Information regarding payment for extra preparations at the high school

There have been recent conversations with elementary staff regarding a supplemental payment to high school teachers for teaching more than 3 different classes.  LNEA has received a petition asking for "equity in the contract."  Below is a history of that stipend, and other information you may find useful in your consideration of the matter.  KNEA is in the process of formulating a survey, and the data they provide LNEA regarding your opinion will help to drive the negotiating team's decisions.  Look for a link to the KNEA web page within the next few weeks.

Facts Regarding Supplemental Pay for Extra Preps

History 

·       3-year phase-in of payment for extra prep at the high school designed to give administrators a chance to equalize teaching assignments and reduce the number of people involved. 

·       Before, administration hired teachers who were only certified up to the 9th grade.  Increased numbers of teachers with limited certification caused distribution of remaining work load to be assigned unevenly. 

·       Not designed to benefit any one individual or group, but to act as a deterrent to hiring teachers with limited certification, thus forcing a more even distribution of the work load.

·       Since the phase-in began, administrators have evened out the work load wherever possible; the number of teachers with more than three preps was reduced by almost 50% - from about 20 to 11 of 120 staff. In past years there have been fewer than 11, but with the institution of more AP offerings in foreign language and closer attention to offering certain classes in order to secure VEII funding, the number has recently increased.

·       The deterrent is working, and removing it could result in a return to past practice.

 

Facts

·       Institution of stipend began a three-year phase-in during 02/03:

      02/03 - .0187 of base pay

      03/04 - .0625

      04/05 - .105

·       Secondary special ed teachers originally included in the tentative agreement, but board reneged on that part of the agreement because as “parent” of special ed coop, they would be required to pay the stipend, but would have no control over teaching assignments in other districts in the county.  Clearly the requirement of the stipend functioned as a deterrent before it was ever put in place.

·       The dollar figure for the .105 under the 08/09 contract is $2,915.

·       In contrast, payment for teaching an elementary level combination classroom is .2 of base pay – the dollar figure for that rate under the 08/09 contract is $5,553.  That supplemental, which LNEA negotiated in 2004, is also working effectively as a deterrent.

·       Never has there been a suggestion from open comments on any negotiations survey to take away this supplemental pay until this winter’s survey – of the 147 individuals who responded to the survey, there was one comment submitted in the free response section regarding Article 6, Duty Day.  Further, there has never been a suggestion to take away supplemental pay for elementary teachers that take on a combination classroom.

·       Never in any training your team has received has it been advised to voluntarily take away an item that is beneficial to even one teacher. If the opposing team proposes it, then with planning, such a thing is advisable when that benefit can be “traded” for another benefit.  However, in this case, the team must weigh the benefit of the “trade” against the loss of a deterrent that is proven to be effective.

 

Budgetary Facts

• The secondary extra prep issue currently involves 11 people at a cost of $2,915 per person, totaling $32,065. 
• The overall budget for USD #453 is upwards of $28 million.
• Average funding required for one full time teacher is just under $50k.

 

Strategic and Philosophical Issues

• The negative impact of public discussion of an internal difference diminishes our bargaining power and solidarity at the table, and is far more detrimental than something that costs relatively little.

Specific Extra Prep Assignments for 08/09

Five of the 11 teachers receiving the extra prep stipend are teaching classes that secure VEII funding from the state for our school. The money received from the state resulting in enrollment in those classes actually pays the stipend, and then some. Our district actually makes money on this situation. (Journalism, Business, Tech Ed)

 

Three teachers (plus one of the five listed above) are staffing departments that are so small, the classes that must be offered in order to remain a competitive 6A high school are more than 3 preps per person in the department. (Journalism, Drama and Music)

 

Two additional teachers have been required by administration to offer AP or additional advanced levels of language classes in situations where there is only one person certified to teach that language at that very high level.  To make those offerings and again be competitive with other 6A high schools in the area, there is no other choice. (French and German)

 

The remaining teacher receiving a stipend is teaching a large variety of upper level classes in a department where those assignments could have been spread among the other staff in the department.  With current budget constraints and new attention to this assignment, it is expected that assignment will change for the 09/10 school year.