High Tech Education Collective

During the board meeting on September 13, the High Tech High CFO commented that it was "a lot" to spend 63.52% of the budget on salaries and benefits for fiscal year 2022-2023. While it might be a large amount of money, the budget percentage is significantly lower in comparison to other San Diego schools. Keeeeeeeeeep swiping to find out how far down the list HTH's budget percentage is. 😡

Our Classified Bargaining Committee had their first bargaining session with the HTH CMO on June 29! 🎉

Both sides presented proposals on a number of topics, including Discipline, Employment Status, Grievance, Negotiation Procedures, Effect of Agreement, and Management Rights. The HTEC bargaining team is planning to include a proposal for an equitable pay increase at the next meeting on August 9.

Please check our website for full updates, and join us in celebrating this first step of bargaining a historic first contract for classified employees at HTH schools! 🥳💙💛

It's time for another HTH board meeting! Join us at 5PM Tuesday in person at the Forum building next to HTe in Point Loma, or call in on Zoom. Classified staff will sunshine their bargaining platform for their first-ever contract (hooray! 🎉) and Certificated staff will unveil their platform for competitive salary increases for next year. Other agenda items include a first reading of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), first reading of the proposed 2023-34 budget, and approval for other contracts, procedures, and a position for Teacher Residency Grant Director. Attend in person or online to show your support!

It's time for another HTH board meeting! Join us at 5PM Monday in person at the Forum building next to HTe in Point Loma, or call in on Zoom. Agenda items include board member resignation, interim financial statements for all schools, new salary schedules for Directors, Deans, and Site Managers, and an update to sick leave for all employees based on the sick leave in our certificated employees' CBA 🎉
Plus, check your e-mail for a full certificated and classified union update! The signup link for our email list is on our website https://htedcollective.weebly.com/

Zoom link to board meeting and full agenda can be found here: https://www.hightechhigh.org/board-and-governance/agendas-minute-history/

Think you know what it takes to be an effective educator within HTH schools? Complete the form linked below to nominate yourself for the joint HTEC-CMO Evaluation Committee being formed this month!

Form:
bit.ly/HTECevalnominee

THIS JUST IN!! We have a contract and 330 new certificated union members! 🎉 99.7% of voting members said yes on ratification. 💙💛

On Thursday night after a powerful series of impassioned public comments from teachers, parents, and community members, the HTH Board of Directors went into closed session. The 3 board members present decided to stay committed to a 3-year probationary period (instead of the industry-standard 2 years) and giving the CEO final discretion on unfair termination disputes (instead of the industry-standard neutral third-party arbitration). The Board of Directors has authorized their bargaining team to declare impasse in an attempt to reach agreement through mediation led by a state-appointed neutral third party. The irony is not lost on us.

See more about the next steps: https://bit.ly/HTECwhatsnext

The HTH CMO has just informed us that there will be no agreement to the last, best, and final offer presented by the HTEC bargaining team on November 1.

The HTH Board will be meeting this Thursday November 10 to discuss "next steps."

Sign up now to speak at the board meeting and let the board know how out of step they are with our community! HTH teachers deserve a fair contract and a transparent discipline process free from fear and uncertainty.

Thank you for your solidarity and support, San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council

High Tech High teachers gain community support for contract demands High Tech High teachers are demanding action on their demands from the schools' charter management organization.

More news coverage of yesterday's rallies:

👉 https://www.cta.org/educator/posts/high-tech-high-educators-demand-basic-job-protections
👉 https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2022/11/02/high-tech-high-teachers-gain-community-support-contract-demands

It's certainly sobering to see the words "demand" and "basic protections" in the same sentence.

As the CMO considers our proposals over the next few days, we hope that the outpouring of support and solidarity will convince them of the importance of a fair contract for our staff.

High Tech High Educators Demand Basic Job Protections Educators, parents, and students who are alarmed over the lack of a contract settlement that provides provisions against arbitrary termination, rallied outside the school site on Tuesday November 1st to push the charter management organization for a settlement worthy of its outstanding High Tech sta...

This evening our certificated bargaining team made the decision to present to the CMO our last, best and final offer for a first contract. Read the update here: http://eepurl.com/icLxRb

Thank you ALL who came out to support as our staff, families, students, & community spoke up about why a fair contract is so important for High Tech High K-12 Charter Schools ✊💙

See coverage of today's rally from KPBSnews (starts at 1:47)

KPBS Evening Edition — Tuesday, November 1, 2022 Teachers are joined by students and their families in a rally outside the county’s largest charter school in Point Loma, demanding action on their pending co...

If you can't tell, North County got up early to rally 😉

💙 Point Loma & Mesa, see you this afternoon! http://bit.ly/htec11122

(Families and community members, don't forget we have a poster party in Point Loma starting at 1pm!) 🎨

Rallies now confirmed at ALL campuses of High Tech High K-12 Charter Schools for tomorrow. See full details, maps, and bilingual flyers to download & share on our website: https://bit.ly/htec11122

✊ Point Loma:
Right after school, 3:30-4:30pm, between HTH & HTM. Join early at 1:00 for a poster making party in the grass in front of HTHI!

✊ Chula Vista:
Before school from 7:00-7:45am, at the corner of Hunte Pkwy & Discovery Falls Drive

✊ North County:
Before school from 7:15-8:15am, at corner near HTeNC.

✊ Mesa:
After school at 4:00pm, in courtyard between the 3 schools! ⚠️For those in Central San Diego able to come to Point Loma, please join us for that rally as it is outside the central offices!

Reminder - Rally TOMORROW across our campuses! See full details, maps, and flyers to download on our website: https://bit.ly/htec11122

✊ Point Loma:
Right after school, 3:30-4:30pm, between HTH & HTM. Join early at 1:00 for a poster making party in the grass in front of HTHI!

✊ Chula Vista:
Before school from 7:00-7:45am, at the corner of Hunte Pkwy & Discovery Falls Drive

✊ North County:
Before school from 7:15-8:15am, at corner near HTeNC.

✊ Mesa:
Details pending on an exact time at Mesa, but for those in Central San Diego able to come to Point Loma, please join us for that rally as it is outside the central offices

HTEC elections closed yesterday, and teachers and other certificated staff overwhelmingly voted in support of a resolution of No Confidence in the High Tech High Board of Directors. A resounding 89.23% of certificated staff no longer has confidence in the High Tech High Board of Trustees’ ability to lead our schools in a manner that aligns with its design principle of Equity, Personalization, Authentic Work, and Collaborative Design.

👉 Staff, see complete election results and read the full resolution in your email or here:
http://eepurl.com/iczppf

Especially knowing just how many staff prioritize a contract with a fair grievance process, we need EVERYONE to come and rally with us on Tuesday as we return to the bargaining table.

Join us Tuesday, Nov 1, at one of our rallies across our schools:
✊http://bit.ly/htec11122

, staff at High Tech High need your support as they fight for a fair contract. Join us as we RALLY on Tues, Nov 1. Join the rally in Point Loma if possible, or at one of our other campuses!

✊ Rally info: http://bit.ly/htec11122
🔎What we're fighting for: http://bit.ly/HTECmythsvsfacts

Please share and spread the word far and wide!

As certificated staff at High Tech High K-12 Charter Schools continue to fight for a fair contract, we know our final sticking points are nuanced. Other asks like "pay teachers a living wage" & "teachers deserve lunch breaks" were simpler to illustrate and eventually to agree on.

At its heart, we think the issue of arbitration in our grievance process is simple, too... and essential for a fair contract.

🔎 We've broken down what we've heard and the facts that we know. Scroll through these images to read more, or click the link below:

Myths and Facts: bit.ly/HTECmythsvsfacts
En español: Mitos y Hechos https://bit.ly/hechosHTEC

💙 Do you agree that HTH staff, students & families deserve a fair contract? Come and RALLY with us on November 1st, & spread the word! ✊

Rally info for each campus here: https://bit.ly/htec11122

Staff, families, and community members: We need you!
On November 1st, HTEC and the CMO return to the bargaining table. We need you to show up to urge the CMO to accept the union’s proposals and get teachers a fair contract now!

💙 What?
Rallies to support our teachers & staff!

💙Who?
Staff, families, and community members at all HTH schools!

💙When & Where?
Tuesday Nov 1st! See here for exact times and locations for each campus: https://bit.ly/htec11122 (Our biggest rally will be at Point Loma, as there are the most schools there and that is where central offices are - so if you are in central San Diego, join us there!)

💙How?
Show up, wear BLUE, and support staff in their fight for a fair contract!

💙 Why?
High Tech educators still don’t have a contract! Since April of 2021, staff at High Tech High have been fighting for a fair contract. With the support of our community, we have made progress - but we are not there yet. HTH administration wants to give the CEO final say over discipline and termination - retaining the right to fire staff without reason or explanation. This has contributed to a culture of fear and uncertainty. Staff want a fair and transparent system of evaluation and discipline, and due process if they are unfairly fired. Most importantly, our students deserve an end to unnecessary staff turnover. We need the community's help to urge the administration to accept our proposal. Our students and schools deserve better.

So it's time to rally and support! Come join us!

Staff, we hear some folks didn't get a ballot - perhaps because our elections email is new and it is going to spam. We've re-sent the ballot to all classified & certificated staff, and EXTENDED the voting window through Saturday at noon. Reach out if you did not get a ballot!

Staff at HTH schools - both certificated and classified - two big reminders:

1) VOTE by Friday at noon! 🗳️

You should have gotten a ballot on Monday, that includes...

➡️ For certificated staff: Officers and a NO CONFIDENCE resolution

➡️ For classified staff: Officers, bargaining team representatives, and site representatives

Search your *personal* email (including Spam!) for the ballot from our elections team, and email them if you don't have the ballot: [email protected]

They'll send you the ballot, and update our unit list.

2) RALLY next Tuesday! ✊ 🪧 📢

As our certificated bargaining team returns to the bargaining table on Tues, Nov 1, we're inviting the whole community to show up and rally to urge them to accept our proposals and get us a fair contract NOW!

See details in your email & here: https://bit.ly/htec11122

🚨Classified and Certificated Staff:

Just a heads up that you should have gotten a ballot from our elections team. (Our election team operates independently from our officers - although with their assistance and communication - to ensure fair and transparent elections.)

👉 Don't see it? Search your email for [email protected]

Your ballot will include:

🗳️For certificated staff: Votes for union officers and a vote whether to support a Resolution of No Confidence

🗳️ For classified staff: Votes for union officers, bargaining team members, and site representatives per village

Please reach out to the elections team ([email protected]) if you have not received a ballot or if you have any questions!

⏳The voting window will close Friday, October 28 at 12:00pm.

Update: We're extending the nominations period until Sunday to make sure all have the chance to nominate themselves for union leadership. Please share with classified colleagues in particular! (Here are the positons in each of our units: https://bit.ly/HTECunits) We want to make sure all our members are represented. 📨Nomination form is in your email.

HTH classified & certificated staff:

🗳️ Reminder that nominations are open for union leadership! Interested in running? Want to know more?

We have another info session on Thurs @ 5pm to learn more & nominate yourself before nominations close. Join us:

HTEC Election Info Session
Thurs Oct 20 @ 5:00pm
Zoom: http://bit.ly/HTECzoom
Meeting ID: 950 9853 4497
Passcode: Collective

Reminder: Board meeting TODAY at 5pm. Please log in if you can!https://www.hightechhigh.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/10.19.22-HTH-Board-Agenda.pdf

Reminder for our HTH community: There is a Board Meeting THIS WEDNESDAY at 5:00pm

Get ready...

👉 Come to our Community Info Session TODAY at 5:30pm! Get updates on what the union has been up to and what's next. https://bit.ly/HTEC101722

👉 Email [email protected] now to get on the list of speakers during public comment. Speak up in support of staff getting the fair contract they have been fighting for!

Certificated & Classified Staff at HTH schools: Did you get our email with election information?

Nominations open TOMORROW for all open union officer positions - please spread the word, and reach out to [email protected] if you did not get this information in your email!

Elections timeline:

✍️ Nomination Window Opens: Monday, October 17 through Friday, October 21 at 5:00 pm

🗳️ Voting Window Opens: Monday, October 24 through Friday, October 28 at 12:00 (by electronic ballot from [email protected])

📣 Results Announced: Friday, October 28 @ 5:00 pm

HTH community, we have 3 important reminders for this week:

➡️ Tomorrow is our next Community Info Meeting. All families and community members are invited to hear union updates, get their questions answered, and share their concerns. Join us tomorrow, Monday, at 5:30pm on Zoom. https://bit.ly/HTEC101722

➡️ Classified staff, there is another opportunity to learn more about bargaining team elections and other important info about our classified bargaining unit. If you did not get a chance to join us last week on Zoom or Saturday in person, join us tomorrow, Monday, at 6pm on Zoom: https://bit.ly/htecclass1022

➡️ This Wednesday is the next HTH board meeting. The agenda and zoom link will be posted on the HTH board website, but we'll also add it to our shared calendar once it is posted: https://bit.ly/HTECcalendar Email [email protected] ASAP to get on the list of speakers if you can speak in support of staff getting a fair contract!

October Community Info Meeting We'll be holding regular community info meetings for families and community members who have questions. Our next is scheduled for Monday, October 17, at 5:30pm via Zoom. (You might have seen...

Classified staff, if you didn't make it on Wednesday, reminder to join us TOMORROW in person or Monday via zoom!