The upcoming election holds the potential to result in absolutely devastating results for public education. Narrow margins have preserved funding this past year but those margins are at great risk. The choices voters make for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General and Insurance Commissioner EACH hold the potential to bring (or prevent) extremely negative policies that will harm our profession. We have never encountered a decision point that might so greatly changed our careers, our members’ lives and the future of public education in Kansas.
The reasons to vote on Nov. 2 are in our schools today.
We encourage everyone to go to the polls on November 2 and vote for candidates who will support teachers and students.
The school budget cuts during the last two school years have been devastating to Kansas schools. Teaching jobs all over the state were eliminated, and so were programs that improved learning.
KNEA teachers interviewed candidates and we recommend only those who will commit to partner with us to ensure every Kansas student has access to the quality public education they need. Please find those pro-education candidates on the KNEA Web site – www.knea.org.
Consider your vote carefully and weigh what’s best for your community, and most of all, our students. The future is theirs. The decision is yours. Please vote on Nov. 2.
Feel free to use this information in your own letters to the editor!
Blake West and Karen Godfrey
www.knea.org
Kansas NEA: Making public schools great for every child
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
"Walk-Throughs," Contracts, Etc.
Reminders from the Negotiations Team: Contracts and Work Days. By now you have probably received your contract from your building administrator. A reminder: Your step did not change this year. Instead we all got a raise of $840 . You should check your contract for accuracy before returning both copies to your administrative office. (You will get a signed copy back in the school mail.) Out-of-district teachers' contracts are being delivered by the co-op.
Another note from the negotiations team: the 8 hour, 15 minute day applies only to student contact days. Work days are still 8 hours long.
Walk-Through Training. LNEA Representatives from secondary buildings and three elementaries attended the initial training on Walk-Throughs that you saw mentioned in the Pioneer Pride newsletter dated October 15. These walk-throughs are a great way to stimulate talk about teaching and learning. I got terrific ideas from the elementary and middle level walk-throughs we did as part of the training; I saw marvelously effective feedback and was inspired to look online for a timer that shows on my projector! (Here’s one I found that even plays a little clarinet trill when time is up: http://www.timeme.com/timer-stopwatch.htm.) Thanks to all the teachers whose classrooms we visited!
These walk-throughs are part of our school improvement process through KLN. Their purpose is to gather data for professional development, not for evaluation, but the district is working on a way to give each teacher feedback (again, for PD reasons) after a walk-through occurs. The LNEA reps who attended are hoping that other teachers will be able to participate in walk-throughs as well as administrators. It is very eye-opening and thought-provoking!
Gift Reporting Form. A school board policy passed in September says, “Any organization or individual making a gift to the district shall have the approval of the board. All gifts will be regarded as district property. Persons or organizations desiring to make gifts to the schools should contact the building principal.” Items donated to schools or school programs must be reported, for example, donations of new coats to be distributed to students, a work of art or statuary, or cash or supplies given to a club or program. The small tokens of appreciation students may give you personally at holiday time do not require reporting if they are valued at under $25. (It is a different school board policy that would apply to any personal gifts over $25…let me know if you want more info about that.)
Evaluation. I loved Charlotte Danielson’s statement about how complex teaching is in this interview about pre-evaluation conferences. The link was included in an email we sent members, but in case you didn’t have time to watch then, here it is again: http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/526-video.aspx.
National CLEAN Award. Proud of your custodian? Then nominate him or her for the 2010National C.L.E.A.N.™ (Custodial Leaders for Environmental Advocacy Nationwide) Awards. The deadline for application/nominations is December 1, 2010. Find information here.
Ginger Riddle
Another note from the negotiations team: the 8 hour, 15 minute day applies only to student contact days. Work days are still 8 hours long.
Walk-Through Training. LNEA Representatives from secondary buildings and three elementaries attended the initial training on Walk-Throughs that you saw mentioned in the Pioneer Pride newsletter dated October 15. These walk-throughs are a great way to stimulate talk about teaching and learning. I got terrific ideas from the elementary and middle level walk-throughs we did as part of the training; I saw marvelously effective feedback and was inspired to look online for a timer that shows on my projector! (Here’s one I found that even plays a little clarinet trill when time is up: http://www.timeme.com/timer-stopwatch.htm.) Thanks to all the teachers whose classrooms we visited!
These walk-throughs are part of our school improvement process through KLN. Their purpose is to gather data for professional development, not for evaluation, but the district is working on a way to give each teacher feedback (again, for PD reasons) after a walk-through occurs. The LNEA reps who attended are hoping that other teachers will be able to participate in walk-throughs as well as administrators. It is very eye-opening and thought-provoking!
Gift Reporting Form. A school board policy passed in September says, “Any organization or individual making a gift to the district shall have the approval of the board. All gifts will be regarded as district property. Persons or organizations desiring to make gifts to the schools should contact the building principal.” Items donated to schools or school programs must be reported, for example, donations of new coats to be distributed to students, a work of art or statuary, or cash or supplies given to a club or program. The small tokens of appreciation students may give you personally at holiday time do not require reporting if they are valued at under $25. (It is a different school board policy that would apply to any personal gifts over $25…let me know if you want more info about that.)
Evaluation. I loved Charlotte Danielson’s statement about how complex teaching is in this interview about pre-evaluation conferences. The link was included in an email we sent members, but in case you didn’t have time to watch then, here it is again: http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/526-video.aspx.
National CLEAN Award. Proud of your custodian? Then nominate him or her for the 2010National C.L.E.A.N.™ (Custodial Leaders for Environmental Advocacy Nationwide) Awards. The deadline for application/nominations is December 1, 2010. Find information here.
Ginger Riddle
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
LNEA is pleased to announce that the board and teacher representatives of the negotiating team have reached tentative agreement as of today. We are happy that interest-based bargaining has resulted in an agreement that is as close as possible to optimal for teachers, administrators, and students in the tough economic situation where we find ourselves.
The process was collaborative and much less stressful than the old positional bargaining. Both parties contributed to brainstorming and generating ideas that could never have been discovered using the old method. We look forward to continuing this essential collaborative relationship as we embark on other school improvement issues.
Here are the proposed changes in the negotiated agreement:
Negotiated Holidays for 2011-12 (not this year)
9/5/11 Labor Day
11/11/11 Veterans’ Day
11/23-11/25 Thanksgiving
12/23-1/2 Winter Break
1/16 Martin Luther King Day
2/20 Presidents’ Day
3/19-3/23 Spring Break
4/6 Good Friday
4/30 Designated Snow Day
5/28 Memorial Day
No change in work days.
New Language for Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conference Days shall be scheduled on a Wednesday evening for four hours beginning one hour after the duty day ends and on Thursday from 9am to 9pm., with Friday being a day off for teachers. There will be no more than 2 consecutive days scheduled with conference time not to exceed 11 hours. Elementary (K-6) and Secondary (7-12) will alternate the A and B schedules below for fall and spring conferences.
Schedule A
Wednesday – Conferences 5pm-9pm
Thursday – Conferences 9am-5pm (1 one-hour break)
Schedule B
Thursday – Conferences 9am-9pm (2 one-hour breaks)
Out of district special education teachers will follow the conference schedule of the district to which they are assigned.
Shortened Contract Year for 2010-2011 Due to Construction
During the 2010-2011 school year, Leavenworth in-district staff will work 181 days and will return to 186 days during the 2011-2012 school year. This does not apply to out-of-district special education teachers.
Lengthened Contract Day for 2010-2011
Leavenworth in-district staff will work an 8 hour and 15 minute day for the 2010-2011 school year and will return to an 8 hour day for the 2011-2012 school year. This does not apply to out-of-district special education teachers.
Note that this extension of the school day applies only to student days. The 15-minute extension of each student day accumulates to approximately the 5 days that have been cut from the contract year.
Salary Increase
The proposal includes lateral movement for teachers who have accumulated enough hours to move to another level. It also includes an $840 increase for every teacher, which will be added to the "embedded compensation." There will not be traditional vertical movement on the salary schedule this year; however, the increase benefits all teachers, including those who can no longer move vertically and have gone two years without a raise. This equates to an average increase of 1.994%. Click here for the proposed salary schedule for 2010-11. (Please note that teachers are frozen on the salary schedule, except for lateral movement (i.e., to the right). All teachers will receive the $840 embedded increase as shown in this draft of the schedule.)
We need your vote by August 10!
Teachers, we ask you to open your school email and click on the link in our message to you in order to vote. (For security reasons we can't put the link here, where it's available to the public.) If you cannot open your school email, contact the tech center at 684-1530. If your password has expired, you will need to give them your employee ID number.
If you prefer to vote the traditional way, please email lneanews@gmail.com or call Ginger Riddle at 913-727-2617 to have a paper ballot mailed to you. (Your return mail will be completely anonymous.)
State law requires that at least 50% of all teachers (LNEA members and non-members) vote in order for the agreement to be ratified and for your pay increase to take effect.
Please vote by August 10!
The process was collaborative and much less stressful than the old positional bargaining. Both parties contributed to brainstorming and generating ideas that could never have been discovered using the old method. We look forward to continuing this essential collaborative relationship as we embark on other school improvement issues.
Here are the proposed changes in the negotiated agreement:
Negotiated Holidays for 2011-12 (not this year)
9/5/11 Labor Day
11/11/11 Veterans’ Day
11/23-11/25 Thanksgiving
12/23-1/2 Winter Break
1/16 Martin Luther King Day
2/20 Presidents’ Day
3/19-3/23 Spring Break
4/6 Good Friday
4/30 Designated Snow Day
5/28 Memorial Day
No change in work days.
New Language for Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conference Days shall be scheduled on a Wednesday evening for four hours beginning one hour after the duty day ends and on Thursday from 9am to 9pm., with Friday being a day off for teachers. There will be no more than 2 consecutive days scheduled with conference time not to exceed 11 hours. Elementary (K-6) and Secondary (7-12) will alternate the A and B schedules below for fall and spring conferences.
Schedule A
Wednesday – Conferences 5pm-9pm
Thursday – Conferences 9am-5pm (1 one-hour break)
Schedule B
Thursday – Conferences 9am-9pm (2 one-hour breaks)
Out of district special education teachers will follow the conference schedule of the district to which they are assigned.
Shortened Contract Year for 2010-2011 Due to Construction
During the 2010-2011 school year, Leavenworth in-district staff will work 181 days and will return to 186 days during the 2011-2012 school year. This does not apply to out-of-district special education teachers.
Lengthened Contract Day for 2010-2011
Leavenworth in-district staff will work an 8 hour and 15 minute day for the 2010-2011 school year and will return to an 8 hour day for the 2011-2012 school year. This does not apply to out-of-district special education teachers.
Note that this extension of the school day applies only to student days. The 15-minute extension of each student day accumulates to approximately the 5 days that have been cut from the contract year.
Salary Increase
The proposal includes lateral movement for teachers who have accumulated enough hours to move to another level. It also includes an $840 increase for every teacher, which will be added to the "embedded compensation." There will not be traditional vertical movement on the salary schedule this year; however, the increase benefits all teachers, including those who can no longer move vertically and have gone two years without a raise. This equates to an average increase of 1.994%. Click here for the proposed salary schedule for 2010-11. (Please note that teachers are frozen on the salary schedule, except for lateral movement (i.e., to the right). All teachers will receive the $840 embedded increase as shown in this draft of the schedule.)
We need your vote by August 10!
Teachers, we ask you to open your school email and click on the link in our message to you in order to vote. (For security reasons we can't put the link here, where it's available to the public.) If you cannot open your school email, contact the tech center at 684-1530. If your password has expired, you will need to give them your employee ID number.
If you prefer to vote the traditional way, please email lneanews@gmail.com or call Ginger Riddle at 913-727-2617 to have a paper ballot mailed to you. (Your return mail will be completely anonymous.)
State law requires that at least 50% of all teachers (LNEA members and non-members) vote in order for the agreement to be ratified and for your pay increase to take effect.
Please vote by August 10!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Negotiations Update, May 24, 2010
Interest based-bargaining is giving us an opportunity to approach and participate in contract negotations in a whole new way. While we've reported before in a "we/they" mode, we will now be referring to the negotiating team as both teacher and board representatives. Together we make a team that is working to come up with ideas that will make our district a better place for teachers, students, parents and adminstrators - all stakeholders. The negotiating team met on May 3 and again on May 19.
On May 3 the team, made up of Linda Schukman, Dennis Dickson, Kay Smith, Betty Sigle, Ginger Riddle, Robin Crim, Michelle Smalls, Amy Sloan, Kevin Gullett, Beth Mattox, Danny Zeck, John Chapman and facilitators Dr. John Heim (KASB) and Wade Anderson (KNEA) set ground rules, an agenda, and discussed which articles were opened and why. We came to a tentative agreement on Article 1 (Duration of Contract - that the negotiated agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011) and spent a lot of time making sure everyone was familiar with the background information on various issues.
On May 19, we continued to work without John Chapman and Danny Zeck, since the board decided to let Amy, Kevin and Beth represent them. We finalized the mission statement, which says, "To provide expedient negotiations that results in a fair and equitable agreement and that allows for optimum performance for all certified staff and students," and began working on the article titled "Duty Day." The first issue that came up under Duty Day was parent-teacher conferences. The board has interpreted the current contract language to mean that all conferences across the district must be held over the same time period. As part of this process, all the stakeholders express "interests." These are some of the things that came up as we discussed conferences. They are paraphrased here.
We came to a tentative agreement on this issue. Briefly, we plan to hold fall conferences for some schools on Wednesday after a full day of school, and the rest of the schools will hold evening conferences on Thursday. All teachers will hold conferences during the day Thursday. This will make for a long day of conferences for about half the district's teachers, but the order will be reversed for spring conferences, so each teacher will have to hold 11 hours of conferences in a day only one time per year.
In summary, conferences look like this: Wednesday evening, Thursday daytime for about half of the teachers. The other half of the teachers will hold conferences on Thursday day and evening (11 hour day). Then it is switched for the spring conferences. Everyone will still be off on Friday following conferences.
Please know that "tentative agreement" means we've reached an agreement on this issue, but final agreement isn't reached until the entire package is complete, and ratification votes have occurred for the teachers and the board.
Discussion began on the issue of planning time, which for the high school teachers is intricately tied to scheduling.
The next meetings will be at 4 pm on June 2, and 2 pm on June 16. We encourage you to come and observe as we work to change the culture in negotations from one of contention and opposition to one of cooperation and collaboration.
On May 3 the team, made up of Linda Schukman, Dennis Dickson, Kay Smith, Betty Sigle, Ginger Riddle, Robin Crim, Michelle Smalls, Amy Sloan, Kevin Gullett, Beth Mattox, Danny Zeck, John Chapman and facilitators Dr. John Heim (KASB) and Wade Anderson (KNEA) set ground rules, an agenda, and discussed which articles were opened and why. We came to a tentative agreement on Article 1 (Duration of Contract - that the negotiated agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011) and spent a lot of time making sure everyone was familiar with the background information on various issues.
On May 19, we continued to work without John Chapman and Danny Zeck, since the board decided to let Amy, Kevin and Beth represent them. We finalized the mission statement, which says, "To provide expedient negotiations that results in a fair and equitable agreement and that allows for optimum performance for all certified staff and students," and began working on the article titled "Duty Day." The first issue that came up under Duty Day was parent-teacher conferences. The board has interpreted the current contract language to mean that all conferences across the district must be held over the same time period. As part of this process, all the stakeholders express "interests." These are some of the things that came up as we discussed conferences. They are paraphrased here.
- Parents could potentially have students in multiple buildings, and this makes it difficult for them to attend conferences for all their children if all the evening conferences are on the same night.
- Teachers have found 11 hours to be adequate time to confer with the parents of their students.
- Teachers find it difficult to hold conferences until late in the evening and then teach early the next morning.
We came to a tentative agreement on this issue. Briefly, we plan to hold fall conferences for some schools on Wednesday after a full day of school, and the rest of the schools will hold evening conferences on Thursday. All teachers will hold conferences during the day Thursday. This will make for a long day of conferences for about half the district's teachers, but the order will be reversed for spring conferences, so each teacher will have to hold 11 hours of conferences in a day only one time per year.
In summary, conferences look like this: Wednesday evening, Thursday daytime for about half of the teachers. The other half of the teachers will hold conferences on Thursday day and evening (11 hour day). Then it is switched for the spring conferences. Everyone will still be off on Friday following conferences.
Please know that "tentative agreement" means we've reached an agreement on this issue, but final agreement isn't reached until the entire package is complete, and ratification votes have occurred for the teachers and the board.
Discussion began on the issue of planning time, which for the high school teachers is intricately tied to scheduling.
The next meetings will be at 4 pm on June 2, and 2 pm on June 16. We encourage you to come and observe as we work to change the culture in negotations from one of contention and opposition to one of cooperation and collaboration.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Culture and Climate Survey Results
The results of the culture and climate survey are now available by clicking here. You may have noticed when you took the survey that some of the questions did not seem to be designed for our district and our situation. We used a tool provided by KNEA's Wade Anderson for the survey so as to avoid allowing any of our own biases to enter into the question-writing. That means that interpreting the results can only be done with both a knowledge of the district/building and an open mind!
The district administration is interested in working with LNEA to use these results to improve the educational experience for our students. We would appreciate your suggestions! As you look through the results, what do YOU think should be our priorities? Please email us at lneanews@gmail.com!
The district administration is interested in working with LNEA to use these results to improve the educational experience for our students. We would appreciate your suggestions! As you look through the results, what do YOU think should be our priorities? Please email us at lneanews@gmail.com!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Questions about your evaluation?
A number of faculty members have expressed concerns about their most recent evaluation to LNEA teachers' rights' representatives. I had the opportunity to attend a training by Sue Pressler, whom I understand has also trained district and building administrators, and I would like to share some of the information I gleaned from that session. If you were there, please feel free to add your comments!
Just as we design rubrics when we want kids to know what quality work looks like, the rubrics of "Framework for Teaching" (FFT) are designed to show us what quality teaching looks like and aid administrators in discussing our work with us.
Ratings of "basic" are not "bad" ratings. There's nothing wrong (according to the trainer) with being in the basic category. Furthermore, if your teaching assignment or the curriculum changes, you can expect to go back to basic. A 30-yr veteran should have exemplaries but NOT necessarily in everything. Ratings that are "exemplary" across the board should mean you are not only very experienced and accomplished at teaching what you're teaching, but also practically a candidate for canonization!
The professional appraisal system is designed to focus on teacher growth by emphasizing reflection on our teaching and by encouraging discussion among teachers and their supervisors about what constitutes good teaching. Our professional development and PLC or other collaborative work should be intricately meshed with the evaluation process. Evaluation should not feel like a "hoop" that we must jump through, but a natural part of the improvement process--and we all have room to improve.
The LNEA members who participated in the development of the evaluation system were striving to ensure that it met the quality standards described by KNEA at http://www.knea.org/profession/qualitystandards.html. The evaluation system is part of the negotiated agreement, so we would like to hear your suggestions about how to strengthen it and ensure that it is put into practice in a manner that helps teachers improve.
If you are interested in this topic, here are two related resources that you may want to review:
"Improving Student Learning Requires District Learning," by Robert Rothman in Kappan, September 2009, pp 44-50.
"Creating Strong Evaluation Systems," by Peg Dunlap in KNEA Issues, October 2009, pp 4-5.
Ginger Riddle
Just as we design rubrics when we want kids to know what quality work looks like, the rubrics of "Framework for Teaching" (FFT) are designed to show us what quality teaching looks like and aid administrators in discussing our work with us.
Ratings of "basic" are not "bad" ratings. There's nothing wrong (according to the trainer) with being in the basic category. Furthermore, if your teaching assignment or the curriculum changes, you can expect to go back to basic. A 30-yr veteran should have exemplaries but NOT necessarily in everything. Ratings that are "exemplary" across the board should mean you are not only very experienced and accomplished at teaching what you're teaching, but also practically a candidate for canonization!
The professional appraisal system is designed to focus on teacher growth by emphasizing reflection on our teaching and by encouraging discussion among teachers and their supervisors about what constitutes good teaching. Our professional development and PLC or other collaborative work should be intricately meshed with the evaluation process. Evaluation should not feel like a "hoop" that we must jump through, but a natural part of the improvement process--and we all have room to improve.
The LNEA members who participated in the development of the evaluation system were striving to ensure that it met the quality standards described by KNEA at http://www.knea.org/profession/qualitystandards.html. The evaluation system is part of the negotiated agreement, so we would like to hear your suggestions about how to strengthen it and ensure that it is put into practice in a manner that helps teachers improve.
If you are interested in this topic, here are two related resources that you may want to review:
"Improving Student Learning Requires District Learning," by Robert Rothman in Kappan, September 2009, pp 44-50.
"Creating Strong Evaluation Systems," by Peg Dunlap in KNEA Issues, October 2009, pp 4-5.
Ginger Riddle
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Collaboration and Negotiations
Greetings! LNEA has entered into a commitment to collaboration with district leadership. Board members, central office staff and LNEA leadership are committed to finding the best possible way to work together toward the common goal of school improvement. Dr. Harris, in her statement regarding the leadership qualities we are looking for in our administration, has said, “It is important to me that our building leaders can build relationships with our staff and students and that their main mission is to help teachers and students grow. We want to build a family and create a culture where our staff and students feel valued. We want our teachers to feel that our leaders are here to help them grow instructionally to improve student achievement.” And, she has asked for further input from staff regarding specific leadership qualities. Additionally, LNEA leadership and Dr. Harris have signed a document, “Commitment to Collaboration,” that states: “We believe the most effective way to improve student achievement in USD #453 is through collaborative efforts. Positive leadership at all levels in the district minimizes conflict and fosters collaboration which in turn improves student achievement and the general health of our district. We wish to collaboratively pursue creative ways to address empowerment and improvement of staff, especially training in collaborative decision making through Partners in Collaboration – Kansas (PICK), a support for interest-based bargaining.” In addition to committing to collaboration in this formal way, the school board recently voted to endorse this training. We see a firm commitment from board members to support interest-based bargaining this spring. We are looking forward to the training in this method of bargaining, which will take place at the board office on Saturday, March 6. We believe this training will allow us to approach negotiations in a collaborative, rather than a potentially divisive, positional posture.
Negotiations: Notice letters for negotiations were exchanged on February 1, as required by law. LNEA opened 4 articles: Duration, Salary, Fringe Benefits, and School Calendar. The board opened 6 articles. In addition to the opening Duration, Salary and School Calendar, they also opened Duty Day and Vertical and Lateral Movement. Obviously both teams feel the need to concentrate on financial issues this year. Please know that we will do our best to secure the most beneficial working conditions and financial situation possible, and we are confident that interest-based bargaining is the best way of achieving this.
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