Negotiations Update

From Amanda Rayls on Thursday February 10, 2022:
Dear colleagues,

Today your DTA Negotiations Team met with the DJUSD Team. The session opened with a budget presentation by the District. DJUSD then presented their first proposal, addressing salary and benefits (see attached document below). Your DTA Negotiations Team spent the remainder of the day reviewing the District’s proposal and strategizing our counter proposal based on member feedback.

Join Us for Organizing Committee Meetings

OrgCom is where the important work of planning union activities and actions takes place. If you have ideas on how DTA can make progress on important issues such as health care and contract negotiations, make your voice heard every third Tuesday of the month.

OrgCom will meet on Zoom at 4:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) for the remaining days in 2021-22 school year:

        Feb 15, 2022 04:00 PM

        Mar 15, 2022 04:00 PM

        Apr 19, 2022 04:00 PM

        May 17, 2022 04:00 PM

Use this Zoom link to join us and bring a friend!

Meeting ID: 868 9731 0755
Passcode: F$*?1c

President’s Update March 4

Dear Colleagues,

DTA members have voted to endorse the MOU. Thank you to all who voted, and thank you to each and every member of our negotiations team for the work and dedication to making a safe return to in person learning possible. This is an extraordinary year for our schools- and our team has been working throughout the year, sacrificing their personal time, to address the pandemic’s impact on our schools.  It is no easy task, as metrics and directives from the state have gone through several changes as the year has progressed. Victor Lagunes, Elizabeth Allen, Lauren Kahn, Amanda Rayls, Sydney Lundy, and Frank Thomsen all deserve our thanks. We have one of the best MOUs in the region, and I do not know of any local or state chapter who was able to include vaccinations as a condition for reopening.

Also, there is another vaccination clinic this weekend.  If you would like a vaccination, and were unable to get one prior to this weekend, and have not informed us already, please send us an email and let us know.  

The district is planning on sending out a FAQ to district employees sometime next week, and will also be sending out a parent survey to get an idea how many students are returning so that they can  plan cohorts for hybrid. They will be making a presentation about campus re-openings at tonight’s schoolboard meeting.

We know that this is our third transition in a year, and that the movement into Hybrid presents many challenges and anxieties for teachers. We are trying to address some of these challenges before the move, but as with any changes, there will be some difficulties that we cannot predict. Please keep DTA leadership informed of any issues, particularly as they are emerging, so that we can address them.  

In Solidarity,
Dianna Huculak-Stommel

Your Digital Membership Card

Hopefully you received this email from CTA to allow you to access your membership info digitally, but we thought we’d post it here for future reference:

CTA is very excited to announce the release of the new CTA digital membership card!  

Have you ever misplaced your physical membership card, never received a card, or realized you left it at home when you really needed to access an educator discount?  No problem! Now you can always have your CTA membership card available, right from your cell phone! 

To add your CTA digital membership card to your mobile wallet, simply open this email from your cell phone and CLICK HERE.  

Your digital membership card works the same way as the physical card you received in this year’s August/September issue of the CTA Educator magazine.  Use either card to gain access to a variety of CTA Member-only benefits, discounts and programs to enhance your life and career.  Whether you are trying to save money on school supplies or looking for ways to protect yourself and family with insurance solutions or your financial future with retirement savings, we have you covered. For a complete list of discounts and resources, go to www.CTAMemberBenefits.org.

If you have any difficulty downloading your CTA digital membership card, please contact CTA Membership at Membership@cta.org.

President’s Updates

 Thank you for your dedication and work on behalf of our students and community.  DTA values your input, so if you are seeing  new issues, please let your site rep know to bring your concerns to rep council. If you have an immediate issue, please email us directly.

I do have an ask for you. As you know Prop 15 (AKA Schools and Communities first) will be on the ballot this coming election. Prop 15 closes property tax loopholes that have allowed big businesses to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Passing prop 15 would mean an additional 12 billion a year in revenue for schools all over California. Specifically, our district could see an additional $4,651,000. This additional revenue for schools could help offset cuts because of losses from COVID or a recession.   Please pledge your support for our schools, programs and colleagues, and Prop 15 at http://bit.ly/CTAProp15We have a goal of 80% of our members pledging their vote in the upcoming election. This kind of pledge allows our union to focus on other outreach, rather than calling teachers to ask for their support. So please take a minute to submit your form, it took me about sixty seconds.

Also, we have reached our campaign goal for disability insurance.  If you did not apply because you have a preexisting condition that has precluded you from getting disability insurance in the past, please know that it is now open enrollment and they cannot refuse you. Enrollment is open until October 31st. Just in case you have missed the link: 
https://standard.com/cta/dta 

DTA ELECTION RESULTS

Thank you for voting in our officer election.  Here are the election results:

Interim Executive Board Member:  Blair Howard
Secretary: Leeana Neely
Membership Chair:  Drew Barclay
Social Chair:   Shenandoah Kehoe
Treasurer:  Tim Mccormick

A special thank you to Frank Thomsen for all of his dedication and service to DTA.

In Solidarity,
Dianna Stommel
DTA President

Open Enrollment – Disability and Life Insurance

Open enrollment has begun
If you do not currently carry disability insurance through a private insurance group, DTA STRONGLY recommends that you sign up now during The Standard’s open enrollment campaign. This is a special enrollment period just for our members, and if 5% of our membership signs up, no one will be asked medical questions or be denied due to a pre-existing condition. 

Why do you need disability insurance?
When you must be absent from work for medical reasons, you will first have to exhaust all your accrued sick leave with the district. Without disability insurance, when your sick leave runs out but you must still be absent from work, you may only be able to receive unpaid time off or differential pay. Now more than ever, we should have contingency plans in place for our health and well-being. As teachers, we are not eligible for state disability, and so we must carry our own private policies. When you go on maternity/paternity leave, disability insurance acts as your paid family leave.

Why should you choose The Standard?

  • Standard covers members both on and off the job. Regardless if workers comp will or won’t pay  – they do  
  • Standard covers members without limitations –no special limitations for mental health, drug or alcohol related claims  
  • Standard limits the waiting periods prior to using the benefit. 10 consecutive RDA days following the policy effective date only. No long waits of 12-24 month prior to use for specific claim types
  • Standard policies run month to month, no annual contracts- members have the choice to drop at any time, hassle free. 
  • Standard guarantees the payout at the time of claim at whatever daily rate plus stipends!  No need to update incomes. 

How do you enroll?
Use the information below to find DTA’s enrollment website. Schedule a virtual meeting if you have questions you want answered by a Standard representative. During open enrollment, you may also apply for a life insurance policy or increase the amount on an existing policy. Email our consultant Suzanne Reilly with any further questions:

Enrollment DatesAugust 15 – October 31, 2020
Enrollment Websitehttps://standard.com/cta/dta 
Virtual Group Meetings Schedulehttps://www.standard.com/cta/meeting/dta-lbta 
Your Benefits ConsultantSuzanne Reilly: 916.292.1595
Suzanne.Reilly@standard.com 

Message From Outgoing and Incoming DTA Presidents August 4

Dear Colleagues, 

It has been a privilege to serve the educators of Davis Teachers Association. As I reflect on the great efforts, challenges, and successes of this year, I recognize one clear truth: we are better when we engage. We are better when we engage with our students. We are better when we engage in our school’s community. We are better when we engage with our Union. 

Each of the achievements of this year were only possible because of DTA members who volunteered their time, effort, and passion. We successfully advocated for and helped pass Measure G, which will allow us to continue to attract and retain the educators our students deserve. We updated our Union bylaws so that we can have a governance structure that best serves our members. We navigated the challenges of the shutdown relating to the global pandemic with poise and care. 

Most recently our membership has been focused on our return to school in the Fall. While there has been progress on that front, DTA must continue to work for what is best for our students and educators. We need to ensure the health and safety of us and our loved ones, and each of us must adapt our practices in order to best serve our students. Our work continues, but I have the utmost faith in our ability to meet the challenges ahead of us as we begin the Professional Development and planning for the upcoming year.

In closing, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunities, experiences, and friendships I have made this year as President, and I will continue to do so as I now transition into the role of past-President. Davis Teachers Association’s governance dictates that the presidential term begins on the first Monday in August, thus allowing me the honor of passing the title and duties of President to Dianna Stommel. I am confident that under her leadership, we can continue to progress forward to do what is best for our students and educators.

With thanks,
Victor Lagunes, DTA Past President



Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for the honor of representing you this year.  I know that summer has not been particularly restful for any of us as we’ve gone from experiencing optimism about the possibility of school reopening to dealing with the uncertainty of what school will look like in the fall, all the while worrying about the health and safety of our students, our families, and our colleagues.

We are in unprecedented times, but our colleagues have stepped up. DTA thanks our educators, who worked tirelessly in the District Action Teams over the summer—they have been giving their voices and expertise in planning all facets of the coming school year. We also thank our negotiations team led by Frank Thomsen for reaching our first MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with DJUSD for the reopening of school in the fall, which includes paid professional development time, as well as sick days if you happen to get sick with COVID 19.  We also recognize our PAC (Political Action Committee) for interviewing candidates for the school board appointment. While the timeline and summer break prevented DTA from endorsing a candidate, as it turns out, we will have an opportunity to do so in the fall election.

We also recognize all that YOU have done this summer, from reworking your curriculum for online learning and familiarizing yourself with new software to reading books for your classes and attending professional development.  This is the work that we always do; however, in the midst of a pandemic, coupled with widespread protests and a national conversation about systemic racism and injustice, that work and time for reflection as educators is more important than ever. I also know that I represent some of the kindest and best teachers around–so while you may have read or heard some criticism from pundits or community members on message boards and facebook groups, remember that we have earned–through our dedication and commitment to students–the overwhelming support of parents and the wider community. 

We begin a school year unlike any other, and it seems that while one aspect of our year has been decided, there are many unknowns–including a possible recession, state cuts to education, as well as the virus.  As a union, we have a difficult road ahead of us.  Yet, we should be optimistic.  Over the past few years we have seen the power of solidarity with one another.  We will need each other to face whatever challenges this year will bring.  Please remember that we can only be as successful as your willingness to be involved in your union. I know that our schedules are full, but please consider volunteering either as a site rep, an organizing committee member, or a PAC member. There will also be an election at start of school for our Executive Board. With your involvement and support, anything is possible.

I look forward to serving you.  If you have any questions, you can reach me at diannahuculak@gmail.com.

In solidarity,
Dianna Stommel

Negotiations Agreement Update July 30

Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce that, after meeting for the fourth time this summer, the DTA and DJUSD negotiating teams have come to agreement on several key items which are particularly time-sensitive related to the opening of the 2020/21 school year. We realize that there are still more matters to discuss, and negotiations will continue in a collegial and collaborative process as needed. 

Please see the attached document:

Sincerely, 

Frank C. Thomsen, DTA Lead Negotiator
Matt Best, Deputy Superintendent

Negotiations Update July 28

Your DTA negotiating team met yesterday with the DJUSD negotiating team to discuss steps necessary to ensure a safe and effective start to the upcoming distance learning term.

We had a very productive meeting in which we exchanged proposals with the district regarding paid professional development time, leave for COVID-19, expedited handling of health and safety concerns,  evaluations, and working conditions for teachers. DTA exchanged four proposals with the district, and the District Negotiation Team shared four proposals with us. 

You can read our proposals here: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bTqlLDghj6YSoh2VfD4KQgpeE4g0-PGez4ntFso1AV4/edit?usp=sharing

We would like to emphasize the fact that these proposals act as a starting point with the district, to share our interests and surface concerns. We will continue negotiating until we have reached agreement on these interests.

In Solidarity,

Frank Thomsen, Negotiation Chair/Holmes Junior High School
Elizabeth Allen, Davis Senior High School
Brian Bennett, Birch Lane Elementary
Amanda Rayls, Willett Elementary
Dianna Stommel, Davis Senior High School
Blair Howard, King High School