Chapter News:

Issaquah Members Support New Contract!

After months of frustrating negotiations with administration officials in the Issaquah School District about a range of issues, our leadership team was able to secure a settlement that provided solutions to our need for safety in the classroom, maintained our health care coverage, provided for reasonable wage improvements that respect our longevity, and a range of other issues as well.

Details of the settlement were released at the ratification meeting and, after several rounds of applause for items related to safety of our staff and students in the classroom, the membership voted to uphold the bargaining team recommendation to pass the contract. 

As part of the settlement, wages and health care funding shall be retroactive to September 1, 2007.

A special thanks goes out to the hundreds of members who supported their bargaining team by signing petitions, attending school board meetings, wrote letters to the editors, were interviewed by the press, and walked on picket lines. Without such strong and dynamic membership support the bargaining team would not have been able to bring such a strong contract to the membership to ratify.

If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to thank your bargaining team members, feel free to contact them.

Pat Walker        Chris Svennson
Leslie Smith       Shanna Drake

14 Core Competancies
The District has come out recommending that EA's who want to work in Special Education 'should' take the core competancies classes offered by the District. The fact is that if the training is a job requirement the District is required to pay for your time and the training. They are not paying for your time (~8 hours?), or the training ($10).

Our recommendation is that if you really want to take the training now do so, but that when it becomes a job requirement the District will be responsible for paying for it.

Note: The competancies are already required by the State.