WEAC supports legislation to establish educator preparation time as a mandatory subject of collective bargaining.

Every kid deserves a great school, and our public schools depend on the effectiveness of our educators. Making educator preparation time a mandatory subject of collective bargaining would give educators an opportunity to negotiate for time built into the scheduled workday to make them most effective in the classroom.

Educators spend hours on school work at home and on weekends, but that is often not enough to prepare the lessons and materials needed in today’s academically diverse and challenging classrooms. Lessons often need set-up that cannot be done before or after school.

Educator planning can make a significant difference in student learning. When educators meet to share instructional strategies that work in their classrooms and together design standardsbased unit plans and assessments, this time is an effective use of taxpayer dollars, making a difference for children.

Investments in great schools build strong communities. Despite the value of educator preparation time, it is becoming more difficult for educators to find the time in the school day to prepare lesson plans and perform other duties important to effective teaching. This is especially true for elementary school educators who are generally limited to preparation time during art, music and physical education. With school districts forced to lay off employees under the pressure of revenue caps, educator time is stretched tight as educators serve in multiple capacities to meet the educational needs of children.

According to an informal WEAC survey, between 60% and 70% of educator contracts address preparation time in some manner. This means two things: (1) many districts recognize the importance of preparation time, thus reinforcing the idea that it should be a mandatory subject of collective bargaining and (2) that between 60% and 70% of districts have staff that are vulnerable to losing preparation time as long as it remains a permissive subject of bargaining.

Making educator preparation time a mandatory subject of collective bargaining will give educators an opportunity to be part of the decision-making concerning a key strategy to boost student achievement and enrich the learning experience. This will help prepare our children for the challenges of tomorrow.

Additional Information

Contact Deb Sybell, WEAC Legislative Program Coordinator, at 800-362-8034 ext. 227 or by e-mail at sybelld@weac.org with any reactions, comments or questions.

Posted May 12, 2008