SJTA News Roundup
Governor’s Cuts To Schools Less Than Feared
The Department of Finance announced today that the revenue forecast was calling for the mid-year trigger to be pulled but that the effect on K-12 is much less than originally anticipated. Still, K-12 will suffer a cut to transportation costs, still to be determined, and a reduction of $11-13 per student in school district revenue limits. The transportation cut will go into effect on January 1 and the revenue limit cut will go into effect on February 1. In the press conference, the Governor indicated that there will also be additional (undisclosed) reductions as part of his 2012-13 budget proposal to be released January 15, 2012.
The Struggle For ECE Pay Equity Is Nearing Completion
Research findings continue to demonstrate that early childhood education experience does make a difference. This has become clear and persuasive as ECE has shown to promote a variety of positive outcomes over the long term including higher academic achievement, lower rates of grade retention and special education placement, higher graduation rates, and lower disciplinary rates. Unfortunately, ECE members have been vastly underpaid, some more than others.
Although K-12 education achieved pay equity for education and experience more than 75 years ago across the country through the single uniform salary schedule, this basic right was never applied to Early Childhood Education. Now, after fighting for many years, SJTA and the District are closing in on making this a reality by placing all ECE on the same salary schedule.
Our goal has been to consolidate into one pay scale, incentivize towards college degrees and value professional growth. SJTA believes this will contribute to increasing the professionalism of ECE and lead to increasingly high quality educational programs for children prior to kindergarten.
We will be providing updates in the next couple of weeks. The agreement SJTA and the District ultimately achieves will be retroactive to July 1, 2011. This is consistent with the original agreement established nearly three years ago.