As a first step in developing an agreement, both parties need to identify which aspects of the ELT plan will require a negotiated agreement between the district and the union. The primary issue will likely be the rate of compensation, but there are frequently other issues to work out as well. Some examples of issues that will need to be negotiated are the following:
- Side letter vs. full contract: Will the agreement for ELT be part of the larger contract, or will a side letter of agreement be produced? If it is not a contract year, it is often more convenient to create a side letter of agreement.
- Pension eligibility: Will the addition to teachers’ salaries be pension eligible?
- Compensation: Will compensation be made through a stipend based on an hourly rate or through a percentage increase in salary or some hybrid of the two? How much will teachers and other staff be paid for the additional time worked?
- Planning & Professional Development: In the redesigned schedule, how will teachers’ time be divided between teaching time, individual prep time, collaborative planning time, and professional development?
- Opt-in/Opt-out arrangements: What options will be provided for teachers and other staff that do not want to work additional hours? Will teachers who cannot participate have the opportunity to opt-out and stay at the school or will they need to transfer to another school in the district? Will teachers be able to work some additional hours but not all?
- Work schedule: Will teacher’s work schedules (start and end time) change with ELT and if so how? Will flex-time be used? How much of the work day will teachers spend in the classroom?
Consulting the table on existing ELT contract agreements and sample contract language from districts implementing ELT may be helpful in considering some of the options for resolving these issues.
Make a list of the key issues your district must negotiate to implement ELT and outline a target timeline for achieving agreement in each area so that you can chart your progress toward achieving an overall agreement. Be sure to keep in mind the deadline by which you will need to show evidence of a negotiated agreement to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Keep in mind that your district may have to negotiate contracts with many different unions. Identify which unions will be affected by ELT and come up with an action plan for obtaining an agreement with each one.
