The MVEA and MVWSD negotiating teams met on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 to continue negotiations on contract reopeners.
At our last meeting, MVEA presented proposals on Article 3: Hours and Article 7: Class Sizes. At that meeting, MVWSD countered both of these articles by rejecting all requests to shrink class sizes and requests to remove some of the excessive meetings and administrative demands that have been growing year after year and that are hindering teachers’ ability to give their focus to students in the classroom.
Due to this lack of willingness to even discuss MVEAs proposals at the last meeting, members wrote statements regarding the workload that teachers have been experiencing both this year, as well as outlining the increase in duties over the past several years.
After reviewing our meeting norms, MVEA requested to read these statements from our membership regarding the overwhelming workload that teachers are experiencing. MVEA read 14 out of 40 statements when MVWSD requested a break.
MVWSD left the bargaining table for an hour and 10 minutes. When they returned, they refused to hear any more statements from educators. MVEA explained that it was important for our educators to be heard but MVWSD continued to refuse, wanted us to move on, and insisted MVEA should simply hand over the statements to them. MVEA declined, citing member privacy. MVEA members are very concerned about being targeted for sharing the experiences that they have had at their sites. Due to disagreeing on this issue, we had to take another break.
After the break we reviewed our norms and agreed to find time at the end of the day to read more statements from members. MVWSD suggested that the concerns voiced in the statements from MVEA members were Covid related and asked to brainstorm ideas that could be used in the short term to alleviate the long term issues of large class sizes, excessive meetings outside the school day, and lack of substitute teachers.
Most of the short term suggestions that MVWSD offered during the discussion can be accomplished without an MOU, since they do not affect our contract. MVEA encouraged MVWSD to implement these changes immediately and not spend time negotiating an unnecessary MOU.
Rather than spend time on an unnecessary MOU, MVEA requested that MVWSD offer counters on the actual focus of the negotiations, the contract articles that were sunshined: Article 3: Hours and Article 7: Class Sizes as well as prepare a proposal for Article 5: Compensation.
MVEA and MVWSD are going back to the table on December 1st. MVEA Members please wear your MVEA shirt in solidarity with the Bargaining Team that day.
We are also planning an action on November 18th at the School Board meeting. MVEA members will read the statements we were not able to finish reading at the bargaining table. Please put it in your calendar to attend even if you are not reading a statement during public comment. If you are willing to read a statement from a colleague or your own please email our MVEA Vice President Mick Newman: micknewman72@gmail.com