chicago principals & administrators association, afsa...
TRANSCRIPT
I am going to get right to the point. Everyone’s asking, is
angry, or in a panic about the furlough days. At the time of
my preparing this article, no ready solution is at hand. A
meeting is scheduled for March 8th, with Terry Mazany, my-
self and our pension representative Chris Kotis, to discuss
the “infamous” furlough days. We, meaning CPAA, have
been prepared and anxious to tackle the issue for some
time. Needless to say, obstacle after obstacle has hampered
everyone getting to the table in a timely fashion. Certainly,
Mazany is coming to his position at a time when almost
nothing is working well. We understand that he needed time
to get his arms around this enormous organizational mon-
ster, CPS. I want to applaud the courage it took to accept the
job of CEO with no expectation of actually having enough
time to make a real impact.
Having had the opportunity to meet with Mazany, I must say
I was impressed with his insight about some of the chronic,
but not so public, problems in the system. His sincerity was
obvious from the start, allowing for comfortable and open
conversations to take place. Those of you at this year’s An-
nual Conference can attest to the astonishing talk he gave at
our opening. Many of you took time to speak to him person-
ally, as he did not dash out the door as so many of his pre-
decessors have done. I felt thrilled to have my impression of
him validated by those present at the Conference.
Despite my encouragement about Mazany’s openness, we
are prepared to press hard on the need for transparency
about the state of CPS’s finances. There have been signifi-
cant additions to the revenue stream coming to CPS over
the last six months. The Federal Government awarded CPS
$104 million through the EduJobs program to save teaching
positions. Let’s not forget about the drastic pension reform
that saved CPS about $400 million. Those savings may one
day put our Chicago Teachers Pension Fund in great jeopar-
dy. Now the Governor’s race is over and the much-debated
State Income Tax increase was approved by the State Legis-
lature. On February 16th, the Governor unveiled the State
Budget, and we are waiting for the analysis of how much
CPS can expect in state funding. None of us are oblivious
to the dire economic status of CPS and the State of Illinois.
Having said that, we want CPS to make every effort to less-
en the already severe economic burden it has placed on its
middle management. Before any more of our hard-earned
money is stripped from us and the accompanying pension
loss it causes, we want to see the books!
Chicago Principals & Administrators Association, AFSA Local 2, AFL-CIO
The Torch Is BurnIng
4
reTIrees’ corner
5
54Th AnnuAl
educATIon conference
6
20 N. Wacker Dr.Suite 622
Chicago, Il 60606312-263-7767
Fax 312-263-2012www.mycpaa.org
FEBRUARY 2011MYCPAA.ORG
A Message From The Presidentby Clarice Berry
VOL. XVII I , NO. 2
The Lamp
The Lamp is published monthly by the Chicago Principals & Administrators Association and distributed to the entire membership. Recent editions are available online at
http://www.mycpaa.org. Comments and suggestions are welcome; please e-mail Associate Editor Kent Lau at [email protected]. The Chicago Principals & Administrators
Association AFSA Local 2, AFL-CIO, 20 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 622, Chicago, IL 60606, Phone: 312-263-7767, Fax: 312-263-2012, www.mycpaa.org
Clarice Berry
Editor
Kent Lau
Associate Editor
Kimberly Tsui
Design/Production
AFFILIATIONS:
American Federation of
School Administrators
(AFSA)
American Federation of Labor-
Congress of Industrial Organizations
(AFL-CIO)
Illinois American Federation of Labor-
Congress of Industrial Organizations
(IL AFL-CIO)
Chicago Federation of Labor-
Industrial Union Council
(CFL-IUC)
January GoverningBoard Meeting ReportJanuary 3, 2011
The CPAA Governing Board met on Monday, January 3, 2011.
Executive Board Members Present – Clarice Berry, Everett Edwards II, Gloria Espinosa, Brenetta Glass,
Donald Mendro, Elba Plúas
Governing Board Members Present – Pedro Beiza, Ana Espinosa, Maria Fresse-Giffels, Senalda Grady,
Guadalupe Gonzalez, David Peterson, Serena Peterson, Virginia Rivera, Efren Toledo, Jerry Travalos
CPAA Staff Present – William Quinlan
Call To Order – President Clarice Berry called the meeting to order at 5:08 PM.
Minutes Of Previous Meeting – Clarice Berry asked for a motion to accept November 8, 2010 minutes
as written. Motion was seconded by David Peterson and unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s Report – Treasurer’s Report was presented by Gloria Espinosa. Serena Peterson moved to
accept the Treasurer’s Report. Motion was seconded by Gloria Espinosa.
Membership Report – Membership Report read by Gloria Espinosa. David Peterson moved to accept
the Membership Report. Motion was seconded by Ana Espinosa.
President’s Report – Attorney Quinlan is awaiting a response from the attorneys for the building at
LaSalle and Wacker.
President Berry will ask CTU President Karen G. J. Lewis and CEO Terry Mazany to encourage principals
to attend the 54th Annual CPAA Education Conference at Fairmont Chicago on February 3rd and 4th.
Auxiliary VII
Move to allow the publication of salaries. President Berry will respond with information in The Lamp.
Move to invite all marginal candidates to a forum; everyone’s platform needs to be heard. President
Berry will contact Gabriel Lopez to set up a forum with candidates.
Auxiliary IX
Move that the Executive Board inquire into the legality of furlough days. Attorney Quinlan read a passage
from the principal’s contract indicating that furlough days were not illegal.
The Lamp —February 2011 3
President Berry set up a meeting with CEO Mazany
on December 14, 2010, which was cancelled;
President Berry will set up another meeting with
CEO Mazany to discuss furlough days.
Move to request meeting with pension representa-
tive. Human Capital identified 2011 retirees as ex-
empt from furlough days, waiting for 2012 retirees
exemption. President Berry will seek restoration of
loss wages for those who have taken furlough
days. Clarice Berry states that the furlough issue
will be clarified in the upcoming newsletter; until
such time, do not take furlough days.
Committee Reports and Meetings
There were no reports.
Old Business
None.
New Business
None.
Submitted by: Brenetta V. Glass, Secretary
Auxiliary IContact Jerry Travlos773-534-3711Smyser Elementary
Auxiliary IIContact Efren Toledo773-534-2312La Villa
Auxiliary IIIContact Herman Escobar773-534-4375La Villa
Auxiliary IVContact Jacqueline Robinson773-534-6050
Auxiliary VContact Virginia Rivera773-535-7252Mi Tierra
Auxiliary VIContact CPAA Office312-263-7767
Auxiliary VIIContact Ana Espinosa773-535-0457Sandoval School
Auxiliary VIIIContact CPAA Office312-263-7767
Auxiliary IXContact Senald Grady773-535-3435Pirie School
Auxiliary XContact CPAA Office312-263-7767
Auxiliary XIContact Chris Jones773-534-2477TBD
Auxiliary XIIContact CPAA Office312-263-7767
Auxiliary XIIIContact CPAA Office312-263-7767
Auxiliary XIVContact CPAA Office312-263-7767
Auxiliary XVContact CPAA Office312-263-7767
Auxiliary XVIContact David Peterson847-223-3958CPAA Office
March Auxiliary Meeting Schedule
Chicago Board of EducationMonthly MeetingWednesday, February 23, 2011Board Chambers 125 S. Clark St.
Registration 8:00–9:00 AMPublic Participation 10:30 AM–12:30 PM
CPAA General Membership Meeting Monday, March 21, 2011(See back cover)
Upcoming Meetings
Member NewsBoard Action — At the December 2010 and January 2011 Board of Education Meetings, the following Principal Contracts were approved: Pedro Alonso, Von Steuben High School; Brenda DeMar-Williams, Earhart Elementary; Mary Dixon, Dawes Elementary; Christine Jabbari, Rogers Elementary; Saundra Jones, West Park Elementary; Antoinette LoBosco, Lane Tech High School; Jorge Macias, Galileo Elementary; Krish Mohip, Walsh Elementary; Antoinette McClellan-Brown, Vanderpoel Elementary; LaTanya McDade, Keller Elementary; Eileen O’Toole, Albany Park Elementary; Melody Seaton, Gompers Elementary; Juanita Saucedo, Kanoon Elementary; Dorothy Thompson, Parkside Elementary; Jerry Travlos, Smyser Elementary.
New Members — David Belanger, Principal, Hanson Park Elementary; Bernadette Glover, A.P., Bret Harte Elementary; Martin Ryczek, A.P., Palmer Elementary; Francisco Sanchez, A.P., Stevenson Elementary.
Condolences — Leonel Craig, father of Michele Barton, former Principal of Metcalfe Elementary School, passed away in January 2011. Nadine DeJulio, wife of Dr. Emil DeJulio, former CAO and CPAA Treasurer, passed away on January 20, 2011.
It’s difficult to be positive during these cold days in
the heart of winter, but nonetheless that’s how I feel
about our 54th Annual Education Conference. This
could easily have been called “the conference that
never was.”
First of all, there was a very real possibility last
September that we were going to skip this
conference due to the generally tough economic
times we were — and still are — all experiencing. It
was a combination of not wanting to break the
conference chain by our President Clarice Berry and
encouragement to go forward from Chicago Board
of Education President Mary Richardson-Lowry that
put the original plan in progress.
All was going well until Mother Nature decided to
test us (as if we don’t have too much testing
already!) with a hundred-year snowstorm. The
CPAA certainly bent, but we did not break. Everyone
pulled on their hightop boots and adjusted to the
situation. The Illinois Administrators Academy
sessions planned for Thursday, February 3rd, were
moved to Saturday, February 5th. Academy
Executive Director Sallie Penman even made
additional accommodations for any who were not
able to make the Saturday classes. Way to go Sallie!
The CPAA staff, under the leadership of Office
Manager Kent Lau, rearranged the conference
details and program. The “Making Ends Meet” 54th
Annual Chicago Principals and Administrators
Association Education Conference was then held at
the Fairmont Hotel on Thursday, February 10, 2011.
It was, I feel, a success on all levels.
The participants started the day with an introduction
to and speech from the interim Chicago Board of
Education Chief Executive Officer Terry Mazany.
What a speech it was! Not one full of dry data and
statistics, but rather one from the heart concerning
all of the difficult aspects of teaching and learning. I
hope the new mayor gives serious consideration to
Terry Mazany as a permanent candidate for the
office of Chief Executive. He seems to be exactly
what we need – a thoughtful educator.
All of the sessions were well-attended, but the three
by Chief Human Capital Officer Alicia Winckler
received special attention. All of the attendees
strained to know the very latest on evaluation
reform and the hiring of school staff. All of our
presenters gave participants a variety of pertinent
topics from which to choose.
In spite of the snow and our change of dates, the
vendor floor was full of presenters. It is always
difficult for them to get to see you in your schools,
so they look upon this conference as a prime
occasion to display their goods and services to all of
you. I hope you set aside plenty of time to visit all of
them. Aside from their financial assistance in parts
of the conference, this is a golden opportunity to
sort through their many offerings and pick out
those who can be of assistance to you and your
school. I frequently found new ideas popping into
my head when I visited the vendors. I’m sure it’s a
similar feeling for all of you.
Although it’s hard, it’s good to sometimes have to
make changes on the fly. An emergency makes you
rethink all you do and some of the changes can turn
out better than the original. Let me cite two as
examples: Our sit-down lunch always seemed to
me to take too long. The food might not be hot
when it was served to you. This time we had six
buffet lines with a wide variety of hot foods from
which to choose. Soup and dessert were at
additional stations. No waiting! Go back as many
times as you wish!! I heard a lot of rave reviews
about this changed luncheon service. The second
item I heard positive feedback on was the raffles at
the evening reception that you had to be present at
to win. We held all of the raffles at the beginning of
the evening reception. Those who wished to get an
early start for home could then depart. No one felt
cheated as they might have in the past when the
raffles were the last item on the agenda.
I could continue with items and events from the
conference that all led to its success. As always, I
think of that networking piece all of us get when we
attend. There is nothing more important than the
people you meet and interact with at the conference.
This might well be the time when you are introduced
to the person who will be your perfect assistant
principal or you hear about a potential principalship
opening in the course of good conversation with
your colleagues.
It’s my hope that we can go back to a two-day
conference and that we are forced to close
registration early because all of our 800 slots are
booked. I urge all of this year’s attendees to please
spread the word about what a valuable – and fun –
time we had. All administrators should attend; a big
THANK YOU to those who did.
I started my column with the cold thoughts of
winter; let me conclude with a warm longing for
spring. It does seem far off – baseball pitchers and
catchers are just now being called to Arizona for
spring training (no, you can’t go!). We have recently
entered the second half of our educational season
as well. Buckle down and resolve again to give your
best effort to our students. They deserve no less
and you’ll feel better because of the worthwhile
work you do. Spring will come.
The Torch Is Burning
by John Butterfield
The Lamp —February 2011 5
STAY ING CONNECTED AND ADDRESS ING THE CONCERNS SHAPING YOUR FUTURE
Happy New Year! The latest Auxiliary XVI meeting
was held on February 15th on the 6th floor
conference room in the 20 N. Wacker Drive building,
new location of the CPAA offices. If you are one of
the 700+ CPAA retired members and have an e-mail
account, you would do well to give your e-mail
address to Auxiliary XVI president, Dave Peterson,
at [email protected], and he will notify you of
future meetings.
The guest speaker at the January meeting was Kevin
Huber, Executive Director of the Chicago Teachers
Pension Fund (CTPF). Mr. Huber indicated that the
latest state income tax increase will not apply to our
pension payments, BUT the taxing of it may very
well be approached during the current new session.
The tax increase will not benefit our pension system
though it will benefit the other state pension
systems. The CTPF is now about 67% funded, and
it will continue to drop, partially as a result of the
state approving a lowering of payments to the Fund
by the Board of Education for this and the next two
years. However, the 20-year return on investments
is 9% rather than the anticipated 8%.
Kevin pointed out that our current focus is to get
the state to provide more funds to the CTPF since
the CPS is not paying what it should be paying (as it
was given permission to do) to make up the funding
below the 90% level. The state should contribute to
the CTPF an amount equitable to that given to the
TRS (retirement system for educators in the rest of
the state).
Although the CTPF’s and the Retired Teachers
Association of Chicago’s (RTAC) legislative agendas
both include the goal of increasing the health
insurance rebate to $100 million from the current
$65 million, Mr. Huber doesn’t see that happening
at this time. It might be better to seek having the
$65 million tied to and reflect an annual consumer
health insurance cost; this might stabilize the
increase rather than there being a need for continual
requests for raising the allocation. The 2011 health
rebate of 60% will be effective for this year and next.
Those in attendance approved a motion to accept/
support the RTAC legislative agenda for 2011, which
was distributed to each member. They also
encouraged the CTPF to change one of its goals
from “Provide for an additional property tax levy of
0.1% with the proceeds to go directly to CTPF” to a
goal which seeks the restoring of the tax levy in
place before it was redirected to the CPS in 1995.
Several of the other items on the CTPF agenda were
also discussed.
A motion was approved, which recommended to
the Governing Board, that the President question
the CPS as to whether all for whom they are making
contributions to the Pension Board are appropriate,
as it seems that some that are included may not
meet the requirements for being included in the
CTPF system.
The motion that was previously presented to the
Governing Board from Auxiliary VIII, “to increase
the retirees’ membership dues from $50 to $100
per year,” was partially discussed. Many related
questions were raised relative to the CPAA costs for
being a member of AFSA (American Federation of
School Administrators), the costs of producing the
calendar and newsletters, the possibility of
providing a printed “retirees directory” for those
who requested it (in view of the fact that many
retirees do not have/use computers), the financial
situation of the CPAA, the CPAA recruiting efforts,
and other concerns. A motion was approved to ask
CPAA President Clarice Berry to attend the next
auxiliary meeting. The discussion of the dues
increase was tabled to the next auxiliary meeting. In
view of the fact that 40% of the CPAA membership
is comprised of retired members, a motion was
presented and approved to request the Governing
Board to support a change of the CPAA constitution
and bylaws to provide for the inclusion of a Retired
Vice-President on the Executive Board.
The Retired Principals and Superintendents group
has scheduled its Spring Luncheon Meeting for
May 12th. It will probably be held at Grace O’Malley’s
on Michigan Avenue. Treasurer MaryAnn Timlin
has expressed her gratitude to all those who have
paid their $5 dues as it has enabled the group to
send a donation to both the Science Fair and the
History Fair. Dues should be sent to MaryAnn at
10549 Thornham Lane, Mokena, IL 60448. For
more information, contact her at 708-478-3019.
Happy New Year and may the return of the lost sun
bring warmth and smiles upon your face.
Send your news about retired members or the
activities of retired members’ groups to Art Fumarolo,
CPAA, 20 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 622, Chicago, IL
60606, or call me at 847-289-7847, or e-mail them to
Retirees' Corner by Art Fumarolo
Photos from the 54th Annual Education Conference at the Fairmont Hotel Chicago.To view and/or download photos from the Conference, please visit www.mycpaa.org.
Please enclose your check for $40 with your reservation. Mail to: CPAA, 20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 622, Chicago, IL, prior to Friday, March 18, 2011.
NAME
POSITION
SCHOOL / SITE
Monday, March 21, 2011
Galleria Marchetti825 West Erie StreetChicago, Illinois
special guestTBD
Cost: $40Valet Parking available for $12
You may also register online by visiting our website:http://www.mycpaa.org
NO RESERVATIONS WILL BE TAKEN AT THE DOOR!
schedule 4–5 Cocktails 5–6 Dinner 6–7 Business Meeting
general membership meeting
Roast Fillet with Mushroom Wine Sauce
Broiled Salmon Steak
Chicken Marsala
Vegetarian (Eggplant Parmesan)
ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY CHICAGO EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES TASK FORCE State Rep. Cynthia Soto and State Sen. Heather Steans, Co-Chairs
NOTICE OF PUBLIC FEEDBACK PROCESS REGARDING THE PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS
Of the CHICAGO EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES TASK FORCE Based on 10 months of public input from a broad array of stakeholders, along with research on national best practices, and analysis of data provided by the Chicago Public Schools (“CPS”), the General Assembly’s Task Force on Chicago Educational Facilities has proposed preliminary recommendations for legislation to reform CPS’ management of and investment in educational facilities, school utilization, and “School Actions”. The Public Input Subcommittee of the Task Force will hold three meetings at which the public may provide feedback on these recommendations:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18th, 2011, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Bilandic Bldg Auditorium, 160 N. LaSalle, Room 500
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd, 2011, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Northern Trust Bank, 7801 S. State Street
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24th, 2011, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM Roberto Clemente High School, 1147 N. Western Avenue
THE TASK FORCE PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT ALL THREE PUBLIC HEARINGS; and ARE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW ONLINE AT THE WEBSITE OF THE ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION:
www.isbe.net.state.il.us/CEF/
Additionally, members of the public may download and complete the Public Feedback Form found on the above ISBE webpage. They may submit the completed feedback form or any comment via fax to Valencia Rias at 312-‐236-‐7927; or via email to the Public Input Subcommittee at:
The Public Feedback Period will remain open for 15 days following the last public hearing.
On March 11, 2011 the ILGA’s Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force will meet to finalize its recommendations at 9:30 AM in the Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle, RM N-505, Chicago, IL.
Theme: Education is a Civil Right: Upright, Up front, and Up for the Challenge
Come Celebrate Black History with CAABSE and Bring a Friend.
Do You Know Your History?
Play Who Am I?
Black-eyed Peas Cornbread
Cabbage Chicken
Punch Sweet Potatoes
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 4:15 pm – 6:30 pm
Mayo Elementary School 249 East 37th Street Chicago, Illinois 60653
Jeff Dase, President Stephen D. Bournes, Chairperson
Workshop Title: Using African-American film excerpts to Engage Middle
School and High School Students in Higher Order
Thinking
Raffle Prizes!!!
Registration 4:00 pm – 5:00
pm
Join our Round Robin Table
Discussion . .
Meet people who might know about vacancies.
Jewelry &
More
Enjoy Performances by the Mayo School Choir
and African Dance Group