YEAR-END REMINDERS AND OBSERVATIONS:

• RECERTIFICATION: Well, the first round is finally over. Yesterday was the deadline for submitting a recertification plan for those of you whose certificates expired on June 30, 2000 or who surrendered your certificates early. In fact, most of you have already been notified that your plan has been approved by the LPDC. Congratulations! Be sure to submit documentation of your completed professional activities on a periodic basis. You do NOT want to wait too long and find out that some activity was not acceptable and come up short of CPDUs!

  NOW...It is time for Round 2. Those of you whose certificate is to expire on June 30th of this year...it is time to start writing your plan! True...the deadline for submission is not until late October...BUT...REMEMBER...You must submit a plan PRIOR to taking any professional activities for credit. If you think that you may take workshops between July 1st and late October...be sure to submit a plan PRIOR to doing so...or it will not count!

  So...my suggestion...SUBMIT YOUR PLAN NO LATER THAN JUNE 30, 2001.

• SUMMER MONEY: May 15th is the deadline for requesting all of your "summer money" in one lump sum. This request must be made in writing to the Superintendent. (See Section 4.3 of the Contract.) A lottery will be used IF there are more than 15 such requests.
• SPEAKING OF MONEY: June 15th looms large...

  If you are one of "the few, the proud, the perfect attendee", you will receive your well-deserved $250 on that date! Been there, done that...haven't been the same since. You have my utmost respect!

  Extra duty money (Detention, Homebound Tutoring, Internal Substitution, Non-athletic Sponsorship) is also to be paid on June 15th. (Coaches get/got their money on the payday following the completion of their season.)

  ALL of us get our BONUS (3.75% this year) on June 15th.

  And last but not least...you begin getting your annual summer raise on June 15th! You know...CAT dues deduction ends with the 2nd check in May. Your check will be "heavier" in June, July, and August! And you thought you couldn't afford to go on vacation...

• CAT ELECTION: It is time for the election of officers for the 2000-01 School Year. Current officers are Ron Newell (President), Deborah Hammel (Vice President), Ledora Beard (Treasurer), and Karla Patton (Secretary). If you would be interested in running for one of these offices, please notify one of the above by Friday, May 11th. Ballots will be prepared and the election will be held on Tuesday, May 22, 2001.
• NEGOTIATIONS: To all of you who submitted input surveys...THANK YOU! Your bargaining team is in the process of preparing an initial contract proposal for the 2001-2002 School Year. We will make every effort to include all of your concerns and see that they are addressed during negotiations. A welcome addition to the CAT bargaining team is De De O'Shea! For the first time in many years, all attendance centers will be represented. This is important for disseminating information and receiving input during the process. It increases openness and trust within our ranks and removes the perception/criticism by the Board that CAT is a "high school" thing. We know that it was never true, but sometimes you have to send a clear signal to the other side!

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