All in all, it was a very successful session!

I encourage you all to come to negotiations and observe the process. I will tell you, the climate in the room is not at all like the past three years. It is pleasant and productive.

We started with MOUs (Memoranda of Understanding). MOUs have an end date and will not be embedded into the contract beyond the end date.

•  Covid Sick leave - District agreed to extend Covid sick leave!!!  They have the funding source. Teachers will be afforded ten (10) days, retroactive to August 2^nd, for days used for quarantine or isolation for the employee, child, spouse or any relative living in the household. District originally allotted 350K dollars and tonight expanded it to $500K. Employee will be credited days back to their sick leave bank and will have 30 days from ratification to apply for the credit. Verification of need for quarantine or isolation from the health department will be required. The complete MOU will be posted on the MCEA website when we get a digital copy. Please hold your questions on this.
• Interim Continuity of Learning Plan for COVID-Related Absences - If a teacher is present but one or more of his/her enrolled students are quarantined at home due to COVID-19, the teacher shall provide access to live classroom instruction through the use of video and audio via Zoom. This is NOT, in any way shape or form, the platform we used last year. The teacher will only have to have the Zoom on when instruction is taking place so that the student(s) may hear the instruction/lecture.
• Disaster Relief Payment - Subject to approval from the FLDOE, for the specific use of allocated funds provided through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) funds, the MCSD shall pay eligible bargaining unit members a one-time, non-recurring payment of $1000 (gross, prior to taxes). In order to be eligible for this payout, a bargaining unit member must have been employed at least half of the 2020-21 school year plus one day and have been employed as of January 4, 2021. The employee must have been re-employed and actively employed at the time of payment. The employee must not be on an Unpaid Leave of Absence during the pay period associated with the payment; any person on such unpaid leave at the time of payment shall receive the payout upon that person’s return to work. Those employees who have already received the funding from the Governor or State of Florida are not eligible. Payment of these funds shall be paid out upon approval from the FLDOE and ratification of this MOU.

ALL MOUs are pending ratification.

MCEA re-openers of the contract:

XI.1 Sick Leave:

* The District rejected the MCEA proposal to expand sick leave payout to those MBUs (members of bargaining unit) hired after July 1, 2011.

* The District was amenable to the MCEA proposal allowing qualifying employees (see XI.I H) to receive terminal sick leave payout upon retirement or resignation. Employee must retire or resign at the end of a semester and give prior by the following dates: By November 1^st in order to retire or resign on December 31^st of that year, or by May 1^st in order to retire or resign on June 30^th of that year. The Superintendent may waive these requirements.

* The District agreed to MCEA language regarding Compassionate leave- employees may donate regardless of the number of days they personally used in a given year as long as they have a balance of at least thirty (30) days.

VIII - Evaluations

Talks are ongoing regarding the rotation of evaluators and the MBUs right to change evaluators after a cycle. The MCEA also proposed that the site Administration must present an evaluation schedule prior to the end of the school year and that teacher could change evaluator, upon written request, also prior to the end of the school year.

VIII.K.6 - FTE - At the last session, District proposed to strike language regarding the ability of teacher to drop students from calculation due to excessive absences. MCEA provided rationale for having this flexibility. Discussion will continue next session.

District re-openers:

• VI.4 Covering classes - In session four (4), District proposed to allow for combining of classes when a substitute is not available. MCEA rejected the language in session five (5). Today we had a constructive conversation. We will discuss again during session eight (8).
• VI.5 In session four (4), District proposed to strike all language regarding Faculty Council. In session five (5), MCEA countered with language which we felt was more applicable to the intent of a Faculty Council and with a broader scope. District rejected our language and countered with new Faculty Council language. There is definitely much compromise going on here and the (antiquated) language is getting better for both parties.
• VI.6 In-service points - MCEA wants to ensure that MBUs get their PD points credited in a timely manner. District recognizes that there has been a problem with procedures regarding PD points. They have already begun to streamline the process. There will be continued discussion at the next session.
• VII.I Transfers, Reduction and Recall - District proposed many changes in this article. Much of it was clean-up as there was much ambiguity. The goal is to clean up the language and provide consistency. The MCEA Bargaining Team needs to review this proposal before I can even report on its content.