RANCHO SANTA FE — Negotiations are underway with the Rancho Santa Fe School District and the Rancho Santa Fe Faculty Association. At the Oct. 5 school board meeting, board President Todd Frank provided a statement regarding the “limited re-openers” aimed at the 2017-2018 school year.
To date, representatives of the district and the Association have met on four separate occasions.
Teachers at R. Roger Rowe were among the many attendees at the monthly meeting including teacher Amanda Valentine, who also serves as the president of the RSF Faculty Association.
Frank explained how this “collective bargaining agreement” encompassed the time period of 2016 to June 30, 2019. He then focused what the Faculty Association was proposing.
“The Faculty Association’s most recent proposal includes a 5 percent on schedule increase to the salary schedule and an increase of $125 per month to the district’s health benefit contributions for a total annual contribution of $10,200,” he said. “The Faculty Association’s proposal also includes additional release time for the Faculty Association members, a provision requiring agency fee and automatic dues deduction from teacher’s paychecks and association access to new employee orientations.”
Rancho Santa Fe School District Superintendent David Jaffe provided more insight about the limited re-openers. Jaffe said this means the parties can reopen negotiations regarding salary and benefits, plus three additional articles from the agreement.
Jaffe went on to explain that the articles currently up for negotiations are salaries and benefits, association rights and personal necessity leave.
Frank also shared the district side of the negotiations.
“The district’s current proposal includes a 1.5 percent on schedule increase and a 1.5 percent off schedule increase, plus a $25 per month increase to the District’s health benefit contribution for a total annual contribution of $9,000,” he said. “The district’s salary schedule has always been highly competitive with other local comparable school districts. Just last year the district gave the teachers a 4.5 percent on schedule increase plus an additional $50 per month in health benefit contributions.”
Frank closed by saying he supported the district’s negotiation team.
“The district values its teachers and remains committed to reaching an agreement in negotiations this year,” Frank said.
