Sweetwater Union High School District and Sweetwater Counseling and Guidance Association are pleased to jointly announce that we have reached a tentative agreement for a three-year successor agreement.  In the coming weeks both SCGA membership and the Board of Trustees will be voting on the Successor

Agreement.  Highlights of the Agreement include:

1. Article 4, Wages:  3.75 % salary increase retroactive to January 1, 2017.
2. Article 13, Caseload:  Codifies the lowering of counselor caseload from 400 to 1 to 360:1.
3. Articles 5 & 22, Work day/Work year & Counselor In service: Adds three additional days to counselor schedules for professional learning and collaboration, which will help cut down on counselors being pulled away from their sites when students are present.
4. Article 5, Work day/Work year: Establishes a Head Counselor position & stipend at Learning Centers.
5. Article 7, Transfer Article:  Changes the transfer process to no longer include the lateral list, ensuring unit positions can be filled more quickly & allows for greater access to positions by unit members.
6. Article 11, Leaves:  Expands parental leave.
7. Article 10, Evaluations:  Clarifies that Written Assistance Plans related to employee evaluations must be in writing; and illustrates when continuances of evaluations can be given by principals.
8. Reopener in second year to continue working on issues related to counselors working outside their duty day during the second year of the agreement.
9. Reopeners in the second and third year of the contract for wages and benefits, once the 2017-18 school and state budget are finalized.

SCGA unit members will conduct hearings and vote on the agreement in the near future. The Board of Trustees will take action on June 12, 2017. We appreciate the work of both bargaining teams over the past year to reach this agreement. We are proud of the collaborative spirit at the bargaining table and how the process demonstrates that working together is the best way we ensure each student has the supports they need to succeed.  We look forward to working together to implement the agreement and ensure that District administrators and counselors understand the changes in the contract.

Sweetwater Union High School District is pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement over a 3 year successor agreement between the parties.  In the coming weeks both SEA membership and the Board of Trustees will be voting on the Successor Agreement.

Highlights of the Agreement include:

1.     3.75 % salary increase retroactive to January 1, 2017

2.     Reopeners in the second and third year of the contract for wages and benefits, once the 2017-18 school and state budget are finalized.

3.     Three additional days added to all 7-12 teachers for professional learning and collaboration, which will help cut down on all teachers’ needing to obtain substitutes where they will not be pulled away from teaching students.

4.     Immediate additional support for special educators by placement of class caps and additional IEP days. Agreement to establish a special education committee to ensure a full review of the program and services in advance of further actions to the program.

5.     Modified complaint procedure to ensure complaints are resolved at the lowest possible level with the site administrator and teacher.

6.     Agree to teacher average of 51 students (with no more than 55 students) in High School Physical Education.

7.     Joint Governance Panel developed changes to align our program with the new state requirements. Agreed to collaboratively develop Peer Assistance and Review Support (PARS) pilot next school year.

8.     Parties committed to meet within 30 days of ratification to revamp extra duty stipends, creation, amounts, expectations, and processes for consideration by the Bargaining teams.

9.     Increased amount for repair or replacement of employee’s personal equipment if it is damaged due to no fault of the employee.

10.  Clarify that Written Assistance Plans related to employee evaluations must be in writing; and clarify when continuances of evaluations can be given by principals.

11.  Incentivize teachers to get Biology and Bilingual Authorization credentials by agreeing to help fund tuition reimbursement.

12.  Acknowledge that the District must consult with teachers before making changes to districtwide technology programs or implementation of professional learning communities.

SEA unit members will conduct hearings around the agreement later this week and will vote soon after. The Board of Trustees will take action on June 12, 2017.

We appreciate the work of both of the bargaining teams over the past year. We are proud of the significant language changes that we have agreed to, but we are most excited about the tone and tenor of the bargaining table this year.  Both sides worked collaboratively to understand each other’s position and together we found solutions.  While we still have a significant number of areas we want to work on together, these teams worked together to move us forward as a district.  This bargaining was an example of our collective belief that truly We Are Stronger Together. We look forward to continued work with SEA leadership to implement the new agreements.

Office of Language Acquisition/State and Federal Programs
466 Moss Street
Chula Vista CA 91911

Public Notice

Written notice is hereby given that the District will conduct a public hearing and accept the preliminary plan and gather community feedback for the proposed 2017-2018 Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).

Date: Monday, May 22, 2017

Time: 6:00p.m.

Place: Sweetwater Union High School District

Administration Center – Board Room

1130 Fifth Avenue

Chula Vista, CA 91911

Local Control and Accountability Plan and Annual Update Template will be available for public review at the hearing and, beginning May 18, 2017 at 4:30p.m., on the district’s website at https://www.sweetwaterschools.org.

Date: May 18, 2017