Community Bargaining Updates
Bend Education Association
Thank you for your support of Bend, La Pine, and Sunriver area educators!
¡Gracias por apoyar a los educadores Bend, La Pine y Sunriver!
January 2nd, 2024 - Does the District Really Want to Reach an Agreement?
Community Supporters,
During the month of December the BEA Bargaining Committee spent more than 56 hours actively engaged in the bargaining process continuing to advocate for our members, students, and community.
The sessions at the beginning of the month showed promise and momentum including reaching tentative agreements on two more articles in our contract. The negotiation session that took place on December 11th was deflating. We found ourselves sitting in our caucus room for more than eight hours without any counter proposals in our hands to consider or respond to. The District chose to use the day to prepare a four year package counter-proposal which took an extended amount of time to produce. At our last scheduled bargaining session of the calendar year, the BEA Bargaining Committee met with the district to ask questions regarding language in their proposal, then President Sarah Barclay summed up where we are in the process including our willingness to meet for two more full day sessions in January and our frustration with the package proposal that was offered the day before. The package proposal did not aim to improve the working conditions of our members or learning conditions of our students.
BEND-LA PINE SCHOOLS MUST DO BETTER!
If we are unable to reach a tentative agreement on the entire contract by the end of January we will need to pause and determine the appropriate next steps, including the possibility of calling for mediation.
Looking to support us?
Join us for these upcoming events:
We will be back at the bargaining table:
Friday, January 19th from 8am-4pm
Monday, January 22nd from 9am-7pm
November 8th, 2023 - BEA and BLS Make Progress on Multiple Topics
Community Supporters,
The Bend Education Association (BEA) Bargaining Committee met with Bend-La Pine Schools (BLS) leadership again on Monday for 8 hours of continued work toward a successor labor agreement.
The parties exchanged proposals on issues related to Association Rights, Grievance and Complaint Procedures, Insurance Benefits, Professional Compensation, and Criticism.
While the last District proposal on compensation and benefits was a move in the right direction and begins to address shared concerns regarding the lowest wages on our salary schedule, it does not yet do enough to improve wages for our educators who have dedicated 10+ years to public education. Both recruitment of the best possible future educators AND retention of our current dedicated staff need to be prioritized.
This was another day of solid work at the table from both parties. Members of the BEA Bargaining Committee all agree – the movement at the table is due to your efforts and engagement with the bargaining process. WE ARE NOT DONE! Please continue staying informed and active in these negotiations as we continue advocating on behalf of our educators, students, and community!
We will be back at the bargaining table Monday, November 13th from 8am-4pm.
Community Supporters,
We are astonished that we must send this correction in order to dispel misleading information distributed by the Bend-La Pine Schools Board Chair. Tuesday night, Board Chair Melissa Barnes-Dholakia, a member of the District bargaining committee, chose to provide a bargaining update to the public and her fellow board directors which contained inaccurate and out of context details about our current bargaining crisis. Additionally, she chose to provide it in a setting in which BEA leadership could not respond. These conversations should be happening at the bargaining table, not a meeting of the school board. We continue to be concerned about the lack of thoughtful and complete counter proposals from Bend-La Pine Schools.
Below you will find accurate information and necessary context regarding our proposals. After reviewing the information below please take immediate action to ensure the school board knows we are listening and not willing to accept this false narrative.
CALLS TO ACTION
Write to the School Board: Convey that we are engaged, support our educators, and not going to be quiet. Click here for some ideas to get your letter started and details about who to send the letter to.
- Sign and Share the BEA Petition: Our petition is public and can be shared with anyone and everyone you know. If you add a link to social media stories please tag Bend Education Association so we can repost your story! https://chng.it/vXH7qnK8QC
Resources to Review
17:53 - Public Comment -
https://www.youtube.com/live/q_3ebHTxbm4?si=-vbKQGMCgheCxL0a&t=1051
50:42 - Budget Report -
https://www.youtube.com/live/q_3ebHTxbm4?si=H6hkCfh-ca-IQ2QN&t=3042
1:15:48 - Melissa’s Bargaining Update -
https://www.youtube.com/live/q_3ebHTxbm4?si=IUSJaDgnWFkooXyd&t=4548
Bend Education Association Stands Strong in Counterproposal to BLS
October 3, 2023
Community Supporters,
Thank you to everyone who attended our pre-bargaining rally last night. Seeing students, families, community members, and our colleagues show up in support of this work reiterated with our committee how impactful this bargain is for all of us.
We aren’t fighting just for us - we are fighting for
our students, our community, and our future.
Last night the Bend Education Association (BEA) Bargaining Committee countered with a proposal that continues to elevate priorities around:
Safety for all
Workload/Class sizes and caseloads
Planning time
Professional compensation and access to medical benefits
After providing the District our counter they entered into a caucus and returned to the table to share that they would not be countering our proposal during this session.
Our educators continue to express frustration over the district’s slow work on our identified issues. BEA is prepared, and will continue to be prepared, to roll up our sleeves and get to work on reaching agreements on the articles we have identified for improvement. At the close of last night’s bargaining session, the district reiterated its concern that a lack of time and the volume of work were hindering their ability to get things done. We ask our community supporters to reflect on the following: Are you allowed to show up to work unprepared?
The BEA Bargaining Committee will be meeting in the coming days to determine next steps and how to move forward in the best interest of our members, students, and community.
For now, please mark your calendars for Oct. 30th - details on whether we have a bargaining session that evening or need your support in a community-wide collective action will come soon.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement in this process.
Photo Credit: Modest Photography
Bend, La Pine and Sunriver Educators Working Under an Expired Contract
September 21, 2023
Executive Summary: Educators employed by the Bend-La Pine Schools District are working without a contract. Bend-La Pine Schools offered their counter proposal Monday night. Coming into this session, Bend Education Association hoped to see a District proposal that clearly demonstrated a desire to find a fair settlement. Upon closer review, there is still much work to be done.
We will be back at the bargaining table on Monday, October 2nd at 5pm.
Show up to support educators. Bring your family, a friend, and a fellow concerned community member.
There will be a rally to show support for our educators beginning at 4:30pm on the front lawn of the Bend-La Pine School District Office.
Please plan to join us for this important event.
Full Update:
Community Supporters,
Educators in Bend La-Pine Schools are working without a contract.
Bend Education Association members continue to draw inspiration from the energy our colleagues, students, and community bring to our rallies as we continue to advocate for stable, supportive, and safe public schools in Bend, Sunriver, and La Pine.
Coming into this session, your Bend Education Association hoped to see a District proposal that clearly demonstrated a desire to find a fair settlement. Upon closer review, there is still much work to be done.
The BEA Bargaining Committee spent the remaining scheduled time carefully comparing the District’s counter to BEA’s initial proposal from May 1st, 2023.
Our initial takeaways:
Reduces planning and preparation time for elementary educators.
Demonstrates shared interest in improvements to school/classroom safety but does not contain clear language for implementation of school/classroom these safety protocols and protections.
The District proposal adds two (2) additional work days without increased compensation.
The District’s latest compensation proposal doesn’t do enough. Our educators deserve a fair cost of living adjustment providing competitive wages on par with similar-sized districts across the state. Our District needs to be able to attract and retain highly effective educators. Educators deserve to be able to be a part of the community in which they work.
The District’s insurance premium proposal would provide Bend educators the second lowest employer insurance contribution in the Central Oregon region. As recently as four years ago Bend-La Pine Schools insurance contribution was one of the highest in the region.
Our educators, students, and community deserve:
Manageable Class Sizes/Workloads that allow educators
to build authentic relationships with their students
and give them the attention they need to grow and thrive;
Adequate Planning Time so educators can create
impactful lessons for their students that meet the
personalized needs of the kids in their classrooms;
A Fair Cost of Living Adjustment providing competitive
wages on par with similar-sized districts across
the state. Our District needs to be able to attract and
retain highly effective educators. Educators deserve
to be able to be a part of the community in which they work.
Improved Safety Measures that support our educators and
students, including behavior protocols that are clear,
efficient, effective, and appropriately resourced district-wide.
We will be back at the bargaining table on Monday, October 2nd at 5pm.
Show up. Bring your family, a friend, AND a fellow concerned community member.
There will be a rally to show support for our educators beginning at 4:30pm on the front lawn of the Bend-La Pine School District Office.
Please plan to join us for this important event.
Join us at our next bargaining rally!
¡Únase a nuestro siguiente mitin para apoyar las negociaciones!
👇 RSVPs are kindly requested 👇
👇 Favor de confirmar la asistencia 👇
Bend Education Association Support Rally
Come support your Bend, La Pine, and Sunriver educators at our pre-bargaining rally!
Monday, Oct 2, 2023, 04:30 PM
Bend-La Pine Schools, 520 Northwest Wall Street, Bend, OR, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.