Excerpts from Four AEA Flyers Prepared In Mid March, 2004
Flyer One
AEA Statements
Under the heading THE DISTRICT HAS MONEY! the following two paragraphs appear:
The District will be receiving approximately $63,000,000 for the Bond that was passed on Tuesday, March 2, Prop 55 will provide $15,279,526 and Measure A monies equal $1,800,000.
The District has funds to offer us full medical coverage, a 3.28 percent raise, self-directed preparation periods, and a retrun to a 7-hour day. It is a matter of prioritizing their budget. ....
My Personal Response, not that of the Board or Administration
The joining of the two paragraphs gives the mistaken impression that the District has more new monies. Developer fees and bond monies are kept in separate funds and can only be used for building construction expenses. The $78 million of bond monies will allow the District to address the items identified in Measure C. Had the bonds failed the District would have had to rely strictly on Deferred Maintenance Funds to maintain our schools.
Regardless of the answer I provide regarding District finances, there will be questions of whether I am accurately representing the facts. So here are the facts as I see them, you can take them for what they are worth.
Flyer Two
AEA Statement
Under the heading Full Healthcare Coverage the following bullet points appear:
My Personal Response, not that of the Board or Administration
AEA Statement
Under the heading Salary Increase the following bullet points appear:
My Personal Response, not that of the Board or Administration
Flyer Three
AEA Statements
Under the heading Self-Directed Preps and What This Means to You! the following sentences appear:
... and your prep period becomes a likely place to get "time" from you! They ignore the idea that a prep period is the time we need during the workday to prepare for classes!
Under the heading Why a 7-Hour Day? the following appear:
The District estimates that it would cost 1 million dollars to revert to a 7-hour day and give us self-directed prep periods.
They are expecting the teachers of Alameda to donate their own time, to the tune of a potential cost of one million, without any possibility of compensation for that time. LET THAT SINK IN A MINUTE! We say "NO WAY!"
My Personal Response, not that of the Board or Administration
The current contract language (and what the District wants to retain) provides recognition of the status of the teacher being a professional. I do not understand what needs to be changed.
Flyer Four
AEA Statements
Under the heading A Message to Contented Teachers Who Only Feel The Pain of Our Lack of Medical Benefits the following paragraph appear:
If you fall into this category. consider yourself lucky. You teach at one of the schools which has a principals that you respect, admire, personally like and know the feeling is mutual. Your principal treats you with respect, udnerstands how hard you work, and strives to make it easier for you to do yourjob of instructing students. May God bless principals like this!! But what about your colleagues at schools where the principal is a mean-spirited, power-hungry autocrat. This principal believes in the power of fear and retribution. This principal lacks compassion and selects a few teachers to woo to their side, to the detriment of the majority of the teaching staff. BEWARE OF YOUR COMPLACENCY. Good principals retire and move on, and there is absolutely no guarantee that his/her replacement will not fall into the later category. If that happens, the only fall-back position you have is a solid contract that been negotiated for you!
My Personal Response, not that of the Board or Administration
Recognizing that AEA's bargaining power comes from a united and visible group of teachers, it is understandable why this flyer has been sent out. It is my hope that AEA negotiations team will listen to teachers if or when teachers do not agree with AEA's proposals.
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Last modified: March 17, 2004
Disclaimer: This website is the sole responsibility of Mike McMahon. It does not represent any official opinions, statement of facts or positions of the Alameda Unified School District. Its sole purpose is to disseminate information to interested individuals in the Alameda community.