A Bit of Trouble in Cheney

A couple of weeks ago, in their August 21st edition, the Cheney Free Press ran a very well written article about a teacher discipline situation in Cheney that had resulted in a special ed preschool teacher getting yanked out of her classroom and moved to Cheney Middle School. I think it's a very balanced look at the situation, and a good overview at how these things can go.

Note that the Sally McNair mentioned in the article is also our UniServ rep out of the WEA-Eastern office downtown.

Hopefully, it will work out for the better for everyone involved.

Also check out the recent Free Press article about Scott Kerwien, the new counselor at the high school. All of us in the MLEA welcome him to the district!

Bellevue Teachers Set Stage For Strike

The 1,100 teachers in the Bellevue School District are set to start striking on September 2nd. While there's a wage issue on the table, one of the biggest themes that I heard from Bellevue's leadership at conferences over the summer was the "scripted, rigid" curriculum that the district is mandating the teachers use.

It's an interesting conversation to have. Curriculum is a district prerogative, and the role of the state in that domain has certainly increased. On my first grade team at Anderson we've been trying to blend the math curriculum we have with the new math expectations from the state and turn that into a cohesive sequence that also fits what we're looking for on the report cards, and all of this is before you get to teaching the actual lesson in front of the kids.

Keep an eye on what happens in Bellevue; the over-arching issue could mean something for us all statewide.

Summary of Changes to the New Contract

Bottom line: when it was all said and done, more was said than was done. That's not a bad thing. :-)

Below you'll find the major changes that we're asking you to approve in the new contract. During our meeting this Wednesday morning the members of the Bargaining Team will be happy to answer any questions, after which we'll have a ratification vote.

There are no major changes. The biggest items to know:
*You will receive 2 more hours of per diem this year, for a total of 86.
*The work day language has not changed; we will be studying possible options for change next year.

SOMETHING NEW: I've uploaded the tentative contract to a hosting website; you can click this link to read the final draft. I haven't tried this before, so please let me know if you run into technical problems.

Below I've listed the items that most impact you as a staff, going in order from the beginning of the contract to the end.

• The contract will be for three years, expiring at the end of the 2010-2011 school year.
  
  
• From now on a copy of the contract will be posted on-line, which should make it easier for everyone to get to.
  
  
• Pre-school is now guaranteed to have a paraprofessional.
  
  
• Remedial math classes at the Middle School and High School will be capped at 20 students.
  
  
• Combination class teachers will receive an additional $3,000 a year stipend.
  
  
• We now have better language for special education caseload size. There are still no firm caps, but the process of how to get relief for Resource teachers and ESAs is clearer.
  
  
• Also for special ed teachers, if you don't use your release days for IEP paperwork you'll be able to cash them out at the substitute rate of pay.
  
  
• Substitute teachers will now be placed on the salary schedule after 20 days of consecutive subbing, instead of 30.
  
  
• As was discussed in the spring, employees who announce their intent to retire by January 31st will receive a $1,000 stipend, with the amount prorated after that.
  
  
• Teachers may now access up to four days of Professional Leave per year to work on programs like National Board certification, or the Professional Certificate required by the state. This leave has to be arranged in consultation with your principal.
  
  
• There is no longer a $95 allotment per teacher for travel. This doesn't mean there won't be travel, which is a discussion that you'll be having at the building level.

In prepping for the bargain I looked at a lot of comparable data for our district and others, and please believe me when I say this: we already have a very, very good contract. I think that these changes will make it better, and I would strongly ask that you vote to ratify.

Please, ask questions. This is your contract, and all of us on the Bargaining Team are here for your benefit.

Thanks!

--Ryan--

A Step You Can Take to Help School Libraries

The Washington Library Media Association has started an on-line petition to try and raise awareness regarding school libraries here in Washington State; their goal is 10,000 signatures by September 1st. MaryKay Rolwes will be talking about it a bit more at our beginning of the year meeting this coming Wednesday.

I just signed it, and I'm #8447. Add your voice to the chorus and see which step you are towards the goal!

Starting the New Year Right

At NYC Educator there's a very readable blog post about having difficult conversations with parents over the phone. Also check out the links at the bottom of that post for more good ideas.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

--Ryan, MLEA President--

This Year's COLA, and Next Year's COLA

Hello again, MLEA members.

This post to the blog may be a little wonky, but it also has a direct impact on your paycheck.

First, at the end of September you'll be seeing the beginning of an all-time pay increase as teacher salaries go up 5.1% 3.9% of that is because of the I-728 COLA; .7% is because of the COLA suspension from 2003 and 2004; and .5% is "equalization" to bring the state salary schedule in line with what some of the larger districts are able to pay.

That's the good news. The thing to keep an eye on will be what happens in the legislature regarding next year's COLA. To wit:

1) Forbes Magazine says that Seattle has the highest inflation in the country, and that's the number our COLA is based off of. From the article:

If you live in Seattle, it might be time to ask for a cost of living increase. The city has the highest inflation rate in the country.

"Seattle household income is fairly high, and that helps to maintain a high rate of inflation since higher income areas can afford price increases," says Steve Cochrane, an economist with Moody's Economy.com. "Some of it is fuel, but housing prices have also been more stable than anywhere else on the West Coast, which adds to inflation."

Normally, Seattle's 3.7% unemployment rate, well under the national average of 5.5%, would be a good thing. But a growing economy with low unemployment drives up wages and costs. The Emerald City's consumer prices are up 5.8% from this time last year, which ties for the highest inflation rate in the country with Dallas, where high energy costs for home cooling and driving are eating up incomes.

2) Similarly, Olympia Business Watch has the numbers on the national inflation statistics, which are equally high.

It will be an interesting process to watch when the Legislature goes back in January.

The Toughest Thing You'll Ever Watch...

...is the story of Danielle, the feral girl of Florida, one of the most shocking abuse cases you'll ever see. There's a happy ending, thank God, but the thought of any child going through what she did is hard to countenance.

I bring it up to note that the calendar has moved over to August and soon enough it'll be our time to get back into the classroom and start making a difference in the lives of kids again. They'll all come with gifts, and some will come with baggage. One of the neatest things to me about the profession we're in is that we have the opportunity we do to put our students on the right path.

Teaching--it's a new adventure every day. :-)

Enjoy the rest of the summer, and we'll see you soon!

--Ryan, MLEA President--