IMPROVING OUR WORK AND SCHOOLS:
NESPA MEMBERS PROVIDE INPUT TO NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE!
As the first step toward providing input on the upcoming negotiations, about 200 NESPA members have shared their “Hopes, Dreams, Concerns, and Solutions” with NESPA’s Bargaining Team.
This input will be reviewed by NESPA’s Team on December 10, and will be used to draft bargaining proposals, and to write a detailed survey that will go out to all NESPA members in January.
There will be opportunities for more input. Your Bargaining Team wants to focus our efforts on securing the improvements that are important to NESPA members. And we’ll need your participation in efforts to secure these improvements; we can’t do it without you! (See below.)
Responses were varied, but a preliminary review of the responses points to several themes. These include:
· The need to earn a living wage.
· The need for many part time employees to get more hours, and to get access to medical benefits.
· More professional development opportunities.
· Concerns with computer access.
· The need for more professional hours, in order to do the best job for the students.
· Adequate nursing hours.
Our Bargaining Team consists of Judy Ellis (SAS) as the Bargaining Team Chairperson; Donna Smith (NSJH), Sharon Maynard (Bear Creek), Peggy Sturm (Maywood Hills), and Bharti Khandekar (Bothell HS). WEA Staffperson Kraig Peck will serve as Chief Spokesperson of the Team. We will negotiate with HR Director Jeff Sherwood and the administrative team he and the Superintendent selects, who will act on behalf of the School Board.
NESPA Building Communicators will meet in February (tentatively Feb 11) to help shape the bargaining goals, get more information, and take it back to each school to seek more input. NESPA members will meet during lunch on NESPA Day (Monday, March 22 at Woodmoor) to review the bargaining goals, and find out how we can all pitch in to secure the improvements we need.
Bargaining will begin later in the Spring, but we are getting organized now. We were successful in our last negotiations (Spring/Sumer of 2008) due to the leadership and support of our Bargaining Support Team. NESPA Co-Presidents Deb Murphy (dmurphy@nsd.org) and Marge Mitchell (mmitchell@nsd.org) are beginning to put together a new NESPA Bargaining Support Team. This is a great way to get involved in a meaningful way—helping to improve our work and schools---for a limited duration. If you want to know more, please contact Deb or Marge.
