SRTA Responds to SRCS Negotiations Update

The communication from SRCS sent late on Saturday, February 2nd is both dishonest and dishonorable. It is inaccurate and specifically designed to discredit Santa Rosa Educators and their Union. Why do they do that? Because they can. We are going to have to stand up, show up, and make it clear that we deserve better. Our students deserve better. Our community deserves better. Together, we are mighty. 

What follows below is the SRCS negotiations update with SRTA responses in blue.

SRCS-CSEA-SRTA Negotiations Update
To: All Certificated and Classified Staff
From: Stacy Spector, SRCS Lead Negotiator
Date: February 2, 2019
The goal of SRCS is to collaborate with our classified and certificated bargaining unit members in a positive, productive, problem-solving approach that meets the needs and priorities of both students and staff.



CSEA Negotiations:
Negotiations began on January 31, 2019, in a very productive session that included:
CSEA’s openers for compensation include:

• Increase CSEA Salary Schedule to meet requirements of $15 minimum wage  

SRTA applauds this progress towards a living wage for CSEA members. SRTA passed a resolution in August 2018 supporting this ideal.

• Salary compensation study of all CSEA bargaining unit positions
• Fair and equitable salary increase
• Placement of an admissions day and three local holidays on the calendar SRCS appreciates the thoughtful and fiscally reasonable proposals from CSEA.
• SRCS agrees that CSEA members must receive a prevailing and fair market wage.

SRTA also agrees. It takes a village to raise a child and SRTA believes in putting students first. Our inability to attract and retain the best staff has a negative impact on our students.
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• SRCS expects bargaining with CSEA to continue to move in a forward and not backwards.  

SRTA Negotiations:

• SRTA did not acknowledge any of the additional items that SRCS has given in proposal language in Article 6, 14, and 16.

This is false. SRTA responded to all proposed language at the meeting following it being shared with us.  There was not much we could agree to that would move us forward to a ratifiable agreement. “NO” is an acknowledgement.
 

• SRTA refuses to acknowledge the movement forward made by agreeing to language in Article 9 and Article 13, and that SRTA and SRCS could continue to use the same bargaining approach to find common ground on Article 6, 14, and 16.

This is false. SRTA explicitly called out this progress in our communications with members and the public and labeled it as positive.  
 

• SRTA declared impasse. SRTA did not provide any counter proposals to the salary and benefits proposals SRCS put across the table for Article 6, 14, and 16. SRTA declared their initial proposal of 7% and total compensation of over $35,655,498 over 3 years is the only proposals they will accept.

SRTA agreed to the negotiated changes in Articles 9 and 13 at the table and explicitly mentioned these positive improvements in our Feb. 2nd update.  SRTA has declared impasse and stated that we have not accepted the counter-proposals presented on Feb. 1. SRTA feels that after 7 meetings and more than 25 hours of negotiating since October, 2018 the “same bargaining approach to find common ground” is not the way to move forward.
 

• While SRTA’s proposal is for only one year, we are required to prove fiscal solvency in a multi-year projection (required by AB1200). A total compensation of almost $35 million will create a multimillion dollar deficit by 2021-22 and will not be approved by the Sonoma County Office of Education.

SRCS is also required to have credentialed teachers in classrooms and they cannot provide that due to our District’s devastating attract and retain crisis.



• Proposals include specifically, but are not limited to, salary schedules, benefits and total compensation for all bargaining unit members.

Basic elements of each proposal that SRCS feels are fiscally and professionally reasonable are:
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 SRCS table reformatted to full width for easier readability.

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SRCS Total Compensation Proposal

• 2% ongoing total salary increase for all unit members

This is false. SRCS offered to maintain two existing PD days and only a 1% salary increase.
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SRCS and SRTA have had at least 2 Professional Development (PD) days included in the certificated work year since 2015. Maintaining two existing PD days is NOT a 1% raise, and being paid to work two additional days is not a salary increase.
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Consumer Price Index (link) for the San Francisco Bay Area increased by 4.5% over the past year. SRCS has essentially offered SRTA members a 3.5% pay cut. SRCS has received a 3.7% COLA from the state this year. This is ongoing money they are not using to reduce this gap.
 

• $500 increased contribution benefit

SRCS proposed no increase to dental benefits, which have been stagnant for years, and do not cover standard dental practices.
Our current healthcare contribution is $5,300, $7,973 less than the state average of $13,773.  SRTA members have the lowest healthcare contribution in Sonoma County.
 

• 2 days of release time for involuntary transfers

It takes way more than 2 days to move your classroom. SRTA asked for 4, and members have been given 4 days in the recent past.
 

• Increase salary for School Psychologist, Speech Pathologist and School Nurse

This is false. SRCS did NOT offer a salary increase for these members. The proposal was to push some members to the top of an already existing salary schedule while simultaneously adding one hour to EACH workday.
Interns and specialists who have not completed their credentials would actually be making LESS than the starting salary for any member. Finally, fully credentialed specialists would be expected to work 203 days, not 195.
 

• Increase middle and high school counselor calendar 5 days and salary schedule

This is just codifying work and time-carded pay that these counselors have been doing for years.  It is a welcome improvement for counselors, but has almost no fiscal impact.
 

• Weekly Early Release Days for teacher and staff collaboration with no increase in total hours worked.

This is not true. Schools that currently have early release days for common planning time have creative timekeeping mechanisms that balance out the need to lengthen the other days.  SRCS does not have these mechanisms in their proposal -- the days are all longer. Sample bells schedules provided in negotiations showed significantly longer days for elementary teachers, and in one draft, the loss of afternoon recess.
 

• Increase in instructional minutes from 305-320 with no increase in unit member work day.

Simple math shows the SRCS proposal adds about 45 work hours per school year. Part of the proposal is holding staff and department meetings during common planning time, but that still leaves SRTA members working longer days for no extra pay. Common planning time was put into schedules for teachers to use as they need. The current district proposal gives control of 50% of the common planning time to site or district needs.
 

• Teachers attending IEP/504 meetings held after school will be paid

SRTA agrees that this is a welcome improvement that has been a long time coming.  It will remain a priority in a ratifiable agreement.
 

• New Teachers do not have mandatory Adjunct Duties and supervision
• New Teachers get priority in their teaching schedule and case loads

SRTA appreciates the underlying assumption that it is difficult for a new teacher to acclimate, and we should be helping ease the transition. However, it can appear punitive to teachers that have attained permanent status, and are being asked to do more. This is not simple. SRTA can only support ideas which build us, not divide us.
 

• Special Education teachers do not have mandatory Adjunct Duties and supervision
• Special Education teachers get priority in their teaching schedule and case loads
• Department Chair for Counselors and Special Education departments

This was part of SRTA’s proposal in October and we are happy to see our advocating efforts working. At the secondary level, our special education departments already have department chairs.  Adding department chairs for counselors is a minimal cost that simply puts counselors on parity with other members and allows for better communication with Teaching and Learning with regard to better advocating for students.

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SRTA Total Compensation Proposal

• 7 % Salary increase for all unit members

Santa Rosa teachers earn $15,448 below the 2018 state average for total compensation. If the District were to agree to SRTA’s proposals on pay and benefits for 2019-20, Santa Rosa educators would still be $7,106 below the state average in 2019. And, this number ALREADY includes 1% of the the so-called 2% proposed salary increase.  
 

• $3000 increased contribution benefit

Our current healthcare contribution is $5,300, $2,000 would be $7,300, still $5,973 less than the state average of $13,773.  SRTA members would have the second lowest healthcare contribution in Sonoma County.
The additional $1,000 requested for dental care is long overdue.
 

• 4 days of release time for involuntary transfers

We are asking to codify recent past practice in agreements between SRCS and SRTA in giving teachers time to pack and unpack their classrooms.

• 20% “credit” for each child enrolled in classes with students with 504s, IEPs, SWD, and EL status

This credit for students in “basic” classes was in our contract for years. With new A-G graduation requirements and a complete reorganization of special education classes, many of our most vulnerable students will be pushed into classes much larger than they are used to.  This proposal is designed to keep classes small to benefit the students.
 

• $300 stipend for materials for unit members involuntarily transferred or reassigned
• Create stipends for Lead positions for multiple content and grade levels

SRTA proposed lead positions with minor stipends to codify the work already being done by School Psychologists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Adaptive PE teachers, Nurses, and Elementary Education Specialists.  Rather than being paid hourly by time card, this would shift the compensation into stipends. It is a minimal total cost of under $15,000, and is, for the most part, money the district is already spending.
 

• Increase Class Limit Overage from $10 to $12

Overages are NOT designed to line our pockets -- overages are designed to encourage SRCS to stick to their contractual agreements on class size and daily load. The $10 per student per day hasn’t gone up in years, and it is becoming cheaper and easier to pay overages rather than open another class or section, which would better serve students.

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Responses to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and specific proposals and responses from SRTA, CSEA and SRCS can be found on our district website: www.srcschools.org/negotiations  
Specific proposals and responses are not available on the SRCS negotiations page as of 2/3/19. For transparency, SRTA has posted them at wearesrta.org.

 SRCS remains committed to serving the needs of all students by supporting the professionalism and working conditions of all staff.
SRCS is implying that SRTA does not support student learning by highlighting minimal expenditures while failing to mention some of our major proposals.  SRTA has made it clear in our vision and goals and in our proposals that we put students and student learning first. Smaller class sizes for high school students and guaranteed class size caps for special education at all levels improves student learning and creates nurturing learning environments.  

If you have additional questions, please contact: Stacy Spector, Assistant Superintendent, sspector@srcs.k12.ca.us.
To Learn More about SRCS and SRTA Negotiations go to WeAreSRTA.org

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SRTA needs your help to get the truth out.
Please share this information.
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Stand up, show up, and make it clear that we deserve better!

You can share this link to our website: ​https://www.wearesrta.org/news-and-updates/srta-responds-to-srcs-negotiations-update