M-DCPS to negotiate multi-year contract with teachers union

MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Public Schools and United Teachers of Dade (UTD) have agreed to the same starting point for collective bargaining scheduled to begin later this month: what’s best for the District’s 357,000 students.

The District and UTD are entering the negotiations focused on a set of common interests to be met by a new teacher contract: to improve student achievement, teacher quality and teacher pay.

The District’s goal is to reach a three-year contract with teachers to allow it to plan and budget more precisely. Historically, the District and UTD have had to reopen negotiations annually to address at least teacher pay increases.

An issues “platform” delivered to the School Board today outlines the District’s initial interests to be pursued by four negotiating subcommittees:

Developing high quality faculty with accomplished instructional practice
Expanding the pool of experienced educators skilled in diverse roles in classroom support
Offering opportunities for career advancement
Building a stable of new and early career teachers loyal to the District
Implementing a system that supports quality teaching and evaluation
Establishing and maintaining a stable work environment that leads to increased student achievement
Reforming secondary education to enable students to succeed in global market
Augmenting curricula to demand greater effort and challenge students
Utilizing research-based core curricula and instructional strategies to maximize the use of instructional time
Compensating faculty competitively with a simplified salary schedule
Offering opportunities for additional compensation
Building and sustaining a growing number of parents committed to involvement at school sites and The Parent Academy
Engaging in decision-making based on improving education and transparency to parents and the public

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