[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...91283172053.txt

Discussion on teachers' contract turns heated

By Alicia Ebaugh
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:14 AM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — Frustration over the lack of a finalized, printed — and complete — contract for Michigan City Area Schools teachers spilled over at Tuesday’s School Board meeting, ending with a community member involved in the negotiation process left in tears.

Peggy Moore, owner of Dage-MTI, a local manufacturing plant that produces scientific and industrial camera technology, spoke to the board about a “finalized copy” of the contract she received Monday from board President Jim Kintzele. Several months have been spent trying to correct discrepancies between a lawyer’s working draft, the union’s working draft and the tentative agreement approved by the board, administration and union members. Some things in the tentative agreement were not even in the other documents.

Moore said the document she was given reflected absolutely no changes that were made to the portion about teacher evaluations. There were other issues as well, she said.

“I have sent several messages to board members expressing my concern with the negotiated contract,” she said. “What copy are you working from? Have you looked at what I’m talking about?”

Kintzele replied, “I asked you to point out areas that were wrong, which you did. I haven’t had time to review it yet.”

The tentative agreement was approved in April 2009 after nearly three years of negotiations in which contention between former Superintendent Michael Harding and teachers ran high.

Moore, clearly frustrated, said that was three years of her life she spent trying to help put together the contract.

“I have tried to take care of this privately, but nothing has been resolved. I care about this community, this school district, and I am really (upset) that I have to do this publicly,” she said, her voice raising to a yell and tears beginning to fall. “What is happening here is wrong! It is wrong!”

“We don’t need to be yelled at,” School Board member Bill Greene interrupted.

“You’re right, Mr. Greene. You don’t need to be yelled at,” Moore retorted, walking out of the room.

The subject came up because board member Kathryn Lee, who also was on the negotiating committee, addressed Greene’s remarks in March that she was withholding copies of the final contract from teachers.

“I didn’t get a copy of the contract we were to sign until Dec. 11,” she said. “After that, I kept trying to get an executive session with Mr. (William) Kaminski to address issues I found while comparing (former school lawyer) Marsha Bugalla’s redlined contract to it. We finally met March 12.”

Lee said she thought all issues had been resolved late last week after the school board’s attorney, Kaminski, met with Michigan City Education Association President Phyllis Stark.

“Then I got a phone call Monday night from Peggy that there were still changes that hadn’t been made,” Lee said. “I don’t know where Jim got that contract he gave to her, I have to assume it’s some sort of working document.”

Kintzele did not say during the meeting where he got the “finalized copy” of the contract, and he did not return a call for comment after the meeting. Stark walked out of Tuesday’s meeting after Lee spoke on the issue and also didn’t return a call for comment.

Lee said the MCAS process for this contract negotiation has not followed Indiana School Board Association guidelines. She said she was told by ISBA the union and administrators should have each used the tentative agreement to amend the contract, then meet to finalize the language. A final, mutually agreed upon document should have been signed and sent to print within a few weeks, she said.

“I don’t know what’s going on or why it’s taken this long to get everything done,” Lee said. “I only know that it’s my responsibility to the administration and the union that we sign what was negotiated.”

[lbl]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...91283172053.txt

FYI--Phyllis Stark left WAY before Peggy Moore "spoke". The article might have you think she left as a result of Peggy's comments (the delivery was more than heated), but Stark never heard the comments. She was long gone.

If there's a correction, it will be buried...just like the misreporting of salaries from a few weeks ago.

[NDReporter]

FYI--Phyllis Stark left WAY before Peggy Moore "spoke". The article might have you think she left as a result of Peggy's comments (the delivery was more than heated), but Stark never heard the comments. She was long gone.

If there's a correction, it will be buried...just like the misreporting of salaries from a few weeks ago.

If you read the article, I said she left after Kathy spoke, and the subject came up because she brought it up.

Oh and about the misreported salaries...you should talk to administration, who wouldn't supply me with the information I asked for in the first place. That forced me to work with payroll information without proper clarification, even after I asked all the questions I could. I am not a mind reader.

[lbl]

If you read the article, I said she left after Kathy spoke, and the subject came up because she brought it up.

Oh and about the misreported salaries...you should talk to administration, who wouldn't supply me with the information I asked for in the first place. That forced me to work with payroll information without proper clarification, even after I asked all the questions I could. I am not a mind reader.

You know what, you're right! I read it as she walked out as a result of what Lee said and what Moore said. I wonder if anyone else got that impression. Maybe they should have allowed public comment after Lee's statement to get that out of the way...it seems quite important...right?

As for the salary thing...doesn't the system pay PR person quite well? Shouldn't that person be aware of what information is going out and for what reason, and to whom?

I guess I'm hoping the school system AND the paper could work together for the sake of the community. I mean, maybe if people read about a cooperative community, then they might start believing it, and perceptions might change.

I know, I know, not your job NDR.

[NDReporter]

You know what, you're right! I read it as she walked out as a result of what Lee said and what Moore said. I wonder if anyone else got that impression. Maybe they should have allowed public comment after Lee's statement to get that out of the way...it seems quite important...right?

As for the salary thing...doesn't the system pay PR person quite well? Shouldn't that person be aware of what information is going out and for what reason, and to whom?

I guess I'm hoping the school system AND the paper could work together for the sake of the community. I mean, maybe if people read about a cooperative community, then they might start believing it, and perceptions might change.

I know, I know, not your job NDR.

Unfortunately, Betsy doesn't have control of open records requests. Those are handled between the lawyer, Mr. Kaminski, and administrators. I'm hoping we can work together, too. I think having the new superintendent on board will be helpful, because she seems to be very open to talking.

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...2d723597019.txt

City needs new school board

Published: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 4:14 AM CDT
Once again the Michigan City Area Schools and the MCAS School Board have proven their inability to do what they have been charged to do. Their inability to do the simplest of tasks is a reflection of why the MCAS are struggling in a quagmire for what seems an eternity.

Now let me get this straight, it has been more than a year since this contract was agreed to by the MCAS, School Board, and the Michigan City Education Association after almost three years of contentious negotiations, yet the teachers have yet to have been afforded the liberty of seeing this document? And then insert this bumbling from our school board members … Jim Kintzele in over a year has not had time to review the document (Mr. Kintzele exactly what have you been doing this year?).

Seems we did not have time to make sure what Mr. Harding was doing to our school system either. They must be awful busy up there on Carroll Avenue, huh?

Then we have Mrs. Lee, who has a copy of the document, but chooses to not disclose it to anyone (even other school board members?). She obviously is working a side job for the CIA, as it appears everything is purely on a need-to-know basis, and the teachers and school board don’t need to know? Then we have Mr. Greene, who refuses to be yelled at by a citizen negotiator. Note to Mr. Greene, maybe just maybe you could take into account the frustration levels the citizens and teachers have built up after the negotiations were handled so superbly by the MCAS and School Board.

After this whole debacle I would offer that, YES, someone does need to be yelled at, quit making excuses for one another and do what you were elected to do, PLEASE. And of course we have Mrs. Stark, the head of the MCEA, who seems to have lost her voice on this matter. Where is the representation for your teachers?

Need we question why MCAS is such a joke?

Who bears the brunt of all of this? The students of MCAS, whom I would opine have met their quota of the poor

management and leadership of this group.

Enough already with this story line, we changed a superintendant, let’s start fresh with a school board that will for once put students first.

Roger A. Butler

Michigan City

[greatgrand]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...2d723597019.txt

Quote-Roger Butler
"And then insert this bumbling from our school board members … Jim Kintzele in over a year has not had time to review the document (Mr. Kintzele exactly what have you been doing this year?)."


" Jim Kintzele was not referring to the contract when he said that he had not had time to review it. He was referring to the concerns about the contract language that Mrs. Moore had given to him the day before the board meeting. As for what he has been doing this year, he has spent countless hours: working on hiring a new Supt., working with MCAS and the public to prepare for cuts that may be necessary if the tax issue is not resolved, working to resolve the tax issue (including conducting and attending meetings, speaking with attorney’s, and participating in mediation), and much, much more. "

Melinda Kintzele

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...74352090715.txt

Teachers to get copies of contract

By Alicia Ebaugh
Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, May 8, 2010 4:12 AM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — Michigan City Area Schools teachers finally will receive copies of their contracts as they are set to go to print next week — more than a year after negotiations ended.

Negotiation committee members Kathy Lee, who is on the School Board, and Peggy Moore, owner of Michigan City manufacturing plant Dage-MTI, recently aired concerns that changes to parts of the contract, including the section on teacher evaluations, were not being reflected in the final documents presented to them. But the two looked over everything with MCAS attorney Bill Kaminski on Wednesday, Lee said, and everything seemed fine.

“I think we finally have a clean copy,” she said.

Phyllis Stark, Michigan City Education Association president, said she also is happy the contracts can be distributed soon.

“It’s about time,” she said.

The contract extends through next year.