Columbia Heights Teachers

Career Recognition Bonuses

Updates

District Proposal (9/15 Update)

Salary Increases
- 2025-2026: +1.75% salary increase
- 2026-2027: +1.50% salary increase
Insurance:
- Single $855.94/864.50 /month
- Family: $2119.05/$2140.24 /month

7.19% increase over 2 years, would maintain ~13% fund balance

Open to balancing steps across the salary schedule.

Pay Date Change -> District states that other units are not interested in changing again as it would create a gap in payment; too big a hardship for other units.

Union Response: Local #710 would need approval from membership to balance steps. We would also like to see the District tap into fund balance a little more; insurance will likely increase, so there is a need to find a way to put more $ toward that.

We also may be asking the District to consider eliminating a step or two that has a low step increase and create steps at the end of the salary schedule. The idea is to maintain 17 total steps on the schedule.

Union Proposal (9/8 Update)

Salary Increases
- 2025-2026: +2% salary increase
- 2026-2027: +2% salary increases
Extra Curricular Increases (Schedule B & D)
- 2025-2026: +0% salary increase
  - Restructuring -> See tab for more information
- 2026-2027: +4% salary increases
Insurance:
- Single $895/930 /month
- Family: $2278/$2500 /month
Building Leadership
- + $250 ($1000 -> $1250)

District Response: Need time to respond to this proposal.

8/6 Update

Union Proposal
- Overall stayed the same
- Career Recognition
  - Extra 30-year career recognition
  - +$500 for all career recognition
- Salary increase counter
  - 2025-2026: +3% salary increase
  - 2026-2027: +3% salary increases

District Response: The Union’s counter still exceeds their budget by $1 million, and 2nd year funds from the state are still uncertain.

Pay Date Change -> Other union groups did not want the change because it might create confusion and a potential lack of payment. Local #710 still wants the District to consider this change. The District refuses to have separate pay dates for different groups of employees (which is understandable).

7/14 Update

District Response to Union Proposal
- State funding is down, so union’s proposal will exceed any new revenue that the District recieves
- Increase in expenses overall (Transportation, property insurance, paid family medical leave, TRA contributions, and curricula changes)
- Uncertainties in Federal Funds, Compensatory Aid, Enrollment
- Automatic increases afforded to teachers in the form of step, lanes, and benefits amount to $701,421 before any increases are applied to the salary schedules.
District Proposals
- Senario A:
  - 25/26: +2% to steps 1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17+
    - These are steps that get the “least” raise
  - 26/27: +1.75% to all steps and increase insurance
- Senario B:
  - 25/26: +1.25% to all steps
  - 26/27: +1.25% to all steps
Pay-Date Change
- Will have a response after meeting with other bargaining units

Union Response:
Union did not respond to their proposal during this meeting. No response until August 6th meeting.

6/18 Update

Union Proposal–Total Package +16.09%

Salary Increases
- 2025-2026: +5% salary increase
- 2026-2027: +5% salary increases
- (Proposed New Pay Scale)
Extra Curricular Increases
- 25/26: +4%
- 26/27: +4%
Career Recognition
- Extra 30-year career recognition
- +$500 for all career recognition
Insurance:
- Single $895/980 /month
- Family: $2278/$2568 /month
Pay Date Change
- Last Day/First day of month
- 15th of the month

District Response (No formal counter-proposal):
All steps will automatically increase 3%, just through steps. ESST (Earned Safe and Sick Time), PFML (Paid Family and Medical Leave), and TRA all increase by nearly $637K.

The district will only receive $960K more from the increase on the state formula. The district didn’t respond with a new proposal yet, but they are saying they have very little money.

Context and Existing Language

Link to current contract – Insurance rates.

Current Pay Schedule

Local 710 is negotiating for salary increases for its members

Career Recognition bonuses are paid to members who have taught in the District for more than 17 years. These bonuses are paid to compensate for the fact that the pay schedule maxes out after 17 steps, meaning that long-time Columbia Heights teachers no longer receive an annual step increase to their salary.

403(b) + Deferred Compensation (🔴 Update 9/8)

Status

Updates

Union Proposal Update (9/8)

Increase of District Matches to 403(b)
- Year 4-7 teachers
  - Increase from $990 to $1100 per year
- Year 8-10 teachers
  - Increase from $1210 to $1350 per year
- Year 11+ teachers
  - Increase from $1375 to $1500 per year
Sick Day Buy Back Rate
- 2025-2026: $100 per unused sick day.
- 2026-2026: $125 per unused sick day.

**No changes from the original proposal **

Union Proposal (6/18)

Increase of District Matches to 403(b)
- Year 4-7 teachers
  - Increase from $990 to $1100 per year
- Year 8-10 teachers
  - Increase from $1210 to $1350 per year
- Year 11+ teachers
  - Increase from $1375 to $1500 per year
Sick Day Buy Back Rate
- Increase rate from $100 to $125 per unused sick day.

Context and Existing Language

Deferred Compensation – Article XIII

Deferred Compensation means any money we put into a retirement account, a 403(b). This is like a 401(k), but public employees get our own special part of the law.

The District matches funds contributed by tenured teachers at certain tiers based on years of service.

Sick Leave Buyback

District allows members who have accumulated at least 80 sick days to “sell back” any additional sick days at a rate of $100 per each day over 80, for a total of up to 10 days per year ($1000). These funds then get contributed to the member’s 403 (b) account.

Leave Language (🔴 Update 6/27)

Status

Updates

Simplifying Leave Pools (6/23)
- Consolidate all regular leave days into one, general PTO (paid time off) pot, eliminating the distinction between sick and personal leave.
  - 92% of Members wanted a Change!
- District Response (June 23):
  - All but 12 days were approved (~98%)
  - Don’t want to move to PTO
6/27 Counter Proposal
- Be able to take first two days of leave without approval
- Roll over up to 5 days a year
- 3-5 personal days consecutively with approval
- District Response (June 27):
  - Are not interested in negotiation on any of this
  - With recognition days, some staff are already granted 5 days.

Context and Existing Language

Sick Leave Language Compensation – Article X

Sick Leave Bank – Article X S 2.1

Duty Day and Calendars (🔴 Update 9/15)

Status

Updates

District Statement (9/15)
The district stated that they were not interested in adding any language to the contract on limiting the number of meetings that we are required to attend each week/month.
✅However, they agreed that PLC times at the elementary would be 40 per week (a single prep period).

Union Response (7/14)

School Day/Year Extension
- Need direct comparison with other districts comparing number of days of student contact with total number of work days.
Conference Compensation Days
- ✅Agreed with stating that conferences compensation days are now compensation days
School Year End Date
- Union wants to make specific end date work
Grading Days
- Stated that the second half of a grading/inservice day that remote work should be solidified in the contract
Workshop Week
- Should have 1.5 days of inservice, 3.5 days of teacher prep, Friday no meetings.

District Response (6/27)

School Day Extension
- They were not interested in reducing number of days
Conference Compensation Days
- Reclassify evening conferences with equivalent of two days of conference pay.
- Included in schedule and divided over 24 pay periods
  - Really no change, just reclassification
School Year End Date
- Not willing to negotiate
Grading Days
- Principals really like the two half days with how much there is to do.
Workshop Week
- Not interested in reducing workshop week
- If teachers want Friday before, are willing to start earlier with a longer weekend.

Union Proposal (6/23)

School Day Extension
- Add 10 minutes of time to each duty day. This would eliminate 4 student contact days.
- Also proposed 5 minutes/2 days
Conference Compensation Days
- Currently, in return for conferences, 2 days of the 186 working days are classified as comp time.
- Proposed to put these comp days in the school year, explicitly calling them out as comp days
School Year End Date
- End the school year on the first Thursday in June, every year
Grading Days
- Currently, we have two full grading days (Q2, Q4) and two half (Q1, Q3)
- Proposed 4 full grading days (1 each quarter)
Workshop Week
- Proposal for workshop week to be 4 days only
  - 2.5 days for teacher prep and classroom setup
  - 1.5 days for inservice split between district and building PD

Context and Existing Language

Article XII – School Year/Duty Day
Currently we work 186 days, and are with students 172 days. We also have 2 “comp” days because of evening conferences. Two of the non-student days are for grading, and two more are half inservice, half grading.

Article XIII – Hours of Service
Each day is 7 hours and fifteen minutes (30 min. lunch), or 36 hours and 15 minutes a week, the principal and the teacher together determine the exact schedule.

English Learners–Specific Language (🔴 Update 9/15)

Status

Updates

9/15 Update

The District stated that they are not interested in adding any language on class size ratios or caps.

7/14 Update

District Response to Proposal

✅ District added an EL Instructional Coach to the Staff
Added EL teachers and EAs “as appropriate” in different schools for the coming year.
EL pathway for year-long professional development was added.
❌ At this time, district is not entertaining limits or weighting

Union Response: There is still a need for ratios for EL students in classrooms based on appropriate weighting.

6/27 Updates

Proposed EL Caseload Caps of 55
Level 1 and 2 Class Cap of 20
Weighted Student Counts
- Level 1 (Counts as 2 students)
- Level 2 (Counts as 1.5 students)
- Level 3 (Counts as 1.25 students)
If any class or caseload exceeds these caps, district will do some of the following:
- Provide a Co-Teacher
- Provide additional EAs
- Create additional sections
- Balance out sections
- Provide more prep time
- Pay an amount of $125/per additional student over cap/per quarter

Context and Existing Language

As EL student numbers increase, caseloads and class sizes are rising.

This means that many of our EL students are not getting adequate support.

Extra Curricular Compensation (🔴 Update 8/22)

Status

Updates

8/22 Update

Tiered System of Payment
- Not pursuing
(POSSIBLE) Discretionary Funds and Fundraising
- Possibly create a discretionary fund for the Activities Director.
  - Allows for activies to start at anytime without Negotiations.
- Whole Group Fundraising Pool
  - All activities participate in fundraising opportunities
    - Would then receive a proportionate part of the pool.
  - Staring activities would need to complete some fundraising
    - Generates initial funds to pay for advisor/coach stipends and other expenses.
Additions/Deletions and Changes

ACTIVITY	PROPOSED CHANGE	SUGGESTED STIPEND
Adaptive Bowling	NEW	40% – $2496
Newspaper	Increase	70% – $4368
HS Play – Sound Designer	Increase	12% -$748.80
HS Play – Lighting Designer	Increase	12% -$748.80
Speech	Increase	70% – $4368 30% – $1872
GSA (Gay Student Alliance)	Renamed	No Change
Jazz Band	Renamed	No Change
Mock Trial	NEW	25% – $1560
HOSA	NEW	25% – $1560
Black Student Union	NEW	25% – $1560
Muslim Student Association	NEW	25% – $1560
Hispanic Heritage Club	NEW	25% – $1560
11th & 12th Grade Advisors	Renamed	No Change
Link Crew	Increase	2 Advisors 35% – $2184
Advisory Leads	Renamed + Increase	24% – 1497.60
CA Play – Sound Designer	Increase	12% -748.80
CA Play – Lighting Designer	Increase	12% -748.80
CA Jazz Band	Renamed	No Change

8/6 Update

Continuing to discuss in subcommittee
Currently updating/proposing changes to track additional advisors and coach pay
- Participating in athletics had decreased, but activity participation has increased.

7/14 Update

Possibly to change activities to a tiered system with the intent of adding athletics if successful
Polled High School actitives coaches and adviors
- 65% were satisfied with compensation
Added HS clubs and activities not in current schedules
Union requested that Leadership Team members be paid $1500 per year and add $12,000 to each schedule in order for more activies/athletics.
FULL UPDATE FROM NEGOTIATIONS TEAM HERE

6/23 Updates

Pay activities that are running but not in the contract
Add back in Advisory leads (CHHS)

Informal subcommittee was formed, with the intent of running concurrently with negotiations.

District discussed (no official proposal) maybe adding in funding “x” number of advisors for activities that meet often, “x” number of advisors that meet several days a week seasonally, etc. rather than defining everything ahead of time.

Context and Existing Language

Current Compensation – Current Schedule D

Last round of negotiations this was agreed to be revamped, but it was done by a small committee and lead to unintended consequences.

This round, we want building principals, athletics and other teachers involved in the discussion.

Subbing (🔴 Update 7/15)

Status

Updates

Union Proposal (7/15)

Amend the substitute pay language all teachers be paid $40 per hour

District awaiting Union financial counter proposal before responding

Context and Existing Language

Currently, CA & CHHS teachers get $40 per hour for subbing

Elementary teacher do not currently receive that rate

Counselors (🔴 Update 9/30)

Status

Updates

Union Response (9/30)

Union put this back on the table.
Sets counselor ratios of 1:500
- Would add two counselors at CHHS and one counselor at CA
- If the district would desire, could add one counselor at the elementary level.
Designate language including duties
Need to meet beyond the standard calendar.

District Response (8/6)

This is part of staffing which remains one of their inherent managerial rights.
This would require funds, and once those are present, then they will hire

Union Proposal (7/15)

Sets counselor ratios of 1:500
- Would add two counselors at CHHS and one counselor at CA
If the district would desire, could add one counselor at the elementary level.

District awaiting Union financial counter proposal before responding

Context and Existing Language

Currently, CHPS does not employ academic counselors at any level for students.

Combo/Multi-Course Stipends (🔴 Update 8/6)

Status

Updates

Union Proposal (8/6)

Increase stipend amounts for combo/multi-course classrooms
- The stipends have not been raised on over ten years.

District Response: Addressed when the District gives it next financial proposal

Context and Existing Language

There are three types of combo/multi-course classrooms detailed in the contract for additional compensation

Combination Room Assignments
- This is more than one grade level in the classroom (applies for elementary)
Multi-level Course Assignment
- Two sequential courses taught during the same class period
Multi-course Assignment
- Two separate courses taught during the same class period

Dependents Enrollment (🔴 Update 8/6)

Status

Updates

Union Proposal (8/6)

Teachers Dependents should be able to open enroll in our schools, even if a particular school is closed to open enrollment

District Response: Board needs to look at enrollment policy

Context and Existing Language

There are three types of combo/multi-course classrooms detailed in the contract for additional compensation

Combination Room Assignments
- This is more than one grade level in the classroom (applies for elementary)
Multi-level Course Assignment
- Two sequential courses taught during the same class period
Multi-course Assignment
- Two separate courses taught during the same class period

Class Sizes (🔴 Updates 9/15)

Status

Updates

9/15 Update

The District stated that they are not interested in adding any language on class size ratios or caps for SPED or EL students.

We have been asking for more support staff in classrooms, whether that be licensed teachers or EAs.

Context and Existing Language

Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFC)(🟢 Update 9/15)

Status

Updates

9/15 Update
The Pre-K MOU was updated with some agreed upon changes:

Teacher hired for a K-12 position will maintain ECFE seniority
K-12 teachers who move to ECFE will retain their K-12 seniority.

✅ Agreed

District Response (9/8)

Instead of cell phone stipends, teachers will be directed to use Talking Points, and be given hot-spot units to be able to use outside of the office

✅ Union agreed

District Response (8/6)

Cell Phone Stipends
- District does not agree to cell phone stipends, as they can use their office phone.
Additional Hours
- Any additional hours can be timesheeted if they don’t fit into conference time.

Union Response

Cell Phone Stipends
- This impacts only about four teachers, and is vital in terms of timing and translations services.
- Union is putting the issue back on the table
Time Carding
- We would like time carding for additional conference hours included in the contract as we don’t believe that it is being done in every building.

6/27-> Union Proposal
District responses in Red

Elimination of Schedule E—✅ Agreed!
This was meant to be done during last round of negotiations. Pre-K teachers are now on the main salary scale.

Elimination of Pre K MOU
Additionally, the Pre-K MOU will be eliminated and all language for Pre-K added to the main contract, as well as adding the Pre-K teachers to the main seniority list. Currently, because Pre-K teachers are on their own seniority list, they do not get the same tenure protections.

District says that we need to keep the Pre-K MOU mainly because of funding streams and the need for Pre-K to stay under community education. However, they are giving Pre-K teachers contract privileges
Seniority List
- District wants to keep separate seniority list. This means that Pre-K teachers cannot bump a teacher on the teacher contract if a position was cut.
- Their reasoning is that because the funding stream is different, needs to be kept different

Duty Day and Calendar
Duty Day and the calendar for Pre-K teachers will be up to the district

Stretch Calendar
Local 710 proposed the creation of a Stretch Calendar, for those employees who need to work throughout the summer. (Still working 186 days, just spread out more over the year)

District agreed to this, and more details are being worked out.

Local 710 also proposed for more prep hours for half-day teachers, along with a cell phone stipend for ECSE home visits.

Context and Existing Language

Negotiation Goals for ECFE

Change schedule C, E. Article V, Teacher Rights, and VII – Duty Day, X – sick leave, etc.

Currently, because Pre-K and ECSE teachers were always on a different calendar and a different pay schedule, they are often mentioned in the contract separately. This is beginning to be slowly integrated into the contract.

Further, “ECSE PART C” often requires summer hours, and we are proposing a “stretch calendar” for teachers to continue to work during the summer.

Special Education–Specific Language (🟢 Update 9/15)

Status

Updates

Additional 9/15 Update

The District stated that they are not interested in adding any language on class size ratios or caps.

District Proposal (9/15)

After February, a teacher can submit up to 10 hours outside of the contract day without approval.
With approval, Director Godfrey can preapprove using the hours before the days

Union Response: Will bring issues to Labor/Management if Director of Special Services does not consider alternate order of hours/days use. ✅ Agreed

Union Proposal (9/8)

Change the February deadline to “the last day of the school year”.

Context and Existing Language

In the 2023-2025 MOU, for SPED Due Process Days, it contained the following language:

Special Education teachers and related service providers can be compensated each school year for evaluation or due process paperwork at the professional rate in the following manner: 6 half days (3.635 hours) in September through February.

TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) Language (🟢 Update 9/15)

Status

Updates

9/15 Update

Willing to include retention of seniority
Does not want to include that teachers be allowed to leave a TOSA on request

Union agreed to the counter proposal.

8/6 Update

District responsed with a pared back proposal to the bare minimum, which mostly just defines what a TOSA is and what Peer Reviewers and Instructional Coaches are.
- No job security clauses we included were left in their counter-proposal

Union Response: This is a small win, as Local #710 has been trying for years to get TOSA language included in the contract. We will still make a counter proposal at a future meeting.

Union Proposal (7/15) -> Same Proposal made in 2023-2025

Add Language to the contract specific to Peer Reviewers
- Length of assignment
  - 3 years with ability to extend
- Work Load
  - Incharge of IGDP, peer observations
  - Outlines other meetings and stipulations for workload.

Context and Existing Language

A Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) is a teacher who takes on a role outside of direct classroom instruction.

Duty List Events (🟢 Update 9/15)

Status

Updates

District Counter (9/15) ✅ Agreed

All lists vary widely between buildings
Instead of 3 events, there should be 6-8 hours of additional activities for each building.
Principals are incharge of putting together the list
Completed in order of seniority.

District Response (9/6)

Most events are 2-3 hours in length
Building principals have enough activities to assign three duties to each teacher in the building. Need to keep at 9 hours.
- With only six hours per teacher, there is not enough to cover all events/activities.

Union Response: Don’t agree with 9 hours, will have a response next meeting.

Union Proposal (8/6)

Change from 3 duty events to 6 hours
Makes the building administrators in change of determining how long each activity is.
- This may mean that teachers have to be after hours more times, but ultimately for fewer total hours.
- This language also cleans up the vagueness.

District Response: Will need to confer with building principals and get feedback

Context and Existing Language

Additional Activities is typically referred to as the Duty List. Language about the duty list was added to the contract about 20 years ago to make sure that any “additional activities” that needed supervision outside of the normal work day, did not fall unfairly on newer or younger teachers.

The three additional “events” were never defined by time in the contract, although the practice had become three hours’ worth of time.

MOUs–Memoranda of Understanding (🔴 🟢 Update 9/30)

Status

Updates

9/30 MOUs

Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) MOU
- Split in half between employer and employee
- Run concurrently with FMLA (possibly in statute-District proposed getting rid of the concurrent language)
- Union asks that we can choose to be unpaid in order to save sick leave

9/15 MOUs

CA STAR MOU ✅ Signed!
- Same as 2024-2025, just with dates changed
- Same as 2024-2025, just with dates changed
- Same as 2024-2025, just with dates changed
CA Schedule MOU ✅ Signed!
- Any changes to the schedule will be for the 2026-2027 school year
- No decrease in elective teachers
Due Process MOU ✅ Signed!
- See Special Education Section for More Info
ESST MOU ✅ Signed!
Pre-K MOU ✅ Signed!
- See ECFC Section for More Info

6/18 MOUs

Teacher Apprenticeship MOU ✅ Signed!
Teacher Development and Evaluation MOU ✅ Signed!
READ Act MOU ✅ Signed!
- Proposed more money for newer teachers
- Proposed Credits for everyone
  - Teachers with either receive compensation for completing training OR credits–NOT BOTH

Context and Existing Language

MOUs or Memoranda of Understanding are written agreements that outline terms of mutual agreement between Local 710 and the District on a specific topic. They often cover specific topics not covered by the larger contract.

So what’s the difference?
MOUS are not usually legally enforceable and usually come with a specific expiration date of 1-2 years. This provides flexibility and a way to try out new initiatives in good faith without the pressure of long-term commitment.

2023-2025 MOUs.

Nurse Substitution Compensation (🟢 Update 9/8)

Status

Updates

Union Proposal (9/8)

Proposed that District Nurse be compensated for both prep time missed and extra time needed (2-3 hours) to complete paperwork and due process items

District Response

Prep time missed would be compensated at professional rate
District Nurse can be compensated at the professional rate for up to 2 hours due to subbing in other buildings.

Union agreed to this counter ✅

Context and Existing Language

School Board Attendance (🟢 Update 6/18)

Status

Updates

The ground rules for negotiations were reopened to allow for board members. (2 members + alternate can be present at a negotiations meeting without constituting a quorum for an official board meeting)

The district selected Chair Mary Granlund and Director Corenia Smith as the board designees with Vice Chair Laura Palmer as an alternate. ✅ Agreed!

Context and Existing Language

Local 710 is hosting an effort to invite CHPS School Board members to attend negotiations meetings in the spirit of inclusion and collaboration. We feel it is important for the School Board to be a part of the process.

Proposals from ISD 13 (🔴 🟢 🟢 🟢 Updates 9/15)

Here are the current proposals from ISD #13.

Paid Family and Medical Leave MOU (🔴 Update 9/15)

Status

Updates

9/15 Update
District Response to the MOU (Will have language at next meeting)

FMLA will run concurrently;
They are not interested in committing to anything with uncertainty of program at this point.
The goal is to allow members to utilize both sick leave and ESST to keep their paychecks whole.

8/6 Update

District Proposal

The district proposed an MOU around Paid Family and Medical Leave language
- There is some uncertanity around how employees and state can/will determine use of ESST (Earned Safe and Sick Time) vs. paid leave

Union Response: Union will review the language in the MOU with the help of EdMN personnel and will have a response at the 9/8 meeting

Context and Existing Language

Credit Pre-Approval (🟢 Update 8/6)

Status

Updates

8/6 Update

Union Response

Advanced Credits
- Include allowing pass/fail and change to grade of C or better or GPA average

District accepted this counter proposal, and a tentative agreement was reached.

7/15 Update

District Proposal

Advanced Credits
- Need a grade B or better from accredited university
Language Clarifications
- Credits for movement about MA lane no longer need to be in an approved program. (Was practice, but not in language)

Context and Existing Language

This section refers to how teachers are able to earn credit to move up lanes on the pay-scale.

BIPOC/Offensive Language Proposal (🟢 Update 7/15)

Status

Updates

7/15 Update

Tentative agreement reached.

7/14 Update

Union Counter proposal
- Align the language with state and federal law to protect all groups that are identified in these laws, not just three specific ones.
- Request that this language be proposed to the other four union units to be included in their contracts and to be included in all employee handbooks.
- Request ongoing proacting education for all staff and all students (age-appropriate).

District Response
Language will be changed to follow policy, state, or federal law instead of listing out specific statutes. They also said that they understand the importance of educating staff and students on these issues.

6/27 Update

District wants to add to current Progressive Discipline Language in the contract
- Want to add text explicitly details that progressive discipline action can be taken for “use of racially offensive language and language targeting those with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community”.
Union will give counterproposal at next negotiation meeting
- Agree, counter proposal will focus on tightening up the language.

Context and Existing Language

This comes from the district after a request from the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Affinity Group.

Mileage Stipend (🟢 Update 6/27)

Status