CAT Tracks for March 6, 2002 A MIXED BAG

ON THE NEGOTIATIONS FRONT:

Bargaining teams met for two hours last night...with the only real positive being the official TA of Section 2.17 (Student Discipline) and Section 3.12 (Instructional Facilities), which had been verbally agreed to during the previous session. Other than that...all talk and no action.

No progress was made on Section 3.11 (Working Conditions)...still discussing the "pulling" of teachers' assistants for other duties.

We had a long discussion concerning the new Board proposal concerning lesson plans. They want plans to remain in the building at ALL times so as to be available to the administration for review and substitute teachers for use. The Board also wants the plans in a form that the substitute "can use to teach". The CAT discussed the impracticality of their language...that teachers often prepared/modified lesson plans at home to make them relevant and timely. Your team also indicated that day-to-day substitutes could NOT realistically be expected to "teach" the class...and that teachers took that into consideration when they "substituted" modified/practical lesson plans for the day/days they would be absent. The Board team indicated that they would take our concerns into consideration for the next session.

We then turned to Section 4.3 (Payroll Installments). The major concern in the section is the incident which occured last summer when teachers requested or were required to take "lump sum" payments of their "summer money". Much to their chagrin...exorbitant taxes were withheld...literally hundreds/thousands of extra dollars...dollars that could not be retrieved until the employees filed their income tax return...and received their refund!

Teachers who retired or resigned from the District had no choice...they had to receive their money in a lump sum...and lose access to some of their income for months. Those teachers who exercised their right to a contractual "benefit" were NOT AWARE that the District was going to withhold taxes differently than it had for all previous years. The Board team indicated that a change in computer software caused the problem, BUT the CAT team reminded them that the change in computer software did not take place until this year. ALSO...the "computer software" handled other "lump sum" payments differently...taking out NO TAXES on thousands of dollars of extra duty pay or summer school pay. (Those computers...always a mind of their own!)

The CAT team suggested that if the computer software were the problem...maybe we need to get the computer folks in here and solve the problem...because BOTH sides agreed that the taxes that were withheld were excessive. The Board team said they would contact the computer company and get more information on the problem...and its possible correction. They also indicated that MAYBE the "problem" did not exist anymore...since the District had changed software companies. The CAT team indicated that hopefully that was true...but that we wanted assurances before the next round of lump sum payments.

Next session...at the suggestion of the CAT...how about this coming Saturday...March 9th...from 10 a.m. till... Ahhhh...what we won't do for you guys!

THE GOOD NEWS:

During last week's regular meeting of the Cairo Board of Education, the superintendent held up a letter and announced that the District had received notification that it had been removed from the Financial Watch List! That is good news indeed. The superintendent immediately tempered his announcement by stating the we were still on the "Technical Assistance" list...another list for Districts that do not maintain at least a 10% surplus each year. Yeah, right...like how many Districts do...or admit that they do?!

THE BAD NEWS:

AND...to burst the bubble completely...when the Board came out of closed session, the superintendent announced the dreaded "R" word. He informed the Board that he was going to send notices to the various unions indicating that the District would explore the necessity of RIFs...Reduction In Force...for the coming school year. The CAT received its notice yesterday afternoon...and demanded to bargain same...yesterday morning.

After the large cutback last year...in certified and noncertified staff...it will be interesting to see where the District intends to cut...and still meet its commitment to MRSH and providing a quality education. A couple of years ago, the District notified the CAT of its intent to RIF eighteen (18) teachers. After bargaining, that number was reduced to one. Last year...without a RIF threat...the District reduced staff by much more than that...through attrition...employees voluntarily leaving the District and not being replaced. This has always been...and continues to be...the recommendation of the CAT. Hopefully, this will again be the case. We will keep you informed!