Bargaining Proposals
Read below for negotiations updates. You can view any of the exchanged proposals by clicking the links below.
11/9/20 Tonight the Association offered a comprehensive proposal as a response to the District’s package offer from October 29th. It included:
We wish there was an “easy button” to reach a settlement. We wish there was an easy button to resolve the dysregulation in our schools. To make Comprehensive Distance Learning easier. To allow educators to finish their work within a regular workday and be able to spend their evenings with their families. But this isn’t a commercial and an Easy Button doesn’t exist. Instead, we need to put in the hard work together to find a way to reach an agreement that meets the interests of both sides. We cannot just roll the current contract (which is essentially what the District has offered) for another three years and expect to see our students suddenly receiving the supports and safe conditions they need to thrive.
It’s not easy, but we not only believe we can do it, we know we can. Only together will we solve these issues as ONE TEAM! Click on the links below to see the entire content of the proposals.
To see the McEA Package Proposal dated 11-9-2020 please click HERE
To see the McMinnville School District proposal dated 10-29-2020 click HERE
- Safety and behavioral support language that isn’t currently a part of our contract--language that addresses the recent safety and behavioral support issues faced by your professional educators and their students each and every day.
- Safe return to Hybrid learning—including limiting exposure rates for educators and students along with improved classroom social distancing and PPE supplies.
We wish there was an “easy button” to reach a settlement. We wish there was an easy button to resolve the dysregulation in our schools. To make Comprehensive Distance Learning easier. To allow educators to finish their work within a regular workday and be able to spend their evenings with their families. But this isn’t a commercial and an Easy Button doesn’t exist. Instead, we need to put in the hard work together to find a way to reach an agreement that meets the interests of both sides. We cannot just roll the current contract (which is essentially what the District has offered) for another three years and expect to see our students suddenly receiving the supports and safe conditions they need to thrive.
It’s not easy, but we not only believe we can do it, we know we can. Only together will we solve these issues as ONE TEAM! Click on the links below to see the entire content of the proposals.
To see the McEA Package Proposal dated 11-9-2020 please click HERE
To see the McMinnville School District proposal dated 10-29-2020 click HERE
DISTANCE LEARNING MOU UPDATE FROM SEPTEMBER 24
The Association spent a grueling four hours in a conversation with the District bargaining team--trying to establish supports for our students, families, and educators in crisis. The District lawyer, Nancy Hungerford, continued to state that the District felt that school was going well and elementary students, their families, and educators had a schedule that worked for all. Superintendent Russell is still noticeably absent from the conversation.
The Association shared their simplified schedule which cut back on screen time, gave flexibility to working families and educators, and provided supports for high quality learning. The schedule was rejected.
To see the PowerPoint on the sample elementary schedule that the Association shared with the District, click HERE.
The conversation also focused on the District's lack of proposals on the most important topics being discussed--like screen time, educator-directed planning and collaboration time, etc. McEA teachers pointed out that it appeared that the District was attempting to "run out the clock," so to speak and engage in "surface bargaining" only (bargaining over small issues that had little impact on how school is actually going for students, families, and educators). We believe that this is why Superintendent Russell, our district leader, is refusing to come to the discussion.
To drive this point home, the District's team shared that they would not meet again to bargain for at least two weeks.
Due to the lack of substantive proposals from Sup. Russell and her team, there were no counter offers exchanged. To see the last offer from the District, click HERE.
The Association spent a grueling four hours in a conversation with the District bargaining team--trying to establish supports for our students, families, and educators in crisis. The District lawyer, Nancy Hungerford, continued to state that the District felt that school was going well and elementary students, their families, and educators had a schedule that worked for all. Superintendent Russell is still noticeably absent from the conversation.
The Association shared their simplified schedule which cut back on screen time, gave flexibility to working families and educators, and provided supports for high quality learning. The schedule was rejected.
To see the PowerPoint on the sample elementary schedule that the Association shared with the District, click HERE.
The conversation also focused on the District's lack of proposals on the most important topics being discussed--like screen time, educator-directed planning and collaboration time, etc. McEA teachers pointed out that it appeared that the District was attempting to "run out the clock," so to speak and engage in "surface bargaining" only (bargaining over small issues that had little impact on how school is actually going for students, families, and educators). We believe that this is why Superintendent Russell, our district leader, is refusing to come to the discussion.
To drive this point home, the District's team shared that they would not meet again to bargain for at least two weeks.
Due to the lack of substantive proposals from Sup. Russell and her team, there were no counter offers exchanged. To see the last offer from the District, click HERE.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL MOU NEGOTIATIONS FROM AUGUST 25
Your Association leadership has been working tirelessly to get an agreement in place before students return to the fall 2020-2021 school year.
We’re very concerned. We’re worried we’re bringing up safety concerns and the District is ignoring them.
We’re concerned that the District refuses to address flexible schedules for teachers, especially teachers with children and childcare issues. We’re concerned that the District is hesitant to give all grade levels equal opportunity for much needed prep time and collaboration and yet still expect them to create quality curriculum for distance learning. We are concerned that the District won't commit to providing our students with the needed resources to be successful. The Association and District were supposed to meet on Monday, Aug. 31st, but the District has canceled that negotiation date. Their earliest available date that they have offered is Friday, Sept. 4th. That session will be public and we will post the link soon.
To see the latest McEA MOU Proposal, click HERE.
To see the latest District Proposal, click HERE.
Your Association leadership has been working tirelessly to get an agreement in place before students return to the fall 2020-2021 school year.
We’re very concerned. We’re worried we’re bringing up safety concerns and the District is ignoring them.
We’re concerned that the District refuses to address flexible schedules for teachers, especially teachers with children and childcare issues. We’re concerned that the District is hesitant to give all grade levels equal opportunity for much needed prep time and collaboration and yet still expect them to create quality curriculum for distance learning. We are concerned that the District won't commit to providing our students with the needed resources to be successful. The Association and District were supposed to meet on Monday, Aug. 31st, but the District has canceled that negotiation date. Their earliest available date that they have offered is Friday, Sept. 4th. That session will be public and we will post the link soon.
To see the latest McEA MOU Proposal, click HERE.
To see the latest District Proposal, click HERE.
NEGOTIATIONS FROM JUNE 16
Students in crisis. Learning disrupted daily. Hours of class time lost. These are very real problems in McMinnville Schools. During today’s negotiations, we saw the District spinning their wheels and refusing to acknowledge the problems we have with Disrupted Learning. The Association has language in Article 18 that tackles these tough safety and learning issues in our schools. This new language is clearing a path for teams in the buildings to work together to support our students.
The District offered the same stale plan in their proposal on Article 18 tonight—a PBIS plan that we know just isn’t enough.
To improve our student success, we need a plan that includes:
Basically, the District is stuck. They are stuck in their belief that the current systems are working. We anticipated that they wouldn’t move much, if at all, and we were ready. The Association put together and shared a powerpoint that offered powerful testimonials of what our parents, educators, and school volunteers are seeing every day in the classroom. You can see a copy of the powerpoint HERE
It is clear that in order for us to improve school safety and access to education for the students, the District is going to have to join the TEAM of educators, parents, students, and community members who are willing to make the changes we need. The only way to do this is together.
Other topics discussed tonight included Association rights, a school calendar committee, teacher layoffs, the sick bank, grievance representation, class size, retirees, and transfers.
To read the District's counter proposals, click on an area of interest:
ASSIGNMENTS/TRANSFERS RETIREE RETURN TO WORK WORKING CONDITIONS INSTRUCTION GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
To read the Association's counter proposals, click on an area of interest:
LEAVES WITH PAY INSTRUCTION WORK YEAR ASSOCIATIONS RIGHTS RIF
Students in crisis. Learning disrupted daily. Hours of class time lost. These are very real problems in McMinnville Schools. During today’s negotiations, we saw the District spinning their wheels and refusing to acknowledge the problems we have with Disrupted Learning. The Association has language in Article 18 that tackles these tough safety and learning issues in our schools. This new language is clearing a path for teams in the buildings to work together to support our students.
The District offered the same stale plan in their proposal on Article 18 tonight—a PBIS plan that we know just isn’t enough.
To improve our student success, we need a plan that includes:
- A safe place for dysregulated students to go and calm down
- Possible responses to student behaviors
- Communication protocols between teachers and administrators regarding student behaviors
- The steps that will be taken if a student threatens or harasses an educator or another student
- How a student threatening the safety of others will be removed and returned to class in a safe, supported way
- Who will cover the principal if they are out of the building
Basically, the District is stuck. They are stuck in their belief that the current systems are working. We anticipated that they wouldn’t move much, if at all, and we were ready. The Association put together and shared a powerpoint that offered powerful testimonials of what our parents, educators, and school volunteers are seeing every day in the classroom. You can see a copy of the powerpoint HERE
It is clear that in order for us to improve school safety and access to education for the students, the District is going to have to join the TEAM of educators, parents, students, and community members who are willing to make the changes we need. The only way to do this is together.
Other topics discussed tonight included Association rights, a school calendar committee, teacher layoffs, the sick bank, grievance representation, class size, retirees, and transfers.
To read the District's counter proposals, click on an area of interest:
ASSIGNMENTS/TRANSFERS RETIREE RETURN TO WORK WORKING CONDITIONS INSTRUCTION GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
To read the Association's counter proposals, click on an area of interest:
LEAVES WITH PAY INSTRUCTION WORK YEAR ASSOCIATIONS RIGHTS RIF
NEGOTIATIONS FROM JUNE 9
Tonight’s session brought forward some key ideas around academic freedom. McEA educators have proposed language that allowed teachers to utilize the District-provided curriculum and instructional materials as tools in their toolbox. As the experts, teachers would be granted academic freedom to select which materials they would use to meet state and grade level standards, develop and modify the pace, and supplement the materials to match the needs of the students in their classrooms. They also included language that creates an agreement that protects educators from censorship, give them the rights to their own intellectual property, and protects them from being recorded without their consent.
In reply, the District agreed to add a few McEA educators to the committee that chooses which curriculum to adopt. They also asserted their right to ownership of the materials and intellectual property that professional educators create—whether it is inside or outside of contract hours.
We feel this assertion is an overreach. The District certainly has a claim to materials that are made:
- As part of the specific job duties of the educator
- During work hours and/or with District materials
Outside of that, we do not believe that the District holds the property rights to what our educators create. Regardless, the District DOES have the capacity to negotiate language that clarifies what intellectual property is owned by which people. We expect them to do that with us.
We also briefly discussed safety, retirees returning to work, internal transfers, sick bank, and school calendar.
To read the District's counter proposals, click on an area of interest:
LEAVES WITH PAY INSTRUCTION WORK YEAR
To read the Association's counter proposals, click on the area of interest:
ASSIGNMENTS/TRANSFERS RETIREE RETURN TO WORK INSTRUCTION
NEGOTIATIONS FROM JUNE 2
To our great disappointment, the District did not want to continue our discussion on safety today. Instead, we focused on a continuing discussion on bereavement leave, teacher evaluation, employee layoff language, and transfers. The McEA educators shared how important it was to them to have a contract that will attract quality educators to come to McMinnville and stay here. We discussed “McMinnville taking care of our own.” We looked at establishing ways through the contract to assist educators who have suffered a family loss or exhausted all their sick leave. In small ways we believe our District can support our educators so they can keep providing care for their families. We think of our educators, students, parents/caretakers, and community as one big family here and our students deserve continuity and quality in their schools. Although today’s discussion was “bits and pieces” of several different articles, it all adds up to McMinnville becoming a district of heart and supporting its own.
You can read the District's offer HERE.
To read the Association's offers, click on the area of interest:
LEAVES WITH PAY OTHER BENEFITS GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES EVALUATIONS
To our great disappointment, the District did not want to continue our discussion on safety today. Instead, we focused on a continuing discussion on bereavement leave, teacher evaluation, employee layoff language, and transfers. The McEA educators shared how important it was to them to have a contract that will attract quality educators to come to McMinnville and stay here. We discussed “McMinnville taking care of our own.” We looked at establishing ways through the contract to assist educators who have suffered a family loss or exhausted all their sick leave. In small ways we believe our District can support our educators so they can keep providing care for their families. We think of our educators, students, parents/caretakers, and community as one big family here and our students deserve continuity and quality in their schools. Although today’s discussion was “bits and pieces” of several different articles, it all adds up to McMinnville becoming a district of heart and supporting its own.
You can read the District's offer HERE.
To read the Association's offers, click on the area of interest:
LEAVES WITH PAY OTHER BENEFITS GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES EVALUATIONS
NEGOTIATIONS FROM MAY 26
SAFETY. What is more important to students, educators, and parents than a classroom that provides a safe space for ALL students to learn? Nothing. Today during negotiations, we had extensive discussions on the need for contract language that specifically creates building level and individual plans for student and educator safety. The District showed strong resistance to adding safety language to the contract. It looks like we will have more extended conversations around this issue in the future, as McEA will continue to fight for safe learning conditions for students and working conditions for educators.
Other issues discussed: Contracting out educator work, the grievance procedure, information sharing, transfers, and retirees returning to work.
You can read the District's offers HERE. The Association's offers regarding Assignments/Transfers HERE and Retirees Returning to Work HERE.
SAFETY. What is more important to students, educators, and parents than a classroom that provides a safe space for ALL students to learn? Nothing. Today during negotiations, we had extensive discussions on the need for contract language that specifically creates building level and individual plans for student and educator safety. The District showed strong resistance to adding safety language to the contract. It looks like we will have more extended conversations around this issue in the future, as McEA will continue to fight for safe learning conditions for students and working conditions for educators.
Other issues discussed: Contracting out educator work, the grievance procedure, information sharing, transfers, and retirees returning to work.
You can read the District's offers HERE. The Association's offers regarding Assignments/Transfers HERE and Retirees Returning to Work HERE.
NEGOTIATIONS FROM MAY 12
The District and the Association met from 4:30pm-8:30pm remotely. The District opened with an hour long presentation on PBiS, a positive behavior support system, which they felt encapsulated why they did not feel the need to integrate the Association's proposed safety language into the contract. The Association thanked the District for sharing some supports and programs happening inconsistently across McMinnville schools and then reiterated the need for a shared agreement on District-wide school safety protocols since clearly the current systems were not addressing the supports needed for ALL students to feel safe and to be able to access the curriculum. The Association then walked the District through the safety language in Article 12 to understand the District's opposition to it.
After a break, some minor counter proposals were exchanged. You can read the District's offers HERE and the Association's offers HERE.
Note that the District did not agree to include any paid Bereavement leave in the contract, although they did include a reiteration of the state law regarding an employees right to take Bereavement leave without pay or using alternate leave sources (like personal flex leave).
The District and the Association met from 4:30pm-8:30pm remotely. The District opened with an hour long presentation on PBiS, a positive behavior support system, which they felt encapsulated why they did not feel the need to integrate the Association's proposed safety language into the contract. The Association thanked the District for sharing some supports and programs happening inconsistently across McMinnville schools and then reiterated the need for a shared agreement on District-wide school safety protocols since clearly the current systems were not addressing the supports needed for ALL students to feel safe and to be able to access the curriculum. The Association then walked the District through the safety language in Article 12 to understand the District's opposition to it.
After a break, some minor counter proposals were exchanged. You can read the District's offers HERE and the Association's offers HERE.
Note that the District did not agree to include any paid Bereavement leave in the contract, although they did include a reiteration of the state law regarding an employees right to take Bereavement leave without pay or using alternate leave sources (like personal flex leave).