Interest Based Bargaining and Meet and Confer Committee
Monday, November 30, 2015, 3:45 – 5: 00 PM
Special Services Training Room
MINUTES
Attendees: Rob Bainer, Kathrine Bergmann, Vicki Blake, Tamara Bretting, Caitlin Campbell,
Dona Coffey, Anne Crecca, Gary Derbish, Joyce Engebretson, Sean Fimmel, Ed Goetz, Mike
Hamel, Troy Ibarra, Mary Johnson, Mariah Learned, Janice Marshall, Pat McLean, Stuart
Nelson, Terry Niswender, Stella Nowell, Kathy Petersen, Julie Radosevich, Mary Ruskey, Steve
Slyman, Patricia Smith, Jason Still, Mark Stock, Paul Stone, Steve Sturdevant, Tammy Sullivan,
Scott Tisinger, Darlene Toner, Karen Voigt, Vicky Walker, John Weigel, Jay Whitman, Nicole
Wilson, Sarah Yeik, Jubal Yennie.
The first non-salary items discussion meeting was called to order by Mark Stock at 3:45 p.m.
Review of purpose and agenda for the meeting:
Mark Stock provided a quick recap of what brought the group to this point, and the following
review of the process for the day.
a) Share your group’s top non-salary issue verbally with the entire group
b) Clarification questions from the entire group, including Administration
c) Seek first to understand – then to be understood
Follow up on previous commitments – Email and communication updates:
Jubal Yennie reported that everyone in the district now has an email address, and asked if all
group representatives have been able to contact their groups by email. The Certified Personnel
group is still working with Sharon Schramm in Technology on being able to access their group in
the Outlook Address Book, and the Paraprofessional group is doing the same. Scott Tisinger
from Technology suggested that the delay might be in having all new email users sign the
Employee Acceptable Use Policy and Rules form. Mike Hamel will look into the delay.
Since there is still work to be done for these two groups, Jubal Yennie asked that each group
representative let him know by December 15 if their group email is functioning or not.
Begin sharing:
Mark Stock explained that beginning the presentations of non-salary issues now will solve the
past problem of trying to deal with both salary and non-salary issues in April. He asked that
each group representative present their top issue and try to limit their request to 5 minutes.
1) Administrative Assistants other office Personnel: Request that those in their group not
covered by Workmen’s Comp be covered in the future.
1
Ed Goetz explained that currently only those employees in extra hazardous groups are
covered by Workmen’s Comp. This distinction is based on Special Education services
and requires that a portion of the salary is paid out of Special Ed funds, following the
rules of Workmen’s Comp. If anyone else was to be added to the coverage, it would
have to be all employees as the district cannot pick and choose who else to cover. This
would cost ACSD1 anywhere from $600,000-$900,000. Mike Hamel said
Administration will send out a communication to all employees explaining Workmen’s
Comp coverage.
Mark Stock suggested that if it is still a concern for some employee groups, they may
wish to bring it forward as an issue during salary issue discussions in the spring.
2) Paraprofessionals: Request for consistent and equitable guidelines/policies across the
district for recording time and exceeding hours in a day, as well as for those employees
who switch from Paraprofessional to coaching work in a day, for example. This issue is
treated differently at each site.
3) Transportation: The group wanted everyone to know how difficult it is for drivers to
make Meet and Confer meetings, since their routes usually run until 5:00 PM, and there
are not enough substitute bus drivers to take their routes.
Request for more information, and training when applicable, for bus drivers, sub bus
drivers, and bus aides on buses with special needs’ students. At times teachers and
nurses from the sites have provided information on these students, but it is not consistent.
4) Food Service: Request to have equipment in the Central Kitchen repaired or replaced
(those appliances that can no longer be repaired), due to safety hazards.
5) Maintenance & Operations: Request for a Staff Development day for custodians, due
to inconsistent training to date. The need for training is more urgent with the upcoming
completion of the new Laramie High School.
Stuart Nelson reported that arrangements for online OSHA training are currently being
made.
Mark Stock suggested that the group prepare a prioritized list of the types of training
desired.
6) Technology: Request for a solution to work place safety for technicians who have to
work on ladders, or move 150 lb. printers alone, and are not covered by Workmen’s
Comp.
Mark Stock suggested the group think about workarounds, such as subbing out the work
to Voltech Electric, although that costs the district extra. Or perhaps technicians should
ask not to be put in those positions where their safety is compromised.
2
7) Principals and Administrators: The group had no requests.
8) Certified Personnel: The group’s request for continuing contracts for all certified
personnel is currently in process and will be discussed/considered at the January Board of
Education Meeting.
Request for more equity between schools and different classes of teachers and certified
staff in the following areas:
a) Planning time which varies from 140 minutes per day to 120 minutes/week. The
group emphasized that they do not want to take anything away from anyone, they just
want to make it more equal.
b) School Business days, i.e., days off for preparing report cards.
c) Use of Staff Development days. Some schools use them for training, others as
teacher work days.
d) Differences in caseloads for other certified personnel. Steve Slyman mentioned that
last year the district worked with counselors on this issue, looking at individual
schools and service providers.
Mark Stock noted that the differences in the four areas are between schools, between
grade levels, and between types of personnel. He also suggested that this group might
consider gathering more data on each area of their request.
9) Central Office Administrative Assistants: Request for more licenses on Lynda.com for
the group members to access online courses and tutorials, primarily in Microsoft Office.
Mark Stock asked if there were any clarifying questions from the entire group on any of the
requests.
1) Stella Nowell reported that on behalf of ACEA she collected non-salary issues that
included make “leave as leave.” This would mean employees would not have to
justify the use Personal Days or Sick Days, and that a leave request could not be
turned down because there were “no subs available.”
Mark Stock asked if it was a request for equity in how these leave requests are
handled or if it was asking for a benefit that doesn’t exist. The issue was that it is
easier to find subs for some positions than others, and there is a lack of consistency
across the district about approving the use of both kinds of leave.
Mike Hamel clarified that Personal Days need Building Administrator approval.
Policy dictates that Personal Days are not be used the last two weeks of the school
year, or to be added to the beginning or end of a scheduled break. Besides those
parameters, Personal Days should generally be approved, unless there is a specific
reason for a denial. In the case of denial the employee should be given written notice
explaining why. Unanticipated use of sick leave within the parameters of the policy
3
does not require administrative approval, but notification of supervisors is required
with scheduled use of sick leave.
2) Mark Stock reiterated that the most difficulty in getting subs is in Transportation,
Nurses, and Paraprofessionals.
Next steps:
Administration will now go through the requests, and respond in one of the following ways:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Yes – we can do that
No – we can’t accommodate that right now – here is why
We need more information such as…and might ask for a separate meeting
Counter proposal, solution, or idea
In the meantime, now is the time for employee group representatives to communicate with their
groups about today’s meeting. Administration will work on getting the email groups settled
before Winter Break.
The next meeting will be Monday, January 18, 2016 in the Special Services Training Room
from 3:45 – 5:00 PM. Since there is no school that day, it is hoped that representatives from
Transportation will have no problem attending the meeting. At that time the entire group will go
through the responses from Administration to today’s requests. If time allows, a second nonsalary issue will be presented by each employee group representative.
For future meetings accommodations will be made for Transportation representatives. If they are
not able to attend a meeting, they will be caught up on what took place.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m.
4