Settlement reached

Changes to the negotiated agreement between Leavenworth-National Education Association and USD #453 Board of Education have been agreed to tentatively, pending ratification votes by both parties. An email has been sent to all teachers using the list provided by the district, to ask them to vote on these proposed changes, regardless of membership in LNEA/KNEA/NEA.

A draft of the new document is available here.

Below is a summary of the changes made to the negotiated agreement for the 2009-10 school year. The letters and numbers appearing in brackets in the synopsis below will direct you to the appropriate section of the negotiated agreement so that you may read in more detail, if you so choose. For example, {6E1a} refers to Article 6, Duty Day, Section E, subsection 1, subsection a.

Article 6, Duty Day

**Increase in elementary planning time from 250 to 280 minutes per week {6E1a}
**High school teachers can be required to teach 6 periods instead of 5 (removal of the stipend for a sixth period from the supplemental pay scale) beginning 10-11 school year {6F1b}**Protection of planning time from formal collaboration time, PLCs and the like {6E}
**Equitable distribution of work load {6F}
**Change in language regarding service on a district-wide committee {6B2}

Article 7, Paid Extra Duty

Removed exclusion of middle school and elementary teachers from receiving extra pay for activities such as dances and sports events; added stipulation that pay is available only for activities that occur outside the contract day

Article 23, Lateral Movement

**lateral movement on the salary schedule is granted for the 09-10 contract year
**lateral movement granted for revised list of activities occurring on contract time {2}**deadlines for lateral movement application and paperwork changed. A summary of the entire timeline is below:- written request submitted no later than June 1- transcripts submitted no later than September 1- increase in pay occurs with September paycheck instead of October paycheck- failure to apply by June 1 and provide transcripts by Sept 1 result in a one-year delay of pay increase
**mid-year movement on salary schedule is for degree only movement – written requests due December 1, degree must be completed prior to January 1.

Article 24, Vertical Movement

Step movement (credit for a year’s experience) granted as per salary schedule for the 09-10 contract year

Article 26, Salary

**payment for elementary music productions placed on supplemental scale, rate - .04
**no increase in base pay on the salary scheduleArticle 27, Fringe Benefits
**no increase in health benefits for the 09-10 contract year
**changes in language to reflect current terminology and legislation

Article 30, Calendar

**work days preserved for both contract years listed below:
1.5 days in August
1 day at end of 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters
a minimum of .5 day at end of year

09-10 non-working days:
Sept 7 – Labor Day
Nov 11 – Veterans’ Day
Nov 25-27 – Thanksgiving
Dec 19 – Jan 3 – Winter Break
(Jan 4 work day)
Jan 18 – MLK
Feb 15 – Presidents’ Day
March 15-19 – Spring Break
April 2 – Good Friday
April 28 – off unless needed for makeup
May 31 – Memorial Day

10-11 non-working days:
Sept 6 – Labor Day
Nov 11 – Veterans’ Day
Nov 24-26 – Thanksgiving
Dec 23-31 – Winter Break
(Dec 22 work day)
Jan 17 – MLK
Feb 14 – Presidents’ Day
March 14-18 – Spring Break
Good Friday will NOT be a holiday
April 25 – off unless needed
May 30 – Memorial Day

Article 31, Evaluation

**requirement of timely verbal and written feedback on visitations and formal observations {E, G}
**teacher’s written response to written evaluation must be signed and dated by administrator {F}
**orientation process must include a written and oral explanation of all processes and timelines {I}
**change in configuration of required visits by administration to a teacher’s classroom {F}
**counselors’ evaluation tool added to appendix – becomes part of the negotiated agreement by reference along with librarians’ evaluation tool (teachers’ evaluation tool is also appendicized by reference)

Article 33, Early Retirement

**early retirement available during the contract year for health/personal reasons if teacher meets eligibility requirements (initial paragraph)
**program benefits changed from 15% of latest salary to a flat rate of $8,000 per year for maximum of 5 years, and health benefit changed from whatever benefit teacher took during the last year of employment to a flat rate of $350 per month until eligible for Medicare {C 3 & 4}
** entire early retirement benefit ends June 30, 2030. Those who have entered into the program before this date will continue to receive the benefits as per contract. {D7}
**title change and language changes to reflect current legal terminology

Appendix – Tax Sheltered Annuity
**language changed to reflect regulator changes regarding a third-party administrator

Note: All certified personnel on a teaching contract in USD 453 are part of the bargaining unit and have a vote in this ratification. If you have opted out of Survey Monkey surveys from us, you might not have received the ratification email. Contact Ginger Riddle if that applies to you and you wish to vote.