St Louis Public Schools: Salary Dispute between Teachers Unions and Special Administrative Board going to arbitration. Is a strike coming to St Louis? Update via St Louis Schools Watch, Susan Turk

St. Louis Schools Watch __________________________________________________________________                                                                                                                 City Teachers’ Union and District Management Set for Trial By Susan Turk St. Louis -- February 12, 2019 An arbitrator for the Class Action Grievance filed by the St. Louis Public Schools Teachers’ Union in 2018 has ruled in the teachers’ favor, announcing the dispute over salary disparities is “arbitrable”. As a result, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 420, which represents more than 2,000 workers, will go to trial against the St. Louis Public School (SLPS) District as early as February 18, 2019. “These salary disparities involve public monies.  Taxpayers ought to know that the state appointed Special Administrative Board (SAB) is cheating its employees.  We have been asking them to stop for the past 18 months, to no avail.  Finally, we are going to trial, and we are confident of victory,” said Sally Topping, President of the AFT Local 420 affiliate. Arbitrators Gerald Fowler and Mark Suardi will decide whether nearly 1,000 employees must be given salary raises on par with others being paid more, yet holding the same years of service and/or educational level.  The teachers’ union found pay discrepancies ranging from the average of $4,000 to as high as $17,000.  Topping brought this to the District’s attention shortly after taking office in July 2017. Since filing this grievance, Local 420 President Topping said that school district management has made blatant attempts to intimidate employees and deny their right to fair and equitable salaries and treatment.  “The SAB has attempted to intimidate members by sending threatening letters and withholding their raises while at the same time increasing healthcare costs.  Our Union mission is to fight for fairness.  We have told the Arbitrators that we are ready for trial as soon as possible,” Topping said. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), representing 1.7 million members nation-wide, is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for students, their families and communities.  We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do. The local affiliate of the AFT, St. Louis Local 420, represents more than 2,000 St. Louis Public School teachers and school-related personnel. Soon after the SAB was instated in 2007, SAB members, especially Chairman Rick Sullivan expressed opposition to the traditional method of compensating staff by seniority. Sullivan wanted to reward staff based on merit. By 2011, the administration began unilaterally implementing pay policy which diverged from the policy statement, aka contract agreement they had with Local 420. The union is not trying to recoup pay discrepancies going back that far however.  They are just asking for parity since 2017.                                                                                                                                             School Board Election April 2 Having just had a school board election in November of 2018 it is hard to believe there is another one coming up in April.  But thanks to the machinations of the Missouri Legislature, there is. Board Members Katie Wessling and Charli Cooksey are not running for re-election so their two seats both need to be filled.  Seven people have filed for the two seats.  They are, in the order they will appear on the ballot; Adam Layne, David Merideth, Louis Cross, III, Barbara Anderson, William Haas, Tracee Miller, and Daniel McCready. Several of the candidates will be familiar. Adam Layne ran last November and came in 4th in a field of 7. David Merideth is an SLPS parent and member of the district Parent Action Council. Louis Cross is a retired SLPS school counselor and former president of Local 420. Barbara Anderson is a retired SLPS principal from Lexington Elementary School. William Haas served on the Board of Education for 4 terms, coming in 3rd in the November 2018 election, and is hoping to regain a seat on the board. Trace Miller taught for SLPS through the Teach for America Program but is currently employed by the online Khan Academy and Blueprint Schools Network, a turnaround company. Daniel McCready taught in the Cincinnati Public Schools through the Teach for America Program before moving to St. Louis and earning a masters in social work.  McCready currently serves as a school counselor and social worker at the KIPP Victory Academy charter school on Arcade. There will be a candidate forum on Wednesday, March 13th, location to be determined.                                                                                                                                                             _____________________________________________________________________________ Legislative Watch HB361 would move all school board elections in the state to November in even years. That would dilute the attention of voters regarding school board elections.  School board candidates would be competing with presidential, congressional, senatorial and state government races for attention including judges and propositions.  It would also make it harder for school board candidates to raise campaign funds because of that competition. The bill is sponsored by State Rep. Rebecca Roeber (R-34). The argument for the bill is that more people would vote in school board elections. But they could be less well informed voters because of the competition with offices higher up the ballot,  That may well be the true impetus for the bill, making it easier for candidates who are well funded because they are favored by wealthy interests to get voters attentions and win races, making it harder for concerned citizens and mere parents,  to be elected to boards of education. Printing and advertising rates are also higher during the general election season. Also, it will be more difficult for candidates to raise money when voters have so many more candidates to consider supporting. Having to campaign for school board during a heated presidential or gubernatorial or congressional race will not be easy. Similar legislation failed last year but this bill is moving.  It has already had a hearing.  Please contact your legislators about this bill.                                                                                                                                                             The editor encourages readers to forward The Watch to anyone you think would be interested. Our city and our schools need as much public awareness and public engagement as we can muster at this time. ............................................................................................................................................ Questions for The Watch? Letters to the Editor? Stories to contribute? News tips? Send them to SLS_Watch@yahoo.com …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Calendar February 21 2019, Thursday, monthly meeting of the Special Administrative Board, 6:00 p.m., 801 N. 11th Street, room 108 February 26, 2019 Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., regular monthly work session of the Board of Education, Metro HS, 4015 McPherson Ave,, St. Louis, MO 63108, 6:30 p.m. March 13, 2019, Wednesday, League of Women Voters SLPS Board of Education Candidate Forum, time and place to be determined April 2, 2019, Tuesday, School Board Election. Remember to vote! ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Please Subscribe to the SLS Watch. If you have never subscribed because friends have forwarded The Watch to you, please consider subscribing now. Internet newsletter mailing and management services are not free. The Watch has always concentrated its efforts on getting you the news and analysis of the SLPS that you value rather than on keeping itself in the black. 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St. Louis Schools Watch offers information and analysis that we hope contributes to a public debate over what changes are necessary to improve St. Louis public schools and what works. Our mailing address is: Common Sense Publishing P.O. Box 1983 St Louis, MO 63118