QandA

Q's and A's!   WESP Meeting Questions 1/23/13

**A:** Work on some projects will need to extend into the school year or be phased over several breaks. We will also look closely at the cost implications of scheduling some projects while school is in session for work to occur on weekends and evenings. **A:** From a construction standpoint, we have scheduled the work to extend into the school year anticipating school to start on time. However, it has been suggested that we delay the start two weeks so that there is less of an impact. **A: 1)**Those are being developed and will be sent to Mike so that he can post them on the WESP website. **A: 2)**They will also be available on the district website. **Q 4:** In transportation, we need the routes early enough to be able to run them one time in the week before school starts. Will they be available? **A:** The routes will be ready for the drivers to drive them the week before school starts, as long as we get all of the necessary information from the respective departments in time. Regular routes will be done, but Special Needs, SWAS, CIT/Foster Care runs may not be if we have not received the necessary student information in a timely manner from those departments. **Q 5:** Bus drivers need to be on a 12 month pay schedule. **A: 1)** We meet with WESP once a month for issues and policy discussion in Transportation. We have discussed the 12 month issue and they were working on getting information from districts they know of in Oregon and Washington that are currently doing something like this. **A: 2)** It is something that has to be negotiated. **Q 6:** Do we lose the three weeks we have off in the summer now? **A:** When the calendar comes out, you can go to your administrator and ask to change your work days. If the administrator agrees, you may change them. **Q 7:** Can ES Secretaries get year round pay? **A: 1)** That would need to be negotiated **A: 2)**Going from 11 months to 12 months would also need to be negotiated. **Q 8:** High Schools normally have 2 summer sessions. How will this affect our front office staff and custodians? If the school doesn’t have summer school could the custodial staff at that school help the ones who do have summer school? **A: 1)** This year summer session will only be 4 weeks, June 17-July 17. **A: 2)**Housekeeping is developing guidelines for schools to utilize, due to the new calendars, and those schedules will be issued once information is made available as to what activities will be occurring at our schools during the summer and other break periods, IE. summer school; inner-sessions; etc. Our target date for issuing the guidelines is early May, 2013. These guidelines will include some of the following: deep cleaning being spread out throughout the school year, including during the summer, October, Winter, and Spring Breaks; adjusted work schedules, where custodians might work in the evenings during breaks, as needed, as well as during the day. SFCs will work with Administrators at their sites on prioritizing tasks and the time of year it is most desirable to complete which tasks. If a school is heavily impacted during the day with programs, night work will be an option. Knowing how long it takes to complete any given task at schools will be key for the readjustment of cleaning throughout the years’ break periods. For example, how many rooms can be cleaned in a week; how long does it take to strip & wax tile areas; etc. **Q 9:** Will everyone be on the balanced calendar? **A: 1)** Double Diamond, Brown, and Mathews will go to the Trustees on 2/12 to see if they remain on MTYR for 2013-2104. **A: 2)** Incline has a separate calendar. **A: 3)** All other schools are on the balanced calendar. **Q 10:** Is MTYR triggered by population? **A:** Yes. **Q 11:** Will the summer work load go into winter break for the custodians? What is the new schedule? Are there areas that just won’t be cleaned on time? Is there any potential to get extra help? Suggestion: Use manpower from transportation that are not working during intersession and summer. **A: 1)** Yes, see question 8 above. **A: 2)** While the school will be clean, safe, and healthy when school begins in August, there will have to be an understanding by administrators, teachers, classified employees, students, teachers, parents, etc., that certain tasks that were normally completed during the summer, may be completed during the other break periods throughout the school year. For example, the finishing of a restroom floor area that was normally completed by August, may have to be completed during the October break. Housekeeping will provide assistance when appropriate, but most tasks that were completed during the summer, will still be completed, just during other break periods throughout the school year. **Q 12:** Are they trying to make a 12 month employee into an 11 month employee? Specifically in maintenance, school site staff, nutrition services, and workers at the nutrition services plant. **A: 1)** There are no plans to make, nor do we see a reason to make, a 12 month employee an 11 month employee due to the balanced calendar. The work will be the same, just spread out during the year (maintenance/custodial). **A: 2)** We are not changing any employee positions at this time due to the calendar (nutrition services). **A: 3)** There are no plans at this time to reduce clerical staff from 12 months to 11 months. **Q 13:** Is timecard online going to be open early? **A:** No. **Q 14:** Are the 180 days going to be on the same schedule as students? **A:** Yes. **Q 15:** Where will the 180 day folks get professional development (like Election Day) if that day is a non-contract day? **A: 1)** In the past, even years had 179 student contact days because of Election Day and professional development could be offered to 180 day contracted employees. **A: 2)** The balanced calendar has 180 student contact days in both even and odd numbered years. **A: 3)** How professional development will be delivered to 180 day employees needs to be reviewed. **Q 16:** How is intersession going to work for clerical, clinical aides, and custodians? **A:** The Office of Academics is working collaboratively with other offices and departments to produce guidelines for site-based intersessions such as staffing guidelines. **Q 17:** Are people going to be losing hours in general? Are contracts going to be reduced? **A:** There are no plans at this time to reduce existing contracts or hours due to the balanced calendar. **Q 18:** Nutrition Services Plant was closed a week. How did that happen without losing pay? **A:** Employees used vacation or flex time. **Q 19:** With patching at the school sites, we aren’t able to take time off that isn’t already put in the calendar. We are unable to enter days off and days worked when we want to change the days worked. **A:** See question 20. **Q 20:**Are we allowed to change the days worked on the Master Work Schedule? **A:** (Both 19 and 20). A training memo for days worked flexibility is being created by payroll and human resources, collaboratively. **Q 21:** I am a ES clinical aide. With the pay cycle, I don’t have enough pay to get through the winter break as is. Can it be worked out so that I can earn enough vacation time to cover the break? Also, I don’t get paid for 6 weeks (4 weeks?) because of the pay cycle when I start again in the fall, it’s like I’m a new employee every year. Can anything be done about this so we can get paid right away? **A:** Individuals with questions about pay periods and accrued vacation should call their payroll technician. **Q 22:** How is the calendar helping the clinical aide and the ES secretary work together? It is dividing them. **A:** If there are work schedule conflicts, the principal should be notified to help resolve the concerns. If this can’t be resolved, Vangie Russell, Bryn Lapenta, and Heidi Julius will work with the individual school teams to help create a better work environment.
 * Q 1:** How will revitalization happen with capital projects because the time is shortened?
 * Q 2:** Is Sierra Vista opening later in 2013?
 * Q 3:** What will be the classified staff calendar?