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Sharing more pathways to student debt relief

As the landscape of student debt shifts, and more and more opportunities allow borrowers to have their debt relieved, the AFT is using every avenue to ensure that the word is out. In affiliate meetings, telephone town halls, media coverage and social media, the union is spreading the news, and at a student debt clinic at AFT headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 31, AFT President Randi Weingarten vowed to reach as many people as possible with information that could save them tens—and sometimes hundreds—of thousands of dollars.

Celebrating student loan relief

“It was like waking up and learning you won the lottery.” That’s just one of the comments flooding the AFT offices from members who are elated to be free of student debt at last. After relentless advocacy, including an AFT lawsuit against former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that was so broken is finally doing what it is supposed to do: delivering relief from student debt for thousands of borrowers. So far, $6.2 billion in student debt has been forgiven for 100,000 public service workers like teachers, nurses and professors.

2019-20 Contract Settlement Summary

 

SUMMARY OF TENTATIVE AGREEMENT

2019-2020 INSTRUCTIONAL NEGOTIATIONS

 

ECONOMICS - Total Package includes Market Adjustment, Performance Pay, Fringe & Supplement Increases

 

$3,610,268.85    market adjustment (4.25%) increase for teachers

$   548,643.30    fringe (increases to SS, Medicare, FRS, worker’s comp, etc)

Best & Brightest Update

2019-2020 Changes to Best & Brightest

How is the Best and Brightest award different in 2019-2020?   As part of Senate Bill 7070, all of the previous requirements for Best and Brightest were scrapped, and the program now has three components, Recruitment, Retention and Recognition. Only the Recognition portion of the award is subject to collective bargaining.

The Teacher Salary Allocation: What You Should Know

As is true of every year's bargaining efforts, HCTA is dedicated to ensuring all educators in Hernando Schools receive substantive and equitable pay raises. Each year seems to present a different set of challenges--performance pay requirements, Best & Brightest bonuses, etc--and this year is no exception.

 

August 2, 2021 - Bargaining Update

Tentative agreements have been reached regarding the addition of athletic supplements for new girls’ sports and clarification of priority for choice placement of employees’ kids at the school where the bargaining unit member works. The district team also indicated that they are gathering information regarding how parity bonuses might be paid to instructional staff left out of the state’s $1000 relief payments, though no agreement has been signed yet.

Given the current spike in the number of COVID infections in the community, HCTA proposed that the district offer 10 days of emergency sick leave again this year. It was noted that the district would be meeting with the health department later this week and that more information regarding health and safety measures may be available then. For now, it is expected that sanitizing of buses and high-touch areas will continue along with other precautionary routines, but teachers may rest assured that there is NO plan to continue Hybrid classrooms!

The likelihood that protocols and procedures will evolve with changes in the community's COVID conditions is high. We encourage our members to stay vigilant and inform HCTA leadership of any specific concerns as they arise. We will continue to provide bargaining updates through home email and social media. If you are not already receiving these communications, please ask your worksite leader to confirm your contact info and help you connect with our private FB group for members.

In the coming weeks, we will begin addressing the Teacher Salary Increase funds. This year's funds are legislated to AGAIN be distributed primarily to lifting the minimum base salary. 

Next scheduled bargaining session will be a joint meeting with HUSW to discuss the local referendum funds on August 25th.

Your vote is your voice

AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest column outlines the urgency of using our voices—our votes—in this life-changing election, when we will make a choice “between President Donald Trump, who has trafficked in chaos, fear, lies and division, and former Vice President Joe Biden, who seeks to reverse Trump’s failures on COVID-19 and the economy, and to unite and uplift the American people.” Besides the four crises we face—a pandemic, an economic crisis, racism and a climate emergency—democracy itself is on the ballot, as Trump continues to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election.

Sept 30th: Day of Solidarity

‘Back to school’ like never before

In her September New York Times column, AFT President Randi Weingarten says that going back to school has never looked like it does now. Weingarten explains that because of President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus, which has been chaotic, contradictory and inept, and the lack of federal guidance and funding, we’re seeing a patchwork of school reopening plans across the country.

August 28, 2020 - HCTA Bargaining Update

HCTA Bargaining Update – 8/28/2020

This week, HCTA and District bargaining teams reached tentative agreement on a comprehensive Schools Reopening MOU.

Chief among the provisions secured in the agreement are:

  • Access to cleaning and sanitizing supplies for classroom
  • Appropriate PPE for teachers commensurate with level of exposure  
  • Restriction on the use of ESE Co-teachers for coverage during times scheduled for delivery of services
  • Expansion of teacher authority and protections, including prohibition of recording without teacher’s consent
  • Remote work plan in the event of school and/or district closure
  • Option of remote work in lieu of leave during quarantine resulting from on the job exposure
  • Protection for use of leaves associated with COVID-19
  • Adjustment to proration of athletic supplements in the event of season cancellation

The MOU requires that the evaluation committee (EMART) meet to review classroom observation protocols and recommend temporary adjustments to evaluation processes or criteria. Further, administrators will be trained on--and teachers will be informed of—any alterations to the process, criteria or instrument prior to the first evaluative classroom observation being conducted. Both brick-and-mortar and digital classroom assignments will be observed by administrators following the normal walkthrough/observation process in the physical setting. Evaluative observations for brick and mortar, digital home learning, and hybrid classes require the administrator’s physical presence in the room.

Additionally, employees on the District’s insurance plan will not pay out of pocket costs associated with testing and treatment of COVID-19 through December of 2020.

Though HCTA was unable to secure class size limits for traditional classroom electives (Art, Language, etc.), the District team offered assurance at the bargaining table that each site administrator has been tasked with creating school-specific plans to address safety measures for transition times, common areas, meal times, and classes with larger student numbers. It will be important that we work with admin to address concerns for areas which pose greater possibility of exposure to the virus. Please contact your HCTA worksite leader to ask for assistance in addressing these concerns as they arise.

The Reopening MOU, along with the other tentative agreements pertaining to the 2020-21 school year, can be viewed online at myHCTA.org. Remember that all other provisions of the HCTA master contract continue to apply, including planning time protection, duty-free lunch, and the 7.75 hour workday.

The parties will be reconvening in the days ahead to address the Teacher Salary Allocation. Please continue to look for updates and information from the HCTA bargaining team in September.