Retirement Window Opened

The District and the DEA have agreed to open a window to accept additional applications for district retirement incentives. Anyone who has decided since the original deadline of March 1, 2009 that now is a good time to retire, can apply until May 14 at 4:30 PM. You must send a letter to the Human Resources Department indicating that you plan to retire at the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

You are also encouraged to contact the Utah Retirement System to inquire about their procedures including the purchasing of future years of retirement credit. The legislature passed legislation that will increase the purchasing cost in the near future. The rules are still unclear, so contact the URS for specific information regarding your situation.

As reported earlier, the incentives will remain in place for next year. DEA and the District felt there may be some who in these difficult times had changed their minds since the March 1 deadline passed. This option is for certificated staff who may be feeling the stress of current changes made to address budget shortfalls and have thought about retiring as changes have been announced.

Challenging Week for Negotiations Team

The negotiations team will be meeting with the district team four days this week in an attempt to move the process forward. In addition, the insurance committee will meet Wednesday morning to discuss potential changes to the insurance benefits and premiums to help balance the budget for next year. Recovering from the loss of over $23 million on top of last year's budget shortfalls is a major challenge to the district and to employees.

While education was treated better than other state agencies, we continue to hear that education was "held harmless" from politicians and the press. How can it be "harmless" when the State Board of Education once again authorized local school boards to consider eliminating up to five school days to help them balance local budgets. Although eliminating school days could help balance the budget, it would mean a loss of pay to employees on top of the two ongoing furlough days instituted last year. While our survey indicated teachers prefer cutting school days to other options, it is an additional loss of pay and would not cover the entire shortfall.

The Executive Board and the negotiations team continue to ask for clarification about other options available including administrative cuts and a tax increase.

UEA House of Delegates

On Saturday, April 24, delegates from throughout the state gathered to give direction to the UEA regarding the budget and other important issues facing the UEA. DEA was represented by about 40 teachers during the process. The DEA Executive Board met on Monday, April 19, to discuss the issues expected to come before the delegates and make decisions regarding positions to recommend during the caucus at 8:00 AM Saturday. UEA officers and staff will report to the delegates as a part of the activities of the day.

UEA Elections Underway

Final voting has begun for UEA elected positions including a new Davis director for the UEA Board of Directors. DEA building reps will be delivering a card to you which contains the information for voting. The deadline to cast ballots is May 7, 2010 by 5 PM. Candidate videos can be found at www.utea.org. Although there is no contest for UEA President, please view Sharon Gallaghar-Fishbaugh's video so you can get to know the next UEA President. Both candidates for UEA Vice President have been to our monthly AR meetings. Your building rep may have some insights for you. You can also view their videos on line.

Three candidates from DEA are on the ballot for positions including Brian Ferguson, Trudy Henderson, and Jennifer Tanner.

If you have questions, contact your building AR or call the UEA Office at 800-594-8996.

Negotiations Started but Slow Moving

The negotiations team has had two meetings with the district team. Progress has been slow as final numbers from the state were being prepared and analyzed and potential adjustments to insurance are being considered by the District Insurance Committee. Several meetings are scheduled in the next two weeks. Hopefully, progress can be made as numbers become firm and the district receives direction from the school board.

DEA will continue to gather data from members and association representatives as the process continues. Please remember that most of what happens in the sessions can't be reported until the process is completed.

Keep in mind that the loss of funding to the district exceeds $20 million this year which is on top of the more than $20 million lost last year. Rumors regarding potential changes are spreading through schools. No decisions have been made concerning negotiated items. The district has begun making some administrative changes that do not require negotiations. Reports on those changes will be coming through district announcements rather than from the DEA.

Thanks for Your Input

We had 1163 responses to our insurance survey which is now closed. The negotiations team and insurance committee will look at those responses today as they continue to examine the budget for next year. We know you are aware that education was cut less than other state agencies, but there were indeed cuts. Exactly how much that cut was is beginning to become clear as details are sent from the state office. While tough choices still need to be made and will require more input from members, some preferences are becoming clear about adjustments to the budget which are preferred by our membership.

Go to the blog to post comments.

Last Day for Insurance Survey

Today is the last day for completing the insurance survey. Nearly 1100 members have already completed the survey surpassing all other surveys in the last year. The survey will remain open throughout the day Tuesday. The results will be analyzed first thing Wednesday in anticipation of the District Insurance Committee meeting tomorrow at noon. While a few people have reported problems with the survey, most members have been able to complete the survey without reported problems. If you had problems with the survey or have additional comments, send them to pat@dea.org.

A follow up negotiations survey will be discussed tomorrow morning as well. Expect to see that survey soon. Member input is very important to the negotiations process.