Union leadership and LBUSD management are negotiating a "Memorandum of Understanding" (MOU) with terms in their respective interests. Parents and students aren't at the bargaining table although they will be affected by whatever terms the two sides negotiate.

[TALB Aug. 7 p.m. email] Today TALB and LBUSD Negotiating Teams met in an effort to work towards agreement on an MOU for the 2020-2021 school year for both CDC Head Start & PreK-12. Entering negotiations, the two teams had opposing views of what instruction should look like and the associated duties. Negotiations focused on TALB’s counter proposal to the District. Whether or not the district will move on any of the counter proposals will be determined in future sessions, August 13, 17 and 20. TALB proposed the following items in our counter-proposal today:

1) Flexibility in the work location - Teachers determine the location of the work site - school site or home.

2) Alternatives to Executive Staff's proposed student / teacher schedules. The TALB Bargaining Team's proposals focused on:

a) Quality instruction as opposed to excessive screen time.
b) Amounts of time associated with Asynchronous vs. Synchronous instruction.
c) Aligned with best practices for child development related to excessive screen time.
d) Built in time to support the planning for at-promise, IEP, and EL students and the associated instruction.

3. District would provide professional development on the new online platform (LMS - Learning Management System), Canvas, as well as professional development that teachers may select to improve their skills as an online teacher meeting the goal of "Every Student, Every Day".

4) Staff Meetings and Back to School night will be online for the 2020-21 school year.

5) Evaluations (Stull Process) will be limited to probationary contracts, special contracts and teachers who received a U in one or more areas on their 2019-20 final evaluation.

We would like to be optimistic. The tone and tenor of the meeting was very cordial and the District's Bargaining Team seemed to be engaged and ask thoughtful questions in regards to TALB's bargaining proposals.

Sadly, there was no immediate response on whether or not the District would be amenable to "flexibility". This is unfortunate because it will be almost another week before we hear back from the District's Bargaining Team. People's anxiety and frustrations are reaching a fever pitch. Employees and families are trying to make decisions on school schedules for their children and childcare with scant information to guide them...

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The email asks the union's members and community members at large "to continue to lobby the Board of Education and Executive Staff to allow for flexibility. Actions that demonstrate that treating people with humanity aren't just words...Your voices could make the difference. Lives are at stake!..."

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