In this newsletter, we seek to provide updates on the status of our unionization efforts and an update on campus news. As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions! We can be reached at unitesummitteachers@gmail.com.
A review of our current status
As you may remember, Summit denied recognition of our union because of its inclusion of residents, and we remain concerned that Summit is attempting to add almost 100 non-teaching staff from the Home Office. So, right now, the Public Employment Relations Board is investigating which job classifications should be covered by our union. As part of this process, a lawyer from PERB may convene a meeting with Unite Summit and Summit administration to try to resolve the issue. We hope to come to an agreement and be recognized as the exclusive representative so we can begin bargaining our contract. If we don’t come to agreement, PERB will make a ruling about which jobs should be included in our bargaining unit. As a reminder, 75% of teachers signed our unionization petition, and PERB already ruled that we have majority support for our union. This means that we will be recognized as the “exclusive representative” either by Summit or by PERB. We will continue through the PERB recognition process and are confident that our union will be officially recognized soon.
For more details, please see our April 17 and April 9 newsletters.
Campus Spotlights: Denali and K2
We would like to spotlight important news from each of our campuses! We’re starting this week with Denali High School and K2. If you have news from your campus that you would like to see us include in a future newsletter, please let us know at unitesummitteachers@gmail.com.
Denali High School: Congratulations to Summit Denali, who just got approved to build their permanent campus by the Sunnyvale City Council! This was the result of years of planning and effort, including input from Denali staff and students! If you have any input about how you would like to advocate for the best use of this new building, let us know by filling out this survey! This could be anything from classroom allocation, break spaces/supervision timing, provision of supplies/furniture, or any other aspect of your work environment! Unite Summit is committed to advocating for the best use of this space to serve students!
K2: Last week, teachers from K2 High School and K2 Middle School submitted a proposal to SPS Leadership requesting a role in the hiring process for new leadership at their schools. The proposal requested immediate action to allow teachers to process the impact of this turn-over. In addition, the proposal requests that finalists 1) shadow the campus for an entire day, 2) candidates meet a panel of colleagues, parents, and/or students. This process utilized the SPS’ Status – Target – Proposal model and was completed by consensus. Faculty were given 30 minutes during the weekly LT meeting to discuss: Mission Moments; 2 or 3 pain points and how to address them; desired qualities of a new school leader.
Show your support for our union!
Some sites will be wearing US stickers (with the same logo from this newsletter) to show their support of our union. If you are interested in receiving stickers or pins for yourself or other members on your site, please reach out to your Organizing Committee member!
Please don’t hesitate to ask questions, voice concerns or praises from your school sites- you can email unitesummitteachers@gmail.com, or visit our website at https://unitesummitteachers.wordpress.com!