This letter is being sent to you as parents concerned about your child's education. You will want to read this to understand some of the issues yet to be resolved, how an unsettled contract may be impacting your family in the fall, and to find out how you can help influence a final resolution.
As the 1997-98 school year comes to a close, we find our faculty still working without a contract. We have upheld our hope of a "fair and equitable" settlement and have worked faithfully throughout the school year toward this goal. Our negotiating team has made itself readily available for meaningful talks with administration and yet our sessions have been very disappointing and issues remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, our teachers have continued a commitment to the type of quality education our community demands. Teachers continue to serve on committees, which enhance our school and have represented our district in local, county, and state workshops as presenters. Teachers have served as volunteers through the PTA and maintained a positive learning environment for our children upholding to our own high standards.
We continue to ask for those things which are fair and equitable with other teachers in our area. We work the same number of days per year, we have the same amount of education, we teach children who deserve equal access to quality materials and teacher support and we have the same type of family obligations. And yet, our district maintains we do not deserve the same compensation for the same duties and responsibilities. Located on the back of this letter is a chart showing some of the major issues yet to be resolved along with a comparison with settlements of other school districts in our same county. As you can see we are asking to be treated fairly and equitably to others in our profession and in our area.
At this time, we have only one negotiations meeting scheduled for the summer. That is on July 2nd. The District has been reluctant to set another date even though our committee presented twelve possible dates throughout the summer. They have indicated that another meeting could possibly be held on August 27th, the date officially set as a teacher inservice day to start the 1998-99 school year. If either of these meetings fail to produce a tentative agreement, it will be easy to predict the position of the Homer-Center Education Association in the fall.
We need your help. It is reasonable to expect that a strike would interfere with the length of the school year, sports activities, dances, graduation requirements, clubs, trips and MORE! We encourage you to become involved NOW. There is a school board meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 25, l998 in the High School Library. We suggest that you contact other parents, and perhaps elect a spokesperson of your own to represent you before the board and demand negotiations and a speedy settlement. It will be necessary for you to contact Carol Black, Board secretary, at 479-3601, to secure a place on the agenda. Our goal is to see these issues resolved with as little disruption as possible to our students and their families. As parents, you are an important and valuable part of the education process and your help is needed NOW.
Thanks in advance for your attention and action. We will see you on June 25, 1998.
Sincerely,
Homer-Center Education Association
