The WTA Negotiating Team will continue to meet with the Westerly School Committee with the goal of reaching agreement on a three year contract in time for the submission of the 2000-2001 school budget. There are a number of contractual areas both sides discussed in our negotiations just completed with the one year extension. It is the Team's well-considered decision to maintain its membership composition - not add any new teachers - until concluding the three year. Then, around the beginning of 2000 or upon the conclusion of the three year, membership to the team will be opened up for our tradition of negotiating on a year-round basis. Although Team membership will not change, this does not prevent any member from making his or her wishes on contract being heard and considered; we continue to refer to the member wide survey conducted in the fall of 1998. Also, many of you have spoken to and/or written well-considered suggestions on such issues as revising compensation for continuing professional growth revamping inclusion, professional standards for non-certified personnel, the process for use of paid leave, the role of quasi-administrative positions of some of our members, and the organizational structure of the middle school. Also, the Team will continue to make use of individual member expertise by holding open meetings on different subjects and inviting other members to present in the negotiation sessions. Presently I have appointed two subcommittees: one to solicit your opinions about the use of our WTA Sick Pool, co-chaired by Nancy Turco and Laurie Callaghan; and another to gather information on the financial impact of Healthmate coverage between July 1 and August 31, 1999. And we shall continue collaboratively to elicit ideas for improving education and teachers' working conditions, making necessary contractual changes as we go along. An example is the Teacher Evaluation instrument and process; we agreed upon a pilot for 1999-2000, meeting together last spring to make revisions for this, the second year of the pilot. The members of our Negotiating Team are Margy Long, chair and BMS; Nancy Turco, WHS and specialists, Ann McCrave, WHS, technology, & number-cruncher; Debby Ventresca, BMS; Chris Sieczkiewicz, WTA 1st V.P. and elementary
teacher; Joe Light, technology, specialist and elementary; Lois Beach, specialist and elementary; and Jerry Egan, NEARI Uniserv and trained negotiator. Feel free to give any of us your opinions about contract issues; or write to me.
Marguerite Long