Teachers, Parents Urge Board of Education to Settle Union Contracts

It was standing room only at Tuesday night's Clark Board of Education meeting as teachers and parents filled the room to urge the board the settle union contracts. The three-year contracts expired on June 30.

Clark Education Association President and Kumpf English teacher Chris Taillefer was the first to speak.  

"The last time I spoke to this board, I spoke about pride," he said. "I spoke about pride in this town and in the students of the town, and the fact that we're an A+ school district. Today I want to speak not only about pride in this town, but pride in my colleagues behind me. Each and every one comes to work to make this school district work, and it's not a 9 to 5 job."

Taillefer went on to detail the course of negotiations, saying the CEA thought the contracts were settled in August after many meetings with the board negotiating committee over the summer.

"But here we are on Nov. 12, and we have no deal," he added. "And we're still working, we're still here, and we still care – and that will always be the case. Now I know that this has happened before, and we’ve gone this far into the school year without a contract. And you'd think that we would know better, because it doesn’t benefit any of us."

Board member Jill Curran responded to Taillefer on behalf of the board.

"Both parties are bargaining in good faith," said Curran. "This board is trying to balance the need for fiscal responsibility. We disagree with the association regarding the working contract because it only hurts the students. We will continue to meet in an effort to amicably resolve this contract as quickly as possible."

The meeting continued with a dozen teachers coming to the mic to talk about their fellow staff members and the value of teachers, each one finishing their statements with "and everyone deserves a fair contract." 

Valley Road parent Kim Baglieri accused some of the board members of not having the best interests of Clark children in mind. 

"You were voted in," she said. "You sit up there and represent our schools and you are supposed to have best interests of our children in mind. But right now, without a contract, there are a few of you who don’t have their best interests at heart. ... You can make a vote right now in front of all of us. A few of you are holding back and I don't know why."

Baglieri also referenced how teachers are now only working their contracted hours from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Starting last week, most union teachers and staff stopped working with students before and after school. 

(Editor's note: One teacher wrote in to tell us that ALJ teachers are working with students in the 15 minutes before and after school, using as much as possible of their contracted time to help students. She also notes that the National Honor Society provides student assistance from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.)

It is this point that incensed board member Carmen Brocato, who was the only member to speak about the issue to the crowd. 

"My problem with your union is that you stand up at this mic and say you care, but when a student comes at 3 or asks to come in early, you are refusing to help them," said Brocato. "That's the same as if I'm in a patrol car and I ignore a kid asking for help."

Brocato said that as someone in a union and involved in union negotations, he understood their cause, but that cutting before and after school help was a step too far. 

"I’m hoping you reconsider that aspect," said Brocato. "If you think you are helping your cause with this board, you are wrong. I know what you are going through, but what you are doing to hurt students' education, I have a problem with."     

Board president Lorraine Aklonis, who was just reelected, stated that the board's attorney would be reaching out the the CEA.

"I hope that we can get a fair settlement as soon as possible," Superintendent Ken Knops told Patch after the meeting. "I think everybody feels that way." 

Taillefer couldn't tell Patch the obstacles to the deal but said it fell apart after the negotiating committee returned to the full board with the understood deal. He says they then received a surprising call saying the contract wouldn't work.

"It's a difficult situation because the people in that [negotiating] room agreed with us," he says. "So going back and sitting down with them...I mean, we agree." 

Board members Jill Curran and Laura Caliguire serve on the negotiating committee.

Taillefer said he hopes making a presence at the meeting will lead to a quicker resolution. 

"We have been reaching out to their counsel through our counsel and haven't been getting very far," he says. "They haven't been completely ignoring us, but things haven't been progressing. We all just want to bring everybody together and get this down and get this over with." 

Taillefer said he understood Brocato's passion when it comes to teachers not being available for before and after school help, but that the point is to show that the teachers go above and beyond their contracts already. 

"All I want is for this to be done so that we can go back to doing what we're good at, which is helping kids," Taillefer told Patch. "Basically, we dedicate our lives to that. It is completely unnatural for us, as people, as teachers to do what is being described. That being the case, we want this to end as soon as possible."