The district's and REA's bargaining teams held a mediation session on Friday, April 27th. There were 13 articles remaining to be settled. No new agreements were reached. REA was fully prepared and committed to staying as long as it took to reach a settlement. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the district. This has been a pattern throughout negotiations.
The session began shortly after noon, with the district handing REA a package proposal for all of the articles that remain to be settled. Both the district's final offer and this proposal included articles that had been previously agreed to by both parties but were now changed by the district. Our question to the district: was this incorrect final offer handed to us in error, or was this the district's way of reopening those articles? The district then gave REA a package proposal that corrected the articles that we'd referred to.
In this proposal, the district showed little movement. They claim to have proposed to give teachers back their prep within the contact day, but this is misleading. The district actually proposed to create a Memo of Understanding (rather than leave existing contract language) that would allow for prep within the contact day only in the next school year. On June 30, 2013, that prep time would no longer be a protected part of the contract. We need this time to plan quality instruction for our students, and are already often working into the evenings and weekends as it is.
The district did make the following movement:
* allow teachers to keep the step that they've already been given this year
* continue to honor the contracts that they bargain by keeping language that ensures rights and process in the contract stay in place even if the contract expires during negotiations
*continue to ensure that members cannot be disciplined or terminated due to unsigned, oral or anonymous complaints
The district also essentially proposed to eliminate several REA proposals that would solve problems brought forth by members, by asking that Articles 5, 13 and 26 return to current contract language.
At 3:00pm, REA gave the district a counter proposal that also included all of the remaining articles. REA made the following movement:
*eliminated our proposal for reimbursement of damaged/stolen personal property
*modified our proposal around use of students' test scores in members' evaluations to better fit new law and the district's stated concerns
*modified our proposal around teaching materials to answer stated district concerns
*offered to return to current contract on Article 13
*modified our proposal concerning student discipline to reflect the stated concerns of the district
*decreased the requested insurance benefit increase by $100 per month
It should be noticed that REA's final offer also included concessions in language.
At 7:10pm, the district gave REA a partial proposal that included language only - no financial proposals. The district assured REA that a financial proposal would be presented. This proposal was not substantially different from the first, although there was some "tinkering" with language that REA will be able to respond to at the next mediation.
At 8:30, the mediator informed REA's team that there would be no financial proposal. The board wished to re-examine their budget. The board then proposed two additional mediation sessions for May 3rd and 10th, both from 9:00am to 3:00pm.
District's First Mediation Proposal:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/119923377/District-mediation-proposal-_1
District's Corrections:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/119923570/final-offer
REA's Mediation Proposal:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/119923670/REA-mediation-proposal
District's Second Mediation Proposal:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/119923784/District-mediation-proposal-_2
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