Letter of Support from UCSD Preuss School Faculty

To:

Devin Serrano, Ph. D.

UCLA PreK-12 Programs and Schools

3321 Moore Hall

Los Angeles, CA 90095
 

January 25, 2023
 

Dear Superintendent Serrano,
 

We, the educators of The Preuss School UC San Diego, are writing to you in support of the UCLA Lab School Demonstration Teachers and their efforts to negotiate a contract that continues to guarantee a quality education for their students and fair working conditions for the faculty.
 

The Preuss School UC San Diego has already negotiated two contracts, with a third negotiation to begin this year. It is through these face-to-face discussions that the school and administration can discuss the issues facing the school and how best to solve them. In our first contract, both groups wanted to continue to have an evaluation process that would promote continuous faculty improvement while also ensuring a high quality of education for our students. The current evaluation process, based on the California Standards for the Teaching Profession, is the result of the back and forth that can only occur when faculty and administration sit down together and consider each other’s point of view and needs. At the same time, wanting faculty to be able to access quality professional development, the parties established a Professional Development Fund Pool that encourages faculty to continue their professional learning while not being financially onerous on the school. In our most recent contract, administration was looking for ways to handle short-term absences, so we collaborated and reached the current definitions and processes. Everything in our contract is the result of what happens when administration of the school meets and confers with faculty.

The faculty at the UCLA Lab School deserve to have the same opportunities to discuss similar issues, along with others such as planning time and instructional supports that can help meet the needs of all students. And it is really the students who benefit from these negotiations. Our Chief Administrative Officer brought to the table administration’s needs while faculty representatives brought theirs, all with an eye on what can help improve the school for everyone. But solutions and processes cannot be reached when one party refuses to meet. The recent strike action could (and should) have been avoided by simply continuing negotiations with faculty. We, the faculty of The Preuss School UC San Diego, have experienced firsthand the good that can come from sitting down with administration to deliberate and discuss. We stand by our dedicated fellow educators at The UCLA Lab School and ask that you return to bargain in good faith with them. You have an incredible opportunity to help shape the future for your students. In the end, they are the ones who feel the consequences or rewards. You owe it to them to do your part.

Sincereley,

Preuss Faculty

For comparison, here's the 18 page Preuss School Memorandum 2020-24