Archived News

 

AFT President Re-elected, Delegates Set Policy Direction at Seattle Convention

AFT President Randi Weingarten won re-election for a second two-year term by a landslide on Saturday as the more than 3,000 delegates to the AFT convention also approved policy directives on a host of important issues. Click here to read more.

SAISD Employees: Please Take the 2 Question SAISD Dress Code Survey

SAISD Administration is currently proposing changes to the dress code policy. The proposed change that has generated the most discussion is the change to allow jeans only on Friday or "spirit days." Some people feel that jeans can be appropriate wear for work while others do not. The Alliance requests your feedback in order to fulfill our role of representing employees' views. Please click here to take the survey.

House Approves Funding for Education Jobs!

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on July 1 for $10 billion to avert massive teacher layoffs and $5 billion in Pell Grants to aid college students with tuition. An estimated 138,000 jobs will be potentially saved due to the approval. Click here to read more.

San Antonio Express News: SAISD Teachers Face Tougher Dress Code

Now might be a good time to stock up on slacks, polo shirts and button-down blouses — if you're a teacher in San Antonio Independent School District. The district is in the process of revising its employee dress code. The guidelines under consideration stop short of requiring specific types of attire, such as the khaki pants and white or colored tops that make up student uniforms, but would prohibit jeans, T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops. Click here to read the entire article.

Alliance President Says: Let's Focus Our Energy on Passing a Bond Issue in November

Click on the video below to watch Alliance President, Shelley Potter, speak to the SAISD School Board on Monday June 28, 2010, during a "Special Called Board Meeting" to discuss the SAISD Superintendent's contract. Click here to read a transcript of Shelley's presentation.

 

Focus on Bond Issue:

The following was a letter to the editor written by Alliance President, Shelley Potter, it was published in the San Antonio Express News: In his Sunday column about the school closings in SAISD and Superintendent Robert Durón, Robert Rivard said a key element in Durón’s strategy has been to shut down failing schools with declining populations. Read More

Notice of Reassignment from a Campus Due By Last Teacher Contract Day

According to SAISD Board Policy DK (Local): "Changes in assignments for the ensuing school year shall be made known to the employee as soon as possible, but not later than the last teacher contract day of the current school year . If a change in assignment is made later than the last teacher contract day of the current school year, the principal/designee shall notify the employee within ten business days of the decision. A written notice of reassignment, if requested, shall include an educationally sound rationale. A conference regarding the reassignment shall be held between the principal/designee and the employee, when requested by either the employee or the principal/designee." Any Alliance member who needs assistance with this issue may contact their Alliance Representative or the Alliance office, 225-7174.

Marketing Your School Conference

The San Antonio Alliance hosted the "Marketing Your School" Conference at the Johnson Center on May 27th, 2010. The Alliance welcomed all schools who are at the beginning stages of the internal charter process, as well as current internal charter schools. The conference was funded through the Innovation Fund Grant, which the American Federation of Teachers awarded to the Alliance. Please click here to learn more. Click here to view pictures from the event.

 

2009-2010 End-of-Year Bash

On Friday May 21st, 2010, the Alliance hosted an end-of-year celebration for members. During the celebration, awards were given to outstanding members/supporters. Cynthia Esquivel of Jefferson High School was named Outstanding Paraprofessional. Esquivel currently works as an instructional assistant in a BAC unit at Jefferson HS. She has been a loyal employee at SAISD for several uears and her hard work and love for special students has served her well. Hilda Cantu of Sam Houston High School was the recipient of the Outstanding Classified Employee award. Cantu works as a Food Service Manager. She is an active member in Consultation and she serves on the Employee Benefits Committee. Read More

 

Alliance Rep Elections May 27th - June 4th

Elections will take place May 27-June 4 for Alliance Representatives (AR) for the 2010-2011 school year. Under Alliance bylaws, sites are entitled to one AR per twenty members or major fraction thereof. Every site is guaranteed at least one AR. Members who want their names on the ballot are to notify one of the current ARs at their worksite, by Wednesday May 26. Current ARs will then create a ballot with the candidates' names. This is a secret ballot election. Alliance members should receive a ballot between May 27 and June 4 with ballots due back to the current ARs by Friday June 4. Read More

 

First Reading of the Leave Policy, (DEC) Local

The first reading of the Leave Policy, (DEC) Local, took place on Monday May 17, 2010, at the School Board meeting at Hirsch Elementary School. Through consultation meetings with SAISD administration, the Alliance has successfully worked to have language removed from the proposed policy change. However, some of the Alliance's concerns have not been resolved. Read More

 

Alliance Launches Discipline Campaign

For teachers, discipline was the top issue on the Consultation survey this 2009-10 school year. On a survey the Alliance conducted from the "Grow Our Schools Grant", parents said safety was one of the main reasons they chose to send their child to an out-of-district school. By not using appropriate consequences with students who choose to engage in inappropriate behavior, we may be hampering our ability to attract and retain students and teachers. Read More