Tentative Agreement

Dear SLTA Members,

As you know, SLTA has had quite a week.  First and foremost, I want to thank and honor our bargaining team. Bargaining Chair Jacob Clark, Valarie Sowers, Glenn Brodeur and our CTA staff member Nicole Love showed incredible discipline and passion, staying at the table until 8PM Monday evening to get a historic settlement for our teachers and our school community.

I hope you’ve had the chance to read the Tentative Agreement.  The compensation package, with a 3.25% salary increase, keeps pace with the state COLA and with neighboring districts.  This matches up with our longterm goals of putting San Leandro in the position to retain and recruit an outstanding core of educational professionals.  We negotiated real improvements in class sizes in elementary, middle schools and high schools, as well as caseload language for SLPs and psychologists, which we’ve never had.  Increased nurse staffing also recognizes the critical role that student health plays in student success.

Our Representative Council voted on Tuesday to recommend passage of this tentative agreement.  Rep Council also started the job of setting goals for the year.  Vice President Nancy James presented two major programmatic goals for the year, focusing on increased communications and member participation, and developing an organizing committee which will advocate for great public schools for our community.

Most of you have received your membership cards by now.  If not, please visit your site rep.  Newly hired teachers may have to wait about a month until we get those member cards from CTA.  

Also, I am beginning a round of site visits.  This first round is intended to be an informal listening campaign.  I’d love to hear your thoughts about what our Union should be working on, or what you might need to do your best job in the classroom.  I will have the 2019-2020 CTA Member Benefit guides and the CTA Calendars with me, so make sure to stop by and say hello.  I’ll be at Madison on Monday at lunch, Roosevelt lunch on Tuesday, Washington lunch  on Thursday, and Jefferson lunch on Friday.  Muir and McKinley are scheduled for the following week.  Other schools will be scheduled in September.


Looking forward to seeing you all at the Ratification Meeting on Wednesday!


In Solidarity,
-Tom