District Drags Heels in Negotiations

On the day of mediation, after a two and half week break, the District made the Association wait 3 hours before making any counter proposal.

When the District finally presented its counter proposal, it made no effort to find common ground. The District continues to low-ball its teachers with one-time money offers that do nothing to help offset teachers' growing costs.

The District made a counter offer on the "Other" issues on the table.  The counter proposal was nothing more than a repeat of Status Quo.

The District continues to talk out of both sides of its mouth.  From one side of its mouth, the District says it will not have enough money next year; and from the other side, it wants to eliminate a program called "Willie Brown" which saves the District $100,000 a year!

The District continues to make no effort in mediation to compromise or to find solutions on important issues!!

Fact: '07-'08 COLA = 4.57%(this is what CUSD is receiving)

Fact: District is receiving 1.7% in growth money

Fact: CUSD receiving 6.27% in new money

Fact: Districts offer to teachers = less than 3% and that is only one time!

The Association recognizes that California is facing budgetary uncertainties.  The Association has made significant concessions in its monetary proposals in an effort to create a settlement. 

Here it is:    CEA has made a proposal that would not touch any of the new growth money.  The proposal would not touch the large reserves.  The proposal would not even take all of the COLA the district is receiving. 

So our question is why is the district playing hardball with its teachers?

What about Health and Welfare?  The District waffles between contributing $250,000 and $600,000 determined upon how much of a one-time salary increase is negotiated.

What about other contractual issues? 

The district continues to hold to the line of "Status Quo" on many of its issues:

Prep time: District did not respond.

Report cards:  The District did not respond. 

5 year evaluation:  District makes a counter proposal that would not reduce the number of evaluations an experienced teacher would have to complete. (Status Quo)

# of hours bargaining = 75

Future bargaining dates:  Mediation on May 5th

If you have any questions please contact a bargaining team member.

Jeff Warner- CEA spokesperson: warner_jeff@cupertino.k12.ca.us

Robin Geiman- Nimitz: geiman_robin@cupertino.k12.ca.us

Neal Wooley- Hyde: wooley_neal@cupertino.k12.ca.us

Gracie Hynes- Cupertino MS: hynes_gracie@cupertino.k12.ca.us

Vicki Hawkinson- McAuliffe: hawkinson_vicki@cupertino.k12.ca.us

Charise Walker-President: charisew@ceaweb.org

Matthew Cottrell- Exec. Dir.: matthewc@ceaweb.org

Rising Health Costs! 

Part of COLA is to help employers cover rising health costs.  In CUSD the rising cost of health care is paid for by the employee. 

Since 2006 the district has increased its spending on health care by 2% per employee whereas the employees of CUSD have increased their contribution from their own pocket by 62%. 

So, when teachers do get step and column increases or COLA increases most, if not all, is funneled back into their health benefits.

WHO HAS SETTLED?

Why is CUSD not settling when other Districts in Santa Clara have settled?

            Why indeed!!

                                                   Salary(Cost of Living Increase)

                        Alum Rock        3.00% plus Health and Welfare increases

                        Campbell El.      2.50% plus Health and Welfare increases

                        Evergreen          4.05 plus Health and Welfare increases

                        Fremont H.S.    6.17%

                        Gilroy                2.78% plus Health and Welfare increases

                        Los Gatos          3.00% plus Health and Welfare increases

                        Moreland           7.00% plus Health and Welfare increases

                        Oak Grove         4.00% plus Health and Welfare increases

                        Saratoga             6.00%

                        Sunnyvale          4.53% plus FULL Health and Welfare

                        Union                2.57 % plus Health and Welfare increase

These are just a few school districts in Santa Clara county that have settled contract negotiations for this school year. 

Town Hall Meeting

Open to all parents, community members and teachers in the Cupertino Union School District

To be discussed:          What is happening between CEA and CUSD

                                    What you can do to help

                                    Statewide school budget crisis

When: Thursday, March 27^th 2008

  7pm till 8pm

Where: CEA offices

                   20045 Stevens Creek Blvd. 1-B

                   Cupertino, CA 95014

257-2122

**We will have CEA Executive Board and bargaining team members on hand to answer questions about the state of negotiations between CEA and CUSD.**

Children are welcome.

The OTHER issues

CEA is negotiating with CUSD on Salary and Health and Welfare.  What must not be forgotten is that there are other issues besides money and health that CEA has wanted to talk about. 

I am sure everybody has seen the signs "Status Quo has got to Go".  The reason for that slogan is the district's unwillingness to negotiate anything with the teachers at the bargaining table. 

CEA has brought to the table concerns and ideas that would make CUSD a better place to teach and make CUSD a more attractive place for parents to send their children.

Item #1            5 year evaluation item (No cost to the district)

                                    The 5 year evaluation cycle is way to help overloaded site administrators spend more time in the classroom with teachers that need their help.  Only teachers that have taught for more than 10 years and have at least two consecutive satisfactory evaluations could go on the 5 year cycle.  This new evaluation cycle will help 1st and 2nd year teachers by increasing their supervision and support.  This can only make them better teachers for the children and help retain them in CUSD for the future.  The districts response to this idea was "Status Quo".

Item #2            4^th and 5^th grade substitute planning days ($55,000 cost to the district)

                                    CEA proposed language that would allow 4^th, 5^th and ¾ combo teachers the ability to take a substitute day and work on report cards, plan as a grade level and collaborate with other grade levels.  The substitute days would be taken by all the 4^th and 5^th grade teachers together at one school site and the teachers would work at the school during the day.  The use of these days will hopefully keep experienced 4^th and 5^th grade teachers from moving down to the primary grades where class sizes are at 20 to 1.  This idea would recognize the fact that upper grade teachers face class sizes of 34 to 1 and can only improve the education for the students in CUSD.  The districts response to our proposal was "Status Quo".

Item #3            Designation of the Tuesday after the close of semester/trimester/quarter shall be scheduled for the compilation and completion of report cards and will be credited from the "early Tuesdays" scheduled for staff development. (No cost to the district)

                        CEA proposed language that would give all teachers the ability to complete some of their report cards during the day.  The districts response to this proposal was "Status Quo".

Item #4            SLP and Psychologists shall have control over their own calendars. (No cost to district)

                                    CEA proposed language that would give Speech Language Pathologists the control over their calendar.  This would allow them the ability to block out time to finish some of the massive amount of paperwork that they must finish each month.  The districts response was "Status Quo".