Ipswich Educators Association

Hello IEA!

I hope you all had a calm and rejuvenating February break.

In an effort to communicate a bit more, I'm going to put out a newsletter every month or two. In it you can expect to find:

• an update on what the IEA has been up to

• upcoming dates - various IEA committee meetings, School Committee meetings, and dates noted in contracts

• maybe an FAQ or two or a contract based 'did you know'
• a list of updated School Committee policies

Hopefully this newsletter format allows for more engagement and easier reading for you all.

--Alicia

At long last we have clean copies of our contracts! The contracts have undergone some major reorganization which will hopefully make information easier to find and understand! Please take a look and familiarize yourself with your contract. After all, a contract is only as good as we are at enforcing it.

Contracts

Unit A 🔸 ESP 🔸 Paraeducator

As we work with our new contracts we'll undoubtably look to them for clarification and guidance in specific circumstances only to find the language is lacking, missing entirely or does not reflect current practice. Those are places our contract can grow in our next negotiation cycle. We'd love to capture those needs as they come up on this form to refer back to in when we renegotiate in 2028.

Previous contracts are available on our website under the contracts tab.

This week the School Committee will be discussing the budget for FY27 amongst themselves for the first time this budget season. They have said repeatedly that they appreciate the input they have received regarding the budget so let's show up to stand behind our statements.

⭐ Please join me in filling seats at their meetings on Monday 3/2 and Thursday 3/5 at 7pm in the ensemble room in the PAC. Our presence at these meetings truly does make a difference! ⭐

Several of you spoke up concerned about conversations being had in your building. You were right to be concerned! A grievance was filed. As a result, the administration issued an apology and agreed with the IEA that the conversations were premature. Once the budget is been approved, any shifts or changes will follow the processes outlined in the contracts.

IEA members took action as the district introduced the budget for FY27. Members emailed the School Committee, spoke at public comment, attended School Committee meetings, and supported colleagues impacted by the proposed budget. On behalf of the IEA and with collaboration from impacted departments I created and sent the School Committee several fact sheets. These fact sheets were aimed to provide the necessary background information for them to make budget decisions since administrators simply said "based on student need" without information to back it up. Our information shows student need does not support cuts. The School Committee will discuss the feedback they've received and their own thoughts regarding the budget at their meetings 5/2 and 5/5. They can propose changes prior to voting to accept the budget. The District budget timeline is outlined here.

The IEA joined together with unions around the Commonwealth and signed a letter urging Governor Healey to properly fund the Group Insurance Commission (GIC). Though the Town of Ipswich is not affiliated with GIC, any increase in the cost of those plans would certainly impact our health insurance in future years. We would be impacted by any increased costs of GIC plans because they are the benchmark plans which all others get compared against.

The School Committee's Wellness Policy started the year with quite a splash followed by a tidal wave of confusion and inconsistency. At our November Mutual Concerns meeting, building reps on that committee shared the impact the Wellness Policy was having in our classrooms and buildings. The IEA requested our voices to be added to the collection of stakeholders who make up the Wellness Committee. The School Committee agreed and a representative from each building joined the Wellness Committee at their February meeting. Those reps will continue to add our perspective to the discussion as the Wellness Policy is revised and implemented. Next steps for this group include identifying the language which is negatively influencing students, clarifying/revising the policy to limit misinterpretations of the authors' intent, and working with administration to ensure consistency with the policy (both with changes and how it stands now).

March 2 - School Committee Meeting 7pm *will be discussing budget*

March 5 - School Committee Meeting 7pm *will be discussing budget*

March 9 - Professional Development Day

March 10 & 12 - School Committee presents budget to Finance Committee 7pm (watch live on icam govt channel)

March 11 - Unit A Contract Date - application to job share due

March 12 - IEA Eboard Meeting 3:30

March 15 - Para & ESP Contract Date - notification of intent to return from extended parental leave

March 19 - School Committee Meeting 7pm

March 31 - Para Contract Date - written evals given (if employed for 3+years eval every other year)

April - Unit A Contract Date - NonPTS educator submit evidence of goals and standards 3 & 4 in the month of April

April 2 - School Committee Meeting 7pm

April 9 - IEA Eboard Meeting 3:30

April 15 - Unit A Contract Date - notify superintendent of desire for voluntary transfer for 26/27

April 16 - School Committee Meeting 7pm

April 20-24 - School Vacation Week

School Committee Meetings can be seen live or recorded on icam's YouTube Channel and the files they look at during the meeting are available here.

The School Committee Policy Subcommittee works throughout the year to review policies to ensure they reflect the needs of Ipswich Public Schools and are in agreement with MASC guidelines. At each subcommittee meeting policies are updated, then changes are voted on by the School Committee and once that happens they are Ipswich School District Policy which we must abide by. The manual (linked below) is updated in a somewhat timely fashion to include changes listed below.

Policy review and updates for January and February:

• JH - Student Absences and Excuses - adopted MASC wording changes, added section on “Dropout Prevention”
• JHD - Exclusions and Exemptions from School Attendance - minor wording changes
• JI - Student Rights and Responsibilities - minor wording changes
• JIB - Student Involvement in Decision Making - minor formatting change
• JIC - Student Discipline - very minor wording and formatting changes
• JICA - Student Dress Code - adopted MASC wording changes (no practice changes)
• JICC - Student Conduct on Buses - no changes
• JICE - Student Publications - no changes, but identified need to match practice to existing policy by including disclosure statement on student publications (ie. Tiger Transcript)
• JICFA - Prohibition of Hazing - added specific timeline to consequences
• JICFA-E - Hazing - minor formatting changes
• JICFB - Bullying Prevention - minor wording and formatting changes
• JICH - Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use By Students Prohibited - no changes
• JICJ - Student Use of Technology in Schools - add sentence about consequences of not abiding by policy
• JICK - Harassment of Students - no changes
• JIE - Pregnant Students - no changes
• JIH - Searches and Interrogations - no changes
• JII - Student Complaints and Grievances - no changes
• JJ - Co-Curricular and Extra Curricular Activities - no changes
• JJA - Student Organizations - no changes
• JJE - Student Fund-Raising Activities - add cross reference to Wellness Policy
• JJF -Student Activity Accounts - no changes
• JJH - Student Late Night or Overnight Travel - change “overnight” times from 5am to 6am
• JJH-R - Student Travel Regulations - change “overnight” time (as above) from 5am to 6am
• JJIB - Interscholastic Athletics - no changes
• JJIF - Athletic Concussion Policy - no changes
• JJIF-R - Athletic Concussion Regulations - no changes
• JK - Student Conduct - no changes
• JKAA - Physical Restraint of Students - no changes
• JL - Student Welfare - no changes

President: Alicia Thomas

Email: ieapresident.email@gmail.com
Website: https://ipswich.massteacher.org/