Welcome to the online home of the Federation of Pittsburgh Diocesan Teachers.

The Federation of Pittsburgh Diocesan Teachers was formed in 1971 by the lay teachers of the high schools of the Pittsburgh Diocese. Since that time the Federation has grown steadily. The majority of lay teachers in the Diocese of Pittsburgh now belong to the Federation.

We are affiliated with the National Association of Catholic School Teachers: 1700 Sansom Street - Suite 903 - Philadelphia, PA 19103.

Temporary Fax #: (412) 921-6069

OWNERSHIP
Russell Del Vecchio

I have delayed writing this article in hopes that I would not have to write it but I must. As you are all aware, the economy continues its precipitous slide down to a level that appears at this point bottomless. I will leave it to better minds than mine to say that it is the worse downturn since_________ (you can fill in the blank.) We cannot afford the luxury of thinking that we can escape the consequences of this downturn unscathed. In the current climate most people are rightly fearful of what will happen next and as a result they are adjusting their lifestyles and their spending accordingly. My concern is what effect this will have on the total enrollment in our schools. It would be wrong to assume that it will have no impact on the number of students enrolled in the schools for next year. No one can say with any degree of certainty when it will end and what the ultimate effects on the schools will be. To say it will not cause a drop in enrollment would be foolish. That approach destroys any chance that you have to act in a proactive fashion to try to mitigate the negative effects. To act reactively is a recipe for disaster. If the loss of students is in the low single digits, that may be difficult but it can be overcome when the economy rebounds. But to suffer loses that approach double digits would be devastating and would take an extended period of time to recover. You must keep in mind that if you lose the oldest child to the public schools then you will lose all of the younger children in that family. Do not be naive and think that the public schools do not view this as an opportunity to pick up enrollment to occupy their buildings and to keep their staffs. Every child that walks through their door is more money for them and less for us.

There is no one out there to come to our rescue with a stimulus package for Catholic Education. As always, we are on our own to deal with this problem so the logical question is what can be done? I have said there is no stimulus package for us so we need to develop our own stimulus package in a sense. Every school, regardless of size or location, needs to develop and implement plans to address two main areas.

The first is the shared responsibility of teachers and the administrators to continue to maintain the excellence that is Catholic Education. This tradition of excellence must be used as a tool to convince parents that the tuition is not a discretionary expense which can be jettisoned with little thought but a necessary investment in their child's future. They must be convinced that this investment will yield returns far in excess of the public sector and one that needs to continue in these uncertain times.

The second is contacting local businesses that are in the school's community about the SOS grants. SOS allows businesses to give their tax dollars to this program rather than giving the amount to the Pa. Dept. of Revenue.

If we can work on controlling the items we can control, we will make it through these difficult times stronger and better prepared to continue the tradition of excellence that is Catholic Education.

IMPORTANT INSURANCE CLARIFICATION!

During this past week you should have received a letter from the Insurance and Benefits office. This letter was generic in its form as it was addressed to all Diocesesan employees: teachers, administrators, clerical and other lay personnel. As it was generic in form it may have lead some teachers to conclude that their insurance coverage had changed. The health insurance for all unionized lay teachers has not changed. All unionized teachers are covered by the Highmark BCBS. The UPMC is one of two mandatory choices for all other personnel. With that being said if any teacher thought that the UPMC plan would better suit their needs they could opt for that plan. Unionized teachers do not have to switch coverage as you are covered by the Highmark BCBS plan. The cost of the Highmark BCBS plan is in the back of your contract book and should be used when you determine your insurance needs.

This letter also contains two meeting dates but if there is a need additional dates can be arranged. If you have any questions please give us a call.

To read part one of the letter, click here.

To read part two of the letter, click here.

AMERICAN BOARD (ABCTE)

The Department has implemented a procedure for teachers holding the Passport to Teaching credential issued by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) so that they may be eligible for a Pennsylvania Instructional I certificate in a comparable subject area.

After candidates earn the ABCTE Passport certificate by passing the ABCTE tests in pedagogy and the subject area, they may apply to the Bureau of Teacher Certification and Preparation for a Pennsylvania Temporary Teaching Permit (TTP), valid for one calendar year. This TTP allows them to serve in the public schools of the Commonwealth under a "mentoring" program supervised by a teacher education institution (Point Park University). The university will provide both mentoring and continuing education seminars/workshops during that initial year of teaching.

The American Board Passport credential is currently available for Elementary Education, English and Mathematics, and we have already approved applications for the TTP for individuals who have been hired by the public school districts and private and non-public schools. Because the TTP is only valid for one calendar year, we encourage the candidates to seek employment first and then apply for the Permit.

You should also note that teachers holding the TTP in the subject area to which they are assigned are considered "highly qualified" in the No Child Left Behind report and for the State Report card.

Further information on the Passport to Teaching for Pennsylvania is available on the American Board website.

For further information contact:
Bureau of Teacher Certification and Preparation
333 Market Street, 3rd Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Telephone: 717-787-3356

BUILDING REPS

Please remember to approach the new teachers at your school about joining the FPDT. If you need cards, please call us and we will send them to you.

FPDT DATES

General Membership @ 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 15
Agenda: Union Health Care
St. Paul's Seminary

Building Rep.
November 19, Wednesday @ 4:30 p.m.
April 22, Wednesday @ 4:30 p.m.
St. Paul's Seminary

FPDT NEWS & NOTES

• If you have moved or gotten married and/or had a name change, please call the office with this new information.



• Please note our new fax number: (412) 921-6069



• Forms for the FSA (flexible savings account) for out of pocket medical expenses can be obtained from your business manager in November. This is a tax advantaged way to pay your out of pocket medical expenses. All elementary and St. Anthony teachers will need to fill out the form for premium co-pays in November to start 1/1/09. This form needs to be completed even if you do not opt for the FSA.



• Look for meetings to be held to explain both the FSA and premium co-pay tax advantage plans.
• We welcome the teachers at St. Elizabeth's. They are the newest addition to the schools of the Federation.

CLARIFICATION FOR THE NEW ELEMENTARY CONTRACT APPENDIX B, P. 49

To read this document, in PDF format, click here.

ST. ANTHONY TEACHERS CONTRACT RATIFIED

Russell Del Vecchio

On August 25, 2008 the St. Anthony teachers ratified a new six year collective bargaining agreement. I would like to start by thanking the members of the team for all of their hard work and dedication. The team members are: Gina Baer St. Gabriel's, Marty Murawski Bishop McDowell, Chris Brown and Regina Brunner. This process required countless hours and the shouldering of the immense responsibility that goes along with doing this most challenging task.

The new agreement has many major language and benefit improvements. It also contains the new health care options that will become effective 1/1/09. The health care options will be explained in detail at meetings in the fall of 2008. You do not have to make a selection at the start of the next school year but you need to make your selection in the fall of 2008 for it to be in effect for the start of the new year. The health care plan requires that you familiarize yourself with the options and select the best one for your needs.

FPDT ELECTION RESULTS FOR THE TERM 2008-2011

President: Russ Del Vecchio
Executive Vice President: Gina Baer
Treasurer: Cindy DiBello
Secretary: Marty Murawski

Vice-Presidents at large
Theresa Bekavac
Nancy Snider
Mike Galuska
Brian Klisavage
Regina Brunner
George Schlicht

Vice-Presidents High School
Tom Hohler
Bob Rose
George Rudolph

Vice-Presidents Elementary
Linda Attwood
Mary Kay Mooney

Diocese of Scranton Refuse To Recognize Catholic Teachers Union After Diocesan Reorganization

Please take a moment to read the newspaper report from the Scranton paper detailing the plight of the Catholic teacher's union there. Read it and remember that the FPDT is the only Catholic Teachers Union that has contract language to prevent the from happening here.

For Elementary & St. Anthony Teachers: View Upcoming Changes to Healthcare in PDF format, click here.

ACT 48 COURSES

Free online Act 48 courses are provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education at http://pa.professionaleducation.org. Just create an account and select your course. From the comfort of your home or anywhere you can now earn Act 48 credits.

For more information on what the Federation is doing for Catholic education and what we can do for you, we encourage you to explore the following sections of our website:

ABOUT THE FPDT
To read about the mission and history of the FPDT, click here.

WHO WE ARE
Find out the schools that belong to the FPDT, click here.

THE BOARD
For a complete list of executive board members of the FPDT, click here.

JOB LISTINGS
Read about job openings, click here. This section is updated regularly. Make sure to check back often.

CONTACT US
To contact us, click here.