California School Employee Association Chapter 499

Joint Communication from March 22, 2022

The CSEA and the Romoland School District negotiations teams met on March 21, 2022 to continue negotiations. The teams were able to finalize agreements on a number of topics including the following:

• • 5% increase in compensation effective 7/1/2021
  • $500 increase to health and welfare benefits effective 7/1/2022
  • Language regarding the onboarding new classified staff
  • Increase in number of work days for Office Clerk, Health Techs and LVN's
  • Safety committee language
  • Process of filling open positions in the summer school/ESY programs
  • Change in probationary period from 12 months to 6 months

Joint Communication from October 13, 2021

In August, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the Vaccine Verification for Workers in Schools California Department of Public Health Order that requires all public and private schools in California to verify that all employees are fully vaccinated or to take part in weekly COVID-19 testing. 

The order took effect on August 12, 2021, and weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated staff members went into effect on Monday, August 30, 2021, in the Romoland School District. All school districts in the state must be in full compliance with the order on Friday, October 15, 2021. 

In the event that an unvaccinated Romoland School District staff member does not undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, the individual would be ineligible to work at the beginning of the following week and would not receive compensation during the time they are excluded from work. 

If you have not already uploaded your proof of vaccination, please upload through our confidential electronic system using this link: https://portal.laserfiche.com/q2197/forms/vacpro 

The following is acceptable proof of vaccination when uploading via this tool: 

• A photo of your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control & Prevention or WHO Yellow Card) which includes name of person vaccinated, type of vaccine provided, and date the last dose administered); OR

• A photo or screenshot of your California Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record including the QR code, client name, date of birth, vaccine dates, and vaccine type. 

Any questions regarding this message can be directed to Human Resources Director, John Murray. 

Joint Communication from June 11, 2021

The District and the Association have finalized an agreement on compensation for those employees who are working summer school or extended school year. Those who are working extra duty assignments related to these summer programs will receive a 37.5% supplement to their hourly rate.

In addition to the agreement related to the summer programs we have also finalized a 1.5% general increase to the classified salary schedules. The effective date of the increase in compensation is retroactively to July 1, 2020.

We will be following up with staff to let everyone know when those payments will be issued.

 

Joint Communication from June 7, 2021

CSEA and the District recently agreed upon a one time payment for our employees who are represented by CSEA. The agreement calls for a one time payment of up to $2,000 based upon the full time equivalency status of the employee. The payment is scheduled to take place in July pending approval by the Board of Education.

The Association and the District are also continuing our discussions regarding the rate of compensation for those who complete extra duty assignments for the summer school and extended school year (ESY) sessions.

 

Joint Communication from May 7, 2021

As we approach the conclusion of the 2020-21 school year, a discussion has taken place among the associations and the district regarding the continued use of the plexiglass partitions in our classrooms. The partitions were included in our district safety plan, which was approved by the Riverside County Public Health Department, for the resumption of in person instruction. While we acknowledge the plexiglass dividers can result in some challenges, the health and safety benefits they provide in mitigating in-school transmission of the COVID-19 virus is of the utmost importance.

The associations and the district see the benefit of continuing their use through the end of the traditional school year and we will revisit this practice with the start of summer school, while taking into consideration the most recent COVID-19 data for Riverside County, class size spacing, and changing guidance from Riverside County Public Health

 

Joint Communication from March 8, 2021

The Associations and the District continue to meet on a weekly basis to discuss our preparations for reopening schools for in-person instruction and a few questions have come up which we are addressing here.

The topic that comes up with the greatest frequency is the need to maintain physical distancing in the classroom. Each classroom has been set up to maintain the six feet of distance between everyone in the room. This includes a location for the teacher that clearly defines the appropriate distancing. From time to time staff may have the need to leave this area. This should be done sparingly for unique situations to support students in the classroom. We encourage the use of Go Guardian tools whenever possible to keep distancing in place and also to teach from the front of the room using the classroom whiteboard to help students when they experience academic challenges. The traditional monitoring of students by walking around the classroom would not be considered a unique situation and is discouraged. 

Another question came up about the ability of students to move from one instructional model to another as we transition into in-person instruction. We do have the ability to make moves on a case-by-case basis and as space permits. We are making every effort to minimize movement between the models, but it may be required in certain situations. 

We are also eliminating the sharing of instructional materials between students. Sites were provided with $25 per student to purchase instructional supplies and each site was responsible for the ordering of those materials. Each site has indicated they have student supplies ready and available along with all of the required PPE. If you have questions regarding this, please speak with your site administration.

The last topic was how the district would conduct emergency drills. We will follow public health guidelines for face masks and distancing when conducting any required drills. Each school site has specific details for evacuation locations and adjustments, if they are needed, prior to the return of students to campus.

The Associations and the District will continue these ongoing conversations through the end of the school year with the intent of addressing issues as they arise.