21-22 Back to School Updates
From Your UniServ Director
The 2020-2021 school year was quite a time to be introduced to the Northern Colorado UniServ Unit! I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many NCUU members in my first year as your UniServ Director, and look forward to meeting many, many more of you this year. Look for me in your buildings, or send an email to zjohnson@coloradoea.org to arrange a time for me to stop by!
Who Should I Call?
The beginning of a new school year often brings many questions. Often, the best solution is the one that can be found closest to you! Use this flow chart to consider where to direct your questions as they arise:
Membership
Entering the 2021-2022 school year, NCUU is over 1,700 members strong! The first months of the school year are critical to ensuring your local affiliate is in a strong position to advocate for teaching and learning conditions in your district. Check with your local membership committee to see how you can help!
2021 NCUU Leadership Development Workshop
On July 21, leaders from NCUU local associations met to build relationships, develop their leadership and issue identification skills, and plan for the upcoming year!
Bargaining Update
After a year of uncertainty, NCUU Bargaining and Meet & Confer teams worked hard to ensure that educators and their students would receive the support the deserve!
One area that all NCUU locals work on through bargaining or meet & confer processes is compensation. Despite an unusual year, there are many successes to celebrate! Here are a few highlights:
ALL educators within the Northern Colorado UniServ Unit will see steps, lanes, and an increase in base salary this year!
Bargaining teams and meet & confer representatives in Greeley, Fort Lupton, Weld Central, and Windsor-Severance worked with district teams to get base salaries to $40k
The Johnstown-Milliken Education Association bargaining team worked through interest-based bargaining for an additional 1% on the base salary (following a retroactive 6% increase for the 2020-2021 school year)
The Greeley Education Association compensation committee worked through consensus model bargaining to achieve a 4% increase to base salary
Additionally, bargaining teams and meet & confer representatives worked to advocate for improved board policy and contractual language on a range of issues:
improving the staff discipline policies
clarifying and improving bereavement and sick leave policy language
protecting and increasing planning time
Much of this work will be on-going, and bargaining teams will continue conversations to improve teaching and learning conditions throughout the summer and fall!
Looking Forward
Fall is always an important time of year! This year will be no exception - there is always work to be done:
Across the Northern Colorado UniServ Unit, districts are seeing large numbers of new hires this year! Make a plan to meet your new colleagues, and bring them on board!
Last year, NCUU staff and GEA Leadership developed a COpilot course focused on issue advocacy at the building and district level, intended for ARs. We plan to offer this course again this fall - be on the lookout for more information!
School Board elections have a direct impact on teaching and learning conditions in every school district. Watch your (home/personal) email for more information on how you can get involved!
In Solidarity,
Zac Johnson, UniServ Director
Northern Colorado UniServ Unit
