Q & Alice

Since the school district has been so willing to answer questions publicly, we thought we'd return the favor.

As time goes on we will continue to update this Q & A page, so please come back and check often. If you have a question for Alice, let us know. We'd love to dig up some answers for you! Also, we'd like to note that we will be doing this in the same format and style as PSD's Q&As, so we get to answer how we like in what fashion we like and sometimes inject our own questions into the mix to make sure people think about what we want them to think about instead of what they'd like to. 

Enjoy!

Why did the District notify families so late about Tuesday’s school closure?                                                
 Because the District fully expected the teachers to meekly give up and return to work.

      As has been the case in past negotiations, the district has just assumed that they are right and everyone else must do what they say. It is strange that a district who routinely breaks and skirts the law (ya know, by not having curriculum, canceling meetings without proper notice, etc.) would be surprised that a simple court order wouldn't be enough to convince 1200 teachers to give up on what they believe in. 

   When will school start again?
      No one knows. Anyone who says they do is lying. The school calendar has to be negotiated and agreed upon in bargaining, so until an agreement is reached, there is no school. It really stinks not knowing. It's hard for kids. It's hard for parents. It's hard for teachers. So call the district and let them know you want them to settle this now.

How is the strike illegal if the teachers don’t have a contract?

Teacher strikes are illegal in Washington, that's written into the law.  The side note and the good news is there is NO punishment outlined in the law. And any three year old can tell you that a rule without a consequence is no rule at all. Each teacher has signed an individual contract with the District promising to work this year, and hopefully that work will begin soon (as soon as PSD gets contract language together that guarantees curriculum).

This is a common apple core.

Does PSD use common core?

The common core standards were adopted by the State as the new Washington State Learning Standards.  All Washington school districts must use those standards. Unfortunately the few books we have don't align with common core because they are more than twenty years old. The district has tried to say that the new standards are the reason they haven't updated their books sooner. I guess they have been anticipating implementing common core since 1995? Michelle Whitney must be a seer, providing her services to PSD for her entire career. We assume it was on her resume when she applied for the position of superintendent.

Who determines the teacher salary?
The State of Washington (the Legislature) determines the base salary schedule. But each district is allowed to pay teachers above the state allotted funds. In fact the superintendent's salary is determined by the state as well, but PSD has no problem adding an addition $100K to our current Superintendent's pay check every year out of levy dollars.

Is it possible to set up some kind of lunch distribution for the kids while they're not in school? Kind of like they have at Memorial Park during the summer?

Due to concerns with many of our children’s access to nutritious meals, the District looked into offering this as an option during the strike.  Unfortunately, the Federal funding source would not extend meals into this week so our kids will not have access to them. The good news is no matter when school starts, students will still get the same 180 free meals they have come to expect. So while some kids may be missing out on school lunch this week, they will get an extra week of school lunch in June.  We would hope that these families would take advantage of local resources such as churches, food banks, and food stamps as well. We also hope that PSD's bargaining team would move to end this strike as soon as possible to get all those kids back into classrooms. But in the mean time maybe Saundra Hill or Michelle Whitney could use some of their generous salaries to set up a little lunch in the park? Lots of teachers buy snacks with their own money to help their students make it through the day, I bet Saundra and Michelle would love a chance to get in on that action!

What is the District doing with the money congress gives them? How much has been accumulated? 
Millions. Millions upon millions. In fact, PSD has so much money set aside that our representatives in Olympia have stated they are disinclined to give PSD any more matching funds since they aren't even using the money they already have. This becomes a more serious issue when we try to build new schools, which are currently desperately needed. Having money for a rainy day is important, that is what the 5% balance that's frequently touted is for.  However we know that if we don't manage the funds given in alignment with the expectations set out for the use of that money, the legislature will not be giving us more. Our high end fund balance has already come to Olympia's attention. Continuing to hoard funds would be extremely unwise at this point.

The legislature frowns upon the use of open air money pools for swimming.

Who is included in the curriculum adoption process?
Current District policy states that the Instructional Materials Committee (IMC) shall review and approve the recommendations of curriculum adoption committees for all textbook selections prior to school board adoption. This committee includes staff and community representation. The parent membership on the committee shall make up less than one-half of the total committee membership as is consistent with state law. Unfortunately members of this committee claim they have met less than once every two years, and that when they have made recommendations, the district has ignored them and gone on to purchase inferior (and insufficient) curriculum instead.

Where is the curriculum?
There is a link on the District website that shares the adopted curriculum for each grade level. http://www.psd1.org/Page/7624 As you can see this link is garbage. For a look at what real curriculum access looks like, try Richland's website.It is beautiful. http://www.rsd.edu/teach-learn/curriculum.html

Is there anyone independent of the two sides who can verify any of this? We are hearing two vastly different versions of events. The truth generally lies somewhere in between. Is there a way for the public  to confirm for themselves what to believe?

Although details of negotiations are legally unable to be shared, PSD has chosen to continue to post the proposals anyway. In fact the district requested mediator has told PSD to stop posting so many details, but they are continuing to do it anyway. If you want a first hand account of what is going on, go to the source. Ask the two bargaining teams themselves. And see who answers you.

Would it be possible to read the attendance records of the meetings? I realize we cannot be included in the negotiations, but is it prohibited for the public to know when either party was late, refused to negotiations, or completely refused to meet at a predetermined time?

PSD has refused to meet without a mediator there, so they certainly aren't making things convenient. As far as a log of who was there? It doesn't appear to exists, but again you could ask the people who were there.

Where is the sense of urgency? Was there something else more pressing than getting my children back in school?

PSD has been very busy hiring lawyers, going to court, and holding press conferences. This has substantially cut into the time that they have been able to actually do their job.  The District would like the teachers’ union to end the strike and come back to work while bargaining continues, but teachers know this is a stupid idea, since more has been accomplished in one week of striking than has been accomplished in a whole summer of bargaining.

 

Is it true that some teachers eat children for breakfast?
No. A previous PSD employee was quoted as saying, "These kids are so cute I could just eat them up," but after a thorough investigation it was determined that this was just a figure of speech and the employee posed no real harm to children.

What specific learning resources can the District suggest to parents/guardians to help provide supplemental learning opportunities at home when students are not in school in preparation of the Spring SBACs?
Why are you asking for advice from a district that has failed to provide comprehensive curriculum and has been rated by the state as failing in almost all categories? My guess would to do what you do to prepare any child for a ridiculously difficult standardized test, which is work on their foundation reading and comprehension skills and then engage in family discussion about why standardized tests don't really determine their worth as a person. Then have ice cream.

We love football. Come on, admit it, you do too.

It is my understanding that, as a teacher, I am not to be on district property until the strike is resolved. Does that include attending football games at Edgar Brown Stadium?
Schools are closed so that teachers can't get into their classrooms and prepare for the school year. Teacher access to email and power school has been cut off so that teachers can not get to know their class list, or prepare in any way for their incoming students. But everybody loves football!  For this reason, teachers may certainly attend the football games at the Stadium.

I've heard that other school districts in Washington may be striking. Is this true? 
Yes.  What is interesting is that in most other districts, teachers are just asking for more money. In those districts, teachers are getting what they ask for. Unfortunately in our district they are asking for something way crazier- CURRICULUM! And they still can't get it.

Is it true that children are starving because of the strike?
No. If children are going hungry, it is not a result of the strike. The school has provided 180 days of free lunches every year in the past, and will continue to do so this year. So those children without food at home will be no hungrier this year than they been every other year. If you are truly concerned about the hungry children of Pasco, you should be worried about them with or without a strike. Their needs remain the same.

Teachers seem genuinely concerned that there is not a standard district-wide curriculum yet the District says there is. What does district wide curriculum mean and do we have it? 
The District has changed its answer on this subject about six billion times give or take.  First they said we had it. Then they said we didn't have it and it would cost too much to buy. Then they said we could afford it but it would take years and years. Finally they said they can't buy it because they need teachers to come back to school and tell them what they want.  The truth is some grades and some subjects have curriculum and some do not. But we certainly do not have anything comprehensive, current, or well defined.

This is just a tiny sampling of the amazing resources teachers in  Basin City have that our Pasco teachers would love to get their hands on.

Are teachers involved in the curriculum adoption process? Can you explain how that process works?

District Policy and state law outline specific requirements for an Instructional Materials Committee (IMC) that reviews and approves the recommendation from curriculum adoptions committees for all materials prior to school board adoption. The IMC is made up of teachers, principals, and members of the community. Members of this committee claim they have met less than once every other year for the past seven years.

Does PSD have a current curriculum used throughout K-12?  If not, is this against the law?  And if it is against the law, how can you file an injunction forcing our teachers back into the classroom while PSD is breaking the law as well?
 The District is not breaking the law. Just kidding, they are! They do not have a comprehensive k-12 curriculum and it is against the law. And probably causes significant and ongoing harm to all the children in Pasco School District that is very likely to last them well into adulthood and beyond. But, you know, strikes are bad and illegal and teachers, you go back to work now.

Does the district realize that the implementation and management of curriculum needs to be reviewed?
Yes.  The new leadership in curriculum and professional development fully recognizes that curriculum management and fidelity of implementation across the District is critical. Unfortunately this "new" leadership is the same old adorable Ms.Whitney who has been there for years. So why this is such a mess is a mystery.   PSD is claiming now that they can not clean up this mess until teachers are back in the class to tell them what they need. Unfortunately the teachers have already stated emphatically that they will not come back to class until they get firm contractual language that promises to address the curriculum problem. PSD refuses to give a firm commitment on this point of bargaining.

Will teachers get paid while on strike?
Probably. Teachers are paid year round. Any teacher with a contract to work for 180 school days this year can expect to get a paycheck each month as usual. However, PSD could be nasty and cancel pay checks if they are so inclined. This would be even more retaliatory than going after PAE's bargaining team in and of their own persons, but we're not ruling it out at this point. PSD probably isn't, either.

Can we go ahead and start school while PSD and PAE continue to bargain?
Yes, we could. But this would not be a good idea. More progress has been made at the bargaining table since the strike began  than has been made all summer. To go back to work now could easily result in the district's diminished desire to bargain. 

When is the last official date that classroom curriculum for Pasco elementary schools has been fully funded, by the District including teacher provided instruction/training?

Pasco School District has board-adopted and supplemental curriculum and instructional materials in all content areas.  Unfortunately supplemental material is all they have. But since there is nothing for it to supplement, this approach is like feeding your kid a vitamin and calling it dinner. PSD believes a “one size fits all” approach to curriculum does not work for all students with diverse learning needs, so instead they have adopted the "no size fits all" approach.

Is PSD currently run by a tiny robot living inside a human shaped suit?
No. This is just a rumor. We think.

"Do not... mention... the 'C' word to me..."

What role is WEA playing in the negotiations? Is this standard for these types of situations?
WEA and NAE send support to help local unions navigate the difficult legal matter of contract bargaining. Just as the district's bargaining team has a lawyer present (and several others on hand), the teacher's bargaining team (which is made up of regular classroom teachers) need legal council to advice them of their rights and responsibilities. This "outside" support exists in many negotiations throughout the state and those negotiations have been settled without incident.  It is in no way an indicator that something is wrong or that outside influences are dictating the outcome of negotiations.

Who is on the PAE bargaining team?
Matt Polk, a teacher from Pasco High School is the lead bargainer.  The team is made up of four local teachers who currently work full time in Pasco classrooms. Not an outside team, not an expensive law firm, local teachers. Also, PAE does not have a werewolf on their bargaining team, much to most teenage girls' disappointment.

Are both sides making compromises to their original positions?
Absolutely. Both sides have issues they are willing to bend on, and a few points on which they are not willing to bend. The two sides are actually quite close to a compromise. But some very important  pieces still need to be hammered out. Unfortunately the bargaining process was slowed this summer when PSD requested to only meet with a mediator present. This allowed for only a few days of bargaining over the summer. Now that the teams are able to meet every day, bargaining is going much quicker.

What can parents do?
Call your teachers. Ask how they are doing and what they need. Call the PSD bargaining team and let them know what it is you expect. Email your school board and ask them to please accept the teacher's invitation to meet at the bargaining table and get this settled. Pray. Injecting yourself with super-serum is a highly risky and not recommended path to getting this settled, but many are considering it at this point. We'd like to point out that without Vita-Ray saturation, the serum is unlikely to be effective. So please, for safety's sake, please stick with contacting the board and the bargaining team.

The school board has been invited to come to the bargaining team, but at this point have refused. Where are they when we need them most?