Aug 25
Uniform complaint update
Below is the district’s response to the uniform complaint we filed last year regarding the School Board’s decision to change a teacher’s grade. Unfortunately, it’s not the response we wanted to remedy the situation. However, our collective action, sending a letter with our signatures, to each school board member is to be commended.
The School Board and Superintendent took this issue and our anger seriously. Superintendent Jane Shamieh and board members, Micheal Kitzes and Shawn Windham, came to an Exec Board meeting to discuss the decision, answer questions and listen to concerns. They recognized the faults in the process and are committed to rectifying them.
We will hold them to that commitment.
Thank you all for standing up for this member and our profession.
In Solidarity,
Tracy
Aug 25
Heritage Peak Press Advisory
Last night, at the Solano County Board of Education Meeting, Vacaville Teachers Association Members, Vacaville Unified School Administrators, Vacaville Unified School District trustee Michael Kitzes, and concerned members from around Solano County stood together against the appeal of the Heritage Peak for-profit school to the Solano County Board of education.
“It was great to see,” said Tracy Begley, president of the Vacaville Teachers Association. “When we stand together, we advance the cause of a high-quality public education for everyone in our community.”
In spite of being voted down twice by the Vacaville School Board for having an unsound educational program, most recently unanimously on June 29th of this year, Paul Keefer, CEO of the Pacific Charter Institute, argued to the Solano County Board that the rejection of his for-profit charter was unfair and asked the Solano County Board of Education to overturn the decision of the Vacaville Unified School District Board
In response to this, the VUSD Superintendent Jane Shamieh, VUSD Assistant Superintendent Kim Forrest, VUSD Board President Michael Kitzes, Principal of the Ernest Kimme Independent Study Program Lois Chancellor and a wide variety of educators, local leaders, and concerned community members packed the chamber to argue why Heritage Peak does NOT need to be part of the Vacaville Unified School District and urged the County Board to uphold the decision of the local board.
“There is nothing wrong with charters and parent options,” said Begley, “but Heritage Peak takes control of our local schools, away from our locally elected board while offering nothing we don’t already have with the Ernest Kimme Independent Study School.”
A final decision will be made by the County Board on September 13th at six pm.
Aug 25
Special Election!
Due to a change in the by laws, we are holding an Election for additional VTA Directors. Attached are both the Declaration of Candidacy form and a list of roles and responsibilities for the position. If you would like to run for one of these positions, please complete the form and email to me at tracys@vacavilleusd.org or deliver it to Willis Jepson.
The deadline for submitting the Declaration of Candidacy form is September 7, 2017 at 5 P.M.
Below is the timeline for this election.
September 7: final date to turn in declaration of candidacy
The deadline for submitting the Declaration of Candidacy form is September 7, 2017 at 5 P.M.
Below is the timeline for this election.
September 7: final date to turn in declaration of candidacy
September 12: election materials handed out to reps
September 13-25: Voting at sites
September 13-25: Voting at sites
September 25/26: results
By-Law:
By-Law:
IX. EXECUTIVE BOARD A. The Executive Board shall be composed of the Officers, the state council representatives (as long as the state council representative is an Active member of VTA), the past president, seven (7) at large elementary directors, two (2) middle school directors (one from each middle school) , two (2) high school directors to represent Will C. Wood high School, Buckingham High School and Kimme Independent Charter Academy, and two (2) high school directors to represent Vacaville High School, Country High School and the ESC. Chairs of the committees may attend Executive Board meetings for the purpose of reporting committee activities. Chairs of committees (i.e., grievance chair, bargaining chair, etc.) are not voting members of Executive Board, unless they simultaneously hold a position with voting rights.
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