I believe that this is the current location of the...

2008-05-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

I believe that this is the current location of the contracts.

http://www.edmnosseo.com/contracts.htm

Just missed adding this before you signed off. St...

2008-05-20T23:56:00.000-05:00

Just missed adding this before you signed off. Steps and lanes are as follows:
Steps are basically the number of years you have taught full time. Part time are usually half. Meaning that you have to work two years to equal one step.

Lanes are a teachers level of training. That is...what is your level of training. There are lanes for BA, BA + 15 additional college credits, BA+30 and so on...and continues to MA, MA+15 additional credits and so on.

You get a predetermined pay increase for each step that is guaranteed no matter what is negotiated for Cost of Living each year, and you get a pay increase also for whatever lane you are in...again, already predetermined prior to Cost of Living negotiated each year. Those are fixed, set by the union bargaining table and can not be changed. How often they are established is up to each districts bargaining unit. I can not tell you exactly how our district bargains these, as in how often, besides the regular negotiations, but I can tell you almost all districts do it the same because of Education Minnesota and the other unions power that is established.

As a union member for EM and National Education Association, I can honestly tell you that districts don't have much leverage except for the Cost of Living without the threat of strikes. Districts also can do well negotiating health insurance as well, which our district has done exceptional compared to surrounding districts.

As to Deans comment about teachers not leaving because of benefits, that is because of Osseo's great work with insurance.

Having taught in Robbinsdale...I can say they didn't end up closing buildings as planned this year because of the communities voice being heard...but what has not come out in the news, is how they shuffled, they cut programs (of which our district cut back in programs but didn't cut out entire programs like music, arts at the upper level, etc as Rdale did...and the ahtletic programs cut here were leveled against what would be available in the community).

Listening to community and not staff...family coverage for insurance in the Robbinsdale district will go up $900 a month to $1,200. I don't know many teachers that could afford the equivalent of 2 more car payments.

Consequently, back to Deans board comment...Robbinsdale did lay off over 90 teachers, but what you have not heard in the news, because they are just starting to trickle in, is that teachers are leaving because they had to increase staff insurance costs to spare buildings closing. The middle school I used to teach in, has 8 of its best staff leaving for Wayzata, only because they have younger families and can not afford the insurance. These are teachers with 10-15 years of experience. That is one building alone. Of those leaving, I can tell you that they are the staff that put in the most time and talents for those kids in those buildings. They are teachers that work with the community to bring in additional grant dollars to provide incredible programming beyond district dollars. Of two of the people in that one building, they together bring in an additional $50,000 to that building for support services and programs.

The teachers will be sorely missed, and the students will receive the brunt of it when their mentoring programs, after school tutoring programs and more are gone.

Comments on District 279 United: Live Blog -- starting at 5:45 p.m.

I believe that this is the current location of the...

Just missed adding this before you signed off. St...