FAQ: Secondary Schedule Change Vote

What circumstances do and do not require a vote to change the schedule?

A proposal to change a secondary school’s schedule from the default six-period day requires two-thirds approval from the “involved” certificated staff. However, if the change is initiated directly by the Superintendent or the Board of Education, a vote does not need to be held.  A vote does not have to be held if a site is creating minimum or modified days, as long as the 6 period day is not affected (but the administration must solicit staff and SGT input prior to creating a calendar of such days, per Section 8.3 in the union contract).

What circumstances require both a vote and a waiver?

Both a vote AND a contract waiver from SDEA are required if a proposed schedule change will decrease the proportionate amount of prep time to teaching time a teacher will receive each week. Schedule changes that require a vote but do NOT require a waiver would include switching to a block schedule or including a non-instructional advisory period, as these changes maintain a 5:1 ratio of teaching time to prep time. A schedule change that would require BOTH a vote AND a waiver would be a switch from a six-period day to a seven-period day, which would create a 6:1 ratio of teaching time to prep time.

What is the default secondary schedule?

The default schedule is the standard six-period day. This includes five teaching and one prep period per day, with periods of roughly equal length. Any deviation from this schedule (e.g. a seven period day, block scheduling, inclusion of an advisory period, etc.) requires a certificated staff vote.

How many votes does it take to change a schedule?

In order to change the schedule, two-thirds of all eligible voters must approve the schedule change—not simply two thirds of the people who show up to vote. This means that a lack of a vote is effectively a “no” vote. If two-thirds of the eligible voting certificated staff do not vote to approve an alternate schedule, the site schedule for the following school year shall default to the standard six-period day.

Who is eligible to vote?

Only SDEA bargaining unit members participate in the vote; administrators and classified staff do not. Both SDEA members and non-members (fee-payers) can potentially vote. However, the voting pool is comprised only of “involved” SDEA bargaining unit members. Members who will not be impacted by the schedule change are not eligible to vote. SDEA recommends that site Association Representatives planning to hold an election establish a committee of SDEA members to examine the list of all bargaining unit members and determine who would and would not be “involved” (and hence able to vote) well in advance of the election.

Who conducts the vote? Who designs the ballot?

The vote should be conducted and the ballot should be designed by the site Association Representative, assisted by the site team and, if necessary, SDEA staff. SDEA recommends that ARs establish an election committee comprised of SDEA members to ensure that procedures are followed appropriately, as well as forming a “schedule committee,” comprised of SDEA members, well in advance of any proposed schedule changes.

What should be the duration of the voting period? How should absent eligible voters be treated?

Each site may determine the dates and length of the voting period, as well as procedures for dealing with absent eligible voters. ARs should ensure that the vote is conducted in such a way that eligible voters are fully enfranchised. This may be accomplished by a lengthy election period (e.g. several days of voting), procedures for accepting proxy votes, or any other measures determined by the site team.

How often should a schedule change vote be held?

An annual vote is required for any schedule that deviates from the standard six-period day. If no vote is held, the default schedule for the following school year is the six-period day.

What is the deadline to vote to change the schedule for the following year?

If a schedule change includes implementing or adjusting an early release or late start time, the contractual deadline for the vote is February 1 for the following year.  This is only the deadline for schedules that will incur costs (such as rearranging the bussing schedule) for the district.  All other schedule change votes should generally occur prior to April 15, which is the deadline for submitting instructional minutes for the following year to the state, and the date by which contract waiver requests must be submitted to both the SDEA Board of Directors and the SDUSD Board of Educaiton for consideration for the next school year (per Section 24.3 in the contract).

Sources: Sections 8.3, 8.7, 8.8, 8.13 and 24.3.