As a result, we have researched answers to some of the frequently asked questions we have been hearing. We will continue to update this page as we receive more questions. Please submit it through the Contact Us page. She also answers your questions. Watch now. A strike is an organized refusal to work by employees as a means of protest. It is a tactic that may be used during contract negotiations if employers and employees cannot agree on terms of employment.
In some school districts, the teachers union and the school district administration are having a difficult time coming to agreement on a new contract. There are a number of issues that may be difficult to come to agreement on, such as working conditions, teacher pay, curriculum, and other staff supports. Collective bargaining agreements, otherwise known as contracts or CBAs, are typically agreed upon for 2- or 3-year terms. When the contract term is ending, a team representing the school district and a team representing the teachers union meet to determine the terms and conditions for the next contract.
In some districts, the union that represents teachers may also represent other staff, so terms of employment may be negotiated for multiple types of school employees. If necessary or if negotiations have stalled, a mediator may be called in.
The mediator is neutral and ensures that both parties are communicating clearly, while keeping in mind the mutual goal of arriving at a reasonable solution. The state recently changed the way it allocates funding for teacher salary to districts. It now provides a base average salary per teacher, adjusted by a regionalization factor and, in some districts, an experience factor.
Districts with higher property values will be placed in higher regionalization factor tiers which will generate higher levels of state funding to hire teachers. Experience factor is awarded to districts whose teachers had more teaching experience and higher levels of educational attainment during the school year than the state average. Eligible districts will receive the salary increase from through Historically, almost all districts paid more than the minimum on the salary schedule using local funds from levies and state dollars allocated for other purposes, such as materials, supplies, and operating costs MSOC.
As of January , school districts are able to raise less local levy funding due to legislative changes enacted in House Bill the so-called McCleary Fix.
In its McCleary decision, the Washington State Supreme Court found that the state salary was not adequate to recruit or retain teachers. In other words, the state was not fully funding salaries for basic education and relied on local districts to make up the difference. A CBA is a collective bargaining agreement, or contract.
This contract includes the duties, salaries, and other terms of employment agreed upon by the school district and teachers union or other employee union. Collective bargaining agreements CBAs are public documents and are typically available on your school district website. They can often be found on the employee, staff, or human resources pages. Technically, yes. Schools could attempt to stay open using substitute teachers or other alternative means of staffing.
However, from a practical standpoint, this is unlikely to happen due to the sheer number of substitute staff that would be required. During a strike, there are no requirements that alternatives be provided to parents for childcare or educational activities. A district may choose to partner with community-based organizations and other agencies, such as a parks department, to connect you and your students with alternatives.
RCW A Attorney General opinion also asserts that there is no legally protected right to strike, though no penalties for striking are established in law. Bear markets drive major cuts that can take years to repair; it took two tax measures and eight years for the California education budget to recover from the great recession.
The Budget Blueprint. A Clearer Funding Target. Beyond , what is the right amount of funding for education? Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi has again introduced a bill, AB 39 , to provide an answer: bring California to the top ten in the nation in per pupil spending.
But the bill has no funding mechanism. The major education advocates are upping their game to make the "top ten" vision stick. Volunteers from around the state, organized by the California State PTA , have visited legislators in Sacramento asking for a long term plan to increase education funding to match levels in the 10 highest funded and achieving states. The PTA also passed a resolution at its annual convention, calling on the legislature and the Governor to "enact legislation that allows the state to invest in education including early childhood education at the levels of our highest achieving states.
The California Teachers Association also supports moving California to the average of the top ten states in per pupil funding. The strikes in Los Angeles and Oakland generated visibility and support for increased education funding, but it's important to acknowledge the size of the gap. Generating enough money to reach the level of the top 10 states is not simply a matter of shifting some money from one budget line to another.
The chart below shows how much more money is needed to reach adequate funding — with higher costs for children from poor families. A lot more. To provide California's students with an adequate education will require billions of dollars, and that means taxes.
There are many options, and the main ones are summarized in Ed Lesson 8. It's important to recognize the scale of this challenge. There are over six million students in California's public schools.
This rule of thumb can help put things in perspective. Sure, a billion is a big number in the abstract, but California's funding for schools is many billions short of adequate.
No one solution is sufficient on its own. Teacher strikes and protests are a symptom of deeper problems that have been gradually undermining the effectiveness of California education and the attractiveness of the teaching profession. Already, the state is wrestling with major teacher shortages , especially in special education.
If California allows teaching to continue become a less attractive profession, students and families will suffer for it, and California children will continue to lag the nation in academic success.
Originally published Jan 10, Updated Jan 22, ; Feb 5, ; March 1, Carol and Jeff collaborated on this post. To comment or reply, please sign in. Change your mind? Sign In. We will send your Login Link to your email address. Click on the link and you will be logged into Ed No more passwords to remember!
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Education is… 2. Teachers 4. Spending Time Places For Learning 6. The Right Stuff 7. And a System… 8. Success So Now What? Schools Behind the World? Overview of Chapter 2 2.
Overview of Chapter 4 4. Zip Codes and School Quality 5. What Makes a Field Trip Great? Overview of Chapter 10 The employer can prevent teachers from working and earning their wages by locking them out of the school.
The union can strike. The payment from the strike account comes from the membership dues the teachers pay each month. Hello, curious kids! Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsCanada theconversation. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live. Portsmouth Climate Festival — Portsmouth, Portsmouth. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom. Become an author Sign up as a reader Sign in.
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