Welcome to Hesperiateachers.com, the website for HTA (Hesperia Teachers Association) members. HTA is the exclusive bargaining unit for all the teachers that are subject to the collective bargaining agreement in HUSD. We are also an integral part of the district's Insurance Committee, which helps to select our Health and Welfare benefits.
News Updates!
Tentative Agreement is Reached!
Today, after seven months of bargaining, the HTA negotiating team reached a tentative agreement (TA) with HUSD on temporary changes in compensation, leaves, work year and class size. The work that went into this has been difficult and intense, but worthwhile. When we began the process in January, the district was asking for a roughly 14% permanent cut in our total compensation. Today's agreement brings that cut down to the 6% range with full, built-in restoration. Please read the attached complete TA for the agreement's particulars.
HTA leadership teams will be visiting your work sites during the first week of school (August 9 - 13) to give a power point presentation and answer any questions you may have about the TA. Your site reps will conduct a ratification vote at your sites during the week of August 16th through 20th. There will also be general membership meetings at the DO Annex A from 3:00 to 5:00 on Aug 16, 17 and 18 so that you can get answered any further questions you may have.
HTA bylaws require ratification by 51% of the active membership, so it is important that you all participate in this process!
Previous Updates:
The facts behind Fact-Finding
This is a video recording of a recent Webinar given by a negotiation specialist from CTA involved in the recent Fact Finding process that the HTA and HUSD are going through. Click on the image below to watch the video and send links to others that may be interested as well.
San Marcos schools layoffs averted by furloughs
Tentative agreement sabes teachers' jobs
By: Bruce Lieberman, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.
San Marcos Unified School District and its teachers union have tentatively agreed to a contract that will avoid 40 classroom teacher layoffs. The catch: The district's 900 teachers will have to take six furlough days in 2010-11, resulting in students having five fewer days of classroom time.
The agreement, reached in recent days after weeks of negotiations, will help San Marcos close a $15 million budget deficit for 2010-11, which begins July 1, without laying off any permanent or probationary teachers.
This spring, the district issued layoff notices to 40 classroom teachers and notified 130 teachers on one-year contracts that they will not be asked back for the next school year.
Many of those 130 teachers now might also be asked back, said Len Judd, the district's assistant superintendent for human resources. Among them are 41 full-time temporary teachers. About 80 percent of that group is expected to return, Judd said. It's still unclear how many of the remaining temporary teachers who work part time might also return, Judd said.
The district has closed much of the $15 million gap by taking $10.6 million from its budget reserves, said Gary Hamels, assistant superintendent for business services. The rest of the gap has been closed through the furlough system for teachers, which amounts to a 3.26-percent salary cut and saves the district about $3 million, $500,000 taken from a deferred maintenance fund, eliminating an administrative and support position, and a variety of other reductions, Hamels said.
Oceanside and Vista school districts also have limited teacher layoffs by agreeing with their employee unions on furloughs in the coming school year.
San Marcos has about 18,130 K-12 students and employs nearly 2,000 people.
New Teacher Rights
Here is some information from CTA on the rights of new teachers to participate in union activities. Click here to download in .doc format.
Teacher Turnout at HUSD Fact Finding
Next Monday, June 14, the negotiating committee will be participating in fact finding, the next stage of the impasse process, with the district and the state-appointed arbitrator. It is absolutely critical that HTA members turn out to show strong support for our negotiators on that day. More than at any other time during this whole, long process, it is vital that, on Monday, we show a unified commitment to getting a fair resolution to the salary issue. HTA will be holding a rally in front of the DO at 8:30 am on Monday. All members need to show up for that rally to let the school board know we reject a disabling cut to pay and benefits! Teachers from districts all over the Victor Valley will be there to show their solidarity with us. It's time to stand up and be counted, so bring family members and friends to show the district that we stand together!
Hesperia Teachers, Not On Strike -- Yet!
The Hesperia Unified School District (HUSD) is being unfair to students and teachers The district has doubled class sizes in some grades, giving your children less of the time for individual attention that they need.
Now the district is refusing to negotiate for a fair teachers' contract. And it wants to impose a 13.9% pay cut. This more than twice as much as other California districts and twice as much as any other HUSD employee group , including administrators. (The School Board members, themselves, took no cuts.)
Hesperia teachers do not want to strike. All we want is fair treatment. We have already Offered to accept significant cuts, even while the district holds millions of dollars in reserve and continues to waste funds on non-essentials like golf carts, gopher control, and various pet projects.
You can help. Attend the School Board meeting in the district office Annex A on June 7 at 6:00. Tell the board to treat students and teachers fairly and settle now.
Here is some information comparing the current conditions in HUSD to other local school disctricts:
| Hesperia Unified | Other Local Districts |
| Elementary classrooms are at a 30:1 student to teacher ratio | Apple Valley elementary ratios 24:1. San Bernardino is going from 22:1 to 25:1 in their elementary schools next year. |
| In the process of creating new Assist. Superintendent position. Pay is equal to that of 3 teachers. | Victorville is dispersing duties of an outgoing Assist. Super. Rather than filling the position. |
| Is asking teachers to take about a 26% pay reduction over the next 2 years | ALL other districts in CA have asked their teachers to take anywhere from 0-5% pay cut. |
| Cuts that HUSD is currently proposing will cost each teacher about $1,000 a month, the equivalent of 25 furlough days, or 5 full weeks | San Bernardino City Schools less than 2% pay cut |
| Fontana School District Furlough days and NO PAY Cut! | |
| Etiwand School District 5.5 Furlough days and 2% pay cut | |
| Vista Unified 5 Furlough Days, 2.7% cut and increased class sizes |
The district began the 2008/2009 school year with $14 million. For the current 2009/2010 school year the district began with $24 million. With this much surplus, why are they not only cutting programs like class size reduction, but also asking for an outrageous sacrifice from their employees?
If you would like to hear answers to these questions, or have others of your own, the parents and community of Hesperia are encouraged to ask these questions of your elected board members! Please attend the next board meeting on Monday, June 7th.
Or you may contact the school board members at the following numbers:
- Hardy Black - (760) 244-9144
- Robert Kirk - (760) 964-2462
- Anthony Riley - (909) 844-8378
- Chris Bentley - (760) 887-2288
- Lee Rogers - (760) 553-4988
Picket Schedule
This is just a reminder to all members that HTA will continue picketing at the District Office on Wednesdays from 2:40 - 4:30 pm as well as the School Board Meetings on June 7th and July 12th at 6:00 pm. Our message will only be heard if we turn out in numbers, show your support by your attendance at these events.
Also, please see this article in the San Bernardino Sun about the cuts that the San Bernardino teachers have chosen to take in lieu of reducing the school year by five days. http://www.sbsun.com/preps/ci_15119716