Dear Members:
The results of our straw poll indicated that over 60% of our membership favored taking furlough days in May. After much back and forth negotiating with the MDUSD Bargaining team, we have agreed that the No Pay/Furlough days will be taken on May 6th, May 27th and May 31st.
The vote to accept the Temporary Agreement will be held tomorrow March 29th and Wednesday March 30th. Please remember to vote. To view a PDF of the tentative agreement please go to the www.OurMDEA.org webpage.
Jo Carson, VP
Mt. Diablo Education Association
So neither Plan A nor Plan B, which we thought were under discussion, based on the March 17 post? Fine. Let the union decide. We all have bigger fish to fry.
ReplyDeleteSo sad. The ones who really have the burden here are the kids. 3 less days of school while the district takes 3 days off. Very sad to me.
ReplyDeleteMay 6 is during the week of High School AP Tests. May 6 is the only day that the US History AP Test is given. It cannot be given on another day. May 6 is also the day of the Diablo View Middle School field trip to Discovery Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteHow can you possibly change the school year in March? Ridiculous.
-Clayton Parent
Clayton Parent, the AP test dates are not changing. When my older son took an AP test we bought him the Princeton review and he passed with a 4 out of 5. He was not one to want to study at school or with his teachers.
ReplyDeleteSadly because of the budget cuts it is necessary to take furlough days. Many districts took them last year. San Jose District had an entire week off in October for furlough days this school year and took them last school year too.
The kids will be fine, they always are. We as parents can be there to support them and if you feel they need more school time, choose to be with them on those days and plan an educational outing. That is our job as parents, to support and help.
The high school teachers were the ones who, due to their sheer number, decided on these furlough days. Talk to them about it.
ReplyDeleteClayton parent, I was told the AP tests will still happen. When our older child took his AP test we bought him the Princeton Review for that AP test, he preferred to study on his own rather than in class. He passed with a 4 out of 5, so encourage this with your high school student.
ReplyDeleteIf any of you had been following the last year, the district tried to get the teachers to take furlough days beginning a year ago. Administrators took them last school year and again this school year and they capped their medical too.
Many school districts have already taken furlough days and they have too because of the severity of the budget cuts. San Jose Unified had an entire week off in October for furlough days. It is a sign of our times and we all must make the best of it. No one wants to do this but it is a must right now. I was told when the entire district shuts down on a furlough day it saves $400,000 a day, so this could be 1.2 million in savings which means fewer cuts of jobs, classes, etc. I heard by doing these it helps save some of the music programs too, please correct me if I am wrong.
So parents if you do not like the idea of no school, take the time off with your children and have a fun, educational day, do a field trip. Besides we choose to have children, that is our job!
NO! THe district did not officially bring the furlough days to the negotiation table for teachers until JANUARY! We could not vote on it until they decided what they wanted to do.
ReplyDeleteYES, a year ago it was brought up at a PAC meeting and parents asked the MDEA President in attendance what was going on with negotiations and furlough days. MDEA said that they needed at least 4 months to survey their membership. It was asked again in early Fall, again they were still surveying their membership.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, how many of you would recommend to your boss, "Gee, we'll take a pay cut so you can balance your budget?" There may be a few rich saints out there, but most are trying to make do with what they have. Since pay cut days were not "sunshined," by the teachers, it was MDUSD who had to bring it up in negotiations, and they didn't until January.
ReplyDeleteWhat in the world does "sunshine" mean? We all knew a year ago furlough days were needed, come on and help. Please encourage your Union and help us understand why it took so darn long to survey when you all could vote recently in a matter of days. I see it as stall tactics and so do many others. In this day when Unions are not looked at favorably (Wisconsin is setting a precedent) show us as your support and community that our MDEA is better than other Unions.
ReplyDeleteOh believe me many of us have had to take pay cuts and days off without pay, you are not alone in the suffering in this Economy. Many of us have no pensions.......
ReplyDeleteThe idea that it took four months to "survey" is a misrepresentation of the events. I stated that there was a process that usually took four months, which included the survey of our members. In normal times, the bargaining team looks at the fiscal condition of the district, and then surveys the members concerning what positive changes they would like to be part of the negotiations. The team then crafts a series of proposals and holds general meetings to get feedback from members. Then the proposals are refined and prioritized to be brought to the Representative Assembly for information. The Site Representatives then hold meetings at their sites to engage all members in discussions. At the next scheduled Representative Assembly, the elected site representatives vote to accept or amend the proposals. This process allows the bargaining team to represent the desires of the majority of membership.
ReplyDeleteThis negotiation was different because the membership had to select what items they would be willing to bargain away and what must be held status quo. Our team would begin to craft a response to proposed cuts by the school board. These cuts increased in number and severity with each board meeting after the board rejected the mutually agreed upon roll over of the contract. The final set of cuts was agreed upon by the board on 9 March 2010.
We reacted by scheduling general meetings and revamping the tone and content of our survey. We scheduled those meetings before Spring Break, even though our members felt we were giving them short notice. Also, consideration had to be given to the large number of RIF notices that were being developed by the district and our duty to our members to protect their due process.
The survey was developed and approved by the Executive Board. It was not a simple wish list, but a request that members compare each proposed cut to every other cut in a series of one to one matchups. This allowed the negotiations team to weight each item in overall importance to the majority of members. There was also a short list of items that would have little or no cost to the district, but would improve working conditions for members. These were also rated.
The survey was printed and distributed to every member starting on 23 April 2010. This required driving to every site in the district to make distribution. The survey was collected at the 3 May 2010 Representative Assembly and the data from our seventeen hundred members was tabulated and analyzed by the negotiations team, most of who teach full time as well as participate in the negotiations process.
The proposals were drafted and presented to the next Representative Assembly in June for information. If one is familiar with contract language, it can be appreciated that it must be crafted with the utmost care to prevent unintended interpretations that turn the meaning to the opposite of the writers’ original concept. The Site Representatives were charged with the responsibility to confer with members at sites and be ready to endorse or modify the proposals at the next meeting in September 2010. This is what was done. The next morning we electronically transmitted the proposals to the school district.
That is what happened. I have invited those who have issues with the events to talk to me. I attend every school board meeting. However you feel about collective bargaining, this is the process to make sure our final agreement reflects the will of the collective majority of our members. As we have just had a ratification vote on our contract that was overwhelmingly approved by the membership, we feel this validates our process. Those who have characterized it as a vacation will ignore the hardship of the loss in income teachers are experiencing.
I usually don’t blog. It is hoped that this sheds some light on the contract negotiation process. Thank you.
Thank you for your thoughtful response. All of us are pained by this fiscal situation which affects our children's education. Unfortunately, it's always easier to blame someone or something (teachers' unions especially these days) than accepting the facts.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mike Langley.
ReplyDeleteSo now MDEA has approved the agreement, what issues are preventing the district and other unions from reaching an agreement ?
ReplyDeletePlease - no more cuts to school staff!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe following is a list of suggested ways to reduce the district budget:
• Reduce/Eliminate the School Support Administrators. I understand they put on quite a presentation at the last board meeting. If the state wasn’t in such dire straits, and we had a budget surplus I would say this was wonderful and I appreciate their achievements. However, due to the budget crisis and how most employees are taking huge reductions in pay and benefits, this is a department that needs to be scaled way back. There are 7 School Support Administrators as well as a director position. This department should be reduced by half at the least. These administrators do not directly benefit our students, so these positions can be reduced or eliminated.
• Reduce/Eliminate the “Peer Coaches” and “Coach Specialists” You could have a senior teacher at each school site act as a mentor to new teachers. There are 9 Peer Coaches and 2 Coach Specialists. I’m definite that we can function without any of these positions. These employees also do not directly benefit our students.
• Show good faith – Superintendent, all district administrators and Board Members take a pay deduction
• Sub out Payroll to an independent contractor
• Shut down the District Warehouse. Order supplies from outside vendors.
to April 1 at 9:13,
ReplyDeleteDo you have any idea what you're talking about when it comes to the PAR program? Do you have ANY experience with coaches?
These coaches make a HUGE difference for many teachers. They make them much more effective in most cases. If there's any program in the district that should be saved, this is it.
I'm with you on the rest. And in the end, the PAR program may just need to go because it does cost money. But to say that these coaches don't benefit students is purely a statement of ignorance.
The Warehouse has already been streamlined. Most items are ordered through a "Just In Time" program set up with Office Depot. The only things left at the warehouse are items that are best bought in bulk to save money, such as copy paper, soy ink and master rolls for Rizograph machines, and custodial use items. Truly, Warehouse is a leaner, better-functioning department now.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, former Purchasing Director Brian Slaughter set up the Just in Time program about four years ago. It took some time to clear the warehouse of stock that is now provided directly by Office Depot. Glad to hear good marks for the department. The Warehouse staff was always helpful and accommodating when I worked for the district (2000-09).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with Anonymous April 2, 6:20 AM, the 11 PAR coaches provide advice, guidance, and support to both new and veteran teachers throughout the district. This program of teachers helping teachers was created through a collaboration of MDEA and the MDUSD Administration about 12 years ago and was considered a model when the state began requiring school districts to have peer assistance and review (PAR) programs for their teachers.
Finally, re: salaries. Board members are paid $750 a month and, if they sign up for them, district health benefits. I think they capped the amount of those benefits earlier this school year. All district administrators began taking furlough days (and thus a salary cut) a year ago.
Can someone please explain exactly what the immediate consequences are for a school district to have its budget identified as "qualified" ? Are there any immediate consequences ? I haven't been able to find any. As I understand it, a school district must declare its budget to have one of three labels: postive [it can meet its bills for the next three years; qualified [indicating they may not be able to meet all their financial obligations for the next three years]; or negative [meaning they can't pay their bills for the current or next year]. Last year State Supt. OConnell announced that about 15% of the almost 1000 school districts were "qualified". Districts don't get taken over until they are "negative" and can't borrow the money. Nothing happened to the 150 school districts that were "qualfied". Perhaps all districts need to become "qualfied" to send the Legislature and Governor the message that the state is "required" to fund the schools. It would be impossible for the state to take over 25% or more of the districts. Just impossible. So lets stop playing shell games with the budget and call it like it is -- MDUSD's budget is "qualified". What's wrong with that ? Its time to ring the fire bell.
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:08
ReplyDeleteFor one they will have to go through the County to sell the remaining Measure C bonds. The credit worthiness of the District could have a negative inpact on the ability to sell the bonds and on the price, which means a higher cost to the community.
Anon 9:09 am Just for a "qualified" budget ? Are you sure they would have to go to the county ?
ReplyDeleteIf this is the date of the 8th grade Discovery Kingdom trip the tickets have already been purchased and buses arranged. The kids should still be able to go with parents. My sons school spent time to raise the funds for the trip.
ReplyDeleteNot that my opinion matters, but I think a better idea would've been may 2 as that would've just given us an extra day from spring break and I would guess (but could be wrong) that not much was planned for the Monday following a long break.
ReplyDeletesome schools may still be doing star testing after the break. i wonder if they have to reschedule all of that. some of those tests take a long time and many days to finish them all.
ReplyDeleteMay 6 was chosen as a furlough day.
ReplyDeleteMay 6 Physics of Rollercoasters Field Trip to Discovery Kingdom for Diablo View 8th graders is now cancelled.
-Clayton Parent