Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Deer Valley Education Association & Deer Valley Governing Board Negotiations Have Stalled

The negotiations between the Deer Valley Governing Board & the Deer Valley Education Association have apparently broken down. The refusal to share any & all information by administrators & board members representing the district is reported as the cause of this impasse at the bargaining table.

Hundreds of teachers, support staff, & parents ended up turning out for last night's regularly scheduled meeting of the governing board to show support continuation of the bargaining process. The Governing Board was not scheduled to address the issue at the meeting.

Herb Weil, DVEA president, said, “We expect open, honest, and transparent communication from district officials in the bargaining process. Teachers understand what it takes to achieve academic success for our students & must be included in the process.”

For nearly 20 years the district & the union have used the Interest Based Negotiations Process but this year the process ended on March 10th, 2008 without a salary agreement. The district continues to reject pleas from DVEA representatives for open, honest, & transparent discussions regarding their draft budget.

"It is time to go back to the table to negotiate a resolution to communication issues that will facilitate a compensation package agreement to support attraction & retention of the best & brightest teachers to the Deer Valley School District. Our students deserve the best,” said Weil.