President's Message
Support Your Union!
by Allen FreemonRecently there have been individuals speaking poorly in public of their own association. There have been editorials and articles in the local newspaper sharing discontent; along with vilifying the leadership of GTA to the community. It is shame that a few individuals could try and damage the hard work of so many in our association.
Let me be clear from the onset, I have no problems with disagreement within our association and I don’t believe any leader in GTA does. In fact, it is encouraged because if there is disagreement it means that there is involvement and participation by members. This is something that is always appreciated and desired.
Where I have a problem is the way that some members are choosing to act upon their personal opinions. Instead of working within the union, they are expressing their dissatisfaction in the public newspapers. I can’t think of anything more devastating to a union.
When I ran for President four years ago next month, I did so because I wasn’t satisfied with GTA. I felt that we were a social club and rubber stamped anything the GUSD wanted. A prime example of this is the problems regarding the temporary teacher misclassifications. We all know that there were way too many temporary teachers in the GUSD; however, instead of taking this issue to local paper, I made a conscious effort to lead within our association. Not from the outside as an individual.
I can’t tell you how much time and energy I have dedicated to our association, let alone the sacrifices of my family. What I can tell you is that I have the honor of knowing that I worked within our union and did not try and tear it down. I am sure it would have been much easier to work as an individual tearing it down, but I did not want to disrespect the only bastion of hope we have left: union. Once it is gone, we will all be acting as individuals, and we will all be helpless in our cause to protect public education.
So to everyone, I say get involved. Work within our association, not against it. You hurt all of us in doing so. There is a process, there is a place, so come get involved. Don’t let the GUSD use that classic old method of divide and conquer.
Lastly, once the decision is made by the GTA body, please support that decision. Please follow the union code of conduct: I will engage in debate, offer others every opportunity for debate and respect minority viewpoints, but I will observe and support the majority mandate of the union.
What Are You Worth? The Difference Between 5.1% and 12.64%
12/31/06
by Allen FreemonLet me begin by sharing my belief that all of us who work in the Glendale Unified School District are dedicated professionals. That includes our district leadership. I have met many times with our Superintendent, School Board Members, and other District leaders. I recognize and applaud the commitment they have to make GUSD the best district possible.
However, we do not agree upon the District's budgetary priorities. The GUSD has not made their employees the top priority in the budget. We should be. Recently, our school board president shared that teachers are prioritized 3rd in the guiding principles of the district. I disagree with this position. I believe that district employees should be the number one priority in the district budget. I believe that attracting and maintaining the best teachers possible is the primary job of our district.
Just as we have standards, course frameworks, and lots of rules to govern our classes and outline our curriculum, there are guidelines for district budgets. In the state of California the standard is for 85% of the total budget to be spent on employee compensation. GUSD falls short of that. If the district were to adjust the budget to that 85% threshold, we would see a 12.64% raise on the salary schedule. GUSD is not willing to evaluate the entire budget. They are only willing to look at the new money coming into the district this year. To that end, they are offering 5.1% increase on the salary schedule. By doing this they would still fall short of spending 85% of the budget on their employees.
There is a large difference between 5.1% and 12.64%. If the district were to fund our request at 12.64% we could still maintain fully funded health benefits, the district would be at 85%, and they would still be fiscally responsible. The question before us now is what are you worth? Are you worth 5.1% or 12.64%? It is up to you to decide. For the District to put an increase of 12.64% into your pocket you will need to be active. I take that back, you will need to be VERY ACTIVE. We need all GTA members to let the district know that employees are the priority in the budget. It is time to make our voices heard; we are worth a doubledigit raise.