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CUTA Community Flyer

Posted on | May 24, 2012 | No Comments

At the last bargaining session, we directly asked the district team if reducing the furlough days to 5 is an inability to pay or an unwillingness to pay. The answer ~

“Unwillingness to pay”

 

Category: Negotiations, Political Action

Bargaining Update ~ May 22, 2012

Posted on | May 22, 2012 | No Comments

Dear Fellow CUTA Members,

Today your CUTA Bargaining Team met with the district bargaining team and presented them with our proposal below.  They said they would like time to consider.  We will be meeting again on Friday, June 1st.  At that time, we hope to receive from them the financial information we have been asking for at the last couple bargaining sessions.

CUTA Package Proposal 8

May 22, 2012

1.     Change number of 3D days from 3 to 5

  • 4 consecutive days maximum at any time during school year except weeks attached to Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks & beginning and end of school year (no cost to CUSD) * We moved from 5 consecutive days to 4 consecutive days.

2.    Permanently change 7.13 due to permanent loss of income from furlough days and it’s good for teachers and students

  • Move the paragraphs about enrichment classes and lunch time to above the sentence about permission from site administrator.
  • Current contract language is, “Teachers will be released from enrichment classes such as Music, Art and Physical Education when a certificated teacher is providing instruction and supervision of the students.”  Add this to contract language ~ In the first 2 weeks of instruction, classroom teachers may be available to help transition students.  If classroom management becomes an issue, it is the site administrator’s responsibility to work with the specials teacher to develop a more effective classroom management plan.

3.    Mutually conceived and agreed upon voluntary/involuntary transfer language for opening of Sage Creek High School. * Addition made to ensure understanding that both need to be addressed

4.    Combined credential/BA credits (conceptually agreed upon)

5.    Based on currently total general fund revenue and expenditure assumptions, CUTA agrees to take with mutually agreed upon restoration language:

  • 5 student contact furlough days in 2012-2013
  • Mutually agreed upon dates
  • $2.2 M ~ Budget Deficit
  • -  .1 M ~ Tax Revenue Increase
  • -  .1 M ~ Potential CVA Savings
  • -  .16M ~ Deficit Reduction Reserve
  • -  .37 M ~ Blue Shield Credit
  • $1.47 M x 0.691 = $1.02 M ~ CUTA Fair Share
  •                              ÷ 0.212 CpFD
  •                             = 4.8 FD

6.    CUTA agrees to pay 100% of presidential release. (conceptually agreed upon)

7.    CUTA agrees to reopen negotiations on November 27, 2012 immediately following Thanksgiving Break.

8.    Upon agreement to the above items, CUSD agrees to rescind all layoff notices other than those needed based on board approved reductions (CHS class size, CVA, librarian)

Category: Negotiations

Great Article by Mary Martin

Posted on | May 20, 2012 | No Comments

How furlough can you go? Carlsbad Unified faces deadlock on days to cut

With all the talk these days about school districts making cuts to manage tight budgets, there are many questions to be answered if the general public wants to understand the jargon of education.  

One of those questions popping up is, What is a furlough day?

Furlough generally refers to a temporary, unpaid leave from a job, assigned to an employee, usually due to financial or other employer constraints.

Carlsbad Unified is currently considering furlough days as a step towards meeting a $2.2 million budget gap.  CUTA, the teacher’s union, has proposed five instructional furlough days to meet its share of the deficit.  The district has counter-proposed six total furlough days, four non-instructional and two that would be student contact days, meaning students would have two less days as well.

Instructional furlough days are popular with students and teachers.  Many teachers see the necessity of a pay cut these days, knowing it is needed for alleviating some of the strain on other school district expenses.  They’d rather have a job with slightly less pay than no job at all.  Some teachers would consider the days off as bonus time to get things done, perhaps even the pile of grading they can’t seem to get to while teaching all day. Students, of course, would embrace a few extra days off.

Parents generally support furlough days that don’t give their kids more time at home.  They are rightfully concerned about losing the learning time, and for some parents, child care arrangements would be problematic.
But many districts, including Carlsbad, have more days on the school-year calendar than necessary.  California Education Code requires that a public K-12 school in the state offer no less than 175 instructional days.

Because parents are more supportive of non-instructional days off, district management typically pushes for the plan that won’t rankle parents and create a backlash in the community. To the outside observer, parents and board members alike, it seems that instructional time is sacred and non-instructional time must be just a waste.

Employee unions see non-instructional furlough days as a sneaky way for the district to eke out the same amount of work from the teachers for less pay.  Because teachers union representatives are teachers themselves, they know that their members already take work home on weekends and spend hours of vacation time planning lessons and catching up on grading.  

School Board members with little or no experience in a classroom can easily justify in their own minds that taking away non-teaching days is better for kids.  But if they had ever visited an empty  classroom during the summer, then returned the day before school, they would know that a classroom, with organized materials, working technology, and engaging lessons ready and waiting, does not happen by magic.  Many hours of work goes into preparation, when no students are present, and as the year unfolds, many more hours of work goes into assessing student progress, communicating with parents, and adjusting lessons based on needs that emerge as teachers get to know a cohort of students.

Taking away non-instructional days is just as damaging as taking away teaching time.  A good teacher is prepared, takes time for reflection, and makes adjustments to meet the varying needs of the students in front of her.  Those tasks are challenging enough for a professional in any busy, full-time job;  they are nearly impossible when that job requires responding to thousands of minute stimulae every hour, from misbehavior, to bathroom requests, to passing out papers, to circulating among every desk, to validating great questions, to the fire alarm interrupting class. Class time is not prep time. Anyone who works in the field of education should know the careful work that goes into creating a positive learning environment.

Carlsbad Unified currently schedules 180 instructional days, five days beyond state law. So parents in the coastal North County enclave can still feel good about the education their child is getting, even with a few less days face-to-face with teachers. Carlsbad’s current certificated work calendar pays teachers for 184 days, allowing teachers three days of preparation before the start of school and one day after students finish in June to finalize grades and pack up the classroom for summer cleaning and storage.  CUSD’s proposal would eradicate all of this non-teaching prep time for the 2012-2013 school year, and still put the district three full instructional days above the state requirement.  CUSD’s calendar also includes floating professional development time, the equivalent of one day (7 hours) that is generally used in one or two hour increments throughout the school year to extend staff meetings and other professional development time.  The district’s proposal does not specify this floating time as one of the “days” to be used as furlough.  CUTA President Sally Estep and Devin Vodicka, Asst. Superintendent of Business Services, both confirmed that the “floating time” is not currently part of the discussion.  Neither the district nor the union has explained why not.

The district negotiating team has not backed down on their 6-day proposal despite the teachers’ union’s efforts to offer alternative solutions, such as applying a savings gained after renegotiation with an employee health benefits provider.  Also, $450,000 in savings promised earlier by the district, from reduction in management pay, has not yet been realized. CUTA has already promised to return to the negotiating table in November after Governor Brown’s tax initiative is voted on, in case more concessions from its members are needed then.  

CUSD’s management team has also put an ultimatum on the union, dangling the jobs of over 50 pink-slipped teachers as the trade-off to conceding all 6 furlough days.   The district put this deal on the table while admitting that the number of teaching positions they are holding hostage is greater than the number needed to account for the teachers’ union’s share of deficit reduction.   Depending on whether recent cuts and adjustments are factored in, the Carlsbad Unified Teacher’s Association’s fair share of reductions was established earlier in May as $1.42 million, equal to 20 teacher jobs, not the 74 hoping for repeal or even the possible 64 that the district promises to bring back if the union capitulates.  More recent figures put the union’s fair share at $1.02 million, using the health provider credit, potential new income from property rental, and other adjustments.  

Because of the apparent deadlock in bargaining, teachers in the district, along with some parents, took their case to the street on Friday morning, picketing before school to raise awareness among the community about the inflexible demands.  They hope their effort will force the district to consider reasonable, alternative solutions.

Negotiations will continue between the Carlsbad Unified Teacher’s Association and Carlsbad Unified School District until June 30th, although the language used by the district indicates that they have already closed their part in negotiations.   As the district’s summary of the May 14 negotiation states, “CUSD reiterated that this was the last, best, final offer.  The next session is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22nd.”  So on May 22nd, what will the district’s management team be doing? Stubbornly awaiting the white flag of surrender, it seems. Not exactly the model of collaborative problem-solving we’d want students to learn from.

Category: Negotiations

RIF’d Teacher FAQ’s

Posted on | May 15, 2012 | No Comments

What Are Your Rehire and Other Rights If You Are Laid Off?

  • Teachers laid off will be put on a reemployment list.  Permanent teachers have recall rights of 39 months according to seniority, credential(s) and qualifications (probationary teachers 24 months).  If at any time within the 39/24 months of recall rights the number of employees is increased or a service that was discontinued leading to a layoff is re-established the district must rescind RIF notices.
  • If you were permanent you may waive your rehire rights for a period of up to one school year (meaning that you can ask to be passed over when the district makes rehire offers) without losing the right to subsequent offers of rehire in order of seniority.
  • The district must offer substitute teaching opportunities in order of seniority during the recall period.  If you were permanent and teach as a substitute during the school year for any 21 days or more within 60 school days the compensation you receive in that 60-day period, including your first 20 days of substitute service, should be the amount you would receive if you were being reappointed to your original position.
  • A reappointed teacher does not suffer a break in service or loss of seniority.  The period of absence though does not count as part of service credited for retirement.  At any time prior to the completion of your first year of service after rehire, you can make up your contributions to STRS for the period during which you were laid-off, but neither the state nor district is obliged to match those contributions.
  • If you obtain employment in another school district, you can transfer within one year your accrued sick leave from Carlsbad Unified by providing your new district with written notice that you would like to transfer your accrued sick leave together with the name and address of your former district.

Unemployment Insurance Benefits

  • Employees who are laid off are eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits.
  • File for UI benefits immediately after your last day of work.  There is a one week, unpaid waiting period.  The fastest and most convenient way to file a claim is online at http://eapply4ui.edd.ca.gov .
  • For more information, call the Employment Development Office (EDD) at 800-300-5616.
  • Within 10 days of filing your claim, you should receive by mail either claim materials or notice that a telephone interview has been scheduled, if further information is needed.  If you do not receive notification in the mail after 10 days, contact EDD.  Your first UI benefit check should arrive within about three (3) weeks after filing.
  • You can receive a regular benefit up to a maximum of $450 a week depending on your past earnings.  If you file in May or June, 2012, your benefit amount will be calculated on the highest quarter in the base period of the twelve months ending December 31, 2011.  The state unemployment benefits can be received for up to 26 weeks.

Health Insurance

  • Your health insurance coverage will continue through September 30th if you worked the entire school year.
  • After that date you can choose to continue your health insurance coverage for up to 18 months under the federal COBRA Act.
  • Within 90 days of your termination from employment resulting in you losing employer paid health coverage, the District must notify you of your right to continue your health coverage under COBRA. Your right is to continue the same health insurance coverage that you had as an employee, including any coverage you carried for your spouse or dependents.  Even if you choose not to continue your health coverage, you may elect to continue health care coverage for your children and/or your spouse may elect to continue coverage.
  • You may choose to maintain your health insurance coverage for up to 18 months by paying the full premium due (which may be no more than 102% of the premium the plan pays for non-COBRA participants).
  • Your first premium payment must be received by the plan within 45 days of your election of COBRA benefits. Your subsequent payments must be received within 30 days of the due dates set by the plan for premium payments.

Maintaining Your CTA Membership

  • CTA members who are laid off can maintain their membership, and thereby continue to enjoy the benefits of CTA representation including covered legal representation through the Group Legal Services program and the benefits you receive through the CTA endorsed credit union, insurance and discount programs, by paying Category 3A dues, which are approximately one quarter of the dues paid by full time members.
  •  You can contact CTA Membership for information at 650-552-5278 or membership@cta.org . As a general rule, dues are paid for the full year and must be received by CUTA by October 31st.
  • You may maintain your membership in CTA for the entire duration of your rehire rights or three years time, whichever is longer. Please note that if you work 25% or more as a substitute or temporary, your dues status will change and you should contact CUTA and/or CTA to make any necessary adjustments in your dues payments.
Category: Member Benefits, Negotiations

Bargaining Update ~ May 14, 2012

Posted on | May 14, 2012 | No Comments

Category: Negotiations

CUTA Bargaining Update ~ May 11, 2012

Posted on | May 11, 2012 | No Comments

Category: Negotiations

2012 CUTA Executive Board Election Results

Posted on | May 11, 2012 | No Comments

Ballots for the 2012 CUTA Executive Board election were received on May 7, 2012.  The ballots were counted on May 10, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. by Kathy Nienhaus, Lori Browne, and Janet Nielson.

There were 319 valid ballots received.  In the Elementary Member-at-Large, Jai McClelland received 149/291 and Pat Slattery received 142/291 ~ a very close race.   As per CUTA elections procedures, the challenge procedure window is now open.  Challenging parties must notify the CUTA President in writing within ten (10) calendar days.

Election results:

CUTA Executive Board

Vice-President: Christine Parr (99% of the votes)

Secretary:  Dawn Kramer (96% of the votes)

Elementary Member-at-Large:  Jai McClelland (46.7% of the votes)

High School Member-at-Large: Jeff Spanier (99% of the votes)

Congratulations!

Category: CUTA Elections

CUTA’S speech to the school board ~ May 9, 2012

Posted on | May 10, 2012 | No Comments

Today we gather to celebrate those who represent the best in us.  Today we honor people whose efforts and dedication have produced measurable and lasting positive influences on their students.  Today we honor and acknowledge teachers and the students they serve.

 And so I find it heartbreaking that, instead of standing here extolling the amazing things we do every day, I am forced to address the misinformation the district and a few site principals disseminated to parents, students and the community.  We want a fair and equitable contract settlement based on honest, real information:

 1.   There is no guarantee that all RIF’d teachers will be reinstated if teachers agree to 7 furlough days.  The district has agreed to bring back as many teachers as “needed.”  This does not obligate them to any returns, although it’s unreasonable to believe they won’t rescind any.  But the point is that there is no magic number of furlough days that guarantees any amount of teachers returning to work.

2.   CUTA has always put students first.  In contrast, this school board has focused on buildings and management over effective teachers and reasonable class sizes.  Seven furlough days is 40% more than teachers’ fair share of the district budget.  By trying to keep as many teachers working as possible, thus keeping class sizes as small as possible, and by focusing on people, not buildings, CUTA is absolutely putting students first.

 3.   No widespread reassignments and site moves need to happen.  If principals are required to make their master schedules now, that has nothing to do with CUTA contract requirements.  Principals can (and have done many times in the past) make contingency schedules that cover several scenarios.  Since no teachers will be moved before the end of this year, there is still time for CUTA and CUSD to come to agreement before any chaos needs to ensue.

 4.   It is disingenuous to categorize the difference between 5 and 7 furlough days as $50 per teacher.  Not only does it depend on where the teacher is on the salary schedule (for instance, some teachers would lose an additional $99 per month), but it also doesn’t acknowledge that this is on top of the cost of 5 furlough days.  This sort of purposeful half-truth is what causes turmoil and dissent among all stakeholders because no one knows what’s real.  Throughout these negotiations, CUTA has attempted, for better or worse, to lay out the facts as they actually are.  While not everyone may agree with our conclusions, at least those decisions can be based on real information.

 Teachers are not holding up negotiations.  As we have said from the beginning, we don’t believe it’s wrong to pay for our share of this economic crisis.  But we DO believe it’s wrong to be asked to pay for more than that.  The district, rather than finding the remaining $450,000 away from teacher salaries, is asking the teachers to suck up even more.  That does not make sense considering that programs, buildings and management salaries, including a new superintendent’s, have not been cut to the bone.

 Instead of truly working on class sizes, this school board created more management positions from assistant principals to a director and refused to make cuts away from the classroom that personnel form the DO recommended more than once be done.

 This district shortfall is currently $2.2 million.  The teacher’s fair share of that shortfall is $1.3 million.  $1.3 million is equivalent to about 18 teachers’ jobs, yet 77 teachers are still pink slipped.  We would much rather spend our negotiations time brainstorming how to bring back the other 18 rather than being held hostage in negotiations with these over-inflated RIF’s.

 CUTA looks forward to coming to a tentative agreement on Friday.  In unity.

Category: Membership Pulse, Negotiations, Political Action

Teanna Evans’ (and Sue Wooley’s) Speech to the Board Teanna ~ RIF’d teacher at CHM, and Sue ~ rescinded teacher at CHM

Posted on | May 10, 2012 | No Comments

Seven years ago, I came to this district in hopes of growing and developing my practice, a practice that I whole heartedly believed that if you educated the young on how to make informed decisions, we could have a nation of change. I left behind my tenure and willingly took a pay cut to work in the prestigious district and under amazing individuals that I hoped would become my mentors. I believed that I would be encouraged and motivated to try to continue to expand my craft. Yet, 7 years later, I stand here and I am just a number; a number with a “Pink Slip”.

My students, former and present, were the ones most upset that their Calavera Hills 8th grade team of teachers received “Pink Slips”.  The students began to ask questions and had a desire to find answers. With their passion for learning running strong, which is NOT common for 8th graders, we decided to make the situation a learning opportunity. This one situation that they are extremely passionate about could cover many 8th grade standards. I went to the district to ask for guidance and get articles that show multiple perspectives on the district deficit. Only we were told that we should not touch it because it would upset the board. My thought ~ but we are teaching to the students’ curiosity and desire for knowledge? We are constantly told that good teaching is one that connects students’ emotions and passions. Students’ minds are opened when their hearts are touched and they know that their teachers are listening. Yet, we were strongly advised to disband the idea.

This left me thinking; does the board know what it takes for teachers to capture the minds of their students? Does the board know what actually goes on in a typical teaching day in elementary, in middle or in high school? Does the board know what goes into the data they receive from the district on our students? Does the board know what a day looks like for students in classes with more than 40 students? What exactly does the board understand about teaching standards and brain based learning?

I am not sure you do, BUT I want you to know. Please come and shadow us, shadow our students and not for 15 minutes, but for a complete day. I believe if you want to make sound judgment on what should be discussed in classes, how many students are in a class, creating policies on student accountability, or lay-off of teachers, you must look at multiple perspectives. We ask our students to look at multiple perspectives; we ask those who are making critical decisions on our students’ education to also look at multiple perspectives. PLEASE join us in our classroom in order to understand not just theory, but practicality. Or do you want us to be just a number, significant only to opening the classroom doors?

Right now we are all separate entities battling against one another. I have seen the divisiveness throughout the last couple of years between the district, the teachers, the families and the community. This will not get us anywhere. We need to create a team, a team mentality. Our superintendent must be a coach that sees the strengths of all the players: principals, teachers, classified staff, students, and our parents-and then guide us on how each person’s role will help us to reach our team’s mission and make sure every player is valued.

Collaboration…co-labor, working together. I do hope that we can find a way with new leadership, a new year, to help people understand how significant and important they are to our community. There are many of us that are walking away from this year feeling like a number, that we do not matter. But there are opportunities before us, opportunities to make change for the future. I ask the board and the district, just as I ask my students, CHOOSE TO MATTER!, for our district, for our community.

Category: Membership Pulse, Negotiations, Political Action

Patti Langen’s Speech to the Board ~ RIF’d teacher at CHMS

Posted on | May 10, 2012 | No Comments

It has been stated at a previous board meeting that you believe you have an obligation to move forward in opening Sage Creek High School because your constituents voted for passage of Proposition P in 2006. As one of your constituents, I believe it is important for you to hear my thoughts on this topic.

I voted for Proposition P because voters were told by the District that not only would schools in the district get a much needed upgrade in facilities and technology, but also that the population at CHS would be more than the facilities there could handle. A new high school was necessary. I not only voted for Proposition P, but I worked the phone banks to recruit additional support. It appeared certain at that time, given the best information available, that a new high school was required to meet the needs of students.

Times have changes since 2006. As we have heard data from speakers at previous board meetings, the current facilities at CHS will definitely be able to meet the needs of students in the coming years. In this time of economic crisis, it makes no sense to this constituent to move forward in opening Sage Creek High. The costs are too high. Teacher layoffs, increased class sizes, fewer resources for our students, and fewer electives for students are just several examples of the price of moving forward to open the district’s bright and shiny new toy. The sensible solution is to delay the opening of Sage Creek High and the associated costs of operation until the budget outlook improves.

With two daughters attending Carlsbad schools since kindergarten and currently attending CHS, I am your constituent. I am an alumnus, having attended Magnolia Elementary, Valley Middle School, and CHS. I am a CUSD teacher who received a layoff notice. You can see that I am fully vested in Carlsbad schools. I know I’m asking you to make the tough choice, but I urge you to make the right choice for ALL Carlsbad Unified students.

Category: Negotiations, Political Action
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