
Ive come to the conclusion we
have knowledge. The knowledge
to see history as it was and what
we can learn from it. History
should be used to see the past as
something to improve on. We
dont know the future. The past
can give us some insight into how
we strengthen ourselves for the
future.
Ive come to the conclusion we
have joy. We can be an inspiration
to those around us. Our
classrooms, offices, fields, and
sites can be a conduit to produce
the next bests for the future. We
influence the positive in others
lives that exudes joy.
Ive come to the conclusion we
have fortitude. The force in which
we move this world around us is
courageous. We are change
makers and we know there takes
more fight to build this world into
the place that encourages our
students to be their very best.
We are not just our jobs. Our
commonality in wanting to
educate young minds for the better
isnt the only thing we can agree
on. We are the UNION.
In Solidarity,
Tammy Carr
PEA President
 PEA Leadership 2016-2017 Rep. Council Meeting Calendar (Tuesdays)
President February 21
Tammy Carr March 21
PEA Office
April 25
Elementary Vice President
May 16
Michell Redfoot
Willow Cove
School Board Meeting Calendar
Secondary Vice President February 8 & 22
Irwin Manangkil March 8 & 22
Black Diamond April 12 & 26
Secretary May 10 & 24
Nicole Glassel
June 14 & 28
Los Medanos
***********************************
Treasurer
Bruce Giron Are You Getting Your PEA Information?
Black Diamond Having our Site Reps collect your input, attend the monthly Rep
________________________________________________
meeting and then report back to you is vital in the
Committee Chairs:
communication chain of our Association.
Grievance Committee
John Kleinjans Pittsburg High Roll call at last January 17th Rep Council Meeting:
Chris Coan Willow Cove
Adult Ed. present MLK Jr. present
Negotiations Team
Black Diamond absent North Campus absent
Mark Maselli Chair - Hillview
Political Action Committee Chairs Foothill present Parkside present
Chris Coan Willow Cove Heights present PHS - present
Jim Vaughan Black Diamond Highlands present Rancho Medanos absent
Elections Chair Hillview - present Stoneman absent
Ruth Foster - Foothill
Los Medanos present Willow Cove present
Human Rights & Womens Issues Chairs
Marina Vista present
Yvonne Burton - Foothill
O-Team Chair
Laura Silva - Parkside
CTA State Council Representatives
Mark Maselli Hillview
Arthur Pruyn (Alt.) Pittsburg High
Membership Chair
Lisa Gunderson Los Medanos
Special Education Chairs
Michell Redfoot Willow Cove
Melonie Sauceda-Flemming - Hillview
Technical Editor
Susan Harrison PEA Office Administrator REMINDER: Please send PEA any updated
Focus on Educators is a publication of the
information such as: change of home address;
Pittsburg Education Association CTA/NEA
home email; school site change; name change;
159 East 4th Street
etc., so we have your correct information! Thank
Pittsburg, CA 94565
you!
Phone: (925) 432-0199 email: info@peateachers.org
website: www.peateachers.org

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PEA Scholarships
PEA Scholarship applications are available for
graduating high school seniors who will be attending an
institution of higher learning in the fall of 2017.
Applicants must be the son or daughter of a parent who
is a current member of the PEA/CTA/NEA. You may
request a scholarship application form from the PEA
office at 432-0199 or email susan@peateachers.org.
Scholarship forms must be returned to the PEA Office
(159 East 4th Street)
no later than Monday, April 10, 2017 by 4 p.m.
Read Across Pittsburg is
March 2nd
We are seeking volunteers to read at
various preschool and Head Start locations
around Pittsburg! Slots are available!
If youre interested in reading to our future
students, please e-mail Michell Redfoot at
michellredfoot@yahoo.com
by Friday, February 24.
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PEA Member
Spotlight
This new column will be a place to hear from our
members who have answered the question of the month.
With this being award season for movies, the question
for February is:
What is your favorite movie and why?
My favorite move is the Lord of the Rings Trilogy because
it has all the great themes of love, loss, and sacrifice that
we all love to see.
Mark Maselli, Hillview JHS, 6TH and 7th Grade P.E.
Rocky 3 is my favorite movie because there are so many
life lessons in the movie. Love Apollo teaming up to help
Rocky regain his title.
Martin Santiago, PILC
My favorite movie is The Shining. This is my favorite
movie because of the acting that Jack Nicholson didhe
was amazing!
Karren Bascomb, Parkside Elementary, Music Teacher
Hidden Figures is my favorite movie because everyone
deserves a chance to achieve their full potential.
Mick McCoy, PHS, 12th Grade Algebra
My favorite movie of all time is To Kill a Mocking Bird
primarily because there are just so many lessons to be
learned about the evils of FEAR. When the focus is more
on what we have in common vs. our differences, we can
appreciate the similarities while celebrating and respecting
the differences.
Melonie Sauceda-Flemming, Speech Language
Pathologist, Hillview JHS & MLK Jr. JHS
 Ethnic Minority & Human Rights
Reception
By, Tammy Carr, PEA President
I attended the Alcosta Service Center Councils Ethnic
Minority and Human Rights Reception on Saturday,
December 3rd. It was held in the Pleasant Hill Senior Center
on Gregory Lane. The reception consisted of a time to speak
with others in attendance, eating a scrumptious meal, and a
panel discussion.
The guest speakers for the panel were Marcelo (a student
attending Los Medanos College), Kathy Martinez (Associate
Director for Diversity & Inclusion for Stanford University),
Keith Brown (CTA member of the Oakland Education
Association and activist), and Gary Leveque (GLBT Issues
Chair for San Ramon Valley Education Association). The
moderator for the panel was Joe Kue Angeles (CTA member
of New Haven Teachers Association and awarded the 2016
Social Justice Activist of the Year along with two other
colleagues for promoting Filipino history and culture). Before
the discussion started each panelist introduced themselves.
Then the moderator asked for questions from the audience.
There was a thoughtful discussion generated from many
topics that were along the lines of social justice,
homelessness of students, and equity.
What I took away from this event was the need for more
people to be participants in the discussion. More people
need to attend this reception and gain new insight into what
our students are facing each day. We need to bring students
into the conversation as well. The equal opportunity to a
great education is more complex. It goes beyond a school.
It reaches out to a body of people of a community to ask
questions, advocate for change, and design solutions for the
change to occur. These ideas are not new, but well worth
striving to accomplish.
Next year, make it a point to attend the reception. It will give
you a sense of viewpoints beyond your own and challenge
your thinking.
***********************************
Issues Conference
By, Mark Maselli, PEA Bargaining Chair, Hillview JHS
This years Issues Conference was jam packed with very
interesting topics. The first session I went to had to do with
for profit charter schools. We watched the movie Education
Inc., which is about for profit charter schools and their push
of outside money to elect school boards that will allow these
schools to come in and syphon money away from traditional
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public schools. We must be vigilant in our watching of
Rocketship Charter and how they might try and influence our
school board election.
I was also able to go to an LCAP elective where I was able to
get information on the timelines for the LCAP and where
teachers can make sure their voices are heard. I was then
able to go to SOGI elective where I was able to learn more
about the LGBTQ community and how to interact in a
respectful way with those in the community. We can all be
allies of the LGBTQ community.
On Sunday, I attended another LCAP presentation on
enforcement and accountability, so we can make sure that
the district does what they are supposed to in terms of the
LCAP in involving all stakeholders in the process. The
weekend ended with an inspiring talk from Reed Cowan, an
LGBT activist and filmmaker.
What I would suggest everyone remember is: Be Involved in
your School Board Elections if you want to keep out Private
for Profit Charter Schools!
I found the weekend very inspiring and appreciate PEA
sending me.
***********************************
State Council
By, Mark Maselli, PEA Bargaining Chair, Hillview JHS
State Council was full of information this January. We
discussed member engagement in general session. It is so
important for us to get out and meet all of our members and
show them the importance of being in a union. The more
involvement we get from members, the stronger we are.
State Council also took up positions on various bills going
through the legislature. At the March State Council, there will
be many more of those bills coming down.
My committee, Credentials and Professional Development,
spent hours discussing how to attract and retain teachers in
the profession. Many ideas came forth such as: subsidized
teacher housing; student loan forgiveness; along with better
pay and benefits. We also discussed teachers having more
control over how they teach and being able to pick
professional development. Districts are going to have to look
at how they are going to get teachers to come to their district,
as there are many more jobs out there right now than there
are teachers.
Again, the overarching theme of the weekend was to get out
and engage your members! Get to know them and let them
know why you choose to be a union member and why they
should too!
 Good Teaching Conference

By, Michell Redfoot,

Education Specialist Teacher, PEA Elementary V.P.

This last weekend I had the opportunity to attend CTAs

Good Teaching Conference North at the Fairmont in San
Jose. While the food was good and the location wonderful,
it was the sessions I was truly excited for. I was not
disappointed! Writing has always been a challenging skill
for my students, so my main goal was to attend as many
sessions on writing as I could. After attending truly
informative sessions on writing, I came away with a clear
set of tools and strategies that I am implementing
immediately. In my excitement, I have spent every
afternoon this week creating needed materials and I am
almost ready to fully implement what I learned. For the first
time as a teacher, I feel equipped to help my students
bridge that gap between what they say and what they
write. I am appreciative to have tools to explicitly teach my
students how to create sentences from starters to
extending a sentence.
The CTA, once again, has demonstrated the excellent
value and importance of TEACHERS teaching
TEACHERS!
Thank you so much, PEA, for helping me attend!
***********************************
SPED Issues Meeting
By, Michell Redfoot,
Education Specialist Teacher, PEA Elementary V.P.
Hello, PEA Members,
Our January SPED Issues meeting covering behavior
management for our more needy students went well.
Though attendance was low, the members in attendance
had ample time to brainstorm specific issues and received
handy tips on key intervention strategies and information on
Child Trauma.
Black History Month recognizes the rich cultural
history and contributions of African Americans,
important contributions being made by African
American teachers and education support
professionals in our public schools, and we honor
the dedication and leadership of all of our
members who are working hard to close
achievement gaps and raise graduation rates. We
have a moral and civil obligation to give all of our
students a fighting chance.
___________________________________________________________
Do:
Incorporate black history year-round, not
just in February.
Reinforce to students that black history is
American history, relevant to all students.
Connect issues in the past to current issues
to make history relevant to students lives.
Do Not:
Limit the presentation to lectures and
reading. Allow students an opportunity to
discuss and reflect.
Talk about black history in solely feel-
good language, or as a thing of the past.
Shy away from controversial, ambiguous or
unresolved issues. Share the real-life
experiences about racial realities in
developmentally appropriate ways.

Please feel free to directly contact me if you have a topic

idea you would like to have covered at a future SPED Issue
Meeting.

On Thursday, March 9th at 3:45 we will hold our follow up

SPED meeting, What the SST! I hope to see you all there!

Thank you.
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 Calendar
February 2017
3-5 Good Teaching Conference Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, CA
7 PEA Executive Board PEA Office 159 East 4th St. 4:00 PM
8 PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 6:30 PM
14 Valentines Day
17 Lincolns Day (no school)
20 Presidents Day (no school)
21 PEA Rep Council PEA Office 159 East 4th St. 4:00 PM
22 PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 6:30 PM

March 2017
1 Ash Wednesday
2 Read Across Pittsburg 3:30-4:00 PM
7 PEA Executive Board PEA Office 159 East 4th St. 4:00 PM
8 PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 6:30 PM
12 Daylight Savings Time begins
17 St. Patricks Day
20 Spring begins
21 PEA Rep Council PEA Office 159 East 4th St. 4:00 PM
22 PUSD School Board Meeting 2000 Railroad Ave. 6:30 PM
31 Caesar Chavez Day No school

Next Deadline for Articles is Monday, March 13, 2017

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