Letter to KEA Reporter

The following letter was published in the Saturday, Oct 31, 2009 edition of the Kent Reporter.  It was written by KEA Secretary-Treasurer Cindy Prescott, who is both a teacher and a taxpayer in the District.

October 26, 2009

To the Editor:

Last week, I attended the debate between the Kent mayoral candidates that this newspaper sponsored. Since Mr. Berrios is at the helm of the Kent School Board as its president, a question about the Kent teachers strike was asked. The question concerned whether there was a lack of transparency in the cancellation of a school board meeting during the strike. In response, Jim answered, paraphrasing, “I would answer that you just don’t know Jim Berrios.” He went on to detail conversations he had with teachers during the strike, inferring that he did his best to resolve the dispute quickly. Additionally, Mr. Berrios indicated that he has been “fiscally responsible” during his tenure on the school board.

As a teacher and a voter, I ask Mr. Berrios to think about how he could have used his position and influence to avoid this strike entirely, or at best, to resolve it well before almost three weeks had gone by. It is of some note that the Kent teachers have not gone on strike in thirty years. Furthermore, it is interesting to realize that Mr. Berrios’ “fiscal responsibility” has resulted in a district that has some of the highest class sizes in the Puget Sound (even after the new contract was negotiated) and has significant trouble retaining the very best and brightest teachers because pay is lower than in many surrounding districts (yes, even after the negotiations were finished.) Ending the year with a larger fund balance than the previous year, it would seem the Board’s spending priorities are suspect.

Recently, Mr. Berrios requested that Mayor Suzette Cook be more transparent in her budget figures. In my opinion, Mr. Berrios has been less than transparent, himself, in explaining to the citizens of Kent the part he played in causing teachers in this district to feel they had no recourse but to go on strike.

Cindy Prescott

 

School Board Watch Oct 28th, 2009

The following are notes taken by a KEA member about what was said at the Oct 28th School Board Meeting.   We will try to post notes to summarize the information at all School Board Meetings for the remainder of the year on this blog. 

Here’s how our member summarized the Board Meeting:

The year end fiscal report was given and confirmed that $22.6M was the ending fund balance. Of course, they always talk about fish sticks and insurance, etc. but be that as it may, we are $4.6M more than we were last year at this time. The undesignated, unreserved ends up at $12.7M. John Knutson said, “Remember, we always budget expenditures higher.”

SAT, ACT, AP, and IB results were given. They still are always surprised that we have an achievement gap in Kent (evidence of poverty/ethnicity in how many kids take and pass these tests). The idea given by Janice Bechtel was to give the PSAT to all ninth graders. That would encourage them to start planning to go to college. The fact that there’s a fee involved was brought up but glossed over. The board wanted that to happen and seemed to feel that can help. Chris said, “Kent is doing okay. It’s not okay to be just okay – we want to be well in excess of the state and national data. How soon can we expect to see gains?” Lee then gave a very long talk about data, about transparency about data, about a “lazer-like focus” on the data without really saying anything.

 H1N1 information was shared. During this time, after talking about how kids hate to miss tests, Chris Davies asked if there has been a message to teachers to back off so kids can stay home; giving them leeway to make up work so they can stay home if they’re sick. This is almost a quote, but didn’t quite get all the words exactly. KEA people made a lot of noise – I cleared my throat loudly. Lisa said it was ridiculous. Then Mary Reiger gave the policy of so many days to make up work. Can’t believe he thought that had to be brought up. It’s insulting. But due to our reaction, Jim Berrios said they had gotten a call from a parent saying her child was being made to shake hands. Israel said it wasn’t mostly spread that way. The whole conversation was ridiculous.

 At the end, KEA speakers raised some points and took exception to some of the info presented.  Mike McNett gave a talk about class size and inaccurate numbers. Connie Compton talked about SPED and the problems with numbers and paras, and Lisa Brackin-Johnson talked about how KSD was not being as collaborative as they claimed they would be by making unilateral decisions and not providing KEA with requested info.

Charles Allen from Kent Parents Coalition talked about how they are continuing to be a watchdog group. He was concerned that the correct info on class size is not getting to KEA, and also not in a timely manner.

We’re Back! Blog Is Up and Running!

The post-strike time has been hectic for all of us teachers and education staff as we get back into the swing of things with a new school year. 

The strike affected everyone involved in many ways.  It was great to see KEA members united and working togehter for a common goal.   It was also wonderful to see our community come out in support of us.  While we were not able to get the perfect contract, we made significant progress in the areas of Time, Workload, and Compensation.  

The work is far from over, however.  KEA is continuing to face many challenges as we continue to work on behalf of our members.  The new contract language needs to be enforced, and we are already running into examples of Administration trying to ignore the language or conveniently interpret it as they see fit for their own purposes.  We must remain vigilant and hold them accountable when our contractual rights are being violated. 

Furthermore, we need to do a better job of working with our community to make sure they are fully aware of the conditions in Kent schools.   As education professionals working with kids face to face each day, we are in the best position to determine what we need to make our students successful.  We need to work with our colleagues, the administration, and the community to make our schools the best they can be.

Keep an eye on this blog in the near future as we document the successes and problems that KEA members deal with.

Contract Ratified, Teachers Head Back To School

With over 1300 members in attendance voting 94% in favor of ratifying the tentative agreement reached Sunday, KEA members overwhelmingly chose to end their 2009 strike.  While the end result did not provide everything KEA members had hoped for, it did provide some additional help in relieving class size and caseload issues, as well as bringing at least some compensation relief through additional paid Effective Education days.  Unfortunately, many KEA members were disappointed that Psychologists, Music, and Physical Education teachers were not included in the class size case load proposals adopted, and class size caps in the Middle and High School levels were not agreed to.  Given the slow pace of bargaining, the KEA Bargaining Team came to the conclusion with much regret that the KSD would not agree to these issues at this time. 

So what happens next?  KEA members have returned to work as of Monday, September 14th to set up their classrooms, and school began on Tuesday, September 15th.  KEA members who have not yet worked the additional 7.5 hours of classroom prep time should complete those hours and turn in a time sheet by September 30th.  Additionally, the revised calendar for the 2009-10 school year still needs to be agreed upon by both sides.  Both the revised calendar, as well as the new version of the contract will be made available soon.

This is not the end of the book, just the end of a chapter.  The movement for change in Kent still has a long way to go.  If you are interested in helping shape the future of the Kent School District, please notify your Building Rep. of your willingness to help out with future KEA committees and activities.

Blog Comments Temporarily Closed

I have closed blog comments temporarily until after the vote on Monday at 8 am at Kentlake.   I want every KEA member to attend, and I want everyone to have the opportunity to focus and reflect on where we’ve been, and where we are going. 

Let’s pray that this settlement will improve student learning and the working conditions of all Kent School District employees.  

See you at the meeting.

Tentative Agreement Reached, Meeting Monday

A tentative agreement was reached at about 7 pm on Sunday night.   There are absolutely no details about the agreement at this point.  Anything you hear is simply rumor, and should be dismissed as such.

There will be a General Membership Meeting on Monday, Sept. 14th at 8 am.  The meeting will be once again at Kentlake High School.  As you may remember from the last meeting held at that location, parking is at a premium.  If you can carpool, it would be appreciated. 

At the meeting, members will hear details of the tentative agreement, and then will vote to either ratify the tentative agreement, or reject the agreement. 

It has not yet been confirmed when school will begin for teachers or students.  As soon as those details are known, I will post them here.  Again, if you hear a rumor, disregard it until you hear the official word.

See all KEA members at Kentlake at 8 am tomorrow!

Do They Have Us?

Overheard by a KEA member at a Kent high school football game the other night:

“Oh, they’ll be back on Monday.  We’ve got ‘em now.”

-Bill Boyce KSD School Board Member

So is he right?

Nothing To Talk About?

That’s what the Kent School District told a parent when asked why they recently cancelled a school board meeting.  Rather than “Successfully Preparing Students for Their Future,” perhaps the Kent School District should alter their mission statement to “Nothing to Talk About.”   Fittingly, that has been and continues to be their governing philosophy regarding their negotiations with Kent teachers.  Why?  Here are a few pieces to think about:

• Kent teachers asked for class size caps that are equitable with comparable districts in our area.  The school district instead ignored that request and went on the news explaining that their class sizes are equitable with neighboring districts.  If that is correct, why won’t KSD use the same contractual language that those neighboring districts have?  Instead, it seems more like they care about retaining their power than doing anything that could benefit students.  Nothing to talk about?
•  Kent teachers asked the district to more efficiently use their time with meetings.  Some schools dealt with up to four 30 minute meetings a week resulting in over 2 hours of meeting time.  The district proposed a compromise that made the limit two hour long meetings a week… Wait.  Isn’t that the same thing?  Once again, the district is telling the public that they are working to get kids back in school but instead it seems like they are stonewalling the teachers.   Nothing to talk about?
• Kent teachers asked the district to increase compensation to move us from the bottom of local school districts to begin to become competitive with our competition.  Since then, Kent teachers have lowered their demands significantly to ease the district supposed money woes.  In the end, the KSD offered a 4.5% raise in pay over the next two years.  Unfortunately, when examining the logistics of their offer, it isn’t a raise. It is actually 5 extra days of work.  Wouldn’t it be cheaper for the district to simply give the teachers a 4.5% raise for the work they already do?  Sadly, it seems that the district is not really negotiating but dictating.  Nothing to talk about?

The district is cancelling school board meetings because they believe there is nothing to talk about.  Call the superintendent at 253-373-7701 and tell him there are many things to talk about.

Bargaining Update For Saturday, Sept. 12

Should we stay or should we go?
That’s the question that each of us is asking ourselves as Monday’s deadline looms to return to class.
The district is counting on you to go across picket lines, to go against all your days on the line standing up for smaller classes, to go quietly back behind your classroom doors so they can continue to dominate and intimidate.
The district is consistent. From the first day of bargaining last April, district administrators have misread our resolve.
They didn’t believe we would rise up when they announced they were taking away seven days’ pay and linking our evaluations to WASL scores.
They predicted we wouldn’t have the unity to strike even when they told us budget cuts meant they wouldn’t deal with class sizes for years to come.
They suggested to local reporters that our picket lines would collapse a few days into the strike.
They thought we’d crumble in fear instead of storming the room to protest when Supt. Vargas announced he would haul his own teachers into court.
They thought they could manipulate the courts to end a strike that must instead be resolved at the bargaining table.
They tried to bully pregnant moms into believing they wouldn’t have insurance when they stepped inside the delivery room. But our members got on their phones and convinced Group Health officials to guarantee the same continuation of coverage for their members that already is provided during strikes under WEA’s Premera plans.
Even now, the district thinks the renewed threat of fines will cause us to forget why we launched this battle. They’ve sent e-mails gloating about how our picket lines and our bargaining power will crumble on Monday. They’ve posted reader boards announcing that schools will reopen Tuesday, apparently without teachers, given our vote making it clear we will return only when we have a ratified contract.
Have our members given up?
KEA had extended an offer to keep our office open today to answer questions from all members who were beginning to question their own resolve. By early afternoon, two members had come in.
The district has been slow to understand our power and our unity. But look at what’s already happened. The district tried to frame this as all about money. Parents get that this dispute is about class size and time with kids. The district tried to shut down our strike before our message could spread into our own community. Instead, our stand has now become a national news story. The headline in Friday’s New York Times: “Teacher Strike in Washington Focused on Class Size.” Becky Hanks tried to convince reporters that our proposal Thursday, which could have ended the strike immediately, cost $5 million more than what we said. But her message all but disappeared from the airwaves once KEA’s Bargaining Team made it clear that it was Hanks who was putting out the phony numbers.
Even without a settlement in hand, the district can no longer ignore our power. We have stood together and stood strong in the face of the most nasty threats, and smears, and insults, and intimidation our administrators can spew forth. We have focused the public conversation on class size and time with kids, and the community is on our side.
As the School Board tries to hide from us and the community, parents have become even more inflamed. A nascent network of online organizing has already generated hundreds upon hundreds of petition signatures to recall all five Kent School Board members, and the effort is not yet three days old. Parents are directly confronting board members in the community, asking why they won’t deal with these issues squarely at the bargaining table.
The tide is turning, and will continue to turn. What we win in this contract will become the foundation for future contracts. Districts that have pulled ahead of Kent did not do so in one bargaining season. They’ve made incremental gains year after year once their unity convinced their districts to listen to, and respect, the concerns they bring to the bargaining table.
Are we ready to give up?
That is a question each of us must answer ourselves Tuesday morning as we continue our quest for smaller classes, more time with students, and competitive compensation.
Attend our 6:30 Sunday night rally
KEA members and school supporters around the region are invited to a 6:30 p.m. rally at Town Square Plaza (also known as “Marble Park”) at Second Avenue and West Smith Street, across from the downtown library. It’s yet one more reminder we are not alone.
Bargaining Update
Teams for KEA and KSD returned to the bargaining table Saturday, and were back at the table again this morning. Talks are continuing with discussions on both sides. The district appears to be backing away from its earlier assertions that our proposal on Thursday cost $5 million more than KEA had announced. No new tentative agreements had been reached as of early Saturday afternoon.
What about the fines?
School districts historically have agreed to ask the courts to drop fines once classes resume because it’s important for operations to return to as normal as possible so that students’ education can get back on track. But a concern has arisen that Kent administrators like Chuck Lind and Larry Miner have made it clear that their priority is power, not student achievement, and they might be filled with such irrational venom that they would continue to try to smear Kent’s teachers no matter how much damage that causes within the community.
It’s a legitimate concern, so let’s assume the worst does happen:
The district can’t ignore parents forever, and the School Board can’t cancel all its public meetings indefinitely. They will have to defend spending tax money needed in the classroom to continue a petty and vindictive fight against their own teachers even after the strike is settled. We have a right to due process before fines can be assessed. Our union has vowed to step in with legal support to demand hearings, forcing the district to provide sworn testimony about which teachers crossed the lines, which days they crossed and numerous other details that would be critical for the assessment of fines. Independently of the district, the judge has the power to reduce or remove fines based on mitigating factors. Our union has prepared an answer to the injunction lawsuit that outlines in detail the district’s numerous violations of good-faith bargaining and its deliberate strategy to try to intimidate teachers into returning to school.
The court gave administrators a heavy club to use against its own teachers. But wielding that club may not be as easy as they imagined after we have our day in court.

KEA Contract Proposal Removed From KEA Website

I just received the following note from Dale Folkerts, the WEA Communications person in charge of our www.kentschools.org website.  Many have asked why the KEA proposal from Thursday, Sept. 10th has been removed from that website.  KSD still has both proposals up, but it sounds like they are outdated at this point.  Here’s his response:

Yes, the bargaining team asked me to take it down. The underlining and strike-throughs that are essential to understanding which parts of the proposal are new and which are being deleted did not transfer well from their Word docs to the online PDF. So the result was something that was incomprehensible if not plain inaccurate. I asked for a newer, cleaner version, but have not received it. They’ve been busy reading and responding to proposals today, and that is their top priority. I am not going to bother them for this, and our members should also give them time to do the work that is essential to reaching a settlement, rather than bombarding them with e-mail queries.

 

 

Dale Folkerts, New Media Coordinator

WEA Communications