According to BCEA negotiator Barbara Harrison, Bradley County Schools received more than $2 million in federal funds this year from the Bradley County Education jobs program.
“How has the school system used these funds?” Harrison asked.
County Board of Education chief negotiator Scott Humberd advised Harrison he was not sure how the funding has been used and would research the question.
“I’d like to propose a $1,000 bonus to employees. This would cost less than $800,000,” said Harrison.
The BCEA also proposed that certificated school employees responding to jury duty or subpoenaed to testify in judicial proceedings during the school day be provided such time with no loss of pay or benefits.
On the subject of sick leave payment, Harrison proposed to the Negotiations Committee that certificated employees who retire should be paid for accrued sick leave days at the rate of $35 each day to a maximum of 200 days.
“I believe school employees in Hamilton County are getting as much as $50 per day for this benefit,” said Harrison.
A BCEA request to communicate the Education Association’s activities to school employees via e-mail was initially rejected by the Bradley BOE.
“We’ve had employees who are not members of this organization, who have advised us that they do not want to be contacted by the e-mail system which we are providing,” said Humberd.
“According to the law, we have that right,” Harrison argued.
Humberd advised the BCEA he would review the laws and respond to the proposal.
Humberd tentatively agreed upon:
- Student discipline procedures: The BCEA proposed when a student’s behavior becomes so disruptive that it is detrimental to the classroom-learning environment and the student is unable to regain an acceptable level of control, the teacher may refer the student to the school principal.
- Personnel files: Certificated employees shall have the right to examine and/or obtain upon request and upon payment of reasonable compensation, copies of materials in his/her personnel file(s) as any time. If personnel records on a certificated employee are reviewed by any person(s), the employee should be notified no later than three days following the review and all negative or derogatory material in an employee’s personnel file will be destroyed after remaining in the file for a period of three years.
The Negotiations Committee will review the BCEA’s proposals with the Bradley County Board of Education and will schedule a meeting to respond to the requests.
