WFEA President Updates
President's Update - DECEMBER 2024
See HERE for original email with photos referenced)
WFEA President Notes and Updates
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I’m hoping that your Thanksgiving break was filled with relaxation, friends/family, and good food. My kids were able to see some cousins that we don’t get to spend much time with during the school year, so I’m feeling blessed.
Updates and action items on the latest information from WFEA:
· Negotiations Team: The WFEA Executive Board met on Tuesday, November 12th and approved the 2025 Negotiations Team. The following Team Members are:
1.) Jordan Willgohs-Middle School
2.) Krista Hulderman-High School
3.) Annie Retka-High School
4.) Suzie Halland-Liberty Middle School
5.) Jen Von Pinnon-Elementary
6.) Matt Tucholke-High School (Alternate)
7.) Alicia Schroeder-Schock-Notetaker
8.) Matt Montonye-Coordinator
The first negotiations team meeting is being held this Monday, December 2nd from 5:00 to 6:00PM at West Fargo High School room 107C. Our initial agenda is to elect a head negotiator, plan upcoming dates to meet before negotiations begin, and create a survey to send out to members on top priorities for negotiating. We’ve already had some great work done by a few members investigating and reviewing other districts’ pay schedules and benefits that we can see as a comparison for us.
I can’t stress this enough, WFEA really needs our membership (you) to be involved in the negotiations process. Once our pre-negotiations dates are determined and our list of top priorities has been created, we need you to show up to these meetings to add your voice and input before we begin to meet with the school board.
Secondly, and you’ll be hearing this over and over from me, once the actual negotiations begin, we need as many members to show up to those meetings as we can get. This is the hard truth and the reality of our current situation when it comes to negotiations. When we don’t show up in numbers as a unified group during the negotiation meetings, the school board sees eight people trying to negotiate, and because of that I’m not sure the school board always takes us seriously. We need to show them the power and weight of our union!
· Make Your Voice Heard: Your voice matters, and your input is critical as we prepare for the upcoming 2025 legislative session. That’s why WFEA is joining Fargo EA in co-hosting a Legislative Forum to provide you with an opportunity to engage directly with your legislators. At the forum, you’ll have the chance to share your concerns, ideas, and experiences with your legislators. This is your opportunity to discuss the issues that matter most to you as educators and public employees.
Please RSVP here: https://forms.office.com/r/9YxV8TWkMu
· Supplemental Pay: HR is still in the process of creating a separate website that will allow us to look at an itemized pay stub of our supplemental pay. The plan is still to roll this out about the second week of December. I have been helping to test the roll out of this, and if everything goes as planned it should look like something like this.
· Open Positions: WFEA is currently looking for Building Representatives and a person to sit on the insurance committee. If you are interested, please let us know.
o Community High, Horace High School, Meadowlark
o Insurance Committee Member
· Are you looking to take some courses to keep your licensure up to date, make a lane change, or find something that could also be used for your choice board hours this year? (Pending your building administrator approval)? Check out the following link.
https://www.courses.ndunited.org/
· Do you want to make some extra cash? North Dakota United is offering a $50/person incentive to any member who signs up a new person to join our union. Check out the following link if you sign up a new member.
https://ndunited.org/sites/ndu/files/2024-06/ndu-recruitment-incentive-fillable.pdf
· Do you have a concern or issue for the WFEA but are not sure who to ask? Please note that if it’s a personal concern/issue, if it involves any type of disciplinary action, or is a contract issue, feel free to email the following people for assistance. Otherwise, see the basic chain of command protocol or use the concerns document link. (At the top of the newsletter)
Matt Montonye- wfeapresident@gmail.com
Tressa Lura Elementary Rights Representative- tressalura@gmail.com
Mark Bernston Middle and High School Rights Representative markberntson@hotmail.com
Chain of Command Protocol
1. Member has a concern/issue. Member reaches out to their building level representative.
2. Building Representative brings concern/issue to building level leadership team or their administration.
3. Concern/issue is resolved. If the concern/issue is not resolved, the building level representative reaches out to the WFEA Executive Board.
4. WFEA Executive Board brings concern/issue to District Admin meeting.
5. Concern/Issue is resolved through collaboration with District Admin. Concern/Issue is not resolved. WFEA continues to work at finding a solution if possible.
Important Dates to Remember:
· 12/2: First Pre-Negotiations Meeting
· 12/10: Representative Assembly and Executive Board Meetings
· 12/12: Make Your Voice Heard Legislative Forum
· 12/19: Executive Board/District Administration Meeting (Different date than our usual second Thursday of each month)
· 12/23-1/2: Winter Break
Thanks for reading,
Matt Montonye
mdmontonye@gmail.com
wfeapresident@gmail.com
President's Update - NOVEMBER 2024
See HERE for original email with photos referenced)
WFEA President Notes and Updates
Happy Halloween and welcome to November. We’ve made it through the first quarter of school. Are you still feeling that excitement like you did that first week or are you looking like this guy?
Updates and action items on the latest information from WFEA:
· Payroll and Paystubs: There have been some concerns about payroll missing or incorrectly taking out certain taxes. The WFEA Executive Board met with District Administration and H.R. about the switch from Green Employee to Employee Access. While the switch hasn’t been as smooth as they would have liked, if you feel like your paycheck has an error please reach out to H.R. for further assistance. Secondly, with the new system there were some questions about did I get paid for subbing or attending that committee meeting, etc.? If you log in to Employee Access, you can view your paystub to see what additional duties you are getting paid for. However, the new system does not have the itemized version that many of us liked from Green Employee. After talking with the business manager, they are in the process of developing a separate website that will allow us to look up our own supplemental pay. Mr. Bachmeier said they hope to have it rolled out in the next couple of weeks, so look for updates in an upcoming Key Comms.
Under Green Employee this is what we used to see:
drive.google.com/file/d/17yCl5wGVMG1ztxSC36yCP8hLCNrtglJb/view?usp=drive_link
This is what we now see under Employee Access:
drive.google.com/file/d/1ayKJYyI-fuxdsh7Y4XHvjKlMWwGy5vO-/view?usp=drive_link
· Negotiations Team: Applications for WFEA’s Negotiations Team has now closed. The WFEA Executive Board will be meeting on Tuesday, November 12th to make final decisions on these applications. Following our decision, WFEA will be sending out a survey asking members to prioritize/choice rank issues that should be brought to the negotiation’s table for 2025-2027.
· Insurance Update: Open Enrollment opens November 1st and runs through November 22nd. Whether you are currently on the Traditional Plan or the High Deductible Plan through BCBSND you will not need to make any changes as WFPS transitions to Health Partners for 2025. For example, if you are on the BCBSND Traditional Plan you will automatically be enrolled in Heath Partners Traditional Plan. Being that we are going with a new insurance provider, we encourage our members to check out both plans to see what works best for them. Being that I sit on the insurance committee, feel free to reach out to me with any questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them or find somebody who can answer your questions if I can’t.
Please note, we are only switching to Health Partners for health insurance. We’ll still be keeping Delta Dental and our vision insurance.
If you participate in a Flex Spending Account whether it be medical or dependent care, you’ll have to fill out the yearly form. H.R. will be sending out a Microsoft Form this year to complete it online rather than having to do it the traditional paper and pencil way.
2025 Heath Insurance Costs Link
District Website for Health Insurance
· Years of Review Survey: WFEA and H.R. has begun to look at the years of service survey to compile the data and determine what costs would be based on the survey results. Please remember this is just a fact-finding mission for costs and no decision will be made without reviewing it with WFEA membership. Please stay tuned for further information.
· Open Positions-WFEA is currently looking for Building Representatives and a person to sit on the insurance committee. If you are interested, please let us know.
o Community High, Horace High School, Meadowlark
o Insurance Committee Member
· Are you looking to take some courses to keep your licensure up to date, make a lane change, or find something that could also be used for your choice board hours this year? (Pending your building administrator approval)? Check out the following link.
https://www.courses.ndunited.org/
· Do you want to make some extra cash? North Dakota United is offering a $50/person incentive to any member who signs up a new person to join our union. Check out the following link if you sign up a new member.
https://ndunited.org/sites/ndu/files/2024-06/ndu-recruitment-incentive-fillable.pdf
· Do you have a concern or issue for the WFEA but are not sure who to ask? Please note that if it’s a personal concern/issue, if it involves any type of disciplinary action, or is a contract issue, feel free to email the following people for assistance. Otherwise, see the basic chain of command protocol or use the concerns document link. (At the top of the newsletter)
Matt Montonye- wfeapresident@gmail.com
Tressa Lura Elementary Rights Representative- tressalura@gmail.com
Mark Bernston Middle and High Schol Rights Representative markberntson@hotmail.com
Chain of Command Protocol
1. Member has a concern/issue. Member reaches out to their building level representative.
2. Building Representative brings concern/issue to building level leadership team or their administration.
3. Concern/issue is resolved. If the concern/issue is not resolved, the building level representative reaches out to the WFEA Executive Board.
4. WFEA Executive Board brings concern/issue to District Admin meeting.
5. Concern/Issue is resolved through collaboration with District Admin. Concern/Issue is not resolved. WFEA continues to work at finding a solution if possible.
Important Dates to Remember:
· 11/1: Professional Development (LEAP Day)
· 11/11: No School. Veterans Day
· 11/20-11/22: No School. Thanksgiving
Thanks for reading,
Matt Montonye
mdmontonye@gmail.com
wfeapresident@gmail.com
President's Update - SEPTEMBER 2024
WFEA President Notes and Updates
Welcome WFEA members both new and old. With barely just a month into the 24-25 school year, WFEA has already been hard at work trying to problem solve issues and prepare for our upcoming negotiations. Since this newsletter will be filled with lots of information, I’m going to keep it brief and wish everyone a great start to the school year.
Updates and action items on the latest information from WFEA:
· Because of an oversight in the amount of time required to complete the legal requirements from the state of North Dakota, certain staff should be granted one hour of comp time on Monday September 23rd’s PD Day. This will vary by building, but it should be an hour late start in the morning or a one-hour release at the end of the day. Elementary schools comp time might vary including the day and how they are offered this time based on required PD that would not allow for early or late dismissal. WFEA fought for two hours of comp time because of the actual time required to complete both the state’s legal requirements and the district’s errors on the original playposits. However, it was decided that we would get one hour.
· Feedback provided by our members demonstrated a need to review the school calendar for next year to possibly make some changes. In accordance with the negotiated agreement, WFEA and Superintendent Slette have decided to bring back the calendar committee to discuss making changes for next year. WFEA’s proposed changes for next year include the following:
1.) Monday and Tuesday will continue to be workshop days. Back to School Night will be held Tuesday evening.
2.) Wednesday will become a professional development day and Thursday will be the first day of school. Monday, September 22nd would become a student contact day.
Because many of us were worried that the Wednesday PD Day would just turn into extra work given to us by either building administration or district administration, WFEA has requested the following for those first three days of school. Both District PD and Building Administration PD/meetings should not exceed 5 and half hours including if Superintendent Slette wants to complete school visits. The remaining time would be granted for completing all legal obligations (still completed asynchronously) and then teacher preparation time for students on the first day of school. An hour and 15-minute lunch would be guaranteed each day. WFEA will keep you updated as the calendar committee begins to work.
· This was mentioned in Key Comms this week, but I wanted to make sure that our members don’t miss it. As mentioned, this is just a preliminary survey to gather information. WFEA is not making any guarantees or decisions until all information has been gathered, and it is shared with our members. Secondly, for those veteran teachers who started out at year 0 compared to teachers who have started out at year 3, this survey does not need to be filled out. Veteran teachers like me who started at year 0 and have taught for 17 years but their contract states year 16 will not be gaining an additional year or three. That is not the intent of this survey.
o As part of ongoing discussions between WFPS and WFEA over the past several years, we've been evaluating the years of service cap in the negotiated agreement that applies to licensed teachers. Concerns have been expressed about ensuring current teachers are not left behind at a potentially lower step than a newer teacher hired under an amended negotiated agreement that does not include a years of service cap. There is broad agreement that data is needed to understand the cost of making any adjustments for current teachers. If you believe your current contract does not accurately reflect your years of service, please fill out this form. Please note that submitting this form does not guarantee an adjustment—this data will be reviewed and discussed during 2025 negotiations. Only those who complete the form by the deadline will be considered if step adjustments are made.
· Open Positions-WFEA is currently looking for Building Representatives and an elementary level person to sit on the WFEA Executive Board. A person who already is a building representative could also sit on our Executive Board or it could be a just a WFEA member. If you are interested, please let us know.
o Community High, Horace High School, Meadowlark
o Executive Board Elementary Position
· Do you want to make some extra cash? North Dakota United is offering a $50/person incentive to any member who signs up a new person to join our union. Check out the following link if you sign up a new member.
https://ndunited.org/sites/ndu/files/2024-06/ndu-recruitment-incentive-fillable.pdf
· Are you looking to take some courses to keep your licensure up to date, make a lane change, or find something that could also be used for your choice board hours this year? (Pending your building administrator approval)? Check out the following link.
https://www.courses.ndunited.org/
· Do you have a concern or issue for the WFEA but are not sure who to ask? Please note that if it’s a personal concern/issue, if it involves any type of disciplinary action, or is a contract issue, feel free to email the following people for assistance. Otherwise, see the basic chain of command protocol or use the concerns document link. (At the top of the newsletter)
Matt Montonye- wfeapresident@gmail.com
Tressa Lura Elementary Rights Representative- tressalura@gmail.com
Mark Bernston Middle and High Schol Rights Representative markberntson@hotmail.com
Chain of Command Protocol
1. Member has a concern/issue. Member reaches out to their building level representative.
2. Building Representative brings concern/issue to building level leadership team or their administration.
3. Concern/issue is resolved. If the concern/issue is not resolved, the building level representative reaches out to the WFEA Executive Board.
4. WFEA Executive Board brings concern/issue to District Admin meeting.
5. Concern/Issue is resolved through collaboration with District Admin. Concern/Issue is not resolved. WFEA continues to work at finding a solution if possible.
· Prep time: The WFEA Executive Board just wants to remind members that prep time is not to be used on a consistent basis for personal time. Our job as teachers is still to be in our buildings to meet the needs of our students and be available to other teachers. Having said that, it has been stated by Superintendent Slette that occasionally a teacher or staff may leave the building to run and errand or go to an appointment without the need to put in for sick or personal time. What is not allowed is showing up late or leaving early because you have prep time at the beginning or the end and just want to stay at home or go home early.
Important Dates to Remember:
· 9/23: Professional Development
· 10/17-10/18: No School
Thanks for reading,
Matt Montonye
mdmontonye@gmail.com
wfeapresident@gmail.com
President's Update: Important Upcoming Insurance Changes - MAY 2024
Greetings, WFEA members. In a unanimous vote from both the WFPS Insurance Committee and the WFEA Executive Board, we are writing to provide you with an overview of the switch from our current healthcare provider of Blue Cross Blue Shield to HealthPartners and the rationale behind this decision, including changes to HSA contributions and GLP-1 prescription drug coverage.
With approval by our School Board on June 10th, these changes will take place January 1st, 2025. To help implement these changes, HealthPartners and Brown and Brown will be assisting before and during the open enrollment period to make this transition as seamless as possible. Open enrollment typically begins November 1st and lasts three weeks.
Why change?
The primary reason for this switch is to ensure our plan members have access to a robust and comprehensive healthcare network equal to or better than what we have experienced with BCBSND. For our current members, the transition from BCBSND to Health Partners would have a disruption rate of about 1.5%. In simple terms, that means 98.5% of our members will not see any changes in their healthcare coverage. However, there are some providers currently outside the network, and HealthPartners is actively working to bring them on board before the anticipated switch in January 2025.
This transition aims to enhance access to care and improve overall member satisfaction. From a customer satisfaction standpoint, in Net Promoter Scores BCBSND scored a 32 while HealthPartners scored a 66. This simply means that for every 100 people who are members of BCBSND only 32 reported being satisfied with their provider compared to 66 with HealthPartners. In our current area, Moorhead Public Schools has been using HealthPartners for almost a decade, Fargo Public Schools has been with them the last two years and has renewed their contract for the next two years, and Concordia College has just switched to them. This also does not include the smaller private companies in our area that utilize them.
Proposed changes to the plans
Additionally, HealthPartners places a strong emphasis on cost-saving measures, such as promoting the use of generic drugs, when possible, which aligns with our goal of managing healthcare costs effectively. Members who are utilizing the High Deductible Health Care Plan are currently receiving a greater benefit than those on the Traditional Plan. Simply, the traditional plan members are unfairly paying a greater amount than the HDHP members. Current Health Savings Account Members will still have the option to continue with their HSA plan and tax shelter their own contributions. However, West Fargo Public Schools will no longer be contributing any dollar amounts to your HSA account. This switch will help bring fairness and equity while aligning both plans.
In addressing concerns about certain medications, like GLP-1 drugs, we are committed to ensuring continued access for those who require them. The plan would provide alternative options, such as compound pharmacies, which provide viable alternatives and safe FDA regulated access to necessary medications.
The changes to GLP-1 coverage is below.
GLP1 Coverage
Diabetics on PPO plan:
· Brand formulary drugs: Member cost share would be $15 +20% (same as all other brand formulary drugs).
· Compound pharmacy: Member cost share would be $0 per 90-day supply, (cost paid by WFPS plan).
Diabetics on HDHP:
· Brand formulary drugs: Member cost share would be 20% AD (same as all other brand formulary drugs).
· Compound pharmacy: Member cost share would be $0 per 90-day supply, (cost paid by WFPS plan).
Non-diabetics (Anti-Obesity) on PPO plan:
· No coverage through the health plan.
· Compound pharmacy: Member cost would be $150 per 90-day supply (balance paid by WFPS plan), this would not apply toward the member’s out of pocket maximum accumulators.
Non-diabetics (Anti-Obesity) on HDHP:
· No coverage through the health plan.
· Compound pharmacy: Member cost would be $450 per 90-day supply (balance paid by WFPS plan), this would not apply toward the member’s out of pocket maximum accumulators.
We believe these changes will enhance the overall quality of healthcare services provided to our members as well as provide us with some cost-saving measures. Should you have any further questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Matt Montonye and the WFEA Executive Board
President's Newsletter - April 2024
WFEA President Notes and Updates
Well, we’ve almost made it to the finish line. I’m not sure that there will be a May Newsletter, so I just want to take a moment to reflect on this first year of being President. Going into this position, I was somewhat naïve to how much time and effort this role requires as well as the other roles that our Executive Team, Membership People, Rights People, and the Building Reps do on a daily basis. I can’t thank them enough for how much they have helped me in this first year. If you see them around, give them a big thanks. I’ve also realized that making change is often a long process and, in many cases, difficult. We all want to see changes that make a better working environment, improve safety, and improve our overall compensation. While I am happy with some of the progress we have made this year, I know that there is still more work to be done. So, I wish you all the best these last few weeks and hope to see you all again next year.
https://sites.google.com/view/wfea/home
https://www.facebook.com/westfargoEA/
Updates and action items on the latest information from WFEA:
· WFEA Elections: The current WFEA Executive Board is happy to announce that Samantha Olson (Elementary), Tim Broeren (High School), Krista Hulderman (Vice-President), and Janelle Adams (ESP Rep) have been elected or re-elected to the WFEA Executive Board Team for the 24-25 School Year.
· WFEA Budget 24-25: At Tuesday’s Representative Assembly Meeting, we had the final budget reading and a vote of approval for the next school year. With a budget surplus, WFEA has been in the position to allow for a “dues holiday” these past few years where members were not charged local dues or where dues were reduced rather than paying the regular membership due of $58. While WFEA would love to continue to not charge local dues, this is not only unsustainable for our budget but unsustainable for us being able to properly represent and be the voice of our members. In doing our best to minimize the cost of local dues, we voted to place a still reduced $40 membership dues fee on members for the 24-25 school year.
· Six members of WFEA were able to attend the North Dakota United Representative Assembly this past Saturday, April 20th in Bismarck. While WFEA was opposed, the state Assembly voted in favor of a membership dues increase for the 24-25 school year. This will be an increase of $15.60 from last year and amounts to an extra $1.30/month. To be fully transparent, former President Jordan Willgohs and I have had multiple conversations with President Nick Archuleta about the cost of membership and the need for North Dakota United to be fully clear on why dues are increasing and what they are doing for our members. Please feel free to reach out to President Archuleta if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. nick.archuleta@ndunited.org
· With the change in our local and state dues, there is no better time than now to transition over from payroll deduction to autopay. For the 24-25 school, WFEA will continue to allow for payroll deduction but by the 25-26 school year all membership dues must be paid by autopay. You might be asking why WFEA is asking members to switch to autopay. In many states around the country, state legislatures have outright banned or are attempting to ban payroll deduction from members as an attempt to decrease membership and weaken unions. (See image below). To get ahead of this possible move by our state legislature, we are asking members to make the switch now through October 31st. This process is very simple (I did it myself after being a payroll deduction person for 16 years. It takes less than 10 minutes). All you need is your membership number, a credit card, or your bank routing information. Jared Adams is one of our North Dakota United organizers and is willing to answer questions and meet with members to help make this transition as smooth and easy as possible. Jared is available anytime by email but will be setting up times for the beginning of next school year into the fall to meet and help any members to make this transition. Jared.adams@ndunited.org
· WFEA Scholarship and Yearly Awards: The WFEA is still taking applications for our following scholarship and other yearly awards. This includes the WFEA Scholarship. This scholarship can be for graduating seniors, students in a post-secondary college, or students in a post-secondary college that have previously received the award. Other awards include the WFEA Contribution to Youth Award, WFEA Golden Torch Award, WFEA Outstanding Administrator Award, and the WFEA Outstanding ESP Award. I have attached all the applications in my previous newsletter if you need them. All applications may be emailed to me or sent in hard copy to Matt Montonye at West Fargo High School by May 1st, 2024.
· WFEA/Admin Key Comms Update: WFEA/Admin meeting summaries will be shared in Key Comms moving forward. This will allow for greater transparency and communication about things that are happening. The link is provided below.
Important Dates to Remember:
· 5/1: All applications for WFEA Awards and Scholarship are due. Applications may be emailed or sent in hard copy to Matt Montonye at West Fargo High School.
· 5/6 and 5/9: To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, WFEA has partnered with Fargo Retired Education Association and Papa Murphy’s to help raise scholarship money for local F-M area students. This group has raised and donated over $65,000 to students entering into college to pursue an education degree. Get yourself a Papa Murphy’s Pizza and help out a good cause. If you order online make sure to use the Promo Code Give20 and if you go in person, make sure to let them know that you are raising money for FRTA. Please see the attached flyers for more information.
· 5/10: End of the Year Union Party at King Pinz: WFEA and FEA are competing to see who has the best bowling team. Come out and bowl or just hang out for the free taco bar and door prizes from 4-7PM at King Pinz. Please RSVP if you plan on attending. RSVP HERE
· 5/21: Awards Banquet and Retirements: Join us in celebration of the 23-24 WFEA Awards and Scholarship winners as well as thanking our retirees for their years of service in education. Starts at 4:30. The place is still to be determined, but I will reach out with further communication once a location has been established.
Thanks for reading,
Matt Montonye
mdmontonye@gmail.com
wfeapresident@gmail.com
President's Newsletter - February 2024
WFEA President Notes and Updates
Seems like everyone is enjoying this record-breaking winter of very little snow and warm temps. As someone who likes to go winter camping to do some snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, I would prefer it to be a little more wintery. Whatever your thoughts are on this winter, it’s nice to know that we’re already over halfway done with our school year.
Shoutouts:
· Members Rights Team of Mark Berntson, Tressa Lura, and Deanna Paulson: While much of their work goes unnoticed, these people have put in and incredible amount of time and effort to make sure that our members’ rights are recognized and protected in some very difficult situations. If you’ve ever questioned your union membership, go talk to these people. You’ll quickly learn why it’s worth it.
· Member Organizer Team of Suzie Haaland and Jane Laux: These two put on a great trivia night at Traditions at the end of January. If you didn’t hear a certain President and his team beat a past President and his team for the greatest WFEA trivia team of all time. These two are also working at rebuilding and updating our WFEA website as well as providing key communication and recognition on our Facebook page. If you haven’t looked us up on our website or Facebook, check them out.
https://sites.google.com/view/wfea/home
https://www.facebook.com/westfargoEA/
Updates and action items on the latest information from WFEA:
· Sub Pay: The new sub pay has been finalized as mentioned in Key Communications. If you have been subbing, please pay attention to your pay stubs to make sure that you’ve been properly compensated. If you notice any errors or if you have any concerns, please let us know.
· ESSER Funding: With ESSER funding ending at the end of the 24-school year, we are reminding members to take the survey which was provided in Key Communications the past two weeks.
· Elementary Back to School Night for the 24-25 School Year: While not completely finalized, I have attached the current schedule/plan for the first two days of school. District leaders have moved Back to School night to Tuesday, August 20th from the 19th. (Bottom of these notes). As you can see the planned schedule for next year is very similar to this year’s schedule. The time for preparing your classrooms for back-to-school night is also very similar to this years. We have been told that Legal requirements will once again be asynchronous which will allow for more time to prep your classrooms.
· Growth in EL students: WFPS continues to have a record-breaking year in the number of EL students who are registering in our schools. WFEA is aware that these record numbers are creating some difficult situations with the lack of EL teachers and classroom space in many of our elementary, middle, and high schools. Unfortunately, we have been told that there is currently no plan to hire any more EL teachers for the remainder of this school year. We are hoping and encouraging our district leaders to consider these shortages as they look at hiring for next year. In the meantime, what does that mean for you for the remainder of the year? Individual buildings are going to have to get creative to meet the needs of these students. We encourage you to reach out to your leadership teams and building administrators to start brainstorming. Examples could be looking at how to better leverage the EL teacher(s) at each building. Do they need to be moved from a push-in model to more of a pull-out model? Is overloading an option?
· In district transfers: We have been receiving questions about how in district transfers work. I have attached the district’s protocol on how that works. Please see the link.
Teacher Transfer Procedures .pdf (k12.nd.us)
· North Dakota United Delegate Assembly: We are looking for volunteers to attend the NDU Delegate Assembly on Saturday, April 20th. We have 14 spots available. We typically caravan to Bismark on Friday after school and spend the night with the official meeting happening on Saturday. Driver’s mileage is paid, a stipend from NDU of $25 and $100 from WFEA, and reimbursement for hotel lodgings. This is a great opportunity for members to participate in the governance decisions of NDU, elect NDU Board members and delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly, reignite old friendships, create new friendships, and hear from national leaders on issues important to all ND United members. Please reach out to me if you are interested.
· WFEA Elections: The following WFEA Executive Board positions are now open for nominations.
Vice President ($1000 stipend)
High School Rep ($800 stipend)
ESP Rep ($800 stipend)
Elementary Rep (Termed Out) ($800 stipend)
If you know of any members who might be interested in filling these positions, nominations are open until the end of the RA meeting on March 19th. Elections will happen between March 19th and the next RA meeting on April 16th. Please contact me or your building representative if you are interested.
· WFEA Scholarship and Yearly Awards: The WFEA is now taking applications for our following scholarship and other yearly awards. These include WFEA Scholarship, WFEA Contribution to Youth Award, WFEA Golden Torch Award, WFEA Outstanding Administrator Award, and the WFEA Outstanding ESP Award. I have attached all applications to this email. All applications may be emailed to me or sent in hard copy to Matt Montonye at West Fargo High School by May 1st, 2024.
Important Dates to Remember:
· 3/11-3/12: No School and No School (if you have completed your trade-in hours)
· 3/14: Monthly Executive Board Meeting with District Administration. (LEC-4:15)
· 3/19: Monthly RA Meeting. (Sheyenne Library-4:15). Executive Board Meeting (5:15)
Thanks for reading,
Matt Montonye
President's Newsletter - October 2023
Just like that, September is over and we’re heading right into the start of fall and October. Even at 16 years in the district, I still feel like there’s always so much to do within that first month of school. Here’s to making it through the first month, and I wish you the best for October.
Shout outs
· Jen Von Pinnon, Lisa Dullum, and Eliza Robertson for volunteering to be part of the Safety and Wellness Committee.
· Marcie Pagan for taking over on the Insurance Committee for Krista Hulderman. Krista, thanks for all the years and hard work you put into serving on this committee.
· Andrew Winter, Amber Augustadt, and Deanna Paulson from North Dakota United for helping with our building representative training and making it to our first RA and Executive Board Meetings.
Updates and action items on the latest information from WFEA:
1. We have a brand-new Members Concerns Forum that you can use to reach out to us with your comments or concerns. You can find it on our website or just bookmark the link.
· https://sites.google.com/view/wfea/home
· https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedQAYpnE9PFKqDBZVjEJU4z0sY3N2fOGMWXUXkBC5nF-SiTA/viewform
2. Teacher sub pay: WFEA has been working in collaboration with district administration to increase in-house, teacher sub pay. Teachers who sub would be paid an hourly rate of $40/hour, $20/30min, $10/15min. This would eliminate pay by period or block making the overall process more equitable for everyone. However, there has been some resistance from some principals, so this hasn’t happened yet. If you are subbing, you are still being paid like it was done last year. Hopefully, this situation will be resolved soon.
3. Student behaviors and teacher wellness: At last month’s RA, one major area of concern was that of student behaviors, building and district level supports, reporting procedures, and the overwhelming stress that it’s putting on staff. The Executive Board team has asked building level representatives to gather some basic information and report their findings back to us. We will share that information with district level leaders and the safety committee with the hope that improvements can be made for student behavior which in turn can help overall teacher wellness. Building Reps if you can have the behavior/wellness chart filled out by Monday, October 9th, we would appreciate.
4. Membership Dues: Members were sent their payment information via personal email. It shows how they pay (payroll vs. ACH). This information would have come from Megan(Broton) Haskins. Payroll deductions were changed to be taken out on 9/29. Those members should check their paystub to make sure they are getting dues taken out. If there is an error with HR, we want to address that issue as quickly as possible, so you don’t have to pay a larger sum later. There will be 18 deductions throughout the year (same as years past).
5. Do you like free magazines? With your membership in the NEA you can get two free magazines subscriptions. Check out the link.
· https://www.neamag.com/mbget2-magazines?affiliateid=RFL-1R973
Important Dates to Remember:
· 10/12: Monthly Executive Board Meeting with District Administration. (LEC-4:15)
· 10/17: Monthly RA Meeting. (Sheyenne Library-4:15). Executive Board Meeting (5:15)
· 10/18: Professional Development
· 10/19-10/20: No School
Thanks for reading,
Matt Montonye
mdmontonye@gmail.com
wfeapresident@gmail.com