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There is talk that the Legislature is working on a bill that will move the date for notification of possible non-renewal from May 15 to June 15. This indicates that the Legislature is thinking about working past the end of the regular session planned to end on April 26. We still do not know what the final figure will be but now we at least have a range to consider.
At the last school board meeting superintendent Small presented the final priority rankings of the spending categories determined by staff and community input. Classroom instruction came out as the number one priority in the study by a large margin. The entire result can be viewed at mycvsd.org. Mr. Small also went on to announce some staffing changes at the district office that will trim roughly $430,000.
At the next school board meeting on Monday, April 27, the district will present some basic proposals for meeting expected budget reductions. This meeting will be a work session where the first half will be a discussion of the strategic plan and the second half the administration will present budget recommendations and options. They will offer up different scenarios starting with minimal adjustments all the way down to more drastic steps. These will just be proposals for the board to consider. With no final budget to work from, actual reductions are still yet to be determined.
If you are interested in any of this you might want to attend the next school board meeting. It will be Monday, April 27 at the district office.
WEA Eastern is still looking for volunteers to help at the WEA Rep Assembly to be held in Spokane May 14-16. Check with your building Rep if interested. They will have information sheets with dates, times and contact information. WEA Eastern is the host unit this year and they need our help. Please consider volunteering.
I have been fielding some very good questions from a growing number of members as thoughts of budget reductions are tossed about. Here is what I believe to be true.
1. If the cost of living goes down, can the state cut our salaries? NO. Those who drafted the language for I-732 spoke specifically to an increase in the cost of living. It is predicted that the cost of living will actually decline next year. It will not affect our salaries.
2. Are we going to see a cut in our salaries? Yes, but it should be minimal. We will not receive a COLA. We will not see an increase in the insurance subsidy from the state which could mean a decrease in our pay if insurance rates go up. We have two LID days built into our contracts and we will most likely lose one of those days. We also have access to two full days for collaboration and the talk is that we will probably lose both of those days. So, that would mean a loss of three days of per diem pay, one directly out of our paycheck and the other two as the lost opportunity to supplement your paycheck. But, during our last negotiations we got three TRI days added to the contract, one put in this year and two to be added to next year’s contract. So, we are picking up two days and losing three. It looks like we will remain close to what we have now.
3. With the economic crisis at hand, can the district deny us reimbursements for supplies and tuition and other stuff like that? NO. Our contract remains in force.
4. Will our class sizes go up? YES and NO. The contract states that if I-728 monies are lost, class sizes may revert to 2000/2001 levels. Your building Rep will have the language that applies to the regular ed program. Some grade levels show no change while others have a modest increase.
5. What happens if it really gets bad? I am hoping that reductions can be made through normal retirements, resignations and program reductions. If reductions have to be made far beyond those numbers, there is a strong likelihood that we will have to return to the bargaining table. Without a final budget, it is hard to say if this will happen.
Do teachers have the same rights to free speech as the rest of the country? Probably not. It is the general rule that school employees can be disciplined for off-duty conduct if the school district can show that the conduct had an adverse impact on the school or the teacher’s ability to teach. Over the last few years this general rule now has the support of a growing number of court decisions.
Personal web blogs such as Facebook or MySpace are providing opportunities for many teachers to test the boundaries between free speech and common sense. Don’t school employees have the right, on their own time, to blog about their private lives without fear of losing their jobs? Probably not, especially if the blog includes sexually explicit or other inappropriate c
Which of the following items are NOT determined by the Legislature. (Answer below)
CVEA OFFICERS
Answers to Quiz:
The Lake Washington Education Association posed this question to their membership and ended up tricking them because ALL of these items are controlled by our Legislature.
Nearly every aspect of your job is determined by the Legislature. As the old adage says, “As long as politicians remain involved in education, educators need to be involved in politics.”
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