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Teacher organizer urges board to address workplace climate and bargaining stall
Summary
A Webster Groves teacher and political-action coordinator told the school board that staff fear retaliation and feel ignored at the bargaining table, asking the board to take steps to improve culture and respond to union demands.
Megan O'Brien, who identified herself as the political action coordinator for WGNEI and a teacher at Hixson Middle School, told the Webster Groves School Board on June 11 that she and colleagues are worried about the district’s workplace climate and slow progress at the bargaining table.
O'Brien said that “over 90% of teachers and staff voted for WGNDA to be our collective bargaining unit,” and that teachers report being asked to serve on interview panels and committees only to have their inputs disregarded. “Teachers report pervasive concerns about fear and retaliation within our schools,” she told the board, and said those conditions are prompting educators to leave rather than wait for delayed resolutions.
O'Brien described herself as a Webster Groves alumna and said she came back to the district to teach because of its reputation, then urged the board to “seek out input about the culture and climate in our schools, and ensure that the work is being done to address these concerns.” She concluded by asking the board to use its authority to help the district’s educators feel valued.
The board did not take formal action during public comment. The remarks were part of the meeting’s public-comment period, which is limited to three minutes per speaker.
The comment joins a series of labor and workplace concerns the board has heard this year and may inform future closed- or open-door discussions between district administration, negotiating teams and board members.
