Bargaining Update

HEA Members:

HEA and HSD have come to an agreement in principle to move to a traditional steps and lanes scale. That said, I know that everyone wants to know what the scale looks like, what the transition looks like, and how it is going to affect each of you personally. Those are all still in the bargaining arena.

HSD presented a salary scale that included 4 lanes; HEA countered with a scale that includes 7 lanes. As in all steps and lanes scales, there are requirements to move to the next lane. HEA is maintaining that professional development units as well as educational credits be used for lane movement.

What a transition from the PCAP scale to a steps and lanes scale will entail is also on the table. HEA is, of course, bargaining for the best transition possible for teachers, while still weighing the cost of a transition to the district. We are all in agreement that in the long term a traditional steps and lanes scale will be much more sustainable than our PCAP scale, but it will take some time to "even out." That is why the transition piece is so tricky--and we really want to get it right!

Professional Service Commitments are a sticking point for the district. They feel that if teachers no longer have to perform PSCs, the district will have to budget for items previously covered by those PSCs. HEA has countered that PSCs were a part of the complete PCAP picture, but this is not traditionally practice in a steps and lanes system. HEA has requested more information on specific PSCs and what activities/events have been covered that may have to be budgeted for. We will probably know more about the district's position on PSCs at our next meeting.

HEA has been meeting with HPS weekly and we feel that we are making progress--although it looks very slow from the outside! One item that we have agreed to is that the Career Development Plan, as it looks now, will no longer be a requirement of teachers. Once we have a tentative agreement on a Collective Bargaining Agreement and a salary scale, the HEA Bargaining Team is committed to meet with every school to educate our members on the process, to explain the agreement in detail, and to answer any questions members may have.

Thank you for your patience during this process!

Thank you for the work that you are doing every day!

HEA Bargaining Team

Jane Shawn, Adam Clinch, Joanne Didriksen, Kelly Elder, Shanna Kimball, Erika McMillin, Jonna Schwartz, and Jake Warner