2022
Negotiations Update!
April 20, 2022
Bargaining Update:
Negotiations met today, April 20, 2022. The meeting was spent mainly clarifying budget line items and other information in preparations for salary discussions which will be the entirety of our meeting on May 26.
The district will send out notices regarding the new start times for Elementary and High School and will send out an email clarifying faculty/staff on-site expectations soon.
We also discussed summer school at the high school. And, we began the calendar discussions for 2024/25.
Thank you,
Your SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
Negotiations met today, April 20, 2022. The meeting was spent mainly clarifying budget line items and other information in preparations for salary discussions which will be the entirety of our meeting on May 26.
The district will send out notices regarding the new start times for Elementary and High School and will send out an email clarifying faculty/staff on-site expectations soon.
We also discussed summer school at the high school. And, we began the calendar discussions for 2024/25.
Thank you,
Your SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
- Reconvene Negotiations on May 26th!
- Wear your SGTA Shirts!
Negotiations Update!
March 28, 2022
Negotiations met again today. The Elementary banking MOU will be added to the contract. This includes information about Special Education meetings which will fall under Article XI, B.
This district was defined as in SigDis Pro for the second year in a row. Below is some information:
SigDis Pro (one of 17 districts in California) *there are 344 unified school districts in California
Tier 1 intervention across the district via MTSS
An agreement to create a district stipend committee that will consist of 5 SGTA members from each levels and 5 from the DEC to discuss and review all stipends will be formed and May meetings will be planned.
Salary schedules across the board were discussed. Ongoing talks about an on schedule salary increase is continuing.
We will meet again on April 20th.
Thank you,
Your negotiations team.
Next Steps:
This district was defined as in SigDis Pro for the second year in a row. Below is some information:
SigDis Pro (one of 17 districts in California) *there are 344 unified school districts in California
Tier 1 intervention across the district via MTSS
An agreement to create a district stipend committee that will consist of 5 SGTA members from each levels and 5 from the DEC to discuss and review all stipends will be formed and May meetings will be planned.
Salary schedules across the board were discussed. Ongoing talks about an on schedule salary increase is continuing.
We will meet again on April 20th.
Thank you,
Your negotiations team.
Next Steps:
- Reconvene Negotiations on April 20th!
- Wear your SGTA Shirts !
Negotiations Update!
February 16, 2022
Negotiations met with the District team on Thursday, Feb. 10th. The District presented a current budget update with recommendations from the Budget Advisory Committee. Health and welfare were discussed. All recommendations will be presented at the next School Board Meeting on February 22nd.
Updates on information about the survey results about elementary schedule changes were discussed. Nothing new was found. Conversations about the SLP shortage occurred along with Stipends. We looked at the stipend formula used by Glendora Unified and are seeking out the same information from other districts. (It is not usually posted anywhere so it has been difficult for both the District and SGTA to compile information.)
The District was not ready to discuss salary yet but feels that we can do that during our next couple of meeting on March 16th and 28th. There were no decisions made on any of the topics above. You Negotiations Team
Thank you,
SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
Updates on information about the survey results about elementary schedule changes were discussed. Nothing new was found. Conversations about the SLP shortage occurred along with Stipends. We looked at the stipend formula used by Glendora Unified and are seeking out the same information from other districts. (It is not usually posted anywhere so it has been difficult for both the District and SGTA to compile information.)
The District was not ready to discuss salary yet but feels that we can do that during our next couple of meeting on March 16th and 28th. There were no decisions made on any of the topics above. You Negotiations Team
Thank you,
SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
- Reconvene Negotiations on March 16th & March 28th!
- Wear your SGTA Shirts !
2021
Negotiations Update!
November 30, 2021
Negotiations Update- 11/30/21
The District and our SGTA team met today from 9:00 until 3:15 working on many aspects of negotiations.
We discussed information on the late start time for the high school that has been mandated by the State. Any subsequent changes to start times across the District are being researched and will be presented at the January 18th Board Meeting.
We agreed to extend the current COVID Leave MOU until June 30th.
We discussed SLP recruitment issues and the District will be doing a salary study regarding the SLP’s.
We discussed current budget updates and will revisit after the Governor’s budget is released in January.
We discussed VISP SPED students and IEP requirements. There are currently 195 elementary students, 52 middle school students and 45 high school students in the program. Thirty-two of the total students are SPED designated.
School Services is currently doing an Organizational Study for district which is an overall staffing overview and completing comparisons with 6 other districts that are similar in size, unduplicated counts etc. Updates will be given when the study is finished.
We had a long discussion about stipends and created a list of information that is needed in order for us to continue our work. We agreed to work on this area via email, small group meetings etc.
We went through the contract page by page and identified inconsistencies, typos and areas of need.
No salary discussions will be made until our February 10th meeting.
Happy Holidays,
Your Negotiations Team
The District and our SGTA team met today from 9:00 until 3:15 working on many aspects of negotiations.
We discussed information on the late start time for the high school that has been mandated by the State. Any subsequent changes to start times across the District are being researched and will be presented at the January 18th Board Meeting.
We agreed to extend the current COVID Leave MOU until June 30th.
We discussed SLP recruitment issues and the District will be doing a salary study regarding the SLP’s.
We discussed current budget updates and will revisit after the Governor’s budget is released in January.
We discussed VISP SPED students and IEP requirements. There are currently 195 elementary students, 52 middle school students and 45 high school students in the program. Thirty-two of the total students are SPED designated.
School Services is currently doing an Organizational Study for district which is an overall staffing overview and completing comparisons with 6 other districts that are similar in size, unduplicated counts etc. Updates will be given when the study is finished.
We had a long discussion about stipends and created a list of information that is needed in order for us to continue our work. We agreed to work on this area via email, small group meetings etc.
We went through the contract page by page and identified inconsistencies, typos and areas of need.
No salary discussions will be made until our February 10th meeting.
Happy Holidays,
Your Negotiations Team
Negotiations Update!
June 18, 2021
Congratulations,
Here are the results for our recent voting on the tentative agreement and the school calendars for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.
Tentative Agreement and Calendar Votes: 129 voters total
Tentative Agreement Vote: Yes - 127 No - 0 Abstain - 2
2022-2023 Calendar
Calendar A - 39 Calendar C - 88 Abstain - 2
2023-2024 Calendar
Calendar A - 75 Calendar B - 48 Abstain - 6
Also, if you are working summer school and need to calculate your per diem rate, here is the formula:
Teachers are paid for 7 hours so here is the calculation:
Annual Salary / 186 days taught/ 7 Example: $80,000/186/7 = $61.44
Thank you,
Negotiations Team
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
Teri Hopper - Co Chairperson
Alex Edwards - Member
Tony Phong- Member
JoAnn Slater- Member
Carol Thompson-Member
Here are the results for our recent voting on the tentative agreement and the school calendars for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.
Tentative Agreement and Calendar Votes: 129 voters total
Tentative Agreement Vote: Yes - 127 No - 0 Abstain - 2
2022-2023 Calendar
Calendar A - 39 Calendar C - 88 Abstain - 2
2023-2024 Calendar
Calendar A - 75 Calendar B - 48 Abstain - 6
Also, if you are working summer school and need to calculate your per diem rate, here is the formula:
Teachers are paid for 7 hours so here is the calculation:
Annual Salary / 186 days taught/ 7 Example: $80,000/186/7 = $61.44
Thank you,
Negotiations Team
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
Teri Hopper - Co Chairperson
Alex Edwards - Member
Tony Phong- Member
JoAnn Slater- Member
Carol Thompson-Member
Negotiations Update!
May 27, 2021
|
Hello Teachers,
We will be voting for the Tentative Agreement and the Calendars for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 starting on Thursday June 10th and ending on Friday June 11th using Simply Vote. We have attached a table for comparison for each of the year. Please take some time to click on the document below and review the tentative agreement and calendar comparisions prior to voting. Thank you, Negotiations Team: Chanda Strom - Chairperson Teri Hopper - Co Chairperson Alex Edwards - Member Tony Phong- Member JoAnn Slater- Member Carol Thompson-Member Tentative Agreement and Calendar Comparisons |
Draft A 2022-2023
Draft A 2023-2024
|
Draft C 2022-2023
Draft B 2023-2024
|
Negotiations Update!
May 27, 2021
Great News!
We negotiated yesterday and have come to a tentative agreement with the District for an off schedule 5% based on your current year base salary. Expect this to be delivered some time in July. We will vote for the next two year cycle of Calendars so keep an eye out for the opportunity to vote using Simply Vote.
Thank you for your support!
Negotiations Team:
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
Teri Hopper - Co Chairperson
Alex Edwards - Member
Tony Phong- Member
JoAnn Slater- Member
Carol Thompson-Member
We negotiated yesterday and have come to a tentative agreement with the District for an off schedule 5% based on your current year base salary. Expect this to be delivered some time in July. We will vote for the next two year cycle of Calendars so keep an eye out for the opportunity to vote using Simply Vote.
Thank you for your support!
Negotiations Team:
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
Teri Hopper - Co Chairperson
Alex Edwards - Member
Tony Phong- Member
JoAnn Slater- Member
Carol Thompson-Member
Negotiations Update!
March 25, 2021
COVID Update #13
3/25/21 Negotiations Update
Our Negotiations team met with the District team this week to finalize the
MOU. This document has required hours of work, fact finding and negotiating. SGTA Negotiations team has had the best interest of all members in mind when finalizing this MOU. We are waiting to sign the final copy. Here is a draft version for you to read.
If you have a question about taking a leave of absence, schedule an appointment with Dr. Murray. You may also email Angel Maldonado, CTA Staff, at [email protected] for questions only surrounding a Leave of Absence. Ross Perry will be returning on April 5th, 2021.
Please be mindful that Spring Break begins tomorrow and our Site Reps and SGTA Team need to take time off. Beginning tomorrow, please reserve all questions until we return on April 6th.
Thank you-
Your Bargaining Team &
SGTA Executive Board
SGTA DRAFT MOU
Our Negotiations team met with the District team this week to finalize the
MOU. This document has required hours of work, fact finding and negotiating. SGTA Negotiations team has had the best interest of all members in mind when finalizing this MOU. We are waiting to sign the final copy. Here is a draft version for you to read.
If you have a question about taking a leave of absence, schedule an appointment with Dr. Murray. You may also email Angel Maldonado, CTA Staff, at [email protected] for questions only surrounding a Leave of Absence. Ross Perry will be returning on April 5th, 2021.
Please be mindful that Spring Break begins tomorrow and our Site Reps and SGTA Team need to take time off. Beginning tomorrow, please reserve all questions until we return on April 6th.
Thank you-
Your Bargaining Team &
SGTA Executive Board
SGTA DRAFT MOU
Negotiations Update!
February 24, 2020
Our Negotiations team met with the District team yesterday afternoon from 2:30 to 4:45. Discussions continued regarding the MOU that is currently being negotiated. It will cover the items that are not in the CBA, the Return to Learn Plan and the Safety Guidance from the LACDPH and CDC. We do not have an agreement as of yet. We have shared the information gathered by the recent surveys. There are details that are still to be negotiated. However, we do want to emphasize some of the most important, agreed upon parts as of today.
Thank you to all that contributed to the Board Meeting. You all made a difference so that the transition can be made as safe as possible and as smoothly as possible. Those groups that are not allowed to start in person learning, stay informed. As soon as we have exhausted all requests and agree upon the MOU Language, we will have an all SGTA meeting to go over the MOU.
Phase III Return to Learn Addendum
TK-5 Phase III Schedules
CA Safe Schools For All site
Thank you-
Your Bargaining Team
- The District is working to get our TK-2 and the remaining staff vaccinated ASAP. There was a survey that was sent out by Ross today. If you want an appointment, please fill out the survey tonight. I understand that a second survey with time availability will be sent out tomorrow.
- The Elementary site plans for reopening will be shared by your Principal’s. These plans will include detailed information about the ingress, egress, restroom procedures, safety procedures with regard to student illness etc. Please let us know when these plans are shared. If you see anything that may work better, please work with your Principal’s to create the best plan possible. If you travel between schools, be sure to get the plans for each school.
- All HVAC systems have been upgraded to the best possible filters that the systems can handle. In addition, all HVAC systems will be certified by an independent company called LEAF Engineers.
- All classrooms K-2 are currently being outfitted with a medical grade air cleaning system that uses HEPA filters. This is the same type used in doctors offices and hospitals. The remaining classrooms in the District will be outfitted after K-2 classrooms are complete and some classrooms may already have them.
- SLP’s and TK-5 will have two asynchronous days before Spring Break in order to prepare and undergo safety training. Grades 3-5 are included in order to have one safety training per school. The remaining levels will have the same number of asynchronous days, dates TBD once reopening is allowed.
- SLP’s and Elementary counselors will be meeting with Brian, Rebecca and school site management in order to discuss procedures etc. We will be sending the information to them that was gathered via the survey. PLEASE be sure to help modify those plans to best allow you to work safely when you meet.
- Duty Free Lunches will remain as per the CBA.
- The District has been working to increase the Sub workforce.
- The video for families was filmed today (2/24) and the final version after editing will be available for parent and staff viewing.
- A survey was sent out to remind families of the option they chose in earlier surveys and families will be able to change their choice with the school site. Once Virtual Learning is chosen and in person learning occurs, the choice may not be changed. If someone chose in person learning and wants to change to Virtual, they can make that change.
- Schedules for TK-5 that were created and already shared with you by the DL committee are attached. The Middle School and the High School Schedules can be found in the Return to Learn Plan Phase III addendum attached. Student arrival at school for TK-5 will be allowed at 8:15 am. Details about what happens next will be addressed in the site safety plans. TK-K on campus end time for students who are in person is 1:00 pm, grades 1-3 is 1:15 and 4-5 is 1:25 to allow for staggered exit times.
- Barring any mandates by the State Legislature or the Governor, the District will try to provide a 2 week opening date once a group is eligible to return.
- Our team and the District team has to agree to the MOU before in person learning starts as per a clause in the Distance Learning MOU. We will be working continuously to do what we can to help all of our Bargaining Unit Members have the safest and best possible in person learning experience during this unprecedented time.
Thank you to all that contributed to the Board Meeting. You all made a difference so that the transition can be made as safe as possible and as smoothly as possible. Those groups that are not allowed to start in person learning, stay informed. As soon as we have exhausted all requests and agree upon the MOU Language, we will have an all SGTA meeting to go over the MOU.
Phase III Return to Learn Addendum
TK-5 Phase III Schedules
CA Safe Schools For All site
Thank you-
Your Bargaining Team
Negotiations Update!
February 12, 2020
Negotiations Survey:
Good Afternoon SGTA Members:
In preparing for In-Person Learning, please fill out this google survey by Monday, February 15, 2021. Our Negotiations Team needs to hear from you!
Thank you,
SGTA Negotiations Team
SGTA Google Doc Survey
Good Afternoon SGTA Members:
In preparing for In-Person Learning, please fill out this google survey by Monday, February 15, 2021. Our Negotiations Team needs to hear from you!
Thank you,
SGTA Negotiations Team
SGTA Google Doc Survey
2020
Negotiations Update!
December 16, 2020
Phase 3 (previously called Hybrid)
Budget Overview
Will Wong presented us with the mid term budget (you can find the link on last night’s board agenda). He clarified that some of the CARES act money is being transferred to be used next year. We have ordered equipment, etc and have spent the CARES act money that has to be spent by the end of the year.
PD Day
We negotiated a modified PD day on Feb. 12. In the morning there will be a welcome session and then ONE session of PD. The rest of the day (from about 10-3 minus lunch) will be spent as teachers/departments see fit.
Work from home accommodations
Ross Perry has been having meetings with teachers who have provided him with a doctor’s note for COVID accommodations. These teachers will continue to teach from home with an aid or sub in their classroom for supervision. The district also understands that some teachers may not to come back to Phase 3 due to child care issues. They are investigating child care options and know that this is a problem for many of our teachers. More information to come.
COVID Testing Update
Testing could be provided by SISC (once every two months) or Curative (Dodger stadium testing). This is covered by our insurance but could make our rates go up. District is investigating other options such as mail in, etc
The District is working on the school function dates for the approved 21/22 Calendar. We will discuss Calendar for the 22/23 and possibly 23/24 school years.
We also talked about contact tracing and Ross explained, in detail, the district’s process.
At the board meeting last Tuesday, it was decided that returning to Phase 3 would NOT be January 19th but no date was given.
Teachers will be given the Return to Learn document on January 11, 2021. Parents will also be given the document the same day. This document was created by the district and reviewed by the DL 3.0 team. Within that document will be the schedules for Phase 3 that were worked on by the DL 3.0 Team.
-Your Negotiations Team
Merry Christmas
and
Happy Holidays!
-San Gabriel Teachers Association
Budget Overview
Will Wong presented us with the mid term budget (you can find the link on last night’s board agenda). He clarified that some of the CARES act money is being transferred to be used next year. We have ordered equipment, etc and have spent the CARES act money that has to be spent by the end of the year.
PD Day
We negotiated a modified PD day on Feb. 12. In the morning there will be a welcome session and then ONE session of PD. The rest of the day (from about 10-3 minus lunch) will be spent as teachers/departments see fit.
Work from home accommodations
Ross Perry has been having meetings with teachers who have provided him with a doctor’s note for COVID accommodations. These teachers will continue to teach from home with an aid or sub in their classroom for supervision. The district also understands that some teachers may not to come back to Phase 3 due to child care issues. They are investigating child care options and know that this is a problem for many of our teachers. More information to come.
COVID Testing Update
Testing could be provided by SISC (once every two months) or Curative (Dodger stadium testing). This is covered by our insurance but could make our rates go up. District is investigating other options such as mail in, etc
The District is working on the school function dates for the approved 21/22 Calendar. We will discuss Calendar for the 22/23 and possibly 23/24 school years.
We also talked about contact tracing and Ross explained, in detail, the district’s process.
At the board meeting last Tuesday, it was decided that returning to Phase 3 would NOT be January 19th but no date was given.
Teachers will be given the Return to Learn document on January 11, 2021. Parents will also be given the document the same day. This document was created by the district and reviewed by the DL 3.0 team. Within that document will be the schedules for Phase 3 that were worked on by the DL 3.0 Team.
-Your Negotiations Team
Merry Christmas
and
Happy Holidays!
-San Gabriel Teachers Association
Negotiations Update!
November 5, 2020
Negotiations met with the District team for 3 and a half hours yesterday to discuss the beginnings of the In-Person Learning MOU (Memorandum of Understanding).
We worked on the safety section for most of the session. There were many sections that we have started working on. There were questions that were asked that need additional information from one source or another. We discussed Orange County school districts that have started school and the problems they have faced in their reopening of schools in anticipation that we may have some of the same problems.
We asked for the information that each school site provided at the Friday PD regarding draft schedules. We were given access to that information and will spend some time analyzing that information. The Distance Learning 3.0 meeting will be meeting before then and we were told that the groups will be seeing the information and will discuss the potential problems that were presented.
We have scheduled a second meeting on 11/16.
Your Negotiations Team
We worked on the safety section for most of the session. There were many sections that we have started working on. There were questions that were asked that need additional information from one source or another. We discussed Orange County school districts that have started school and the problems they have faced in their reopening of schools in anticipation that we may have some of the same problems.
We asked for the information that each school site provided at the Friday PD regarding draft schedules. We were given access to that information and will spend some time analyzing that information. The Distance Learning 3.0 meeting will be meeting before then and we were told that the groups will be seeing the information and will discuss the potential problems that were presented.
We have scheduled a second meeting on 11/16.
Your Negotiations Team
Negotiations Update!
August 17, 2020
Attention SGTA Members:
If you have any questions regarding the SGTA and SGUSD Memorandum of Understanding for the 2020-2021 School year in response to COVID-19 Reopening of Schools in a Virtual Model, please join us for a Question and Answer event this Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m.
Thank you for your support! Hope your first day of school went well!
SGTA Negotiations Team
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
Memorandum of Understanding between SGUSD and SGTA
Zoom meeting link sent to your personal email.
If you have any questions regarding the SGTA and SGUSD Memorandum of Understanding for the 2020-2021 School year in response to COVID-19 Reopening of Schools in a Virtual Model, please join us for a Question and Answer event this Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m.
Thank you for your support! Hope your first day of school went well!
SGTA Negotiations Team
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
Memorandum of Understanding between SGUSD and SGTA
Zoom meeting link sent to your personal email.
Negotiations Update!
August 4, 2020
Attention SGTA Members:
The negotiations team met Monday and Tueday with the District to discuss the development of the Covid-19 related MOU. (Memorandum of Understanding) While the MOU is not complete, there are some updates that we feel we need to share.
Teachers will be given the choice to work from home or from school. IF teachers choose to work from school, they MAY NOT bring any children or family members on site. This rule will pertain to all other bargaining units, such as Teamsters, Management, Confidential, Non-Confidential, etc. If you have any questions regarding Leave of Absence, please contact H.R. Also, CTA has provided a helpful document for your refernce. Click below to read more.
Teacher questions that were generated from last weekends zoom meetings, will be answered in a joint document. This document will be sent out soon, we are just waiting on answers from the SPED Department.
Finally, once the MOU is complete it will be shared with all SGTA members. We are hoping to share this at our Welcome Back SGTA Meeting on Thursday, August 13th at 11:00 a.m. Our Negotiations team will review the document and allow time for questions and answers. Then SGTA members will be allowed to vote electronically on approval of the MOU.
So, here is what we need from you.... SGTA will be using a company called Simply Vote to manage the upcoming vote to approve the COVID-MOU and upcoming Site Rep Elections. In order to vote electronically, PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CURRENT EMAIL WITH YOUR SITE REP as well as on the CTA.org Website.
Thank you for your support! Please click on links below!
SGTA Negotiations Team
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
The negotiations team met Monday and Tueday with the District to discuss the development of the Covid-19 related MOU. (Memorandum of Understanding) While the MOU is not complete, there are some updates that we feel we need to share.
Teachers will be given the choice to work from home or from school. IF teachers choose to work from school, they MAY NOT bring any children or family members on site. This rule will pertain to all other bargaining units, such as Teamsters, Management, Confidential, Non-Confidential, etc. If you have any questions regarding Leave of Absence, please contact H.R. Also, CTA has provided a helpful document for your refernce. Click below to read more.
Teacher questions that were generated from last weekends zoom meetings, will be answered in a joint document. This document will be sent out soon, we are just waiting on answers from the SPED Department.
Finally, once the MOU is complete it will be shared with all SGTA members. We are hoping to share this at our Welcome Back SGTA Meeting on Thursday, August 13th at 11:00 a.m. Our Negotiations team will review the document and allow time for questions and answers. Then SGTA members will be allowed to vote electronically on approval of the MOU.
So, here is what we need from you.... SGTA will be using a company called Simply Vote to manage the upcoming vote to approve the COVID-MOU and upcoming Site Rep Elections. In order to vote electronically, PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CURRENT EMAIL WITH YOUR SITE REP as well as on the CTA.org Website.
Thank you for your support! Please click on links below!
SGTA Negotiations Team
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
July 16, 2020
Attention SGTA Members:
The negotiations team met with the District to discuss the development of the Covid-19 related MOU. The school board has scheduled an emergency meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. to discuss and possibly vote for the phased reopening plan, which possibly will start the school year in an Online Academy. The district will be presenting a plan for each level that is only to express the fact that any online plan will have set schedules for consistency. Specific details are under development and are being negotiated with SGTA.
We tentatively agreed to a modification to the School Nurse’s salary and days of work. We discussed and agreed upon the district exploring additional hours for MFT supervisors for counseling interns. The intent is to bring the job to the district using district staff, rather than paying an outside consultant. This move will not only save the district money but will also allow two unit members to supervise interns, and provide for professional collaboration. The negotiation team agreed with the district and the job will be flown sometime in the near future.
We discussed evaluations and are in the start of creating an agreement which will freeze evaluations for permanent unit members that are in good standing until the 2021-2022 school year. The district will be working with site administration, along with principals, to create guidelines for those that will be evaluated. These guidelines will be brought to the table at the next meeting so that we can discuss and provide more details after our next meeting.
Concerns about H-vac airflow issues and general concerns from unit members were discussed with the group.
The next negotiations meeting is scheduled for Friday, July 24th a 9:00 a.m. Our hope is to start building the specific details of the Covid 19 MOU.
Thank you for your support!
SGTA Negotiations Team
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
Stay Safe!
-SGTA Executive Board
Spread the Message Loud and Clear:
We cannot reopen schools until we can ensure the safety of students and educators!
The negotiations team met with the District to discuss the development of the Covid-19 related MOU. The school board has scheduled an emergency meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. to discuss and possibly vote for the phased reopening plan, which possibly will start the school year in an Online Academy. The district will be presenting a plan for each level that is only to express the fact that any online plan will have set schedules for consistency. Specific details are under development and are being negotiated with SGTA.
We tentatively agreed to a modification to the School Nurse’s salary and days of work. We discussed and agreed upon the district exploring additional hours for MFT supervisors for counseling interns. The intent is to bring the job to the district using district staff, rather than paying an outside consultant. This move will not only save the district money but will also allow two unit members to supervise interns, and provide for professional collaboration. The negotiation team agreed with the district and the job will be flown sometime in the near future.
We discussed evaluations and are in the start of creating an agreement which will freeze evaluations for permanent unit members that are in good standing until the 2021-2022 school year. The district will be working with site administration, along with principals, to create guidelines for those that will be evaluated. These guidelines will be brought to the table at the next meeting so that we can discuss and provide more details after our next meeting.
Concerns about H-vac airflow issues and general concerns from unit members were discussed with the group.
The next negotiations meeting is scheduled for Friday, July 24th a 9:00 a.m. Our hope is to start building the specific details of the Covid 19 MOU.
Thank you for your support!
SGTA Negotiations Team
Chanda Strom - Chairperson
Stay Safe!
-SGTA Executive Board
Spread the Message Loud and Clear:
We cannot reopen schools until we can ensure the safety of students and educators!
July 8, 2020
|
The opening session for negotiations was held the afternoon of July 2nd for approximately 3 hours. Prior to this meeting, negotiation members attended CTA webinars with the topics of the State Budget, COVID-19, legal issues with regards to COVID-19 and bargaining in preparation for the discussions regarding safety for students and staff, information about the distance learning requirements set forth in SB98 and AB77,updates about COVID-19, the County Health Department recommendations and LACOE recommendations.
The issues are complicated and are changing almost daily. Most of the time was spent discussing the models for reopening that were brought to the Distance Learning 2.0 committee and from teachers. Most of the conversation was centered around our intentions for our members to come back to school with all of the tools needed for not only the hybrid models but also the possibility of full distance learning, safety protocols necessary for the start of the school year and understanding the models set forth as they were on July 2nd. Since then, the Distance Learning 2.0 Committee has met to do a pros and cons list for each of the models and the COVID-19 Reopening School Committee will be meeting on Wednesday July 15th. We are continuing to attend all CTA webinars in order to stay as current as possible with the recommendations for opening schools and current State Budget updates. We are scheduled to meet with the District again on Thursday July 16th. The School Board has scheduled an emergency meeting for the same day. Keep a look out for the agenda and please attend the Board meeting. We will send updates to members when the agenda is posted. Thank you for your support! SGTA Negotiations Team Chanda Strom - Chairperson |
Next Steps for every SGTA Member:
Stay Safe! -SGTA Executive Board Click to read the letter written to Gavin Newsom and other state leaders! Click to listen to Lily Eskelsen Garcia's Response to Trump! Spread the Message Loud and Clear: We cannot reopen schools until we can ensure the safety of students and educators! 
|
June 24, 2020
Hello SGTA,
We hope you have been reading the SGTA Board Bullets and have been meeting with your site Reps on a monthly basis. Our negotiations team is preparing to enter into negotiations. If you haven't done so already, please take a moment to fill out this survey.
Thank you,
Chanda Strom
SGTA Negotiations Chairperson.
We hope you have been reading the SGTA Board Bullets and have been meeting with your site Reps on a monthly basis. Our negotiations team is preparing to enter into negotiations. If you haven't done so already, please take a moment to fill out this survey.
Thank you,
Chanda Strom
SGTA Negotiations Chairperson.
May 20, 2020
Attention Members,
The bargaining team met on May fourth to discuss negotiations. Current bargaining issues discussed include COVID-19 issues with regards to potential changes due to social distancing regulations, State and District budget landscape, and distance learning. We have attached our Sunshine Notice that we intend to send to the district on Thursday.
Just some information for you to know- LA Unified has announced that they will start school on August 18th- the normal start time according to their negotiated calendar. FCMAT, the accounting agency for all schools, has estimated that we will have a negative COLA (cost of living adjustment) as we did in the mid-2,000s when furloughs and layoffs occurred. Also, we looked at models and will continue to research new models that are being implemented by schools across the world with regards to recently reopening schools in preparation for any possible changes we might be asked to undergo.
We want you know that we are working hard to make sure that your bargaining rights are being protected, salary schedule and benefits remain intact, and the safety of our students and staff remain a priority as plans for the next school year occur.
This is an ongoing process and you are seeing this sunshine notice before the district. Please keep this information confidential until we have a chance to send it to the district.
Stay safe and healthy,
Your Negotiations Team
SGTA 2019 Sunshine Proposal
Join us at the next Board Meeting!
Tuesday, May 12, 2019
6:00 Open Session, Closed Session, 7:00 Open Session Reconvenes
The bargaining team met on May fourth to discuss negotiations. Current bargaining issues discussed include COVID-19 issues with regards to potential changes due to social distancing regulations, State and District budget landscape, and distance learning. We have attached our Sunshine Notice that we intend to send to the district on Thursday.
Just some information for you to know- LA Unified has announced that they will start school on August 18th- the normal start time according to their negotiated calendar. FCMAT, the accounting agency for all schools, has estimated that we will have a negative COLA (cost of living adjustment) as we did in the mid-2,000s when furloughs and layoffs occurred. Also, we looked at models and will continue to research new models that are being implemented by schools across the world with regards to recently reopening schools in preparation for any possible changes we might be asked to undergo.
We want you know that we are working hard to make sure that your bargaining rights are being protected, salary schedule and benefits remain intact, and the safety of our students and staff remain a priority as plans for the next school year occur.
This is an ongoing process and you are seeing this sunshine notice before the district. Please keep this information confidential until we have a chance to send it to the district.
Stay safe and healthy,
Your Negotiations Team
SGTA 2019 Sunshine Proposal
Join us at the next Board Meeting!
Tuesday, May 12, 2019
6:00 Open Session, Closed Session, 7:00 Open Session Reconvenes
2019
November 29, 2019
Hi SGTA Union Members!
Let's congratulate our negotiations team for really holding out for a great Bargaining Agreement! They have done great work and now it's time for us to vote on it.
The salary schedules have been added to Member Resources.
Our vote is happening WEDNESDAY December 5th at GHS. As an added benefit, you can now vote during your prep in addition to at lunch. Thanks to our great Elections Committee and Edith in particular for making voting so convenient for us at this site.
If you have any questions about the contract changes, we will be available at lunch on Monday to discuss any parts you are wondering about.
Let's congratulate our negotiations team for really holding out for a great Bargaining Agreement! They have done great work and now it's time for us to vote on it.
The salary schedules have been added to Member Resources.
Our vote is happening WEDNESDAY December 5th at GHS. As an added benefit, you can now vote during your prep in addition to at lunch. Thanks to our great Elections Committee and Edith in particular for making voting so convenient for us at this site.
If you have any questions about the contract changes, we will be available at lunch on Monday to discuss any parts you are wondering about.
November 12, 2019
SGTA Members,
As promised, here is a power point presentation that explains our "SGTA 2019-2020 Tentative Agreement." Please take a moment to look over the agreement that our negotiations team has successfully reached with district admninstriation. Your school site rep may schedule a meeting to help answer any questions you have, or you can send your questions directly to your site reps.
Voting will take place the week of December 2nd - 5th. Stay tuned for specific dates and times. If the agreement passes, it will be "Sunshined" at the December 10th School Board Meeting. Finally, the school board members will take action at the December 17th School Board Meeting.
Thank you very much for your support!
Your SGTA Negotiations Team
As promised, here is a power point presentation that explains our "SGTA 2019-2020 Tentative Agreement." Please take a moment to look over the agreement that our negotiations team has successfully reached with district admninstriation. Your school site rep may schedule a meeting to help answer any questions you have, or you can send your questions directly to your site reps.
Voting will take place the week of December 2nd - 5th. Stay tuned for specific dates and times. If the agreement passes, it will be "Sunshined" at the December 10th School Board Meeting. Finally, the school board members will take action at the December 17th School Board Meeting.
Thank you very much for your support!
Your SGTA Negotiations Team
November 6, 2019
Our Negotiations Team met with the district team in the afternoon of 10/30 from 3:30 to 5:30. We agreed to the idea and intent of our agreement but were still hashing out the fine details and wording. As of yesterday, November 5th, we have come to an agreement on contract language that includes an on schedule raise, increase in emergency subbing rate, healthcare for retirees, planning time for SPED and Co-teaching teachers in a new Special Education and Language Learners article and an MOU regarding distribution of EL 2 and SPED students in regular classrooms.
Overall, the team is excited about the agreement as is theSGTA Executive Board. School site-reps will be debriefed on the details on November 12th. Folllowing the meeting we will share with you all the tentative agreement and will post a presentation on the SGTA website on November 12th.
Thank you very much for your support!
Your SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
Overall, the team is excited about the agreement as is theSGTA Executive Board. School site-reps will be debriefed on the details on November 12th. Folllowing the meeting we will share with you all the tentative agreement and will post a presentation on the SGTA website on November 12th.
Thank you very much for your support!
Your SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
- November 12th - Release of the Tenative Agreement
- Voting to ratify our contract will be held between November 18 - December 5th.
- Stay tuned for specific dates voting will take place at your site.
|
|
October 14, 2019
On Monday 10/14/2019 our negotiations team met with the district for a full day of negotiating ending at 3:30 p.m. Listed below are the items discussed:
· We tackled the final language for the Instructional Coach protections.
· We continued talks about the some possible language for a new article under Inclusion of EL and SPED.
· We shared information from the last rep council meeting regarding needs and suggestions for improvement discussed by those that attended.
· At the last negotiations meeting on 9/23, we gave some suggestions for possible language for the new article. During this meeting, discussion about the suggestions and implications of the language was analyzed.
· Questions about the information in the unaudited actuals were answered.
· Concerns over compensation for period subbing and compensation for elementary splitting of classes when subs are not available were discussed.
· Finally, we brought back a request from previous negotiations for retiree healthcare benefits.
We are meeting again on Wednesday 10/30. Our hopes are to finalize some language for the new article and possibly discuss a complete compensation package.
Thank you,
SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
· We tackled the final language for the Instructional Coach protections.
· We continued talks about the some possible language for a new article under Inclusion of EL and SPED.
· We shared information from the last rep council meeting regarding needs and suggestions for improvement discussed by those that attended.
· At the last negotiations meeting on 9/23, we gave some suggestions for possible language for the new article. During this meeting, discussion about the suggestions and implications of the language was analyzed.
· Questions about the information in the unaudited actuals were answered.
· Concerns over compensation for period subbing and compensation for elementary splitting of classes when subs are not available were discussed.
· Finally, we brought back a request from previous negotiations for retiree healthcare benefits.
We are meeting again on Wednesday 10/30. Our hopes are to finalize some language for the new article and possibly discuss a complete compensation package.
Thank you,
SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
- Wednesday, 10/30/19 Reconvene Negotiations!
- Wear your SGTA Shirts !
September 23, 2019
Dear SGTA Members -
Your negotiations team had their second meeting today with the district. We continued our discussion on Instructional Coach protections and agreed on language that was written.
Will gave an update and reviewed the district’s unaudited actuals. If you are looking for more details, his presentation can be found on the board agenda dated September 10, 2019.
We continued with conversations about Special Education and EL inclusion in the classroom, clarifying needs and sharing challenges that were in our last negotiations survey. Some ideas for possible language have been discussed.
Jim ended the meeting wanting to thank our staff for their outstanding performance during the lockdown last week. Our next meeting is scheduled for October 14th. Discussion on inclusion will continue.
-SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
Your negotiations team had their second meeting today with the district. We continued our discussion on Instructional Coach protections and agreed on language that was written.
Will gave an update and reviewed the district’s unaudited actuals. If you are looking for more details, his presentation can be found on the board agenda dated September 10, 2019.
We continued with conversations about Special Education and EL inclusion in the classroom, clarifying needs and sharing challenges that were in our last negotiations survey. Some ideas for possible language have been discussed.
Jim ended the meeting wanting to thank our staff for their outstanding performance during the lockdown last week. Our next meeting is scheduled for October 14th. Discussion on inclusion will continue.
-SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
- Friday, 10/14/19 Reconvene Negtiations!
- Wear your SGTA Shirts !
August 30, 2019
Dear SGTA Members -
Your negotiations team had their first meeting last Friday with the district. Members from the district include Jim Symonds, Ross Perry, Will Wong, Brian Murray, Ruth Essen, Chris Guyer, and Sandra Dunville. We met today with TOSA protections as the main focus. Language was written and proposed, and is in the process of being finalized.
Will Wong clearly shared information regarding where the district is in regards to their current budget process. The district is working to close the books in order to present the unaudited actuals, which will be shared with the board on September 10th.
We opened conversation about Special Education and EL inclusion in the classroom, laying the groundwork for our next meeting. The district team was very open to conversations and seems very supportive towards teacher concerns. Both teams worked well together and conversation was informative and productive. Our next meeting is scheduled for September 23rd. Discussion on inclusion will continue.
-SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
Your negotiations team had their first meeting last Friday with the district. Members from the district include Jim Symonds, Ross Perry, Will Wong, Brian Murray, Ruth Essen, Chris Guyer, and Sandra Dunville. We met today with TOSA protections as the main focus. Language was written and proposed, and is in the process of being finalized.
Will Wong clearly shared information regarding where the district is in regards to their current budget process. The district is working to close the books in order to present the unaudited actuals, which will be shared with the board on September 10th.
We opened conversation about Special Education and EL inclusion in the classroom, laying the groundwork for our next meeting. The district team was very open to conversations and seems very supportive towards teacher concerns. Both teams worked well together and conversation was informative and productive. Our next meeting is scheduled for September 23rd. Discussion on inclusion will continue.
-SGTA Negotiations Team
Next Steps:
- Friday, 09/23/19 Reconvene Negotiations!
- Wear your SGTA Shirts !
2018November 7, 2018Dear SGTA Members -
Following the large member turnout at the last school board meeting, the parties explored whether meeting sooner rather than later might be advantageous to all parties. The parties reconvened negotiations this afternoon. At 4:30 this afternoon the parties reached a tentative agreement. The tentative agreement includes information that has been shared previously along with: · Science Camp Stipend and History Day Stipend at $1,151,54 each. · Increased yearly pay for certification and licensure Speech and Language Pathologist from $3,500 to $4,000/yr. · We extended evaluation time from every 3 to 5 years for teachers with 10 years of service or more. · We restructured the salary schedule effective July 21, 2019, collapsing the 3 year gaps to 2 years · We added a new step 25, increasing the current maximum amount from $92,119 to $93,642 (not including the across the board increase). After the across the board increase, this will move our top step to over $95,000. Updated salary schedules will be made available prior to the ratification vote. · Parties have agreed to a 2.5% on schedule increase, retro to July 1, 2018. Thank you for your continued support and dedication. We couldn’t have achieved this without you. -SGTA Negotiations Team Next Steps:
October 22, 2018 SGTA Members -
Thank you all for waiting for a complete update. We met with the district negotiation team on Wednesday 10/17. We talked solely about salary. We expressed our view that our offer is fair and reasonable. We also talked about the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent raises. We also asked what exactly a Deputy Assistant Superintendent is and what makes it different from the others. The answer we heard was that this person is responsible for taking over if the Superintendent is absent. We also asked why this is different than what we have been doing before since the contracts are so much higher than the others. No real answer was given. As we move toward our goals, there are a few things to keep in mind. We are only as strong as the people and amount of people who support us. We had a great showing at the last board meeting. Thanks for showing up. The last board meeting had about 17% of members in attendance and it was impressive. They are expecting us tomorrow and we need to ramp up the percentage. We need to show the district and the board that we are serious. There are three presentations tomorrow. 1. Student CAASP results, 2. Single Plans for Student Achievement and 3. Interim Budget Revisions. These are all issues that affect us directly. Please answer the questions that were sent out by your site reps so that we can use that information in an address to the board. Take a look at the CAASP presentation. Look at what they are attributing to the rise in scores! We need to be heard and the survey is one way for us to do that. Great job Jefferson, you are giving us your input! Gabrielino- lets make this happen, we are the school with the largest amount of unit members! FYI- If you haven’t taken the time to read the most current Superintendent contracts, not only did they get a raise they also are getting a 0.5 match from the district to their 403b plans along with the other perks that are actually monetary based. -SGTA Negotiations Team Some Additional Fringe Benefits and Expenses to Consider... Dr. John W. Pappalardo first amendment to employment contract as Superintendent. The contract term is extended to June 30, 2020 June 2017 B. The Superintendent shall annually receive a doctoral stipend in the amount of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00). The Superintendent shall have the right each year to convert up to ten (10) earned but unused vacation days to compensation at the Superintendent’s then current per diem rate of pay. B. The Superintendent shall be provided all fringe benefits provided to other management employees at District expense. Further, in addition to any life insurance policy provided to other certificated management employees, the Superintendent shall receive a term life insurance policy with a premium approximating, but not to exceed, One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per annual period covered by said policy . D. Cell Phone. The District shall provide the Superintendent with a cellular telephone and a tablet device with cellular service through the term of this Agreement at District expense. E. Automobile. In lieu of any other reimbursement for automobile expense incurred in the conduct of his duties on behalf of the District for travel wholly within Los Angeles County and adjacent counties, the District shall provide the Superintendent an allowance of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) per month to defray the Superintendent’s actual costs of employment-related automobile travel. The use of this allowance shall be at the Superintendent’s discretion and shall not require any documentation. This monthly allowance shall be treated and considered as part of the Superintendent’s compensation/salary for tax purposes and for purposes of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) to the maximum extent permitted by law. F. Business Expenses. In lieu of any other reimbursement for business expenses incurred in the conduct of his duties on behalf of the District, the Superintendent shall receive a monthly allowance of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). The use of this allowance shall be at the Superintendent’s discretion and shall not require any documentation. This monthly allowance shall be treated and considered as part of the Superintendent’s compensation/salary for tax purposes and for purposes of the CalPERS to the maximum extent permitted by law. Yolanda Mendoza, one year contract effective July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019 as Deputy Superintendent, Educational Services. Base salary is contracted at $175,000 annually, a hard cap of $7,680 annually for health and welfare benefits, $300 monthly mileage stipend, and $150,000 term life insurance policy. Deferred Compensation Match The District shall provide a 50% match (District will provide $1 for every $2 made by Ms. Mendoza) for any regular contributions made to an approved deferred compensation (403(b)) program up to the allowable statutory limits. The term of this Contract may be extended at any time by the mutual agreement of Ms. Mendoza and the District, but at no time may such agreement be for more than three (3) years. Joyce Yeh first amendment to employment contract as Assistant Superintendent, Business Services. The term of the contract is extended to June 30, 2020, and base salary is step 4 of Assistant Superintendent, Business Services salary schedule at $163,815. SECTION A. TERM OF CONTRACT The Board hereby employs Ms. Yeh and Ms. Yeh remains in the position of Assistant Superintendent, Business Services, for the term commencing August 3, 2015 and expiring on June 30, 2017. Deferred Compensation Match The District shall provide a 50% match (District will provide $1 for every $2 made by Ms. Yeh) for any regular contributions made to an approved deferred compensation (403(b) or 457) program up to the allowable statutory limits -June 25, 2018 Board Meeting Tuesday, October 23rd S.G.U.S.D. School Board Meeting! Wear Black!
October 21, 2018Hello SGTA Members - This is of an urgent matter. Friday afternoon your SGTA Executive Board met until 6:00 p.m. with our Negotiations Chairperson. We prepared a statement to present to the school board on Tuesday evening regarding the stalled negotiations with the school district.
Please do the following: Step One: Answer the following questions below and email them to your site rep by Monday morning. Step Two: WEAR BLACK ON TUESDAY and SGTA BUTTONS! Make arrangements to show up to the school board meeting on Tuesday, October 23rd no later than 6:45 p.m. We need an overwhelmingly support to push for 3% on the salary schedule. Please note, WE ARE ALL BUSY and have our own personal lives and families to tend to, so do not leave the burden of attending the meeting upon the same 30 teachers. We have over 250 teachers, if this is important to you, BE THERE! Do whatever it takes to plan accordingly. Make childcare arrangements, bring your children, share with your family what is occurring.... Our negotiations team needs to see a strong presence or we will not continue this fight. It is up to each and every one of you! (***If you are a temp, Prob 1 or Prob 2 teacher, you are not required to participate in these organizing events. Let the permanent teachers get the job done!) Please email these responses to your site reps BY MONDAY at NOON. 1) What Professional Development/Conferences have you attended in the last year? 2) What graduate classes/credentials/certificates are you currently enrolled in or have completed in the past year? (NGSS, PBL, DBL, UCLA Writing Institute, STEM, M.A. program, Admin Cred, Doctorate, et.c...) 3) What work have you done at your school site that has contributed to the rise of test scores? (Intervention, SIOP, Inclusion, GATE, AVID, ALEX, etc....) The Negotiations Team will be sending out further instructions on Monday morning. And don't forget to WEAR BLACK ON TUESDAY!!! Thank you, Your SGTA Executive Board October 17, 2018 SGTA Members -
Our negotiations team met the with the district today with salary as the main focus. Negotiations has stalled because there was no movement from either party. Be prepared to do your part and show up at the next board meeting on Tuesday, October 23rd, your Negotiations Team is expecting your support! More detailed information will be released in the next few days. -SGTA Negotiations Team Tuesday, October 23rd S.G.U.S.D. School Board Meeting!
And last but not least, Keep wearing those shirts!! Let's show we are unified! October 4, 2018SGTA Members -
We started the day talking about Inclusion and EL issues and how each level is determining the model that is being used. We also voiced concerns that teachers are having in their classrooms. The remainder of the day was spent discussing salary. The district proposed several options that essentially equate to the same 2% offer as before. Our team has remained firm at 3% with a salary restructure. We ended the day with no agreements and will continue October 17. A Memorandum of Understanding regarding stipends for Science Camp and Del Mar History Day was signed to allow for stipends to be paid this year. We stand firm that our offer is fair and reasonable. It is important that unit members remain united in our efforts to resolve negotiations and reach a fair settlement. We ask that unit members continue to be present at board meetings to show our solidarity. The next board meeting is this Tuesday, October 9. This is the only board meeting between now and October 17, our next negotiations meeting with the district. Members from all sites are encouraged strongly to attend. -SGTA Negotiations Team Keep the momentum moving forward: Tuesday, October 9th 2018:
Make your presence known at the S.G.U.S.D. School Board Meeting! (We all understand that you have families and priorities, so please arrive at the most convenient time for your schedule)
And last but not least, Keep wearing those shirts!! Let's show we are unified! September 30, 2018:It's time for us to get a slice of the Pie!
Hello SGTA- On October 4th your negotiations team will continue the next round of negotiating. Take a look below at our graphics... No matter which way you slice it, its time for us to get a piece of the pie! Although the percentages are not equal, we are seeking to move closer to parity with regards to the percentages. We are asking for 3% because we feel that this will bring us closer and we feel that this is fair and appropriate with regards to declining enrollment. So please wear your shirts on October 4th! Your SGTA Negotiations team believes we ALL deserve a slice! -SGTA Negotiations Team Whether you slice it this way... Or whether you slice it that way... Superintendent: Dr. John Pappalardo 2018 Base Salary: $240,969 Dr. John Pappalardo 2017 Base Salary: $230,592 Dr. John Pappalardo 2015 Base Salary: $199,000 Asst. Supt of Educational Services: Director Yolanda Mendoza 2018 Base Salary: $175,000. Dr. Tiffany Rudek 2016 Base Salary: $169,000 Dr. Mayra Perez 2013 Base Salary: $132,711 Assistant Supt of Human Resources: Ross Perry 2018 Base Salary: $149,915. Dr. Yolanda Mendoza 2017 Base Salary: $165,000 Anna Molinar 2013 Base Salary: $132,711 Asst. Supt of Business Services: Joyce Yeh 2018 Base Salary: $163,815 Joyce Yeh 2017 Base Salary: $159,045 Joyce Yeh 2015 Base Salary: $145,520 Noneette Martin 2013 Base Salary: 138,539 
September 10, 2018:Today was our second full session of negotiations and was productive. We completed negotiations at 3:30 p.m. We started our day with a presentation from Joyce Yeh regarding the district’s Unaudited Actuals. As time passed and proposals were passed, we realized that a 2-year contract for salary increase was holding things up. To move the process along, we are exploring a 1-year salary increase on schedule with the options to reopen for 2019-2020. Our last proposal was for 3% on schedule. The district has increased from 1% for 2018 to a 2%. Our proposal of 3% was given to the district at the end of the session. Our next meeting will be October 4th. We look forward to hearing what the district’s counter proposal will be. Based on the district financials and the importance of prioritizing our members in the classroom, we maintain that this is a fair and reasonable offer.
-SGTA Negotiations Team Keep the momentum moving forward: Tuesday, September 11th 2018:
Make your presence known at the S.G.U.S.D. School Board Meeting! (We all understand that you have families and priorities, so please arrive at the most convenient time for your schedule)
San Gabriel Unifed School Board Agenda September 11, 2018 And last but not least, Keep wearing those shirts!! Let's show we are unified! September 9, 2018Monday, September 10th:
WEAR YOUR S.G.T.A SHIRT! Our negotiations team will be back in negotiations on Monday morning! Show that we are unified! Tuesday, September 11th 2018:
Make your presence known at the S.G.U.S.D. School Board Meeting!
August 30, 2018Negotiations team meet with the district’s new team which is composed of Ross Perry, Brian Murray, Ruth Esseln, Matt Arnold, Jim Symonds and Joyce Yeh. We started the day with norm since we have a new district team. We asked for the unaudited actuals. We were informed that the unaudited actuals would be available when the board agenda is posted for the September 11 meeting. At that board meeting, the board members will certify the report.
We asked for current enrollment. The Day 8 projections show that we are still down by 146 students compared to last year. We have tentatively agreed to changes on the following: Article 6, Leave of Absence Article 7, Hours of Work Article 9, Evaluation Procedures Article 20, Job Sharing We have yet to agree on the following: Article 16, Teacher Support Programs Article 17 Salary Schedule and Rules Article 21 Duration Article 13, Class size. We had conversations with the district team regarding the need for language on inclusion and co-teaching. The conversation was very collaborative, and we gained a lot of insight on special education regulations. We will continue conversations with the district at our next meeting. At our last negotiations meeting on June 1, 2018, we sent a counter proposal to the district proposal of 1% on schedule increase for 2018-19. Our counter proposal was 3.75% on schedule July 1, 2018 and 2.75% on schedule July 1, 2019. Salary schedule restructure addressing the step freeze between steps 13-19. In the afternoon, the district countered with 1% July 1, 2018 and 1% on schedule July 1, 2019. The district proposal prior to today was only a 1-year proposal. The new proposal opens the contract up to a 2-year contract. Upon salary analysis of district level administration, the average raise between 4 employees is over 20%, over the span of 2013-2018 whereas SGTA, during the same time frame has a total of 10%. We ended the day at 2:30 with an SGTA counter proposal for 3.5% July 1, 2018 on schedule and 2.5% July 1, 2019 on schedule. We are scheduled to meet again on September 10, 2018. To show the district that we are united, be sure to attend the next board meeting and wear your SGTA shirts on September 10. Look for the next negotiations update on Sangabrielteachers.com, our SGTA website, under the bargaining link. Next Steps:
May 29, 2018:
The negotiations team has met with district a total four times. We have discussed and agreed upon the following: language for evaluations, hours of work, job sharing, leaves of absence, and the 2020-21 calendar. We are currently in talks about association rights. We will be talking about class size, salary schedule and rules, and retiree medical benefits at our next meeting on Friday, June 1. Please wear your union shirt on this Friday! We have accomplished quite a bit in our meetings so far. If we can agree upon the last articles, we may be finished and ready for a vote before school is out. If not, we will be back at the table at the beginning of the school year. Thank you, Dena & Negotiations Team |
2017September 15, 2017After a full day of negotiating, we were not able to reach an agreement on salary with the district. We ended negotiations at 4:00 and plan to reconvene in a week.
The parties remain split on proposed salary increases to the salary schedule and the salary schedule restructure. For example, the salary steps are currently stagnant in steps 14-16, 17-19, 20-22, 23-25. The restructure would adjust the schedule so that rather than a three-year gap, employees would receive a step increase every two years. SGTA, as part of the insurance committee, has been exploring moving to a pool which would create potential savings in health and welfare cost for both members and the district. Medical plans and benefits would remain the same with Kaiser, Blue Shield HMO, Blue Shield PPO, and high deductible plan all remaining in place. In negotiations, SGTA discussed applying the savings to the salary schedule. Discussions on this subject will continue when the insurance committee meets again on September 20, 2017. Additionally, the district has discussed with SGTA the possibility of an early retirement package. SGTA is currently preparing a survey to assess member interest in such a package. At this point, there are no specific details regarding an early retirement plan on the table. Those identified by the district as potentially eligible will be receiving the SGTA survey. Your input is crucial in helping us move forward. We appreciate your support as we continue to work towards a fair resolution for all SGTA members. And a big "Thank You" goes out to our Negotiations Team who so kindly give of their personal time to fact find and bargain with the best interest of all in mind. Thank you, Dena Dragoo President, SGTA September 11, 2017On Thursday, Sept 7th, SGTA responded to the districts salary proposal from last June. The district responded with a counter proposal as well. We then returned with another counter proposal. No action was taken and the session was ended due to a principals meeting that was previously scheduled. Negotiations will continue this Thursday, Sept. 14th. Please wear your SGTA Shirts to work on Thursday Sep 14th to support our team!
August 14, 2017Hello SGTA,
I hope you have all had a wonderful summer. As we approach the beginning of the school year, your SGTA negotiations team will need your support as they return to the bargaining table on September 7th. Please do the following to show your solidarity:
SGTA’s current proposal includes the following: July 1, 2016 – 2% on-schedule increase and a salary adjustment to the current salary schedule July 1, 2017 – Continue bargaining in Fall 2017 On Friday May 26th, the District presented a counter proposal to SGTA’s offer as follows: July 1, 2016 – 1% on-schedule increase July 1, 2017 – 2% on-schedule increase It is important to note that this proposal comes on the heels of the Governor’s May Revise Budget which directed $3.2 billion more in Proposition 98 (K-14) funding for 2017-18 than in 2016-17. The new budget proposal provides 44% gap funding in 2017-18 up from 23.67% in January. The new proposal also increases the COLA from 1.48% to 1.56% for 2017-18. SGTA anticipates these adjustments to equate to approximately $575K more in LCFF revenue for 2017-18 than earlier projected and an increase of close to $1.1 million in LCFF revenue over 2016-17. Thank you for your time, Dena Dragoo President June 1, 2017SGTA met with the SGUSD Bargaining Team for negotiations on Tuesday May 23rd. While the parties were previously scheduled to meet on May 3rd, the District cancelled this session explaining they needed more time to work on their responses to SGTA’s proposals.
Despite repeated requests by the SGTA team throughout the day for SGUSD’s salary proposal, the District did not offer a counter salary proposal until close to 4pm. While the parties did make progress on open language issues mostly pertaining to special education meetings, professional development, and preparation time, SGTA had hoped more time would have been allotted for salary negotiations. In an effort to reach settlement, SGTA offered a counter proposal meant to resolve 2016/17 reopener negotiations and continue negotiations for 2017/18 salary and retiree medical benefits. Previously, SGTA had proposed closing both 2016/17 and 2017/18 reopeners. SGTA’s current proposal includes the following: July 1, 2016 – 2% on-schedule increase and a salary adjustment to the current salary schedule July 1, 2017 – Continue bargaining in Fall 2017 On Friday May 26th, the District presented a counter proposal to SGTA’s offer as follows: July 1, 2016 – 1% on-schedule increase July 1, 2017 – 2% on-schedule increase It is important to note that this proposal comes on the heels of the Governor’s May Revise Budget which directed $3.2 billion more in Proposition 98 (K-14) funding for 2017-18 than in 2016-17. The new budget proposal provides 44% gap funding in 2017-18 up from 23.67% in January. The new proposal also increases the COLA from 1.48% to 1.56% for 2017-18. SGTA anticipates these adjustments to equate to approximately $575K more in LCFF revenue for 2017-18 than earlier projected and an increase of close to $1.1 million in LCFF revenue over 2016-17. We did not accept or deny their offer. We will meet in fall to continue negotiations and hopefully improve their offer. During the summer, SGTA will be preparing our plans to support bargaining and a fair contract for all members for the start of the school year. SGTA would like to thank our Negotiations Team Members, Francois Polifroni, Chanda Strom, Alex Edwards, Tony Phong, Carol Thompson, and our CTA Staff Person, Tom Pinkava, for their unwavering commitment to our bargaining unit. They have given of their personal time to plan, fact find, listen to everyone's concerns about salary and health care and contractual issues. Thank you team! As your president, I hope that you all have a well deserved summer break and "Thank You" to all SGTA for always giving 100% to the students of San Gabriel Unified. See you in August. Dena Dragoo President, SGTA May 3, 2017Our bargaining team met with the district for negotiations on Friday, April 28th. SGTA proposed two salary increases for all bargaining unit members, one retroactive to July 1, 2016 and another effective July 1, 2017. The salary proposal includes across-the-board increases for all members in both years and a salary restructure to the current schedule. SGTA also introduced proposals to address special education planning and preparation time, clarify special education staff meeting time, and monitor special education caseloads. There was also quite a bit of discussion around SGUSD’s safety and emergency preparedness. The parties will meet again for negotiations on Wednesday, May 3rd.
LCAP Summary Plan: On April 14, 2017 our Educational Advisory Committee met to review the LCAP Summary Plan for next year. We have attached the document for your reference. This document will be shared with school board members on June 20th and will be placed on the district website for public knowledge. The LCAP Summary Plan will be school board approved on June 27th, then it will be sent to LACOE. Any corrections will be addressed prior to sending to the CDE. It is important we review this document now and offer any additional comments or suggestions immediately. Please take some time to discuss this plan with your principals and your EAC Committee members. You can also email your school board members if you so choose to question this document. Please keep in mind that this is a working document and funding may change as school sites needs are addressed. Music Immersion Experience (MIE) Program: It is important to note that the LCAP Summary Plan referred to above lists the math/reading/music infused intervention program (MIE) at Roosevelt Elementary School at an estimated cost of $875K for 2017-18. Previous reports from SGTA regarding the MIE program budget were based on the information provided to SGTA by the SGUSD District Office. Based on this information, SGTA also stated that we did not feel this program was well planned-out. SGTA would like to clarify these comments. First, our comments regarding program planning was referring to the District’s ability to fulfill its 5-year commitment to fund the MIE program, not the program’s structure, instruction, or curriculum. Second, SGTA recently met with our MIE bargaining unit members and learned that the budgetary information provided by SGUSD to SGTA is incorrect. According to the MIE Program Director, the MIE budget for next year is still being drafted but will be significantly less that the $875K amount reported previously. This is partially due to the reduction in first year start-up costs and potential grant funding. SGTA is committed to the success of the MIE program at Roosevelt. Our MIE bargaining unit members are doing incredible work with our students there. Moving forward, we will be setting up a meeting with the Superintendent and the MIE Program Director to clarify the discrepencies between what the MIE Program is planning for their budget and what the District Office is reporting. We will keep you posted on these discussions. Potential Cuts to Title One Funding: (Message from Asst. Supt. Tiffany Rudek) LACOE warned us that all Title Programs may be cut up to 20% if the State withholds more money. The new ESSA law allows states to take more federal dollars off the top. We will not know what the State will do and what our allocations will be until the fall. That being the case, we are looking for ways to save and protect schools from these possible cuts. The cuts are a problem for us because we are very heavily invested in people. Recent Achievements: Del Mar High School Sends 6 Students to Represent SGUSD in History Day Contest! Six Del Mar High School continuation students will represent San Gabriel Unified School District in National History Day-California, a state competition that challenges students to examine history through extensive original research and creatively express their findings before a panel of historians and educators. Congratulations to Del Mar and the hard-working teachers and students! CTA Statewide Day of Action: Thank you very much to teachers across the district who wore their SGTA shirts on Monday. Monday was not only a day for labor unions to recognize their positive contributions to the work force, but to also take a stand for public education and the educational rights of all students to receive a Free and Appropriate Education. (FAPE) We sent a message to CTA organizers to acknowledge the fine efforts of the San Gabriel Teachers Association. Thank you all! |
2016January 25, 2016Hooray! We have a final contract proposal to look at and vote on (pending approval by SGTA exec board today and SGTA site reps tomorrow).
Chanda and I would like to present it to you on FRIDAY at noon in Chanda's room, B201. If we can get started right at noon, it will only take about 15 minutes and you can resume your department plans for the afternoon. We will also be voting on the contract after the presentation. Once all school sites have voted, we will 'sunshine' our proposal to the board. Thanks! January 21, 2016:
The negotiations committee is glad to announce that we have signed a tentative agreement. The next steps include: 1.) meeting with the exec board on Monday for approval, 2.) Meeting with the Rep Council on Tuesday. Informational meetings and membership voting will follow. Keep your eyes open for future times and dates. Thank you, Negotiations Team |
2015December 3, 2015As of December 2, we met and spent the day on salary discussions.
We still have the following three items to complete: Stipends Class size Salary While some progress has been made in the area of salary we have not yet reached an agreement. The parties continue to disagree over compensation percentages. The district indicated that in order to move forward they will be discussing negotiations with the superintendent and the school board. It is important that the board hears from us on this matter as well. The SGTA video and presentation will be presented on December 8th at 6:00 p.m. in the board room. We are requesting that SGTA members come and show their support by attending the meeting wearing their SGTA shirts. Your support will show the school board and the superintendent that we are united for a fair contract A note from the negotiations team… We believe our salary proposal is more than reasonable given the current increases in district revenues. Of the 15 comparable districts, San Gabriel is receiving the 6th highest amount in LCFF revenues. District revenues are up from 44.4 million to 51.3 million according 2013-14 unaudited actuals and 2014-2015 unaudited actuals. This represents a 15.6% increase in revenues. November 20, 2015
As of November 18, we have completed the following:
Contract language for transfers and grievance is complete We have three items to complete: Stipends Class size Salary No progress has been made in the area of salary. We made a counter to the district’s last proposal and are waiting for a response. Our next negotiations meeting is scheduled for December 2, 2015. Please stay tuned for additional updates. October 27, 2015As of the last meeting on October 20, the district rejected our salary proposal and made a counter proposal. Our proposal attempts to make our salaries more comparable to surrounding districts (see below info). Their offer was FAR below what we are proposing. Additionally, their counter partially funds our increase with the savings from switching our health benefits from Anthem Blue Cross program to Blue Shield. Basically, they want us to fund part of our own salary increase.
Our next session is scheduled for November 18. SGTA will continue to push for an across the board salary increase that improves all teachers salaries. Additionally, there are a number of contract language issues that need to be further discussed. Please stay tuned for additional updates Salary comparison SGTA compared our salary schedule with 14 other districts as follows: Alhambra, Glendora, Arcadia, La Canada, Azusa, Bassett, Bonita, Duarte, El Rancho, Glendora, La Canada, Monrovia, San Marino, South Pasadena, Temple City and West Covina. Here is what we found: SALARY ANALYSIS – COLUMN F, STEP 13 Current SGTA Column F, Step 13 = $78,874 When compared against the 14 comparable districts, for the same column, Step 13, San Gabriel ranks 15 out of 15, the lowest. The remaining districts range from $79,023 to $99,702. The average for Step 13 among comps = $85,241 The median for Step 13 among comps = $84,503 STARTING SALARIES – COLUMN D, STEP 1 (W/MASTERS) Current SGTA Column D, Step 1 = $46,536 When compared against the 14 comparable districts, for the same column, Step 1, San Gabriel ranks 15 out of 15, the lowest. The average for Step 13 among comps = $50,981 The median for Step 13 among comps = $51,065 Of these 14 districts, 5 already higher than San Gabriel are still in negotiations for salary effective July 1, 2015, suggesting starting salaries in these districts will increase further above San Gabriel. September 24, 2015The negotiations committee has had five meetings as of today, September 22, 2015, with today being our fourth meeting with district administrators. Two of the four days have included salary talks. At this point the district and SGTA are nowhere near agreement. However we have made progress in strengthening and clarifying contract language in the following areas:
1. P.E. class size 2. Transfer language 3. Other duties 4. Grievance procedures 5. Normal onsite obligations 6. Personal necessity 7. Hours of work 8. Safety and teaching conditions Our next scheduled negotiation meeting is October 6, but may be canceled if the district is unable to come to the table with a new salary offer. RETIREMENT WORKSHOP - 10/21 3:30-5:00 Jefferson Please let me know by Oct 6 if you would like to attend. This is an amazing workshop put on by CTA. If you are planning on retiring, this is a great workshop. BOARD MEMBERS RECEPTION Spirit of Volunteering at Pizza Place Nov 10 3:30-5:30. Please RSVP to me. See details on the flyer HEALTH BENEFITS There is a strong possibility that our Anthem HMO/PPO plans will be changing to Blue Shield in January. Please let me know ASAP if your current Anthem providers are NOT contracted with Blue Shield (you will have to call and talk to their insurance person to find out for sure). The district says that this change will only minimally effect us at 96% of the current Anthem doctors are contracted with Blue Shield as well. Negotiations does not feel as confident. Also, this year you be required to meet with a district HR rep to sign up digitally. Look out for more information. ATTEND SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS There is not much exciting happening now, but we would still like to have some teachers in the audience. |