Teachers' contract may soon be settled.

Teachers and District Have Finally Reached Compromise!
By Elma Gonzalez


Last week every SUHSD student received a phone call from the district office. It was a message from superintendent, Jesus M Gandara, which informed parents and students of the Sweetwater district that negotiations with the teacher's union had finalized. According to Dr. Gandara, both parties reached a compromise at 12:30am on October 8. An agreement was written soon afterward, and at about 5:30 am, it was signed.
After a more than a year of bargaining, the district and the teacher's union finally compromised signing a 3-year tentative agreement. By 'tentative agreement', it is understood that the contract must still be officially approved by the union members.
According to SUHSD, the terms of the agreement are as follows:

• A staff allocation of 30:1 for school year 2009-2010
• A staff allocation of 31:1 for school years 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013
• Increase in student contacts from 176 to 182 for school years 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013
• Increase the number of sixth-period assignments available to teachers
• Removal of the 4x4 block schedule at Montgomery High School from the contract
• The Sweetwater Education Association agreed to withdraw its unfair labor practice charges against the district.
• Not to implement any salary pay cuts during the life of the contract
• To withdraw a proposal on district management rights
• To withdraw a proposal for a two-tiered retirement health system
• To withdraw a proposal to eliminate stipends for Adult School teachers
• To establish a committee of administrators, teachers and a counselor to study the best academic program schedule for Montgomery High School. (The district eliminated the school's 4x4 quarter academic program at the beginning of this school year.)

SEA estimates that over 1,200 teachers showed up at the district office on October7 to let the fact-finding panel know how they felt about the negotiations. Although the district and the teacher's union had failed to compromise before, the 'fact-finding' panel brought both parties together, and proposed terms both the teachers and the district could agree on. But, how is reaching a compromise beneficial to SUHSD students? Well, as board President Jim Cartmill said, "In the end, our students are the winners because we [teachers and administrators] can all get back to the business of education." Not only will teachers be able to focus more on educating, but schools like Montgomery can now bring back the extracurricular activities that were affected by the lack of advisers. Also, more after-school tutoring can once again be offered without the 'work-to-the-rule' policy teachers had adopted as protest.
Being the second largest secondary district in California, about 2,200 teachers and nurses in SUHSD will be covered by the new contract. This means that overall, almost 42,800 students (not including adult learners) will be benefited by this agreement! In the end, we should be relieved our teachers didn't go on strike, and they are now able to prepare us for college and "continue to help us thrive"