Please review the following updates from you OEA Executive Board:
1. On Monday, March 12, 2012 your negotiating team will be back at the table. We have been able to make Tenative Agreements on a few items. We are still working hard on Class Size, Compensation, and Employment Equality for all members.
2. Please join our Poster Crew on Tuesday, March 13th at the CTA office (2325 Skyway Dr.) We will be preparing for the Wednesday, March 14th School Board Meeting.
3. Please join us in the parking lot of the District Office on Wednesday, March 14th at 5:45 pm. Please wear your "Equity Now" buttons and your "We Are One" t-shirts and buttons if you still have them. I will have the posters from our poster crew if you would like to have one. We are very fortunate to have the support of our neighboring districts.
4. We would like to explain the Employment Equality Issue:
a. The state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) agreed in June 2011 that charter teachers would automatically become members of OEA. Because Orcutt Academy is a charter school OEA has to negotiate their Employment Rights.
b. Non-Charter School employees are protected by Ed. Code in terms of discipline, dismissal, rehire, and Reduction In Force...OEA feels as though all teachers in the Orcutt Union School District should enjoy these same Ed. Code rights.
c. There are 5 other districts in the State of California like Orcutt that have started a K-12 Charter and they have allowed all members to have the same Employment Rights...even the model Orcutt used for their Charter (Lennox) allows all of their teachers to enjoy the same Employment Rights.
5. How does the Employment Equality Issue affect all Teachers:
a. Right now there are teachers that are on leave from the district, but they are actually working in the district at the charter school. Having teachers on leave causes temporary teachers to be unable to gain permanency.
b. There are district transfers (with Ed. Code Protection) working next door to direct charter hires (without Ed. Code Protection) at Orcutt Academy High School. This is discriminating against one group of teachers and may not be conducive to a healthy working environment if this gets challenged.
c. The K-8 Charter School competes for students not only from surrounding districts, but from our very own district. The School Site Plan at OAK-8 says they would like to see the K-8 grow. It is important to note that there is a waiting list of approximately 150 students at OAK-8. What is stopping the district from growing the K-8 charter at a site with empty classrooms. This would decline the districts' regular enrollment and increase the charter enrollment.
d. A decline in the regular enrollment would mean pink slips for teachers. An increase in the charter enrollment would mean hiring more charter school teachers, which may or may not be from the pool of pink slipped teachers (it depends on an interview process). Now look 10 years down the road if this trend continues in our district...especially if we do not all have the same Employment Rights. This is something all teachers should be concerned about!
Please feel free to contact OEA with any questions and/or concerns!
Mahalo!
