DUTU General Membership Meeting 1/24/24 – see Password Protected Page or Facebook Page for link to join virtual meeting.
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absentee ballots will be available upon request for those out off work. Must be requested by 2/28/24 and returned to PO Box by 3/20/24.
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———————————————————————— 12/4/23
Hello All,
A few things:
When completing bargaining surveys please read instructions for question #1 carefully. You should be using each number ranking only ONCE.
Tomorrow Tuesday 12/5/23 we are conducting our Fall election. You will vote for 3 members to go to the IEA/RA in March 2024. The Illinois Education Association Representative Assembly (IEA RA) convenes every spring. The debates and decisions made by the assembled delegates set the direction of IEA for the coming year.
Please vote in the designated area and place the ballot in the ballot box when completed.
We are also collecting bargaining surveys using the ballot box. It’s ok to continue to put these surveys in the ballot box during the election and up until 4:30pm on Monday 12/11/23.
We did place multiple bargaining surveys in mailboxes that had assistants. If for some reason you didn’t get one please let me know. Call me, email me, text me.
Thank you
Heather Weiss
Professional School Bus Driver
DUTU President
Region 63 Chair847-269-8245
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12/4/23 Happy Monday,
Bargaining surveys will be out today. Please check your mailboxes later. Please take time to complete and submit by 4:30pm on Monday 12/11/23. Please place in the ballot box. If necessary fold survey one time length wise to fit in ballot box. Any questions please ask. Thank you for your time.
Your Bargaining Team Heather Weiss, Macy Morales, Sheri Slania, April Erling, Debby Beaupre, John Vercelli, Teresa Mascote, David Baca, Debbie Bellizzi, Latesha Young, Cindy France and Stacy Madigan
————————————————————————— Sample Ballot. Election Day is 12/5/23
————————————————————————- Bargaining Team Announcement……drum roll please……
Deborah Bellizzi April Erling Debby Beaupre David Baca John Vercelli Heather Weiss Macy Morales Sheri Slania Teresa Mascote Latesha Young
Alternates Cindy France Stacy Madigan
—————————————————————————— 11/08/23 – General Membership Meeting at 5:30pm – Elgin Moose Lodge 925 S McLean Blvd
Agenda
Reports from Governing Council Chairs (if needed) Old Business: Transportation P & P Trip Procedures Election Dates One Conference
New business: Bargaining Update
Member Comments/Questions: Adjournment:
Nomination & Election Notification
NOMINATION FORMS ARE AVAILABLE STARTING October 19, 2023 AND ARE DUE BY November 2, 2023 Nomination forms will be available starting 10/19/23 at:
Please submit forms to Colette Cruz: ctcruz1555@gmail.com or Heather Weiss: heathermweiss@yahoo.com
Election Information
On December 5, 2023 you will be asked to place your votes for electing Delegates for :
2024 IEA/RA
Note: The 2024 IEA Representative Assembly, otherwise known as IEA/RA, will be held in Rosemont IL. on March 14-16 2024. There will be a required briefing meeting prior to RA.
Election Date: December 5, 2023 Locations: 1019 Chicago and 500 Shales Times: TBD
—————————————————————————- On Wednesday September 27th we met with Administration to discuss the time frame change of doing fleet without notification. We came to an understanding:
For the rest of 2023-2024 you will be able to complete fleet between the hours of 6am-12pm
You must have 2.5hrs available to be eligible for fleet and/or fleet alt within this timeframe.
Starting 2024-2025 Administration has the right to change the time frame to complete fleet work between the hours of 9am-12pm.
You still must have 2.5hrs available to be eligible for fleet and/or fleet Alt. within this timeframe.
Please expect correspondence from Administration regarding this also.
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9/14/23 – General Membership Meeting at 5:30pm – Elgin Moose Lodge 925 S McLean Blvd
Call to Order Secretary Report Treasurer’s Report Reports from Governing Council Chairs (if needed)
Old Business: Transportation P & P Trip Procedures Dues Update Updated Bylaws
New business: 2023-2024 General Membership Raffle One Conference Election Dates GCN Videos Meeting Dates
Sample Ballots for upcoming election on March 22, 2023
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3-9-23
———————————————————————— 3-6-23 We received a response on our grievance #01-02-23. We have asked this to be paid out on or before next pay day. Will keep you posted.
————————————————————————- 2-22-23 Region 63 is excited to announce we held U-46 School Board Recommendation Meetings with 5 of the 6 candidates running for our 4 open seats in April 2023. Tomorrow early voting opens. We will be recommending Sue Kerr, Kate Thommes, Chanda Schwartz, and Samreen Khan to fill those seats.
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InService Pay Update #2 (2/15/23)
We met with Marcy today to discuss resolution of this issue. She stated she has a meeting on Friday to figure out how to proceed. We told her we would be filing a Step II grievance on behalf of DUTU and if resolution is handled on Friday we would withdrawal the grievance. We are proceeding!
———————————————————- InService Pay Update
Just wanted to let you know we are continuing to work on the pay issue from 1/27/23 InService. We have had discussion with Marcy Murphy, Beth Lapa and have also gone to Ann Williams. If they don’t give us resolution by tomorrow Wednesday 2/15 we will file a Step II grievance on behalf of DUTU for violation of contract Section 13.1(1).
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Nomination Forms for Spring 2023 Election. Nominations open from 2/1/23 – 2/22/23. Election Day is 3/22/23.
DUTU General Membership Meeting 1/18/23 – see Password Protected Page or Facebook Page for link to join virtual meeting.
Posted 12/13/22 2022 Fall Election Results
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12/12/22 – NEWSLETTER
Please read newsletter in its entirety as there is a memo regarding the Stipend $$$. Thank you Joy McCarron for completing December/January DUTU Newsletter. This will also be sent out via email in the next day or so and can be viewed on our DUTU Members Facebook Page. December 2022/January 2023
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Upcoming election sample ballots for 12/7/22
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General Membership Meeting
Elgin Moose Lodge – Wednesday 11/9 at 5:30pm
Call to Order Secretary Report (Star Pozos) – Treasurer’s report – Treasurer (Sheri Slania) – Reports from Governing Council Chairs (if needed)
Old Business: Mentoring program update Transportation P & P Trip Procedures 2022-2023 General Membership Raffle New Dues Structure
New business: Proposed Bylaw changes being shared and discussed (vote will take place 1/18/23)
Member Comments/Questions Adjournment –
Next General Membership Meeting January 18, 2023 – Virtual
Union cards have been handed out or placed in mailboxes recently. Friendly suggestion to visit ieanea.org and log in with your membership # on your card to reap the many benefits affiliated with being a DUTU member. Personally, I’ve enjoyed discounts from my cell provider and rental cars. I have also signed up for the Rakuten shopping app linked with our NEA account for GE employee pricing on appliances and much more. I’ve heard other members save big with new/used car purchases through neamb.com. Tap into your member benefits!
Member benefits IEA Connect is here to help! If you have questions about your benefits or need help accessing them, contact IEA Connect by email, live chat or call 844-IEA-1800, Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
We are all trying to stretch our dollars. Did you know IEA and NEA have great ways to earn back your dues dollars? Visit the IEA and NEA member benefit websites to find tons of ways to save money, today!
Access (an IEA partner) is more than a great member benefit – it is a convenient, fun way for members to find great deals on everything from groceries and take-out restaurants to clothing and electronics. Get the FREE MyDeals mobile app:
Cold Weather Starters have been reposted. You must bid or re-bid.
To clarify the reason for re-posting the cold weather start, it was late to the post cycle #10 and not everyone saw the updated email about this. So to be fair and follow procedures it is being reposted and you need to rebid on the section(s)and location(s) that you are interested in.
Procedure states: Monday: “available postings will be posted in the morning for employees to view.”
Monday-Wednesday: “postings are available for viewing and bidding,”
————————————————————————— Nomination Information
NOMINATION FORMS ARE AVAILABLE STARTING OCTOBER 21, 2022 AND ARE DUE BY NOVEMBER 4, 2022 Nomination forms are available upon request and can also be emailed.
Please request & submit forms to Colette Cruz: ctcruz1555@gmail.com or Heather Weiss: heathermweiss@yahoo.com
Election Information
On December 7, 2022 you will be asked to place your votes for these positions:
Note: The 2023 IEA Representative Assembly, otherwise known as IEA/RA, will be held in Rosemont, IL. Dates March 9-11, 2023. There will be a required briefing meeting prior to RA.
Election Date: December 7, 2022 Locations: 1019 Chicago and 500 Shales Times: TBD
——————————————————————— As promised…..Here is our bus down list link. You may need to be logged into work acct to view. Also, see tabs at bottom of document to make sure you’re viewing correct date.
Guest speaker Dave Rathke – workers right amendment rESPect presentation Secretary Report Treasurer Report 2022/2023 budget Council Chair Reports if needed
Old Business: Mentoring program update Transportation P & P
New business: 2022-2023 General Membership Raffle The One Conference New dues structure 9/2023 Run 4 U46
Member Comments/Questions Adjournment
———————————————————————- 9/5/22
One Conference Info September 30, 2022 – October 1, 2022 Oak Brook, IL
Hotel room will be reimbursed by DUTU after conference and hotel receipt with expense report are submitted to Sheri Slania. Rooms are DOUBLE occupancy or member will pay difference. Rooms are $119 a night plus tax. Also, there is a $20 per person fee for conference. This will also be reimbursed with proper receipt. You must attend for reimbursement of anything.
Below is link for all info on the One Conference and the training that is available.
Note: there will be NO route coverage for this conference.
————————————————————————- Please read contract langauge before proceeding with any GCN videos. Most will be completed at a specified InService day per contract. If you are a 12 month employee or working on a different school calendar please refer to that contract langauge. Attaching pictures for convenience and a link to view full contract.
——————————————————————— 2022-23 Payroll, Dues & Insurance Deductions Updates….
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8/3/22 I can’t believe it’s pick days. It went so fast. A few things:
1. Please don’t forget about extra work, middays, call center, kindergarten safety week, trip lists, fleet, bus washing etc…
2. Fleet alternate list is available for sign up to all including standbys. Please note: Administration must approve any overtime. (section 6.1.3)
3. If anyone has any questions please feel free to reach out to me. 847-269-8245
4. All work must be at 40 hours or less. Can NOT exceed 40 hours. Admin has not approved any overtime at this point!
5. DUTU calendars will be available before and after InService meeting on 8/8 at Larkin High. First one is free to DUTU members. Otherwise $1.00 each.
————————————————————————- IMPORTANT EMAILS REGARDING VIEWING ROUTES & CHANGES.
——————————————————————— July 19, 2022
Couple of things: 1. Pick times have been emailed. Check your work email. 2. Here is snapshot of our August. Our DUTU calendars have been ordered. We plan on having them by InService Meeting on 8/8.
———————————————————————— Friday May 13, 2022 What a morning!!!!!! To all those that were able to report to work today we pulled together and got the work done. We have been asked if anyone has time available that they can to make themselves available please see a manager. Anyone that had to use benefit time today you are entitled to it. Right now we ask that if you are capable of coming in for the PM please call and speak to a manager.
Ann Willams did announce today that she appreciates us and has recognized the team work we have been doing. With that she is providing food for us. Thank you all.
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GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
MAY 11, 2022 at 5:30pm
Come join us for our last membership meeting for this school year. Great company, *food, *raffles and laughs. *while supplies last
Agenda
Call to Order Approval of last meeting minutes Secretary report Treasurer report
Reports from Governing Council Chairs (if needed)
Old Business: Mentoring program update Transportation P & P General Membership Raffle Inventory of DUTU supplies
New business: Summer school info Fall pick info
General Membership Raffle Member Comments/questions Adjournment
Old Business: Mentoring program Transportation P & P General Membership Raffle Inventory of DUTU supplies Spring election DUTU day count
New business: Opportunity to ask available Candidates questions pertaining to the upcoming Election. Chairs & Committees Contract Language regarding Primary Trip Drivers
IMRF’s Pre-Retirement Workshops are for IMRF members who are within five years of retirement. They will address the steps you must take before and during the IMRF retirement application process.
Register today! For more information, or to register for a Pre-Retirement Workshop webinar, click here.
Order your 4 free Covid at home tests now. (this is per household) www.covidtests.gov
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General Membership Meeting 1/12/22 at 5:30pm.
This meeting will be virtual. This meeting will be recorded. You are giving consent to this recording when you join the meeting. Link, agenda and last meeting minutes below….
Call to Order Approval of last meeting minutes (located under password protected section)
Approval of treasurer’s report Reports from Governing Council Chairs (if needed)
Old Business: 1.Mentoring program – presentation to Admin is set for 1/26/22 2.Transportation P & P – working on in labor management meetings 3.General Membership Raffle
New business: 1.DUTU day count 2.Inventory of DUTU supplies 3.Spring Election
Election notice for 12/3/21. Election will take place at 500 Shales and 1019 Chicago St. Times to be announced. Absentee ballots available from 11/10-11/19. Please email Heather Weiss at heathermweiss@yahoo.com to request an absentee ballot. (Absentee ballots are only available for those on LOA and are eligible to vote along with those that may not be on site the day of election on 12/3.).
Election is to elect DUTU IEA/RA Delegates Region 63 IEA/RA Ethnic Minority Delegate Region 63 Vice Chair
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DUTU General Membership Meeting Wednesday November 10, 2021 5:30pm- 6:30pm Elgin Moose Lodge
V. Old Business: Mentoring program Transportation P & P General Membership Raffle tickets (last membership meeting pick winner)
VI. New business: Election – December 3, 2021 Radio Communication ESP Day Thanksgiving spirits
VII. Member Comments/questions VIII. Adjournment:
Next General Membership Meeting January 12, 2022
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Email from Jeff Prowell 10/31
Reminders and Updates
Team,
I recently had a driver tell me that they wish I would do more for the drivers and assistants besides sending “thank you” emails. I thought a lot about this and I have two thoughts. First, when I say thank you I mean it. It’s not an attempt to provide false motivation. It is a thank you for the hard and important work you do. Second, the most important thing I can do for the team is to provide a safe, friendly, and engaging work environment. I try very hard to do just that.
On to the reminders……….
1. Starting Monday, November 1st, all drivers are required to plug in their bus at the end of the day. We are expecting night time temperatures below freezing all week. 2. Masks – you are required to wear your mask in any U-46 building. Compliance is expected. 3. Treat others as you would like to be treated. People with different viewpoints can still be civil and respectful of each other. 4. Benefits open enrollment is currently open. Check your email for more details. 5. Self Attestation – If you are unvaccinated you are still required to test weekly and complete the self attestation survey. We will not be contacting employees to remind them of this requirement.
Lastly….thank you. Your work impacts lives. I think that says it all.
Stay safe and be well.
Jeff
Jeffrey S. Prowell Director of Transportation School District U-46
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Enrollment for your 2022 benefits starts next Wednesday, October 27th! Check out your plan options in the 2022
You may also attend a “live” enrollment meeting on Zoom – October 27th at 6:30 pm or November 4th at 4:00 pm. (A recorded version will be posted on the Benefits intranet page after October 27th if you are unable to attend.)
Remember – All benefit-eligible employees MUST login to Munis Self-Service between October 27th and November 10th to complete their enrollment. If you are eligible and do not enroll, you will be enrolled in the default options. Instructions are located on pages 1-2 of the 2022 Open Enrollment Guide.
DUTU 2021-2022 Budget (vote) IEA micro grant Jury Duty Vaccine Mandate 5K Run
Work Party
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Open Insurance Enrollment
Enrollment for 2022 benefits will be held October 27, 2021 – November 10, 2021. Information will be sent to District email accounts as we approach the time to enroll.
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Here is PDF of our FINAL CONTRACT. I will also put on our Members Only Facebook Page. We do have printed copies that will be placed in mailboxes.
DUTU’s stance regarding Email that came out this morning 5/25 at 8:21am from Jeff Prowell
May 25, 2021
To DUTU Members,
Your DUTU Officers want to inform you of conversations that have taken place with Administration this past couple of weeks. On May 12, 2021 Administration asked to meet with Macy and I. Jeff Prowell and Beth Lapa informed us that our 2020-2021 work year which ends on June 2, 2021, the last day of student attendance, will only given the opportunity of 190 days of pay. This violates our contract Section 13.1 that provides the opportunity for 192 days of pay. With this being said, Administration indicated that their plan would be for us to report to work on June 3, 2021 and June 4, 2021 to do some professional development, cleaning buses, gasing buses etc. At this point Macy and I indicated to them that they were asking us to violate our contract which we would not agree to do. We also shared that we believe the 2 days we should get paid for are the two additional Holidays that we bargained in section 13.3 (The day following Thanksgiving and New Years Eve day). We consulted with IEA Legal.
On May 20, 2021, we met with Administration again, including Jeff King, and they would not agree to pay the two additional bargained Holidays because those days were prior to ratification. With this all being shared we want to let you know that we want to make sure everyone gets paid the guaranteed number of days pursuant to the contract so we are not advising anyone not to work after the last day of student attendance if management directs us to do so. If we receive this directive, everyone should work, but we would still grieve that they violated Section 13.1 because they required work after the last day of student attendance. If we don’t receive the directive, we would grieve that they did not provide the opportunity for 192 days of pay.
We will use all available means to protect your wages and the contract.
Thank you
Heather Weiss
Macy Morales
Shawn Bernhardson
Sheri Slania
Cathy Wyzykowski
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Email from Jeff Prowell 5/25 at 8:21am
To All,
2020-2021 DUTU Work Year
As I am sure you are aware, the U-46 Board of Education and DUTU recently ratified a new contract. The new contract, which is currently in effect, calls for 192 days and the last day of work to be the last day of school. Due to the timing of the ratification of the contract, it is not possible to get to 192 days and for the last day of work to be the last day of school. The last day of school, June 2nd, only gets us to 190 days.
Administration has made the decision that June 3rd will be a work day for all drivers and assistants. Details on what will happen on June 3rd will be coming out later this week. Friday, June 4th, will be a paid day with no work. Anyone who fails to report to work on June 3rd will not be paid for June 4th.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly.
This will be virtual NOTE: This meeting will be RECORDED. You are giving consent to this recording when you join the meeting. Meeting minutes from last GMM can be found under password protected section.
AGENDA:
Old Business: 1. Mentoring Program 2. Bylaws – vote – Janus/Membership language – Bargaining Team local election year – Officers dues forgiveness
New business: 1. DUTU calendar 2. Summer School/Programs 3. Contract Printing 4. Hardship fund
Member Comments/questions
Adjournment:
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4/26/21
Message from IEA-
Update from Legal Services and Government Relations:
A number of local leaders and field staff have asked IEA Legal Services and IEA Government Relations whether the expansion in unemployment benefit eligibility, which allowed many ESPs to qualify for IDES benefits during summer 2020, will be in place for summer 2021. The answer, unfortunately, is “no”. The change in unemployment benefit eligibility was temporary in nature and expired on December 31, 2020. Should the Illinois General Assembly take any action that impacts unemployment benefit eligibility for summer 2021, we will provide notice of the changes in a subsequent update.
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POSTED 4/9/21
Just some clarity…….
Mondays 2pm in-district elementary schools dismiss at 12:00pm
Mondays 2:30 in-district elementary schools dismiss at 12:30pm
Mondays 1/2 day preschool programs are a NO GO
Please note that all day preschool programs at Horizon and More at 4 are not included in this. They DO ATTEND. They DO GO.
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Email from Beth Lapa 4/6/21
In Service 4/6/2021
Good Morning Team,
Happy Dry Run Day!
Please click on the following link to access our short, yet informative in service video. In Service 4/6/21 This video is mandatory to watch and needs to be completed by the end of day, today. If you feel you will have an issue viewing this video during some part of your day today, please work with a manager on a resolution.
Beth Lapa Assistant Director School District U-46 Transportation 847.888.5095 ext. 7020 elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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Email from Beth Lapa 3/17/21
U-46 Post-Spring Break Instructional Plans
Good Afternoon Team,
I am sure by now you have all heard about the District’s plans for the remainder of the 20-21 school year. Please review the message from Tony Sanders sent yesterday evening for details on the changes to instructional schedules post spring break and other important information.
What does this mean for us….??? This means we will need to rebid ALL of our work (routes, middays, stand by positions, trips lists, extra work and buses); EVERYTHING comes off the table.
DUTU Leadership and Administration have worked together to develop a plan for this process. The viewing and pick day schedules will take place as follows:
Viewing Days
Saturday, March 27th
Sunday, March 28th
Monday, March 29th until 12:00 pm.
PIck Days
Monday, March 29th from 12 pm – 6 pm
Tuesday, March 30th from 6 am – 6 pm
Wednesday, March 31st from 6 am – 12 pm, or until complete.
Please reference link for your assigned pick times. Pick will be held virtually, just as it has been for previous picks and post cycles. If you are unable to pick your selection(s) during your designated pick times, please ensure you call into main dispatch and speak with a manager to assign your designee for your pick choices.
All staff will be paid 7 hours on the day of their pick. If you have a previous route commitment on your designated pick day, you will NOT receive an additional 7 hours of pay.
Fleet for Assistants: If you are interested in picking a Fleet Inspector position, please email (paulettewalsh@u-46.org) or call (x7303) Paulette Walsh and she will provide you a pick time for your selection.
Dry Run Day
Tuesday, April 6th
Please note (referenced in the message from Tony Sanders), April 6th is an election day and some of our campuses are being utilized as polling locations, so it is now a full remote day for U-46 students. However, our private placement and vet tech routes ARE still running as normal. For these drivers and assistants, please ensure to work with management to ensure you complete your dry run commitment.
Also, If you pick a route that requires special equipment, please ensure you take care of this on the dry run day so you are prepared for students on Wednesday, April 7th. We will have all equipment sanitized over spring break and ready for installation on Tuesday, April 6th.
Wednesday, April 7th
First day of new instructional schedules.
We understand this is not an ideal situation for the team, however the District as a whole is on a tight deadline to accomplish this transition for the return of students on April 7th. Our routing department, route managers and other office staff are working around the clock to rework our routes and prepare for our spring break pick. We appreciate EVERYONE’S flexibility and dedication.
Additionally, as communicated by Tony Sanders, Monday, March 22 will now be a non-student attendance day for U-46; no instruction will be provided online or in person. Friday, April 23 will now be a student attendance day. Private Placement and Vet Tech routes WILL run as scheduled on Monday, March 22nd as District offices are still open.
As always, we are here to support your questions and concerns. Please reach out to main dispatch at 847-888-5095 for assistance.
Thank you for all you do.
Beth Lapa
Assistant Director
School District U-46 Transportation
847.888.5095 ext. 7020
elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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Our election is tomorrow March 16, 2021 955 E. Chicago St (old car lot next to our small bus lot) 8:00am – 10:00am 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Please note: Write-in names may be placed on the back of the scantron ballot. Please be sure to indicate both the first and last name of the person you are writing in, and the position for which you are writing them in for.
Voting to fill below elected positions: Region 63 Chair (2021-2024) Region Vice Chair (2021-2024 Region 63 Ethnic Min. Rep (2021-2024) (2) Region 63 DUTU Reps (2021-2023) (3) 2021 NEA/RA DUTU Delegates
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3/15/21
School Board Meeting tonight 7pm. There is an update on Return to Learn on the agenda.
Hey all, we will have to have a full pick AGAIN. We are figuring out the plan and will keep you posted.
Tony Sanders Weekly Message 3/12/21
Dear Colleagues:
I have a lot to share with you today. While I apologize in advance for the length, I do ask that you review this information closely.
This week, the Illinois Department of Public Health and State Board of Education provided revised guidance on the reopening of schools. To quote State Superintendent Dr. Carmen Ayala, the “joint guidance supports the return of in-person instruction as soon as practicable in each community.”
As a result of this updated guidance, we intend to adjust our Return to Learn plans on April 7, 2021. While we will share a more detailed update to the Board of Education on Monday evening, March 15, I wanted to share with you today what we are considering.
Let me emphasize that within these plans we will adhere to the revised guidance from the health department, including universal mask wearing (with limited exceptions for medical reasons), the social distancing expectations of 3 to 6 feet (please read the guidance for how that applies in different settings), contact tracing, cleaning and disinfection, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, occupancy restrictions, and the continued use of our self-certification app.
Below are our current considerations:
Elementary – For grades K-6, Distance learning students will maintain their distance learning assignments. All hybrid students will be in-person (no A/B groups) every day. Mondays will be a half-day of in-person, then full days (either 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) for Tuesday through Friday. Shortening Mondays to be either 8 a.m. to noon, or 8:30 to 12:30 p.m. depending on school is to provide elementary teachers planning time. We continue to plan for Early Childhood changes, but those details are not yet finalized.
Middle and High School – Distance learning students will remain in their distance learning assignment. All hybrid students will be in-person (no A/B groups). In-person students will attend Monday through Friday using our typical schedules (HS: 7:40-2:55, MS: 9-3:30), and will attend all periods each day.
In-Person Attendance Expectation for Staff – In order to make this successful, we will need all hands on deck upon our return from Spring Break. As such, all staff members will need to return to their in-person, building-based assignment effective Tuesday, April 6, unless the employee has an approved accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act from Human Resources that allows remote work, or if classroom/workspace is not available and confirmed by the site administrator and Plant Operations.
Vaccinations and Self-Certification – All staff members must utilize the self-certification app to inform us when they have been vaccinated. All data is confidential and is maintained as such. Just as with contact tracing we report our positive cases and suspected cases. Strict confidentiality is maintained.
Contact tracing will rely heavily on the data we have regarding vaccinations. In addition to being important information for the district, informing us of your vaccination status will benefit you in the event you are exposed to a case as it would mean we would not order you to quarantine at home and use your benefit time.
Requesting this information is not a violation of the federal Health Information Privacy and Portability Act (HIPAA).
Assessments – Despite our best efforts, we still must administer state assessments (IAR, ACCESS, etc.), though we will have flexibility in regards to the participation by students. These assessments will occur in the spring; however, we will not compel students in distance learning to come into a building to test (though we will provide opportunities if a family chooses to have their child test). We will provide additional guidance as soon as possible.
We will not be administering the MAP test this spring.
Calendar Change – Monday, April 5 remains the Spring Holiday. Tuesday, April 6, is an election day. As some of our sites are used as polling places the entire district will be remote that day and utilize the current Monday online, synchronous schedule. Our new schedule outlined above will begin Wednesday, April 7.
Again, what I shared above is subject to change. We will continue to finalize plans. I encourage you to watch Monday evening’s Board meeting which will provide greater detail.
Once plans are finalized, we will be communicating them fully to all U-46 families.
All my best,
Tony
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3/11/2021
Couple of things:
General Membership meeting last night was not recorded. We apologize and will be sure to record the next meeting.
Talk has started within district on getting students back to a regular in-person schedule. As soon as we have more definitive answers we will share.
Drivers please take time to sign up for your annual 2hr refresher class.
Proposed Bylaws – please take time to review proposed bylaws under PASSWORD PROTECTED INFO tab.
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General Membership Meeting – March 10, 2021 at 5:30pm
NOTE: This meeting will be RECORDED. You are giving consent to this recording when you join the meeting.
AGENDA:
Old Business:
1. Bargaining update
2. Mentoring Program
New business:
1. Bylaws – presentation of recommended language to add.
– Janus/Membership language
– Bargaining Team – during local election year
– Officers – dues forgiveness
2. DUTU Communication
– Facebook Page
– Website w/ password protected section
Member Comments/questions
Adjournment:
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Election Information
Election Date is March 16, 2021
955 E. Chicago St (old car lot next to our small bus lot)
8:00am – 10:00am
1:00pm – 3:00pm
Voting to fill below elected positions:
Region 63 Chair (2021-2024)
Region Vice Chair (2021-2024
Region 63 Ethnic Minority Rep (2021-2024)
(2) Region 63 DUTU Reps (2021-2023)
(3) 2021 NEA/RA DUTU Delegates
Note: The 2021 NEA Representative Assembly, otherwise known as the NEA/RA, will be held virtually and is July 2-4 2021. There will be a briefing meeting prior to RA that is required attendance. As of now that is virtual also.
Absentee Ballots: 3/8/21 – 3/12/21 Request absentee ballot by calling or emailing Pam Piecuch at IEA Office (pam.piecuch@ieanea.org or 847-241-2803)
Return back to IEA 2250 Point Blvd Suite 400 Elgin, IL 60123 (include your first/last name and your current address)
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IT IS WITH SADNESS THAT WE SHARE
Nellie Rogers of Cadillac, Michigan, 87 years young, mother to
Jacky Manley, school bus driver of U-46
passed Wednesday, March 4th, 2021
peacefully at home with family by her side.
Nellie loved to bake and shared her baked goods with everyone she could.
Condolence cards can be sent to Jacky at:
Jacky Manley
1435 Getzelman Dr
Elgin, IL 60124
Remember Your Transportation Family is here to help in any way we can
IT IS WITH EXTREME SADNESS THAT WE SHARE
Efrain Hurtado, 49 years young, husband to
Alma Hurtado, school bus driver of U-46
passed Saturday, March 6th, 2021
after a courageous battle peacefully at home with family
by his side.
Efrain loved his family deeply. He was a hard worker, helped
anyone who asked. Strong, honorable man which is how he raised
his three boys to be.
Visitation: Thursday, March 11th, 2021 between 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Symonds-Madison Funeral Home
305 Park St., Elgin, IL 60120
Mass: Friday, March 12th, 2021 @ 10:00 am
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
400 Fulton St., Elgin, IL 60120
Final Resting Place: Bluff City Blvd Cemetery 11:00 am
Condolence cards can be sent to Alma at:
Hurtado Family
196 N. DuBois Ave.
Elgin, IL 60123
Remember Your Transportation Family is here to help in any way we can
IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS THAT WE SHARE
Richard Michael Kurzac, 64 years young brother
to Barb Gulik, route assistant of U-46 passed
Thursday, February 18th, 2021
unexpectedly at home.
Richard had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to clown around.
Condolence cards can be sent to Barb at:
Barb Gulik
240 Lincoln Dr
Bartlett, Il 60103
Remember Your Transportation Family is here to help in
any way we can
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General Membership Meeting – March 10, 2021 at 5:30pm
NOTE: This meeting will be RECORDED. You are giving consent to this recording when you join the meeting.
1. Bylaws – presentation of recommended language to add.
– Janus/Membership language
– Bargaining Team – during local election year
– Officers – dues forgiveness
2. DUTU Communication
– Facebook Page
– Website w/ password protected section
Member Comments/questions
Adjournment:
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Email from Beth Lapa 3/3 at 2:46pm
Transportation Updates – VNA 2nd Vaccine and New Assistant Route Manager
Good Afternoon Team,
I hope you are able to get outside today and enjoy this beautiful weather. I know the sunshine has made me smile.
We wanted to provide an update on a few things….
2nd Vaccination w/ VNA The 2nd round of vaccinations at VNA will occur between 3/8/2021 and 3/14/2021. You should receive a text message from the VNA at least 3 days prior to when your 2nd dose is scheduled with the clinic. They are pre-scheduling the appointment days for their second doses and they are bringing in additional resources to help facilitate our large number of transportation employees. For all the employees that received their 1st vaccination on 2/8/2021, your scheduled day for the second dose is 3/12/2021. We understand that this is an in-person route day for most of you. Please try to schedule your appointment time within your off-hours this day. The clinic has some flexibility with scheduling, so please work with them and plan accordingly. Their hours are 8:30 AM to 3:24 PM, Monday – Friday and Sundays.
Please note, some post-vaccination side-effects are to be expected. Your self-certification questions will help guide you through your next steps. Also, PPE requirements will not change based on vaccination status. Even after you receive your 2nd vaccination, you will still need to wear your mask at all times.
Welcome to the Team – Lorie Pryor Please help me in welcoming Lorie Pryor, our new Assistant Route Manager working the PM shift at 500 Shales Pkwy. She comes to the district with over 14 years experience in the transportation/logistics industry. Please welcome her into our U-46 Transportation family with open arms.
As always, please do not hesitate to call main dispatch and speak with an office staff member on any questions or concerns you have.
Our contract ratification meeting on 3/1 at 3pm will be POSTPONED. This also means contract voting on 3/3 from 8am-4pm will be POSTPONED. New dates and times will be announced.
We will be meeting with Administration and the mediator again to clear something up before presenting the contract tentative agreement to our members.
Thank you, have a great weekend and enjoy the weather.
2/16/21 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!! We have a tentative agreement on our next contract. Woohoo. Thank you to our team. Stay tuned for a ratification meeting were we will present tentative agreements. Vote on contract will be on different day.
Elsy (Macy) Morales Shawn Whitman Bernhardson Slania Sheri Debby Beaupre Joe Haubert John Vercelli Tina O’Farrell Sam Lowe Estrella (Star) Gomez-Poz Teresa Mascote
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Email from Beth Lapa 2/12/21
COVID-19 2nd Vaccination Information
Good Morning Team,
For those of you who have received their 1st round of the COVID-19 vaccine through the VNA Health Clinic this week, you will be receiving a text message from the VNA directly during the 1st week in March, to schedule your 2nd round of the vaccine. Please reference the FAQs Regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine on the Intranet for more information. https://www.u-46.org/intranet-covid19. (Click link, redirect, and login)
Please do not hesitate to contact the main office with any questions or concerns.
Take care.
Beth Lapa Assistant Director School District U-46 Transportation 847.888.5095 ext. 7020 elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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Email from Beth Lapa 2/10/21
Temporary Fleet Assistant Position Open
Good Afternoon,
We are looking for an individual to fill our temporary Fleet Assistant position. Detail are as follows:
This posting is for drivers only
This temporary posting will be for 30 days from the date of transition
Your current route commitments will be covered until your 30 days expires
Rate of pay will stay at your current drivers rate of pay
Working hours will be from 6 am – 3 pm (1 hour lunch, 2-15 minute breaks)
8 hours a day/40 hours a week
Please reference the job description for details on daily duties Transportation Fleet Assistant
If you are interested in this temporary position, please call into main dispatch and let the office staff know of your interest. You have until Friday, 2/12/21 @ 11:30 am to call in and express your interest. We will be awarding this temporary position on Friday 2/12/21 @ 12 pm.
Thank you, Beth Lapa
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Email from Beth Lapa
2/4/21 at 9:39am
URGENT ACTION – COVID-19 VACCINATIONS AVAILABLE
Team,
We are able to sign up Transportation employees TODAY for their first round of the COVID-19 (Moderna) vaccination starting Monday 2/8/2021 @ 8:30 AM. The location will be at the VNA Health Center at 801 Villa St, Elgin, 60120.
This is what we need from you and your immediate response will be necessary. If you are interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, please fill out this form https://forms.gle/aovAEVhZnsgrLiXaA Vaccination or stop into either facility to communicate your interest. We will then begin to book your first round of the vaccination based upon the best time and date initiated by you.
Some things to keep in mind…
1. Vaccinations are not mandatory.
2. Vaccinations can be taken during the work day. If you do choose to get vaccinated during the workday, the expectation is to still fulfill your full days’ commitments.
3. This is a 2-round vaccination, so within 30 days after your first vaccination, we will be signing you up for your second vaccination.
4. You will need a window of 20-30 minutes after you receive your vaccination to sit at the facility. This is to ensure you do not have an immediate adverse reaction to the shot.
5. As a reminder, if you have had a positive COVID-19 diagnosis within the past 90 days, you are no longer at risk and therefore you are unable to receive this initial vaccine.
Please do not hesitate to call main dispatch (847-888-5095) with questions.
Thank you,
Beth Lapa
Assistant Director
School District U-46 Transportation
847.888.5095 ext. 7020
elizabethlapa@u-46.org
2nd email regarding above….
Team,
After we have booked your vaccination appointment, you will receive a confirmation email from VNA Health Care – Elgin with confirmation details. Please ensure to keep this email.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I have been told that we should be receiving an email tonight or tomorrow regarding vaccinations for U-46 employees and how that will roll out to us. Keep an eye on your district email.
Thanks
Heather
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It has been brought to my attention that some may have concerns about how many students are on their bus at one time. If this is the case here is my advise and some additional information.
I suggest reaching out to Beth Lapa (847.888.5095 ext. 7020 elizabethlapa@u-46.org) and share any concerns with her. If you email her please copy me in so I can also follow up. It also would not hurt to have conversation with Mary Boyd who is DUTU’s safety chairperson.
Also, doesn’t hurt to state how important it is to clean our buses. Click link and scroll to “bus cleaning”. https://www.u-46.org/Page/17744
Thank you
Heather
heatherweiss@u-46.org
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1/28/21
InService tomorrow will be a pre-recorded video. I heard it’s about 90 minutes long. Email with link will be sent to your district email in morning.
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General Membership meeting minutes from 1/13/21 have been posted on DUTU members only Facebook page. See under events and scheduled 3/10/21 meeting. I am willing to email minutes to those that do not have access to Facebook. Please request at heathermweiss@yahoo.com
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Email from Tony Sanders
1/24/21 at 5:44pm
Dear U-46 Colleagues,
Now that our District has developed a distance learning model that allows for online learning from home, the state is allowing U-46 and other districts to utilize remote learning during inclement weather rather than using emergency closure days (or “snow days.”). That means that on days of inclement weather, or anything else that prohibits students from entering our buildings, we will be closing our school buildings and – in nearly all cases – teaching and learning will shift to online learning.
On such days, what we will now call an “Emergency Distance Learning Day,” teachers, paraprofessionals, home school liaisons, and part-time and 10-month secretaries will be expected to provide instruction and support remotely via the current instructional schedule. If any of the above-mentioned employees cannot provide instruction/support during an Emergency Distance Learning Day, they need to report their absence in Absence Management and to their direct supervisor, just like on any other day, and they can elect to use one of their allotted days.
All other employees will be expected to report to their school/work site for the regular work day, including all principals, associate principals, assistant principals, athletic directors, and all 12-month employees, including 12-month secretaries, custodians, and central office administrators and staff members.
Follow Planned Schedule For Day
Teachers and students will be expected to follow their current instructional schedule on an Emergency Distance Learning Day. In lieu of any in-person instruction, teachers will be meeting via Zoom with students for classes, following the planned schedule for that day. This means that students in the Hybrid Model will follow their planned hybrid schedule for that day and students in our Distance Learning Model will follow their current distance learning schedule on that given day. The previously scheduled instructional time does not change, we will just shift to an online platform.
In order to ensure success, we are asking that all teachers explain to their students in advance the expectations and steps related to an Emergency Distance Learning Day. Teachers must have established Zoom links for each class that are posted on their Canvas page and they should ensure students know how to navigate Canvas in advance and find those links during an online learning day. We want to ensure that all students and families can turn to Canvas for those links should we all need to pivot to an online teaching and learning day.
Please know that we are also informing all families about this planned approach to future emergency days. We will be sharing that on an Emergency Distance Learning Day families can expect that:
All before- and after-care programs are cancelled.
All after-school programs and extracurricular activities, including practices, games, shows and presentations, are cancelled.
There will be no meal service when we shift to an online learning day.
We will not need to make up a school day at the end of the school year as this emergency distance learning day will count as a full day of pupil attendance.
We remind all employees and students to continue to bring home essential items each night, including Chromebooks and other devices, in case we need to call an Emergency Distance Learning Day. This practice supports our cleaning procedures.
We always aim to alert staff and families to an emergency building closure in advance but no later than 5:45 a.m. on a given school day. The District will inform staff of an emergency closure and distance learning decision via phone, email and text, website, social media and through the emergency closing center which broadcasts information on local TV news stations.
It’s critical we have updated staff and family contact information during an Emergency Distance Learning Day. Parents must update their contact information during registration each year, and throughout the year if there are changes in a phone number or an e-mail address. Parents can update information by contacting school staff and asking them to update information in a student’s Infinite Campus account. Staff members should update personal phone numbers with Human Resources.
This information can also be found on our Intranet under “School and Community Relations/Emergency Distance Learning Day. Thank you for your continued service, professionalism, and collaboration as we move forward with this new practice.
Email from Jeff Prowell and then clarify email from Catherine Welch
1/22/21
To All,
Monday, January 25, 2021 is a regular work day. You will need to run your Tuesday routes on Monday. Friday, January 29, 2021 is an in-service day and you will not run your routes. However, we will have an in-service for you to watch on Friday.
Stay Safe!
Jeff
Jeffrey S. Prowell
Director of Transportation
School District U-46
500 Shales Parkway
Elgin, IL 60120
847-888-5095
Clarification from Catherine Welch
Good afternoon,
I want to do a little clarification to Jeff’s email. If you are an out-of-district driver/ assistant, VET Tech driver, SWEP driver/ assistant or Center House driver/ Assistant; your schedule is not changing to the once a month Mon thru Thurs. Everyone else including Tues thru Fri standbys, big bus, small bus and wheelchairs (unless you receive a phone call letting you know a school isn’t attending due to their program) will be expected to be here Monday the 25th. I hope this helps the many questions I am sure that you had. If you still have questions please reach out and ask.
Thanks,
Catherine
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Email from Beth Lapa
1/14/21 at 5:09pm
Transportation Updates 1/13/2021
Good Evening Everyone.
Everyday there is something new that is put on our plates, and everyday we continue to pivot and shift in order to keep moving forward to accomplish really the one and only goal we all hold…making it possible for our students to access their education in-person. I just want to say I am honored to be part of this team and the goals we continue to work for.
Attendance Packets/Seating Charts
We have attendance packets and blank seating charts finalized for the team. If you are working in the field tomorrow, please stop by your respective base of your 2nd semester assignment to pick up your packets. If you are not working tomorrow, I encourage you to stop by base and pick up your packets for review. Attached are electronic copies of our seating charts. Please utilize either small bus chart for your wheelchair seating.
If you are running a route tomorrow and have equipment (car seats and/or harness hookups), please remove them from your bus and drop in the bins at either entrance to our 1019 E. Chicago building. We will be sanitizing and reinstalling all equipment on buses Saturday in order to prepare you all for Tuesday.
Semester 1 Route Books
Please drop your semester 1 route books in the provided containers at both 1019 E Chicago and Shales.
January 19th, 2021 – Beginning of 2nd Semester (remember, the district is closed Monday, January 18, 2021 in observance of MLK Holiday)
EVERYONE will be back to work next week starting January 19th, 2021. The following is a listing of what will be starting/continuing next week:
1. All Elementary school routes
2. All Middle school routes
3. All High school routes. Please note, Juniors and Seniors will not be returning until the week of January 25th, 2021. However, your high school routes will need to be run in their entirety for the week of the 19th to ensure your stop times and arrival times at the campus remain consistent.
4. All special needs in district routes (elementary, middle and high schools). Please note, certain SPED elementary students will be transitioning to 4 days of in-person instruction starting January 25th, 2021. This hybrid schedule is listed on your route sheets per student for 2nd semester. For the week of January 19th only, these SPED students will still be on a 2 day/week hybrid schedule. We will provide you a roster of student ridership days so you know what days which students will ride for the week of January 19th.
Please note, not all SPED students are transitioning to 4 days starting January 25th, some still are 2 days/week, so please ensure to pay close attention to the hybrid days listed for each student on your route sheets for this pick.
5. All Private Placement/Out of District Routes
Team, I know I sound like a broken record, but I cannot express enough, PLEASE call the office if you have any questions or concerns about your routes/student attendance days for the second semester. Please do not assume anything. Tomorrow is the last day we will be in the office until we are rolling again Tuesday morning.
SELF CERTIFICATION
All U-46 staff must confirm daily that they have not come to work with any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19. This is a directive of the district and if you do not self certify everyday, you will receive progressive discipline. As stated in Tony Sander’s message yesterday, self-certification MUST be completed prior to setting foot in your bus or coming into our U-46 buildings. There are a few ways to access the self certification system. First, click on the link below on your phone or computer. Second method is through a QR code scan on your phone. We have made laminated cards, which you may have received prior to the pause, for quick access. If you did not receive one of these cards, please contact the office and we will ensure to get you one. With either process, you will be promoted to log in. This login is the same as your network ID and password. If you are having issues, please ask to speak with an office staff member to assist you in resolution.
It has been great to see many of you back this week. I have enjoyed some of the conversations that I have been able to have with drivers and assistants.
I need all drivers and assistants to click on this link to watch a short 12 minute video……
This video will provide valuable information about tasks that you will need to complete starting next week. The video discusses loading and unloading, seating charts, attendance sheets, pandemic safety procedures, self-certification, and a couple other topics.
The video is short and provides information YOU need. Please watch this video before you report to work on Tuesday, January 19th. Since you are being paid 7 hours a day, there will be no additional pay for watching this short video.
Please call the office if you have any questions. Stay safe and healthy.
Jeff
Jeffrey S. Prowell
Director of Transportation
School District U-46
500 Shales Parkway
Elgin, IL 60120
847-888-5095
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Email from Tony Sanders
1/13/21
I have asked John Heiderscheidt, Director of School Safety and Culture, and Jeffrey Judge, Health Services Coordinator, to present our Pandemic Safety Procedures overview that was recently presented to the Board of Education this past Monday evening.
These are voluntary sessions open to available staff members. The webinars will also be recorded for those unable to attend. The webinar will have a presentation, but we will not be enabling the chat or questions features on Zoom. Instead, we ask you to follow the chain of command and take any questions to your immediate supervisor.
You can also enroll in the Canvas course, which contains the webinar links provided above as well as the slides from the presentation, and where a recording of the presentation will be posted, by clicking here.
If you cannot attend, please see this link for the BOE presentation.
As a reminder, the Kane County Regional Office of Education is capturing data among public school district employees on their willingness to get vaccinated. The anonymous survey is available at https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSf250DchCJiQm…/viewform. Responses are due by Friday, January 15.
All my best,
Tony Sanders
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Tony Sanders Superintendent School District U-46 847-888-5000 ext. 5007 (Office) 847-489-0226 (Cell)
Re: Important Transportation Update – Return to School
Happy Sunday….Go Bears!
I will keep my email brief as I realize that this email is coming to you on the weekend. It is hard to believe but we are quickly approaching the 1 year mark since our worlds were upended. I would have never thought something like this could happen. You hear me say it all the time but please remember the kids. Our U-46 students are losing time in school that they will likely never recover. No sports, plays, band, choir, social engagement, and on and on. Heartbreaking is the only word that comes to my mind. I continue to not reject anything that the educational administrators want to do. As I have said, transportation will not be a barrier to education.
I want to recap a couple of things so there is no confusion.
1. You must perform your dry run tomorrow. 2. You must self-certify everyday before you report to work. Superintendent Sanders has been very clear. This is not negotiable. You will be subject to progressive discipline if you do not self-certify every day. 3. You must complete a seating chart for every school. Again, this is not negotiable. This is critical in the case of contact tracing. 4. Do not come into the building unless you have authorization or need to use the restroom. This is for the safety of everyone.
Lastly, I need you to come back with a smile, an open mind, and patience. The office staff have worked very hard to make things as easy and seamless for you as possible. Things change by the minute and we must all be flexible. I need you, the district needs you, and most importantly the KIDS NEED YOU.
Looking forward to seeing you all.
Jeff
Jeffrey S. Prowell Director of Transportation School District U-46 500 Shales Parkway Elgin, IL 60120 847-888-5095
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1/7/21
Good morning all,
Most of you are up with your coffee, watching pick day virtually. Regarding your weekly hours….the work that you pick can NOT be over 40 “working hours”. Example: if your don’t work on Monday those hours will be paid out but will not count towards “working hours”. Also remember that OT is only paid out for “working hours”.
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1/4/21 FINALLY!!!!!!!
Email from Jeff Prowell 1/4/21 at 2:09pm
Pay Moving Froward
Happy New Year!
The following pay guidelines will be in effect moving forward:
1. All drivers/assistants will receive 7 hours or clock time which is greater on days where work is performed. 2. All drivers/assistants will receive 7 hours of pay for all scheduled work days even when no work is performed. Example…..You have a Tuesday through Friday schedule with no work on Mondays. You will be paid 7 hours for Monday. 3. If the district goes back to full remote or an adaptive pause, all employees will be paid 7 hours for all scheduled work days. 4. Benefit time will be paid at 7 hours or look back average whichever is greater.
Please contact Beth or myself with any questions.
Jeff
Jeffrey S. Prowell Director of Transportation School District U-46 500 Shales Parkway Elgin, IL 60120 847-888-5095
Please take time to complete the FMCSA form that Carin Bjorn has directed us to complete and submit by deadline. This form will only be used to meet the January 6, 2021 deadline. (see email below). IEA legal has looked at and suggested for me to share this link for FMCSA fact sheet. Have a great day.
Heather has brought up a good point as to the timeframe of this consent. This form will only be used to meet the January 6, 2021 requirements established by the Clearinghouse. My hope is to have all drivers sign a new annual consent for 2021 when we all return to in-person learning. I will be sure to include a statement on the consent form that indicates the year.
Although this was rushed and unexpected, I’m very pleased with your quick action and responsiveness under such short notice. Many of you have met the deadline. I’ll keep you updated with the progress.
Thank you! *.*
Carin Bjorn
Safety & Operations Manager, Transportation
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Message from your DUTU Officers
12/21 at 8:40am
Good Morning All,
A couple of things for you to know:
We received an email from Carin Bjorn requesting us to fill out a form for Federal Motor Commercial Safety Administration (FMCSA). We have sent that form to IEA legal just to make sure this is necessary and appropriate. We will keep you posted once we hear back from IEA legal. I personally did a search and this is what I found…..https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/…/what-records-should…
We bargained last Thursday 12/17. We have been back and forth several times with financial proposals with no success. By the end of Thursdays meeting both parties have agreed to go into mediation. On Friday 12/18 we sent a letter to Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and are awaiting a mediator to be assigned to us. This mediators job is to get both parties to move a little to meet somewhere in the middle.
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS)
“When an agency and union have negotiated over a particular subject and have reached an impasse, the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute provides a mechanism to resolve their impasse. But first, the parties must seek mediation assistance from a third party, such as the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS-Agency), in an attempt to informally resolve the matter.”
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12/16/2020 To DUTU Members,
Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. We would like to share what we do know in hopes it helps everyone moving into the new year 2021.
1) Our current MOU is valid until 12/31/2020 or until a full pick happens, whichever is later.
2) We are in the process of negotiating a 2nd Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will address the remainder of this school year. The School Board will be reviewing our proposal. As soon as we hear from them we will share with all of you. This will be after the Holidays.
3) It is a law that employers have to pay their employees for hours worked. The district has shared that they have no intention of NOT paying us. We wanted to share this information to help prevent any worries.
4) Please know that we have put both feet forward in advocating for all of us. Your Bargaining Team and DUTU Officers are just as anxious as you are with wanting to know what 2021 will bring us. Again, once we have a response on MOU we will share.
5) The only reason someone needs to fill out a proxy for someone to pick for you on your pick day in January is if you are performing work for U-46 during your pick time. If you need to fill out a proxy for any other reason you may be asked to use a benefit day. The expectation has always been that we are available to work on paid workdays.
6) Cold weather starters, there is an opportunity for over time. Just remember for anything to count as OT it must be “time worked”.
7) Assistants, we were told an email was sent to all of you asking if you wanted a pick time for the opportunity of picking fleet inspector work on 1/7/21. If you didn’t see the email or didn’t respond and would like a pick time for that work we suggest you call your route manager and request a time.
8) We wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Joyous New Year.
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12/7/20
UPDATE: our election will take place at IEA building on 12/8/20 from 9am-12pm.
You can also drop off any hats/gloves/scarfs you want to donate for our fundraiser.
*Please note that there is no campaigning onsite.
2250 Point Blvd Floor 4
Elgin, IL 60123
Election Plan for electing 4 DUTU Members to attend IEA/RA in March 2021.
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Email from Tony Sanders
12/1/20 at 5:59pm
Update on In-Person Instruction
Dear U-46 Colleagues:
I am writing today to inform you of my decision to keep U-46 students learning remotely through winter break. This same message will be sent to all U-46 families this evening.
While our local COVID-19 metrics have improved slightly in recent days, just today the Illinois Department of Public Health announced another 12,542 new cases. In addition, both our state and local health departments have told us to expect another surge in cases following the Thanksgiving break. I would rather err on the side of caution for the safety and well-being of our families and staff, while also recognizing that families need time to plan for this shift. The last thing I want to have happen is telling you all the night before in-person instruction is scheduled to start that we are again postponed.
Here is what this decision means by grade band:
Pre-K to 2nd Grade – Students remain in distance learning with their current teachers. Students will return for in-person hybrid instruction the week of January 11, 2021.
3rd Grade to 6th Grade – Students will remain in distance learning with their current teachers. Any necessary re-assignments will occur when we are able to start in-person instruction under our hybrid model the week of January 11.
Middle and High Schools – Students will remain in distance learning following their current schedules. On December 7, we will be presenting to the Board of Education the schedule for what our hybrid model for in-person instruction will be when students return for the second semester beginning January 19, 2021. Those schedules will also be sent to all middle and high school families after that presentation. We are also finalizing plans to provide some level of support for struggling students before the first semester ends, with targeted opportunities for small group in-person instruction from January 4 through 15.
Specialized Student Services – Students in our transition programs and self-contained specialized student services programs, will return for in-person instruction beginning January 11. Specialized Student Services will be following up with families with additional details.
I appreciate your ongoing patience and understanding.
—
Tony Sanders Superintendent
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11/26/2020
UPDATE: our election will take place at IEA building on 12/8/20 from 9am-12pm 2250 Point Blvd Floor 4 Elgin, IL 60123
Election Plan for electing 4 DUTU Members to attend IEA/RA in March 2021.
Election Plan for electing 4 DUTU Members to attend IEA/RA in March 2021.
With the District in an adaptive pause and our surrounding counties regressing back to tier 3 mitigations, there are many students and families that are struggling to put food on their tables.
We are looking for volunteers to run our food distribution routes with our fellow Food Service employees. When I say volunteers, please know that you will still receive your daily rate of pay…
We are still in the planning phase with Food Service leadership, so we do not have specifics on what the routes/timeframes will look like, however we envision them to be similar to what we have previously run. These routes will start sometime early next week and run through our adaptive pause, however long that may be…
If you are interested in this work, please call main dispatch and let an office staff member know you would like to volunteer. Depending on the responses, we will hopefully have some additional information out to the team in the next few days.
We wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving. We are grateful for everyone in our department, everyday, for serving our students, communities and staff.
Take care and stay safe!
Beth Lapa
Assistant Director
School District U-46 Transportation
847.888.5095 ext. 7020
elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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Good afternoon all,
Things are changing day by day. Now that we will be doing a two week “adaptive pause” along with not having all information for all programs we have to make some adjustments. This means our pick in December is being pushed until January 2021. Good news….because of this we took the opportunity to bring up discussion on creating a new MOU for drivers & assistants. We are currently negotiating those new terms and hope to share with you all soon. Thank you so much for the support and your patience.
Thank you Heather Weiss
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Email from Tony Sanders
11/16/20 at 6:00pm
Adaptive Pause from Nov. 23 to Dec. 4
Colleagues:
This morning, the Kane County Health Department provided guidance saying U-46 needs to take “adaptive pause” effective November 23 through December 4. They believe we will be okay continuing with our current plans for this week, then strictly offering distance learning for all students effective November 23rd.
I will meet with the Kane County Health Department again on November 30 and December 2 in the event we need to consider extending the adaptive pause.
While we are on this adaptive pause, all administrators and all 12-month staff members will need to continue working from our buildings to support teachers who may choose to teach from their classrooms.
Further, we will not change teacher assignments for grades 3rd through 6th until the adaptive pause ends. Professional development scheduled for November 19 and 20 will continue.
A message to families will be sent this evening at 7 p.m. Please respect our communication timeline and avoid posting anything until after 7 p.m. I was attempting to give you enough lead time to process before we send a message to the community.
—
Tony Sanders
Superintendent School District U-46
847-888-5000 ext. 5007 (Office)
11/16/20
School Board meeting tonight at 7pm.
As part of American Education Week beginning, Monday, November 16th and Education Support Professionals Day on Wednesday, November 18th, the Board of Education will be recognizing ESP’s for the work we have done, especially this year in such an unprecedented time
The meeting will livestream simultaneously on the District’s YouTube Channel.
————————————————————— Need a DUTU calendar? Got a hat, scarf, glove donation? Need a DUTU lanyard?
Shawn Bernhardson will be at
Shales Pkwy lot tomorrow Tuesday 11/17
8:15am – 9:00am
Heather Weiss will be at
Chicago St lot tomorrow Tuesday 11/17
9:00am – 9:30am
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Email from Beth Lapa
11/13 at 6:38pm
Happy Friday evening everyone! I will make this short…
We are coming to an end with this posting cycle….just a few more things to wrap up. Again, we would like to express our gratitude to all of you for your patience, flexibility and understanding.
Tomorrow morning (Saturday 11/14/20) we will have all route information for middle and high schools sent out to the team for reference over the weekend. If you have a school to transport on Monday, we have finalized that communication to those drivers . All remaining drivers who were assigned work will be contacted tomorrow with route detail and will need to dry run their assignments on Monday, 11/16/2020.
We will have a few office staff in the building tomorrow morning, so if you have any questions, please feel free to call into the main line at 847-888-5095, and we would be happy to speak with you.
If you are old enough to remember the sitcom “The Facts of Life” from the late 70’s and early 80’s, then you certainly remember the theme song, “You take the good, you take the bad, take them both and there you have the facts of life.” When we are all back together I will sing it for you.
So, let’s start with the good. I was immensely impressed with the social distancing and masking wearing that I observed this week. We asked employees to stay out of the building and we had tremendous cooperation on this front. The majority of drivers and assistants came in, did their work, and left. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We did hear from a couple of schools that students arrived at school without a mask on. Reminder, if a student shows up at a stop with no mask on, you need to give them one. All buses were supplied with additional masks that can be given to students. Please use them.
Next, the not so good (bad). Many employees are not completing the self certification online in the morning prior to arriving at work. This is a district requirement and not optional. It is easy to do and we can assist you in learning how to do it if you don’t know how.
The Bad! I am going to be very honest with all of you. Not knowing how to login to your district email is not our problem. It is yours and you need to own it. You are adults. This is your job. I have been here 3 years and I have been talking about the importance of checking your district email since I got here. You are responsible for what is sent in emails, you are responsible for GCN, you are responsible for in-service training, you are responsible for open enrollment, and the list goes on and on. To complete all of these things, you need to know how to login. Again, it’s your job, your email……….OWN IT.
I will close by saying that we need your continued patience and understanding. There is a lot of last minute information and communication that is forced down to Transportation and then we have to get it out to all of you very quickly. I know it is not fun. I know it makes life difficult sometimes. However, I want to remind you of two things. First, the district took what I believe was exceptional care of all drivers and assistants by paying all of you up to 7 hours per day with no work performed. You may not think that is exceptional….I do. Second, we are here to provide children with access to their education. You’ve heard me say it before and I live it. I will not tell Mr. Sanders, the Board of Education, parents, teachers, or administrators that we can’t get their kids to school because we didn’t get the information in a timely manner. I just will not do that.
Please stay safe and healthy. Thanks for all you do.
Jeff
Jeffrey S. Prowell
Director of Transportation
School District U-46
500 Shales Parkway
Elgin, IL 60120
847-888-5095
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Email from Tony Sanders
11/13/20 at 1:45pm
Weekly Message – Nov. 13, 2020
I am writing this at 12:45 p.m. on Friday the 13th. I have the same level of anxiety and angst as I did eight months ago on our last Friday the 13th. That was March 13, the day Governor Pritzker announced a stay-at-home order that affected everything, including public schools.
Two hours away from his update, I do not know what the Governor will say this Friday the 13th. I do not know what this weekend will bring. I do not know what I will be told Monday when I have my next weekly meetings with our local health departments.
Here’s what I do know: we have an amazing team who was able to safely bring back Pre-K-2nd grade students this week. Serving these youngest learners, along with students who need specialized services, has been our priority, and we’ve demonstrated we have safety plans that will support their learning.
We have worked to prioritize the health and safety of students and staff above all other priorities. We will continue to do so as future decisions are made.
I appreciate your continued flexibility as we all learn to pivot and adapt to new circumstances on nearly an hourly basis.
Before I close out this message, let me apologize that our self-certification website went down this morning. The server crashed. It was an inopportune time given this was our first week of using it. We will work to ensure that does not occur again.
All my best,
Tony
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Email from Beth Lapa 11/12/20 at 6:02pm
Posting Cycle #13 Important Update
Three evening emails in a row from us…..aren’t you all lucky.
As you can see in the Master sheet, we are working our way through our postings. This has really proved to be one of the most challenging posting cycles for the office to work through. The dedication from the Transportation office staff has been absolutely amazing. Thank you team!
With this being said, we need to alter our dry run days. There are only a small number of HS only routes that will be riding on Monday. Those individuals will be able to dry run in the PM tomorrow. Additional communication will be made with those employees.
Assignments will be finalized and communicated tomorrow morning. I encourage you to review the Master sheet to stay up to date on these assignments.
We understand this is an alter in the schedule that we previously put out, and we truly thank you for your flexibility and patience.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Take care and stay safe.
Beth Lapa Assistant Director School District U-46 Transportation 847.888.5095 ext. 7020 elizabethlapa@u-46.org
————————————————————— Email from Beth Lapa 11/11/20 at 5:31pm
Good Evening Everyone,
We wanted to give the team an update on cycle #13.
This posting will be taken down at 12 PM tomorrow, Thursday, 11/12/20. With as much work as this posting cycle will be to assign accordingly, additional time is needed to prepare you as support staff for Friday’s dry run and start up on Monday. If any of you need assistance with viewing the posting master or the detailed routes, please do not hesitate to contact us via email/phone.
Second, in order to try and maintain consistency with our support staff, students and campuses, we will be assigning PM runs that match to the AM runs that either you pick or get assigned. Also, for the majority of individuals that are choosing or being assigned runs, there will most likely be a middle AND high school run tiered together. Please note, we will be assigning this work based upon contract language, with keeping seniority and time/location in mind.
We understand this is not typical for our posting process and our routes look completely different than previous years, however, we are trying our hardest to maintain some consistency with our routes and bottom line…deliver our students to their campuses for in person learning.
Again, please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns. The office is open from 5 am to 5 pm.
We appreciate all of you! Thank you.
Beth Lapa Assistant Director School District U-46 Transportation 847.888.5095 ext. 7020 elizabethlapa@u-46.org
—————————————————————- Email from Beth Lapa
11/10 at 8:31pm
Posting Cycle #13 and Self Certification Reporting System
Good Evening Team,
What a great first day back for our prek-2 students. The day was definity a success in light of very new district safety protocols to adhere to, half of our team driving buses for the first time in 8 months and a new way of operating at Transportation. We have really accomplished a lot these past few months! You should all feel proud to be part of such an amazing team.
Please reference the following links to Posting Cycle #13 Master and the Google Folder containing all the scans of our middle school and high school small group runs. These runs are for students who need in person instruction for areas like welding, fine arts and automotive. These runs look more similar in times to our normal school year routes. This work begins this coming Monday, 11/16/2020 and runs Monday – Friday, with similar student hybrid ridership as our elementary runs.
These runs will be posted for viewing until Thursday, 11/12/20 at 2 PM. Please call into main dispatch @ 847-888-5095 with your selections of these runs. Any work that does not get picked, will be assigned by seniority and time/location.
Dry run will be on Friday 11/13/20, worked within your current Friday commitments.
Self Certification Reporting System You should have all received an email from Info Info today regarding the district’s self-certification system. This system is now fully operational and should be completed every morning PRIOR to the start of your shift and entering any U-46 school bus and/or building. I have included below the link to the reporting system and an attachment including a QR code for easy scanning. We will be running reports daily in the early morning to determine who has not self certified for the day. Please expect a touch base from management if you do not certify, ensuring you are healthy for the day’s commitments. If you have any questions regarding access to the system, please contact Help desk at HelpDesk@u-46.org or at 847-888-5000 x4295. You can also call our main dispatch for general questions on self certifying.
As always, we are here to support you in any way we can. We all have the same goals in mind. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any issues, concerns, ideas and/or suggestions. During these times, more than ever, we need to pull together as a team to do what needs to be accomplished in order for our students to continue their education.
We appreciate all of you. Take care.
Beth Lapa Assistant Director School District U-46 Transportation 847.888.5095 ext. 7020 elizabethlapa@u-46.org
We are sending this to let you know We think of you each day, And pray for your recovery, Hoping soon you’ll be okay.
You’re going through a lot right now;
Hold on to your positive attitude,
And when things get hard to bear, Know that we are here for you; Remember that we care.
With love from your
DUTU Governing Council and all your friends from Transportation.
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Email from John Heiderscheidt
11/6/20 at 4:19pm
Dear U-46 Colleagues,
This is a message going to all staff members. As more staff and students return to our buildings, we wanted to take a moment to emphasize the importance of following the four critical safety measures: self certify before entering a U-46 building, properly wear a face covering or mask, maintain a social distance of at least six feet, and wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.
As you may be aware, the State Board of Education’s pandemic guidance requires all individuals to self-certify that they are free of symptoms of COVID-19 before entering school buildings, facilities, or buses on a daily basis. Starting on Monday, Nov. 9, all employees are required to complete a web-based questionnaire to verify or “certify” they are free of COVID-19 symptoms before they enter U-46 buildings each day. As students return to buildings for limited in-person instruction, their parents will use the same program each morning to certify their children are symptom-free before arriving at school. Your participation in this new process is an important part of our efforts to maintain a safe working and learning environment.
The web-based form is found at https://district.u-46.org/selfCertify/login.cfm. It can be accessed from a computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. You can bookmark the link. Here are step-by-step directions for self certification for staff and families with information on how you can add a shortcut to your iphone or Android mobile phone.
Again, all employees must complete this quick two-question form every day before arriving to work at any U-46 site. If you are working remotely, using a benefit day, or if it is a holiday or weekend, there is no need to self certify. Employees who have children attending in-person instruction at U-46 schools will be able to certify them at the same time.
You will log into the self-certification program using your U-46 username and password and answer two questions. If you answer “yes” to the first question about symptoms, you will be asked an additional question to determine if the symptoms you are reporting are related to a possible pre-existing condition. At the end of the process, you will either see a green checkmark clearing you to report to work, or a red exclamation point informing you to stay home and contact your supervisor. It is the responsibility of all employees to report to their supervisor if they are sick and cannot work due to illness.
What happens next:
This program keeps track of all staff and students who self-certify before attending work or school. The responses are treated as private health data and can only be accessed by administrators and school nurses.
In the case of student self-certification, a building principal, associate principal, assistant principal and school nurse will have access to daily reports showing which students have completed the requirement, which students have not, and which students reported symptoms. The school nurse, with the assistance of school administration, will check in with students who either indicate having symptoms or did not complete the self-certify requirement. Each morning we will be checking the reports. Parents or guardians who do not complete the self-certification requirement will face the possibility of having their children sent home. Principals will communicate with parents or guardians who do not complete the self-certification process each day.
For staff certification, administrators in each department or school building will have access to the employee data reports for their area of responsibility. Each morning the administrator will review the data and check on employees who completed certifications, employees who did not complete certifications, or employees who reported symptoms. If an employee reports symptoms, it is the employee’s responsibility to contact their supervisor. Staff who do not complete the self-certification process will be contacted by their supervisor and reminded to use the web-based self-certification form.
More information on the District’s safety procedures can be found on the School Safety & Culture section of the Intranet here, including flowcharts that outline the notification process if a student or staff member becomes ill with COVID-19; a table of open, closed, and positive cases in the District; and other safety measures. Much of this same information is available to our community on our public facing COVID-19 District website. Additionally, with thanks to several of our elementary principals, students and transportation department, we have developed a safety video that covers the important safety measures for all.
We recognize that the self-certification form is another new process, and we appreciate your assistance, patience and flexibility. If you have questions on the self-certification form or concerns on any other COVID-19-related safety procedures, please contact your supervisor.
Sincerely,
John Heiderscheidt
Director of School Safety & Culture
School District U-46
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11/5/20
Email from Beth Lapa at 4:27pm
Good Afternoon Transportation Team,
As we prepare to bring back another group of students, we wanted to go over a few things with you.
DRY RUN DAYS 11/6 and 11/9
BIG BUS
When you arrive at 500 Shales, please stop at one of our tables along the backside of the shop to acquire a bus key and your route book. Every driver will be provided their own bus key. You will have to sign for the key and it will be $5 for a replacement, so please keep this key in a safe location. If you have any other bus keys in your possession, please turn them in at that time.
After your check in, please proceed with your dry run. Please ensure to perform a thorough pre-trip inspection prior to departure. If there are immediate issues that need to be taken care of, please pull up to the shop and they will address your needs.
If you have issues with your route or need to speak with a manager post your dry run, we will be outside at the same tables you retrieve your key and route books from. We will talk through your concerns at that time.
Stand Bys – Please also check in at the table to receive your key and your assignment.
SMALL/WHEELCHAIR BUS @ 1019 E CHICAGO
Please ring the bell at the west-side door and an office staff member will meet you with your bus key, signature form, route book and/or assistant folder.
Upon completing your thorough pre-trip, if you have any issues with your bus, there is a mechanic on site to assist, please radio in and the mechanic will meet you to trouble-shoot any issues.
Post your dry run, if you have concerns with your route and need to speak with a member of management, please radio in and we will accommodate accordingly.
OPEN ENROLLMENT – CLOSES 11/10/2020
Please ensure to complete open enrollment for your benefits. Open enrollment ends 11/10/2020. Remember, even if you are keeping all your selections the same and are not making any modifications, you still need to log in and select no changes. If you need assistance with your enrollment or have questions, please email the Benefits department at Benefits@u-46.org.
GCN COVID-19 TUTORIALS (7)
There are 7 COVID-19 GCN tutorials that must be completed by the end of the day today, 11/5/2020. This directive has been given by our Superintendent Tony Sanders. If you are experiencing issues on completing these tutorials, please speak with a member of management on your dry run day. Please note, these are very quick tutorials, please do not delay in completing them.
SELF CERTIFICATION LINK
The district has created a self-certification link for ALL district staff. We will have more information to come in the next week. Stay tuned……
SAFETY
Please ensure to wear your mask at all times, no exceptions. Your mask must cover your nose and mouth.
Also, I know this time will be exciting due to the fact that you have not seen each other in a while…but please practice social distancing. Please stay 6 feet apart from each other. We will be providing friendly reminders if needed, to ensure all of our staff stay safe and healthy….
As always, we are here for you all. Please do not hesitate to come speak with Jeff, myself, or a member of management with any questions, concerns, suggestions or comments.
ESP Alert. Vote to Protect your Pension. The IMRF Trustee Election has started!
You helped get them on the ballot, now it’s time to cast your vote! The IEA is supporting our own Hugh Cunningham, the co-president of the Triad Custodial and Maintenance Association along with Tracie Mitchell of AFSCME Local 268 in the upcoming Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Trustee election. A ballot and postage-paid return envelope were mailed at the end of October to all active ESPs. Ballots must be returned by December 4. Please spread the word with your ESP colleagues and place this poster in your breakrooms on the association boards.
As we prepare for grades Prek – 2 to return, there are several items we would like to communicate with you.
DRY RUNS
Dry runs will be on Friday, 11/6 and Monday, 11/9. Your dry run assignment is listed on the Posting Cycle #11 spreadsheet…Posting Cycle #11. We will also be making phone calls to the individuals that will dry run for confirmation. Please run your AM route(s) in real-time. You can then run your PM directly after your AM. Please remember, over the next few days we will be making additional assignments for mid-days/partials. If you are interested, please ensure to call the main line and communicate your picks. You can also email management with your choices and/or any questions. These runs will be reflected in your route books on your dry run days.
On your dry run day, your route books and your PPE kits will be on your bus. We will also have office staff handing out bus keys. This was discussed in our in-service. Every driver will receive and sign for their own key. All other keys that you have in your possession, please return them to the staff at the time you receive your new bus key.
FLEET INSPECTORS (assigned to 500 Shales)
Please report to 500 Shales at 8:30 AM on 11/9/2020 for training and lot assignments.
IN-SERVICE / GCN TUTORIALS
If you have not completed the following, you MUST complete by Tuesday, 11/10/2020. We do have staff calling individuals to follow up on the completion of the In-Service Presentations, so if you have not yet completed them, please expect a call from management and to complete by the return on 11/10.
In-Service Presentations (ALL)
Mandatory COVID-19 GCN Videos (7)
COVID-19 Identifying Symptoms
COVID-19 Plan, Prepare, and Respond
COVID-19 How to Wear a Mask
COVID-19 Maintaining a Healthy School Environment
COVID-19 Proper Handwashing
COVID-19 Wear a Cloth Face Covering
COVID-19 Workplace Guidelines
TUESDAY 11/3/2020 – ELECTION DAY
The District is closed and no transportation will be provided to any campus, in district or out of district. This is a non-paid holiday for 10 mos staff.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. The office is open from 5 am – 5 pm.
Thank you for all that you do. Talk soon and stay safe.
If you are eligible but do not enroll, you will be automatically enrolled in: Silver HDHP medical plan & Dental – both at Single coverage only
REMEMBER: If you qualify for insurance, you must enroll, even if:
1) You are a new employee; 2) You want to keep the same plans; or
3) You don’t need the U-46 coverage (you must waive every year)
QUESTIONS? Email Benefits@U-46.org
Beth Berg
Coordinator Employee Benefits
School District U-46
(847) 888-5000 x 5761
BethBerg@U-46.org
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10/30/20
“Hello DUTU members, below please find nomination forms for our upcoming election on December 8, 2020. We will be electing four (4) delegates to the IEA-RA from DUTU. Also, we will be electing someone to fill out the remaining term of our Region 63 Vice Chair, and lastly we will be electing a Region 63 Ethnic Minority delegate to the IEA-RA. If you would like to nominate yourself or another individual for any of these positions, please fill out the appropriate form from those below, and return it as per instructions on the form.”
Drum Roll please…….here is our elected council and officers. Congrats and thanks to everyone for their patience while I confirmed some chair positions.
Below is our latest update to families that will be sent this evening. Please note in here my call regarding the importance of wearing our masks, keeping our distance, and washing our hands. Mask wearing is especially important and you should wear one at all times while at work unless you are inside an enclosed office or classroom.
Masks below the nose, or below the chin, do not work. Masks must fully cover your nostrils and down to your chin, and fit tightly against your cheeks. If you see a colleague (including me) not following our protocols, it is incumbent on you to say something.
Further, we have GCN tutorials that are required in regards to protecting each other during this pandemic. At this time, between less than 40% of our team have completed these tutorials. Your login and access code were provided to you most recently on October 19.
Thank you for all your hard work,
Tony
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Our return of students in grades Pre-K through 2nd for those choosing the hybrid model will begin the week of November 9 (assuming local health authorities continue to support). As a reminder, our model calls for Monday to be online synchronous instruction days, so in-person days will begin November 10.
We also will be communicating in early November the return-to-learn plans for grades 3 through 6, and opportunities for middle and high school.
I want to address a few of the questions I have received about why we had to delay our reopening of Pre-K to 2nd.
1) Why not allow families the option to drop their child off at school?
Nearly 2,000 parents indicated they plan to use district transportation when their student returns for in-person instruction. Many of these families are unable to provide transportation, potentially leaving many students without access to their in-person days of instruction. Further, carpooling could not be encouraged because of the social distancing and mask-wearing expectations.
2) Why would two cases of COVID-19 cause a delay?
I am truly sorry that we had an outbreak (defined as two or more cases of COVID-19 that can be tied together by a setting) in our Transportation Department. At this time, five department staff have tested positive and the remaining members of the team must quarantine for 14 days.
Our Transportation Department on Shales Parkway maintains most of the staff members who route and dispatch buses. It is not possible to run as many buses necessary for Pre-K to 2nd grade without dispatchers. Our first days of school for any school year is a hectic time in this department. Buses may run late as drivers learn their routes. Parents must be at bus stops for the earliest learners, which can also slow things down. Things sometimes go wrong and sometimes students miss a bus. Without our great team of dispatchers and routers, we would be unable to be responsive to parents calling about their child’s bus, or to advise and route drivers, among other critical functions.
These employees cannot work from home to do this work, either. They would not have their phone lines, our GPS system access, and so forth. This is a job that requires team members to collaborate very quickly and remain in constant communication with each other while in the same room.
To prevent this from happening again, I have re-emphasized to all employees the importance of following health guidelines: Wear a mask, keep six feet of distance, and wash hands regularly. If we do this, we can keep each other safe. If you see a U-46 employee not following our guidelines, please say something to them. If that does not work, send me a Let’s Talk and I will personally address it.
I implore patience from everyone. We will all need to be flexible as our local health metrics are demonstrating substantial spread of COVID-19. Our decisions continue to be informed by our local health authorities. While Cook, DuPage and Kane counties are back in “substantial spread,” the DuPage County Health Department stated last week that “school officials are encouraged to use their discretion and expertise to determine which populations of students should receive in-person instruction whose needs are less likely to be met by virtual instruction.” The Kane County Health Department concurred and suggested we continue working to serve students, and work towards mitigation at the school level in the event there is a case of COVID-19. However, if further mitigation is implemented at the state or local level for our region, we could be pushed back into remote learning.
I know there are parents who cannot wait for their child to be back to some level of in-person instruction. I know there are also parents who are worried. And I absolutely understand there are staff members who are concerned about their health, and the health of their families.
For those feeling uncertainty, I do understand. I am confident we can return this small group of students safely. Other districts have been in session, including in parts of the state that have already experienced mitigation plans, yet they have found schools are not the primary sources for the spread of COVID-19. We must agree to wear our masks, ensure a physical distance of six feet or more, and regularly wash our hands.
We will continue to remind our staff and families of the importance of these safety measures on our COVID-19 website which includes our new COVID Reporting page that shares the data on our open, closed and confirmed cases since last March.
Here is a list of extensions. Drivers working, Please use this whenever you can to prevent coming inside the building. For everyone else it’s a good way to get ahold of the person you want without having to be transferred.
10/21/2020 FYI…..the fleet inspector positions that are posted will be paid at your current pay rate or $18.24 which ever is greater.
***Also, if you are an assistant you will be receiving a call asking if you are interested in fleet inspecting and if you are you will receive a pick time to allow you to pick fleet.
——————————————————————————————————– Email from Carin Bjorn
10/19 at 1:38pm
GCN Training
An email was sent from Human Resources to ALL district employees as a reminder to complete the training tutorials. I know some of you have not completed them all and have been given an extension. Most of our Transportation Team is in compliance. Please do not be worried or concerned wondering if you have met the commitment. I know who has and who has not,
I’m sorry for any anxiety this may have caused as this was not the intent of Human Resources. Now, for those that haven’t completed it, your deadline is fast approaching! Get it done *.*
Our Open Enrollment period for your 2021 benefits is right around the corner. It begins on October 23rd and ends on November 10th.
This is your only chance this year to make changes to your health insurance plans without having to prove a major life change—like getting married, divorced, or adding a child to your family. To help you find the plan that best fits your needs, School District U-46 is bringing back ALEX®, the virtual benefits counselor,
If you used ALEX last year, you should know that it’s been updated with our new plan information, and fortified with new boredom-busting vitamins and minerals.
If you’re new to ALEX, you should know:
1. It’s personalized, so you can see which plan makes the most sense for YOU, not your coworkers, or your boss, or even me, your local benefits genius. 2. It’s fun to use. There’s no boring insurance jargon or complicated legal jibber-jabber. 3. It’s confidential, so you can get the guidance you need without revealing all of your personal information.
You can discover your lowest-cost, best-coverage health plan option—or see if your current plan choice is the best one for you—from any computer, tablet, or smartphone at http://www.myalex.com/districtu46/2021. ____________________________________
Email from Jeff Prowell 10/16/2020 at 10:23am
Hybrid Instruction
To All,
Happy Friday! I wanted to give everyone a heads up about next week and the week after that. The following events will be taking place next week and will impact all drivers and assistants that are not currently working.
Tuesday, October 20th 6:00 AM – All big bus routes and a selection of new small bus routes will be posted online for viewing. Wednesday, October 21st – Postings will remain open for viewing. Thursday, October 22nd 6:30 AM – Posting will be removed and route selection will begin from the most senior person down. Since there will be work for all we are starting at the top of the seniority list. Friday, October 23rd – Route selection continues and is complete by the end of the day.
Monday, October 26th – Dry run for all routes selected the previous week. Tuesday, October 27th – First Day of U-46 Hybrid instruction
A couple of important notes……. 1. Drivers and assistants will be contacted on Monday, October 19th via telephone and will be given their selection time for either Thursday or Friday. 2. ALL drivers and assistants must select a route or be on an approved leave through HR. 3. All drivers AND assistants will be required to watch an online inservice next Friday, October 23rd so they are prepared for the start of hybrid instruction.
We are anxious to welcome the rest of you back. Many of us have been here working daily since May 4th. Please do not respond to this email with questions. If you have questions please call the office and speak to a manager.
Regularly scheduled InService meeting on 10/23 will be a pre-recorded presentation to view from the comfort of your own home. Details to follow from Beth and Jeff. _____________________________________ DUTU Election Results
*Please note for the Governing Council Chairs a person can only hold one position. We will make calls to those that may need to choose which position they want to hold. Also, the elected officers can not hold an additional chair. Once we get that done we will post updated Governing Council.
Please see the special edition newsletter with candidate statements for the upcoming DUTU election on October 6, 2020 at Lords Park East Shelter from 12:30 pm – 5:30 pm.
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Colleagues,
The Taylor Family YMCA of Elgin is offering daily childcare services, including care specifically for the children of U-46 staff members. To find more details and contact information, please click here. Locations will be determined based on the number of responses received.
Thank you.
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Email from Beth Lapa
8/12/20 at 3:29pm
Work Available Next Week Starting 8/17/2020
Good Afternoon Everyone,
I hope that you are all well, safe and staying busy.
We have some new work available starting next week (August 17th) that we need to get assigned. Some of the work is for Athletic Trips and one is for a new Assistant Route. Please see the link below for specifics on time, date, location, type of work and number of buses for the trips.
Please note we will have additional details out soon.
Out of District Route Bid and Remote Learning Pay for Drivers and Assistants
Transportation Team,
Below are the three options for pay during this period with out of district routes and remote learning:
1. Any driver or assistant who takes work will receive 7 hrs or clock time whichever is greater.
2. Any driver or assistant who does not get work and look-back* is 7 hrs or greater will be paid 7 hrs.
3. Any driver or assistant who does not get work and look-back* is less than 7 hrs will be paid look-back hrs.
*look back hours will be from May 2020
Drivers and assistants can pass on work as long as their seniority permits them to do so. If a large number of employees pass, the work will be forced on the lower seniority drivers and assistants. If you are forced (assigned) a route and you decline you will be required to use sick time or seek a leave of absence through Human Resources or you will not be paid.
Drivers and assistants who select work will be locked into that assignment until the period of full remote learning is over. The main reason behind this is the safety of drivers, assistants, and students. It is imperative that changes are minimized to reduce the exposure to students and staff. If you select work and then drop it, you will not have the opportunity to bid on any new work until the period of full remote learning ends. As of right now, hybrid learning is scheduled to begin October 26th at the earliest.
This policy/procedure is being formulated into a Memorandum of Understanding between U-46 and DUTU.
This MOU will expire on December 31, 2020. The issue will be revisited at that time if needed.
I hope you are all well and we look forward to seeing some of you in the near future. Please remember that pick starts tomorrow morning. Stay safe.
Best,
Jeffrey S. Prowell
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Email from Beth Lapa
July 31, 2020 3:45pm
Fall Pick Round #1 – 8/5/2020 and 8/6/2020
Good Afternoon Everyone,
I hope this email finds you all well and enjoying the end of this beautiful summer.
As many of you know, our private placement students are starting back to school beginning as early as 8/10/2020. This means we will be having a small pick next week.
Our timeline is as follows:
8/3/2020 and 8/4/2020 – Viewing days. The routes will be posted electronically by 6 am on Monday, 8/3/2020 and will be available through pick. During these two days, please call our main line with any questions or concerns, so we can address any issues prior to your pick time. We will also have a summary listing of routes posted which will be kept in real time during our pick days.
8/5/2020 and 8/6/2020 – Pick days (via phone). Please reference the link below for your pick times. At your stated pick time window, a member of Management will be calling you to confirm your pick selection. Once all routes have been assigned, we will send out a mass email and robo call notifying all of the close of pick.
Dry Run and Inservice – We will have a scheduled dry run and mini in-service day for the employees that will be coming back to work in the field. We will provide this schedule to those who choose a route on their pick day. During this mini inservice, Management will present the current protocol on pupil transportation during this COVID pandemic and the policies/procedures we have put into place to keep you and our students safe.
I understand there are many questions that have not been answered as of today. Please know that your DUTU Leadership and Transportation Administration are working diligently in obtaining those answers for you. Please expect to receive additional information Monday or Tuesday of next week.
As always, please do not hesitate to call the main line at 847-888-5095 to speak with a member of the office staff regarding any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you all for your patience and continued support through these times. Please take care and stay safe.
Talk soon,
Beth Lapa
Assistant Director
School District U-46 Transportation
847.888.5095 ext. 7020
elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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July 31, 2020
This is Heather Weiss your DUTU president . I want to take the time to share with you a link that will direct you to U-46 Staff Intranet where you can have access to U-46 Pandemic Procedures and FAQs for returning to school/work. I highly recommend that you take time to click on this provided link https://bit.ly/u46Covid, sign in, click School Safetly & Culture and review “U-46 Pandemic Procedures and FAQs.” (user name is first and last name with no spaces).
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July 30, 2020
We are continuing to impact bargain our hours and return to work conditions. We don’t have any facts to share at this time. We will be meeting with administration in the very near future. We understand everyone is anxious. We are putting our all in. Enjoy your night and hope to have some info for you soon.
Thanks
Heather
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Here is link for tonights school board meeting. Tonights meeting will include recommendations from the committee/subcommittees on reopening plans for the
Mike Stevens, thank you for taking the time to reach out to me today and a huge shout out for reaching out to IEA President Kathi Griffin regarding unemployment. Although we did know most of this it is relieving to finally hear someone guide us and say “I encourage you to file a claim for unemployment after the school term ends.”
This message below is an email response from IEA President Kathi Griffin…..
I was able to consult with both our Director of Government Relations and IEA’s General Counsel. This is the answer to your question.
HB 2455, once signed by Governor Pritzker, will expand Illinois’ unemployment insurance program for the calendar year for some Illinois workers. This includes ESPs who have a problem obtaining employment between school terms such as during the summer break. As the law currently exists, educational employees do not qualify for unemployment benefits between school terms if they have a “reasonable expectation” of returning to their job at the start of the next school term. HB 2455, once signed, will temporarily remove the disqualifying factor of being between school terms for certain non-instructional, educational employees. As a result, an ESP who is unemployed or underemployed during the summer break may be eligible for regular unemployment benefits even if they expect to resume work in the fall. In line with IDES’ advice, if you are out of work or have reduced work during the summer break, I encourage you to file a claim for unemployment after the school term ends. The location of this language in HB 2455 can be found on page 69.
We hope this message finds you well and staying healthy.
We received an email on Sunday May 24, 2020 from IEA President Kathi Griffin. She stated in her email this….
“Unemployment eligibility expansion – Ensures Illinois continues to qualify for federal relief packages by extending unemployment benefits, waiving the one-week unemployment insurance waiting period, and expanding eligibility for unemployment to non-instructional education employees, such as lunch workers and teachers’ aides.”
It is important to know that IDES makes determinations whether someone is eligible and it is done on a case-by-case basis. You should also keep in mind that if you receive benefits, but are later found to be ineligible for whatever reason, you could be liable to pay that money back to the state.
Our original last day of work was May 27, 2020 per approved district calendar. As of now DUTU’s last work day is May 28, 2020. Why you ask? Well…..our work year was extended by 1 day because March 16, 2020 we used an emergency to be paid. However, Governor Pritzker has since labeled March 16, 2020 as an “Act of God” day. Therefore, the district is extending our work year by 1 day along with paying out our remaining 2 emergency days.
Your DUTU officers have been working diligenlty at keeping everyone updated and getting out factual information. Please continue to reveiw the official “DUTU Members Only” facebook page, DUTU’s official website at http://www.mydutu.org and of course your district email.
It is really starting to feel like summer, hopefully you are all out enjoying the warmth and sunshine.
Please reference the below link for summer work available. On this sheet you will find 14 positions for bus washing. There are 11 driver positions and 3 assistant positions available, same program we ran last year.
On Thursday, you will be expected to call into the main number by your pick time. So if your pick time is listed at 6:30 AM, then you can start calling into dispatch at 6:25 AM. If we do not receive a call from you by the pick times listed, we will assume you are passing on the work.
We will send out a robo call and email when all driver and assistant slots are filled, notifying the team that pick is closed. This bid sheet is a live document, so you will also be able to view who is picking as we go.
After pick day, we will follow our normal summer procedures and post any new work through Teleposting. Instructions on Teleposting will be sent to the team at a later date in the near future.
Our main number to call on Thursday is 847-888-5095.
If there are any questions, please call our main number for clarification.
Take care. Stay safe and healthy.
Beth Lapa
Assistant Director
School District U-46 Transportation
847.888.5095 ext. 7020
elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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Email from Beth Lapa
May 22, 2020
Transportation Personal Items Pick Up
Good Afternoon Team,
Happy Friday! I hope this email finds you all well and staying healthy!
Below you will find a link to complete if you are in need of picking up personal items from your bus and/or your locker. Please complete this form by Friday, May 29th. Our plan is to start item pick up on Monday, June 8th.
The plan for pick up will be a drive up/hand off procedure in order to keep you from exiting your vehicle and/or opening your car door. If applicable, office staff will be placing your items in your trunk, which will allow for minimal contact.
We understand that there may be some items that belong to multiple people from the same bus, and in those instances, we will have the items separated by bus and placed on a table for you to pick up what belongs to you.
After we collect the information from the form, we will be sending out another email the week of June 1st that includes the day and time slot for pick up for all who have responded to the form.
If you have a locker that has a lock on it, this time slot will allow for you to enter the building and retrieve those items as well. If your locker is unlocked, we will have those items collected for you to retrieve when you pull up to the building.
Please keep in mind, this is not a time to come to the garage to socialize and catch up with each other. So if you are filing out this form, it is because you NEED the items on your bus and/or out of your locker.
The staff that will be assisting in this event will be wearing masks and gloves, we ask that you practice wearing personal protective equipment, as well as, adhering to social distancing guidelines.
If there are any questions, please call our main line at 847-888-5095 for assistance.
Take care and stay safe and healthy.
Beth Lapa
Assistant Director
School District U-46 Transportation
847.888.5095 ext. 7020
elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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Posted May 18, 2020
Hello DUTU Members,
Please see the special edition newsletter containing information and candidate statements for the upcoming DUTU election.
So many of you have emailed me with good news of you taking your class online. Congratulations! I know this has been a struggle for some of you that didn’t have your district email setup prior to this week. Thank you to all those that have helped our team members get through this. I can tell you, many, many hours have been spent this week to help. Again, thank you!
There are several of you that did not receive the emails from the ROE as expected. I have spoken to many of you but wanted to give everyone knowledge of events. This error had to do with the initial email address provided to the ROE was incorrect. A separate spreadsheet was sent yesterday afternoon with the correct information and the ROE planned on making the correction and sending out to the revised email address. However, this morning the ROE decided to reschedule those individuals for the class for those affected for Tuesday, May 19th rather than send out an updated email for today’s class.
Let me give you an example. The initial spreadsheet was sent to tomhelgerson@u-46.org The email address should have read thomashelgerson@u-46.org Because of this error, Tom did not receive the email from the ROE. Again, not Tom or anyone affected is at fault. But I do apologize. I’m sure after the struggle and frustration of getting into your district email this week and anticipating taking the class, only to be disappointed when no email came through. Discouraging. I understand. And I do apologize for this. There will be no charge to anyone that was unable to take the online class today because of this error. After I receive confirmation from the ROE of your attendance and completion, you will be paid (2) hour for your refresher class.
Stay well and healthy!
Carin Bjorn
Safety & Operations Manager, Transportation
School District U-46
500 Shales Parkway
Elgin, IL 60120
(847) 888-5095, x7315
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Email from Carin Bjorn
May 13, 2020 at 4:57pm
Hello team members,
Are you ready? I think so *.*
Every driver was contacted today. All 335 of you. If you’re reading this email from your district email address, high 5! You’re ready to take the online refresher class tomorrow. If you’re reading this from mydutu.org website in which Heather posts for you, you’ll need to reach out to the helpdesk@u-46.org and receive assistance to provide a new password.
Several of us took the class on Tuesday so we would be prepared for any concerns or calls that may come on Thursday. Paulette put together a Word document with some helpful hints that you can use along the way. I’ve attached the document to the end of this email. To open the document, double click on the attachment “Online Refresher Helpful Hints” and you’ll see each helpful hint listed.
The class curriculum is informative, thought provoking, encouraging, reminds you that your career choice as a school bus driver is essential. Oh, and the tests are not difficult. Don’t worry. You’ll pass. All the others passed on Tuesday. In fact, I’ve received their certificate of completion from the Regional Office of Education already!
I don’t want anymore anxiety and stress to come your way regarding the process and getting your U-46 email address up and running. Now that you have it, check it often. I’m sure you’ve read the emails from Beth, Tony, Human Resources, as well as me. One of our team members had over 1,200 emails to read (or delete) in her account. She hadn’t ever signed in before. I’m sure she’s still reading them. Or deleting them!
Things happen. Life is life. We’re going through uncharted waters and navigating our way to and from. If by chance, you are unable to take the online refresher class tomorrow, reach out to me by email. Those of you that sent a text to Heather earlier today, I’m aware of you. We’ll work it out. I’m not going to allow anyone to compromise their CDL or to fail in the process. Each one of you is a necessity to make this operation run. Remember that. *.*
You got this! You’re ready!
Carin Bjorn
Safety & Operations Manager, Transportation
School District U-46
500 Shales Parkway
Elgin, IL 60120
(847) 888-5095, x7315
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Email from Beth Lapa
May 12, 2020 at 10:19am
Good MorningTeam,
We hope this email finds you all well. We wanted to give an update regarding summer school.
The district will be continuing distance learning for the summer. So that means, there will be no in-district face to face summer programs.
There may still be a possibility for a few of our out-of-district therapeutic facilities to have full or part-time face to face instruction over the summer, however those decisions have not yet been determined.
We also want to continue our postings for extra work over the summer, like bus washing, however this too is undecided as of now.
We will ensure to keep the team updated as soon as information becomes available to us.
So in light of the possibilities for some summer work, please reference below sheets for pick time assignments for summer 2020.
Lastly, we are developing a plan for the department to pick up personal belongings from the buses and lockers. We will have this communication out over the next couple weeks, please stay tuned.
Please continue to monitor your district email for important messages from Tony Sanders and other departments.
Please continue to stay safe and healthy.
Beth Lapa
Assistant Director
School District U-46 Transportation
847.888.5095 ext. 7020
elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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Unemployment Insurance/PUA update.
May 11, 2020
Hello again everyone. I hope that you all had a good weekend. There were a couple updates on unemployment we would like to share. First, attached is a one-page document IEA put together to summarize the expansion of unemployment benefits under the CARES Act. Second, is the following:
IEA is trying to get some guidance from IDES on whether the COVID-19’s impact will impact the way it assesses claims by education employees who are applying for benefits between school terms.
Even if we get some input from IDES it is important to know that IDES makes determinations whether someone is eligible and it is done on a case-by-case basis. You should also keep in mind that if you receive benefits, but are later found to be ineligible for whatever reason, you could be liable to pay that money back to the state.
Hope you all are safe and healthy. I will keep sharing information about unemployment as it is received.
“IDES is encouraging every individual who is unemployed or underemployed to file a claim for regular unemployment benefits, even if they believe they are not covered by the unemployment system. According to IDES, applying for and being denied regular unemployment benefits can be evidence that an individual qualifies for benefits under the PUA program which provides benefits to individuals who are unemployed or underemployed for reasons attributable to COVID-19 and not otherwise covered by the state’s regular unemployment insurance program.”
The rest of the email is addressing the mandatory (2) Hour Refresher class mandated by the Secretary of State to complete annually for the CDL permit holders. However, I didn’t want to ignore the rest of you that may be reading this. I do hope you’re safe, social distancing and staying healthy!
I’m excited to announce the Regional Office of Education has completed the online refresher class. It is crucial you have your login username and password for your district email account. We have been stressing the importance of logging into the account for some time now. Let’s say you have forgotten your email password. You will need to sign into your personal email account and send an email to the helpdesk@u-46.org The helpdesk will assist you from there. Do not wait until the day of the class to take care of this. Again, emailing the HelpDesk at helpdesk@u-46.org from your personal email account is the expectation. Calling the HelpDesk will only prolong the process. Email only.
Email helpdesk@u-46.org to receive a temporary password which you will enter on the School District U-46 Password Management site. Click the link below to change the password:
Let me go over the requirements of the online class and explain how this will work.
You will receive an email on your district email Thursday, May 14th, 2020 at 12:01 am with login credentials. The online course is designed to take no more than two hours to complete. Once the course begins, it must be completed on the same day. The class is intended to be taken on an Ipad or laptop computer. The ROE is discouraging anyone using their cell phone as the .pdf and video presentation may be compromised in viewing. After you finish the class, the ROE will receive confirmation of your attendance and participation. Certificates will be sent to me which I will provide to you in August.
Several of us will be taking the class tomorrow and I will then know if the site has any errors, bugs so to speak to work out before you take your class on Thursday.
Questions? No! Wonderful. Thank you for your patience! We got this *.* right? Right! OK if you have questions, email me!
Carin Bjorn
Safety & Operations Manager, Transportation
School District U-46
500 Shales Parkway
Elgin, IL 60120
(847) 888-5095, x7315
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Message from Heather Weiss
Thursday 5/7/20
FYI….I have been notified today that the district will no longer be paying overtime to anyone that is agreeing to do work that is being offered. Just wanted to share since the district has not done so!!!!!
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Email from Carin Bjorn
Monday 5/4 at 2:47pm
Hello team members,
As I’ve said before, hang in there. Continue to practice social distancing. Mimimum 20 second hand washing. Wear a mask. Go out into the public only when necessary. The well being of you and your loved ones must remain the priority.
(2) Hour Refresher classes
As you know, all the classes have been canceled. The Illinois State Board of Education has given authorization to the Regional Office of Education to develop the curriculum for online. I’m confident it will be something like the GCN training module. I’ll send a separate email with the “how-to’s” once the ROE has finalized the steps. If we should go beyond our previous refresher class held May 17, 2019, the State has provided an additional 30 day grace period.
CDL Permit Expiring in June or July
Drivers that have their permit expiring during the month of June or July will be contacted by phone this week by me. The drivers will be given authorization to have the annual physical performed at Advocate Sherman on Royal Blvd in Elgin. Appointments must be made by calling Advocate at (224) 783-4440, press 1. Hours of operation are 7:00 am – 9:00 pm, Monday thru Friday and 7:00 am – 4:00 pm Saturday, Sunday and Holiday. Advocate has a triage screening process in place for anyone being seen that will protect both patients and staff members. The SOS has provided a 30 day grace period, however, please do not wait until the permit’s final validation date.
Once you arrive and sign in, you’ll receive the Secretary of State recertification form to complete. This is the same form you would be given if at base. Complete the form, sign and provide a check or money order for $4.00, payable to the Secretary of State or SOS. Return the form and either the check or money order to the nurse and he/she will place it with the physical. Each Friday, I pick up the physicals along with the recertification form and check or money order. The form requires specific information to be completed by Janis or Shelly (me in their absence). The original will be sent by FedX overnight to the Secretary of State. And as a reminder, don’t forget to sign the form or check/money order.
Once your permit has been received and renewed, the SOS will send you a confirmation letter. I will need a copy of this letter for your file. You can provide a scanned copy and send it to my email address or wait until we’re together again and make a copy. Whichever works best for you.
For all the drivers whose CDL permit expires beyond July, a follow up email will be sent at another time.
Driver’s License
Have you received notification that your permit has expired? You may be thinking: How’d this happen? My permit isn’t up for renewal until ??? Consider this. Have you had a birthday recently? Did your driver’s license expire this year, 2020? Well, happy belated birthday! If so, there isn’t anything you can do to renew your driver’s license until government agencies reopen. So,drive with extreme caution. A 30 day extension has been given for anyone whose driver’s license has or will expire. In the future, remember you can renew your driver’s license 364 days in advance!
Route Assistant Physicals
You can take your physical beginning June 1st through August 1st for the upcoming school year. No additional paperwork will be needed from you. Be sure and let Advocate on Royal know that you are an assistant which has a different physical than a CDL IDOT physical. Contact the number listed above and be sure to review their time of operation.
Any questions, please reach out to me by using the district email of carinbjorn@u-46.org
Until we’re all together again, stay safe, be strong and remain healthy!
Carin Bjorn
Safety & Operations Manager, Transportation
School District U-46
500 Shales Parkway
Elgin, IL 60120
(847) 888-5095, x7315
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4/30/20 InService meeting that was scheduled for tomorrow 5/1. Buildings are closed except for distribution of food services/chrome books, Governor has issued a stay at home order with social distancing guidelines for essentials. There is NO InService Meeting tomorrow. I’ve been told we will still be paid.
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We have worked on a Q & A to try and answer questions that we have been receiving. We will continue to share information as much as we can. Any questions please let us know. We have also made this available on our Union website. www.mydutu.org
Email from Beth Lapa Transportation Update – 4/17/2020
Hi All,
I hope everyone and their families are doing well.
I wanted to notify the department that there are new positions posted on AppliTrack.
Assistant Manager – 12 mos (non DUTU) Dispatcher – 10 mos (DUTU) Vehicle Technology Assistant – 10 mos (non DUTU)
We are filling 2 Assistant Manager positions, 2 Dispatcher positions, and 1 Vehicle Tech Assistant. If you are interested in any of these positions, please click the link below to be directed to the District’s online application platform. The applications will be pulled and reviewed over the next 10 business days, so please complete this process at your earliest convenience.
Additionally, we are extending our Summer Work Sign Up until 5/1/2020. We will be posting our summer pick times the following week, beginning May 4th. Below is the link to the form to fill out for summer work.
Please stay safe and healthy, and please ensure to continue to practice physical distancing and wearing personal protective equipment if you must go out into the public
Take care and talk soon.
Beth Lapa Assistant Director School District U-46 Transportation 847.888.5095 ext. 7020 elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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Email from Beth Lapa Monday April 6 at 3:46pm
Good Afternoon Transportation Team and Happy Monday. I hope you and your families are staying safe, healthy and as positive as you can during this time.
Let’s begin with working days….As Tony Sanders shared in his message on April 3rd, DUTU employees will be paid for their primary position during the time the Governor has ordered the shelter in place, which is currently through April 30th. During this time, DUTU members should be available to assist when called, complete assigned GCN tutorials and be back up for food and/or chromebook distribution if contacted by these respective departments. Also, there are a number of free online training classes out there to participate in. Please be on the lookout for an email from Carin inviting you to attend some of these training opportunities.
That brings me to a very important topic, if you cannot access your district email, PLEASE email the help desk at helpdesk@u-46.org for assistance. There are daily emails sent from Tony Sanders and other departments that contain essential information for you during this time. Your district email will be the only form of communication that will be used by the Transportation Department.
Moving on to permits and refresher courses…All refresher classes are canceled. Once we are able to reschedule the classes we will communicate this with you. The drivers that have their permit expiring the month of April and May will be contacted this week by Carin and she will discuss the renewal process with you. Please reference Carin’s email that was sent today, April 6th, for more information.
Additionally, we currently have 2 forms that have been created for the DUTU team to access. They are both simple sign up forms. One was sent out on March 24th to sign up for extra work that may become available through our district’s closure. The second form is to sign up if you are interested in summer work. It is the second link below. Both these forms will be posted on the DUTU Facebook page as well.
Lastly, paychecks…if you see a line on your paystub that states DPD DUTU, that stands for District Paid Days. This is the code that Payroll created to populate DUTU hours and payout during the district’s closing.
Please stay safe and healthy. Updates will be provided when available.
Thank you,
Beth Lapa Assistant Director School District U-46 Transportation 847.888.5095 ext. 7020 elizabethlapa@u-46.org
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Email from Carin Bjorn
Sent to our district email on 4/6/20 at 12:15 pm
Hello team members,
As I’ve said before, hang in there. The well being of you and your loved ones is the priority. I’ve washed my hands so much they’ve begun to peel. Seriously! Being able to come and go as we have prior to Covid 19 is certainly a luxury we took for granted. Eating out. Traveling. These things and more will return to us one day and may we never forget how we came together, persevered and reached the other side.
(2) Hour Refresher Classes have been cancelled. The rescheduled date(s) have not been finalized yet.
CDL Permit Expiring in April and May:
Drivers that have their permit expiring during the month of April or May will be contacted by phone on Tuesday, April 7th by me. These drivers will be given authorization to have the annual physical performed at Advocate Sherman on Royal Blvd in Elgin. Appointments must be made and you may contact Advocate at (224) 783-4440, press 1. Hours are 7:00 am – 9:00 pm Monday thru Friday and 7:00 am – 4:00 pm Saturday, Sunday, Holiday. Advocate has a triage screening process in place for anyone being seen that will protect both patient and staff member.
Once you arrive and sign in, you will be given the Secretary of State Re-Certification form to complete. This is the same form you would be given if at base. You should complete, sign and provide a check or money order for $4.00, payable to the Secretary of State. Return the form and check/money order to the nurse and he/she will place it with the physical. I’ll be picking up the physicals each Friday along with your Re-certification form and check. I will provide the necessary information needed and overnight by FedX to the Secretary of State. Don’t forget to sign and date the form and also your check/money order.
Any questions, please reach out to me by using the district email carinbjorn@u-46.org.
For all the drivers whose CDL permit expires beyond May, not to worry. We’ll work out a solution. To all the route assistants, be well.
Until we’re together again, stay safe and healthy!
Carin Bjorn
Safety & Operations Manager, Transportation
School District U-46
500 Shales Parkway
Elgin, IL 60120
(847) 888-5095, x7315
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Tony Sander’s weekly message Emailed Friday April 3, 2020
I continue to be inspired by all of you. Our teachers participated in professional learning a week ago and again this Monday. By Tuesday, all were engaging students in learning using a variety of platforms. I know the toll this transition has taken, but I have appreciated seeing how you are modeling resilience for our students as they learn in these new conditions. The photos from our “first day of school” (which is what it felt like to me) that parents and others posted warmed my heart. I know this is not ideal. I know we all want to work together. To collaborate. To lift each other up in person. While I know it is not possible to do so in person, it is possible to call a friend or colleague to check in on them (not Facebook messenger or text). I encourage each of you to call a colleague to check on their well-being this weekend. We must continue to be there for each other even if we are physically isolated. I’m proud to share that our Food and Nutrition Services, along with our Distribution Center and other staff, have produced and distributed 303,057 meals and 101,019 snacks since March 17 (less than three weeks). I hope that uplifts you the same way it does me. If you see a colleague disseminating or producing meals, please take a moment to thank them. I shared this last week, and it remains the case, that the following employees will work remotely and be paid for their primary position during the time the Governor has ordered the shelter in place (which is currently through April 30):
Administrators and 12-month non-union support staff (gray area) ETA members and long-term substitute teachers; ESSO members; DUSA members; DUEA members, including paraprofessionals (general education, special education, library), home school liaisons, sign language interpreters, and piano accompanists; DUTU members; SEIU members Dean’s Assistants Noon-Hour Supervisors Part-time Hall Monitors
If you are a regularly scheduled employee but you do not see your particular group on this list, you will still be paid for your primary role. Expect further guidance from your supervisor regarding your duties during remote learning.
All my best, Tony
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Please note the BOLD section in this joint statement.
Email from Ann Chan March 28, 2020
Additional Guidance On Stay at Home Order
Dear DUTU Colleagues:
Last night U-46 and DUTU leadership collaborated on the work expectation for Region 63 Education Support Professionals during the current Stay at Home Order, below is our joint agreement. Please let me know if you have additional questions. Be safe and healthy out there!
REGION 63 EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS All members will work remotely, to the best of the individual’s ability, with any exceptions being noted below within each group. Members will be paid as normal upon our return from Spring Break on Monday, March 30. Monday will not be a student attendance day, rather an inservice (virtual) for all teachers.
Members do not need to punch in or punch out unless physically working at a U-46 building.
The following applies for the time period of Tuesday, March 31 through April 7 or until such time as the Governor ends the Stay at Home Order. Salaries and benefits will continue to be paid.
In the event the Governor lifts the stay at home order, but keeps schools closed, employees may be called to assist in getting the district departments and all schools ready for when schools reopen.
Duties to be performed remotely by group are as follows:
DUTU Be available to assist when called. Do GCN and/or other professional growth or online offerings (IEA/NEA has no cost PD). Back up for food distribution if contacted by Food and Nutrition Services.
Best,
Ann — Ann H. Chan Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources 847-888-5000 ext.4071 847-888-7188 fax
Email from Tony Sanders 3/27 at 8:15pm
The sense of community across U-46 is so amazing. I have loved seeing teachers checking in with their students using online platforms, even over spring break. Principals meeting with teachers…also while technically on break. Princpals reading to kids on social media…or creating a clever video about social distancing. I have so much gratitude for so many. The Food and Nutrition Services staff members who have produced and distributed to date 200,100 meals and 66,700 snacks. Our Distribution Center staff and ESSO members ensured delivery of those meals, and coordinated the pickup and then delivery of Chromebooks to families. A whole team of instructional directors, coordinators, teacher leaders, and principals who worked day and night to ready our system for remote learning. A Family and Community Engagement Department that has ensured families are kept up to date on everything we are doing. While I have received a lot of personal thank yous this week, the real thanks go to all those noted above among many, many more. I know a lot of employees are concerned about their paychecks upon our return from spring break, March 30. Here is what I currently can share, though guidance on what each person’s work schedule and duties will look like will come in a separate communication based on your role. During remote instruction days the follow employees will work remotely and be paid for their primary position:
Administrators and 12-month non-union support staff (gray area) ETA members and long-term substitute teachers; ESSO members; DUEA members, including paraprofessionals (general education, special education, library), home school liaisons, sign language interpreters, and piano accompanists; DUTU members; SEIU members Dean’s Assistants Noon-Hour Supervisors Part-time Hall Monitors
If you are a regularly scheduled employee but you do not see your particular group on this list, you will still be paid for your primary role. Expect further guidance from your supervisor regarding your duties during remote learning. All my best, Tony
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Message from Carin Bjorn March 26, 2020 at 3:19pm
Hello Team Members,
I’m sure most of you are ready to get back to work. Set the alarm. Lay the clothes out. Lunch made. The daily routine you’ve developed Monday thru Friday. I don’t have any additional information to provide that you don’t already know. To the staff that have children at home, this is an especially difficult time for everyone in the home. Hang in there. We’ll be together soon!
I’ve been working with the Regional Office of Education, ROE in Geneva and I can share with you the upcoming (2) hour Refresher classes scheduled for Tuesday, March 31st, Thursday, April 2nd and Saturday, April 4th have been canceled. The other Refresher classes are being discussed for their continuance. Once a decision has been made, I’ll reach out via email and Heather Weiss will post on the DUTU website. I’ve asked if it’s possible to have an online course similar to our GCN training, although it currently isn’t available, the ROE is researching the idea.
Regarding your CDL permit: The Secretary of State is providing an additional 30 day grace period to have the physical and paperwork completed. For the team members who will need to renew your permit during the month of April and May, Advocate Sherman Immediate Care on Royal Blvd is the only location performing the annual physicals at this time; but in order to not expose yourself to others needlessly, I’m asking you to wait to take your physical.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Stay well!
Carin BjornSafety & Operations Manager, Transportation School District U-46 500 Shales Parkway Elgin, IL 60120 (847) 888-5095, x7315
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Here is link for opportunity for paid volunteer work
Just wanted to give you all an update on the March 31, 2020 DUTU/Region 63 election. The new date for this election will be APRIL 17, 2020.
This date was chosen because it is in the election plan as the run off date if needed.
Also, please remember to email your Bios for the Special Edition Election Newsletter to Tina Semock or Heather Weiss by 5 pm Wednesday March 25th. You can even submit a bio if you are wanting to be a write-in for any positions.
To begin with, take a deep breath…..remaining calm and keeping an open mind through this uncertain time is crucial.
I know you all have questions, concerns, fears and want some answers, and Jeff and I are doing our best to provide those answers to you and any other updates that we have. Please understand though, there are a lot of answers we do not have, because ultimately the District as a whole does not have the answers either. This is new territory for everyone….
With that said, there ARE communication emails being sent out every night by Tony Sanders to staff and families of U-46. These emails are also being posted on the DUTU Facebook page by Heather Weiss, as well as on the u-46.org\COVID website. This website was created to keep the U-46 communities up to date with announcements from the District as well as provide resources for families in need in our surrounding communities.
Things have also changed here at Base since our last message. As of today, the mechanics will no longer be reporting to work. They will only be called upon for repairs needed on warehouse vehicles distributing food and/or Chromebooks to our campuses. Jeff and I will also be primarily working remotely, performing limited building checks throughout the days to come. So this means that the building and the lot are closed until further notice.
Now let’s talk about the student at Independence who tested positive for COVID-19….this student was NOT a bus rider. However, that is the extent of details that Jeff and I have. The confidentiality of this student and their family is important, so no other information is being released to us. I understand this may not resolve the fear you have around the fact that a student has the virus, but please know, this will be the first of many cases within our U-46 community and all we can do is practice what the CDC is recommending. Please visit their website at CDC.gov for how to protect you and your family from the spread of the virus and the symptoms to look out for if you are feeling ill.
Let’s move on to an update of the 2 Hr Refresher course. Carin Bjorn is currently working with the ROE on this matter and will communicate to the team when she has solid answers. But please do not worry about this, there will be a plan to accommodate.
Also, if you are looking to get your physical done during this time, the Advocate location at 2320 Royal Blvd is open daily and the location you want to visit for your physical. The other 2 Advocate locations are being used to treat the sick.
Lastly, as of now, there has been no additional communication on extending our District’s closing. We will ensure to update the team promptly if that changes.
Jeff and I will continue to update the team, at least weekly, on the information being provided to us. Please take care and be safe. Thank you.
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January 2020 PLEASE REVIEW
We discussed at our last General Membership Meeting that our Trip Committee has been working with Management to update our Trip Procedure Manual. Please take some time to look through the proposed changes. You can ask questions in the comments and/or see Laura Taets, Mary Boyd and Tina O’Farrell. This is also available on our Private DUTU Members Only Facebook Page.
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District U46 Transportation Union 
Please tell me where on this website I can access the new contract?
Under the “DUTU Contracts” Tab