December Retirement Update

A main topic of discussion in most faculty rooms is the retirement system and potential changes. It is important to keep in mind that there are three elements of retirement that are currently generating discussion in the legislature and in the press. We are well aware of the concerns among employees and will continue to monitor the developments.

State Issues – Legislative Control

The Utah Retirement System

Money is deposited each month in this system as an investment for your retirement. The amount posted fluctuates but currently an amount equal to just over 14% of your salary is being deposited to that account on your behalf each payday. In addition, 1.5% of your salary is deposited each month into a 401k with the URS. These two amounts are paid by the district as a part of your salary and benefit package. Some legislators are concerned that the system will not able to sustain itself over time and needs some adjusting. UEA is encouraging caution with any changes and is working to find legislative support for additional study over the next year. The system is solvent, and there is no need for immediate action other than those already planned by the URS board.

We have not spoken to any legislators who are planning changes to this school year. Discussion usually focuses on new teachers although we oppose setting up two separate systems feeling that could cause strain between new employees and existing employees.

Retire and Rehire

This option is often referred to offensively as double-dipping and is being discussed by the press and the legislature. Although there is some cost involved with these teachers to the retirement system, in the past it has been discussed as a cost saving measure for school districts rather than as a drain on the system as it is currently being portrayed. We believe this too should be looked at carefully before any change is made. In most cases, those concerned about this at the legislature have indicated it would impact future reemployment rather than applying any change retroactively.

Davis District Issue

Early Retirement Incentives

This program is outlined in our agreement on pages 23-25. The incentives remain in place for this year. Changes to this program are subject to negotiations between the association and the district. A committee will be formed soon to determine if changes are necessary to assure the financial viability of the incentives in the future. No immediate changes are contemplated.

Revised Calendar Options Now Available

As you probably know, the calendar committee was asked to meet again after an error was discovered which impacted spring break. You can select this link to view and comment on the calendar options being considered. Remember this is not a vote but it is a chance to give input regarding this very important decision.

http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/storyfour.html

Remember, the current proposed drafts of the calendar do not include the contract day and professional days before school. That does not mean those are gone. The number and placement of those days will be determined during negotiations based on legislative funding. The professional days during the school year have been placed there as place holders hoping those days will be funded again for next year.

'Tis the Season - For Stress

You may have noticed a higher level of stress around your school. We are certainly noticing more stress here in our office. Teachers lost two days of pay and it seems they are still being asked to do the same amount of work - if not more. We are getting calls regularly from teachers who are being asked to work extra hours to do everything from supervise students before school in inclement weather to helping with IEP and 504 plans, sometimes long after regular school hours.

We know the summit in January is a sensitive topic for secondary teachers, and we know elementary teachers continue to have trouble adjusting to the new grade book. Please know that we are discussing with administrators the need to be mindful of the need for teachers to have time to prepare, grade papers, and to get away from their classrooms to gather strength and patience for another day. While the language in the contract is usually not specific on these kinds of things, we believe it is prudent for principals to use care and equity when asking teachers to go above and beyond the usual call of duty.

We continue to ask administrators to be supportive of the teachers and their need to focus on instruction in the classroom. The administration reminds us that IEP and 504 plans have to be done, student safety is important and in-service is necessary to meet the changing needs of students. They ask us to remember that they too have had a reduction in staffing and are spread more thinly than in recent years.

The next few days are likely to be even more stressful as excitement builds in anticipation of the holiday. Hold on for just a few more days and then everyone will have a well deserved holiday break.

Happy Holidays from the DEA office.

Speaking Up for Teachers

You may be interested in this op ed piece from Sunday's Salt Lake Tribune.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13979904

Susan Attends Governor's Education Summit and Other News

Susan attended the Governor's Education Summit on Thursday along with Kory Holdaway and Sara Jones from UEA. Superintendent Bryan Bowles was also in attendance. Susan felt positive upon returning to the office and thought there were a lot of good discussions during the summit.

In addition, there is early speculation regarding the Governor's budget which will be released at 11 AM Friday morning and will reportedly call for an immediate reduction of 3% by state agencies. It is unclear at this time whether and how this will impact the district. We will be watching closely as the proposed budget is released today and analyzed over the next few days.

We also expect the newest proposals for the 2010-2011 calendar to be posted today or Monday. You should receive emails announcing the posting, but you may want to check later today to look them over and comment.

2010-2011 Calendar Options to be Revised

As you may have noticed, the calendar options originally posted on the district web site have been temporarily removed. An error was discovered regarding the date for Easter which will require that the calendar committee meet again to refine the options based on that correction. You may have also noticed that the professional days before the start of school are not included on the proposals. Professional Days will be determined later based on legislative funding and negotiations. We will let you know when the new options are available for comment. Remember your comments are suggestions to the school board which will make the final decision.

Background Checks and Fingerprinting

As the impact of the recent legislation and state office implementation of teacher background checks has started to impact our members, we are hearing increased concerns about this new regulation. We understand your concerns and will continue to look for ways to minimize the impact on our members. A link to the explanation of the requirements is included below.

http://www.schools.utah.gov/cert/require/renewal/Level2_3/active.htm

It would be helpful to us if we can hear from members who are renewing licenses this year about how the procedure is being implemented.

H1N1 Vaccine Available Wednesday and Thursday

Davis School District employees and their family members are now able to receive the H1N1 vaccine at the Davis County Convention Center, 762 Heritage Park Blvd in Layton. The vaccine will be available Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

If you live out of Davis County, you will need your District I.D. with you to identify you as a Davis District employee to be able to receive the vaccine. As long as you live in Davis County, you won't have any problem.

This vaccine is provided at no charge. This has nothing to do with insurance, whatsoever. It does not matter if you are insured or not. The vaccine is provided to District employees and their family members at no charge. The Davis County Health Department is making it available to us.

Please plan to go early. Davis School District employees will be a preferred group Wednesday. They expect a larger group will be seeking the vaccine on Thursday and the lines could be longer.

This is a great benefit provided by Davis County Health.

Additional Flu Shot Clinic Added

For those that missed the district's flu shot clinics that were held in September, we have arranged to provide one more opportunity. An additional flu shot clinic will be held on Wednesday, December 2nd, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the District Administration Building Auditorium. Altius and SelectHealth will be providing flu shots at no cost to all district-insured members and dependents 18 years of age and older. Please note, these flu shots are for protection against the regular season flu, not the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.