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January 2012Vol. XXXVI No. 5T R I A DAffiliated With NYSUT [10-195] & AFT/NEA AFL/CIO-[Local 2991]News from the PresidentDear Colleagues,Happy New Year! I want to wishyou all the very best in this upcomingyear. I hope your holidays were filledwith the sounds of laughter and smilingfaces. I hope that all your wishes for theHoliday season came true. As we prepare to move forward and face all thechallenges that will be presented in thisNew Year, I hope you will be granted thestrength and patience needed.I would like to thank everyone fortheir hard work throughout the year.Your Executive Board and Rep Councilcontinue to work hard and represent youdaily. This newsletter is a success because of the fine staff we have doing it.It is an example of what we can do whenwe work together and support each other.A special thanks goes to Susan Kusalonisand the rest of the TRIAD NewsletterStaff. Our children’s Christmas party isanother success. The smiling faces thereare the result of hard work of our SocialCommittee and all their helper elves.Because this is your Association, thesesuccesses along with many others areyour successes.The beginning of another year can bea time of reflection, renewed hope andresolution. Looking back, I can't say itwas an easy year. The continuing economic difficulties have caused hardshipsnot only for our students but many of ourcolleagues and friends. Though I findmyself in good health I often am saddened at the thought of their troubles.CALENDARCAPITAL REGIONI am hopeful for a better tomorrowand that optimism helps me push forward in spite of our difficulties. Thoughit seems like the downhill economicslide may be slowing, it still has a longway to go to get back to where we were.As for hope, I am forever hopeful thatmore people will learn to appreciate howhard we work for the children in our careand recognize what we do to help them.I hope that funding for needed studentprograms will improve. I have hope thateducation will be seen as the answer tomany problems and not continue to bethe scapegoat for a society that hasplaced individual wealth over the desirefor a greater nation. I also hope that weas educators will be allowed to use whatwe have learned and we know, works. Itseems that we spend far too much timetrying to fix things that aren’t broken butmay just need to be cleaned and polished.Since it is that time when we makeour New Year resolutions, I would liketo make one now. I resolve to count myblessings daily, enjoy life more, smilemore and continue to look toward thefuture. Thank you for your continuedhard work on behalf of our kids and colleagues.Looking forward,DougBOCES FACULTY ASSOCIATION.EXECUTIVE BOARDFeb. 1, 2012REP COUNCILJan. 18, 2012BOCES BOARDJan. 12, 2012Martin Luther King DayJan. 16, 2012Birthstone: GarnetFlower: CarnationTRIAD Article Deadline:Jan. 24, 2012 forFebruary NewsletterIn This Issue:Service ChapterPage 2Board Mtg. NotesPage 3TA/EA ChapterPage 4Retirees CornerPage 5Healthy LivingPage 6Locks of LovePage 7Social CommitteePage 8Nominations FormPage 11
Service Chapter ReportBy Susan A. Kusalonis, Chapter VPDear Colleagues:It is time to consider what you would like to see changed in the Service Chapter Contract as it ends on June 30, 2012.Due to the economy, I wasn’t sure we should open up the contract, but the comments received last fall when we werediscussing longevity and the holiday schedule, left me with no doubt that the majority of members want to discuss issues.So, please email me at maidmrn300@aol.com with any suggestions, comments, changes (reference exact page numberand line of contract) and it will be reviewed by an advisory committee on January 30th at NYSUT. After speaking witha few members, this suggestion best fits our needs. The group that meets on January 30th will not all be on the negotiation team, but will have the ability to help direct our Chapter for the next contract.As this will be my first official opened a contract it should prove to be quite an experience. Wish us all well.It was brought to my attention that the chart in last month’s article was a little misleading. The left hand column lookedlike it references days, when in actuality it referenced the years you worked and when you would be given another day.I have adjusted the chart and reprinted it below.# of Extra Days Perfor years workedAdditional Vacation Accruedper monthRegular Vacation AccruedTotal Vacation Accrued per month10 years0.081.671.7515 years0.171.671.8420 years0.251.671.9225 years0.331.672.00Thank you all for your support over the past 5 years. This time has flown by and my actual retirement is only five yearsaway, so, if you think you are interested in becoming Chapter Vice President in the future, call me and we can discuss it.In solidarity, SusanCapital Region BOCES Faculty Association LeadershipPOSITIONNAMEHOMEWORKE-Mail AddressPresidentH. Douglas Harple899-1044862-4776hdharple@msn.comVice PresidentPatricia Gollub583-1119862-4716Gollub02@yahoo.comCVP TA/EAColleen Condolora393-2244356-8349condolora@aol.comCVP ServiceSusan Kusalonis393-5598421-2007maidmrn300@aol.comCVP Spec. Educ.Flora Fasoldt674-0223377-9018electflora@aol.comCVP C T EJeannine Moran587-7662862-4816jmrmoran@hotmail.comRecording SecretaryBarbara responding Sec’y.Sue Deborah ship ChairLisa Mink372-7240464-3979lmink8@hotmail.comGrievance ChairE.J. Hanley321-0485356-8342ehanley1@nycap.rr.com01/12 Page 2
Capital Region BOCES Board Meeting HighlightsDecember 19, 2011 by Susan KusalonisCapital Budget Presentation by Mark Jones. (only one smallpiece below) 50% of budget is for Retiree Health Insurance(2001-02 – 28% of Budget)Mark Jones discussed our relocation efforts.Leases are up soon; down to four sites and speaking withproperty owners; more detailed conversations in the nextcouple months; they will balance long term needs of ourorganization and districts.Carl Strang introduced David Versochi, Assistant Director atNERIC. Formerly the Tech. Dir. at Scotia-Glenville SD.NERIC Awareness Day – Went well even though there werenot enough break out rooms. There were over 500 in attendance from 84 different school districts. The cost for the day wascovered by the 35 Vendors there. The date for 2012 is December 16th.NERIC Connect – Is a suite of services – Mike Bastian, fromData Warehouse Services reviewed how to access– originallywas Data Dash BoardTeachers and parents can see: Attendance, events,Exam Achievement, student homework.Teacher can see student information on students whowill be coming to their program (grades, behavior, etc.)before they start in their classroom.Link – Teachers and students can work in real timeThis system will bring to the teachers attention anystudent who is in need of help early.State will be looking for this type of system down the road.Kathryn Gerbino –One outcome of the trip was that we are looking forward to inviting students from China coming to attendour local schools at one and a half times tuition rate toprovide them with dual graduation certificate whichwould then segway into entrance into college here inAmerica.Kathryn hopes to plan at least one after school event inthe future to inform our staff on how this collaborationwith China benefits our organization.Human Resources received a letter from Albany County CivilService saying we are now in order. No compliance issues atpresent time compared to 300 issues two years ago.The New York State Regent’s want the districts to give themthe email address of all staff working in districts. Half of thedistricts have chosen to submit to SED via NERIC. A question asked was about who is keeping the lists up-to-date? Noone knows. SED feels that asking is OK since school emailaddress is public information. This was a request, not a mandate. Some districts are very uncomfortable and until theylearn more about it, will wait on this. NERIC is not a compliance agency.Legal Advocacy Group – We are being asked questions fromBOCES perspective about APPR process. Everyone is beinginvited to the table.Dr. Dedrick and Lynn Lenhardt (Bd. Member) attended aSyracuse Conference (which focused on high needs districts). Rick Tims, NYS School Finance Consortium, is producing 5-7 minute videos for district use at their Board Meetings, as he cannot make the trip to all of the state districts.Videos are available to show at any board meetings.NYS Education Department has decided to furlough allState District Superintendents for 67.5 hours. Dr. Dedrick isdeclining to take money from BOCES to supplement this.DS’s are not fighting due to economy.MARK YOUR CALENDARS!National School Breakfast Week, March 5-9, 201235th ANNUAL PSRP CONFERENCEAFT Paraprofessionals and School-Related PersonnelMarriott Wardman Park HotelProfessional Issues Conference -- April 20 - 22, 2012Administrative Professionals Day, April 25, 2012School Nutrition Employee Week, May 7-11, 2012National School Nurse Day, May 10, 201201/12—Page 3
TEACHING ASSISTANTS/EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANTS/AIDESBy Colleen Condolora, Chapter VPDear Constituents:As I write this a new year will begin shortly.Somehow, perhaps because the weather has beenrainy rather than snowy, it is hard to believe it isJanuary. It is though, so I hope everyone had awonderful holiday season and your new year gotoff to a good start. Try hard to keep those resolutions you made.The Negotiation team met with administrationand the arbitrator before the holidays. We areprogressing and should be able to bring our contract for a vote in the spring. The news at ED-10meetings reveals that most districts in our regionare having difficulties at the negotiation table.Until our economy turns around, districts willcontinue to cutback and unfortunately we willhave to do with less and be expected to do more.These truly are unprecedented and challengingtimes for schools. More news will be coming inthe next few months.I want to take this opportunity to thank theTeaching Assistants who participated in the Navigating the BOCES Website and Computer Basicsworkshops. It was a pleasure to see everyoneworking so hard to gain new skills and understanding. Communication is a key component inour job, thanks everyone for striving to becomecurrent and to enhancing your professional development skills.Rep Council Dates1/18/1201/12—Page 4We are pleased to announce, all Teaching Assistants who wanted to be called back from thePreferred Eligibility List have returned to aTeaching Assistant position. This will meanthere can now be internal movement if someone is looking to voluntary transfer into anopen position since no one needs to be calledback off the list. Of course, as you know, anyopen position must go to a TA/EA who is displaced.Next month, I will be looking at the Special Projects everyone is currently doing for theirAPPR. If anyone is interested in having theirproject showcased at the TA Showcase on May1st, please contact me. I will be contacting eachprincipal for recommendations. It is wonderfulthat so many TA’s chose to do a project thisschool year. Choosing candidates for the Showcase will be a difficult process. Everyone is doing remarkable work in their classrooms. Keepup the good work.I want to thank everyone for being so patientand understanding this school year. Best wishes to each of you for a wonderful and healthyNew Year. If anyone has any questions or concerns, please call or email me. Happy New Yeareveryone!In Solidarity,Colleen CondoloraLocation Of each meeting2/15/12900 Watervliet Shaker Road,Albany/Schoharie Rms.Albany/Schoharie Rms.3/21/12Albany/Schoharie Rms.4/18/12Albany/Schoharie Rms.5/16/12Albany/Schoharie Rms.6/13/12Albany/Schoharie Rms.
RETIREES CORNERJeanette K. Christoff, Teacher, RetiredHappy New Year to All,We certainly were blessedand are grateful for safe passage on Christmas Day, Chanukah and vacation- week forsome. Except for the Texasarea, those who traveled locally or afar had no weatherworries.During the holidays, we reador heard about the difficultplight of so many. Our appreciation for our good fortune atbeing a BOCES employee andretiree was increased. Uponbecoming employed by theBOCES, we were and are, automatically enrolled in theTeachers’ or State pensionsystem.In the 1960’s, we had a choiceof contributing 3%, 5% or 8%from our salary. A wise college teacher told us to contribute the greatest amountand although retirementseemed an eternity away, wewould one day be happy wedid. She was right. Howevershe was wrong in discouraging us from joining a “union”,which she said was unprofessional for a teacher. It isbecause of our Association(union), that we had andhave the health benefits, thesalary, and a voice in conditions of our employment. Allof these have given us a better life than we might havehad, otherwise. (Unless wewere a CEO in the 1%).As most know, employersgenerally do not lavishly bestow upon their employees,the bennies they enjoy. Thusthe labor movement cameinto being, preceded by100’s if not 1000’s of liveslost in abhorrent workingconditions and unfair laborpractices.Our own better lives, whichhave resulted from our employment, are attributableto the teachers, who in the1960’s and early 70’s channeled their efforts intoforming our Association,creating the Constitutionand first contract that affects us each day, whetherworking or retired.Therefore, as a tribute to themany who came before us,the February issue of theTRIAD will be dedicated tothem and our early history.We are reviewing the olddocuments we have, andcontacting “old timers” fortheir input. We welcomehearing from anyone whocan share stories and experiences. Please call me at(518) 356-0137 or Cathi at(518) 469-7969.REMEMBERING.Robert L. Burroughs, (Teacher, Sp. Ed.) 74, of Braintree, VT. passed away on November, 23, 2011.Bob had been a special education teacher at BH/BL O’Rourke Middle School, then for 30 years atFarnsworth MS in Guilderland. He had served as president of the Empire State Aero Science Museumat Schenectady Airport.We have been informed that Jean Foley (TA, Sp. Ed.) passed away on April 28, 2008 from metastaticbreast cancer. Had Jean survived her illness, she would have continued to be a vital part of the BOCESIMN workforce. Jean’s family came through the floods without serious damage.(Our appreciation to Jean’s friend, Cheryl Holmes Wright (TA, Sp. Ed.) for informing us.)01/12—Page 5
Healthy Living; Living For Good HealthBy Catherine A. Jakway, TA, Sp. Ed.Pets Are Good MedicinePets are not just good medicine they aremembers of the family. Like people, theyhave their own personalities. If you are apet owner, you know what I’m talkingabout. I have a 12 year old kitty namedMidnight. She hears my car pull in thedriveway before my husband does. I lovemy little fur ball and I can’t wait to gethome to her. I would like to believe thatshe greets me at the door everyday because she misses me. The truth may bemore that she waits for me because thealarm clock in her fat belly tells her thatit’s snacky time, and only mama providesthe snackies.Caring for a pet can provide a sense ofpurpose and fulfillment while at the sametime, the animal provides unconditionallove and affection, and lessens the feelingof loneliness for all age groups. Many emptynesters, singles, or those who have lost theirmates want someone to take care of so theychoose animals. These furry creatures areimportant members of all family types. Petsare great listeners, company keepers in sickness and in health, protectors, and even bodywarmers. My cat sleeps right next to me andwe share body heat!boost your general well-being. The simple act of petting a dog or cat can turn abad day into a good one. Pets bring asense of calm and relaxation as well assatisfy the need for touch and affection.They rely on us for care, play, and exercise, and can be a motivating factor inestablishing a routine for physical activity.I kid my husband all the time about Midnight. I have had her 12 years but I haveonly been married to him for four. I tell himblood is thicker than water and if we everseparated, I would still have my cat.There are thousands of wonderful animals in desperate need waiting for loving homes, life-saving for the one youchoose. If you don’t have a pet, adoptingone can be a multi purpose remedy forhealth and happiness with life savingside effects. That’s what I call goodmedicine without having to go to thedoctor.Having a pet can be a remedy that couldreduce stress, lower blood pressure, improveheart health, promote social interaction, andWhat a great way to start the New Year!INFO OF INTEREST* Those receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security income are receiving a 3.6% increase starting in January. There was no COLA in 2010 or 2011, therefore the total yearly amount did notchange. The average yearly amount of Social Security is 13,000 and will increase by 467 for theyear. (Saving as much as possible for retirement is wise decision.)* The BOCES Memorandum of 12/22/11 contained information for those contributing to the NYSHIPhealth plan. For those who do not contribute, the memo can be disregarded.* If you have rejoined the work force after retiring, there are rules governing your earnings. A reduction or suspension of your NYSTR pension could result if they are not followed. Checkwww.nystr.com for specifics.Capital Region BOCES FA WebsiteBarb Burnham has worked hard on the newly updated website and it will be worth your while to check it out.www.crbfa.org01/12—Page 6
LOCKS of LOVE CAMPAIGN 2011The Cut Has Been Made!By Catherine A. Jakway, TA. Spec. Ed.Happy New Year to all. The coming of2012 gives all of us a new opportunity tostart fresh and make some changes for thefuture. I had the opportunity to make achange to my appearance and wow, what adifference! Not only did I lose 12 ½ inchesof my hair, friends say that my new style hastaken years off my appearance.As much as I looked forward to making thecut for quite some time, I have to admit that Iwas seriously scared of the outcome. It hasbeen at least six years since I had short hairalthough what I have now is a bit longer thanwhat I had then. This turned out to be quitethe experience for me. I knew what the requirements were as far as the cut and theguidelines to follow for Locks of Love.Knowing it but actually doing it became twoentirely different things. I think the onlythings that weirded me out the most was thesound and the sensation of my hair beingtaken. With scissors so close to my ears, Icould really hear my long hair being cut offwhile at the same time my neck began to feela sensation it hadn’t felt in a long time, cold.All in all, the new person I saw in the mirrorfor the first time really liked her new lookand so did those who watched the wholething from start to finish.My first night without the long locks turnedout to be a tough one for me. My hair appointment was not until later in the evening.I was still wired from the stress and anxietyof it all and I got to bed late that night. Youwould think I would have slept, now thateverything I had been waiting for such along time was behind me. Instead it was asleepless night. I thought maybe it was because I just couldn’t get my head to shut off.Finally after what felt like a couple hours, Idid manage some sleep but still I kept waking up. I thought maybe I was worried aboutthe reaction students and staff would havethe next day, but that wasn’t it at all. I wasmissing over 12 inches of hair! That disturbing mane that would wake me up from beingtangled, covering my face, caught under myhusband’s elbow or stuck under my armpit now robbed me of sleep due to thelack there of. The cut was made on December 1st but I am really still gettingused to it. I have received many compliments on my shorter hair style.Gone are the bulky hairclips and longhair towels. Gone is the 15 minutes ittook to dry my head. And, gone
Sep 05, 2018 · 01/12 Page 2 Capital Region BOCES Faculty Association Leadership POSITION NAME HOME WORK E-Mail Address_ Presi
