Letter to SEA Leadership Concerning the “Creative Approach Schools” Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

We, the undersigned, do hereby express our specific and many concerns about the status of this Memorandum of Understanding, and urge all SEA represented staff to read and understand these documents and voice their concerns.

As the School Board’s legal counsel maintains the MOU allows any part of the existing contract to be superceded, we believe that this MOU must be placed for democratic approval before all voting members of the entire bargaining unit, including all certificated and classified staff. 

As the MOU voted upon January of 2012 was found to be illegal and was “permanently enjoined” by the court, and therefore no longer exists as a legal document,  we believe any new version of such MOU with new language must be placed for democratic approval before all voting members of the entire bargaining unit.

We believe the processes associated with the MOU in which staff must sign Compact Agreements in order to retain their positions represents an unfair labor practice. This MOU would ultimately result in staff being displaced and terminated simply for holding a minority opinion in their school.   

Significant portions of the MOU are poorly written, and

·      allow essentially unlimited privatization of services now provided by represented staff;

·      suggest there are now opportunities for altered school year calendar and school schedule that the school district has heretofore been absolutely unable to allow or pay for;

·      insist on cost-neutrality by passing along increased duties and work hours for staff without any planned district compensation; and

·      seek to trade “creativity” in instruction in return for concessions to the collective bargaining agreement, a bargain which we believe constitutes an unfair labor practice.

We believe instructional creativity can be attained without sacrificing our contractual rights.

We call on SEA leadership to bring a new MOU and an accompanying Definition, Criteria, and Process document to a democratic vote of the full membership.