Category Archives: Members

El Dorado teacher Megan Caluza speaks out at the Board of Education against the layoffs.

Decision Ignores Basic Union Right for Arbitrary Line Drawn by Superintendent

On February 28, 2012, at the Superintendent’s request, the Board of Education approved layoff notices for 245 certificated staff (35 Early Education Teachers and 210 K-12 certificated staff) and 249 classified staff. The extreme number of layoff notices, which represents 6.1% of certificated staff and 16.4% of classified staff, was perhaps overshadowed by the decision to exempt teachers from the Superintendent’s Zone Schools from the layoff process.

In exempting teachers in the Zone schools from layoffs, the Superintendent has decided to disregard the fundamental union right of seniority. The resolution makes clear that in his eyes the teachers who work at schools outside his Zone, and the students they serve, are somehow less deserving of protection.   Continue reading →

Community Boards – Free Mediation Services for UESF Members

In partnering with UESF and SFUSD, Community Boards, the oldest public conflict resolution program in the US, has provided its conflict resolution services–mediation and facilitation–at no-cost to all San Francisco’s schools. The goal of this collaboration is to provide school administrators and educators with an additional resource for proactively addressing problems before they escalate into conflicts that may lead to disciplinary or grievance actions.

Confidentiality is an important element of all Community Boards’ mediations. In order to get at the root cause of a dispute, all parties are encouraged to talk freely. This right of confidentiality is protected by California consumer law. Information divulged in mediation is inadmissible in any possible future litigation.
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