Natomas Teachers' Association: September 2009

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Natomas Budget in the News

This is the latest Sac Bee article on the Natomas budget and recent school board meeting:

http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2208157.html

How does the Sac Bee, which has been critical of the district, fail to get the straight story on the continuing contract negotiations between NTA and the district? Possibly, a simple inability to reach the NTA leadership before the article ran? A need to make an unsensational story sensational?
The facts are that the customary negotiation process is continuing as scheduled. NTA is surveying the membership this week, and then using these results to guide negotiations. The fact that the county has sent letters to the district on several occasions since January, causing an sudden urgency for the district is besides the fact that negotiations have been progressing on the same time-line as it does year after year. Also not relevant are the concessions that administration and classified staff felt pressure to complete during the summer months while the teachers were off for the summer.
If one were to look at NTA's past history of negotiations, one would see the same timeline as always for each year as we await the district's actuals this same time every year. One would not, however, see the district practicing the same process this year as they are showing more impatience than ever and more expenses than ever, all with the goal to paint the teachers out to be the "bad guys." Shame on anyone who goes along with these nasty tactics. If you know and love your Natomas teachers, you would know we aren't that way.