May Update

As we near the end of another school year, it’s important that we reflect on where we are and what the future may entail:

1.)  It would be unfair not to acknowledge the recent positive change in the relationship between district leaders and the OEA.  We are all muddling through the legislative challenges handed to us by Governor Snyder and the Mackinac Center (a.k.a. the Michigan House of Representatives), and to everyone’s credit, doing so with patience and understanding.  We are the only Muskegon County district with a bargaining agreement in place for teachers beyond 2014.  That stability will be increasingly important as long as the leadership vacuum in Lansing on public education continues.

2)  Orchard View teachers recently approved a two year contract, taking them out to August of 2014, but because they did not ratify by March 27, right-to-work-for-less will be in force.  In addition, the 5% pay cut that was imposed upon them in February has been reduced, but will still amount to a 2% cut over all through 2013-2014.  Class sizes will increase contractually, and the district is dumping trimesters at OV High, which may lead to job losses. 

3)  Teacher evaluations and discipline continue to be sources of anxiety, and if you listen to the politicians bloviating about the subject in Lansing, that is perfectly understandable.  However, your union leadership has had no indication from the superintendent that teacher evaluations are going to suddenly transform into attempts to devalue or undervalue teachers.  In fact, building principals are making every effort to engage teachers to discuss the evaluation process and lessen anxiety levels. 

4)  In regard to discipline, there have been several rounds of discussion about what constitutes a ‘verbal’ warning.  Long-standing labor practice has recognized that a progression of disciplinary actions have to take place before an employee is dismissed for just cause.  The first step in that process is a verbal warning, but that verbal warning, in spite of its title, needs to be documented, and the affected employee made aware of the fact that formal disciplinary action has been taken.  That verbal warning would traditionally be entered in the employee’s personnel file, and under Federal law, accompanied by the employee’s rebuttal of the action if he or she chose to provide a response.  The most important point here is this:  an administrator who claims that you have been given a verbal warning without providing some form of documentation of that action needs to be challenged.  The OEA considers any disciplinary action taken against teachers a serious matter, and will legally challenge any effort to discipline or dismiss an educator when a reasonable chain of evidence regarding that educator has not been established.

5)  As you know, but may have forgotten, the MAISD is in the process of gathering signatures to place a technology enhancement millage request before voters in a special election slated for September 24, 2013.  It really is in our best interest to assist in that petition drive.  Given the instability of funding at the state level, and the ongoing cost of maintaining a district’s technology infrastructure, any future shortfall might be leveraged against teachers to demand concessions in pay and benefits.  It’s only going to take 3000 signatures by June 30 to get the initiative on the ballot, and if every Oakridge teacher supplies two, we’ll have done our share.  Please see your building rep for petitions and instruction on how to successfully gather signatures.