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This work has included a comprehensive analysis of our current contract and comparisons with the collective bargaining agreements (CBA) of our neighboring districts. The team has surveyed the entire membership and discussed with specialist groups issues that are important to them.
Two years ago the team voted unanimously to discontinue the collaborative bargaining model we have used for about the last ten years. We expect bargaining to continue in a collaborative tone but the process for reaching tentative agreements on issues will be different. There are several reasons for this change. As the Bargaining Team worked through the process of determining what our goals for a new collective bargaining agreement would be, it became apparent that our contract has not kept pace with those of other Spokane area districts in a number of important areas. Your team is strongly committed to make substantial improvements for our teachers in a number of areas and we felt a different process would help.
The District and the Association team hope to complete bargaining before the end of the school year. If that is not possible we will continue to bargain this summer until an agreement is reached. If this expectation holds true, it will be crucial that the bargaining team be able to communicate with members during the summer. We plan to do this via the CVEA web site (centralvalleyea.org) and the mail. It is very likely that we will have to conduct a ratification vote by mail or before school starts. Obviously there is a great deal of work to be done between now and then. Your team needs your support. Please watch for Special Edition Bargaining Newsletters in May to keep you informed of bargaining progress. Thank you.
Today 26 percent of Dayton’s public school students are enrolled in the taxpayer financed but privately operated schools, a rate far higher than in any other American city.
Academically, few of the charter schools have proved to be any better than Dayton’s public schools, which are among Ohio’s worst. Now the authorities are warning that the flow of state money to the charters, $41 million this year, is further undermining the traditional school system.
In Ohio, as in most of the other 40 states that have laws authorizing them, charter schools receive the state’s basic per-pupil amount of money for each enrolled student, about $5200, plus more for disabled children and some other students. Ohio officials deduct the money from the state money flowing to the school district in which the students reside.
Because 6,141 Dayton students are enrolled in charter schools this year, Dayton has lost $41 million of its $114 million in state school aid”.
All three budgets also include funding of I-728, which will provide money for smaller classes. Voters approved the measure by nearly 72% in 2000, but the Legislature suspended it in 2003. The budgets would increase I-728 funding by about $140 million over the next two years.
A key compensation bill died last week despite the efforts of WEA members and staff. House Bill 1484 would have authorized countywide school levies that would have been used to fund regional COLA supplements for school employees. The bill passed in the House but failed in Senate Ways and Means Committee.
A bill improving the professional certification (Pro Cert) program for teachers passed the Senate (SB 5983) and is awaiting a vote in the House.
This legislation would make the requirements more reasonable and meaningful for teachers new to the profession.
Both the House and Senate budget’s include increased funding for school construction. The House proposal for K-12 is nearly $100 million higher than the Senate’s and almost $200 million higher than the governor’s.
Indications are that the Legislature will pass a budget by the end of the regular session on April 24. In previous budget writing years, special sessions have been common.
If you have made the decision to retire or to leave the district at the end of the year please consider notifying the personnel department as soon as possible. It would be a great help to the district and to your colleagues in making staffing plans for next year. If you have given the district notice prior to May 13 you will be invited to the dinner held to honor retirees. That dinner will be held on Wednesday, May 25 at the Valley Double Tree at 5:00 PM. Retirees are allowed to invite a guest and will be honored for their service to children and public education by the District and the Association. Remember, to be invited the District and the Association must be notified that you plan to retire. Thank you.
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