Interest Based Bargaining Training @ NEA

Doug Stephens, OEA President, Rich Moore, Ogden Elementary Director and Rick Palmer, UniServ Director traveled to Washington, D.C. last week for an NEA Interest Based Bargaining session presented by a team from M.I.T.. It was valuable for us to be trained as a team (we were missing our school board person because of a death in the family). We learned that we can look at bargaining and resolving other disputes through an honest sharing of interests and brainstorming options. We look forward to using this more in Ogden District.

Rick

Gaye Pesout

We are sorry to announce the passing of our friend, colleague, and teacher, Gaye Pesout. Gaye served as a leader in the Weber Education Association and the Ogden/Weber UniServ for many years and taught for over 40 years, mostly at Hooper and Kanesville Elementary Schools. We offer our thoughts and prayers to her husband and siblings. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 22 at Leavitt's Aultorest Memorial Park, 836 36th St., Ogden, Utah. Friends and family may call from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 21, and one hour prior to the service at the morturary.

Rick

Legislature looks to fund $100 million shortfall

Tax revenues continue to come in low, so the legislature will have to fund $100 million to balance the budget. That means that next fiscal year starts $100 million low. They meet in their first interim Wednesday.

Rick

USA Today: Pink Slips on the way to teachers

Greg Toppo wrote in USA Today last week: " Facing a recession and the coming end of billions of dollars in federal stimulus funding , school districts nationwide are handing teachers pink slips for the upcoming school year. The Obama administration estimates that as many as 300,000 teachers could lose their jobs unless Congress steps in with emergency money."

Rick

Nebo School District Cuts Calendar by 3 Days

The Daily Herald reported Thursday that the Nebo School District had voted to cut three days from the school calendar this fall. The furlough (all 3,700 employees take a three day cut in pay) will save the district $1,350,000. The State Office of Education has allowed districts to cut up to 5 days this year because of the budget shortfalls. Neither Ogden nor Weber Districts have discussed cutting days to help fund the budget.

Rick

NEA Priority Schools Webcast

Doug Stephens (OEA President) and I participated in a Webinar from NEA yesterday dealing with strategies for associations that are facing School Improvement Grants. Ogden District is applying for three of these grants that go to low performing schools. There are four options for these grants: 1- Close and send students to other high performing schools. 2- Replace the principal and half of the staff 3-Reopen as a charter school 4- Transformation (replace the principal and change the school performance) This fourth option was one created because of the appeals of the NEA and the AFT. Doug and I will be traveling to NEA in Washington, D.C. with Brad Smith (Ogden School Board member) and Rich Moore (Ogden Elementary Director) to be trained in Interest Based Bargaining to help us collaborate in the execution of these school improvement grants.

Rick

Jordan School Board Makes Cuts

Amy Stewart wrote in the Deseret News (www.deseretnews.com) today that the Jordan School Board is proposing cuts that would eliminate 190 jobs...including 23 administrative, 54 classified and 16 non-classroom teachers (reading coaches). They are also proposing moving away from year-around schedules at some schools. Jordan is facing a $30 million deficit. In comparison Weber is looking at filling about a $6.9 million dollar funding shortfall, and Ogden is trying to fill a $2.3 million deficit.

Rick