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.
Fax #: (412) 921-6069
Please if you, as a member, have a question please call us as we are here to serve you. To have your spouse call to ask a question for you is not the proper thing to do as information conveyed to a third party will be subject to their interpretation and as a result may cause you to act in a fashion that could cause more confusion than clarification or even act as a detriment. We also hold the tenent that confidentiality is of the utmost importance when dealing with issues that impact your career so please if you have a question please call.
MAKE-UP DAY GUIDELINES
On Behalf of Dr. Robert L. Paserba
Dear Presidents and Principals:
As you know, there continues to be the possibility of further school delays/closings from this day forward; however, we are presenting these guidelines in regard to school days for students and work days for teachers AS OF FEBRUARY 19, 2010 (Please disregard any other guidelines that any of us may have given to you previously):
- March 31 will continue to be a teacher in-service day as originally planned; it cannot be used as a student make up day;
- April 1 (Holy Thursday) and April 2 (Good Friday) cannot be used for either student or teacher make up days;
- Memorial Day (May 25) cannot be used for either student or teacher make up days;
- Unless your ORIGINAL school calendar extended beyond Friday, June 11, we are expecting that all schools will be able to finish their school year for both students (180) and teachers (188) by the close of the day on Friday, June 11, 2010.
To assist with your calendar revisions in accordance with the guidelines above, please consider the following:
- The 180 day school year for students is our first priority. Please fulfill the 180 day requirement for our Catholic schools. However, if it is not possible for you to complete the 180 day school year for students by the close of the day on June 11, 2010, you may use the alternative approach for our Catholic schools whereby you will make certain that elementary students in grades kindergarten (full day) through grade 8 receive a minimum of 990 instructional hours (450 hours for half day kdg) as per our diocesan guidelines; and, that secondary students grades 7 through 12 also receive a minimum of 990 instructional hours by the close of the day on June 11, 2010;
- For calculation purposes, we have attached a worksheet for your use if you are using the alternative approach with instructional hours. The PA Department of Education does require us to keep this record on file for our schools unable to meet the 180 school day requirement. DO NOT FORWARD ANY REQUESTS/FORMS TO THE PA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION! We maintain these records in the Schools Office for our use only;
- Because of the numerous days missed so far by snow/weather conditions, along with school days missed for the G20 Summit in September, of secondary importance FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR ONLY, is the teacher 188 day work year. Nonetheless, please try to fulfill both the student 180 day requirement by June 11, 2010 as well as the teacher 188 day requirement by June 11, 2010. Since you cannot use Saturdays or Sundays as student or teacher days, you may have to develop some other alternatives especially for your teachers to conclude on June 11. For example, rather than scheduling clerical days on Monday, June 14 and /or Tuesday, June 15, you may be able to simply have the teachers complete their “end of year” clerical tasks at home or after school hours so that you still accomplish the important task of closing the school year, but without adhering stringently to the 188 day work year with actual “8-4” work days.
As always, thank you for your cooperation. If you have any specific questions or concerns, please consult with us directly at 412-456-3090.
Finally, if you have not already done so, please submit your newly revised calendars (subject to potential further revisions due to more bad weather or other conditions) to Sister Mary Jo Mutschler (Elementary) and to Don Teti (Secondary). Lastly, if you must calculate the instructional hours requirement rather that the 180 day requirement, the Schools Office must have a completed copy of this form. Please forward it as soon as possible but no later than March 5, 2010.
Respectfully,
Dr. Robert L. Paserba, Superintendent for Catholic Schools
Dr. Ronald T. Bowes, Assistant Superintendent for Public Policy and Development
Sister Mary Jo Mutschler, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools
Mr. Donald Teti, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools
C: Reverend Kris D. Stubna, S.T.D., Secretary for Catholic Education
Educational Consultants
Ownership
by Russell Del Vecchio
I thought that by now I could report on the state of pending health care legislation but as you are well aware that appears to be off the table for the foreseeable future. There is one piece of health care news that I can report to you that took effect January 1, 2010. Any one covered by health insurance can now see a mental health professional with no limits as to the number of visits that the health insurance carriers will cover. I will keep you updated as I receive factual information.
I am very sad to report that Saint Athanasius will be closed at the end of the current school year. This is a real loss to the people in the co mmunity that they have served with great distinction for many years. The FPDT will be assisting them as the search for jobs in other unionized Catholic schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
The long awaited purchase for the new North Catholic High School has been just announced. The seventy acres purchased by the Catholic Institute will enable a state of the art campus style school. There is still roughly sixty million dollars that must be raised for the dream to become a reality.
There are still other schools that are facing some very real challenges that are not as yet resolved. I will keep you posted as conditions warrant.
ACT 48 NOTICE !!!
To keep your state of
Pennsylvania teaching
Certification active you need to
have completed your required
180 hours by June 30, 2010.
IMPORTANT HEALTH CARE AND TIAA-CREFF NEWS!
For all of those who want to enroll in TIAA-CREF the open enrollment will begin shortly and continue until the end of December 2009. You can obtain all needed forms from your school. All teachers need to determine what their best retirement option is. There is the diocesan plan which is a defined benefit pension retirement model option and the TIAA-CREF option which the teacher can contribute over and above the school's contractually mandated amount. If you have any questions of a general nature you can call the office or for more detailed information you can call the Diocsesan insurance office (412-453-3045) or TIAA-CREF (1-877-554-8282).
The second area is pertaining to you health insurance decisions that you need to make each December. Each teacher will receive a packet of information and forms from their school in the near future. If you want to keep your current health care coverage you simply fill out the form accordingly if you need to make changes indicate the desired changes on the proper form. The contractually mandated form of your health care coverage is Blue Cross Blue Shield but you will notice that there is a UPMC option listed. This is only an option for those whose health care needs would be better served by UPMC. The payroll deduction is 10% less than BC/BS contractual option. You do not have to change unless you desire the UPMC coverage. If you desire the tax advantages of the Flexible Savings Account (FSA) you need to fill out that form. Once again your medical situation will determine of the FSA is beneficial to your situation. For general questions call the office for more specific questions call the Diocesean Insurance office.
These issues do not lend themselves to a one size fits all approach you need to make decisions based on your personal circumstances.
H1N1 LETTER TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS
To read a letter to parents/guardians concerning H1N1, 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 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
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.
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.
