March 14, 2008 Volume 12, Issue 4

President’s Report

On Wednesday March 12, 2008 in a 5-2 vote the Board of Trustee’s of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District authorized the administration to send lay-off notices to over 140 full time equivalencies from our bargaining unit—Our plea for cuts to be far away from the classroom has been unheard. 
         The mission of PVUSD is to educate and support learners in reaching their highest potential:

• How will PVUSD support learners when there will be no nurses to take care of them when they fall ill at school?
• How can PVUSD support learners when the effects of laying off class size reduction teachers will be to increase class size?
• How can PVUSD support learners when cutting release time teachers will reduce the amount of preparation time for remaining teachers?

         Currently, there are seven top level positions in our district (Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Associate Superintendent Business Services, Associate Superintendent Human Resources, Assistant Superintendent North Zone, Assistant Superintendent South Zone, and Assistant Superintendent Central Zone) two of which are currently interim positions.  This is an opportune time to reduce that number of top level positions to five.  PVUSD must seriously consider reorganizing the governing structure of this district.  The needs of all constituencies and communities of PVUSD can be more effectively met through better organization.
         Finally, I have received reports from members that there are rumors being spread that “The Union” is in the way of a supplemental employee retirement plan or a so called “golden handshake”.  We are not opposed to a retirement incentive.  We want our experienced veteran teachers to receive the respect, acknowledgement, and rewards for their dedication and years of service to the students of PVUSD. 
         Our concerns stem from the fact that when we asked: “What was the savings from the last retirement incentive?”  No one was able or willing to tell us, which made it pointless for us to ask the next question: “What happened to the savings, if any?”
         Again, we are not opposed to a supplemental employee retirement plan, we just want to be able to help our members make informed decisions when they come to us for advice regarding this plan.  At this time we are unable to give advice because no information has been made available to us even though we have requested that information from the district since February 19, 2008. 
         We want to make sure our retirees receive proper compensation for their years of service and dedication to our students AND we want the savings of any retirement incentive to go to those who work directly with students. 
WE WANT A GOLDEN HANDSHAKE FOR OUR RETIRING TEACHERS, NOT A GOLDEN BOOT!

What to do if you get a layoff notice

Layoffs of staff are complex and have many pitfalls for staff—short time limits, rigid rules, and complicated laws.  If you receive a layoff notice, do not verify any information without consulting with us (PVFT).
We will need the following information from each member who receives a layoff notice:

• Power of Representation Form
• Conflict of Interest Waiver Form
• Employment/History Questionnaire

These forms are available on our website at www.pvft.net or you may contact the PVFT office for a copy of the forms.
March 15 falls on a Saturday this year.  Districts have until Monday, March 17, 2008 to notify staff of layoffs and non-reelects.
You will have seven (7) calendar days after the notice is served to request a hearing.  If you do not request a hearing by the deadline, your right to a hearing is lost.  If you want the union to represent you, you need to fill out a Request for Hearing form, which the District shall provide, and turn it into the PVFT office to begin the representation process. 
I know this is a hard time for everyone and I want to tell you I will be available for you during this time and appreciate all you do for the students in our district!

Negotiations Update March 2008

• PVFT is proposing a formula that will make certificated compensation a priority in PVUSD.
• PVFT has created a salary comparison of districts in our local market basket.  Our bargaining unit members’ salaries are 5.7% below the average of those districts.  We want parity with surrounding districts.
• PVFT is proposing a retirement incentive that both helps potential retirees AND returns the savings to improve compensation for the remaining members.
• The District is stalling negotiations with PVFT.  We requested information for the retirement incentive from the District on 2/19/08. PVFT has YET to receive ANY of this information.

Upcoming Dates:

• March 14, 2008:  PVFT Ballots mailed to members.
• March 21-28, 2008: Have a great Spring Break!!!
• March 31, 2008:  PVFT Election Results Due
• April 14, 2008:  General Membership Meeting at 4pm in the Board Room at the District Office.

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