2007-08 Contract Agreement

Full printable version .

The EA bargaining team reached a tentative agreement on the 2007-08 Contract with the School Board's team.

• 2-year contract for the 2007 and 2008 calendar years.
• 2 retroactive salary raises:
  • 2% for 2007
  • 2.25% for 2008

• Posting of vacancies on the MPS portal. As soon as access is implemented, EAs will have the option of checking for vacancies and submitting their transfer request online. EAs will still have the option of applying at central office until June 30, 2010. After that date, postings at central office will be eliminated.

• Voluntary, paid inservice during 2009-10. EAs will have the opportunity to attend 3 hours of inseervice, paid at their individual hourly rate - in additon to their regular work schedule.  A joint committee of 4 MTEA and 4 School Board representatives will determine dates and times. There will be a variety of times - after school, Saturdays, and during the October convention. Some inservice topics include:

  • Technology (especially for those EAs who have not activated the MPS user ID)
  • Special Education
  • PBIS - Positive Behavior Intervention and Support
  • Instructional support - curriculum, reading/math

• Establish 3 criteria for the Board's determination of courses eligible for EA tuition reimbursement:
  • District need
  • Benefit to MPS in instruction
  • Budget limits

• Increase your out-of-pocket payments to $40 (from $35) for malicious auto damage at work.

• Move the date that you must notify MPS if you plan to retire at the end of the school year to March 1 from April 1. Applies to retiring EAs who qualify for the Board paid health insurance and wish to guarantee a higher Board premium payment.

• Include "color" and "sexual orientation" to the non-discrimination section of the contract to comply with federal law.

• Reduce the number of copies of the printed contract the Board provides to the MTEA to 375 (from 500).

Retroactive Pay

We will print the timeline for retro pay as soon as MPS sets it.

Implementation of retroactive salary cannot take place until after EA members and the School Board ratify the tentative agreement. The EA membership vote will be completed by mid-May, and the Board will vote later in the month.

For School Safety Assistants Only

The new contract will make multiplex overtime assignment steps a permanent part of the contract. The language will be added to the school safety assistants' overtime provision.

Background: Your union filed a group grievance on behalf of school safety assistants because MPS was violating their rights for overtime assignments at multiplex buildings. As a resolution, step-by-step, seniority-based rotation procedures were jointly developed for multiplex overtime assignments.

Possible Future Changes

These provisions would be bargained with EAs only if the teacher contract includes it in the future:

• A negotiating note for bargaining a change that would prevent 2 employees who are married from switching from family coverage to 2 singles prior to retirement.
• A negotiating note for a new provision to avoid employer and employee Social Security deductions on severance pay.

Bargaining on Next Contract to Start Soon

Agreement to exchange proposals to start bargaining the 2009-10 contract by June 1, 2009 - unless the parties mutually agree to a later date prior to the end of the school year.

Ratification Recommended by Union Leadership

The MEAA Executive Council and the MTEA Executive Board have voted to recommend that EA members ratify the 2007-08 MBSD/MTEA Educational Assistant Contract.

Ratification Document

The ratification document - when completed - will contain the new language for all of the changes and the 2007 and 2008 hourly rates for all EA job classifications:

• General
• Paraprofessional
• School Safety
• Child Care
• Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
• Interpreters
• Lead

Document/Ballots - April 30

The ratification document will be delivered to the schools on Thursday, April 30, along with the ballots to vote on ratification.