BOARD OF EDUCATION
revised 06/24/2009

• IMPORTANT summary of the June 23 Board of Education meeting.  Please read below.
  
  BHEA:  Salary cuts defeated; OTBS cuts in limbo; BHUSD silent on tentative agreement.
  June 24, 2009 

  Dear BHEA members, 

  Thank you to the approximately 70 BHEA and CSEA members who attended last night’s Board of Education meeting.  Your presence made a difference!  Here is what I can report:
   

  • GOOD NEWS:  On a 3-2 vote, the Board defeated a resolution that would have authorized the district to pursue salary reductions at the bargaining table in 2009-2010.  Board members Brian Goldberg, Steve Fenton, and Nooshin Meshkaty delivered the three votes to table the item.  BHEA asks that you send these three Board members a short “thank-you” for voting put this issue to bed.  Their e-mail addresses are:  bgoldberg@bhusd.k12.ca.us     sfenton@bhusd.k12.ca.us     nmeshkaty@bhusd.k12.ca.us.
     
  • BAD NEWS:  On a 3-2 vote, the Board approved the 2009-2010 BHUSD budget that includes recommendations to cut 7 OTBS and CSEA positions which may result in 3 layoffs and 4 conversions of positions from full-time status to half-time or aide status.  Board members Brian Goldberg and Steven Fenton delivered the two minority votes in an attempt to save our unit members’ jobs.  Board members Meshkaty, Myra Lurie, and Myra Demeter voted to approve the budget with the personnel cuts, although final action to cut personnel is not scheduled until July 14.  Meshkaty acknowledged that there is a distinct possibility that final action on these cuts and associated layoffs will occur at the July 14 Board of Education meeting.  BHEA will be ready to defend our members again on July 14.  BHEA asks that you send a “thank-you” to Brian Goldberg and Steve Fenton for voting to try to save our unit members’ jobs.  Their e-mail addresses are:  bgoldberg@bhusd.k12.ca.us     sfenton@bhusd.k12.ca.us.
     
  • NO NEWS:  Despite my direct engagement of the Board on the question of the status of our recently ratified certificated tentative agreement, they offered no response at all.  The Board did not answer BHEA’s questions nor respond to our suggestions to keep the approval process moving forward.  Therefore, I have nothing to report other than the Board’s silence.  BHEA will continue to press the Board for a vote on the tentative agreement.  BHEA will report any news to its members as soon as developments occur.  BHEA asks that our certificated members send e-mails to all five of our Board members requesting a definitive vote on this tentative agreement as soon as possible, an agreement that we ratified with 97% approval.  The five Board members’ names and e-mail addresses are:  Brian Goldberg (bgoldberg@bhusd.k12.ca.us), Steve Fenton (sfenton@bhusd.k12.ca.us), Myra Lurie (mlurie@bhusd.k12.ca.us), Myra Demeter (mdemeter@bhusd.k12.ca.us), and Nooshin Meshkaty (nmeshkaty@bhusd.k12.ca.us).

  I delivered a speech at last night’s Board meeting on behalf of BHEA urging the Board to reject cuts to OTBS and CSEA unit members.  You may read this speech at:  http://bhea.org/News.htm.  Several other BHEA members rose to the occasion and either gave speeches last night to the Board or submitted public record cards in support of our fellow unit members and the work they perform. 

  I delivered another speech at last night’s Board meeting on behalf of BHEA urging the Board to schedule an up-or-down vote on our recently ratified tentative agreement.  You may read this speech at:  http://bhea.org/News.htm. 

  BHEA will provide members with a more complete summary of last night’s Board meeting in an upcoming edition of the Consensus newsletter. 

  Thank you for organizing to make a showing at last night’s Board meeting.  Our members’ direct involvement had a huge impact.  Our presence at the meeting, our e-mails to Board members, our speeches at the meeting…all served to convey a powerful message to the Board:  that workers matter. 

  Sincerely, 

  Chris Bushée
  BHEA Certificated President

  
   
• OLD ITEMS:
• Board of Education Resolution for Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-9, 2009.
• Board Bylaw 9323       Meeting Conduct (adopted 9-12-00)
• Board Policy 3290.1    Gifts to School Personnel (adopted 9-25-07)