September 16, 2019
SAVE THE DATES Thursdays:WearRed
SPFEshirts@SPFEoffice
OpenBargainingThursday,September264:30p.m.Pre-Mee:ng
5-8p.m.BargainingSessionSPFE(23EmpireDrive)
Thursday,October104:30p.m.Pre-Mee:ng
5-8p.m.BargainingSessionSPFE(23EmpireDrive)
StewardTrainingSaturday,September21
9:30-3:30SPFE(23EmpireDrive)
MembershipMee;ngMonday,September23
4:30p.m.SPFE(23EmpireDrive)
Legisla;veTownHallTuesday,October22
4:30p.m.SPFE(23EmpireDrive)
MeetwithourSt.PaulStateLegislatureDelega:on!
St. Paul Students Deserve: More Support for Special Education and English Learner Students
SupportforSpecialEduca;onStudentLearning
EnsuringourSpecialEduca:onstudentsgetthesupporttheydeserveisoneofthetoppriori:esofSPFEmembers,accordingtothebargainingsurvey.SPEDteachersJoanDuncansonandLindsayJackson,andOccupa:onalTherapistDeeaGalilfuspresentedourproposalonincreasingsupportforstudentsbycrea:ngweightedcaseloadsandclasssizes.TheeducatorsspokeabouthowourstudentseligibleforSPEDservicesarenotgekngtheirneedsmet,whichinturnisnotallowingteacherstoteach.Withweightedclasssizesandcaseloads,specialeduca:oneducatorscanbe_ermeetindividualstudentneeds.Ourpresentersalsosharedthatover75SPEDteacherslelthedistrictlastyear.Sta:s:cslikethishighlightthecrisisinSPPSSpecialEduca:on,andthisproposalwascreatedbyoureducatorswhoserveourkidseveryday,whoknowdeeplywhatisneededtofixthesitua:on.
EnglishLearnerStudentSupport
Inourlastroundofnego:a:onswesuccessfullynego:atedcontractlanguagethatpowerfullyimpactedELservicesforourstudents.Atourlastsession,weproposedaddi:onstothatlanguagebymakingweightedcaseloadlimitsarequirementinsteadofagoal.
TheseproposalsalsocontainedlanguagearoundthecommonoccurrenceofELteachersbeingpulledtosubformissingteachersduringtheirownteaching:me,thusnotbeingallowedtoprovideservices.TheproposalalsoaffirmsthatELteacherscanbeintheregularrota:onoftheuseofcartsandportableswhenneeded,butcannotbepermanentlyrelegatedtoacartsimplybecausetheyareanELteacher.ThisproposalwaspresentedbyBargainingTeamMembersandELteachersElysiaPeitzmanandTraciBuckle,aswellasELteacherandSPFE’sVicePresidentEricaSchatzlein.
Your SPFE bargaining team proposes weighted class sizes and caseloads for SPED and increased EL student support
“Our Special Education and English Learner students deserve to be treated like more than a number. Educators care about our students, but are often overloaded and cannot meet their individual needs. It’s time to invest in our students again.”
Joan Duncanson Special Education Teacher
Bridgeview
CONTRACT UPDATE
Murray Middle School in red! Submit your red4ed photos on Thursdays to [email protected]
spfe28.org
All SPFE Proposals can be found on our website at spfe28.org/proposals.
UPDATE
FamilyEngagementItiswellestablishedthatfamilyengagementwithstudentlearningisacorecomponentofstudentsuccess.HannahPiersonpresentedourfamilyengagementproposalwhichsuggestslanguagetosimplifytheprocessofstar:ngAcademicParentTeacherTeamsinmoreschools,increasethes:pendsforSchoolAPTTChampionsandindividualteacherswhoconductAPTTconferences,andaddAPTTlanguagetotheEAandSCSPcontract.TheAPTTmodelreplacesthetwotradi:onalparent-teacherconferenceswiththreegroupconferencesthroughouttheyearandoneindividualconference.
ReligiousObservanceDaysOurJewishandIslamiceducatorshavereligiousobservancedaysthatfallonschooldays,unlikeChris:anholidays,whicharetypicallyoffintheSPPScalendar.SPFEpresentedthisproposaltoensurethatallofourmembers’religiousrightsarerespectedandvalued. ThisproposalwouldincreasethenumberreligiousobservancedaysfromtwotothreeintheEAandTeachercontracts,inordertoprovideparitywithourSCSPcontract.
CommitmenttoSchoolIntegra;onIntegra:onpromotesincreasedacademicachievementandimprovedlifeoutcomesforstudents.SPFEandtheSt.PaulchapteroftheNAACPhavealongtermpartnershipaddressingschoolsegrega:oninSt.Paul.In2017,ajointSchoolIntegra:onTaskForce(formedoutofapreviouscontractwin)completedareportwithrecommenda:onsonschoolintegra:on.Sincethat:me,St.PaulPublicSchoolshasnotimplementedanyoftherecommenda:ons.Weareproposingthedistrictadoptthedefini:onofintegra:onasrecommendedbytheTaskForce,andseta:melineforbeginningtoenactrecommenda:onsoftheTaskForce.
Figh;ngforPublicSchoolFundingWhenadjustedforinfla:on,statefundingforSt.PaulPublicSchoolshasdeclinedby$1600perpupilforsince2003!Inthepasttwoyears,SPFEpartneredwithSPPStopassareferendumandcompleteanenrollmentcampaign,SelectSPPS,totackleincreasefundingandcounteractenrollmentdecline.Thoseeffortsarenotenough.WeareproposingSPFEandSPPSpartnertoaddresstherootcausesofthefundingissuesweface,includingadeclineincorporatetaxesandrevenuestatewide–revenuethatcouldbeputtowardourpublicschoolsandotherpublicservices.Weproposejointmee:ngswithlocalcorpora:onsandlegislatorstolobbyforaddi:onalschoolfunding.Addi:onally,weproposedaSPFEandSPPSjointlyseekamoratoriumonnewcharterschoolsinSt.Paulun:lacommunityimpactstudyoncharterschoolscanbecompletedandreviewed.
OnSeptember12,theDistrictbargainingteampresentedthefollowingproposalsandcounterproposal.
Federa;onBusinessLeaveTheDistrictproposednotpayingSPFEmemberstheirsalaryorbenefitsondaysthattheytakeUnionBusinessLeave(UBL),insteadpayingforthecostoftheeducator’ssubs:tute.TheDistrictclaimedtheywereseekingsimplicityinthisproposal.Currently,thereisnolossofpayorbenefitsfortheeducatorwhousesleave,andFedera:onpaysforthesubs:tutetocovertheir:me.UnionBusinessLeave(UBL)comesoutofaformerpartnershipwiththeunionandtheDistrict,recognizingthattheworkthatoccurswhenleaveistakenbyunionmembers
benefitsallpar:es.Thisproposalissimplyaunionbus:ngtac:candanothera_empttotakeawayourleave.
SPFTBuildingAccessTheDistrictwouldlikeyourunionleadershipandorganizerstosign-inandno:fybuildingadministratorsbeforecomingtoanySPPSschoolorsite.Currently,itisprac:cetosign-inbutnotno:fyadministratorsinadvanceorannouncewhowearemee:ngwithatthesite.TheDistrictsaidthisoutofconcernforoursafety,incase,forexample,therewasafireandtheyneededtoknowwhowasinthebuilding.Intheexperienceofourleadersandorganizers,mostadministratorswhoinsistonknowingwhatwearedoingarepar:cipa:nginsurveillanceofunionac:vity,whichisanunfairlaborprac:ce.
Educa;onalAssistantImprovementPlanProcessSPPSproposedallowingEAswhoare12-monthemployeestobeputonanImprovementPlanatany:me.Currently,theimprovementplanprocesspausesneartheendoftheschoolyear.
GrowYourOwnPar;cipa;onCounterProposalThedistrictgaveusacountertoourproposalregardingmembers’rightstoreturntotheirformerjobclassifica:oniftheypar:cipateinalicensureprogram,likeSUTR,butdonotfinish,ordonotremaininalicensededucatorposi:on.Yourbargainingteamwillbereviewingthiscounterinmoredetail.
Continued from page 1—SPFE proposals presented on September 12, 2019
SPFE members and families at the Rally for Public School Funding in May
