Pre-Negotiations Survey, January 2015

Article 1: Agreement
At this time the negs team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
No comment

Article 2: Recognition
At this time the negs team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
No comment

Article 3: Rights
Interest: To review and modify the process for developing recommendations and engaging teacher expertise on issues of curriculum, assessment and instruction (pg. 8 article 3.2.10 and pg. 77-78 addendum I)

The SALT Committee no longer meets. We should make sure that all sites receive information disseminated during curriculum council meetings.
I agree with the team's recommendation.
I have seen meetings and committees on curriculum, etc. However, sometimes it seems to be busy work and our recommendations or suggestions are not considered or implemented. One example is the Running Records task force/committee. We all agreed that issues needed to be fixed or another program needed to be put in place to assess and track a student's reading ability. Nothing was ever changed. I would love to have transparency in this area. Also, we should be piggybacking/learning from other district's successes and issues instead of each district creating their own programs/curriculum.
Is there an official policy on how and when teachers will be consulted for the adoption of new curriculum and textbooks? Sometimes, this seems rushed and not inclusive.
The district needs to get our input on all these decisions. We are the ones in the classroom. If we are not provided with the necessary materials and resources, we cannot effectively teach. Please write language into the contract that requires the district obtain teacher input before decisions are made about curriculum, assessment, and instruction. And to give heavy favor to that teacher input.
I agree with the interest(s) listed.
It would be great if we could have input without having to go to more meetings.
I hope to see a more detailed process/guidelines for getting teacher expertise and opinion in these areas...and not just that of a select few teachers...attempt to include them all. In addition, I think informing all employee groups of committees and input opportunities with transparency from the start from administration is necessary.

Article 4: Compensation:
Interest: To review comparison unified districts within Santa Clara County to continue moving toward the county-wide average on the basic salary schedule (pg. 12 -Article #4.2.1.1 & pg. 79 -Addendum II) -
Interest: To improve incentive grants for critical need areas to attract and retain highly qualified teachers (pg. 13 -Article #4.3.3) -
Interest: To review comparison unified districts within Santa Clara County to continue moving toward the county-wide average on the master's degree and doctoral degree stipend (pg. 15 -Article #4.6 & 4.7) -
Interest: To review comparison unified districts within Santa Clara County to continue moving toward the county-wide average on the hourly rate (pg. 15-16 -Article #4.9)

Thank you for continuing to ask for fair pay for what is being asked of us.
Please pursue a more comparable salary schedule and stipend package.
I agree with the team's recommendation.
We cannot keep teachers because they leave for higher pay in other Districts. Turnover will continue to be an issue until we have competitive pay, not the lowest pay. We are known at the "teacher trainer district"....they get trained here than leave for higher pay in other Santa Clara County districts! Also, the new listed price of a home in Morgan Hill is just as high as in San Jose, listed at $900,000; teachers in Morgan Hill are not staying up to cost of living.
Basic salary schedule 1st priority, then stipends should move to county average.
Professional license stipend (COE- currently has a professional license stipend in place
Although not a new issue in the district, the issue of fair and equitable compensation for MHUSD teachers remains. We live in a VERY expensive part of the country. The San Jose urban area is one of the top 10 most expensive places to live in the nation. Yet, our salaries as certificated teachers do not allow us enough income to live comfortably within the boundaries of our own district. My husband and I both earn a certificated salary through MHUSD, making up our only income. We recently went house hunting in Morgan Hill and discovered that we could not afford a comfortably sized home large enough to raise a family in a safe neighborhood in Morgan Hill. We could, however, buy the home of our dreams in Gilroy, inside the boundaries of a district that pays their teachers nearly the same salary we earn in Morgan Hill. This was disappointing beyond words. We love teaching in Morgan Hill and wanted to become immersed in the community, yet our own district could not support us financially to do so. If the district wants to retain excellent and experienced teachers, they need to compensate us appropriately.
Why would we settle for "continuing to move toward the ...average"? Why wouldn't we be more adamant in our language? Do we accept "continuing to work toward average" from our students or schools' performance?
We are more compensated than last year. However, we have had 2 days added to our work schedule. That money cannot be counted as a "raise" if we must work harder to get it. Why is it that we are the lowest paid in the county, yet our superintendents historically have the higher salaries in the county?
YES!!!! I am hearing from new teachers about how San Jose Unified and other northern districts pay more and maybe they should move. San Jose is already a more attractive area for young, single people to live. We don't want the extra competition of lower salaries.
Increasing the compensation for Master's and Doctorate degrees will promote further education among our teachers. Adding a column on the pay scale for additional units would do this as well.
We should have a more competitive salary to attract and keep highly qualified teachers.
If the Superintendent is being paid in the top echelon of his salary as compared to his peers, so too should the teachers. We talk about retaining highly qualified teachers, yet the district doesn't want to pay for it.
Yes please. Addressing hourly rate as well as salary schedule is critical.
This article is the one that I believe is the main reason why so many new teachers leave our district or don't accept jobs in this district.
I agree that these interests should be high priorities.
This is the principal deterrent to retaining highly qualified effective teachers. MHUSD becomes the stepping stone, a place to gain initial experience prior to moving on to higher paying districts.
I believe salary is the most important issue. We have not received a significant salary increase in over a decade and are far below what most bay area districts pay. High turnover of staff bears this out. While all other costs continue to rise, our salary continues to stagnate. It's time to address this crucial issue with a significant pay increase.
I agree with the interest(s) listed.
Of course I would love to have another raise so we are closer to the top of the tier in the county.
more, please
Number 1 thing we have to do is improve our wages. Santa Clara USD got 8% raise this year and they were already making more than us. We are constantly losing good young teachers to higher paying districts or to other industries that pay better.
I, too, would like to be comparable to other districts in all areas of compensation...thank you for negotiating on my behalf! I am suspecting that improving incentive grants might not be as necessary if our pay was comparable. In my opinion, a compensation improvement for all is of more importance.
4.3.3 A significant grant/ bonus/ incentive ($5000) to be paid annually to teachers hired for critical need areas, precisely, teachers with BCLAD hired for DIME. This will attract and retain highly qualified teachers.
I would like the district to be more competitive in terms of salary. I am a 2nd year teacher here in the district and have plans to move to a new district which has better compensation. I currently work an additional job on top of teaching and coaching to help make my ends meet and it makes it difficult to want to stay in the district
This is the article that worries me the most. I know it has to do with Salary Schedule, and I know Morgan Hill community is different than the San Jose community, but I want to stress the fact that I do live in San Jose, and the cost of living is constantly going up. Why is it that the school districts close to Morgan Hill makes 1000 more even at the beginning of their teaching career, and at the end of their career, they make at least 10,000 dollars more? I also want to stress the fact that it is not uncommon for new teachers to have a Master's at the beginning of their career. Why is it, that we can encourage our students to strive for more, but with our educators, we do not reward them when they do the same? In East Side Union High School District, their Master's stipend is 1,694 while our stipend is 1,000 only. It is imperative, if we want to keep highly qualified teachers and teachers who have both refreshing and new ideas, then we should at least try to keep up with the community of San Jose.
At my site, I have seen firsthand how our lack of comparable compensation has negatively affected our students. I've watched our best and brightest leave our district after 5-10 years in order to get paid more elsewhere. If I left to go to East Side Union, for example, I would automatically get paid $6,000 a year more PLUS my benefits would be covered for both my spouse and me, so my take-home would be significantly more per month. Instead, I am getting paid less here, and if I went through our district for our benefits, we would be paying upwards of $900 a month. The only reason I stay in this district is I love my site and I have growth opportunities. If I didn't love my administration, and if I wasn't growing professionally, I would have left already. Also, I don't see myself staying here for longer than a few more years because of this.
I would like to see a pay increase so that we are at least matching nearby districts. It is too tempting to switch districts because I could make more money doing the same things I'm doing now.
The biggest concern for me is our salary schedule. We should be on par with the other districts in the county on our salary schedule. It is hard for me to stay in Morgan Hill with the current salary schedule, especially since I commute daily from San Jose.
I was surprised that certain districts (Campbell's high school district, for example) also offer longevity bonuses for years of service that are substantial. It made me wonder how widespread this practice was in the county, because it raises real compensation significantly above the figures printed on the salary scale.
Planning on leaving unless compensation more in line with county.
I agree that our salaries should be a bit more competitive to retain good teachers.
Salary increase is a top priority. Most local districts got raises equivalent or higher to what we got last year, so I don't believe we are close to the county-wide average. Negotiate towards to high end of average because other districts will be negotiating raises as well. To retain highly qualified teachers, we need to pay a competitive wage!
Our Dual Immersion teachers should be compensated with an annual bilingual stipend for teaching two languages. Districts North and South of Morgan Hill with dual immersion programs provide this incentive. Our salary must be competitive with nearby districts.
The hourly rate of $23.25 is a ridiculously low amount. We need to compensated appropriately for the extra work we provide. This is lower than many other districts and many other jobs (including jobs that do not require a Bachelor's and extended schooling beyond that.)

Article 5: Additional Compensation: -
Interest: To review comparison unified districts within Santa Clara County to continue moving toward the county-wide average on the extra duty stipends (pg. 17-22 -Article #5)
The MHFT/MHUSD Stipends Committee has met since last spring to review and evaluate the district’s extra duty compensation structure. The committee will make recommendations to the negotiations team.

Yes please!
I agree with the team's recommendation.
Same comment as above
I believe both Special Education and General Education teachers should be paid their hourly wage while attending IEP meetings. Teachers are spending 1-3 hours per IEP meeting to discuss a child's progress, engage with parents, and finalize legal documents. Currently, neither group of teachers is compensated for this time. Regardless of the countless hours a Special Education teacher spends writing IEPs (for no additional compensation); teachers should be compensated for at least the meeting times. Principals push teachers to hold IEPs after contract hours and state there is no money to hire substitutes for meetings during school hours. If we are being required to work outside of contract hours by the principal, we should be compensated for it.
Each site should get a set of stipends, but the site should decide what they are for.
Given the amount of work expected for these extra duty contracts, our current stipends are grossly underpaid.
I agree with the interest(s) listed.
More money for the Agriculture stipends (FFA) and less for coaches.
Please let those who do the extra, quality work receive compensation for this work.
Department chairs getting a period off and a stipend is not the norm in other districts. They get one or the other, not both. The coaches were screwed 2 years ago, by the district and the union. And now, one of our negotiators is administrator for the district.
I hope that the stipends committee can help make things more equitable in the district. I understand that this is a huge task and thank you for your time spent on this, stipend free. While some individuals have very large stipends for their extra duties, others do work for little to no additional compensation. In addition, some individuals take on few to no extra duties, making it necessary to have language in regards to additional compensation. I appreciate you negotiating for those who should be paid for their true worth to our students.
A yearly stipend of 1,000 dollars to dual immersion bilingual teachers with a BCLAD credential instead of a one time 2,000 stipend. Teaching two languages is not always easy because teachers have to find resources in the target language. There is more time spent translating and planning that a yearly stipend will help keep qualified bilingual teachers in our district.
I agree that stipends should be aligned with SCC averages
Getting teachers to pick up stipends is tough because it's a lot of work and the pay doesn't really equal the amount of work. Being county-wide average is adequate.
Increase the hourly rate for working additional duties.

Article 6: Retirement Options
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
Please explore mutually beneficial retirement incentives.
The retirement options are fair, but I would like a retirement package like some superintendents receive. Wouldn't that be nice?
Golden handshake?
I would like to see the administrative fee lowered/gone for the retirees' benefits in order to free up that money for other areas. I do believe, however, that maintaining their benefits is more important than this. Therefore, it is my hope that the benefits committee will be able to find a better financial option for all members, current and retired.

Article 7: Layoffs
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
No comment

Article 8: Shared Contracts
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

The District should respect employees' choice to share contracts and not make restrictions. Shared contracts often mean excellent teachers who would otherwise leave are able to stay and continue serving our students.
OK
Shared contracts at the elementary level should not be limited to number of years teachers can share. If there are two teachers who are successful educators together, they should be able to continue. Of course, if the partnership is not working for students or the site, this should be evaluated.

Article 9: Health and Welfare Benefits
Interest: To improve health and welfare benefits (pg. 28-29 -Article #9)
The MHFT/MHUSD Benefits Committee has met since last spring to review and evaluate the district’s health and welfare structure. The committee will make recommendations to the negotiations team.

This is crucial for teachers with families. I believe a good way to keep good teachers is to offer good benefits.
Yes please!
The health benefits are very expensive. I would like to see quality care continue but at less cost to the members.

Article 10: Payroll Deductions
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
No comment

Article 11: Mileage
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
If we are asked to attend conferences or workshops, can we submit miles at our schools for reimbursement? At our site in previous years, were told no, and we had classes in Menlo Park, many miles for 9 classes, very costly in gas.
No comment

Article 12: Hours of Employment
Interest: To create up to 3 years of student and work calendars (currently our calendars have been negotiated through 2015-2016) (pg. 32 -Article #12.1.3)
Interest: To negotiate an appropriate work day schedule for special education pre-school teachers (pg. 34-37 -Article #12.3 & 12.4)
Interest: To review hours of employment with consideration of employees assigned to multiple sites.
The MHFT/MHUSD Transitional-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Committee has met for the past several months to review and evaluate full-day kindergarten programs. The committee will make recommendations to the negotiations team.

Special Ed caseloads should consider the employee as well as how well students our served with teachers who have too many cases or too many IEPs
I am not in favor of working on Good Friday before the Spring break. Re. preschool teachers - I think it should be equal pay for equal number of hours with equal numbers of students while maintaining an appropriate teacher/student ratio. I believe that preschoolers should go on a 4 1/2 to 5 hour day (for the kids benefit.) There is much toilet training and social skills being done with little to no time for pre-academics.
RSP's and SLP's have several IEP meetings after their contractual time, some lasting until 5:30pm; then having to go home and do more work writing reports/case managing until the wee hours. It would be nice to also review compensated work time and hours.

Article 13: Leaves
Interest: To resolve issues and improve language around leaves in order to attract and maintain certificated staff (pg. 40 -Article #13.6)

I agree with the team's recommendation.
My husband and I would love to start a family in the next few years. We both work in the district and have accrued sick leave days. Since I am a woman, I will need to lose most of my accrued sick leave during maternity leave. Is it possible for my husband to transfer sick leave days to me, or is that a major legal issue? Also, I thank the union and the district in improving the maternity leave contract over the last few years. Any more improvements, especially in length of leave, would be appreciated.
I agree with the interest(s) listed.

Article 14: Transfers
Interest: To streamline the process for voluntary transfers in order to improve options for teachers and ensure that sites are appropriately staffed(pg. 49 staffed-Article #14.2)

I agree with the team's recommendation.
It would be great if "voluntary transfer" was defined more specifically. I had a friend "voluntarily transferred" from Walsh because she didn't agree to work the extra hour a day over her contract. In my opinion, this was an involuntary transfer, and should have come with boxes, a few days to pack/organize, and someone to help move the boxes to her new site. I knew of another teacher that was moved because they had one extra teacher at the site. She did not interview for another position, but did say she would go when they realized someone would have to leave after school started. How are teachers protected in this situation?
I agree with the interest(s) listed.

Article 15: Class Size
Interest: To analyze and consider modifications to elementary class sizes (pg. 51- 52 -Article #15.1 & 15.2)
Interest: To negotiate appropriate special education case load sizes and equitable workloads (pg. 51-52 -Article #15.1 & 15.2)
Interest: To analyze and consider modifications to secondary physical education class sizes (pg. 51-52 -Article #15.1 & 15.2)

This is also needed. I would love to help with this if needed.
I agree with the team's recommendation.
SPED caseloads should be weighed on the number of sites and degree of support needed per student (e.g. Artic vs. autistic student needing AAC). Averages of a student head count system does not work and all our SLP's are bursting at the seams with the number of referrals.

Article 16: Evaluation Procedures
Interest: To fold the Teacher Support Network Program into the Evaluation Procedures (pg. 54-61 -Article #16 & pg. 83-84 -Addendum V)

I agree with the team's recommendation.
I agree with the interest(s) listed.
Evaluation procedures make more work for the teachers. It should be simplified and less time consuming.
I think the most important way to increase our standing and support in the community is to prove we are more than competent. This means having stricter evaluation procedures that support developing teachers, but that also get rid of the incompetent teachers that don't serve our students and also reflect badly on the rest of us. I want to believe that all MHUSD teachers with tenure are competent, but I know for a fact that this isn't true. It's not fair to the kids to have a sub-par teacher for an entire year, and it's not fair to the highly skilled teachers to have to fight for respect in the community because the parents know there are sub-par teachers in our district. In order to make MHUSD competitive with the charter schools, we need to have (AND KEEP) amazing teachers. This means more than being friends with the principal, and being a nice person. It means providing a rigorous, supportive, and caring learning environment in which all students can thrive.
The teacher support network is a wonderful option for teachers who need extra support, but if they don't improve after that process, they should not be able to continue teaching in our district. Tenure should bolster and support wonderful teachers, not allow them to stay if they're incompetent.

Article 17: Personnel Files
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
No comment

Article 18: Grievance Procedures |
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
No comment

Article 19: Safety Conditions
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
No comment
Our large PE class size creates unsafe conditions.

Article 20: Professional Accountability
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

I believe we are already accountable though administrative observations and formal evaluations.
No comment

Article 21: Mentor Teachers/Peer Assistance and Review
Interest: To align language to reflect New Teacher Induction Program and Teacher Support Network (pg. 70-71 -Article #21 & pg. 83-84 -Addendum V)

We should add language to ensure the District continues the Induction Program. Unless we fold in a significant raise into year 1 & 2 teacher salaries - new teachers cannot afford a good induction program. This also means we can control the quality of induction for every teacher. We should consider TSN Support Providers who are 1/2 or full time released.
I agree with the team's recommendation.
Please ensure New Teacher Induction is part of our contract. Strong support, aligned with the CSTPs, provides new teachers the professional development and mentoring they need to be successful educators, which increases student achievement. Providing one on one mentoring enables the support to be differentiated to meet the needs of individual teachers.

Article 22: Contract Exceptions
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

OK
No comment

Article 23: Work Stoppage
At this time, the negotiations team has no recommendations for this article.

Not having the ability to strike or protest weakens our union's negotiating power.

Article 24: Rules Governing This Agreement
Interest: To negotiate a three-year contract (pg. 75 -Article #24.9).

Why isn't there an evaluation process for the teachers to evaluate their principal? They evaluate us. How come we don't evaluate their performance? Other districts do.
I agree with the team's recommendation.
I agree with the interest(s) listed.

Final thoughts or suggestions for the negotiations team:

Good luck and thank you!
Explore paid professional negotiators. Make sure that we are not last in any area, class size, salary, benefits, retirement incentives, etc. Do not start any new programs or add administrators until real progress is made. We should be getting bigger % raises than other districts until we catch up to other districts. This needs to be done to make up for past inequities; we should be in the same like % bands and comparisons as Administrators in their comparisons with their counterparts.
The district will continue to lose excellent teachers, especially teachers in the first few years of their careers, to higher paying districts nearby, unless MHUSD offers a respectable salary to its certificated employees. I see good teachers with great potential (and all of the time, effort, and funds MHUSD invested in them to make them the great teachers they are) leave our district every year. Where are they going? Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Saratoga, San Jose, Santa Clara...My husband and I have both considered applying to jobs in other districts to provide more income for our family. However, the poor economy of the last 5-10 years and the lack of jobs in our particular subject matter have made it difficult for us to make a switch. At this point, we feel loyal and committed to MHUSD, but younger teachers may not feel the same. When we lose good teachers, we unfortunately reinforce some of the negative feelings about our schools that our community has expressed. As a result, we will have to continue to prove to our community that MHUSD provides the best possible education to all students and that we are competitive with other Santa Clara school districts, charter schools, and private schools.
Change some language on the "sick leave" and "personal necessity," so that doctor's appointments can be made truly in advance without being considered "sick." Maybe call it "sick leave / medical appointments" (?)
Would like to receive units, for classes our district requires in our own district. There might be more enthusiasm if we are compensated for the many hours we take on to improve our skills within our districts requirements.
Oakland Unified does this. They offer classes and teachers receive credits toward their years of service and units.
They do not have to pay for the units, it is their time and being in the class. Gilroy has done this, not sure if presently they do.
MHUSD taking our traditional Good Friday holiday and turning it into mandatory staff training was an offensive slap in the face. This would not happen if it was any other religion, such as Muslim. I can see not giving us Good Friday if we hadn't had it in the past. However, to remove it and add a mandatory staff development is wrong. Yes, I know we can take a personal day. That still does not change the message this action sent. Would they have done this on Ramadan? When teachers are moved (schools, classrooms, or grade levels), why doesn't seniority play any role in this? We should have some protection or provision for years of service. Also I would like to thank the negotiations team and MHFT officers. I know that this is a long process with lots of hours spent in meetings. Thank you for working for our best interests!!!
Elementary teachers need more collaboration time. It would be great to have that worked into the day/week with an elective teacher to release teachers (PE, art, music, etc.). It would also be beneficial to have a few PD and/or collaboration days spread out throughout the year. This would provide time not only for PD, but for curriculum mapping and analyzing and aligning assessments across the district.
We should no longer have separate paid leaves for sick time. We, like the rest of America should have Paid Time Off (PTO) which does not assign a label to what we use our time for. If we have earned time off, we should be able to use it how we see fit, whether it's for a doctor's visit or a vacation. If the rest of the corporations are doing it, why shouldn't we? I don't like having to justify why I took time off. This job is hard and sometimes I need a "mental health day" to relax and recharge.
Good Luck!
Salary and paid prep time for elementary teachers are the BIG issues. We have been sent repeatedly to the back of the line with a myriad of excuses. The economy is healthy--let's get our salaries to reflect the same health.
Keep up the good work and get us a contract we can back. Thanks.
I would like to see it written in the contract somewhere that all regular ed teachers who are teaching Special Ed students are given the FULL IEP BEFORE the students starts attending that teacher's class. Sometimes we are only given small snapshots of what modifications we should be following, but that is not always helpful. Sometimes we don't even receive those IEP snapshots until the student has been in our class for half the semester. It should be in the contract that we be given free access to the students enrolled in our classes and be notified of any changes made after an IEP during the school year. I would also like to see training for the regular ed teachers who will teach these special ed teachers in accordance with Ed Code 56243 and 56241 (d).
Thank you for your hard work!!!! You are totally appreciated!
I think it might be in the best interest of the teachers, to hire a labor attorney to conduct the negotiations for us. It has been a long time since the union did a better job negotiating than the district.
I appreciate your work to help ALL members get a fair contract.
It annoys me that the district wanted one more day from us, but don't have a thing planned. It makes me think it is just a controlling issue.
Bottom line is we need a pay increase and better benefits in order to compete with neighboring districts. This is critical in order to encourage teachers to come work for our district and to stay in it.
Thank you negotiations team! I appreciate your commitment, effort, and hard work on our behalf!
Teachers need to have access to school sites during weekends and holidays breaks. Currently sites are closed to teachers. Time to organize, time to prep, time to plan is key in providing quality instruction. Other districts nearby have procedures in place that facilitate teachers access to school sites on weekends and holidays. How is it that they can do so and we can't?
1. Higher pay to keep well-qualified teachers here. (Including increased medical coverage!)
2. Support shared contracts (that are working!)
3. Keep BTSA around!

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Pre-Negotiations Survey, January 2015

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