Good news before everyone heads off to summer.  Teacher voting to ratify the June 4 Tentative Agreement ended yesterday.  The Elections Committee counted the votes and the Tentative Agreement was ratified by the membership by a wide margin.  I informed the School Board last night at the Board meeting and a few hours later, the School Board approved the Tentative Agreement as well, meaning … we’re done, negotiations for this year have ended, and we have permanent contract language.

There will be some changes to when meetings will be held next year and the role of the school leadership teams, but the most immediately noticeable consequence of the new contract is that teachers will receive their first pay check of the year on August 20, 2013 (just like this year), and checks will be issued twice a month, on the 5th and 20th, through the end of school year.

I would like to once again thank the members of our LTA Bargaining Team for their hours of hard work and dedication, and celebrate the fantastic job they’ve done representing the needs and desires of teachers as expressed though countless conversations, small group meetings, and surveys.  I would also like to acknowledge the collaborative attitude with which the district’s bargaining team approached negotiations this year; everyone came to the table with a problem-solving mindset and a we avoided the rancor and bad feelings that have marked negotiation in previous years.  We hope to continue working with the district to meet the needs of teachers, schools, and most of all, students in the coming years.

Thanks and have a great summer,
Brian Guerrero
President, Lennox Teachers Association