Welcome Back!

Here is info about your upcoming work days and about Monday, November 10

·         For most NESPA members (everyone except Nurses, Truancy and Mental Health Specialists, and our Community Schools Project Coordinator), the first required work day is Tuesday, Sept. 2---the first student day.    Here is the link to your work year calendar:

   NESPA WORK YEAR CALENDAR FOR 191 DAY EMPLOYEES

·         This is the link to the Work Year Calendar for School Nurses .

      Typically, nurses work with their principals to schedule the additional   4 days of work before school, and 1 more additional day is PD by Health Services.   In addition, nurses get 40 professional hours (See Articles 11.20 and 11.21).  Nurses assigned to TWO schools also get an additional three 8 hour days to open and close them, scheduled at your discretion.

·         This is the link to the Work Year Calendar for Truancy and Mental Health Specs, and Community Schools Coordinator.     You also get 40 additional professional hours, per Article 11.21.

PROFESSIONAL HOURS---PAID TIME BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS:  In addition, all of us except those in the last 2 bullets above get 55 professional hours—“optional paid work hours”, of which 15 “must be utilized prior to school for preparation and in-service activities at the building level.   If the principal or supervisor determines that work is not scheduled for 7.5 of these hours prior to school starting, the hours may be used for other building based in-service trainings and activities schedule throughout the school year.”    (This is the actual wording on page 6 of your pumpkin-colored contract, which explains everything you need to know about professional hours—what they are for, etc.)     www.nespablog.blogspot.com 

The dates of the 15 hours before school are typically on the non-student days just before school begins.     Check with your principal or asst. principal on your schedule for these optional hours.    Work with them if you want to work on other days instead (for example, if you and the teacher you are assigned to prefers that you work next week to assist them).  

This year, there are THREE non-student days before school begins which are mandatory work days for CERTIFICATED staff (not most NESPA staff).    These are not paid work days for most NESPA staff (all except those job titles listed above) and you are not required to work them.   But your principal or asst. principal may, as always, schedule some of them for your optional professional hours.   If you have not already received an email from your principal or asst. principal, check with them about working these days for your 15 professional hours.

IMPORTANT INFO FOR EVERYONE:

·         In addition, of course, your 40 other professional hours are available to you now.  (Article 11.30: “Hours worked in August shall be charged to the subsequent year’s professional hour balance.”)

·         It does not matter whether you work 2 hours, 4 hours, 6.5 hours or 8 hours per day.  You get the SAME number of professional hours.  They are NOT pro rata.  

·         Monday, Sept. 1 is Labor Day and a PAID holiday for everyone.   All NESPA members get 11 PAID holidays.

·         Monday, Nov. 10 is not a work day for NESPA or for teachers.  Schools are closed, and no one is paid for that day.   It is a break for a long weekend as Tuesday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day (a paid holiday), so we are off (as are our students) Sat-Tuesday, and return to work on Wednesday, Nov. 12. 

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WHY THE MINIMUM WAGE SHOULD BE $15 PER HOUR

3 minute video on Why the Minimum Wage Should Be $15 per Hour, by 
former Sec. of Labor Robert Reich

Youtube

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Check out the Professional Development tab on this blog for opportunities of online PD you can do on your early-release-Wednesdays.