Dear Colleagues,
Here are a few updates since the General Membership Meeting last Wednesday:
After lunch on Thursday, April 1st, Sarah Sanford-Smith, our CTA appointed lawyer, emailed our members who received a RIF notice that the District will not be proceeding with the RIF, and all notices will be rescinded. I followed up with an email to our affected members stating that as well. Though we are extremely happy that the district is finally rescinding the notices, we are frustrated that they chose to put our members through a completely unnecessary process that just added more stress during an already stressful year. The board needs to hold this administration accountable for their actions that negatively affected our members and our students, who risked losing these hard working teachers to other districts. Click on the link at the end to read about this in a San Jose Spotlight article that came out on Friday.
Also, as you probably have read, Johanna has sent out a message from Dr. Flores with information about the next phase of In-Person Instruction. There is a draft of a schedule for elementary and middle school included. The draft now shows distance learning after lunch for all elementary and middle school students. The email also states the new minimum guidance of 3 feet and “the opportunity to bring elementary and middle school students back to In-Person Learning on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The draft daily school schedules… are still pending agreement with ETA and CSEA.” Interestingly, the District asserted at the table that they can make the decision regarding schedules unilaterally, although they seem to have implemented some of the changes we suggested. We are thankful the district heard our suggestions and incorporated some of them into these revised schedules. We are uncertain as to what this means when we have further discussions about the schedules at the table and whether they will be negotiable. We also know there are concerns regarding the new minimum guidance. Our team is meeting today to prepare for next Monday’s bargaining.
Feel free to share your perspective and concerns with the school board members prior to the April 15th Board Meeting. If you are available, please plan to attend the April15th Board Meeting at 6:30pm. If you would like to speak to the board about the layoff process, negotiations, or any other item, please be sure to send an email to: boardroom@eesd.org before the meeting begins. Also remember, registration is usually required to attend board meetings.
ETA Leadership knows how hard you have been working for our students this year, and how well deserved this spring break is. We hope you are able to find some time to decompress, relax, and spend time with loved ones.
Working together, we know we can continue to do what is best for our students, families, and each other.
Link to article: https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-school-district-avoids-laying-off-nearly-40-teachers-and-staff/
In solidarity,
Suzanne Lima, Tami Compton, Melody Sutton, Sarah Ciccarello, Alison Mackey, Sarah Johnson, Kevin Wilbon, Olga Sandoval, Danielle Wheatley, Trish Valdillez, Susana Machado, and Shirley Madsen
Evergreen Teachers Association 