2018-19 Officers
Alex Luhtjarv- President
Kathy Channon – Vice President
Stephani Martin – Treasurer
Ginny McLay – Secretary
Welcome to the Hillsboro-Deering Federation of Teachers. We are a small but mighty local that serves the students of the four communities in SAU #34 – Hillsboro, Deering, Washington and Windsor, NH. Our local is made up of 117 dedicated classroom teachers, guidance counselors, school nurses and media specialists that recently received an award from AFT National for our 100% member enrollment distinction. In 2016, we also celebrated the 40th anniversary of our own incorporation date, as well as the 100th anniversary of AFT National, recognizing the countless professionals who have contributed to making our unit a strong and unified presence.
H-DFT is dedicated to being a personal, positive and productive local and seeks to continually advocate for member interests in policy decisions, as well as wages, benefits and working conditions. We recently succeeded in negotiating a three-year contract, which was passed by the voters last spring. It was a fiscally responsible deal that made concessions in health care in order to remain competitive in our salary structure and preserve the strong framework negotiated by previous leadership teams. Many of our members helped contribute to the success by attending Deliberative Session and helping during the contract campaign.
We are also active in giving back to the community, with activities ranging from Roadside Cleanup four times a year, to giving scholarships to two local students each year, and donations made to support HYAA and the Food Pantry. While we face still face many challenges as a district and in negotiating the annual budget season, we are committed to giving 110% to help our students be successful in becoming college and career ready citizens for the 21st century.
Together, we have and can continue to achieve greatness. Every year, the H-DHS graduating class is a symbol of how each and every individual K-12 has made a difference in the future of our community. We are constantly striving to increase member involvement, so if you would like to become more active in your union, reach out to your building rep, or to H-DFT’s president, Alex Luhtjarv. There are many different avenues for involvement, starting with our monthly membership meetings held on the third Thursday of the month each quarter. As a member, you can also stay updated by joining our Facebook page to receive updates. Thank you!