SANTA FE LOCAL IN TRANSITION

Elections will be held at the end of March 2006. This means a restructuring of positions and a shift in issues, which includes the issues associated with substitute teachers. To stay up to date, go to our local's online newsletterby clicking here.

SEND US YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT SUBS

Are you keeping a log of your experiences with subs? When you have them, and when you don't? Call Laura Hlink at 474-8679.

ADVOCATE FOR HIGHER SUB SALARIES

IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN THE CAMPAIGN FOR HIGHER SUB SALARIES, GET IN TOUCH:

Send an e-mail to NEA-SF president Laura Hlinak at nordfang@aol.com

NEW CAMPAIGN FOR 2006

The campaign for a sub in every classroom takes on a different form in 2006. We need to support efforts of Santa Fe Public Schools to pay subs a living wage. If you'd like to work on this campaign, contact NEA-Santa Fe president Laura Hlinak at 505-474-8679.

And keep up to date with the NEA-SF Actionline, both online and in a hard copy. We're doing an innovative employee rights training, starting in January, in order to bring everyone up to speed with the changes in the collective bargaining contract.

Kepp the substitute issue alive! Every classroom deserves a qualified substitute!

To check out our online NEA-Santa Fe Actionline click here!

If you aren't a NEA member, ask the Association Rep in your building to enroll now.

To access our NEA-Santa Fe Employee Rights web resource click here!

In January we'll begin a pilot project involving conference calls as part of our employee rights training. Check our Employee Rights web blog for more details.

Happy New Year!

KELLY SUBS LOSES CONTRACT

The Santa Fe Public Schools board of education did not renew the contract of Kelly Services during its June 2005 meeting. The contract, which had been temporary, caused considerable public controversy during the nine weeks it was operative. The school district cited financial reasons for not renewing the contract.

An article in the Albuquerque Journal (June 9, 2005) reported that Kelly's best fill rate was on the last day of school when the firm filled 44 of 48 substitute positions. Its lowest fill rate was during the sixth week of the contract when 77 of the 141 openings for subs were filled.

NEA-Santa Fe released the results of its survey at the June 2005 board meeting that showed dissatisfaction among school employees with Kelly's performance. NEA-SF president Laura Hlinak noted that the same problems remain with attracting substitute teachers because of low wages. It is expacted that some substitutes, who would not work for Kelly because of privacy issues, will return to the district.

UPDATE ON KELLY SUBS

NEA-Santa Fe is distributing a survey to collect information about the experiences SFPS employees are having with substitute teachers assigned by Kelly Services. It was distributed with the April-May issue of Actionline, the publication of NEA-Santa Fe. Because a blog like this is public, some people might not feel comfortable posting. However, the NEA-SF survey is confidential. Please fill out the form, or send your comments to Laura Hlinak at Capital High School.

NEA-Santa Fe continues to monitor the Kelly contract. Your feedback and comments are important.

TAKE NOTE OF NEW E-MAIL

If you have a question about using this blog, or you'd like to help in the effort to convince Santa Fe Public Schools to end their contract with Kelly Services and support a living wage for substitute teachers, contact us at:

kellysubs@yahoo.com

A LIVING WAGE FOR SUBS IN SANTA FE

The core issue about Kelly Services taking over the assignment of substitute teachers in Santa Fe is that of a living wage. Because SFPS hasn’t provided a living wage for subs in the past, there has been a chronic sub shortage.

Now that Kelly Services has taken over the assignment of subs, the Living Wage ordinance in Santa Fe applies, and those subs with a high school diploma will now receive $60 a day, rather than the $55 provided for in the initial contract. This is a back-door approach to solving the problem, and at a large cost.

It’s estimated that SFPS will be paying hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to Kelly Services just to administer the program. And this means a living wage that could have gone directly to subs, now goes into Kelly’s pockets.

We support $85 a day for subs with college degrees and $70 for subs with high school diplomas. It’s time that SFPS come to terms with an issue that affects everyone: administrators, teachers, educational support personnel, students, and the community.

Subs with a college degree will be getting $65 a day, while subs with no degree will receive $60. This isn’t solving the problem of a living wage. It’s only making it worse because the injustice is only compounded.

We don’t know how many substitutes with a college degree are refusing to sign up with Kelly, but two have posted on this web site so far. Because subs have no protections and no due process rights, at least two other subs have posted using the anonymous feature for posting.

It’s an injustice that there’s only a $5 differential between subs with a high school degree and subs with a degree. This means there is more of an incentive for high school grads to substitute in the district’s public schools. Subs with college degrees appear to be looking for employment elsewhere.

If you believe SFPS should end the contract with Kelly Services at the end of the two-month trial period, post your comments here. NEA-Santa Fe has gone on record to oppose the extension of the contract with Kelly Services.

If you missed the initial announcement in the Santa Fe New Mexican about Kelly Services taking over the assignment of substitute teachers for Santa Fe Public Schools, go to:

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/10945.html

Add your comments after each posting on this blog and tell others about www.kellysubs.blogspot.com

With your help, we'll keep this issue alive!