Why? This is why.

Below these words I am going to print the discussion Dr. Cockerham and I have had regarding the "mandatory" Saturday in-services, and the "mandatory" 3 week summer institutes. Until we have collective bargaining, we can only beg. I tried to do that here. You can see that I was reasonably unsuccessful. We will be bargaining by next school year. We will do what we can retroactively. In the mean time the PERLB has certified our card count at - if my memory serves 66.8% using the district listed bargaining unit, which was larger than ours. More on that at a later date. But rest assured, we will have collective bargaining, and we will have a voice in all of these activities, and all members will get to vote on any changes to our contracts after we start bargaining. So please hang in there, we are making a difference.

Here is our conversation with Dr. Cockerham regarding the in-services and the Summer Institutes. I start at the beginning and go to the most recent.

From: Brian Every

Re: Mandatory Summer Institutes, and Saturday In-Services

At the May 16th Board meeting, Mr. Goodmacher and I left a letter for all of you with Frances Frazier asking you to reconsider the "mandatory" summer institutes. We also asked you to respond to the letter. We did not formally bring this to your attention because it is our hope that we can work this out informally.

We believe that it is illegal to require employees who have a contract obligation to work for the period of 186 days, to be required to work beyond that time. As phrased by Charles Bowyer, Executive Director of NEA-NM – "A full day in-service or any other work on a Saturday if outside the contract days enumerated in the instructor's contract (180,182, 184, etc.) would be one party (the district) attempting to change a contract between two parties (the district and the instructor) and not legally binding unless both parties agreed to a contract addendum to allow the member to agree to the work and the district to agree to the compensation. This is really basic contract law and has nothing to do with the school personnel act." And, since it is not the district paying the teachers at all, but rather a grant from LANL, it is our belief that the district has no legal standing at all in requiring employee participation.

We are not anxious to embroil the district in a lot of grievances or lawsuits for breech of contract now or ever. However, we are bound to protect and defend our membership from contract infringement or exploitation and may not have any choice in this matter. I am asking again that you respond to this email, that you rescind the 'mandatory' language used to force attendance for most of the month of June and ask that any who fail to show for the 3 week summer institute for MSA or who failed to show for the Saturday in-service in April, not be punished, slighted or have any pay docked in any way.

I personally, because I believe in professional development, will encourage all who can, to go to the summer institutes. I thank you for your rapid reply to this email as a lot of employees are agonizing over changing plans, defying principals, ruining vacation plans etc.

Respectfully,

Brian Every
President, Espanola-NEA

Mr. Every,

I appreciate your encouragement for this attendance. As you know we need to have all our teachers up to par in Math. You know how in is when your students are not prepared to take the basic Algebra class and you having to fail many of your students.

These workshops are needed if we are to succeed in our new math program. We do compensate each employee who attends as well. What I understand is that if a teacher does not want to participate they will be transferred to a lower grade as to not affect this vital math program. I understand that they can also continue these classes throughout the year and receive compensation as well as a Master which will move them on to Level III.

It is never my intent to punish any instructor or employee but if we are to continue to move this district forward and make AYP in math, I believe all staff will need these workshops.

ALL EMPLOYEES OF ESPANOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEED TO PUT OUR STUDENTS FIRST.

I also believe that we all need this extra effort if we are to succeed. I am hoping that NEA wants all students in Espanola to succeed and we can continue to work in cooperation to make this happen as you stated in your first letter to the Board of Education.

Once again thank you.

Dr. David L. Cockerham
Superintendent

Dr. Cockerham,

I do appreciate our teachers getting all the professional development they can, however we still believe that insisting that they give up three weeks of their very hard earned summer for less than half pay is legally and morally wrong. I believe you should try hard to find the money to pay them full wages, and encourage them to attend. If you are so set on them attending the least you can do is give them their full pay. They deserve no less and you honestly insult them by not offering them full pay or the option of not attending if they have other jobs, family plans or just plain need the break.

Most teachers know they need, and want more meaningful training, beating them over the head with threats of transfers and reassignments and robbing them of fair pay for being forced to attend is hardly a way to get them to willingly or eagerly attend. Offering full pay, and maybe an extra day off at Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or Spring break would do a lot more for getting people there willing and eager to learn than the route they are being forced to follow now.

Regardless, teachers who have family plans that can not be canceled, commitments to work other jobs, or other reasonable reasons for not attending should not be in any way penalized, and we definitely feel that transfers between grades and reassignments between schools based on attendance at these summer institutes is a penalty. Any such transfers or reassignments need to be based on solid educational reasons, more experience, better qualifications etc and backed up by the appropriate paper work and certificates, not based on attendance at one single three week summer institute.

We also ask that any teachers who have been reprimanded for failing to attend Saturday in-services earlier this year have those reprimands expunged, and/or any other penalty set right at this time.

We can and will encourage all of our members to attend if they are being treated fairly and with compassion and understanding, we will protect and defend them if they are not.

I thank you for your understanding and willingness to work with us on this issue.

Respectfully,



Brian


Brian L. Every
President, Espanola-NEA
espanola.nea@gmail.com

Brian,
I would love to pay more. I also know that our Espanola teaching staff are dedicated. We both agree that the only way we will get our Math score up is to have highly qualified teachers teaching our students. Some will earn college credit and get their master and LANL is paying for this as well which will benefits each employee on our pay scale.

In my meeting with Reprehensive Udall yesterday I again emphasize the need to pay teachers more for schools that are not making AYP. He agreed in this as well.

Once again I will have to continue to have the goal of meeting the children of Espanola needs first. I would hope NEA and our teachers in this district will keep in mind, “The most precious resource we have in Espanola is our students.” I will have to continue to focus on our students first.

Dr. Cockerham

Brian,
I would love to pay more. I also know that our Espanola teaching staff are dedicated. We both agree that the only way we will get our Math score up is to have highly qualified teachers teaching our students. Some will earn college credit and get their master and LANL is paying for this as well which will benefits each employee on our pay scale.

Not all will get college credit, MSA is not offering college credit except if you enter their masters program, many have no desire for a second masters but would like to get credit to advance up the pay scale regardless, this option is not available. So not each employee is benefited by this. How about offering a step for each summer institute attended?

In my meeting with Reprehensive Udall yesterday I again emphasize the need to pay teachers more for schools that are not making AYP. He agreed in this as well.

This is good, but we will not be holding our breaths.

Once again I will have to continue to have the goal of meeting the children of Espanola needs first. I would hope NEA and our teachers in this district will keep in mind, “The most precious resource we have in Espanola is our students.” I will have to continue to focus on our students first.

Sir, you keep talking as if we, the teachers and support personnel, have no clue who our students are, what is in their best interests or what their needs are. We work with those students all day long, every day we are working, and they are on our minds first thing in the morning and last thing at night for over ¾’s of the year. We need to have a life of our own as well. In addition all of us work much more than the 7 hours a day that we are paid for. Yet it is from us that you keep asking for sacrifices. We believe that if sacrifice is necessary that all EPS Employees should sacrifice equally.

Would you and the rest of CO and other administrative staff please donate half of 15 days of your vacation pay to be used for classroom supplies and give up 15 days of your vacation to attend these summer institutes as well? Would you and the rest of all administrative staff district wide please attend these summer institutes? Then during the school year all could help substitute in the classroom as needed so that our students are taught by trained personnel? This would do a lot to improve student achievement.

Respectfully Sir – We would ask that you and the rest of your administrative staff make equal sacrifices for the goal of meeting the needs of our students.

Brian Every
President, Espanola-NEA

Thank you for this information.

I would like to explore some type of credit for not only inservices but also curriculum development and other district committees.

We were working this out in Littleton Colorado when I left. If I recall so many hours would equal unit credit for the pay scale.

Dr. C

Me again - you can see that this is going nowhere - with CB there are legal steps that have to be taken and discussions have to continue, with out CB it ends here. Aren't you glad that we are getting CB. Please understand, it is a done deal, we will have CB. You, the employees have spoken, and it is only a short ways away. The School Board and Dr. Cockerham can try to obstruct and slow down this process, but they can not stop it. I urge you to speak up, let the board and Dr. Cockerham know how you feel, and how you support NEA. And ask your friends and cohorts who are not yet members to join, the greater our membership, the better our bargaining position.

I hope to see you tomorrow (6/6/07) at the board meeting. 5pm, CVMS.

Brian