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205 Washougal Teachers on Strike — What Happens Next?

Washougal, WA — Because negotiators from the Washington Association of Educators (WAE) and the Washougal School District (WSD) could not reach a tentative agreement Monday at 5 pm, 205 WSD certificated teachers are officially on strike, effective Tuesday morning.

“The teachers already voted last week that if a tentative agreement wasn’t reached by August 27 at 5 pm, we will go on strike,” said Eric Engebretson, WAE president. “The work stoppage starts tomorrow morning. We are working on a counter proposal and we will keep negotiating. We’ve been in sessions all day. We’re still here and we started at 9. PERC is here, and they’ve been here since Friday.”

At issue are classroom sizes, salary, and WSD’s historically high turnover rates.

“We are still bargaining,” said Dr. Mary Templeton, WSD Superintendent. “We continue to press forward. Everyone is working hard at both sides of the table. We want an agreement as soon as possible. The district and the association have worked hard to reach an understanding but, unfortunately, we were not able to come to an agreement today. We have been excited to offer the biggest raise Washougal teachers have ever received, which would bring our salary into competition with regional districts. We believe our proposal supports our well-deserving teachers, is fair and equitable and is something the Washougal community can sustain over time.”

WSD put forward a new salary proposal that increases the offer to a 16% increase in salary, plus TRI. WAE countered requesting a 25.6% increase. There is still approximately $1.5 million dollar gap between the two sides.

According to WSD, they were given $14.2 million by the state to pay teachers and they have used all of these funds for salaries. They have also agreed to add $600,000 more of local money in this compensation offer. By law, Washington school districts are required to have 180 days of school. School will start on the first planned school day after the strike ends. Days will likely need to be added into the calendar later in the year.

Tentative agreements have been reached on 12 items, resolving concerns the teachers raised around salary advancement rules, retirement stipends, personal leave buy back and cash out rules, as well as just cause language.

“Everyday we will be in negotiations, said Engebretson. “We will negotiate until we cannot. We want to go back to school. It depends on the district.”

So, what actually happened on Monday during negotiations?

“There was some movement, less than a percent on salary —on their part,” he said. “No class size change.”

Teachers

Washougal children at a recent rally.

WSD Answers Questions

Lester Brown, WSD Communications Director, provided guidance on what a strike means, and what are next steps.

1) What does the district do when the WAE announces a strike? What’s your process?

This is uncharted territory for all of us. We are focused on working to communicate with parents and staff about a potential work stoppage and its impacts on the start of school.

We will use automated phone calls, social media and our website, so families are aware of the need to plan for the impact.

We realize this is a huge inconvenience for families and we are optimistic that teachers and students will be back in classrooms as soon as possible.

2) How long does a strike have to go on until it starts affecting this year’s school schedule? Lacamas Magazine understand it’s like using up snow days.

The work schedule for our classified staff will not be impacted by the strike actions of the WAE. Teachers will work a 180-day contract, but will see an adjusted school schedule, based on this delay to the start of schools.

School will start on the first planned school day after the strike ends. Days will likely need to be added into the calendar later in the year much like snow days. If the strike lasts fewer than four days, the district does not anticipate needing to change the date for WHS graduation.

The district still intends to allow athletics and activities, covered under a different union contract, to continue as scheduled.

3) If a strike goes past 15 days, then classified staff won’t get paid, but will the teachers also not get paid?

The work schedule for our classified staff will not be impacted by the strike actions of the WAE. Teachers will work a 180-day contract, but will see an adjusted school schedule, based on this delay to the start of schools.

Our focus right now is still on resolving the remaining concerns the union has asked to talk about so we can come to agreement. We will be researching these more complex issues over the next few days to build understanding of the impact of a longer term strike.

4) In your opinion, is a strike legal? Citing RCW 41.56.120: “Right to strike not granted. Nothing contained in this chapter shall permit or grant any public employee the right to strike or refuse to perform his or her official duties.” The Attorney General’s Office said: “In Washington, state and local public employees do not have a legally protected right to strike. No such right existed at common law, and none has been granted by statute.” What is WSD’s opinion on this?

The legislature is responsible for law, but we are aware of the RCW 41.56.120. The district is working with legal counsel to understand this statue and the implications of it for the union.

5) Lacamas Magazine is hearing that oversized classrooms are a source of contention in these latest bargaining sessions. What is WSD’s position on classroom sizes?

The current teacher contract defines class sizes as “in overload” when the following numbers are reached or exceeded:
K-3: 25+
4-5: 28+
Middle and High School: 28+

In Spring 2018, WSD had a total of 60 elementary classroom teachers. Six of those, or 10%, were in overload. With 1,373 elementary students, it was the difference of 11 students that caused those overloads which were one to three students more in those rooms. During the same time frame, there were a total of 77 middle and high school teachers. Four of those had more than 140 students per day and were considered to be in overload.

The district works hard to avoid overloaded class sizes by managing the boundary process and building schedule, but sometimes classes above targeted sizes cannot be avoided.

When elementary teachers have classrooms at or above these targets, teachers have an option of hiring an additional paraeducator to assist in their classroom or accepting “overload pay” at the rate of $10 per extra student per day. For middle and high school it is $2 per student in overload.

Although WAE has stated that class size is a major point, they had been unwilling to talk about this issue for the first 11 bargaining sessions that spanned three months.

The facts are that 90% of Washougal classrooms are below state class size goals/targets. Those teachers who are in overload have the option of receiving additional resource in paraprofessional support or additional compensation of $10 per student per day as overload pay.

Another union issue was the use of classrooms that combine grade levels. The district had no combination or split classes last year, and there are none planned for this year.

“As far as class size, the district figures class size as an average,” said Engebretson. “That means they include music, P.E., library, and art teachers into the equation.  However, the actual students in one classroom can be more than than is ideal and that classroom is in overload.  Posting that the district has an average number of students per classroom is misleading to the community.”

Teachers

WAE teachers at a recently rally.

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Washougal Association of Educators Provide Strike Update Via Video Message

Washougal, WA — In a direct video message via YouTube, Washougal Association of Educators (WAE) President, Eric Engebretson announced that the local teacher’s union has officially decided to strike, effective Tuesday, August 28  unless a settlement cannot be reached by 5 pm on Monday, August 27.

Here’s a direct link to his message: WAE Strike Announcement

He cites concerns over salaries and classroom sizes as primary issues that led to their decision.

Here are some excerpts from his video:

“All of our teachers have struggled casting their vote as they understood that by striking, it would delay meeting their students on the first day,” said Engebretson. “… The days missed due to a strike will be treated similarly to snow days.”

“…We are committed to reducing class size Kindergarten through 12th grade.”

“ … We are asking for the amount of money earmarked by the Legislature to pay teacher’s salaries.”

Washougal School District issued the following statement:

“The district and the association continued to work with mediators from the Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC) on Saturday. Despite progress, the association told the district they will not bargain tomorrow (Sunday, August 26, 2018). We are hopeful that WAE will change their minds, and show up to continue to work on a contract that would avoid a strike.

“We are willing to work 24/7 to find a sustainable agreement so that our students can start school on Tuesday. We hope that WAE is also willing to work toward an agreement the community can afford.

“If WAE does not show up on Sunday, WAE and WSD will continue work on the agreement on Monday, August 27. As more information is available, the district will inform families about the possibility that a WAE strike will disrupt the first day of school.”

Engebretson said there were no official meetings scheduled for Sunday. He said they met Friday and Saturday for 12 hours each day, with no movement from the district about salaries.

“We would have sacrificed faith and family by meeting on Sunday, but we wanted more movement on salaries,” said Engebretson. “We will be meeting with them again on Monday at 9 am.”

We will continue to update you on this developing story.

To learn more about the details of the discussions, please read our article from Friday: Washougal Schools, Union Try to Reach Agreement

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Washougal School District, Union Try to Reach Final Agreement

Washougal, WA — Earlier this week, the Washougal Association of Educators (WAE) voted with 96 percent approval to reject a 15.56 percent compensation increase offered by the Washougal School District (WSD) administration. Face-to-face negotiations between both parties continue today to address those salary issues, as well as other union concerns, in an effort to avoid a strike.

“The Washougal School District is offering teachers a 15.56% total compensation increase, which would result in a professional salary package from $50,000 to $94,000, providing a fair, equitable, and regionally competitive compensation to our certificated staff,” Washougal Schools said in an official statement. “This move demonstrates the value the district has for teachers, who are doing excellent work every day in classrooms, helping our students reach their potential and thrive. This offer uses all of the state provided increase for teacher salaries, plus levy dollars, plus funds from the district’s ending fund balance.”

In addition, teachers at the top end of the scale would earn more than $1,000 more per month than they currently do.

The WAE rejected the 15.56 percent increase, citing it’s not the full amount that the state is allocating, as well as other concerns, such as classroom size, and high Washougal teacher turnover.

“We want to be at school on the first day, said WAE president, Eric Engebretson. “Despite having numbers being posted by the district that change frequently, our community members have expressed support and understand what we are negotiating for. Our numbers have remained true and consistent since day one of negotiations. Our position is that the state has recognized that salaries for teachers has lagged over the years and that teachers (in SW Washington and beyond) just want what has been allotted to them.”

Washougal is one of 295 school districts in the state that have been in bargaining sessions with local and state teacher’s unions over how money from the 2017 McCleary legislation, passed by the Washington State Legislature to “amply fund education” throughout the state, will be allocated. Overall, just over $2 billion has been earmarked to increase teacher salaries, which has been funded by a 30% property tax hike.

Per our previous articles and videos, the legislation increases overall teacher pay to 26 percent — but it comes with strings attached. McCleary changes the old salary structure model by stripping away Time, Responsibility and Incentive (TRI) pay model and by capping local levying capacity by 50 percent.

“We used an extra compensation ability, which we called TRI,” said Mary Templeton, the brand-new Washington School District Superintendent. “We created a way to find extra dollars, so this is for all the things you do outside teaching, which includes planning, preparation, grading papers on weekends, calling parents at night — all the things teachers do.”

With McCleary, she said “the state told us ‘let’s give you 26% more of direct state money.’ But now the state said they won’t fund TRI with the new legislation. They said this would put major restrictions on how TRI is paid. After careful analysis of how this affects Washougal, we realized very quickly that we can’t pay our teachers TRI.”

Teacher

Mary Templeton is Washougal’s brand-new Superintendent.

And to further complicate matters, local levy dollars for Washougal will drop over the next two school years, resulting in a loss of $2.9 million in local levy funding.

“The new model is a net of about 12 percent more state and local funding when you take away TRI and the levy,” said Templeton. “Every district is different so it’s unfair to make general comparisons. McCleary also affected staff mix, which allocated more state funds, which helped districts with more experienced teachers. The greater the number of experienced teachers, the more money a district would receive.”

After the WSD budget team looked at the numbers, they found a way to create the 15.56 percent increase, she said.

“The offer comes from finding more money to help us be more competitive. We are going to use our reserve. We have a $44 million operating budget. We’re going from a 16 percent reserve to a 9 percent reserve over four years. We have to be very conscientious and aware of how we’re prioritizing. We have to look at all of our expenditures to make sure we stay right at 9 percent, which is about $2.4 million at the end of 2019. That extra increase amounts to $1,197 more per teacher this year. The union wants 26 percent, but legally WSD can’t do it.”

To clarify, reserve money is not connected to levy dollars — it’s the WSD savings. The reserve is projected to decrease over four years, and is expected to level out at that time.

“We will pay for some things with levy, even with our reduced capacity,” said Templeton. “We can use levy money for enrichment. We are continuing on with a very positive approach to the whole thing. I respect their advocacy. The union wants the teachers to get every dollar the state is giving them.”

Teachers

Washougal children at a recent rally.

How Sustainable is McCleary?

Templeton says it’s essential they maintain their fiscal solvency, but that McCleary makes it challenging to see the future past two years, even though the new law requires districts to forecast four years ahead.

“I’ve been in education for over 25 years, I’ve been in 5-6 school districts over that time,” said Templeton. “There will always be a place or time where the district is trying to hold back money, but for the most part these are fair people. All of us were teachers at one point. We are giving you everything we have. McCleary creates a new model, and it’s a big change.”

Districts used to get paid by number of teachers, now they are paid by how many students are in a district’s boundaries. For WSD, the state gave them a $69,128 as flat rate for teachers — per teacher. WSD is offering is $70,325. The difference is $1,197 more than what they’re getting from the state, per teacher. Those funds are coming from the reserve.

The WAE believes the district will have an additional $6 million by the 2020-21 school year.

A Looming Strike?

She refers to Washington state history, saying that strikes in the state are very rare.

“I’m optimistic we will find an agreement,” Templeton said.

Negotiations between WAE and WSD are ongoing, and that the duration of 15.56 percent increase is still being negotiated. It will likely take at least two years for the system to understand this new model.

WSD leadership has requested mediation from the Washington Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC) and their team will meet with WSD on Friday, August 24 as they work to finalize their negotiations with the union. School starts on August 28. The district thinks they will reach an agreement by August 27.

“We decided to look at all the money the state gave us and we decided to offer all of it, plus some at the beginning,” Templeton said. “We know that you need a salary increase, and we’re going to give it all we have, and then some. We want to retain you, so we pushed everything out right away. We took a new approach because we wanted to signal value to our teachers in transparency. This is what we have, this is our offer.”

She quoted a recent Seattle Times article that said the districts are saying I’m doing a four-year projection, and they realize they can’t pay their bills.

“What we’re offering is what we can afford,” she said. “To give anything more than that, there will be layoffs. That is the reality of every district.”

Given the new law, WSD has shifted their dollars more to personnel. Seventy-nine percent of their budget goes to personnel. It used to be 73 percent. (79 was the official number presented at board meeting 8-14-2018)

“The state gave the district 26 percent for salary, but they didn’t give us more for TRI,” she said. “We added to what the state is giving. 15.56 percent total compensation is what teachers will find in their paycheck — this doesn’t include benefits. We took every dollar the state gave us for teacher salaries and we added our own money to do it, which is $1,197 per teacher per year, from the reserves.”

This current offer provides WSD teachers a $50,000 starting salary — with a Bachelor’s degree.

“We head back into negotiations today (Friday, August 24) at 9 am and conclude at 5 pm,” said Hillary Marshall, of the WAE. “Our union has issued a strike if we don’t come to a resolution by 5 pm today which will start on Tuesday, August 28. The Washougal School District has acquired a mediator but our union didn’t feel like we needed to spend the extra funds for a mediator.”

The WAE Perspective

Since bargaining sessions are typically kept private, they can’t go into the details of those negotiations, but they have been public about general concerns and demands.

Engebretson said the WAE is concerned about the following:
• Class size
• Turnover
• Salaries
• Reserves

Class size. In an official statement, the WAE said “Overloaded classrooms have consistently been an issue for our teachers. We’ve already had parents speak at school board meetings because they are aware of how pressing the issue is, which is a detriment to our children. Our working conditions are student learning conditions, and no issue more effectively demonstrates that than reducing class size. Our union remains committed to reducing class size.”

Turnover. Hathaway teachers lost half of their teachers this summer.

“Turnover is so high in the District that for the 2018-19 school year, 1/3rd of staff will have one year or less of teaching experience in our District. “Because pay is so low in Washougal, experienced educators have chosen to teach elsewhere. How can we deliver a strong education program when we have higher turnover than fast food and retail industry? Washougal children deserve a stable staff that serve our students’ needs with consistency. Our goal is to attract and retain quality teachers.”

Teachers

WAE teachers at a recently rally.

Salaries. “According to OSPI website Washougal will be receiving an increase of 26 percent just for teacher salaries alone. The District is offering an overall increase of 15 percent. This a significant improvement from their initial offer, which was in the single digits, and are maintaining the position that TRI (Time, Responsibility, and Incentive – additional hours worked outside of the teacher work day) no longer exists. While the District has made progress in their offer, it does not reflect the funds they are receiving from the state. The state legislature has made it clear that an investment in our teachers is an investment in our community.

Reserves. “The Washougal School District has a long track record of building their savings (labeled “Ending Fund Balance”) off the backs of our teachers. Even the District in negotiations have admitted they have not prioritized teachers!”

“We have every desire to start school on time. We want to be in our classrooms to greet our students on the first day of school. The only reason for why this wouldn’t happen has everything to do with the Washougal School District, once again, not prioritizing our teachers. You can’t put students first, if you put teachers last!”

Valuing Teachers

“Teachers are really vulnerable right now, since No Child Left Behind,” Templeton said. “Teachers used to be heroes in our society, and we need to polish it up and begin to talk about how important teachers are. They are the shaper of dreams, and the molders of the future. Teachers want to be valued. It’s more than just money — it comes in lots of different ways. What does the community say about teachers? Those are the things that create value, and compensation is part of that. People need money and that’s a reality, but they also need to be thanked for the contribution to society. That’s all of us, that’s the community. We need to get teachers back to where they should be. The heroes of society.”

Teachers

Union negotiations are still ongoing.

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Hoops 360 3 on 3 Debuts at Downtown Camas This Friday — Fun For All!

Camas, WA — For the first time ever, Downtown Camas is hosting the Hoops 360, 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament. The event stems from a long tradition of outdoor 3 on 3 events that have averaged, over the years, 200+ teams of fun basketball competition from youth to elite athletes.

According to the Downtown Camas Association, this event has been happening locally for over 20 years. Games will start Friday, August 17 at 8 pm, and conclude at 10 pm. Saturday games begin at 10 am, and end at 5 pm. Games will resume Sunday at 10 am on Sunday and conclude by 3 pm.

Shoot 360, which owns Hoops 360, is the facilitator.

“We are a tech firm for basketball development,” said Brad Butterworth, who represents the company. “We have facilities all over the country. We use a tech platform to teach basketball skills — ball handling, shooting and passing. The company began in 2012 in Beaverton. Then they opened in Vancouver, then LA, Indianapolis, and we are opening a second California location soon.”

Shoot 360 recruited Butterworth, who is a former coach, after he started his own tech firm.

“I really believe in Shoot 360’s mission,” said Butterworth. “It’s incredibly powerful. We engage a positive way to teach our kids. And, it’s a very intriguing and powerful company.”

Their business model is member-focused, and boasts a membership of 500 in SW Washington.

“We are using technology as a coaching tool and resource,” said Butterworth. “It’s like Fortnite for basketball.”

Their Vancouver site is located at Fourth Plain in Orchards. To learn more, visit www.Shoot360.com

“Currently, every year we run a 3 on 3 event, which used to be Hoops on the River,” he said. “They closed shop. We wanted to keep that 3 on 3 thriving, so we rebranded it Hoops 360 3 on 3, and we ran it at Marshall Park, near Clark College. This year, we are moving it to Camas, so we’re really excited. We’re turning all of 5th Ave. from Adams to Dallas into an outdoor basketball venue.”

Hoops

Three men jump battling for the ball in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament held on the streets.

The events will happen on Birch Street between 5th and 4th, and on Cedar, between 5th and 4th — all of which will be basketball courts for three days.

Event organizers anticipate 4,000 people, and the City of Camas said it would be the second largest event behind Camas Days. They’re expecting 275 teams, most of which come from Clark County, but a few are coming from Seattle.

Hampton Inn and Subaru of America are key sponsors, who are helping them market and spread the word. In addition, there will be 12 vendors on hand, and they will be playing basketball movies at the Liberty Theater. A beer garden will also be available.

“We are trying to make it an entire family affair,” said Butterworth. “We want it to be a vacation-like experience. There will be live music playing. We’re bringing in people from Savannah to play. It’ll be fun!”

 

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Teacher’s Unions, Camas School District Continue Contract Negotiations

Analyzing the Math and the Effects of the McCleary Law

Over the last several weeks, Camas Education Association (CEA) union representatives, with assistance from the Washington Education Association (WEA), have met face-to-face with Camas School District (CSD) representatives to negotiate and bargain for new teacher contracts.

At stake is $7.1 million, which is CSD’s share of the $2 billion that is being appropriated from the State of Washington to “amply fund” teacher salaries across 295 school districts in the state. The $2 billion is new money that is being generated from the McCleary law that was passed late in the Washington State 2017 Legislative session. The law is funded by the largest property tax in state history.

That law, according to CEA union lead, Mark Gardner, was passed after the Washington State Supreme Court mandated the State Legislature “amply fund” teacher salaries, citing the state Constitution. The Legislature took years to draft a law to satisfy the court’s judgment (which required a legislative “fix” in 2018) and was done at the end of an unusually long, and often times, bitter, legislative session.

Baseball

Call 360.696.9877 or visit www.MichaelNutterJewelry.com

The CEA is seeking from CSD $5.9 million of those funds — to be used for pay increases for certificated staff, which comprises teachers, counselors, occupational therapists, physical therapists, librarians, choir and band teachers. Principals are not included in these bargaining and salary negotiations.

Union negotiators are asking for 11-12% raises for 432 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE’s) based on 2017-18 staffing, and at this time, CSD is offering a pay increase of 4%. There’s a discrepancy in the FTE , as CSD says this year’s budget plans for 452 FTE’s. CSD staffs more FTEs than allocated by the state through local funding sources. This creates a discrepancy in the total cost of proposed compensation packages.

There are several factors contributing to the current discussions, which include, but aren’t limited to:

  • Discrepancies with Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) total compensation cost.
  • Near and long-term effects of CSD’s levying capacity, which has been cut by 50 percent.
  • Complexities and confusion of the McCleary legislation.

Lacamas Magazine spent considerable time getting the union’s perspective on the matter, which was presented in a YouTube video on August 10. We also spent time on August 10 learning about the CSD perspective on these negotiations, and inquired about pay increase complaints from union members.

According to CSD, Camas teachers have been getting increases since the 2014-15 school year, as well as Time Responsibility Incentive (TRI) increases that are consistently above state average. TRI is compensation for additional responsibilities provided by certificated staff, such as end year closeout and new year preparation time.

Over that period, according to state-audited figures from CSD, starting teachers received annual increases of 3.5%, 4.5% and 7.3%. Average teachers received annual increases of 5.1%, 5.6% and 7.3%, and Top teachers received annual increases of 4.8%, 4.5%, and 7.3%. Overall increases during that three-year period are between 16% and 19%.

“We have the best teachers and a high retention rate,” said CSD Communications Director, Doreen McKercher. “We greatly appreciate them, and want to compensate them as well as we possibly can.”

During their August 9 bargaining session, CSD agreed to increase the raise from 3.1% to 4%.

How Are Teachers Funded?

According to CSD, this is one of the biggest changes in the new funding model. Previously, the state would fund the number of teachers allocated based on student population. If districts decided to go beyond the state allocation, that would require a local levy, which is what Camas does. The amount of money received used to be based on the experience of the teaching staff, and if a district had a larger percentage of experienced teachers they would receive funding through a factor called staff mix. Camas has a veteran staff mix, said McKercher, so CSD has greatly benefited from the previous system. In the new model, the state provides an average teacher salary amount for the state plus any regionalization for each district — and now staff mix has been eliminated. Districts with more veteran teaching staffs receive less proportional funding than they did previously. If compensation is greater than state funding per FTE then additional revenue will be needed in the future to avoid cuts.

McCleary

This charts shows state funding per FTE.

Both parties had a sixth bargaining session on August 11, in which CEA president Shelley Houle said the following (via Facebook post):

“Today we met with our district’s bargaining team to each propose an offer. Although we feel a significant gap still exists, positive steps were taken to find more common ground. We added three more bargaining dates that will take place after August 21st in anticipation that we can dig into the minutia of what a salary schedule would look like for Camas educators.”

“But, our work is far from done and there is no guarantee that the needed common ground will be found. We still must plan for the worst and continue to organize. All actions and events will proceed as planned. We appreciate your support and commitment to seeing this through.”

Specifics of Saturday’s bargaining session have not been made public.

“The status of the negotiations are ongoing, which is a good sign,” said CSD Superintendent, Jeff Snell. “Any time conversation is taking place, there are opportunities to learn more about other perspectives and hopefully find common ground. The change in the way we fund schools has put both our unions and district in a very challenging situation. There’s a lot to work through and figure out. Decisions obviously have implications for this year and the future as well, so we all want to be thoughtful about them.”

Snell also addressed community frustration, and asks for patience in the process. The complexities and effects of the McCleary fix are adversely affecting 270 of the 295 districts across the state. Only 25 districts have settled — and they are generally in smaller, less populated areas.

“I understand there is a lot of frustration about the process this year,” said Snell. “I’m frustrated too. I’m not frustrated with our staff. They deserve to be compensated well and the union’s job is to try to negotiate the best contract possible. I’m frustrated because we’ve advocated side-by-side for so long to increase the funding our students deserve in this state. Now we’ve been given a new system that is creating chaos. The new system is dividing districts instead of bringing them together. It would be easy to blame one side or another, but that’s too simple. That charge would be warranted if this was just happening in Camas, but it is not. I have had the privilege of collaborating with so many amazingly talented teachers, secretaries, custodians, administrators, board members, all of the diverse roles it takes to run a school district, from all over the state. A common theme amongst each of them is their commitment to students and to each other. It’s a gift to serve in public education and to do it well requires all of us working together and supporting each other. My hope is this challenge brings out the best in each of us and we come out of it even stronger.”

 

McCleary

Camas School Superintendent Jeff Snell speaks at the 2017 Camas High School Graduation Ceremony.

 

FTE Count

The union’s proposal is based on a 432 person FTE head count, which is different from the CSD’s 452 person FTE count. That’s a difference of 20 positions, reflecting a financial discrepancy of approximately $2 million, and is a major reason CSD can’t reach the 11% pay increase demand.

“CSD has passed flawlessly state financial audits for the past nine years, so our numbers are reliable,” said McKercher. “We’ve addressed this discrepancy with the union during the August 2 bargaining session.”

The district included this additional $7 million state allocation into their 2018-19 operating budget, which totals $94.43 million. Eighty-one percent of the district budget comes from state funds, while federal and local funds provide the remaining 19 percent to meet operating expenses.

 

McCleary

Mark Gardner is one of the CEA bargaining negotiators.

Levy Capacity Diminished by 50%

Because the McCleary law used property taxes to fund the Supreme Court mandate, it changes the way all school districts use levies to fund gaps in operating expenses. The result: CSD’s ability to levy has been reduced by 50% — from $3 for every $1,000 of assessed property value to $1.50.

“Because of McCleary, we are already losing $4.9 million in levy capacity in the next school year,” said McKercher. “They should have let us ride out our levy. McCleary takes away levies that people already voted for. We’re currently in the first year of a four-year levy.”

The McCleary law essentially negated the votes of Camas voters.

“We’ll have to go back out for a levy at only $1.50 instead of $3 in about a year,” said McKercher.

The CEA says “While local levy collection will decrease, it will be more than offset by the increase in state allocation.”

CSD disagrees.

“The district will be exhausting ALL state funding in 2018/2019 and using local levy revenues to continue to employ positions beyond what the state funds. The new legislation is reducing our local levy revenues by 50% in the calendar year 2019, which we use to fund positions and pay beyond the state allocation, 100% of extra-curricular activities, and subsidize underfunded areas of Special Education, Student Transportation, and Food Services.”

The district will be using local levy dollars to fund additional positions and pay of approximately $6.3 million districtwide and an estimated $2.2 million to cover the underfunded Special Education programs.

McKercher said that losing 50% of levy capacity is a blow to the district, and is a major repercussion of the McCleary fix. Levies started to become necessary as state funding didn’t keep pace with running a school system. Levies essentially filled in the gaps.

The other issue is that levy money only flows in twice a year, and if homeowners are behind on their property tax payments, that could affect operating revenue.

“All districts have to contend with this,” said McKercher. “We’re in this mess because of a badly written law. This is a state-wide effort, and WEA is focusing on changing the law, but it’s coming at the expense of our relationships.”

The McCleary “Fix”: Bad Legislation

According to Bill Keim, former Executive Director of the Washington Association of School Administrators, the McCleary legislation has fundamental flaws:
• Local levy reduction aren’t equal across the board, and cuts local levy authority by a statewide average of $947 per student.
• Creates a new approach to the Local Effort Assistance (LEA), which aims to help areas with lower property values. He says the new system creates the “haves” who can secure a total of $2,500 per student in local funding and the “have-nots” who can only secure $1,500. This approach is blatantly inequitable.
• A net negative effect on levy and LEA. He says: “The district that fared best with these changes is estimated to gain over $3,800 per student, while the district that did worst will lose over $9,500 per student. Those lost dollars will be hard enough for the districts to accommodate, but these are also the most flexible funds districts receive. Their loss will make it much harder for the districts to accommodate local priorities or to smooth out the anomalies in other state funding allocations.”
• He says: “58 school districts will receive more money than needed to provide their 2017-18 workforce with a 19% increase, and 237 districts won’t receive enough. On one end of that equation, the biggest winner will receive $7,175 more than it needs, and at the other end, the biggest loser receives $15,394 per certificated instructional staff (CIS) less than needed. The legislative message in the face of this problem seems to be just make it work.”
• A major challenge to account for local funds, and clarification on limitations of enrichment funds. He says: “That clarification is very important because, for the first time, school districts must account separately for their use of local funds, the State Auditor will audit that accounting, and there are sanctions for the inappropriate use of those funds. To date, no one in any position of authority has offered a definitive interpretation, much less released WAC rules that generally guide school districts with the implementation of new laws. Given the landmark nature of these laws, the absence of that guidance is very troubling and will require 295 districts leaders to make their own interpretation about this part of the legislation.”
• While some districts like Lake Washington fared well under this law, he says most will not. Keim says: “While that will likely be portrayed as administrative tightfistedness, the reality is that most school districts will have much less new funding to put on the table. That highlights the fact that in the post-McCleary era, student zip codes will still determine the quality of education they receive. And the sad reality is that in many communities, that disparity may be even greater than before.”

McKercher said the impact of McCleary as it currently stands, will force CSD to lay off staff and/or eliminate programming in two to three years.

The other outstanding issue is that legislators in 2018 passed a budget that lowers property taxes by $400 million over the next two years — which is designed to give property owners some relief after the sticker shock of getting tax bills following the McCleary legislation in 2017. While property taxes, which are a primary source of school funding, are reduced, so are the levies. That puts more squeeze on all school districts.

The Effects of a Strike

The CEA is currently organizing a strike vote, which is planned for August 27. According to Gardner, it’s not something they want to do.

“We are planning our curriculum and operating as if everything will be normal on September 4,” Gardner said.

A strike has many repercussions:

1) The state won’t waive walkout days — and will enforce the state mandate that students attend for 180 days.
2) If a strike goes past September 15, CSD employees who do not work will lose their benefits for that month.
3) If a strike goes past September 15, CSD employees who do not work will not get paid.
4) Family schedules will be adversely affected.

McKercher said the district is committed to compensating CSD employees as much as possible, and that she’s worried about how the effects of a strike will affect long-standing relationships in the community.

There are still several bargaining sessions on the August calendar, and we will continue to report news as it becomes available.

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100 Women Who Care Clark County Raises $10K for Camas Farmer’s Market

Camas, WA — At their third quarterly event Wednesday night at Salud Wine Co., 100 Women Who Care Clark County heard from three non-profit charitable foundations, and voted to help out the Camas Farmer’s Market.

As is their quarterly process, each member nominated a charity of their choosing, and each card was placed into a bucket. At random, three cards representing three different organizations, were selected: Camas Farmer’s Market, NW Cave, and the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society.

Members who nominated these three groups each spoke for several minutes on the benefits and services each non-profit provides.

Prior to those testimonials, the group also heard from representatives of Villages Northwest, the recipient of $10,000+ from the past meeting. They reported they’re using the funds to expand their operations in Camas-Washougal. They were pretty excited about the generous gift.

Kimberly Koch, owner of Truly Scrumptious, represented Camas Farmer’s Market (of which she’s a Board member) and explained that the market provides two valuable programs to help lower-income families.

One program is called Produce Pals, which provides $2 per child at each market event to purchase fruits and vegetables.

“It encourages people to try new, healthy and fresh foods,” said Koch.

The other Camas Farmer’s Market program is called SNAP Match. The market will match any SNAP funds to be used at market booths, and is only available. For example, if a consumer has $5 in SNAP funds, the market will match $5 to be used on fresh produce there.

With the money raised from 100 Women Who Care, the market will expand those programs, and be able to help more people — especially children, to get access to high quality food.

To learn more visit www.100womenclarkcounty.com or www.camasfarmersmarket.org

 

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Lacamas Athletic Club Decision Forces Out CHS Girls Swim Team

Camas, WA — After many weeks of negotiations between Lacamas Athletic Club and Camas High School (CHS), the school’s athletic program was forced to find a new home for the Girl’s swim team this season, and is leaving the future home of the two-time State Championship winning Boy’s swim team in doubt.

“Our girls swim program will be swimming this season at Cascade Athletic Club,” said CHS Athletic Director, Rory Oster. “Cascade Athletic Club and Evergreen School District has been excellent in working with us to accommodate our kids. All I can say is that our preference would be to have Camas High School girl’s swim program using Lacamas Athletic Club facilities. Unfortunately an agreement could not be made in order to do so for this upcoming swim season, my hope is that our boys swim team will be able to use Lacamas Athletic facilities as again, that is the preference of Camas School District Athletic Department.”

Oster said that Camas High School will not have any “home meets” and that all of their competitions will be at other pools.

In June, Denise Croucher, owner of Lacamas Athletic Club, approached Oster with demands that CHS could not meet. Among those initial demands, according to Mike Bemis, CHS Head Swim Coach, was to find another coach who wasn’t affliated with Columbia River Swim Team (CRST) — a competitor of the Lacamas Athletic Club’s Headhunters private club swim team. Bemis is a two-time State Championship swim coach for CHS, and the team won back-to-back State titles in 2017 and 2018.

Camas reaffirmed their loyalty and commitment to Bemis and his successful program.

According to Bemis, Lacamas Athletic Club accused him and CRST of recruiting athletes away from the Headhunters program.

”Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Bemis. “These are great kids and we have athletes from multiple clubs who compete for Camas High School. The athletes all get along quite well, and it shows with their accomplishments. CRST, for which I work very part-time, has not recruited any athletes from Lacamas or any other club.”

Bemis said the final gap that couldn’t be bridged was that Lacamas Athletic Club also demanded that Bemis sign an agreement between CRST and Lacamas Athletic Club that neither club could recruit any swimmers from each other’s clubs that are aged 14 or older, and that after turning 14, they could never switch club teams.

”That’s an agreement I simply could not sign,” said Bemis. “I have no authority to do that, and the owner of CRST was never approached. Such an agreement also infringes on parental choice as to where they want their child to practice and compete.”

 

Swim

Camas High School girls swimmers hold up the US flag during the pledge of allegiance at a 2017 home meet.

The management at CRST concurs.

”We were never approached by Denise or anyone at Lacamas Athletic Club with an agreement,” said Darlene Lumbard, owner of CRST. “I even spent four days next to Denise at a recent club meet and nothing was ever said. In fact, the kids from both programs get along very well.”

When Lacamas Magazine approached Croucher in late June about possible outcomes, Croucher said of Oster: “He may be considering moving the team, but this is not the outcome we are hoping for.”

Following the official move to Cascade, Croucher was asked to reply to details about the negotiations, and she said:
”Our agreement with the school district had to be re-negotiated because the current terms no longer worked due to the time changes at the school district; they could no longer swim at 2:30 pm. It is not uncommon to renegotiate the terms yearly if needed. With our drastic membership growth over the past two years, the members’ pool usage has also increased. This makes an agreement more difficult as we have to keep our valuable member’s needs a top priority. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach an agreement this year that worked for both parties. Being a private business, we will not discuss the details of a business agreement. Hopefully we can accommodate the school district’s pool rental needs in the future.”
Swim

At one of the 2017 Camas High School home swim meets.

“I think again this just goes to show you that you can’t demand this upon parents,” said CHS Assistant Swim Coach, Leslie Levesque. “She [Croucher] has no legal ground to stand on. Parents have the right to decided which club their kids swim in. This is absurd. And Mike said we can easily practice in the morning times at Lacamas as we did last year.”
The move has scheduling, traffic, and other complications, and poses some additional burdens on the coaches, Cascade Athletic Club, and the parents. Bemis also expressed gratitude toward Cascade for making this accommodation. The club will see how things go with the girl’s season, and then make decisions about the future with the boy’s season. Levesque said CHS will have two lanes at Cascade Athletic Club from at 5:30 am, 6:15 am, and 7:15-8:45 each evening, and will share the pool with CRST.
Swim

Camas High and Washougal High School seniors honored at Senior Night.

Making It Work
“We’ve been put out to pasture,” said Bemis. “This makes it a lot tougher to keep winning championships. It creates travel issues. No home meets. It’s hard to build up new kids in a situation like this. It makes it more challenging to get to the facilities. This is my biggest fear. It’s been challenging to work with Lacamas Athletic Club over the years but we’ve always made it work these past 12 years — until now. We’re really grateful to Mitch Merwin at Cascade — he’s been great to work with. He’s been very helpful.”
Swim

Swimming at a home meet.

A Parent’s Perspective
“Well, besides the Lacamas pool being a beautiful facility, I’m glad the Camas school district isn’t playing the blackmail game,” said Sarah Segall, mother of CHS swimmer, Bailey Segall. “Denise never treated the swimmers well and frequently wouldn’t have the pool open when they arrived for an early morning practice. It will be tight to have all the swimmers at Cascade but the girls seem excited about the opportunity to train with each other. Although it’s not ideal for them to drive so far across town for their practice, it will show their dedication to the sport. It would be great if the city of Camas were made aware of the need for a facility for the community as well as for the high level swim program at the high school. CHS is still working out details on transportation from morning practices to school, and is uncertain how this will impact the boy’s swim team season.”
Swim

The future of practice and home meets is in question for the 2X State Championship winning CHS Boys Swim Team.

“For practice we are able to give our students options for attendance so it has the ability to fit everyone’s schedule,” said Oster. “Camas SD and Evergreen SD will be sharing facilities during practice times. Our hope is that Lacamas Athletic Club has a change of heart by the time boys season begins and welcomes us back to our prior relationship which has always been positive and effective.”

Statement from Camas City Councilor Rusch

“Although the only information I have on this is what’s been reported in your article, this is disappointing,” said Camas City Councilor, Deanna Rusch. “However, I can say the City is actively working to pursue a year round pool/aquatic center/community center. A multi jurisdictional committee is set to begin meetings September 5 to discuss this. I look forward to serving on this committee and to helping to further the current momentum and progress we are having on making sure Camas has a safe and fun place to swim. My goal would be to provide a year round facility for our swimmers and divers.

Further, although the existing Crown Park pool will be demolished, City Council hasn’t made a decision on what will happen in its place. I, for one, don’t believe a small neighborhood pool and a larger community center pool are mutually exclusive and I’m examining all of our options in this regard.”

Swim Gallery

 

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Camas Urban Tree Program: City Council Moves to Draft New Ordinance

Camas, WA — It was standing room only Monday night at Camas City Hall as residents listened to a public presentation on the proposed Camas Urban Tree Program, and spent more than an hour expressing their opinions about tree planning. It ended with the Council voting to have the City Attorney draft an official Urban Tree Program ordinance that will be voted on in the near future.

Senior City Planner, Sarah Fox, presented the tree program, which has been in progress since 2016, and explained its key points. The city views trees as public assets.

Here are some highlights of the proposed Urban Tree Program:

  • Street tree permits. Residents looking to remove street trees from their private property would need a permit.
  • Changes municipal code for park and open space trees.
  • Sets a minimum of 20 trees per net acre.
  • Adds very specific tree preservation language to municipal code.
  • Changes the fine and fee schedules for removing trees. Currently, from $500-$1,000, the new proposal is a scale that is based on size. The fine could be higher based on size for trees in critical areas.
  • Replaces Chapter 18.31 in the city code.
  • Amends Chapter 18.13 for landscaping.

Please visit www.cityofcamas.us for more details.

Following her presentation, City Councilors listened to more than an hour of public comment on the program.

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Public Comments

The first citizen to address the council was Karen Weiss, who is concerned with preservation of older trees.

”Smaller trees can’t replace the older growth trees,” she said. “How do you define critical trees? Can a 100 year-old tree be replaced by a bunch of smaller trees? I’m also curious about who governs the fines? I’m worried that people will simply pay the fines and developers can get rid of the trees. How can you protect super old trees?”

Residents expressed concerns that fines weren’t high enough.

Geri Rubano asked for fines to be increased four-fold, and recommended that tree density should be up at 30 per net acre.

“The plan you have now definitely provides more protections than we have now,” said Cassi Marshall, who was appointed to the work on the program as a citizen representative. “It’s a great place to start.”

Longtime Camas resident, Lynne Lyne stole the show Monday night with an impassioned plea to stop clear-cutting.

“Why on Earth has it just been the past two years that the Council has said ‘hey maybe we need to look at the way we’re developing our town?’ I agree with Geri completely … why the heck do you allow clear-cutting, non-stop clear-cutting …? Clear-cutting with houses crammed together … is that the quaint, wonderful town of Camas we want to create for ourselves? I would think it’s not … I’m dumbfounded that this has been allowed to go on for so long.”

Public consensus, based on those who spoke at Monday’s meeting, is to raise the number of trees per acre unit from 20 trees to 30. The public also wants to make the fines greater, and a better explanation of how fines are processed and decided. There was a great deal of concern about clear-cutting.

Following the public comment time, council members and city employees answered several citizen questions, which included how fines are processed, what percentage of trees would be required to be evergreen, why clear-cutting is allowed, and when this would take effect.

Fox said fines would be put into the fee schedule that would be assessed by a code enforcement officer. She added that “generally unauthorized tree removal isn’t from our development community, it’s from our citizens who go into open spaces behind our houses, which are really the city’s open spaces and parks, and they’re cutting down a tree for a view — usually that’s the reason …”

She said the proposal allows the officer to respond to the illegal activity and deal with the issue, and enables them to write a ticket on the spot. The fine would be based on the size of the tree. The next step provides guidelines on how to assess the actual value of the tree, which would be an additional fine. The violator is also required to replant.

Fines would go into a city tree fund.

Fox said the program requires 50 percent of new trees be evergreen, and also requires the other trees be a native species, as well.

Councilor Greg Anderson indirectly addressed a clear-cutting question from Camas resident, Keith McPhun.

The new ordinance would only apply to new developments, and would not be retroactive to developments already agreed to.

”I would love it if the fines were higher, and it was 30 instead of 20, and I understand why the compromises were made in looking at all the factors but I think this is better than what we have now,” said Councilor Deanna Rusch.

”I feel my question about clear-cutting was only partially answered,” said McPhun.

The council’s vote on Monday mandates the City Attorney draft an official ordinance, which will be based on the Camas Urban Tree Program presentation by Fox.

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Camas Urban Tree Program Hearing #2 This Monday — Let Your Voice Be Heard

Camas, WA — Over the last two years, city of Camas officials have been working on an Urban Tree Program to better protect the city’s trees. To voice your concerns, ideas, and suggestions, the city is inviting local residents to attend a public hearing at the Camas City Council chambers on Monday, August 6 at 7 pm. The address is 616 NE 4th Avenue, Camas, WA 98607.

If you cannot attend, submit your comments to [email protected] or call Sarah Fox at 360-817-7269. For meeting minutes and video from the first public tree hearing, which was held on June 19, go to https://goo.gl/nsKWtg and click the video on the right. Public comment begins at the 34-minute mark. The city appreciates all those who attended.

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For the latest information, visit www.cityofcamas.us

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Ducky Derby: Raising Funds for Essential CW Rotary Service Projects

Camas, WA — When the 2018 Ducky Derby kicks off this Sunday at noon, as part of the Camas Days celebration, it’s likely tickets for the event will sell out early, said John Tennant, of the Camas-Washougal Rotary Club.

Rotarians are close to selling out the allotted 5,000 tickets for the derby, which cost $5 apiece.

“This is the annual fundraiser for the local Rotary Club, which goes to all the projects we support,” said Tennant. “The money we raise supports scholarships, Young Men/Women in Action, High School robotics, polio, food drives, and provides essential money to be able to function.”

When people purchase tickets, they’re given a ticket stub receipt, and the main ticket is attached to each of the 5,000 rubber ducks. Rotarians recently hosted a tagging party, attaching the tickets to each duck.

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Ducky

Ducks in the Washougal River.

The race begins on the Third Avenue Bridge in Camas, when a front-loader donated by Nutter Corporation tips its bucket and unloads over 5,000 plastic ducks into the water below. From there, the current takes over and the ducks dash to the finish line. The fastest ducks down the river will win prizes for those who’ve adopted them.  The entire community is invited to come to see the Ducky Derby Race. The grand prize is a one week condo stay in Hawaii, donated by Riverview Bank (7 nights plus $1,000 towards airfare). Many other prizes will be awarded.

You can still buy tickets through Sunday, and the CW Rotary Club will have a booth at Camas Days. It’s likely the tickets will sell out half way through Camas Days. Each ticket is sold person-to-person.

To learn more, visit www.CWRotary.com

 

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