Dear PFT Members,                                                                          Aug 12, 2025

Welcome Back! See below to be “in the know” as we dive into the 2025-26 school year. As the year goes on, don’t forget, we have many layers of support as PFT Members. Your PFT Site Rep is right there on your campus, as your first line of defense when you have questions or need support. The PFT Vice Presidents (elementary, middle, high, and special education) and the PFT staff are there to support the Site Reps and are also here to help you. Don’t hesitate to reach out. (See contact list attached). Together we are strong!

2025-26 Staffing & Class Sizes

Class Size Reduction: Despite significant budget cuts, our most recent ratified PUSD/PFT Agreement for 2025-26 maintains class sizes, including staffing ratios, elementary class size caps and secondary class size targets. *(See MOU attached)

Preschool
A 1:12 adult to student ratio must be maintained in all licensed classrooms. The only exception to this is during nap time, which can be a 1:24 ratio as long as all children are on their mat, and other staff is readily available and on campus. Please contact your PFT Rep if you are asked to go over these ratios.

Elementary

Due to recent Universal TK legislation, TK class sizes have a cap of 20, with a student to adult ratio of no higher than 10:1. In grades K-3, class sizes remain the same as last year with a cap of 26. Grades 4-5 continue to have a cap of 31.* In general education, caps in TK-5 are considered “hard caps” because they are tied to state funding legislation. In a typical year, elementary classes exceed the cap by one student on a rare and exceptional basis only. Please contact your PFT Site Rep if you are being asked to go over the cap.

Special Education

Special Education caseloads will be provided to PFT each month by the Special Ed Dept, and your Special Education UBC Team will monitor them to ensure consistency across the district.  Please contact PFT Special Education Vice President, Nicole Stowell, at nicstowell@gmail.com with caseload or other questions related to special education.

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 Congratulations to our 2025 PUSD

Teachers of the Year!

 The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is proud to announce that Alyssa Roscoe, Elementary Teacher at Midland Elementary School; and Christopher “Chris” Koreerat, Extensive Needs Support Teacher at Bernardo Heights Middle School; Carissa Jones-Fletcher, Physical Education Teacher at Poway High School have been named the 2025 PUSD Teachers of the Year. These outstanding educators exemplify PUSD’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and student support. Their names will be forwarded to the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) for consideration in the countywide Teacher of the Year recognition program.

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TPLES - Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System

Dear Colleagues,

The demands on a teacher's time are endless, and the school year seems to go so quickly from this point on. The below link Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System (TPLES) reminder sheet is intended to provide support and suggestions for teachers in the evaluation cycle this year, as they monitor and document progress on their SLO/PLO.  It can also help make the final evaluation conference, for both traditional and alternative evaluations, more meaningful for the teacher and administrator.

Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System (TPLES) reminder sheet - click here

In Unity,
Kelly

Classroom Supplies using Online Donation Site

What teachers need to do first to be eligible for donations: Go to www.pusddonate.org. Click your grade level (elementary, middle, high), click your “Site”, click “Teachers”. Please be sure your name is listed. The website is linked to the district’s payroll system.  Therefore, the donation website uses the same name you are using for payroll purposes (legal name).  Unfortunately, we cannot change that name.

What the Online Donation website provides:
1. Parents have the option of donating directly to their child’s teacher(s), program, department, grade level, program, or the school site’s general fund using this online donation website. The website is designed to provide parents with an easy and convenient way to help fund our instructional supply needs. Teachers and schools have received more than $100,000.00 in donations using this website. It works.

2. Parents may access the donation website by going to www.pusddonate.org.  Parents receive a tax deduction and email confirmation when donating. The website also includes a “Matching Gift Program” if a parent’s employer provides that benefit.

3. Teachers receive an automatic email confirmation stating the amount of the donation, donor’s name and email, and student’s name, if provided by the parent. Our District uses a spam filter. Therefore, to receive confirmation emails from the donation site you must check your spam folder. When you see the link, pusdonline@firstlinemerchant.com that’s the Online Donation secure banking (when using a credit card) email address. Please “whitelist” this email address. For accounting purposes, your site finance clerk or site secretary receives a monthly report of all donations. If you have not received an email confirmation but think you have received a donation, check with your site secretary or finance clerk.

Donation: Teachers access these donations the same way they would their regular supply budget/s at the site.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES: Teachers may communicate this website to parents via their MyConnect site, newsletter, and/or during Back-to-School Night (see Common Message on Q&A attached). To promote greater equity among all our classrooms, we suggest grade-level teams or departments come together to identify their “collective” supply needs and request donations be made to the grade-level or department, rather than individual teachers.

Please note: Donations to this account may only be used for instructional supplies (e.g. school supplies, software, workbooks, art and science materials…). If requesting donations for technology, check with your principal. The primary function of your site Foundation is to purchase software and technology and teachers should be coordinating their efforts.

Field Trip Fees: The Classroom Supplies ~ Online Donations website now offers the option of collecting Field Trip fees. More information and directions for teachers will be coming soon in a separate email.

I've attached an FAQ and a handout you may wish to provide to parents.  

Attachments:

FAQ Classroom Supplies
CSOLD Parent Handout

In Unity,
Kelly