FACT FINDING - April 29th (Session 13) - Recommendations Received May 10, 2024
USD261 v HEA Fact Facting - 240510.pdfFact Finding Decision
May 10, 2024
Good evening:
The HEA Negotiation team is pleased to have received the 6-page fact finding decision this afternoon. We are attaching the full final report as a pdf for your reading pleasure. The fact finder’s specific recommendations are listed below and begin on page 4.
• Train for and engage in IBB. In that vein, a one-year contract for the 2023-24 year is appropriate, to allow first for the implementation of an improved process.
• With the benefit of IBB, have the goal of a 2-year agreement, covering 2024-2026.
• Adopt as a part of the contract for 2023-2024 all matters that were tentatively agreed upon in negotiations prior to the impasse declaration.
• Engage a third party neutral to resolve current and future disagreements regarding costing.
• Avoid placing blame for the current impasse.
• The District should critically examine and adjust budget needs other than teacher EA proposals (such as replenishing the contingency fund, or committing to capital maintenance) in order to "free up" budget monies to direct toward the EA's proposals.
• In lieu of seeking a resolution that satisfies all proposals, the EA should accept the fact that some proposal items may require deferral to a subsequent round of bargaining. Further, joint study committees can be established to review pending items, and to recommend resolutions for adoption in subsequent bargaining.
• Increases to the BA (Step 1) consistent with the HEA proposal should be made in order to improve the Haysville ranking compared to that of the other "6A" adjacent districts. This would be accomplished via adoption of the HEA Salary Schedule Grid, as identified in the following point.
• Adopt the Salary Schedule Grid (or a "trimmed" version thereof) as proposed by the EA, identified as "Proposal 4 — from 12/6/23", Exhibit Cl.
• Implement a vertical step "fix" to address existing inequities in the salaries of veteran teachers versus less-experienced teachers. Such inequities present a serious demotivator, and deserve correction. Please consider that it may not be feasible to entirely accomplish the "fix" in this round of bargaining.
• Each person submitting for retirement in "this year" should receive all misplaced steps to "M". (As referenced in HEA proposal "Part B" Exhibit D-2.)
• Establish as a bargaining item for 2024-2025 (or 2024-2026, if a 2-year agreement) the "fix" for all remaining misplaced staff members.
The process is not over as HEA will meet one more time per Kansas statute to finalize a contract offer. HEA appreciates the support from you, our dedicated members, all the educators in the bargaining unit, the parents, students, and the greater Haysville community. We will have more information available next week.
With Solidarity,
HEA Negotiation Team
USD 261 Fact Finding Presentation 4.29.24.pdfBOE Presentation (AM)
HEA FACT FINDING PRESENTATION 2404282201.pdfHEA Presentation (AM)
Rebuttal USD 261 Fact Finding Presentation 4.29.24.pdfBOE Rebuttal (PM)
HEA FACT FINDING REBUTTAL PRESENTATION - 240429.pdfHEA Rebuttal (PM)
Haysville teachers still without new contract after reaching negotiation impasse.mp4Date Selection
Once a fact finder was mutually selected (Ruth Robinson), both HEA and USD 261 presented available dates. HEA presented 16 options for evenings and weekends, so both our members and concerned parents could attend.
USD 261 stated they would not meet in the evenings as had been past practice, and would only meet during the daytime. USD 261 argued that bargaining unit members and the public are merely observers and could watch a recorded version at a later time.
HEA believes this effectively disenfranchises the teachers in their right to be involved in the negotiation process in real time.
HEA vigorously protested any daytime meetings, including April 29th, unless all teachers were allowed to attend without penalty. HEA did not prevail. We were notified March 22, 2024 at 4:52:27 PM CDT that the arbitrator had chosen April 29th.
HEA then argued that the fact finding be split into an AM and a PM session, to allow teachers to at least attend the last half of the fact finding session, with HEA being allowed to give the final rebuttal. HEA was granted this request on Wednesday, April 3rd.
HEA continues to believe that bargaining unit members should be allowed to attend this session without any penalty.
USD 261 is requiring teachers to use 1 of their 12 annual PTO days to attend this daytime fact finding session.
USD 261 has also informed 85+ teachers who have mandatory training that if they skip the training, they are not allowed to make it up until November 2024 and will not be paid for an entire 2023-24 school year of training until Decembe 2024.
