President’s Message

SEA REJECTS FURLOUGH DAYS

BY ALEX ANGUIANO SEA PRESIDENT

Contractually, we are obligated to “sunshine” our bargaining proposal before May 1. The District has already sunshined its proposal; we have not. Our contract clearly states that our work year “shall” be 184 days. Bargaining on items other than a 184 day calendar will not occur before we sunshine our proposal.

I firmly believe that it is the Districtʼs intent to impose their proposed calendar and wage reduction proposal upon us. Such an imposition would be illegal prior to a negotiated settlement on a successor contract, or after the School Board acts on a fact-finding panelʼs report. However, ignoring contractual language and violating state law during negotiations is a practice that the District has engaged in under the current administration. Once again, the District has begun the implementation of a strategy of getting to the table and declaring Impasse as soon as possible to be in position to impose a last best and final offer. School Services suggested this strategy to our District in the last round of negotiations. However, they clearly warned that such a strategy risked creating labor unrest. It is interesting that that School Services is not currently recommending that strategy. I guess the District did not read the latest memo.

In my last message, I reported that I would be asking our Rep Council to consider two “job actions” designed to support our calendar team during calendar negotiations. After a healthy debate, the two actions were approved by the Rep Council. I can not use the Districtʼs communication system to discuss these actions. Please talk to your site reps. Job actions are legal activities that we engage in to support our bargaining position. At times they are necessary when logical discussions fail. The District is currently failing.

The District has turned on its propaganda machine. It is just getting warmed up. The target audience is the community, the School Board, and us.

Donʼt buy their garbage.

On the Districtʼs website, they have posted their proposed calendar for community input. They did not post the four June 2012 furlough days that they proposed to us. The District is not informing the community that teachers will not have preparation time before school begins for students under their plan. Obviously, they expect us to work for free. They have also posted a document announcing the

formation of a budget committee. Although SEA has not received an invitation to participate, the Districtʼs website indicates that one is forthcoming. It will be my recommendation to the SEA Board of Directors that we not accept their invitation. The budget committee will be charged with suggesting where cuts are to be made. We have done our share to deal with the economy and will be doing so for two more school years.

We have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that expires at the end of the 2012-13 that has increased our class caps and staffing ratio. The superintendent did not know the MOUʼs expiration date before the District proposed the furlough days to SEA. He was under the impression that the MOU expired with the expiration of our current contact, June 30, 2011. The negotiated MOU saves the district millions of dollars annually. It is absolutely mindboggling that the District proposed furlough days without knowing when the MOU expires.

Our contract is clear that our work year shall consist of 184 days. When we continue our calendar discussions with the District, we will only discuss 184 days. The Districtʼs response will be to spread misinformation and threaten us with layoffs -again.

Will the School Board be mislead by the District like they were last May, or did they learn that their actions were unnecessary? They were wrong and we were right. Please review my last presidentʼs message regarding the sixty plus temporary teachers that the District needed to hire. The majority of these teachers were hired after the start of the school year due to the Districtʼs crappy enrollment projection.

Once again, they will cite declining enrollment as a factor for their actions. Contractually, SEA has the right to consult with the District as to which postings will be offered to individuals returning from leave and individuals that are being excessed from their sites due to declining enrollment. When I met with the District to consult on this matter for the semester 2 posting, only one site principal had reported the need to transfer a teacher due to declining enrollment. It appears that principals are not buying the Districtʼs garbage. Neither should you.

Support your calendar team. Talk to your site reps.