Dear Unite Summit Members,
Today, representatives from 11 sites met to discuss Summit’s proposed salary freezes.
Summit’s budget still presumes a 10% cut in funding, but this is based on out-of-date information because this week Governor Newsom announced that there would be no funding cuts to schools, though there may be some deferrals.
This means there is NO REASON to freeze teacher salaries at this time. Additionally, freezing teaching salaries without negotiating with our union is illegal and we expect SPS to respect the procedure and our legal right to negotiate over these decisions now and in the future.
The SPS Board is meeting Thursday and will be adopting a budget for next year. We HIGHLY encourage those of us that can attend the SPS Board meeting to attend — while also understanding that shelter in place (and our summers) puts pressures on individuals and families. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to your site representative.
The SPS Board is meeting on Thursday, June 25th, from 12-4 pm. Open Session is slated to start at 1 pm but if you would like to speak we suggest you are on the call from the start, as the meetings often run ahead of schedule. Below is the zoom link to the board meeting:
https://summitps.zoom.us/j/95509989188 or
Dial in number: 1 669 900 6833 Meeting ID: 9 55 0998 9188
Here is a link to the Board agenda.
If you would like to speak at the Board Meeting you must fill out this form in advance (item 7 is public comment):
If you would like to share your perspective on the pay freeze, consider including the following talking points:
- Summit’s proposed budget assumes that schools will receive a 10% cut, based on the Governor’s May budget revise. However, this week, Governor Newsom announced a budget deal with the legislature which contains no funding cuts to schools. This means there is NO REASON to freeze teacher salaries at this time.
- Unilateral pay freezes are not equal. They are proportional to income. Our site staff, including teachers and hourly employees, are the lowest paid in our organization. It is not equitable to implement a unilateral freeze because they are disproportionately affected by a unilateral freeze.
- The freeze is not equitable between teachers. Some teachers would lose a higher percentage raise than others given their experience stipends, and given that some teachers are moving between STEP lanes. Our staff used a consensus process to decide what is equitable for this year based on their experience and education, and we still believe in the specific compensation we agreed to.
- We believe that the quality of our organization depends on the staff. Our staff committed to this year and agreed on our compensation. It is the most basic level of respect for our staff to provide the compensation we agreed to through our consensus process.
- One of the main reasons that we formed our teachers’ union, Unite Summit, was to ensure that teachers are represented in decisions about our school. During COVID 19, we have committed additional hours and care to our students. We learned three versions of virtual schools. We actively collaborate with each other and with our administrations on how to better support students during this time. We rely on compensation for our families, for our futures, and for continuing to care for ourselves. We will continue to provide exceptional dedication and quality work for our students, and it is not unreasonable to expect compensation that we formally agreed to. It is disrespectful to make this type of decision that would impact us, our families, and our jobs while intentionally excluding our perspectives.
Our bargaining team has offered to meet with Diane and the SPS bargaining team to negotiate over the proposed salary freeze, which, again, we believe is unnecessary given the updated budget information from the State.
Please contact your bargaining team representative if you have questions or comments.