Western Heights teachers’ pay docked for participating in walkout

[Dave70968]

http://kfor.com/2018/05/24/western-heights-teachers-pay-docked-for-participating-in-walkout/

OKLAHOMA CITY – Teachers were in shock Thursday after finding out their paychecks had taken a hit because they decided to participate in the teacher walkout.

The Oklahoma Education Association confirmed to News 4 that Western Heights teachers who took time off to participate in the teacher walkout got their pay docked.

News 4 sources sent us an email Western Heights teachers received from administrators on Thursday.

“Your May paycheck is being docked because you were absent without leave in April. If you have any questions, please contact your Principal,” the email reads.

The email did not explain how much money was being deducted.

Western Heights teachers received news back in April during the walkout that if they participated, they could be in violation of their contracts. Some teachers still chose to walkout.

OEA sent us a statement in regards of the pay issue saying:

“We are aware that Western Heights wants to dock the pay of some of our members who took personal leave to attend the walkout. We’ll represent our members in resolving this dispute with the school district.”

We made several efforts to reach out to the administrative office, but we were told officials we needed to talk to were too busy.

 

[Pokinfun]

The state is going to audit districts to see if teachers worked enough hours. Our district told us about it several weeks ago. I had to work an extra 24 hours.

 

[Dave70968]

The extra week seems to be wasted anyway; my fourth-grade son has spent the week playing games (card games today), and tomorrow it's do-anything-you-want day: iPads, games, naptime, whatever.

Color me impressed.

 

[Pokinfun]

we did not do an extra week, we added time to each day.

 

[Dave70968]

we did not do an extra week, we added time to each day.

The point wasn't the means by which the time was made up, but the use to which the time was put. Calling those "instructional hours" is a steaming crock.

Hopefully your district was more productive than Deer Creek.

 

[dennishoddy]

If I didn't show up for work, I wouldn't be paid. What's the issue?
I get it that its a contract job, but don't most have provisions for some time off paid and some not?

 

[rc508pir]

They should have been fired...……. All of them

 

[RETOKSQUID]

See how they would like our AWOL reward. 45/45 1/2 months pay and reduction to next lower pay grade.

 

[Pokinfun]

The point wasn't the means by which the time was made up, but the use to which the time was put. Calling those "instructional hours" is a steaming crock.

Hopefully your district was more productive than Deer Creek.

Most of my time was made up going to games, I go to choir, concerts, tennis, soccer, baseball, and so on to cheer students on. If I have a student that does an extra curricular activity I go to watch them at least once during the school year. It is important for students to know that you actually care about them beyond your classroom.
It took me about 2 weeks to log an extra 24 hours Between getting ready in the morning and grading after school, I spend an extra hour a day at school.
The time you are discussing and the time I am discussing is not the same time. You are discussing the time students had to make up. I am discussing the extra hours teachers had to make up. My district, along with teachers, decided that the best way to make up the student time was by adding time to each classroom period, instead of adding time to the end of the year. The teachers the OP posted about are being charged for the teacher time, not student time.
I know people that work by the hour are limited in their ability to understand how salary professions work, they just say fire them all.

 

[Honey Badger]

I teach at Guymon High School. We go an extra 25 minutes everyday, all year long. This allows the district to have an additional 10 bad weather days built in. We only used 9 during the walkout.

It doesn’t surprise me that westweb heights would do this to its employees! Joe kitchens is a royal *******! He’s worried about himself and no one else! I taught there one year, several years back and was one and done with that shithole!