between
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
and
CERTIFICATED
NON-SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES
2009 - 2010
PREAMBLE
A.
We, the Seattle
Education Association (SEA) and the Seattle Public Schools (SPS) commit to placing
the student in the center of the circle. We will address the need for equity in
results, fan hope with real actions, demand the best of students and ourselves,
exhibit the humility necessary to seek and welcome the engagement of
parents/guardians and community in the education of all the children and the
young men and women in our care. Together we believe in our students, our
community and ourselves.
B.
We commit to
ensuring that all students are provided the support they require to reach the
standards that the parents and guardians, staff, School Board and community
establish as reflecting what every student should know and be able to do upon
graduating from the Seattle Public Schools.
C.
We believe there
is a correlation between the education of our students and the empowerment of
the staff entrusted with the responsibility for their learning. Therefore, this Agreement commits both
parties to building a collaborative
partnership based on mutual respect and trust that is deeper than the
leadership and which will continue beyond the tenure of those currently in
leadership positions in our respective organizations.
D.
We are committed
to changing the odds for student success and creating a culture of success. We
are focused on closing the achievement gap and creating learning communities
that provide academic enrichment programs for all students. We believe that we
can do this by creating and supporting a system that has:
1.
High
expectations of and by students and adults
2.
High support
from SEA and SPS
3.
High success for
students and staff
4.
High trust in
parents/guardians, students and staff
5.
High engagement
of community and families
6.
High degree of
openness
7.
High
personalization to meet the unique needs of both students and staff
E.
To accomplish
this we need to take the good works and collective wisdom of all those who
independently care and act for education. We wish to harness the strengths of
each to create an outcome that we cannot create alone.
F.
The following
beliefs by all the stakeholders are fundamental to developing a vision for
success, and to realizing that vision:
1.
We believe the
capacity to create and support the vision that will unite stakeholders and
provide successful educational opportunities is in our school system today.
Creating a vision of what a student needs to know and be able to do upon
graduation from the Seattle Public Schools must be developed with parents or
guardians, students, staff, and community.
2.
We believe that
to create positive change that endures over time, efforts must rely on and be
replicable and sustainable under realistic funding projections. Use of grants
or other short-term realignment of resources may be used to speed up change
while fundamental realignment of resource use is being identified and
implemented.
3.
We believe that
realigning resources is necessary to achieve our vision. We commit to, over time, collaboratively
reviewing the ability to sustain small schools while remaining committed to
sustaining small learning communities.
4. We believe that our success demands that a strong
parent/guardian and community engagement process be built into this effort. We
must provide the training, time and support for school staff to engage with
parents/guardians and communities, to develop the shared responsibility for
supporting student learning.
5.
We will overcome
challenges to innovation rather than using bureaucracy to impede efforts. We
will also advocate on behalf of schools with OSPI and the federal government.
6.
We will provide
a safe and healthy environment where discrimination, intimidation and
harassment are not tolerated by or toward students, families, community, or
school employees.
7.
We will provide
professional development to infuse cultural literacy into training, curriculum,
instruction and assessment, and community and parent/guardian engagement.
8.
We recognize
that simply raising achievement of all students will not in and of itself
eliminate the achievement gap. We share the goal and expectation that students
will meet SPS standards. For students who have a longer climb we will provide
the necessary additional support to help meet the goals.
9.
We will work
together to secure adequate funding for Seattle Public Schools that will
provide the environment, the class size/caseloads, and the compensation that
will attract and retain quality staff.
G.
These
commitments and beliefs, supported by action, will bring about the culture of
success that SPS and SEA envision.