Jordan Layoffs a done deal

You can read Rosemary Winters's article in today's Trib at www.sltrib.com.

Jordan District has completed layoofs of 190 general education employeees and an additional 97 special education workers. This is to pay for a $29 million shortfall the legislature left them with.

Rick

WEA Negotiations Update

WEA and Weber School District have reached impasse in negotiations over the district's refusal to pay step increments for those eligible teachers on the salary schedule. The legislature did not fully fund education and the district is having to go to the taxpayers for a tax increase and look for cuts in other places. WEA feels that the contract steps should be paid and that the district has an obligation to their employees to honor the contract. This represents about 60% of our teachers and we feel it is is worth the time to go to mediation over this issue. WEA also has worked with the insurance committee to look at recommendations that would keep insurance costs down, but is dismayed that the district is not willing to share in those increases. The loss of three more quality teaching days (the legislature hasn't funded those for two years) is also a hit for teachers only. We feel that the cuts should be more equitable and we should look at other options. Hopefully as we enter mediation we can achieve a more acceptable agreement.



Rick

UEA Children At Risk Foundation Grant for FEA

Our three Future Education Chapters (Ben Lomond, Ogden and Bonneville) received a shot in the arm for funding with the approval of a $5,000 Children at Risk Foundation grant for this fall. This will help us fund the activities of these future teachers in Ogden and Weber District. Our advisors, Suzy Davis (OHS), Tamara Brown-Johansen and Mindy Knowles (BLHS) and Joan Iverson (BHS) have organized some great activities to start the year. Weber State will be hosting a week-long experience for incoming freshman that will include FEA sponsored activities. This year a group will also be organized at Mt. Ogden Jr. High.

We look forward to growing the program with the help of Stephanie Heath at WSU College of Education. She sponsors a college chapter of the FEA and there are also several chapters in Davis District.

Rick

NEA RA Delegates Return Home

After being inspired by speeches from President Dennis Van Roekel, our 2010 teacher of the year, Maryland's governor and others our delegates are returning home this morning.

WEA's President, Marlene Irons, will return home to organize the negotiations team to start mediation with Lynn Trenbeth as mediator. Both teams will sit down with Lynn and list their interests in negotiations. Lynn will look to see where our interests coincide and find an area of cooperation and agreement. The sessions will be starting soon and we hope for a positive result.

OEA's President, Doug Stephens, will be setting up our next negotiations meetings as we return to town.

It is a heat wave here in Northern Washington, 85 degrees, and we are enjoying the time off. We will be back to work Monday.

Rick

NEA Representative Assembly Business Continues

The five WEA delegates and one OEA delegate to the NEA RA in New Orleans continue their work with debating over 99 New Business Items today and tomorrow. Go to www.nea.org and click on the NEA RA Today to see a list of the many "interesting" items. It is democracy at work and your leaders will discuss each item in an early morning Utah Caucus meeting before joining the 9,000 NEA delegates from around the country in the lively debate.

The sun is finally out in Northern Washington and the temperature is getting back to normal for summer. They are already complaining about the heat wave (80 degrees) that is coming this week.

Rick

Happy 4th of July

Spent the 4th in Birch Bay, Washington. More fireworks than I have ever seen or heard. Felt like we were in a firefight with mortar shells exploding around us. The NEA RA finishes up tomorrow (July 6) and our leaders will be back to work. We will be starting mediation in Weber when we return and OEA negotiations will get back to work. Go to www.nea.org to see what is happening at the Representative Assembly.

Rick

NEA Representative Assembly in New Orleans

Leaving Vancouver this morning and taking the ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island. Many of our leaders are in New Orleans attending the NEA RA this week. You can follow the business at www.nea.org They will be doing the business of the NEA and setting the agenda for this next year. It is the largest democratic assembly anywhere with over 8,000 delegates using parliamentary procedure and voting on new business items, changes to the bylaws and procedural tasks. The meetings start at 7am each morning with the each state delegation meeting to discuss the new business. The debate is vigorous and the information valuable. The RA session then begins later in the morning and finishes up later in the afternoon. The days are long, but there usually is some time for some nice New Orleans cuisine at night.

WEA negotiations are at impasse and we should start mediation in the next couple of weeks. We will be discussing compensation questions.

OEA negotiations will resume in the next couple of weeks as our leaders return.

Rick