Ladies and gentlemen, we have a TA.

Your fantastic bargaining team has wrapped up negotiations this year with a Tentative Agreement that achieves many of our long-term goals for teacher empowerment and better working conditions.

full text of the Tentative Agreement

1.  We will continue being paid twice/month next year for 11 months, for a total of 22 checks, beginning on August 20, 1013 and ending July 5, 2014.  By the old contract language, we would be at 10 months, 1 check/month next year, and by the MOU, we would be at 11 months, 1 check/month.  This is a HUGE step forward toward financial security for our members.  We can, in the future, if the membership desires, try to get back to the old 24-check system, but this is at least permanent language, so we will NEVER have less than 22 checks per year.

2.  We have agreed to permanent contract language limiting adjunct duties to 11 hours/year.  The prior MOU had 10 hours/year, but that was set to expire in June 2014, at which time we would have reverted to an unlimited amount of adjunct duty.

3.  For preschool, elementary and middle school, we will maintain the current Wednesday minimum day schedule permanently, but instead of having teacher planning time Wednesday after the students have left and staff meetings, grade-level and department meetings, and staff development after 3:15 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, ALL meetings, staff development, etc., will take place before 3:15 on Wednesdays, and teachers will have NO mandatory meetings after 3:15, not on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, nor on any other day of the week.  Teachers, all afternoons are yours now to plan, grade, collaborate, or do whatever else your professional judgement dictates.

    At LMSTA, meeting time outside contract hours will be limited to 1 hour/week.

4.  Much stronger school leadership teams have been established preschool through middle school, following the example of LMSTA.  Teacher representatives will be elected by their grade-level or department peers, and most decisions will be made by majority vote.  Principals will also be part of this teams, but will only have one vote and the right to break ties.  (Note: there are a few areas, like curriculum and school safety, where the leadership teams will continue to make recommendations to the principals).  There is a little bit of clean-up in the language for the LMSTA Leadership Team, but no existing rights of their Leadership Team have been compromised.  This is a HUGE step forward in buildoing schools where teachers are partners in leadership and agents for positive change.

Ladies and gentlemen, you Bargaining Team has completed an amazing season of negotiations on your behalf.  Make sure you thank them when you see them; they’ve put in a lot of hours and really achieved something historic for the teachers of Lennox.

Just a few more steps to go until this is finalized and all added to the LTA/LSD contract as permanent language.  Rep Council will vote on Thursday to move the TA to a ratification vote of the membership, teachers will vote to ratify it Friday, June 7, Monday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 11, and (hopefully) the School Board will approve it Tuesday night the 11th.