H&S Worksite Checklist, Upcoming Events, Substitute Hours, CBA Salary Schedule Language, and more

September 14, 2020
The Seattle Education Association is the voice for educators and our students, standing united to address the needs of our community during this pandemic and to transform our district into an anti-racist school system where every student thrives.

Health and Safety
When bargaining the MOU, SEA fought hard to establish clear protections for both educators and our community, we know this is a huge learning curve. For our health and safety, it’s important we hold SPS accountable. We need to work together and support each other to uphold these protections. Remember, what you do makes a difference in another person’s life. SEA developed a checklist to aid in assessing and reviewing the implemen-tation of health and safety protections in your workplace. The checklist is not an exhaustive list of items to be addressed, and may not necessarily be comprehensive for all work, but outlines key provisions of the health and safety protocols.

If you have questions or concerns, especially as it relates to health and safety, please reach out to your Association Representative (building rep) directly.
Important Dates to Calendar
 
September 14: Board of Directors meeting tonight, 4:30-6:30pm
Register in advance for this meeting:
 
September 17: Know Your Rights meeting, 4:30-6:00pm:
SPED Staff workshop about filling out a 504 plan.

In this interactive meeting we will work collectively to understand how and when you might need to fill out a 504. This conversation is about knowing the tools you have in real time as the SPED conversation about services happens. This is the first of a series of sessions that will be offered.

September 21: Rep Assembly next Monday, 5-7pm, Special Election for Vice President
 
Drop-In Hours: Meet face-to-face with SEA leadership during your 30-minute, duty-free lunch to ask your questions 11:30-1:30pm Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays all September. Register in advance for this meeting: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAqdu2pqzkiHtESYBanNAGBy7Jz6Xaco1Rb
Calling All Substitutes
Both certificated and classified substitutes are encouraged to contact buildings (especially buildings in which you have worked and have a relationship with the staff and students) to inquire about what substitute opportunities the building is making available. Per the MOU, each building was allocated a finite amount of substitute hours to be utilized to support students at the start of the school year. These hours must be used by the end of October. Some examples of substitute use during the transition include:

  • Assisting with technology support for families.
  • Assisting teachers with outreach to unresponsive students/families.
  • Assisting with the distribution of technology and materials.
  • Using Paraprofessional substitutes to tutor students or work in small groups.
  • Using Certificated substitutes as intervention specialists to work with specific teachers to address student needs.
  • Providing office hours to work with specific students.
  • Assisting with online support for students or parents.
  • Checking in with asynchronous learners.
Salary Schedule Update

Following the McCleary decision and fight to fully fund public education, we now get automatic salary increases each year without needing legislative action. This was a big win for our union and our schools. Prior to McCleary, there were many years K-12 educators did not get Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) to our salary. Now, the automatic salary increase is tied to the Implicit Price Deflator (IPD).

At the time of last year’s contract negotiations, the IPD for 2020-21 was estimated at 2.1% as reflected in the three CBAs. No one anticipated the pandemic and the drastic economic impacts for 2020-2021. Due to the economic downturn, the Washington Legislature revised the IPD down, based on the updated inflationary index, in the supplemental budget from 2.1% to 1.6% for K-12 salaries.

What does this mean for SEA members? The 2020-2021 salary schedule increase for all three contracts is 1.6% based on the IPD as set by the Washington State Legislature. For that reason, the current 2020-2021 and 2021-22 salary schedules estimated in the CBAs are incorrect due to this change in the IPD.

It is not easy delivering this news on top of everything else we are all struggling with. We remain committed to fighting against any job impacts that a downward economy presents and addressing the challenges that come with it.





Don’t forget to complete the census!





Stay Connected!
Keep an eye out for weekly email communications with important updates and actions related to the school year. Stay in touch with your colleagues and ask them if they are getting these email updates. If not, forward this message to their personal email!

Most recent email communications:
How to Stay Connected:
The 2019-2022 Contracts are posted on the SEA Website!