Joint Communiqué 11/15/2006

The parties met on November 9, 2006. The following is a summary of the topics that were discussed:

Stipends - The parties discussed comparison data that had been collected from other school districts related to a stipend issue and generated options to resolve the issue. The parties agreed to draft language for possible inclusion in the contract, which will be reviewed at the next meeting.

Evaluation – A draft of possible contract language was presented; the language reflected options selected at a prior meeting. Aside from minor edits which will be incorporated into the draft, the language was determined to satisfy the parties’ interests. The parties also reviewed modifications to the evaluation form, which were deemed satisfactory.

Retirement Incentive - The parties reviewed a survey sheet for possible distribution to certificated employees of retirement age in order to determine interest in a retirement incentive. Revisions were made to the survey and will be reviewed at the next meeting.

Work Day - The parties discussed background information on areas of concern related to the teacher work day and then identified the interests of the District and the teachers’ union. Shared interests from each list were identified. A number of options were generated that could address those interests. The parties will resume discussion on this topic at the next meeting.

The next meetings are November 21 and 27, 2006. The agenda items are:

1. Complete language on stipends and retirement incentive survey
2. Resume discussions on work day
3. Resume discussions on medi-gap coverage and other health benefits issues
4. Discuss remaining topics: job sharing and transfers