Maury school board votes down agreement with teacher’s association
Variations are at a halt for educators – at least for now, after Maury County university board users voted down, 6-3, revisions to the current memorandum of comprehension involving the district and Maury County Educator’s Affiliation at a recent board conference.
The principal subject areas proposed for transform to the a few-calendar year MOU involved maternity depart, reimbursing coaches and teachers for journeys and how further paid leave could be used in Maury educational facilities.
The Herald earlier documented that when the primary MOU was passed at the conclude of 2019, Maury County Schooling Affiliation and the faculty board arrived to an arrangement on a trainer pay maximize.
The 2019 memorandum identified as for educators in domestic partnerships to have time to grieve when their spouse passes away.
It also provided educators and staff the prospect to take time off from operate to notice spiritual vacations with out acquiring to history the time as a own day.
The settlement allowed two times for paid religious holiday break observance and 3 days of bereavement pay out.
In December 2021, the faculty board approved the begin of negotiations for the existing agreement’s revision.
Now, supplemental insurance policies having to do with paid out go away, vacation pay and other compensatory goods and benefits have returned to the board for revision.
“There are points in below that come at a value, that for me individually, I will not be supporting the new MOU,” faculty board member Will Sims, who voted in opposition to, explained at the Tuesday conference. “There are factors I experience like if it ended up to move, it would go further than three several years.”
“Things that I consider would be a expense to the youngsters. That’s why I will not be voting for it.”
Some on the board mentioned that while proposed changes ended up however on the table for dialogue, that the way forward may possibly not include things like adopting them into an MOU but as a result of board plan.
“I would like to know what the expenditures are,” board member Chad Howell stated. “I would like to have a ballpark determine.”
Specially, Howell claimed, the document built point out of economical administration procedures that would lengthen over and above the purview of the board to make a decision.
“Some of these [changes] would truly have an affect on money administration policies,” Howell said, concerned that a revised MOU would conflict with faculty money procedures.
“So, how would that function? We cannot alter people procedures. We’re not that board.”
On payroll strategies, county finance director Doug Lukonen reported that the objective is to continue to keep the faculty finance board policy and MOU in arrangement.
“We consider to maintain some adaptability, but still be in a position to run,” Lukonen reported. “It desires to normally line up, plan with the MOU.”
Lukonen employed the example in the MOU of altering travel shell out for coaches.
“That is a little something that is not in fiscal coverage,” Lukonen stated. “That would be a alter we would have to make by means of the economical management board to start out doing that.”
The unknowns held board members from stating sure to the modifications for now.
“There are a good deal of appealing things in right here, but they have an unfamiliar price,” Howell claimed. “And I really don’t know if we’re talking $800,000 or $4 million.”
“It’s genuinely complicated for me to vote on this,” Howell stated. “I’m not large on creating blank checks. That just doesn’t seem to be like some thing we can financially do.”
Lukonen gave 1 probable state of affairs of a modify, about maternity depart.
The asked for improve to maternity depart would make depart time four weeks with that value of the go away $6,936.
Lukonen claimed that it is dependent on how a lot of “baby-earning occurrences,” the county has. The comment was achieved with laughter but served to indicate how these expenses could accrue.
Santa Fe special instruction teacher Jen Enk, Maury County Education Association agent, reported the proposals in the agreements are meant to catch the attention of and keep quality academics.
“When you’re talking about not recruiting and retaining significant high-quality instructors, there is a price tag to that as well,” Enk said. “That charge has been the education and learning of Maury County students.”
Enk reported instructors don’t often just take gain of own depart time, but also that a absence of academics undertaking more operate has brought about psychological wellness problems and emotional exhaustion.
She defined that MCEA did go to the economical board to find out expenses.
“We did ask every time what the value was for just about every merchandise,” she claimed. “And at no time did it seem like tens of millions of bucks.”
Enk talked about comprehensive paid depart for instructors, fuel for recreation vacation and new motor vehicles like a proposed activity van, but directed the dilemma back again to the board, inquiring if it was honest to pass this cost along to the academics or coaches. “I comprehend amplified price tag, but we have also been sitting at hefty fund balances for the final 5 many years, and we did see too much revenue.”
Vice chair of the board, Bettye Kinser praised the efforts of the board and MCEA to collaborate on what they experienced attained, urging members to vote for the revised MOU.
“I would despise for this board – following all the work the two sides have carried out to come collectively, to vote this down,” Kinser stated.
Board member David Moore stated that the collaboration has helped to “turn the page” to ensuring that all team are dealt with pretty and that he would like to see these goods dealt with by means of coverage and process as a substitute of a revised MOU.
“I am particularly disappointed and discouraged that some board users voted against supplying expert educators a composed doc that supplies incentives to start out their job here and keep below,” Enk explained.
Enk claimed she was hopeful the board would see the value in the MOU modifications.
“It gives a a few-12 months assurance, Enk claimed. “Even if we place some of the alterations into coverage, policy can be speedily adjusted.”
Fulbright explained to the Herald that the board would keep the latest MOU proposals underneath consideration for the up coming perform session later on this thirty day period.
