5.1 UNION NEGOTIATIONS
9/5/07 OH - Syc. Board of Education approves contract, adopts HSA
The Sycamore Board of Education approved a three-year collective bargaining agreement with OAPSE (Ohio Association of Public School Employees) Local 243 during a special meeting Aug. 29.
The current contract expires June 30th, 2010. The exact timing of the negotiations has not been established yet, but they typically begin in March or April.
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Resident Questions and board member Answers 2/1/2010
Q. Who decides the objectives (terms of agreement) of the board?
A. The Board of Education works in conjunction with the administration and our attorney to determine the objectives of the negotiations. You can be assured that our (board) primary objective will be to stay within our established budgetary parameters. Within that over-arching goal, it is also imperative that we maintain a competitive salary/benefits package that enables Sycamore to recruit and retain the quality of staff that we need to maintain the educational standards demanded by our community, as well as maintain the management rights necessary to properly administer the district.
Q. When will the objectives be established?
A. The objectives will be set around the time when negotiations begin, and will be reviewed as negotiations progress. Negotiations is an executive session topic and you will see negotiations on the agenda when we are talking about it.
Q. May I (taxpayer) share my thoughts with the board decision makers before their objectives are finalized?
A. We accept input of any type from the community and invite you to share your thoughts at any time on any topic. There is no specific process for public input directly into the Board’s negotiation process, but that does not mean residents cannot share their thoughts. You are aware of the various ways of communicating with the Board of Education – these would be the same ways to communicate on issues regarding negotiations with the exception that negotiations are not discussed in open session at a board meeting (please see the attached policy Public Participation at Board Meetings). As such, it would be most appropriate for you to put your thoughts in a written form, also ensuring that the board has time to carefully read and understand them.
Q. Who specifically will be negotiating with the union representatives?
A. The Board of Education’s negotiating team has not been selected yet.
