Your School's Building Inservice Funds: Professional Development Funding is Available!

Did you know that your school has professional development funds for you, referred to as "Building Inservice Funds?" These are funds that we have negotiated, and are in your Collective Bargaining Agreement. Through collective bargaining, in many ways such as this, we improve our schools and profession. This is REAL ed reform!

The formula for how much each school get is on page 110 of your Agreement. It is based on the number of FTE Certificated staff at your school.Funds are carried over from the previous year. Click here for a list of how much each school has, including carryover funds.

How are these funds to be used?
 Under our Collective Bargaining Agreement, the SDLT (your school's Shared Decision-Making Leadership Team) makes the decisions on the "Use of specific monies in this Collective Bargaining Agreement..." The SDLT also makes decisions on "Building Inservice/Professional Development," as well as activities on SIP and SITE Days, and the broad category of "Work that will support the mission of improving student achievement," which covers most important decisions. (pp. 22-23)

Some schools' SDLTs have created a Professional Development Committee or an Inservice Committee to allocate these funds. Your school should have a written decision making process, voted on by the staff by each Oct 1, that identifies how this decision is made at your school. (Article 17.3.1, on p. 24)

If you have questions, please contact your NSEA Building Rep, or email us.

Use Your TRI Pay For Tuition and Save on Taxes

If you are taking college classes, other work-related training/courses, or going to a work-related conference this school year (September 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013), you can get reimbursed on a pre-tax basis by the District from your salary. It will reimburse you for tuition, fees, and related materials (books, etc. used in the course). As no FICA, federal taxes, pension contributions, etc. will be deducted from this amount, that means a savings of about 25% for you.

There is no risk to creating a pre-tax tuition account. Any funds you do not use for courses will be refunded to you (minus taxes) on your August 2013 paycheck.

Here’s how to do this—the deadline to notify NSD is Monday, October 1st: 

• Estimate the amount of money you will spend between September 1, 2012 and August 31, 2013 
• Fill out the Conversion Request form and turn it in to Lance Andahl (landahl@nsd.org) in the Human Resources Office by Monday, October 1st. 
• The amount of money that you put on the form will be deducted from your TRI pay (Time, Responsibility, and Incentive pay, the locally negotiated pay of $7,073 to $14,476 annually that is funded from the local levy) over the next 11 months. You can deduct any amount up to a maximum of your TRI pay. The District holds your money, and will reimburse you for your expenses on a pre-tax basis. (See page 168 of your Agreement to see how much TRI you get.) 
• You pay the college or conference as you normally would. 
• You submit proof of payment to Human Resources. You may do so up to three times per year. Your last submission must be by July 15, 2013 in order to receive reimbursement on a pre-tax basis. 
• Any remaining funds withheld by the District will be PAID to you in your August pay, minus taxes. 

This Pre-Tax Tuition Reimbursement Program is part of our collective bargaining agreement, and will be in effect every year in the future, unless the contract changes or IRS rules change. It is Article 29 of the CBA, on page 77.

Welcome Back!

With summer winding down, we wanted to take a moment to welcome you back to what promises to be an exciting school year.

NSEA has already started our work of this school year! Our Exec Board and Building Reps have met to set our goals and begin our work...and we have a lot of work to do!  Here are our major projects for the 2012-2013 school year, projects that will succeed with YOUR involvement:

• The General Election begins in mid-October: The future of our students, children, and grandchildren is at stake, the future of the middle class. Our collective bargaining rights are also in jeopardy.  We've learned that it is easier to elect the right people than to deal with the aftermath of destructive legislation.  This upcoming general election is crucial for us.  Please see the Political Action tab of our website to learn more about candidates and issues we support and ways for you to get involved.
  
• We will construct and negotiate a new evaluation system: The state's requirements for a new evaluation system will greatly impact teachers and principals.  The Instructional Quality Committee (IQC), a joint committee with the district formed out of our last contract negotiations, is working hard to understand the state's requirements, how they'll impact Northshore, and what types of support are needed prior to implementation.  We will keep you updated on the IQC's work as the year progresses.  The new evaluation system will also have bargaining implications that will need to be sorted out.  The new system will begin implementation next year, 2013-2014, for many certificated staff.
  
• Collective Bargaining: This is the last year of our current Collective Bargaining Agreement (contract).  Throughout the year, we'll be interviewing members, holding forums with the Bargaining Team/Exec Board, and sending out surveys so that we can better understand and address your concerns at the bargaining table. 
  
  
• Increasing NSEA's Strength: NSEA is lucky to have dedicated, talented members who are actively involved in the Association.  We aim to have Building Reps and U(nion) S(upport) Teams every work site.  If you are interested in becoming a Building Rep, please see the Building Rep page of our website.  To join your school's Union Support Team, please talk to your Building Rep. 
  
  Here are other ways to get involved:
  
• Like NSEA on facebook
• Attend your school's monthly Association meetings
• Read messages from Tim Brittell, Kraig Peck, Lydia King, and your Building Rep
• Volunteer for political action
• Join the Bargaining Support Team (contact Tim Brittell for details)
• Attend the General Membership meeting at the end of the year (Thursday, June 6, 2013 and/or Thursday, June 13, 2013 after school at Inglemoor High School

We hope this is a successful school year for you.  If you need assistance, we're just a phone call or email away!  Click here for the current list of NSEA leaders.  Here is our office contact info:

• Tim Brittell, NSEA President: tbrittell@washingtonea.org (425) 486-7101 ext 110
• Kraig Peck, WEA Staffperson: kpeck@washingtonea.org (425) 486-7101 ext 103
• Lydia King, Admin Assistant: lking@washingtonea.org (425) 486-7101 ext 111
• Location: 18704 Bothell Way NE, Suite 101 Bothell, WA 98011

Current Collective Bargaining Agreement

Looking for the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (contract) between the Northshore School District and NSEA?  A PDF of the contract and all of our current MOUs, letters of understanding, pay schedules, and forms are located on the NSEA Contract section of the website.  Click on the NSEA Contract tab at the top of this page or click here.

Are School Leadership Teams Important?

DO SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAMS MATTER? 

YES. A lot. The idea behind SDLTs is that we are professionals whose commitment and expertise can create the best possible schools.

The SDLTs—Shared Decision Making Leadership Teams—are the result of negotiations to ensure that educators are involved in the key decisions of our schools. They are one way that we ensure that our role is as PROFESSIONALS—experts who exercise our professional judgment, not just implementers of the decisions made by others. Our elected SDLT members are school DECISION-MAKERS, not simply advisors to the principal. They are actual DECISION-MAKERS, not just advisors.

SDLTs decide how decisions will be made—or make the decisions directly—in “work that will support the mission of improving student achievement,” a very broad category of decisions. SDLT members also decide on development of the School Improvement Plan (the school’s plan); how to use building funds; what we do on SIP and SITE Days; the school’s Technology Plan; use of the Building Inservice Funds (which is a substantial amount of money) to support professional development, and more.

In our Agreement, the specific contract language is in Article 17, on pages 23-26. In addition, the role of Department Heads is in Article 25, on pp 67-69. It’s helpful to read the actual language. (Click here for our current CBA.) The role of SDLTs (with stipends) was first established in our 2006-2008 Agreement, so we’ve had them for about 6 years.

HERE IS HOW THESE DECISIONS ARE TO BE MADE, AS DESCRIBED IN OUR AGREEMENT: 

• SDLTs draft a written decision-making process for the school, to be submitted to the full staff for approval by October 1 of each year. This document is to include:
  a) How decisions of varying kinds will be made (by consensus, voting, consulting, command/principal decision, etc.—by the full staff, or by Depts, or by the SDLT, or other
  b) How SDLT members are accountable to the staff (e.g. Dept. meetings,...)
  c) Calendar of regular and open meetings; and d) How agendas will be made and how staff will be kept informed. 
• Most important decisions are covered under this staff-approved process. These decisions include:
  a) Those that affect student achievement, school climate, and effectiveness;
  b) Use of Building Discretionary Funds; Building Inservice Funds; Department Head days; and Substitute days for release time;
  c) Scheduling and use of Site Days;
  d) Professional development decisions;
  e) School operating principles;
  f) Input in staffing decisions and departmental issues (Note that this one is input only—not final authority like the others); and
  g) Input in faculty meeting agendas (again, this one is input only.). This decision-making process covers all school decisions, except those governed by law, School Board policies, District-wide course alignments across grade levels and schools; or other parts of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

 HOW IS THE SDLT ELECTED? 

• The SDLT (unless there is a waiver for the year) consists of elected Department Heads: 6 in elementary; 9 in Junior High and 12 in High School. They are elected by secret ballot. (Article 25.3) 
• Department Heads are nominated (or self-nominated) by the certificated employees (not the Principals) at the school. NSEA Building Reps and the Principal cooperate to organize a secret ballot election. Terms are for one year, without term limits. This is an actual leadership role—not a lightweight role. As a result, the stipend, $2,615, is significant (and includes all Department Head duties described on p. 69). NSEA encourages staff to elect Department Heads based on their leadership abilities, not by custom, seniority, or relationship. 
• Our Agreement states that elections are to be held by June 1. 
• We suggest that staff vote only in the department relevant for the majority of their classes. If staff are in more than one school, they should vote in the school that they are in for the majority of their time. 

If you have questions, please contact Tim Brittell (tbrittell@washingtonea.org; 425-486-7101 ext 110) or Kraig Peck (kpeck@washingtonea.org; 425-486-7101 ext 103).

Tip of the Week: 18 IQ Hours

NSEA TIP OF THE WEEK 

WHAT ARE THESE 18 INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY HOURS ABOUT? 

In our new Contract, we agreed to record 18 hours of IQ work as part of a compromise that maintained the 1.9% of our pay that the State cut funding for. The Administration/School Board agreed to fund it with local levy funds, and add it to our Responsibility Factor stipend. Additionally, we agreed to work one SIP Day on April 13—similarly added. The total 25.5 hours equals 1.9% of our base pay.

It is more work for the same pay—not something we’d normally agree to, but a deal NSEA members voted 95% to ratify in these hard times. Those who don’t wish to work or record these hours don’t have to. If not included in your Cert Time Report you turn into Payroll by June 30, the pay will simply be deducted from your August check. (The 18 hours and the April 13 SIP Day are pro-rated for part time staff. All other kinds of hours/days recorded on the annual Cert Time Report are not pro-rated.)

The 18 IQ hours represent, for most NSEA members, simply recording work we already do--but has not been customarily paid. It must be outside the regular work day or year. And it cannot be our regular daily work (i.e., lesson planning). And the activities must move district goals, performance measures, initiatives (including joint NSEA/District ones), or curriculum adoptions forward. Customarily paid activities must continue to be paid—not offering IQ hours instead of actual extra pay. (For example, training to implement new curricula, or any required additional training/work must continue to be paid. If any such paid work is instead offered as IQ hours, please contact us immediately, and we will correct this error.)

That leaves lots of unpaid work we already do as eligible for recording as IQ hours. The form on pages 187 and 188 of our Contract includes samples. There is also an updated list of activities, workshops, books, articles, etc that may be included as IQ hours in the Teacher Toolbox on the NSD Teacher Leadership website. The form requires that you list the activities you plan, and discuss it in advance with your Principal/Supervisor.

Some of the most common kinds of unpaid extra hours many of us are already doing that will qualify as IQ hours are: “Committee and/or department/grade level work beyond the designated meeting times such as….department/grade level meetings; Curricular work organized by school leadership teams; Professional learning community meetings outside the work day; Job-alike collaborative work for the visual and performing arts, CTE, ELL, SLPs, OT/PTs and librarians; Grade level/content area teams meeting in conjunction with librarians, counselors, and/or Special Education teachers; Education classes, trainings and/or workshops; and Professional book studies aligned with district instructional goals.” There are many more listed.

There is a rumor that the work must be done with others, on District property. This is not accurate. It must meet the underlined criteria above.

The best overall explanation of ALL of the extra days/hours is the 2 page Certificated Time Report, which is on pages 189 and 190. To see the IQ hours worksheet, click here. Reminder: Our full contract is available online (click here). If you have questions, please contact your NSEA Building Rep, or the NSEA office.

Together, we are creating great schools!