Current Information:
Scheduled Bargaining Sessions
Group Agreements (a.k.a. “Ground Rules”)
Current Contract and Memorandums of Agreement
Current Salary Tables
Comparison of Proposal Costs
Comparison of Compensation in Local Labor Market
Comparison of Elementary Prep Time in Local Labor Market
THE LATEST:
June 14, 2017
4J’s June 14 Contract Proposal (3)
Comparison of Elementary Prep Time
The bargaining teams for Eugene School District 4J and the Eugene Education Association have exchanged multiple proposals and have agreed in principle on some points. Several other important contract provisions are under discussion and compensation proposals are still several million dollars apart in costs.
On Wednesday, June 14, the district and union teams met to continue negotiations for a new teacher contract.
District proposal: The district team presented a new proposal that responded to some of EEA’s key interests in workload relief, while maintaining a commitment to the district’s interests in educational quality, service to families, and a sustainable budget that maintains a full school year and prevents class size increases.
The district is proposing a three-year contract that would:
- Promote equitable, adequate and consistent instruction time
- Maintain a sustainable budget that holds the line on class sizes
- Preserve a full school year for students
- Protect student time with their regular classroom teachers
- Support teacher effectiveness with coordinated professional development
- Maintain competitive compensation with salary increases for every teacher
Time for learning: Members of the district team discussed the connection between learning time and student achievement, and the importance of providing students both high quality and sufficient quantity of learning time with their regular classroom teachers.
The team shared a comparison of two hypothetical students (“A” and “B”) on their K–12 journey through Eugene School District 4J under current site-based school schedules. Student A attends the 4J elementary, middle and high schools offering the least amount of instruction time, while student B attends the 4J schools offering the most. By graduation, student A will have received 7 months—nearly a full school year—less instruction time than student B.
The district’s goals are to move to a consistent districtwide calendar and bring instruction time up to the bar already met at some 4J schools, so that all students will have learning time on par with student B.
Informational materials:
- Elementary prep time: Data from local school districts was shared, showing that—after significant increases in recent years—4J elementary teachers’ current amount of guaranteed prep time is above the average in the local labor market.
- Consistent calendars: Examples of consistent calendars from other school districts were shared as an illustration (examples: Springfield, Beaverton [FAQ]). Other districts and their associations have solved these problems and the district team is confident that 4J and EEA can do the same.
Next steps: The next meeting is Tuesday, June 20, 4:30–8:30 p.m. at the 4J Education Center, 200 North Monroe St. in Eugene. Collective bargaining sessions are open for observers to attend.
When additional sessions are set, the schedule will be posted on this webpage.
June 8, 2017
Proposal Cost Comparison
4J’s June 8 Contract Proposal (2)
EEA’s June 8 Contract Proposal (3)
The bargaining teams for Eugene School District 4J and the Eugene Education Association met on Thursday, June 8. The district team presented a refined proposal.
The district team also shared a comparison of the estimated costs of the district’s and union’s most recent proposals. The partial costing showed that EEA’s two-year contract proposal would cost more than $13 million over two years and would raise ongoing annual costs by about $8.7 million per year after the life of the contract. The district’s three-year contract proposal would cost about $2.7 million over three years and would increase ongoing annual costs by about $2.6 million per year after the life of the contract.
| Contract length | Cost over life of contract | Ongoing annual cost increase after life of contract | |
| EEA 5/25 proposal | 2 years | More than $13 million over 2 years | ~$8.7 million |
| 4J 6/8 proposal | 3 years | About $2.7 million over 3 years | ~$2.6 million |
After caucusing, EEA presented a third proposal. The changes did not substantially alter the cost comparison above.
The teams are next scheduled to meet on Wednesday, June 14, 4:30–8:30 p.m., at the Eugene Education Association office, 2815 Coburg Road.
May 25, 2017
EEA’s May 25 Contract Proposal (2)
The bargaining teams for Eugene School District 4J and the Eugene Education Association met on Thursday, May 25. EEA responded to the district’s May 9 proposal and presented a revised proposal.
The teams are next scheduled to meet on Thursday, June 8, 4:30–8:30 p.m., at the 4J Education Center, 200 N. Monroe St. The May 30 meeting has been canceled.
May 16, 2017 — 4J & EEA Discuss Initial Proposals
The bargaining teams for the Eugene School District and the Eugene Education Association met on May 16 to discuss the initial proposals that were exchanged at the previous meeting on May 9. No new proposals were presented.
The teams are next scheduled to meet on Thursday, May 25, 5:30–8:30 p.m., at the 4J Education Center, 200 N. Monroe St.
Supplemental materials:
Compensation Comparison in Local Labor Market
May 9, 2017 — 4J & EEA Exchange Initial Proposals
District’s proposal would provide compensation increases, protect student time with teachers, maintain sustainable budget, more
District’s May 9 Initial Contract Proposal – Overview
District’s May 9 Initial Contract Proposal – Full Text of Proposed Contract Language
EEA’s May 9 Initial Contract Proposal
Group Agreements (a.k.a. “Ground Rules”)
The Eugene School District and the Eugene Education Association, which represents teachers and licensed specialists, have entered negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement to succeed the current contract that expires June 30, 2017.
On May 9, the bargaining teams for the district and the association met and exchanged initial proposals.
The district’s three-year contract proposal would:
- Provide fair compensation
- Preserve full school year
- Promote equitable instruction time
- Protect student time with teachers
- Support teacher effectiveness with coordinated professional development
- Maintain a sustainable budget that holds the line on class sizes
Significant elements of the district’s proposal are summarized and explained below.
Proposed Change |
Purpose |
| Salaries & Benefits (Article 4.1, 6.1) Increases salaries, increases insurance contribution, provides full work year. |
To provide fair compensation for educators within available resources, the district’s proposal includes:
|
| Grievance Procedure (Article 3.4.2) Directs initial presentation of group grievances to Human Resources director before filing with superintendent. |
This change is to resolve grievances at the lowest possible level, allowing administration to be informed, respond and seek to address issues before they are escalated. |
| Extra-Duty Compensation: HS Teacher Leadership (Article 5.5.3) Maintains high school teacher leadership at present levels. |
Each high school is allocated an annual budget for teacher leadership. Maintaining current budget levels for high school teacher leadership is part of a continued effort to bring parity to leadership compensation at the elementary level. |
| Extra-Duty Compensation: Elem. Teacher Leadership (Article 5.5.9) Provides compensation for elementary teacher leadership based on stipends only, similar to middle and high school. Removes release day option. Increases the amount available for stipends. |
The district proposes to increase the amount of extra-duty compensation available for elementary leadership and provide it solely as monetary compensation, removing the option of days off in lieu of extra-duty pay.
Currently, extra-duty compensation for teacher leadership is provided to high school teachers by salary stipends, to middle school teachers by salary stipends, and to elementary school teachers by either salary stipends or release days. Elementary is the only level in which teacher leaders may be compensated for leadership duties by days off during the school year. Time spent with the regular classroom teacher is important to student learning. Compensating teachers for leadership duties with salary stipends and not with days off supports the goal of protecting students’ time with their teachers. |
| Insurance Reserve Fund (Article 6.1, 6.4, 6.5) Waives contribution to insurance reserve fund for members who have waived insurance coverage. Implements cap on reserve levels after 2019–20. |
The district’s insurance contributions for licensed staff are placed in an insurance reserve fund, which is used to make payments to OEBB based on the cost of insurance plans selected by members.
The fund now has reserves over $3 million. Despite past transfers out of the reserve fund, the account balance is increasing. The district makes contributions to the fund for every member, whether or not the member enrolls in an insurance plan offered by the district. When a member decides not to enroll in health insurance and waives coverage, there is no outgoing payment, so the fund continues to grow. The district proposes to provide members relief from insurance costs by requiring subsidies from the fund during the term of the agreement, and reinforce the intention that insurance reserve funds are to be used primarily to defray insurance costs and benefit current members with current resources. The district also proposes to waive contributions to the reserve fund for members who waive medical insurance during the term of the agreement; and allow the fund to maintain reserve levels up to a cap of $700,000 (approximately 5% of the annual costs of the fund) starting in mid-2020. |
| Sick Leave & Family Leave (Article 8.1, 8.3.4, 8.3.5) Merges family leave into sick leave and clarifies that combined sick leave time may be used for family leave. Allows unlimited accumulation of sick leave. |
The licensed contract currently provides 80 hours of sick leave and 16 hours of family leave annually. The district proposes to combine these banks into one sick leave account, provide 96 hours of sick leave annually, and allow up to 40 hours of sick leave to be used for family leave purposes. Existing family leave balances would be credited into the employee’s sick leave account.
While the law already allows members to use 40 hours of paid leave for expanded family leave purposes, many members do not know this. The proposed change would provide clarity to members about the true amount of paid leave available as family leave, and would simplify leave bookkeeping. |
| Bereavement Leave (Article 8.5) Continues provision of bereavement leave. Allows sick leave usage. Converts additional half-days of pay to full days. |
Employees may receive 5 days of paid bereavement leave. Under extenuating circumstances and at the district’s discretion, employees may receive up to 5 additional paid half-days and 5 half-day pay deductions. The half-days are rarely used, and present cumbersome accounting issues. The district proposes is to convert the 5 half-days into 2 full days. OFLA-eligible employees may use sick leave as allowed by OFLA. |
| Work Schedule: Faculty Meetings (Article 10.1.2) Deletes language that employees will make faculty meetings “a high priority.” |
The district proposes to eliminate language that employees will make attendance at faculty meetings “a high priority.” The purpose is to support a professional workplace culture with a consistent understanding that employees are required to attend faculty meetings, unless excused. |
| Work Schedule: Other Meetings (Article 10.1.3) Adds 504 meetings to list of meeting types for which there is not a weekly cap. |
Federal law requires both IEP and 504 meetings. Currently IEP meetings are noted as a meeting type that does not count toward the general limitation of one professional meeting per week. The district proposes to note that 504 meetings are included along with IEP meetings in this exception. The purpose is to support teacher attendance at such legally required meetings. |
| Work Year: Extending Calendar (Article 10.2) Allows district to add days to the work year and compensate employees at the per diem rate. |
The purpose is to provide the district flexibility to schedule more school days/work days if sufficient funds are available. |
| Work Year: School District Calendar (Article 10.2) Eliminates 60-day notice to the association before considering a calendar change necessitated due to emergency school closures. |
The purpose is to provide greater flexibility in making a mid-year modification to the calendar to make up days when schools are closed due to hazardous weather. The district would still consult with the association on any such calendar changes. |
| Work Year: Furlough Days (Article 10.2) Provides for expedited bargaining on furlough days if there is a revenue shortfall. |
The purpose is to allow the district and the association to negotiate the amount and impact of furlough days in the event of revenue shortfalls, using the expedited bargaining process provided by law. |
| Work Year: Holidays (Article 10.2.1) Changes designated paid holiday from Presidents Day to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. |
Currently, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is designated as an unpaid non-work day, and Presidents Day, which falls later in the year after most winter weather has passed, is designated as a paid holiday. The district proposes to have Martin Luther King Jr. Day be the paid holiday. This would make it possible for Presidents Day to be designated as a make-up day if schools are closed due to hazardous weather, instead of making up that day at the end of the school year. The proposal does not change the number of paid holidays or amount of compensation. |
| Work Year: School Calendar & Schedule (Article 10.2.4.f – new) Sunsets current site-based process for implementing schedule changes. Provides that starting in 2018–19, the school board will establish standard schedules by level, including late starts, early releases, and no-student days, in consultation with EEA. |
The district proposes to sunset the current site-based process for implementing school schedule changes, and work collaboratively with the association and other stakeholders to develop a consistent school calendar and schedule to be proposed for school board approval and implemented starting in 2018–19.
Currently school calendars vary greatly from school to school. All elementary schools and many middle schools have a weekly early release day, but the days and amount of time differ. Some elementary and middle schools have additional no-student days or partial days, and some have none. Two of the four high schools have late starts, one has both late starts and early releases, and one has three half-day student release days. As a result, there is considerable variation in the amount of instruction time provided by teachers and received by students—a student may receive as much as four weeks less instruction time than a student in another school at the same level. There is little ability to coordinate professional development and teacher collaboration regionally or district-wide—staff are not available at the same time because schools have different non-student days and times. The lack of a unified calendar is confusing and unreliable for district families—in particular, families with students at multiple schools have different calendars at each school, all varying from the district-wide calendar. One purpose of the proposal is to ensure 4J students in different schools receive equitable amounts of instruction and staff have equitable teaching time at each school level. Another purpose of the proposal is to provide for coordinated, predictable opportunities for professional development. Finally, the proposal is a step toward achieving clear, consistent and reliable calendars for families. |
| Work Sample Release Days (Article 10.4) Removes outdated language about release time related to work samples. |
Removes contract language that grew out of a state requirement that no longer exists. The purpose is to eliminate outdated contract language and protect teacher time with students. Savings from the elimination of this outdated leave provision are reallocated to elementary leadership (Article 5.5.9). |
| Extended Work Year (Article 10.4 – new) Provides additional time for nurses, school psychologists and special education consultants to complete necessary student support work before the regular school year, compensated at the per diem rate. Provides for required professional development to be delivered at the beginning and end of the summer, compensated at the per diem rate. Provides orientation and transition time for new employees, compensated with credits toward advancement on the salary scale. |
Student services professionals: The district proposes to add 3 days to the contracted work year of school psychologists, nurses and special education consultants, paid at the per diem rate. The purpose is to facilitate providing student services that are required before students start the school year.
New employees: The district proposes that for members new to the district, the contracted work year in the first year of service will be 194 days instead of 191 days. Members will be compensated with credit towards column advancement on the salary schedule. The purpose is to provide orientation, professional development and transition support to professionals who are new to our district. Summer professional development: The district proposes that required professional development may be provided outside of the regular school year, limited to the weeks just before and after the school year, and compensated at the per diem rate. The purpose is to facilitate critical professional development, while limiting the impact on members’ summer schedules. |
| IEP/504 Meeting Compensation (Article 13.8.4) Provides for members to access additional compensation for attending meetings regarding 504 plans, as well as IEPs, outside of the regular work day. Increases amount of compensation available. |
IEP and 504 meetings are mandated by federal law. The district attempts to schedule these during the regular work day where possible. Currently, the district maintains a pool of dollars available to compensate general education members for attending IEP meetings during scheduled planning time or outside of their regular work day. General education members also need to attend legally mandated 504 meetings. The district’s proposal would allow 504 meetings to be compensated under this provision, and would increase the funds available for IEP and 504 meeting attendance. |
| Elementary Testing Coordinator Support (Appendix D) Provides compensation for elementary testing coordinators. |
The district proposes to provide up to four (4) additional work days, compensated at the per diem rate, for testing coordinators at elementary schools that have more than 200 students and less than half-time essential skills coordinators, with prorated amounts based on the assigned ESC FTE. |
| Special Education Support (Appendix E) |
The district proposes to continue to provide current levels of case management assistant time to support to special education programs, psychologists, consultants, and the Motor Team. The district proposes to continue to provide 2 hours of educational assistant (EA) time for each life skills classroom to support transportation. |
The teams are next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, May 16, 4:30–8:30 p.m., at the 4J Education Center, 200 N. Monroe St.
District’s May 9 Initial Contract Proposal – Overview
District’s May 9 Initial Contract Proposal – Full Text of Proposed Contract Language
EEA’s May 9 Initial Contract Proposal
Spring 2017 — Contract Negotiations Will Begin in May
Eugene School District 4J’s teachers and licensed specialists are represented by the Eugene Education Association (EEA).
The current collective bargaining contract between Eugene School District 4J and the Eugene Education Association is in effect through June 30, 2017. 4J and EEA will conduct negotiations for a new contract in spring 2017. Updates on the process will be posted on this website.
The 4J and EEA bargaining teams have tentatively scheduled several sessions to be held at the 4J Education Center, 200 N. Monroe St., or the Eugene Education Association office, 2815 Coburg Rd. Dates for future bargaining sessions are subject to cancellation or modification.
Initial Schedule of Bargaining Sessions:
Tue., May 9, 4:30–8:30 p.m., Eugene Education Association
Tue., May 16, 4:30–8:30 p.m., 4J Education Center
Thu., May 25, 5:30–8:30 p.m., 4J Education Center
Tue., May 30, 4:30–8:30 p.m., Eugene Education Association (canceled)
Thu., June 8, 4:30–8:30 p.m., 4J Education Center
Wed., June 14, 4:30–8:30 p.m., Eugene Education Association
Tue., June 20, 4:30–8:30 p.m., 4J Education Center
Joint meetings of the two teams are open to the public, subject to observer rules, unless otherwise announced. Caucus meetings of individual teams are closed to the public and media.
