Triton Teachers File Grievance
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
BOURBON - The Triton School Board Monday heard its first presentation within recent memory of a grievance from the Triton Teachers' Association.
Kent Kimpel, Uniserv director and representative from the Indiana State Teachers' Association, told the board that four Triton Elementary School teachers - Jo Stackhouse, Kim Belinski, Bobbie Glingle and Denise Voreis - filed the grievance. They claimed TES Principal Tom Bowers violated the school corporation's collective bargaining contract with the teachers when he mandated the teachers use time outside normal work hours to meet collaboratively and work on a book study.
Kimpel said the teachers' school-day schedules do not allow them to meet during normal work hours for the required 35-minute collaborative session, two times each month. He said, according to the teachers' contract, a book study is not a legitimate reason to extend the school day for teachers.
Kimpel said the grievance was first submitted to Bowers Oct. 27. He said the teachers recommended the school provide substitutes to cover their duties twice a month while they met for the book study. TES teacher Steve McBride said there are plenty of personnel in the school, including himself, who could fill in or the school could hire substitutes for the time.
Triton Schools Superintendent Ted Chittum said the contract allows for teachers to be required to work longer hours to keep up with their work loads.
"In public education, there are demands felt on everyone everywhere," Chittum said. "I think this is a perfect example that the work load necessitates.
Board member Steve Feldman asked why the teachers felt the situation warranted a grievance.
"It's an extra 35 minutes two times a month. Why's it such a big deal? Why not wait until summer when we re-open the contract and take care of it then?" Feldman asked.
McBride told the board that most teachers already stay later than normal school hours for the preparation work needed to provide quality instruction. He said the additional 35 minutes for the book study takes away from time that could be spent on classwork.
"It's additional time they could be grading papers, they could be planning for another class," McBride said.
According to the grievance procedure, the school board has 15 days to submit a written response to the grievance to the Teachers' Association.
Kimpel said it is the first grievance filing he's ever presented in the Triton School System since he began his job in 1996.
"I'd like to think we can work this out," Kimpel said. If not, he said, he would recommend the Teachers' Association file a complaint of unfair labor practices against the school corporation.
In other news, Chittum told the board the project to upgrade the lighting system in the junior/senior high school auditorium may have to wait until summer. Work on the project was originally scheduled to be done over Christmas break, but, Chittum said project engineers had concerns that the time window was not enough.
Chittum also told the board that Triton Junior/Senior High School was named one of "Indiana's Best Buys" by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Chittum said "Best Buy" schools are selected based on SAT scores and participation, the number of students at a high risk of academic failure, graduation and attendance rates for the previous academic school year, ISTEP scores and expenditures per student.
Chittum said the award makes a good statement about the school. "For what we provide, what we do, what we spend, we're a pretty good deal," Chittum said.
Other schools in Marshall County named "Best Buys" are Plymouth High School and Bremen High School. [[In-content Ad]]
BOURBON - The Triton School Board Monday heard its first presentation within recent memory of a grievance from the Triton Teachers' Association.
Kent Kimpel, Uniserv director and representative from the Indiana State Teachers' Association, told the board that four Triton Elementary School teachers - Jo Stackhouse, Kim Belinski, Bobbie Glingle and Denise Voreis - filed the grievance. They claimed TES Principal Tom Bowers violated the school corporation's collective bargaining contract with the teachers when he mandated the teachers use time outside normal work hours to meet collaboratively and work on a book study.
Kimpel said the teachers' school-day schedules do not allow them to meet during normal work hours for the required 35-minute collaborative session, two times each month. He said, according to the teachers' contract, a book study is not a legitimate reason to extend the school day for teachers.
Kimpel said the grievance was first submitted to Bowers Oct. 27. He said the teachers recommended the school provide substitutes to cover their duties twice a month while they met for the book study. TES teacher Steve McBride said there are plenty of personnel in the school, including himself, who could fill in or the school could hire substitutes for the time.
Triton Schools Superintendent Ted Chittum said the contract allows for teachers to be required to work longer hours to keep up with their work loads.
"In public education, there are demands felt on everyone everywhere," Chittum said. "I think this is a perfect example that the work load necessitates.
Board member Steve Feldman asked why the teachers felt the situation warranted a grievance.
"It's an extra 35 minutes two times a month. Why's it such a big deal? Why not wait until summer when we re-open the contract and take care of it then?" Feldman asked.
McBride told the board that most teachers already stay later than normal school hours for the preparation work needed to provide quality instruction. He said the additional 35 minutes for the book study takes away from time that could be spent on classwork.
"It's additional time they could be grading papers, they could be planning for another class," McBride said.
According to the grievance procedure, the school board has 15 days to submit a written response to the grievance to the Teachers' Association.
Kimpel said it is the first grievance filing he's ever presented in the Triton School System since he began his job in 1996.
"I'd like to think we can work this out," Kimpel said. If not, he said, he would recommend the Teachers' Association file a complaint of unfair labor practices against the school corporation.
In other news, Chittum told the board the project to upgrade the lighting system in the junior/senior high school auditorium may have to wait until summer. Work on the project was originally scheduled to be done over Christmas break, but, Chittum said project engineers had concerns that the time window was not enough.
Chittum also told the board that Triton Junior/Senior High School was named one of "Indiana's Best Buys" by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Chittum said "Best Buy" schools are selected based on SAT scores and participation, the number of students at a high risk of academic failure, graduation and attendance rates for the previous academic school year, ISTEP scores and expenditures per student.
Chittum said the award makes a good statement about the school. "For what we provide, what we do, what we spend, we're a pretty good deal," Chittum said.
Other schools in Marshall County named "Best Buys" are Plymouth High School and Bremen High School. [[In-content Ad]]