Join a Committee

If you are interested in joining a committee, please email us at oldtownteachersorg@gmail.com.

BLACK, INDIGENOUS, PEOPLE OF COLOR (BIPOC) COMMITTEE

Monthly newsletter + option to gather in person.
The BIPOC Committee is a network. It is a space to support, see and ground the BIPOC communities of OTTO; OTSFM Admin and Staff; OTSFM BoD; OTSFM Students etc. and to center BIPOC perspectives.

BIPOC Podcast

Committee Co-Chairs and OTTO Teaching Artists
Mars Caulton (Wiggleworms Program, Drummers)
Lenny Marsh (Drummers, Drum Kit, Ensemble)

CATALOG COMMITTEE

Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between OTTO and OTS Administration, the parties agree to create a Catalog Committee, which will include teachers and administrators or other appropriate staff, consistent with the relevant provisions of the CBA. This Committee is intended to help develop a catalog and strategy using data analytics, history, and market understanding, to review critical elements of the planning process, including the class offerings, student learning paths, the cancellation process, and other relevant topics, in order to achieve OTS learning and financial goals.

Ideally, at least one of the teaching representatives on this committee will attend OTTO Steering Committee (SC) meetings and give a committee update at the OTTO General Membership Meeting (GMM) Zoom for the duration of the committee work.

Committee members who are OTTO teaching artists
Song Heisey (Kids Fiddle Program)
Julia Storke (Piano, Voice, School Partnerships)
Rick Veras (Hot Club Ensemble)
Tommi Zender (Guitar, Ensembles)

Committee members who are OTS Admin
Lisa DeRosia, Kids Program Manager
Allison Grabarczyk, Dance and Movement Program Manager
Krista Ortgiesen, Private Lesson Program Manager
Eric Singh, Guitar & Ensemble Program Manager

This committee is currently full.

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

OTTO’s Communications Committee facilitates media relations and communication between the news media and the appropriate OTTO spokesperson(s).

Committee members who are OTTO teaching artists
Committee Chair: Jim DeWan (Guitar)

DEFENSE COMMITTEE

OTTO’s Defense Committee is a standing committee per the OTTO Constitution and shall meet on a regular basis to be determined in the by-laws.

The Defense Committee shall be responsible for monitoring internal and external events and developing appropriate responses to any threats against the organization; shall be responsible for monitoring government actions that may affect the membership; shall develop appropriate responses to such action in cooperation with affiliated organizations; shall be responsible for coordinating collective union activities and/or actions.

Committee members who are OTTO teaching artists
Committee Chair: TBD

ELECTION COMMITTEE

OTTO’s Elections Committee shall conduct all general and special elections and referenda of the organization, including ratification of its constitution, future amendments to said constitution, and future by-laws.

The Elections Committee shall consist of three members in good standing appointed by the President with the approval of the Steering Committee. The Elections Committee shall elect its chair.

The Elections Committee shall conduct an election for officers at the Session Three Membership Meeting of odd years. The vote shall be by secret ballot. The majority of the ballots cast shall determine the outcome of the election.

Committee members
The Election Committee is convened as needed. Our next scheduled election for officers will in May of 2025.

FINANCE/BUDGET COMMITTEE

OTTO’s Finance/Budget Committee is a standing committee per the OTTO Constitution and shall meet on a regular basis to be determined in the by-laws.

The Finance and Budget Committee shall be responsible for the yearly budget. The Treasurer shall serve as chairperson of the Finance/Budget Committee.

Committee Chair
Julianne Rice, OTTO Treasurer (Kids Dance, Adult Dance)

Committee members
Renée Nanzer, Co-President of OTTO, Former OTTO Treasurer (Piano, Voice, School Partnerships)

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

OTTO’s General Membership shall meet at least 6 times per year being once per eight- week session or as needed.

All card-carrying members of OTTO are on this committee.

This is the legislative body/power of our union where we receive and approve all committee reports as well as develop and vote on resolutions to guide the policy of our Old Town Teachers Organization.

Quorum for the Membership Meeting shall be ten percent (10%) of total membership of the organization. Should there not be a quorum, members shall be free to discuss issues, report, etc. However, no votes, scheduled or unscheduled, may take place.

Committee Members
All members of OTTO who are in good standing are members of this committee. A member in good standing is defined as a member who is current in payment of dues to the organization.

GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE

OTTO’s Grievance Committee is a standing committee per the OTTO Constitution and shall meet on a regular basis to be determined in the by-laws.

The Grievance Committee shall work with the officers in the resolution of contractual and non-contractual disputes in the workplace; shall maintain records of grievances and their disposition; and shall be responsible for the processing of grievances and disputes beyond the immediate work location. The grievant may appeal these last decisions to the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee shall develop and adopt a policy that governs how it shall approach grievances not referred to arbitration, as well as other litigation and/or administrative appeals. The Grievance Committee shall follow this policy.

Committee Chair
Dona Benkert, OTTO Co-President, and member of OTTO’s original Bargaining Team (Dulcimer, Autoharp, Bowed Psaltery)

OTTO-OTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS (BoD) LIAISON COMMITTEE

Faculty-Board communication is a central component of shared governance. Unmediated, regular, and substantive communication between teachers and board members allows mutual concerns to be addressed. In the absence of a standing liaison committee, misunderstanding among members of each group about the role of the other may easily occur and decisions might be made that can lead to significant governance failures. In the presence of a standing liaison committee, there is the possibility of enhanced mutual understanding and respect. OTTO representatives to this committee are selected by OTTO Steering Committee according to procedures determined by OTTO’s constitution. A teacher representative selected by OTTO SC can claim more legitimacy than a teacher representative appointed by the Board. Ideally, there will be an equal number of teacher and board representatives participating in this committee work.

In addition to this standing liaison committee, other ad hoc committees are sometimes needed to address specific issues of mutual concern, i.e. the special joint responsibility that the teachers and governing board should have for the selection of the School’s CEO. The selection of a chief executive officer should follow upon a cooperative search by the governing board and the teachers, taking into consideration the opinions of others who are appropriately interested.

Committee Members who are OTTO teaching artists
Bill Brickey, Former Co-President of OTTO (Guitar, WW, Voice, Drummers, Ensemble)
Jim DeWan, Chair of Comms Committee (Guitar)
Renée Nanzer, Co-President of OTTO, Former OTTO Treasurer (Piano, Voice, School Partnerships)
Dona Benkert, OTTO Co-President, and member of OTTO’s original Bargaining Team (Dulcimer, Autoharp, Bowed Psaltery)

Committee Members who are OTS Board members
David Lentz, Chair of the joint ED/DEI Committee and Former Chair of the OTS Infrastructure Committee
Kim Moran, Former Chair of the OTS DEI Committee & Current Chair of the Liaison Committee
Rob Ospalik, Former Chair of the BoD, Current Vice Chairperson of the BoD
Kate Tomford, Chair of the BoD, Former Chair of the OTS Nomination and Governance Committee

OTTO-OTS BoD-OTS ADMIN EDUCATION/DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION COMMITTEE

Because governing boards tend to work in committees, it is centrally important that every standing committee of the governing board, including its executive committee, have a faculty representative. In addition, faculty representatives should attend the meetings of the full governing board. These OTTO reps are members, presumably with voting privileges, of the standing committees. The case for voting faculty representation is strongest on committees of the governing board that deal with areas that are primary responsibilities of the teachers. Giving faculty members a vote on such committees recognizes the expertise that they bring to these areas. Faculty representation on committees is not the same as faculty representation on boards, however; committees make recommendations to the full board but are not responsible for final action.

The OTTO-OTS BoD-OTS Admin ED/DEI Committee meets 4-6x/year for 60-90 minutes, ideally in-person. The goals of this committee are to:

support OTS staff/faculty in setting and implementing the strategic vision and direction of educational programs offered by OTS and DEI initiatives at OTS.
support the continuous improvement of OTS educational programs and DEI initiatives
facilitate innovation within and communication and information sharing between OTS staff/faculty and the full Board regarding educational programs
monitor the financial impact of educational programs on the OTS budget

Ideally, at least one of the teaching representatives on this committee will attend OTTO SC meetings and give a committee update at the OTTO General Membership Meeting (GMM) Zoom for the duration of the committee work.

Committee Members who are OTTO teaching artists
Mars Caulton BIPOC Committee Co-Chair (Wiggleworms Program, Drummers)
Leah Dahline (Piano)
Dan Fulkerson (Guitar)

Committee Members who are OTS Admin & Staff
TBD
Senior Director of Education (TBD)
TBD
Lisa DeRosia, Program Manager
John Huber, Program Manager
Eric Singh, Program Manager

Committee Members who are BoD
David Lentz, Committee Chair
Betsy Solaro, Committee Vice Chair
Ernest Dawkins, Louise Frank, Rana Komar, Kim Moran, Bryan Proctor, Kate Tomford

Committee Members who are Community Members
Marguerite Griffin
Cristina Mercader (Student Advisory Council)

This committee is currently full, however there may be an opportunity for interested teaching artists to participate on a rotating basis in the future.

OTTO-OTS BoD-OTS ADMIN INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

Because governing boards tend to work in committees, it is centrally important that every standing committee of the governing board, including its executive committee, have a faculty representative. In addition, faculty representatives should attend the meetings of the full governing board. These faculty representatives are members, presumably with voting privileges, of the standing committees. The case for voting faculty representation is strongest on committees of the governing board that deal with areas that are primary responsibilities of the teachers. Giving faculty members a vote on such committees recognizes the expertise that they bring to these areas. Faculty representation on committees is not the same as faculty representation on boards, however; committees make recommendations to the full board but are not responsible for final action.

The OTTO-OTS BoD-Admin Infrastructure Committee meets 4-6x/year for 60-90 minutes, ideally in-person. The goals of this committee are to:

support OTS staff/faculty in setting and implementing the strategic vision and direction of information technology (IT) and facilities improvements and investments
support the continuous maintenance and improvement of OTS’s IT and facilities assets
support innovation within OTS’s technology function to help the school maintain a competitive advantage and reach the broadest audience
facilitate communication sharing between OTS staff/faculty and the full Board regarding IT facilities projects, needs, decisions
monitor the financial impact of IT and facilities maintenance, improvements, and decisions on the OTS budget

Committee Members who are OTTO teaching artists
Elaine Moore (Guitar, Voice, Piano)
Harlan Terson (Bass)

Committee Members who are OTS Admin & Staff
TBD
Dawn Patch (Director of Operations), Gail Prete (OTS CFO), Gregg Tager (IT Director)

Committee Members who are BoD
Kish Khemani, Chair of Committee
Sue Kessel, Kate Tomford, Jeff Judge, Mary Berkoff, Rana Komar

This committee is currently full.

OTTO-OTS MGMT COMMITTEE

It is the joint intention of OTTO and OTS Administration to meet on a regular basis to promote a sound and mutually beneficial relationship. OTS Admin and OTTO SC shall each designate two members to meet. Either party may invite consultants or resource persons to attend the meeting to discuss specific agenda items with a minimum of one-weeks’ advance notice to the designee. There shall be at least one meeting per month. The parties may mutually agree to waive a monthly meeting. Additional meetings may also be called by mutual agreement. A mutually agreeable place and time will be established. An agenda for each meeting shall be agreed to at least one week prior to each Labor-Management meeting. Any Memorandum of Agreement made as a result of these meetings shall be reduced to writing and signed by the parties.

Committee members who are OTTO Teaching Artists
Dona Benkert, OTTO Co-President, and member of OTTO’s original Bargaining Team (Dulcimer, Autoharp, Bowed Psaltery)
Renée Nanzer, Co-President of OTTO, Former OTTO Treasurer (Piano, Voice, School Partnerships)

Committee members who are OTS Admin

TBD

This committee is currently full.

OTTO-OTS PROGRAM MANAGER (PM) COMMITTEE

OTTO may request a meeting with the program managers and the Senior Director of Education up to three times per year not to exceed one hour in length per meeting. An agreed upon agenda shall be issued no less than 1 day in advance. Up to 4 teachers designated by the OTTO shall be eligible to participate in these meetings. Meetings shall be scheduled at mutually agreed-upon times no less than 1-week in advance.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

OTTO’s Professional Development Committee is a standing committee per the OTTO Constitution and shall meet on a regular basis to be determined in the by-laws.

The Professional Development Committee shall identify the professional and work-related educational and training needs of the membership and develop programs and activities that meet said needs, taking into consideration the resources of the state and national affiliates; shall work to educate and provide guidance to the membership in matters related to labor organizing and management of the organization; shall work to develop future leaders of the organization.

Committee Chair
TBD

This Committee is actively looking for new members.

STEERING COMMITTEE

All committee chairs of OTTO shall serve as members of OTTO’s Steering Committee. A quorum for the Steering Committee shall be one more than one-half of its members.

OTTO’s Steering Committee shall

meet semi-monthly, or at the call of the President, or at the call of two (2) or more of its members, for the purpose of initiating, overseeing, or revising the program of the organization and to conduct other business of the organization that is within its authority.
determine the agenda for all Membership Meetings.
employ all professional, technical, clerical and support staff of the organization.
establish the salary, benefits and expense guidelines of any general officer who is employed by the organization.
be empowered to make contracts and incur liabilities including the purchase of services, equipment and real property, to borrow money, to secure such obligations by mortgage or other instrument, and to otherwise engage in financial transactions to the extent permitted by applicable law or statute. The Steering Committee shall have the power to sue, complain and defend on behalf of the membership.
approve the chairperson and membership of all standing and special committees of the organization, except the Elections Committee, and receive regular reports from such committees.
be responsible for adherence to and enforcement of the Constitution and By-Laws of the organization.
issue regular reports, including an annual report, to the membership.

Steering Committee Members
Dona Benkert, Former OTTO Treasurer, and member of OTTO’s original Bargaining Team (Dulcimer, Autoharp, Bowed Psaltery)
Bill Brickey, Former Co-President of OTTO (Guitar, WW, Voice, Drummers, Ensemble)
Mars Caulton, Co-President of OTTO, Co-chair BIPOC Committee (Wiggleworms Program, Drummers)
Jim DeWan, Chair of Comms Committee (Guitar)
Alicia Lees, Co-chair Stewards Council (Guitar & WW)
Lenny Marsh, Co-chair BIPOC Committee (Drummers, Drum Kit, Ensemble)
Renée Nanzer, Co-President of OTTO, Former OTTO Treasurer (Piano, Voice, School Partnerships)
Michael O’Toole, Secretary of OTTO and member of OTTO’s original Bargaining Team (Guitar, Uke, Fiddle, Banjo, Mandolin)
Julianne Rice, OTTO Treasurer (Kids and Adult Dance)

All OTTO teaching artists who are members of ad hoc committees are welcome and strongly encouraged to attend and give updates at OTTO SC mtgs. If you are unable to attend SC mtgs via Zoom, please send your updates via email. Thank you very much in advance!

STEWARDS COUNCIL

OTTO’s Stewards Council is a standing committee per the OTTO Constitution and shall meet on a regular basis to be determined in the by-laws.

The Stewards Council shall serve as a forum for Stewards for the purposes of strategy, solidarity, and accountability; shall be composed of all Stewards; shall facilitate two-way communication between the members and the Steering Committee, to take grievance information, and represent all members within their trust; shall develop programs and activities that shall cause all eligible persons to join and participate in the organization and shall conduct activities that promote the social well-being of the membership and are attractive to potential members and promote community among organized labor and in the society at large.

Stewards Council Members
Alicia Lees, Chief Steward (Guitar & Wiggleworms)
Alton Smith, Co Chair (Piano, Ensembles)
Karen Banks-Lubicz, (Wiggleworms, School Partnerships)
Alison Chesley (Cello)
Rose Nadolsky (Bonjour & Holà Wiggleworms)
Will Fancher (Wiggleworms)
Xadie James (Piano, Bass, Guitar, Cello)

The Stewards Council is actively looking for new members.

TEACHER EVALUATION COMMITTEE

The joint Evaluation Committee consists of an equal number of members from OTS administration and OTTO and no more than eight (8) members. This committee is tasked with establishing an agreed-upon evaluation rubric and rating scale and with developing a short student feedback survey with agreed-upon components. The Committee shall meet at mutually agreeable times but no less than once per month. The parties shall use every effort to establish the rubric and rating scale within one (1) year of their first meeting. If the parties are unable to reach resolution, they will mutually seek assistance from a mediator to help them resolve any disagreements. Should mediation not result in resolution of all outstanding issues, the parties will jointly submit any specific outstanding issues to arbitration to be decided based on a reasonableness standard, and pursuant to Article XIX of the Grievance and Arbitration provision of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Thereafter, the Evaluation Committee will continue to meet as often as agreed-upon during the evaluation cycle to evaluate the effectiveness of the evaluation program. Criteria applying to the assessment of the Evaluation program will be developed (e.g., potential changes to evaluations during life of contract) jointly by the Evaluation Committee.

Committee members who are OTTO Teaching Artists
Oscar Jasso (Piano, Keyboard, Synth)
Billy Oh (Fiddle, Violin)
Mary Peterson (Theatre, Guitar, School Partnerships)

Committee member & Collective Bargaining Unit (CBU) Member
Marisa Cordeiro

This committee is currently full.

Committee Members who are OTS Admin
Troy Anderson, Education Director
Eric Singh, Guitar & Ensemble Program Manager
Lisa DeRosia, Kids Program Manager

VIRTUAL TEACHING FUND COMMITTEE

OTS Administration will establish a virtual teaching fund of $12,000 per year to which employees can apply for funding for equipment and necessities incurred in virtual teaching. A joint labor management committee shall be established to develop the guidelines for, and to administer, the fund.

Committee members who are OTTO Teaching Artists
Dona Benkert, Former OTTO Treasurer, and member of OTTO’s original Bargaining Team (Dulcimer, Autoharp, Bowed Psaltery)
Elaine Moore (Guitar, Voice, Piano)
Renée Nanzer, Co-President of OTTO, Former OTTO Treasurer (Piano, Voice, School Partnerships)
Mary Peterson (Theatre, Guitar, School Partnerships, WW)

This committee is currently full.

WEBSITE COMMITTEE

Maintenance of OTTO website.

Committee Members
Michael O’Toole, OTTO Secretary
Jim DeWan, OTTO Communications Director
Alvin McGovern, OTTO Member (Guitar)

WEINGARTEN REPRESENTATIVES

Committee Members who are OTTO Teaching Artists
Karen Banks-Lubicz
Dona Benkert
Bill Brickey
Jim DeWan
Alicia Lees
Lenny Marsh
Elaine Moore
Renée Nanzer
Mary Peterson
Alton Smith
Jacob Sweet
Chris Walz

This list is non exhaustive.

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