We Need to Hear From You Regarding the Contract

Hello again,

Negotiations with the district for our new contract have been moving along well. We're entering a critical juncture, though, and we on the Bargaining Team need to hear your thoughts about one of the major outstanding issues: work day language.

The current relevant language on workday reads as follows:

Employees shall be in their buildings one-half hour prior to the start of school and shall remain one-half hour after the dismissal of school. The starting and dismissal times, which may vary from school to school, shall be determined by the Board, but no teacher shall be required to report for duty earlier than 7:15 a.m. one day per week and 7:30 a.m. four days per week nor remain on duty later than 3:45 p.m. one day per week or 3:50 p.m. four days per week. The length of the assigned work day shall be substantially the same for all teachers and will consist of an average of seven and one-half (7½) consecutive hours including thirty continuous minutes duty-free lunch.

What we heard from you during the bargaining survey in February was that in some buildings morning meetings were being called outside of that 7:30 a.m. window, and that the one day a week of 7:15 was particularly onerous for staff members with children at home.

What I need to hear from you, as your lead negotiator and MLEA president, is how far you want us to push on this issue. If you follow this link you'll be connected to an on-line survey--it's quick and easy, at only three questions--where you can give us your input.

You're also more than welcome to call me at any time with questions or thoughts about the process (951-1290), or you can contact the members of the Bargaining Team from your building.

Thank you for your time and guidance. Our ultimate accountability is to you, the members of the MLEA, and we want to make sure we do all that we can to honor your voice.

The survey will really help us in that process.

--Ryan, for the Bargaining Team--

Terry Bergeson/WASL Survey--Thank You!

There were 41 responses to the survey on the WASL and Terry Bergeson, and I'd like to thank everyone who responded. Your opinion matters to us, and I appreciate the time and guidance.

In the comments section there were some questions asked about the WASL fact sheet that was sent out to the buildings, mainly along the lines of "Where the hell did this come from?" It was created by the WEA as part of the larger OSPI/WASL project; we passed it along to you, but it was not developed locally. There wasn't proper attribution on the sheet, and I apologize for that oversight.

If you would like a copy of the survey results, or if you have any other questions about the survey, please let Ryan know.

Thanks!