AFT Disaster Assistance and Red Cross forms to be available in St. Tammany schools
Teachers and school employees who received damage due to Hurricane Katrina will be able to apply for both Red Cross and American Federation of Teachers disaster assistance in their schools.
Federation building representatives will have AFT disaster applications. Federation members may fill them out and return them to the building representative for processing.
Red Cross disaster aid forms will also be distributed in the schools. Officials of Red Cross say that eligible applicants will receive a check in the mail within three to five working days after the application is received.
St. Tammany schools to reopen October 3
Most teachers and school employees report September 26
The St. Tammany Parish School Board announced the following return-to-work information: September 19 is the day all clerical staff, curriculum specialists, coordinators employed more than 181 days, Pupil Appraisal staff employed more than 181 days, college counselors, resource helping teachers and junior high and high school guidance counselors are to report to their job sites. Teachers and all other regular employees (including paraprofessionals, food service employees, bus drivers, aides) are to report to work on Monday, September 26, 2005.
Federation President Elsie Burkhalter personally recommends that all teachers and school employees contact their principal or supervisor as soon as possible, especially if they will have any difficulty returning to the parish by September 26. Contact information for principals and supervisors is available at http://www.stpsb.org/.
President Elsie Burkhalter reports on school board meeting: employees will receive pay and benefits
St. Tammany Federation President Elsie Burkhalter attended the school board meeting on Thursday, September 15, and reports that teachers and school employees will lose no pay or benefits because of Hurricane Katrina.
"We are extremely fortunate," Burkhalter said. "Our hearts go out to our thousands of colleagues who have lost their jobs in this catastrophe."
"Our school system has many problems and needs that must be addressed before schools can reopen," Burkhalter said. "We are working with the board to meet the goal of reopening on October 3."
Burkhalter said the Slidell area was hit hardest by the storm, and that some schools in eastern St. Tammany will not be ready to open in October. Salmen High School, Abney Elementary, Brock Elementary, Cypress Cove Elementary and perhaps St. Tammany Junior High are all too damaged to reopen right away.
Salmen High School students will be platooned at Northshore High School; the principals of those schools are working out schedules. Burkhalter said that administrators are working to ensure that both schools keep their unique identities during the rebuilding process.
Calendar committee to meet Tuesday
The system's calendar committee will meet on Tuesday, September 20, to discuss revisions that will be necessary. Results of that meeting will be posted on this Web site as soon as they are available.
How to contact the Federation
Because communication is still difficult in St. Tammany Parish, Federation members who have questions or need assistance should call the LFT office in Baton Rouge at 800-634-5089 or (225) 923-1037. LFT will forward all calls to Elsie Burkhalter, and she will respond personally.
Please register to keep in touch with your colleagues
No doubt you are tired of filling out forms, but please take the time to click this link and complete an online form:
http://leadernet.aft.org/formmaker/take/survey.cfm?id=a2f20577-cb8f-8b37-7564-ad15b772d5a8
LFT is putting together a list of all our displaced members. Right now, we need this list to help your school systems get you back to work as soon as possible. We want to know where you are, and how you are doing, and what is needed to get your lives back to some semblance of normality.
In the months - and perhaps years - to come, this list will be the basis for an online community of Hurricane Katrina survivors. We will compare experiences, give each other the support that only people who have shared a great catastrophe can give, and offer assistance as we all rebuild our lives.
Please complete the form. We care deeply about our members, and we want to keep our family together.
A message to St. Tammany Federation members from President Elsie Burkhalter
On behalf of the Executive Council and Staff, I want to take this opportunity to express our concern and heartfelt sympathy as we all deal with the aftermath of the horrible storm that invaded our lives.
I have been working with Superintendent Gayle Sloan as we deal with the challenges of meeting the goal of opening our School System by October 3, 2005 without any interruption of salary or benefits. You will receive your September pay checks and benefits as in the past.
A special thanks to Superintendent Gayle Sloan, her staff, and the School Board for their dedication to getting us back on track in what we all do best...educating children. Many of us lost our homes and personal possessions during this crisis. I lost my home and we also lost the Federation office. The Federation continues to work for you. Hurricane Katrina cannot take away our love for teaching, for children, for our school system, and for the Federation. We are a family, and families stick together.
We know that employees have many concerns about their employment. We will have to make up missed days in some form or fashion. I want you to know that the Federation will be doing its best to insure that this new challenge will be well thought out. We will continue to work with the Superintendent as we continue to deal with these issues. Always remember that one of our major goals is to see that you receive full compensation through out the year. We have a lot to go through but your organization, the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and School Employees, is ready to meet the challenge. You are my strength and the backbone of the Federation. Every member of the education family is truly the salvation of our school system. We'll work through this by standing together. Your organization, the Federation, will keep on keeping on.
If you need further information or have any questions you may contact the following: http://www.lft-aft.org or burkhalterelsie@yahoo.com or call the LFT office 1-800-634-5089. The LFT website will have information on benefits dealing with this disaster for our members. Be Safe. Contact the Federation if you need to and check the LFT website for updated information. You may also check the school board website at http://www.stpsb.com. Remember.... no question or concern is too small. Thank you for your continued support.
In Unity,
Elsie Burkhalter, President
St. Tammany Parish Public Schools
The district has set up temporary headquarters in Baton Rouge and the telephone number is 877/453-2721. Elsie Burkhalter, president of the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers, has been in touch with school officials and reports that teachers and school employees will continue to be paid in St. Tammany for the month of September with a goal of opening Oct. 3. The district's Web site is http://www.stpsb.org/ |