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Re: STRIKE: First day of picketing reflects teachers' frustrations with school district - Covington Reporter

kidsandcatsrme — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:59:42 -0000

I already spent over 60 hours last week setting up and preparing my classroom, of which only 7.5 hours were paid. I will work at home over the weekend preparing other materials for my classroom as well. The rest of the teachers in the school were setting their classrooms up as well. I'm just waiting for Kent School district to actually begin negotiating with Kent Education Association, so I can get back in my classroom.

Time, workload and compensation. They have already offerred a salary increase of 3%, so compensation is addressed. Now just eliminate the extra 1.5 days of work (which negates the raise) and reduce the time spent in meetings and time will be covered. Workload involves reducing class sizes and while that may not be possible this year, the district could at least make the decision to reduce class sizes by one or two students per class next year with further reductions the following year. Their offer of a committee to study the problem of class size could use this year to develop a plan to be put into effect next year. Teachers could at least be assured that their will be some relief in the future. It is a little hard to have any faith in the district's agreement to put a committee together to discuss class sizes without a firm plan put in place.

Time, workload and compensation can all be achieved in a contract even in these difficult economic times. Other districts in the state have already successfully negotiated the same issues in their contracts this year. Check out www.kentschools.org for information from the teachers' perspective.

Re: STRIKE: Kent teachers vote by wide margin to picket - Covington Reporter

kidsandcatsrme — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:31:19 -0000

I am very disappointed that teachers were forced to make this choice because Kent School District failed to negotiate with the Kent Education Association. The district has been crying about the lack of money to fund the union's proposal to address time, workload and compensation, yet the district hasn't even been willing to reduce the time spent in meetings, which would cost the district nothing.

The district states it has been transparent, yet they don't tell the community that while suggesting a salary increase, they also added more work, which results in no salary increase at all. The district failed to mention that all their proposals were given with an all or nothing attitude with no room for negotiating, leaving the union with no choice but to refuse to accept their proposals, as none of their proposals addressed the issues of time or workload.

Your reporter suggests to check out the KEA site or the "official" district site, but failed to link the KEA site, as was done for the district website. If you want to know the transparent truth about why a contract has not been signed and why teachers are on strike, please go to kentschools.org.

Re: School teacher strike may cause many problems for the children - Covington Reporter

kidsandcatsrme — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:20:40 -0000

Yes, a strike does effect our children negatively for the period of the strike. Overcrowded and overworked teachers negatively impact our children for the entire school year and for their entire education if these conditions persist. If children do not receive the attention they need to learn to read, write and do math, it will negatively effect them their entire lives!

There is something seriously wrong about a district that has an average administration salary that ranks #1 in the Puget Sound region, while the salaries for teachers rank last. Where was the outcry when the new superintendent was given $90,000 more than the previous superintendent? No money for teachers, yet the Kent School district can pay several hundred thousand dollars to pay an outside negotiator.

Why did Kent School district lay off teachers last year, yet still managed to increase their "rainy day" fund by a couple million dollars? With an excess of $20,000,000 in the rainy day fund, Kent can afford to reduce classroom sizes, give teachers a modest salary increase and it doesn't cost anything to reduce the time spent in meetings. Why aren't people mad that Kent School District administrators are receiving big salaries, while working less than full time, while teachers are regularly working overtime without pay and have the lowest salaries in the Puget Sound region?

Re: VIEW LETTER: Teachers strike looms in Kent School District - Covington Reporter

kidsandcatsrme — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:08:17 -0000

Teachers do not ever get full medical insurance after retirement and the retirement pay that teachers receive come from the money the teachers themselves have deducted from their paychecks each month. Kent School district does not pay any portion of a teacher's retirement fund.

Yes, it is all about money. Money to pay teachers the salary they have earned and deserve, which will not come anywhere close to paying for the actual amount of time teachers spend on the job. Money to hire more teachers to reduce class sizes. Money to be shifted from administration to classroom teachers who have an immediate impact on student learning.