SVFT VICE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION Pat Keavney, in a letter to SVFT President Rick Tanasi announced her intention to take advantage of the retirement incentive and therefore resign from her position as vice president effective August 26, 2009.
UNION ANNOUNCES TIMETABLE FOR ELECTION The Executive Council approved the timelines for the election of a vice-president to serve out the remainder of Pats term. The letter of resignation, the election timelines, and a description of the responsibilities of the SVFT vice president are posted on this web site
SPECIAL ELECTION The special election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of SVFT Vice President Pat Keavney will take place on September 9, 2009. Candidates are encouraged to submit their campaign statement to the SVFT by May 27 so it can be published in the June issue of the Vocational Instructor. The nomination period runs for thirty days, from May 14 to June 12, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. Interested candidates must contact Andrew Taddei at Wilcox Tech to announce their intention to run.
THE SVFT STRONGLY ENCOURAGES ANY MEMBER WHO IS PLANNING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RETIREMENT INCENTIVE TO DO SO QUICKLY. If you wish to retire on July 1, 2009 and take advantage of the 3 years of incentive and no increase in your medical costs, you should immediately send a letter to your principal announcing your intention. A copy of the original signed letter should be sent to Linda Jakab at 25 Industrial Park Rd., Middletown, 06457 and another copy may be faxd to Sherry Saylor at 860-713-7012. Doing this quickly will enable the retirement department to process your paperwork and ensure that you receive your first pension check on time and it will allow your colleagues, fellow SVFT members, to transfer into the vacancies created by your retirement. The entitlement window is open until June 3 only!
EXTENSION OF ENTITLEMENT WINDOW SERVES MEMBERS Members who meet the eligibility for and wish to take advantage of the R.I.P. (3 years added to service) should be announcing their retirement as quickly as possible. This triggers the posting of the vacancy, which begins the transfer process. Teachers have five (5) days to respond to the posting and seek a transfer to the newly created vacancy. The extension of the entitlement period to June 3, 2009 is a positive development for our members who have been waiting to move to another school or closer to home. Please check the vacancy notices which are posted and frequently updated. You can check them from your school computer.
Seniority List Members have been calling the SVFT office to inquire about seniority. Click here for the link on our web site. You may copy the page(s) for your teaching area if necessary. THERE IS NO SENIORITY LIST FOR PART-TIME TEACHERS. Part-time teachers with questions about their seniority should review Article 11 of the Supplemental Agreement of the contract (page 97). All are encouraged to consult with your building rep. for clarification.
SVFT Scholarships - The SVFT will be awarding nine - $1,000.00 student scholarships and one -$1,000.00 member grant, or two - $500.00 member grants. THE DEADLINE FOR APPLYING WAS MAY 15, 2009. The Scholarship Committee will meet on May 27 to review all applications.
Teacher of the Year The System review of the Teacher of the Year applications will be held at the SVFT office on May 19. Reviewing the applications this year will be CTHSS Consultant Drew Soltys, CTHSS Consultant Mary Skelly, Jim Gallow, CTHSS 2009 T.O.Y., and Pat Keavney, SVFT Vice President. The four candidates selected from the pool of eighteen will then be interviewed by Superintendent Abigail Hughes and SVFT President Rick Tanasi on June 4. Good Luck to all of our 2010 Teachers of the Year. The selection committee has a huge job before them because all of the candidates are accomplished, exceptional teachers.