Dear SPFE Member,
Your SPFE bargaining team was in mediation with the SPPS today from 9:00am – 10:00pm. We had productivediscussions with the district about multilingual EA staffing, class size, wages, mental health supports, restorative practices, and several other proposals that are still being discussed.
We were able to secure agreements on several proposals that are critical to creating the schools our students need to thrive and providing educators with the resources they need to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Those agreements include:
- Providing special education weighted caseloads for Fed 1 and Fed 2 next school year with a committee meeting throughout the year to evaluate effectiveness;
- Ensuring our Educational Assistants receive adequate and up-to-date technology that allows them to perform their job duties;
- Adding language that guarantees educators in SUTR or other accredited licensure programs rights back into the originating bargaining unit if the employee chooses to return to their original unit;
- We agreed to drop other aspects of our BIPOC retention proposal, but agreed to continue having discussions around recruiting and retaining educators of color.
- We agreed to drop our Juneteenth proposal, because the Board of Education is bringing forth a resolution to add Juneteenth as a district holiday.
We know that now is the time for educators to receive a wage and benefits increase that acknowledges the monumental efforts of educators over the past two years, and that provides our EAs with the respect and dignity that they deserve. We will continue to meet with the district over the weekend to discuss these and other issues.
P.S. Join educators, parents, and community supporters making art, signs, and posters for our potential strike tomorrow(Saturday, March 5) at the SPFE Office. Learn more and register here.
In Solidarity,
Your SPFE Bargaining Team