On Thursday, January 18 our bargaining team met with the CMO to continue bargaining our first contract.
We once again hoped to present a counterproposal to the CMO’s last wage proposal, but were unable to do so as CMO hasn’t provided updated budget data that has been requested. Our bargaining presented three proposals covering key issues for our members. Our proposals were: Employment Status and Discipline (packaged as one proposal) Since the right to due process prior to being fired is a fundamental part of discipline, we decided to package our employment status and discipline proposals together, so that they can only be accepted or rejected together. The employment status component is identical to our proposal from August 31, with a 120 day introductory period prior to receiving due process rights for discipline or dismissal. The discipline component accepts most of what the CMO previously proposed. Changes to their proposal are largely to clarify intent of the article and to protect and clarify rights that members have when it comes to discipline and derogatory materials placed in personnel files. Leaves Our leaves proposal accepts the CMO’s previous proposal to maintain the status quo for who is eligible to earn paid vacation to only hourly employees working a 12-month calendar. However, we did propose that these members earn at least two weeks of vacation time starting with their first full year of employment. Members would earn 13 days per year after completing three full school years, and 17 vacation days after completing five full school years. The CMO’s proposal is 5 days for the first two years, 10 days for years three and four, and 15 days starting with year five. In exchange we proposed that all unit members be allowed to use up to three days of sick leave every year for personal business at their discretion. This would allow members to address personal business during regular work hours throughout the year rather than holding off until school break periods. We also again reiterated our demand for classified employees to earn the same sick leave rights as teachers, with 1 hour of sick leave earned for every 19 hours worked (up to 10 days per year) without them expiring. We believe this is fair and inline with industry standards for school employees. ______________________________________________ The CMO provided a counter proposal for Collective Rights. This section of the contract provides details on how the CMO will comply with state laws that give union members the ability to communicate about union business. Our proposal last month was nearly identical to that in the teachers’ contract, with only minor updates to cover the difference between teachers and support staff. The CMO’s proposal makes additional changes they believe better reflect the differences between teachers and support staff. Our next bargaining session is scheduled for February 15. In Solidarity, HTEC Classified Bargaining Committee Socorro Castaneda, Custodian (Point Loma) Roman Cardenas, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Jocelyn Flores, Village Program Manager (HTHNC) Maricela Ginori, Custodian (Point Loma) Daniel Ortiz, Maintenance Technician (Mesa) Joanna Sandoval, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Our bargaining team met with the CMO Thursday morning to continue discussions about salary increases. We again made significant progress towards reaching a tentative agreement that our bargaining team feels comfortable sending to members for ratification; however, we were unable to reach agreement within the time scheduled for the meeting. The CMO started the day by again proposing that this year’s raise be split into two components, with teachers on Steps 1-5 and 21-29 receiving a 4-percent raise and teachers on Steps 6-20 receiving a 5-percent raise. All school psychologists and speech language pathologists would receive 4-percent. They recognized that due to the duration of this year’s reopener bargain, we will soon start bargaining for next year's raise and included in their proposal a 1-percent raise for all members in 2024-25. As we did at our December bargaining session, our team stressed our members’ priority for an equal across-the-board raise for all steps on the salary schedule. While we appreciate the CMO formally recognizing that the structure of our pay scale results in teachers in the middle falling well behind our colleagues at other schools, we believe that rectifying this requires a complete overhaul of the payscale that cannot be done at this point in time. We did recognize that it is in everyone’s best interest to resolve next year’s raise earlier, rather than immediately starting another contentious round of bargaining in May of this year. The CMO’s proposal for 2024-25 surpasses next year’s projected state funding cost of living adjustment. On Wednesday, Governor Newsom announced a proposed budget that uses state rainy day funds to fully pay for a 0.76-percent COLA. The CMO also stated that they appreciated our attempt to creatively structure this year’s raise by only having a portion of it qualify for full back pay to the start of the school year. However, they said that their current payroll software would require them to manually enter multiple changes for each individual employee, which would be challenging for their payroll staff to implement. Our bargaining team caucused before presenting a counter offer that continues to push for our goal of putting 8-percent onto the pay scale. To do this we proposed that 7-percent be retroactive to the start of the 2023-24 school year while accepting the school’s proposal for 1-percent for the 2024-25 school year. We believe this offer surpasses our goal for this year’s salary bargain when total compensation is taken into account. The CMO previously agreed to cover the full cost of health care increases for this year, which prevented members from having more money deducted from their paychecks to cover monthly healthcare premiums. The total cost of this change is equivalent to approximately 1.6-percent in member salary. When added together, our salary proposal, plus the increase in benefit coverage, results in a 9.7-percent increase in total unit member compensation over a two-year period, while the state funded COLA for this period is projected at 8.98-percent (8.22-percent for 2023-24 and 0.76-percent for 2024-25). The CMO quickly prepared a counter offer based on this structure, with all members receiving a 5-percent raise for this year and a 1-percent raise for next year. Our scheduled time ended before we could provide a formal response to their proposal. While we are still separated by 2-percent for this year, we believe we are finally on a pathway to a potential settlement, as both bargaining teams are discussing proposals under the same structure and framework. This progress is directly related to the pressure and accountability HTEC membership has put on the CMO. Our next bargaining session is scheduled for January 23, and Site Reps will be in contact with members about how we can continue to apply pressure to the CMO, if we are unable to reach a full agreement on the 23rd. The HTEC Certificated Bargaining Team Hayden Gore, HTM Chula Vista Grady Gumner, HTe Mesa Charley Jacob, HTH North County Jennifer Merrill, HTe Point Loma Chris Mutter, HTH International Chris Olivas, HTM North County Mary Williams, HTM Point Loma On Thursday December 14 our classified bargaining team met with the CMO to continue bargaining our first contract.
While we had hoped to present a counterproposal to the CMO’s last wage proposal, we were unable to do so as we’re still waiting to receive updated budget data from the school. Instead, our bargaining team presented five proposals on other topics. The CMO did not provide any proposals as it was our turn to provide counter proposals on all topics. Our proposals were: Benefits Our benefits proposal is simple. Classified employees should receive the same level of benefits as our certificated colleagues. The CMO’s last proposal would only provide benefits for classified members who work at least 30 hours a week. Our proposal would provide benefits to anyone working at least 20 hours a week – the same as what teachers receive. Hours If accepted by the CMO, this proposal would require that the CMO clearly outline a member’s work year and work day. It would guarantee that overtime is voluntary and assigned in an equitable manner. Breaks and lunch periods would clearly be defined and guaranteed to any unit member working at least 6 hours a day. It would also protect members from arbitrary changes to their work hours, and establish that the CMO can’t mandate a change in work hours without two weeks’ notice. This ensures that members have time to adjust childcare or hours for a second job if there’s a need to change their schedule. Evaluations We believe that staff evaluations should be based on a coaching and support model. That’s why we proposed that supervisors who believe an employee needs improvement should provide them with a growth and improvement plan that provides support and coaching. It’s also important for members to receive regular training that allows them to excel in their support of students and staff. On top of that, members who provide direct instructional support to students should also be provided training in conjunction with teachers. We all work best when we’re on the same page! Assignments and Transfers Our proposal would give current members an opportunity to apply for vacant positions at HTH schools besides their own. It would also provide reasonable protections from the school moving members from one school to another. Collective Rights This section of the contract provides details on how the CMO will comply with state laws that give union members the ability to communicate about union business. The proposal is nearly identical to that in the teachers’ contract, with only minor updates to cover the difference between teachers and support staff. ______________________________________________ We also scheduled two more bargaining sessions for January 18 and February 15 and look forward to making more progress at those meetings. In Solidarity, HTEC Classified Bargaining Committee Socorro Castaneda, Custodian (Point Loma) Roman Cardenas, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Jocelyn Flores, Village Program Manager (HTHNC) Maricela Ginori, Custodian (Point Loma) Daniel Ortiz, Maintenance Technician (Mesa) Joanna Sandoval, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Our bargaining team met with the CMO Wednesday afternoon to continue discussions about salary increases for this school year.
While we did not reach agreement, we did make significant progress. For the first time, the CMO recognized that structural issues in the pay scale create an inequity for members in the middle of their careers, which further drives teacher turnover. As such, the CMO proposed a split raise that would provide a 6-percent raise to members on steps 7 through 20 of the teacher pay scale, while members on step 21 would receive a 3.9-percent raise, and all other members (including all SLPs and Psychologists) would receive a 3.23-percent raise. The CMO stated that the total cost of their proposal would be equivalent to a 5.3-percent raise for the entire bargaining unit. On multiple occasions the CMO bargaining team members referenced specific comments from our members at HTH board meetings – a sign that our organized pressure to provide a competitive pay raise is working! Despite this, we notified the CMO that HTEC membership provided clear direction through our bargaining input sessions that a raise needs to be equally distributed to all members. We further pointed out that, while this is far better than their initial proposal to provide a 1-percent raise to half our membership, it still creates a similar problem where 50 percent of our membership would get about half the raise that the other 50 percent of membership would receive. We asked that the CMO continue to prioritize addressing the inequities that exists in the pay scale in future bargains, when HTEC members can better discuss and come to a consensus on how we can best restructure our pay scale. After a short caucus, our bargaining team presented a counterproposal that would split our 2023-24 raise into two components to lessen the financial impact for this year, while still ensuring that the CMO passes the COLA from state funding to teachers for the long term. Our proposal would increase salaries by 6-percent retroactively effective July 1, 2023 and then increase salaries a further 2-percent effective January 1, 2024. This would result in our pay scales increasing by more than 8-percent, with the school only seeing a 7-percent increase in its expenses for 2023-24. The lesser cost to the CMO is due to the final 2-percent of the raise taking effect for the second half of the year and not figuring into back pay for the first semester. We believe that our proposal to creatively structure the raise, combined with already agreed upon increases to the CMO’s portion of benefit contributions, gives members their fair share of state revenue increases for 2023-24 and positions us to be more competitive in future school years. While the CMO did not provide a counterproposal to our offer yesterday, they did express interest in continued discussions about structuring this year’s raise in a manner similar to our proposal to maximize the impact for future years. We hope to see this reflected in their proposals at future bargaining meetings that will be scheduled after winter break. In the meantime, we need your voice in support of a equitable raise for all certificated staff at the next HTH Board Meeting on Monday December 11th @ 5:00pm. To be placed on the public comment list, please fill out the public comment request form or email Elizabeth Martinez: [email protected]. The HTEC Certificated Bargaining Team Hayden Gore, HTM Chula Vista Grady Gumner, HTe Mesa Charley Jacob, HTH North County Jennifer Merrill, HTe Point Loma Chris Mutter, HTH International Chris Olivas, HTM North County Carly Sumrow, HTM Chula Vista Mary Williams, HTM Point Loma Dear Certificated Unit Members,
The HTH-HTEC Joint Evaluation Committee met for a third time on October 19th. The committee continued their review of research and best practices from an array of sources. The focus of the day was on multiple measures including evidence of teacher practice, student learning and growth, and professional contributions, and the strengths and challenges of commonly used tools specific to teaching and project based learning. The committee drafted a purpose statement based on feedback. The HTH-HTEC Joint Evaluation Committee will continue their work when they meet on November 16th. We are excited about the progress that we have made and look forward to continuing to develop a system centered on teacher growth and feedback. Thank you for all you do for HTH students. The HTEC-HTH Joint Evaluation Committee [Sarah Barnes-Shulman, Amanda Borow, Elise Bostic, Diana Cornejo-Sanchez, Amber George, Dave Gillingham, Marquita Griffith, and Katie Pond] On Wednesday our bargaining team met with the CMO to continue bargaining our first classified union contract.
The CMO made six proposals covering wages, benefits, hours, leaves, employment status (probationary period), and layoffs. Highlights of their proposals include:
While we recognize this as progress and a step in the right direction, the salary proposal is significantly lacking for the majority of our members. We also believe classified staff should receive the same benefits and leave allowances as teachers. Our bargaining team made three proposals before running out of time in our scheduled three hour meeting. All three of our proposals were based on the teachers’ union contract and were accepted as tentative agreements. Tentative agreements are signed and set aside to be ratified with the rest of the contract once full agreement is reached. The three agreements include the grievance process, bargaining process for future contracts, and how the school complies with state laws around union membership and dues deductions. Full HTEC Proposals Full CMO Proposals In Solidarity, HTEC Classified Bargaining Committee Socorro Castaneda, Custodian (Point Loma) Roman Cardenas, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Jocelyn Flores, Village Program Manager (HTHNC) Maricela Ginori, Custodian (Point Loma) Daniel Ortiz, Maintenance Technician (Mesa) Joanna Sandoval, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Rally for Fair Pay at the HTH Board Meeting
When: Wednesday, November 1st at 5:00pm Where: HTH Mesa, Conference Room 600 On the very week that US News and World Report declared San Diego the ”Most Expensive Place to Live in the US,” HTH Chairman of the Board Gary Jacobs and interim CEO Dr. Kaleb Rashad sent out a bargaining update to families in which they “recommit to paying our teachers in a way that is smart, balanced and financially prudent.” However, the email fails to inform families about exactly what they have offered HTH teachers at the bargaining table: a meager 4% salary increase, even though HTH has received an 8.22% cost of living adjustment increase in funding this year from the State of California. In response, we are calling on all staff, parents and community allies to attend this Wednesday’s IN PERSON board meeting to tell Kaleb, Gary, and the rest of the HTH Board that quality education requires investment in the teachers and support staff that design the curriculum and projects at HTH, facilitate the learning, and differentiate instruction to meet the learning needs of all our students. Please join us to let them know that you cannot get deeper learning without deeper investment in the classroom. Attend the board meeting, wear blue, and show them that we will stand strong and united until we get the support that we need and our students deserve! Fill out the Public Comment Request Form by 5:00pm on Tuesday, October 31st to add your name to the list of speakers and make your voice heard! On Thursday morning, our bargaining team met with the CMO to continue discussions around salary increases for this school year.
They presented a counterproposal of a 4-percent across the board raise for all teachers, SLPs, and school psychologists, with an 8.22-percent raise for hourly apprentices, academic support teachers, and interns. Our bargaining team quickly caucused to discuss their proposal and put together a counterproposal of an 8-percent across the board raise (salary schedules only), with the same hourly employees receiving the 8.22-percent raise as the CMO previously agreed. While the CMO did receive an 8.22-percent cost of living increase in per pupil funding for 2023-24, our bargaining team recognizes that other areas of the school budget have increased beyond that amount. In addition, the CMO previously agreed to increase their contribution to the cost of employee health care benefits which keeps money in the pockets of our members. We presented our proposal to the CMO with approximately 80-minutes remaining in our scheduled three-hour meeting. The CMO broke for a caucus and almost immediately notified us that they wouldn’t have time to draft a counterproposal today, but they’re available to meet again on December 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. At this point it is clear to our bargaining team that three hour sessions are not long enough to have a good back-and-forth trading of proposals. Prior to scheduling Thursday’s session we requested that the CMO be available for more than three hours. We were told it wouldn’t be possible for this meeting but that we would discuss scheduling longer sessions in the future. Despite this, the CMO offered no other availability until that three hour window on December 6. We believe that the CMO needs to make bargaining and the needs of HTEC members a priority. Site Reps will be in touch with members about how we can put pressure on the CMO to settle our salary reopener quickly. In Solidarity, The HTEC Certificated Bargaining Team Hayden Gore, HTM Chula Vista Grady Gumner, HTE Mesa Charley Jacob, HTH North County Jennifer Merrill, HTE Point Loma Chris Mutter, HTH International Chris Olivas, HTM North County Carly Sumrow, HTM Chula Vista Mary Williams, HTM Point Loma This fall, both certificated and classified staff across all our schools held elections to fill vacant officer positions. We are thrilled to introduce your newest democratically elected leaders:
HTEC President:
HTEC Certificated Vice President:
HTEC Classified Vice President:
Click here to see the full election results HTEC would like to thank all of the candidates that participated in this election for their willingness to support the union and strengthen our democratic structures. Dear HTH Community, Thank you for your feedback on the Educator Evaluation Input Survey distributed on September 6th. Over 38% of our educators and directors responded to the survey! The HTH-HTEC Joint Evaluation Committee carefully reviewed all survey submissions on September 14th and identified the following themes: Concerns
Desired State
The above findings will inform the ongoing work of the HTH-HTEC Joint Evaluation Committee in this two-year process. Please know that there will be ongoing opportunities for HTH stakeholders to provide feedback and input as the process moves forward. The next meeting of the HTH-HTEC Joint Evaluation Committee will be on October 19th. At our next meeting we will continue the review of best practices and research. In addition, we will have deeper discussions regarding multiple sources of evidence of teacher practice and protocols in a PBL classroom setting. We will also review existing HTH PBL support documents. Want to learn more about our process? Check out these resources that were reviewed in our September 14th session to develop a growth system that will support our school communities!
Thank you again for your input and support. Respectfully, The HTH-HTEC Joint Evaluation Committee Sarah Barnes-Shulman, Amanda Borow, Elise Bostic, Diana Cornejo-Sanchez, Amber George, Dave Gillingham, Marquita Griffith, and Katie Pond |
Reach out:Stay in touch, follow us, and sign up for updates here. Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|