Dear STPSB Employees:
Today I met with Mr. Pete Jabbia and Mr. Cosse to discuss matters of immediate concern. Our first topic was building reps, who will be a vital part of our union this year as well as moving forward. Given that so many directives are left to individual schools to work out, our building reps will have the job of negotiating with administrators directly in order to service the contract and troubleshoot problems. We are in the process of getting out training materials and will post the list on our website. Each school will also have a union bulletin board that will be updated on a regular basis. Please be patient as we get things established, as some reps are brand new, and we don’t want to overwhelm them. Our role will be to support and augment their work in each building.
Our next topic was COVID. We shared the most frequently asked questions and concerns from our recent survey:
- The district will not utilize the free testing program being offered. Reasons included personnel needs and an individual needing to re-test if a rapid test came up positive.
- There will be no COVID day policy, at least for now. We will be establishing a reporting form for individuals who run out of days due to quarantines or COVID so that we can present data and push for a solution.
- Teachers can work from home and not be docked as long as they are able through Google Meets. Note: This is only if you were quarantined by the district. Some job classifications won’t be able to use this option, but certain jobs like clerical might be able to be performed remotely.
- They are considering a solution for teachers with children in the system who get sick with COVID. They are thinking about a policy that might allow a parent to teach using Google Meet to avoid being docked days. This is not official at this point.
- For the most part, there will be no extra duties like last year. Each school is different, though, in terms of its needs. For instance, it may be determined that the breakfast program might lead to too many students bunching up. In that case, teachers may have to be there to allow students to eat in the classrooms.
- Virtual learning will be used if schools have to shut down. This will mean no days have to be made up.
- Lunch service will vary by school, as mentioned, but the intention is to have lunch served in the cafeteria.
- Cleaning supplies and PPE will be supplied to teachers and bus owner operators.
- Scrubs were approved today.
- If you have a sensitivity to the cleaner, you can request an alternative cleaning agent. Please use only approved cleaners that are supplied by the system for the purpose of disinfecting.
- Cleaning in the classroom is recommended twice a day.
- Buses will be cleaned periodically on high touch areas.
- Owner operators will maintain seating charts. Teachers will do this as well.
- Maintenance is installing new filtration systems to improve air quality. If you have specific concerns about air quality in your work area, please let your building rep know.
- Meet & Greets and Open House will determined at each school. Virtual and drive thru are possible models.
- Vaccinated teachers will have to show their vaccination card to avoid being quarantined. You can download the LA Wallet app to your phone as proof so that you don’t have to carry your card with you.
- Student vaccinations will be verified by administration using a website, but no such website exists for adults, at least not that they can access.
These are highly charged times, and I know many who are struggling right now. The policies are what they are for now. My goal is to get our building reps established and to support them so that individual and building level solutions can be negotiated. This is the model laid out in our contract, and I will support them in their efforts.
For individuals with health concerns and who are concerned for their families at home, we will try to negotiate reasonable accommodations for you to help keep you safer.
Some of this will come as good news and some as bad. What is clear is that this will not be a normal year. I will be asking for a substantial raise for this year rather than waiting until spring for the official re-opener. We need a morale boost and soon.
Sincerely,
Brant Osborn