Negotiations on a new contract between the Juneau School District and the Juneau Education Association have reached an impasse, and the sides will seek mediation, according to a release from the district.
The impasse was reached Saturday, the release states.
JEA President Ben Kriegmont said the main sticking points have been salary, changes to the work schedule and length of the agreement. He said the district’s final proposal offered a one-half percent salary increase, which the union rejected. JEA is also looking for more than the one-year contract he said the district offered.
Concerns about the work schedule focused on disruptions to the school day the district’s early release program causes, Kriegmont said. While teachers are compensated for the collaboration time that happens following the early release, Kriegmont said the way it is currently implemented cuts into other prep time and breaks some teachers are contractually entitled to. The district is currently offering a flex schedule which would allow teachers to come in 10 minutes later than normal to compensate for any lost time, he said.
“Most of our folks are there before the current time anyway,” Kriegmont said. “That’s just a 10-minute block of time that most members wouldn’t want to use or be able to use.”
For the 2011-12 school year, Juneau schools were let out one hour early on 16 different Mondays to facilitate that collaboration.
A survey conducted by the district and the union revealed a roughly 50-50 favorable/unfavorable split among teachers about the early release days, with some grade levels and sites viewing the program more favorably that others, Kriegmont said.
A call to JSD Director of Human Resources Phil Bedford at JSD’s main office was not immediately returned. District Superintendent Glenn Gelbrich’s home number is not listed, and a call to a P. Bedford in Juneau was not answered.
“While there remain significant differences, the gap between the parties’ proposals has narrowed substantially through the process so far,” Gelbrich stated in the release. “We will work with JEA leadership to identify a mediator as soon as possible. We remain confident that we can craft a mutually acceptable contract with our teachers union,” he said.
Kriegmont said the process to find a mediator could take 3-4 months. The current contract between JSD and the union expires June 30, according to the district’s release. However, the terms of that agreement will stay in place if the sides cannot reach a deal by June 30.
JEA will hold a general membership meeting Tuesday evening, with an exact time and location to be determined, Kriegmont said.
The Juneau Education Association is the largest union that has Juneau School District employees as members. It has nearly 400 members, including teachers and other educators, including counselors, librarians and specialists, the district’s release states.
The second-largest union within JSD, Juneau Education Support Staff, reached an agreement with the district in March.
• Contact Deputy Managing Editor Charles Ward at 523-2266 or at charles.ward@juneauempire.com.
Comments (31)
Add commentJEA must be kidding
Talking about GREED! What about the kids! They want a raise when scores have been laid off! They want a raise when class sizes are so high! They want a raise when they aren't even held to a performance standard in the classroom!They want a raise when they already get FREE health insurance! The don't even pay premiums for their health insurance as it is for most of the year because they get to keep the District's payments for premiums for teachers who have opted out of health insurance.
Give our kids a break teachers! What we need is for the union to allow for teachers to be evaluated in a measurable way and for teachers to be a part of the solution to our budget problems, NOT TO MAKE IT WORSE!
Pay them like lawyers when
Pay them like lawyers when they teach the right content for students to do well. Step up folks - all of you.
teacher bashers
Test scores and graduation rates ARE UP. Teachers want a raise because the cost of living increases and they are not rich. The district has the money, it needs to look at their priorities. The other school districts across the state have given their teachers raises of 1.75% to 3%. This is not an outrageous amount like CEO pay, this is a 40-60k per year average for people with 6 or more years of college.
Why is it that when teachers seek a miniscule raise people begin wailing "What about the kids?" Really? How could you write that about people that devote their lives to kids? What an insult. By the way, there is an annual evaluation of every teacher and the means is determined by the district, not the union.
When lawyers determine their fees, does anyone say "What about the defendant?" No, because lawyers get paid whether or not they win or lose.
It's not just about raises...
I read the article and a couple things jumped out at me.
1. Salary - I'm not sure about you but a half a percent raise is hardly worth the trouble. Works out to another 300.00 based on a 60,000 salary. If you divide by 12 months that’s 25.00 a month before taxes. Not exactly greedy to expect an offer that makes sense
2. Work Schedule - whose nutty idea was it to offer the ten minute comp time compromise...come on now...in whose mind is that concession of any value? I get to my job half an hour early every shift just on principal and teachers are famous for working off the clock anyway. The 10 minute concession is simply a way to balance the time on paper for the district. Pretty much a cheap out and not worth the paper it’s written on or the time to write it.
3. Contract duration – I’d want at least a three year contract considering all the negotiation hassles
I really don’t see anything greedy on the part of the teachers. I see a district that wants the teachers to sign off on a contract that wasn’t worth the time it took to write the offer. What a joke.
Agreed, Mama T
The .5% of a raise is not worth it. It MIGHT cover the increase in a month's worth of heating oil.
And whoever wrote they get free health care is wrong. My next-door neighbor- a good friend -had surgery on his knee last year and his co-pay was over $4,000 plus his Rx stuff wasn't fully covered. He was struggling to make ends meet for a bit.
I don't think they should have accepted the contract as written. I also think it is to the CHILDREN'S benefit to have a multi-year contract.
This district is getting worse. When my kids were in elementary school, teachers were actually treated with respect.
They have a budget shortfall
They have a budget shortfall and want raises? My children are putting in very little effort and regularly pull A's & B's. They complain there is no challenge in school. You put your time in and fill the seat and you pass.
I love and support teachers. It appears there has been an attitude shift in the last few years. Look at our ranking in where we place in education to the rest of the world.
There is to much emphisis on no child left behind. That is not real world. If you don't perform you will and should be left behind.
Your boss is not going to keep paying you and lower the standards just so you feel good about your self.
Just vote no, strike, get
Just vote no, strike, get fired, then move on with your lives so we can get people who can teach and face reality at the same time.
Education's overrated
Who needs it? Leave it to the Asians to focus on educating their citizens. We'll be fine with a future full of ditch diggers. We're Americans, after all. Greatest country on Earth! Nothing can change that.
Interesting comments
As usual, there is some negativity. Costs have gone up greatly, just look at your AEL&P bill. Teachers need to hold the line. This state is flush with cash and the supposed "shortage" is self-imposed. I blame Parnell and the legislators as well as the District leadership.
JSD and Superindent - thanks and good job
Teachers still get to retire in 20 years.
Top % of pay in country but tests are middle %.
Full time teachers assisting full time teachers, this is not the ADMINISTRATIVE bloat JEA claims; JSD even has full-time physical therapists
40 applicants + for every JSD teachers vacancy
JSD is overpaid/compensated with the rest of the public sector workforce
TEACHERS
During the school year teachers work close too 12-14 hours a day. They put their families on hold. They bring papers home to grade and most are at school at least 1 hour before school begging to set up for the day. A .5% increase is an insult to them
All of you who are spewing
All of you who are spewing the teacher hate: if you ever want a cost of living increase in your pay (which is what this "raise" is - it won't even cover the increases in my AEL&P and oil company bills in recent years), I'll support you, I'll fight for you to get it. Because I'm a decent human being who wants others to have the few good things that I do.
Also, jnucitizen, the full-time physical therapists are for the KIDS, not the teachers! For the students with mobility issues that impact their learning. You complain about test scores and yet you don't support things like PTs? Not having them will just lower scores further. It seems like your solution for improving test scores is "pay the teachers less and HATE THEM at every opportunity."
You like to spout this "top % of pay in country" statistic whenever a school-related topic comes up, but I can't figure where you're getting it. Every list of average teacher salaries that takes into account cost of living has AK teachers in the bottom 2/3. And if you're not considering the high COL up here than it's worthless information.
I support the teachers and their union
.5% raise ?!?
That's incredibly insulting.
I would reject anything below 3%.
Stay strong teachers! You have every right to be compensated fairly. Don't listen to the teachers-bashers, they are just regurgitating what they hear on Rush Limbaugh.
I Support Teachers
Guess what? I checked my email when I woke up today and BOTH my children's teachers had emailed parents. One was a newsletter and the other a link to the blog and a reminder about a project coming up.
I feel STRONGLY that the great majority of teachers, paras, aides, nurses, counselors and spec ed people (physical therapists, speech therapists, etc.) do a good job. I'm talking 90%.
I support 90% of Juneau's teachers.
So, if your child has a crappy teacher - and, yes, they do exist out there - guess what? It is the fault of the PRINCIPAL to fix it or fire her/him. At my daughter's school a few years ago, there was a teacher everyone was avoiding but the principal did NOTHING. The other teachers were angry that the person was making all teachers look bad. That teacher STILL works there. WHY?
That struggle to avoid that teacher helped me see that even teachers are frustrated with the system. If your boss is too lazy to put you on a "plan of improvement" (see the JSD website for info on evaluations of teachers) to put him/her on the road to getting fired, then whose fault is it that poor teachers continue to teach in our schools? I always thought "tenure" meant "can't be fired." All it means is that those crummy teachers need to be on a "plan of improvement" for the rest of the year and then they can be fired.
@fireguy, have you told your kids' teacher that she/he is NOT meeting your expectations? Have you told the principals that their teachers are not good enough? Have you asked to see the evaluations of the principal? I bet not. Who can help you on the Juneau Empire blog? No one. Get out there and stop whining. Fix it by getting involved.
Ask this question: why can't we celebrate that most JSD teachers are AWESOME? Why do you negative nellies focus on the poor ones? Instead, ask why aren't more principals firing the bad teachers and then everyone would agree that our teachers need a raise and respect? Even the TEACHERS are wondering that.
My children's teachers are GOOD TEACHERS. I want them to get a decent raise to cover heating oil, home prices, the cost of flying out of Juneau to visit family or vacation.
I support 90% of Juneau's teachers.
I Support Teachers, too
I am thinking of the good teachers, fisherwoman, because there are far more good ones than bad.
I support teachers, too.
One-year contract?
Considering the number of hours that go into contract negotiation, anything less than a three-year contract is a waste of time and resources. Keep teachers in the classroom and administrators where they need to be, not at the negotiating table every year.
With housing prices at their highest, (with $332,000 the median value for a single-family home in Juneau), oil prices that have almost doubled in two years, and CBJ utility prices that have risen from $85 in 2010 to $99 today, a .5% raise is indeed insulting.
I'd
Like a COLA to help me keep up with rising expenses too but that's not likely to happen. With the JSD budget shortfall I just wonder where the money would come from.
Juneau Teacher Salaries
Let me be the first to tell you that Juneau teachers are far from "poor." I know several teachers who put in very little into teaching and use the same materials year after year. One teacher I know is at FD and makes nearly 80K a year, two at Gastineau and make $74K and $78K, and another at Glacier Valley, and makes $80K per year. Raises? Not necessary. Oh, and let me mention these same teachers take trips overseas regularly during the summer, and usually travel during Christmas break.
80k per year @chelsea S
see Alaska 49 above
....Oh, and let me mention these same teachers take trips overseas regularly during the summer, and usually travel during Christmas break...
JSD is unreasonable compared to other public sector pay and we all work long hours.
Mediation
Mediation is the right way to go in this situation. It sounds as if the school district is attempting to bully the teacher's union into accepting a substandard contract. Good job on holding strong, JEA. Mediators won't allow for one party to take unfair advantage over the other.
First of all, the salary
First of all, the salary schedule maxes out at $84k/year, that's with 18 years of teaching experience and 72 credits taken beyond a bachelor's degree. Those teachers making $70k+ are far rarer than us 0-5 year folks making $47k.
And oh god the summer argument. To be honest I'd be OK working in the summer (I do anyway - I have a second job) so I could keep getting a paycheck. Three months of no pay coming in is rough on my family.
But honestly, reading these comments I get the feeling we couldn't make little enough to make y'all teacher haters happy, that there's got to be something else going on to cause so much hatred and bitterness. How low would we have to go before you'd stop hating us? Or is it not about the money?
It's incredibly sad to me that people have the perspective of "wow, those guys have it moderately good, we need to TAKE IT FROM THEM" instead of "wow, those guys have it good, lucky them, how can I have that too?" If you're happy where you are, how does it hurt you if someone else makes .5% more next year?
@fisherwoman: thank you for your comment. I try my darnedest to be the 90% you speak of. And yes, it is EXTREMELY frustrating that the bad teachers don't ever get removed. There are one or two at my school who are notorious (and I bet I could name who you're talking about in your comment). We all know who they are, we all resent that they make us look bad, and yet we're not the ones who can do anything about it. The parents and principal have to step up, and for all the complaints I hear people make on forums like this, nothing ever seems to happen in the real world.
Teachers: the good, bad and inbetween
All you supporters of teachers raises, where is the money coming from? Do you want your assessments to go up again to pay for it? Remember that the school district is $$millions short of what they wanted to keep the same programs going this year. Numerous teachers and para's and nurse's are being laid off this year, lots more positions gone. There is simply no money to pay an increase. I am all for a three year contract, but no new raises. Sorry you should all be happy to have a job right now. This is the perfect example of the old eating the young. "Sorry you new teachers you have to be laid off because there is no money, but give me a raise in my contract."
This does not correlate with the teachers stating what they do is in the best interest of the children.
Happiness Not Allowed
Since when is it a crime to travel over summer or Christmas Break?
Since when do only "rich" people travel?
Lots of teachers PRIORITIZE in order to travel.
Maybe they own an older car, or a smaller house, or don't have cable TV or don't eat out... Why are these people viewed in a bad light?
In addition to working daily with bright, fun, fabulous children, one of the best perks of my job is time off with my family.
Also, for a person with a Masters degree plus post-graduate credits, $80,000 isn't an over-the-top salary after 20 years...
State workers are currently negotiating COL raises RIGHT NOW.
Teachers should be encouraged to do the same.
20 year retirement - same as police and firefighters
JSD teachers can retire in 20 yrs without risking their lives. All other public sector is 30 yrs
The 20-year retirement
Ended long ago. Now, Tier III teachers must be 65 to retire. Even those who got the 20-year retirement then only ended up with 40% of their final salary.
I Support Teachers
I Support Teachers.
Lots of people had to take salary and benefit cuts this year
so quit whining and moaning about whatever raise you get. A raise that as usual for teachers requires zero performance benchmarks.
Lots of people had to take salary and benefit cuts this year
so quit whining and moaning about whatever raise you get. A raise that as usual for teachers requires zero performance benchmarks.
In a state so flush with cash
The governor fought tooth and nail to rebate $2 billion to the oil companies. In the face of many cost increases, including electric, gas, more, the teachers need to hold the line for a genuine increase.
In a state so flush with cash
The governor fought tooth and nail to rebate $2 billion to the oil companies. In the face of many cost increases, including electric, gas, more, the teachers need to hold the line for a genuine increase.