Negotiations with TALB Include Discussion of Paid Professional Development

Negotiations with TALB Include Discussion of Paid Professional Development

Bargaining teams for the Long Beach Unified School District and the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) continue to work toward reaching a contract agreement that validates the hard work of teachers and allows the District to responsibly carry out its mission of ensuring excellence and equity for every student.

During the most recent bargaining session on Feb. 7, TALB and the District engaged in focused discussions regarding the proposal to add paid professional development days incorporated into a proposed expansion of the teacher work year that includes the use of pupil-free days. Below are some key tenets of that current proposal:

• Pupil-free days would be scheduled throughout the year by the Calendar Committee.
• Training addressing site and District objectives will take place on school campuses.
• Training will be developed through a collaborative effort among site Instructional Leadership Teams (ILT) and administration. This approach allows each site to differentiate training to meet specific needs.
• Each day would consist of up to four hours of focused training, and at least two hours of collaboration time among departments, grade levels and/or pathways. Teachers would also have an additional two hours of planning time to use at their discretion.
• Because teachers will be paid at their regular rate for these additional days, this added compensation is equivalent to a 2.2% salary increase and is eligible for regular CalSTRS credit. This additional pay is independent of any other compensation offer.

The District looks forward to working with TALB as talks continue on Feb. 24.