PUSD Board Approves Initial Contract Offer to Employee Group

Poway school board members on Monday approved an initial contract offer to the bargaining group representing nonteaching employees that includes the equivalent of a 4.3 percent salary reduction.

The next step is for the group, the Poway School Employees Association (PSEA), to accept the offer or present its own, said Bill Chiment, associate superintendent of personnel support services for the Poway Unified School District.

The contract was unanimously approved by the three board members present at the special meeting: Todd Gutschow, Linda Vanderveen and Andy Papatow.

PSEA's last contract expired June 30. District officials said the offer is mostly the same as the previous contract, except for the changes listed below.

One key change is the 4.3 percent salary reduction, which corresponds with a school year shortened by eight days. Other employee groups have settled contracts and accepted the reduction while PSEA has not.

Last year, PSEA members were subject to three "rollback" days, which amounts to a 1.6 percent salary reduction, Chiment said. While other bargaining groups have added five rollback days, for a total of eight, this year, PSEA members have had the three rollback days restored until a new contract is settled, he said.

PSEA was formed in June after members of the former group, the Classified School Employees Association, voted to form an independent union. The contract offer to the union from the district reflects this change by designating PSEA as the exclusive representative.

Chiment said he does not know how long it will take to settle the contract, as district officials have not before worked with the leaders of the new union.

PSEA representatives were unavailable for comment.

Contract changes in the offer, according to the district meeting agenda:

• All contract provisions are updated to reflect Poway School Employees Association (PSEA) as the exclusive representative.
• Dates referenced within the contract which had expired or which had become obsolete are deleted or updated.
• Update Article 8-Health and Welfare Benefits updated with 2011 figures and amounts.
• A two-year agreement effective July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2012.
• For the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years, there will be a reduction to the work year of eight days each year for all employees as established by the district.
• For the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years, an across-the-board salary reduction equivalent to a 4.3 percent annual salary reduction. This salary reduction corresponds to the eight days referenced above, and is not in addition to the eight-day reduction. The 2011-12 reduction is a continuation of the 2010-11 reduction and is not an additional reduction.
• Article 9-Leaves shall be modified to provide a maximum of 30 days of accrued sick leave taken as Personal Necessity Leave for a father upon the birth of a child and all unit members who become parents through legal adoption.
• The parties will work collaboratively to modify and improve the formal evaluation procedures and documents.
• For the 2011-12 school year, each party shall have the option to reopen Article 8-Health and Welfare Benefits and Article 14-Wages. In addition, each party may re-open not more than four additional articles.