Back to "Sleep" Mode?

Teachers' pay will be raised as HUSD school board has officially approved the settlement proposal. Things are relatively quiet down on the surface except the "no confidence" vote on Superintendent Dr. Vigil. I think we all hope to watch/spend more efforts toward bringing the communication back and fixed the broken pipes. After these days, I checked back a Web site and found parents of Hayward have been forming committees to give inputs to school board directly (or indirectly). I wonder what these committees authority may be thus I left some comments to ask. Maybe they'll get back to me so I can share with you.

Last Eposode of "The Truth"

"The Truth" of Channel 16.84 is a series of daily video clips about daily events of Hayward teacher strike. The strike has ended days ago, and the last video clip of "The Truth" was made available on YouTube by user swordfishtbone just this past 24 hours. Here's the last one, "Day 10", if you haven't seen it:

More "Take Your Kids to Work Day"?

Today, Friday, is the first day of Hayward schools running on normal day schedule after teachers strike. 89% teachers voted YES on the proposed new contract yesterday. Yesterday was also the "Take Your Kids to Work" day sponsored by Ms. Foundation for Women, but it was the last time the foundation sponsors this day after 15 years of sponsorship and expects employers to carry on the tradition on their own.

"Take Your Kids to Work" was originally "Take Your Daughter to Work" when it started to show girls how they might be valued at work. During the teachers strike these past weeks, luckily, I got to take my kids to work with me when needed. It was different experiences for my kids to see how I worked mostly in front of computer in the office. During the same period, they got to use computers as if in a computer lab at school. They enjoy surfing the web, browsing Naruto on Answers.com, using Gmail to email their auntie at far-away overseas, watch clips on YouTube, and use Skype to message their parents who are also logged in at work sitting right next to them. The weeks should be enough for them to be away from being "computer-phobia", getting back to school now give them real world experiences to socialize with real human face-to-face, thanks to the settlement between the teacher union and HUSD.

What are your experiences taking your kids to work?

89% Yes Votes from Teachers for 11% Raise over 2 Years

Hayward teachers voted on a proposed contract this afternoon after the first day schools with most teachers and students back in classes. Out of all 1,300 Hayward teachers, 77% casted the votes. Among the voters, 89% voted YES v.s. 11% voted NO. The 89% YES votes retifies the new contract which calls for 11% raises over two years and a one time 1% bonus later this year. To give you some figures, after all the raises kick in, pay for teachers will range from $53,000 to $88,000 a year.

This final 11% settlement was made possible by the strike and the overwhelming supports from the parents. The vote marks the beginning of healing for the community and district's All Means All mission.

Settlement to be Voted, Everyone Back to School

2PM this afternoon, teachers will be voting on the tentative settlement with the HUSD. Most kids are back to school today, teachers too.

My kids happily went back to school this morning a bit earlier than the usual Thursday schedule because today is on a special short day schedule, and they will come home earlier as well. "Where's my lunch for school?" said my little 2nd grader daughter before leaving home this morning. She sure will get one tomorrow.

Settlement Confirmed

Voice mail confirmation from school district arrived a couple minutes ago that schools will be operating tomorrow (Thursday 4/26) with teachers back but on a SHORT day schedule.

The settlement is a not only a relief for parents, but a great news to our beloved teachers.

Settled!??!!!

Kristofer Noceda, Staff writer of Inside Bay Area, who has been following Hayward teacher strike closely, wrote:

Union and district officials reached a tentative agreement Wednesday night to end a teachers strike that has stifled public schools here since April 5.

It is not clear to parents whether schools will open under normal conditions tomorrow as before the strike. Please check back soon for more updates.

Negotiation Teams Meet

Negotiation teams from both union and HUSD sides are in talks now since 7:30, while all the HUSD board members are in the Hayward City Halls facing hard questions from community in a session of "public comments." Check back later tonight for more updates.

"Public Comments" in Board Meeting

The scheduled HUSD board meeting started late by 10 minutes around 6:40 tonight. The greeting to Superintendent Vigil was "boo" .... The community (mostly parents and students) there was really not happy with the situation and the dissatisfaction grew to the highest point I've seen from parents.

Pre-Board Rally

"We Support Our Teachers"
"Our Teachers Deserve More"

Signs were seen held by the parents in this photo taken in front of Hayward City Hall. Speech and singing prevailed the rally late this afternoon in front of Hayward City Hall. Parents and some teachers rallied together to put pressure on the board meeting to be held at 6:30 tonight.

Pre-Board Meeting Rally in front of City Hall at 5PM

While the injunction petition is being reviewed by Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) for reasons to forward the request to court to, group of parents has been calling community for a pre-board meeting rally today near Hayward city hall. The time to gather is 5PM this afternoon (4/25) in front of the Hayward Main Library at 835 C Street, an hour and a half before HUSD board holds a meeting at City Hall Office at 777 B Street near by. In the coming board meeting at 6PM, there will be time when "public comments" will be voiced out from parents and community.

Injunction Filed by HUSD

Failing to settle with HEA, HUSD filed an injunction today. If the injunction passed, it is estimated that teachers would be ordered back to work in the next 2 to 4 days. No new negotiations have been scheduled.

Most parents would love to see teachers going back to school, so do teachers, but rather not being forced to. For those of you parents out there wondering whether there'll be normal school tomorrow with teachers, the strike will continue until the injunction is passed. Parents, please plan accordingly.

District Proposed Less than 9% Raise Over 2 Years

While parents are gathering at Kennedy Park for a BBQ and meeting, Hayward Unified School District just released a settlement proposal dated 4/24 on their official web site. The proposal includes a 5.5% raise retroactive to July 1, 2006, and a 3.22% increase effective July 1, 2007. Combined, the raise will be around 8.72% or a bit more, compared to what Union asked for about 12% yesterday.

The gap between the 2 parties are closing up, but not yet to reach each other.

Families In Actions Bar-B-Q Potluck & Meeting

Preparing for a "public comments" session in a HUSD board meeting coming up tomorrow on Wednesday, Families In Action is going to have a BBQ Potluck and meeting late this afternoon (Tuesday).

Who: Hayward Parents
Where: Kennedy Park - 19501 Hesperian Blvd.
When: 4/24 5PM - 8PM

If you're going, bring your family and bring your favorite dish to share with others. Bring plates, utensils and drinks, enough for your own family. No alcohol is allowed and pets must have a leash. During this get-together, Families In Action wants to help every parent speak up at the school board meeting scheduled tomorrow, which will be held at Hayward City Hall office at 777 B Street tomorrow night.

More details are available on Families In Action upcoming events page.

Strike Day 8: No Settlement after Night Talks

Tonight, HEA was at the district office for more negotiations with HUSD but lead to NO settlement after 3+ hours of talks. It was reported that the union is now seeking a salary package revolving around a 12 percent increase broken down over two years.

Kathleen Crummey, presidentof HEA said on TV that trike will continue tomorrow.

What went on at the crowds today can be seen here at Channel 16.84.

Some Words from Jeff Cook, an HUSD Board Member

Not often do I read words from individual HUSD board member. Around noon, an article titled "Jeff COOK MY WORD Let's focus on the students" came out on In side Bay Area, written by Jeff Cook, who is the member of HUSD board of Education. In this article, he pointed out both HEA and the board should put 'students' first. I don't think anyone can argue about that and he's right.

In the article, Mr. Cook further stated the teachers deserve more, but he'd like the public not to forget HUSD can't afford the raise. He went on and asked HEA and the community what can be cut to to fund what HEA has demanded (the raise), and cutting administration won't help balancing the book as not only does it account for a small percentage, but the administration cost is already low.

Numbers speak. HUSD administration costs as a percent of total budget may be 40 percent less than the state average as Mr. Cook pointed out, indicating HUSD has not been overspending on administration as a whole, which is good. However, the fact of the double digits raise for some administration came out at this time around when HUSD is in need for funding and every bit of savings should be considered. Unfortunately or fortunately, the public can only hold HUSD board accountable to hope the board to talk the teachers back into the classroom, under fairness that public recognizes.

When I grew up in my family and whenever there was time short of resources being cash or food, I don't recall any family member of mine got much more than others, at least not to my face. My parents who were accountable for running the family always made sure limited resources were wisely and fairly distributed.

What do you think?

School Open with No Regular Teachers

Schools opened this morning with no regular school teachers inside, but you can see them outside near schools. At one elementary school, the attendance rate was up a bit due to a voice mail from principle reminded parents about the STAR test. More students may show up today, but really not that many as I estimated. This morning in a school office, a couple parents were letting the office know they are keeping their kids home until the strike is over. The office said they'll do what they can so the kids won't be marked absent for now. In case the parents still get the automatic phone system saying the kids are tardy, just ignore and come back to the office to clear things up if needed. I'm not sure all schools work the same with nice clerks helping parents out in this situation. You may want to check with your school office.

Outside the school, I briefly chat with a teacher at the picket line. Both of us don't think the STAR test will be held today in school. It is just not going to happen with not many students attending schools these days. In the mean time, a rally is being held again near HUSD office around 11:30.

It is said that negotiations are scheduled to resume today at 5 p.m., according to the HEA. "We owe it to our teachers, students, and parents to reach a settlement that ensures the long-term survival of this district," said Crummey, president of Hayward Education Association (HEA).

No Settlement

Words from a teacher's web page indicates that there is still no settlement from today's 'urgent' talk. No injunction has been passed ... yet. At this late of the night if you wonder whether there'll be regular teachers at schools tomorrow, prepare your schedule as you would normally do during the strike. More update about the injunction regarding whether it is re-filed and passed or not should come on as early as Monday.

'Urgent Talk' Held on Sunday (4/22)

According to the news released today 4/22, an urgent talk was held between HEA and HUSD this Sunday afternoon at an undisclosed location. No result came out yet from either HEA or HUSD. The STAR test season (4/23 - 5/21) is coming starting Monday, adds the urgency for a resolution.

Around 7:30 p.m, parents in HUSD received recorded voice mails from school principles regarding the test, soliciting parents to bring kids back to school for the STAR test. It is not clear to parents how this will work out when the teachers are not back to school during STAR test period.

Parents Q&A with Mr. Vigil

4/20, parents and students were in action yesterday. Crowd met at Weekes Park to march to the District’s Office, and had a talk (Q&A) with Vigil. Part of the Q&A can be seen on episode of 'Day 7' of Channel 16.84 "The Truth". Well ... you see, a lot of questions resonated around unfair pay, no answers.

4/19 Updates

A few highlights:

• Only 21-percent of students in Hayward are actually showing up for classes.
• Hayward School District is trying to force striking teachers back to work through Alameda County Superior Court.
• Union members say they are extremely disappointed.
• April 23 is the beginning of the Star testing.
  

All Means All?

If you ever wonder what "All Means All" means, "All Means All" is a HUSD district-wide plan for improved student achievement. According to the official documentation of HUSD:

The Hayward Unified School District’s mission states that educational partners need to “work together in guiding students’ learning of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to fulfill their potential and to be lifelong learners.” The purpose of this District-Wide Plan for Improved Student Achievement is to focus all our collective efforts on making this mission a reality. On August 14, 2000, the district school board approved four critical focus areas, the most central of which is improved achievement for all Hayward students. This plan is the vehicle which will drive all of the district’s fiscal and organizational resources to improve student achievement.

The vehicle has stopped recently, running out of gas? Whether you're a parent, teacher, or district staff, tell us all your view of what All Means All means to us all? Please comment.

FAMILIES in ACTION Press Release

FAMILIES in ACTION is a group of Hayward parents working together to build quality relationships among parents, teachers, district administrators, and the school board.

Here's a press lease from Families in Action:

Press Release
April 18, 2007

Frustrated parents are taking action in response to a perceived lack of respect, honesty, and communication in the current crisis in Hayward schools. Parents and students have felt excluded from nearly all the communications and actions that led to the current teacher strike.

On the fifth day of the teacher strike, a group of parents met to discuss their concerns; the group included several leaders of parent-teacher groups in individual schools. During the meeting, parents voiced concern about many different issues, but all involved the lack of respect, honesty, and communication within the Hayward Unified School District.

Parents agreed that isolated efforts by parents at individual schools had failed to obtain results, and the school district simply does not respond to questions or concerns voiced by individual parents or even a group of parents from a single school. They decided it was time to create a district-wide organization, which will be called FAMILIES in ACTION.

The primary goal of the group is to build quality relationships among parents, teachers, district administrators, and board members. Their first action is to join their voices together in unison, making sure they are heard loud and clear saying, “Resolve this dispute now, get the teachers back into the classrooms so our children can get the quality education they deserve!”

An organizational meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 19, from noon to 2:00 pm at the Weekes Branch Library, 27300 Patrick Ave., Hayward. During this meeting, parents will share questions and concerns, and will prepare for a Friday rally. Student activities will include letter-writing, story time, and fun activities. All Hayward parents and students are invited to attend.

On Friday, parents will gather for a rally at 10:00 a.m. at Weekes Park (on Patrick Avenue, north of Tennyson). Together they will then march more than two miles to the HUSD offices on Amador Street, where they will request a meeting with Dr. Vigil. They will present letters from both parents and students to the superintendent and the school board. All parents, students and teachers are welcome. Please wear a white shirt and comfortable shoes!

More events are scheduled throughout next week. Please call our FAMILIES in ACTION hotline at 510/592-9835 for more information.