Collective Bargaining In Schools

Collective Bargaining In Berryessa Union School District

Working as a teacher one would believe that within the union contract would be provisions that specifically protect and benefit the teachers, the student, student academic achievement, and equity. After close examination of the contract, I found very little benefit where student equity or achievement were concerned, moreover, the contract seemed to cover how the district and teacher interactions should occur, and students benefits are a by-product of the contract. The collective bargaining and Union Contracts are for the sole benefit and protection of the teachers, and staff covered under the contract. Ultimately the contract, at its best, provides protection and services for teachers so that students eventually benefit when the district and its teachers are taken care of.
The contract provides for the protection of teachers to the detriment, at times, of …show more content…
The union contract provides for interactions with teacher who have complaints, and stipulates that teachers can be forced into PAR to assist in improving the behavior that may be unacceptable by the administrator. PAR can last up to three years. If the problem is with teaching, the contract does not allow for the movement of that teacher as long as they are in PAR. The teacher can be moved into a grade level where the least amount of damage can be done. Some teachers can find themselves working in transitional kindergarten, or kindergarten for the remainder of their career. The academic achievement of students the highest priority, so moving the teachers to grade levels where they can do little damage is allowed by the contact. There is little the teachers can do about the move as the district supports the administrator most of the time. In the way the contract is looking out for students, but this is a built in