Archdiocese explains why it doesn’t want mediation for teacher contracts

    As the Association of Catholic Teachers continues to push for mediation to resolve its contract negotiations with the Office of Catholic Education, the Archdiocese maintains a mediator could bring too much influence to the discussion.

    “A mediator could also dictate which issues are most important and how they should be handled,” reads a letter sent to parents yesterday. “None of these issues are areas that we can afford to give up on.    Our fear is that a mediator, despite best intentions, would not fully appreciate the importance of these issues to our faith-based education.”

    The letter went out after parents asked for more transparency around the negotiations. Catholic high schools remain closed and teachers on strike, and though the diocese says it’s sharing some of the following information for “clarity.”

    The contract issues for the archdiocese include:

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    Insisting that teachers acknowledge the importance of integrating technology in the classroom
    Removing roadblocks that continue to impede our ability to introduce new academic programs (e.g., on-line courses) to our students
    Increasing instructional time by a half hour more each day, as many schools across the nation have already done
    Extending the time frame in which disciplinary letters remain in a teacher’s file and tightening accountability for teacher conduct in light of current state and diocesan mandates to provide a safe environment in our schools

    You can read the full letter here.

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