D'oh, and Some Health Insurance Numbers

A few weeks ago when I posted inviting you to fill out the survey regarding work day language someone left a comment that I didn't notice until today. I apologize for missing it, particularly because it's one that bears some discussion:

Thanks so much for your timely updates. How are things going? With a lean year, burdened by finaincial woes and a depressed economy teetering on the brink of recession and the energy crisis hitting us all square in the pocketbook what can we expect in the way of gains for the certified staff? What negotiating concerns have been agreed upon in content and what is still on the table? Have you any idea if the health insurance cost are going to once again absorb any or part of our COLA? Thanks for your time and efforts this summer, keep cool.

I emailed Lynn Paul in the District Office regarding health insurance information, and here's what I heard back from her:

Hello Ryan-the State Fringe Benefit Allocation will be $732 a month for 2008-09..an increase of 3 1/2%

The Health Care Authority remittance for retired school employees (carve out) paid by the District has increased 4.7% to $60.40. Group Health premiums have increased an average 8.9%, the WEA Premera Blue Cross 7.25% and the School Pool Premera Blue Cross 5.75%. WA Dental remains the same (111.20) and Willamette Dental increased 5.37% to $71.75. There will be a letter going out in August to employees about the Benefits Fair and will probably be stating the above also so people can prepare for the increases. Let me know if any further questions and thanks for helping to promote the attendance.

Essentially, then, health insurance costs are doing what they've been wont to these past few years--outpace the money that the state puts into health insurance. Thus, those of us who pay out-of-pocket (OOP) for insurance will likely be paying a bit more, but at least we've got our 5.1% COLA to help out.

Speaking of insurance costs, as we were getting ready for the bargain with the school district we did some research on the health insurance pool, and the numbers that came back were rather surprising. The chart below shows you the amount of money people paid OOP for their health insurance, as well as the number that paid in the indicated range:

Dollars OOP Per Month	Number of People
$0	43
$0 - $10	2
$10 - $20	19
$20 - $50	7
$50 - $100	25
$100 - $200	12
$200+	10
$300+	9
$400+	3
$500+	2

What does it mean?

• In a district of approximately 130 certificated staff members, 1/3 don't pay anything OOP for their health insurance. That's a fact worth celebrating.
  
• On the other hand, there's also the upper quartile with 36 folks paying more than $100 a month OOP for their insurance. These are the staff for whom the insurance pool is especially important, and I'll freely admit to being one of them.
  
• Given the general high cost of health insurance in the area, even those of us who pay out of pocket are still doing well.

All of this is a build up to remind you that the annual Benefits Fair is Monday, August 25th beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the High School. It's your one chance a year to have the insurance reps right there in front of you, and we all thank Lynn for putting it together. Hope to see you there!

Enjoy your summer!

--Ryan, for the MLEA Exec Board--

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Contract

Hello MLEA Members,

This past Tuesday, July 15th, we had our final round of negotiations with the school district, and we've finished up the proposed contract for the next three years. It was a great discussion about how to improve what is already a very good document, and all of us on the Bargaining Team would like to thank Dr. Veltri and the administrative staff for the dialogue.

I'll be posting more details about the new contract on the website in the coming weeks, and at the staff breakfast on August 27th we'll vote on ratifying.

As the lead negotiator I'd like to give special thanks to Cheryl Spilker for her calm perspective, Sharon Smith for her great ideas, and Melanie Kilgore for her energy and thoughtfulness. A first-time team member was Sheila Overman from Hallett, and her eloquence in speaking about special ed issues really helped to move the conversation forward. Tim Martin, Tina Evans, and Vikki Hernvall did a great job representing the high school. Thanks as well to Terry King for keeping me honest and Sam Peterson for running the numbers like a pro, as well as Wendy Stewart offering her presidential perspective.

A big "Thank you!" also goes out to Carol Tyson, an ex-officio member of the team who was always there to lend an ear when we needed to bounce ideas off of someone.

Should you have any questions about the process please feel free to contact the Bargaining Team member from your building, or your local MLEA Exec Board member.

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--

How's Bargaining Going?

Well! We've had two meetings with the district so far, along with some very constructive dialogue. Our next meeting is set up for Thursday, June 19th. If you have any questions or guidance, please feel free to email me or speak with the Bargaining Team representative in your building!

--Ryan, for the Bargaining Team--

The Bergeson Vote

You may have seen the article in the Spokesman today about the vote of No Confidence in Terry Bergeson that was taken at the WEA Representative Assembly on Friday. Just to be clear, based off of the polling that we ran a few weeks ago your Medical Lake delegation abstained from the vote; we didn't feel that it would be appropriate to put our name to the motion.

If you have any questions Ryan Grant, Wendy Stewart, and Dona Wagner were this year's delegates.

Pictures to follow soon!

The Budget Crisis--It's Not Just Us

The Washington State School Director's Association does a great job with their daily E-Clippings of collecting all the education news from papers around the state. Many of the articles in recent weeks have been highlighting the budgetary problems that districts have been having; taken in the aggregate, it's a pretty bleak picture. Below are links to stories that have appeared in E-Clippings in the past few weeks, from all around the state, on this year's budget woes:

Friday, May 9th:

• The Kitsap Sun: South Kitsap School District Joins Those With Budget Woes
  
• The Bellingham Herald: 3 school boards (Blaine, Ferndale, Meridian) OK staff, program cuts

Thursday, May 8th:

• The Tacoma News-Tribune: Teacher raises put pressure on Bethel district budget
  
• The Aberdeen Daily World: 15.5 fewer teachers in Aberdeen next year

Wednesday, May 7th:

• The Vancouver Columbian: Faced with a projected $2.4 million deficit next year, Vancouver Public Schools may eliminate 26 staff positions and make other cost-saving changes next year.
  
• The Kitsap Sun: Tough Choices Ahead for Bremerton Schools
  
• The Olympian: Olympia School Cuts Draw a Crowd
  
• Peninsula Daily News: Port Angeles Schools Cut Budget, Keep Full Day Kindergarten

Tuesday, May 6th:

• The Everett Herald: Cuts Loom for Schools Across Snohomish County
  
• The Olympian: Olympia parents look to compromise on budget cuts

Monday, May 5th:

• The Spokane Spokesman-Review: Central Valley School Board still mulling budget cuts
  
• The Kitsap Sun: Unexpected expenses force Bremerton Schools to cut back
  
• The Bellingham Herald: 'Perfect storm' batters state, county school budgets
  
• The Aberdeen Daily World: Hoquiam cuts won't be easy

Friday, May 2nd:

• The Peninsual Daily News:Port Angeles school officials tell why they'd forgo pay raises

Thursday, May 1st:

• The Spokane Spokesman-Review: Mead schools face cash shortfall
  
• The Spokane Spokesman-Review: School look to trim budgets
  
• The Walla Walla Union Bulletin: Dayton Schools to cut seven positions

Tuesday, April 29th:

• Tacoma News Tribune: White River Schools forced to make cuts
  
• The Olympian: North Thurston OKs budget cuts

Monday, April 28th:

• The Peninsula Daily News: Port Angeles school leaders offer up pay raises to aid district

Friday, April 25th:

• The Kitsap Sun: As NK schools face $2.8 million shortfall, will pool be closed?
  
• The Walla Walla Union Bulletin: Dayton schools face $300,000 shortfall

Wednesday, April 23rd:

• The Bellingham Herald: Blaine schools face budget cuts

Monday, April 21st:

• The Abderdeen Daily World: Are Harbor schools headed for a “Waterloo”?
  
• The Ellensburg Daily Record: School districts grapple with finances

Olympia, Bremerton, Vancouver, Aberdeen, Bethel, Blaine, Ferndale, Meridian, South Kitsap, Port Angeles, Edmonds, Central Valley, Mead, Dayton, White River, Sumner, Puyallup, North Thurston, Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Central Kitsap, North Kitsap, Medical Lake. North, east, west, south, all in the same house of budgetary horrors. And those are only the named districts; there are many, many more out there in the same boat.

At least we're all in it together. Yay?

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

Today, May 6th, is Teacher Appreciation Day, a day to celebrate all that we are and all that we do in the classroom. I hope that you enjoyed your trinket from the district, the lunch catered by the PTA, and the other shows of appreciation that will go on today and this week.

The thing I appreciate most about the profession is that it’s family friendly. I’m working half-time this year so that I can be at home to help with my daughter, and it’s been a great thing for her, my wife, and I. I’m looking forward to the upcoming summer where I can spend even more time taking her out and watching her grow, and that’s not an opportunity I’d have in many other professions. If you'd like to share why you teach in the comments below, feel free--it could make for fun reading!

Speaking on behalf of the exec board, we’re all happy to serve you, the MLEA membership, in helping to make teaching here in Medical Lake all it can be. We thank you for your help on the various initiatives we’ve had this year; it's your voice that matters the very most. Feel good about yourself on this Teacher Appreciation Day—you’ve earned it.

With thanks,

--Ryan for the MLEA Exec Board--