The Bend teachers’ union attended another bargaining session with the Bend-La Pine Schools district on Mon., Oct. 30. The bargaining was followed by a rally and a march through downtown Bend. The Bend Education Association will continue contract negotiations but its leaders are hopeful it will come to an agreement with BLPS after its next four sessions.
Educators and district staff attended a full-day session on Oct. 30 with an eight-hour bargaining process — the first full-day session that the union and BLPS have attended since negotiations started on May 1.
“I think full-day sessions are going to be key for a successful successor agreement because we were really able to dig in and start working through some things,” said Sarah Barclay, president of BEA.
Bend teachers have been working without a contract since June 30 and have been in negotiations with the district over a successor contract since April. The last bargaining session between BLPS and its teachers’ union took place on Oct. 2.
Educators are requesting safety and behavior protocols, manageable class sizes and workloads, adequate planning time and a fair cost of living. The average annual salary for union and non-union employees at Bend-La Pine Schools is $38,376, which is 18 percent lower than the U.S. average, according to GovSalaries.
(Editor's note: The salary figure we stated above included all BLPS employees, including those who work seasonally, those who work a small number of hours a week and temporary employees, which skewed the average. Looking at the total salaries divided by the BLPS total full-time equivalency, the average would be closer to $60,000, according to an email from BLPS).
“Getting to consensus with this group on priorities hasn’t been an easy task. But through a shared set of values and respect, we are getting there,” read a statement from BLPS superintendent Dr. Cook.
According to Barclay, the district’s proposal on Monday was the most robust proposal she’s seen in the six months of contract negotiations. BEA and the BLPS district plan to have four more full-day bargaining sessions in the next few months. The last one is scheduled for Dec. 4. Barclay believes they will have to take advantage of all four of the meetings in order to get close to an agreement.
“It's hard to say at this point, what our next steps will be. We're monitoring every session and the success of every session,” said Barclay. “I’m hopeful that we continue that momentum because yesterday was surely positive.”
Educators and district staff attended a full-day session on Oct. 30 with an eight-hour bargaining process — the first full-day session that the union and BLPS have attended since negotiations started on May 1.
“I think full-day sessions are going to be key for a successful successor agreement because we were really able to dig in and start working through some things,” said Sarah Barclay, president of BEA.
Bend teachers have been working without a contract since June 30 and have been in negotiations with the district over a successor contract since April. The last bargaining session between BLPS and its teachers’ union took place on Oct. 2.
Educators are requesting safety and behavior protocols, manageable class sizes and workloads, adequate planning time and a fair cost of living. The average annual salary for union and non-union employees at Bend-La Pine Schools is $38,376, which is 18 percent lower than the U.S. average, according to GovSalaries.
(Editor's note: The salary figure we stated above included all BLPS employees, including those who work seasonally, those who work a small number of hours a week and temporary employees, which skewed the average. Looking at the total salaries divided by the BLPS total full-time equivalency, the average would be closer to $60,000, according to an email from BLPS).
“Getting to consensus with this group on priorities hasn’t been an easy task. But through a shared set of values and respect, we are getting there,” read a statement from BLPS superintendent Dr. Cook.
According to Barclay, the district’s proposal on Monday was the most robust proposal she’s seen in the six months of contract negotiations. BEA and the BLPS district plan to have four more full-day bargaining sessions in the next few months. The last one is scheduled for Dec. 4. Barclay believes they will have to take advantage of all four of the meetings in order to get close to an agreement.
“It's hard to say at this point, what our next steps will be. We're monitoring every session and the success of every session,” said Barclay. “I’m hopeful that we continue that momentum because yesterday was surely positive.”
