Williston School Board approves negotiating unit that covers classroom teachers; debate over counselors and deans

The Williston School Board voted 3-2 to designate an appropriate negotiating unit for the Williston Education Association that includes employees licensed to teach and employed primarily as classroom teachers, excluding administrators.

The decision, taken during the board’s meeting on an item titled “determination of appropriate negotiating units,” implements language the association submitted and cites the North Dakota Century Code provision the petition relied on. The vote followed discussion about whether other job categories — including counselors, library/media specialists, instructional coaches, student behavior interventionists and the dean of students — should be included in the unit.

Board members who supported the motion said it followed the petition language and reflected prior practice of negotiating collectively for classroom teachers. Opponents warned that the petition’s wording was unclear on some positions and expressed concern about setting a precedent that could expand bargaining coverage without explicit definitions.

Several board members asked staff to clarify which job descriptions the petition intended to include. One board member characterized the dean-of-students position as performing duties closer to an assistant principal than a classroom teacher and questioned whether that position should be part of a teacher negotiating unit. Board discussion noted that the district has historically negotiated with a unit defined primarily by classroom-teaching duties and that other employee groups have been compensated under terms tied to that agreement rather than being formal members of the teachers’ bargaining unit.

The motion presented to the board described the unit as "all school employees licensed to teach by the Education Standards and Practices Board and employed primarily as a classroom teacher," citing Century Code language referenced in the board packet and noting it would include employees currently working under the existing negotiated agreement except administrators. The motion was seconded and carried on a roll-call vote: Barsh, Wheeler and Swint voted yes; Jones and Renner voted no.

The board did not include an explicit list of additional positions to be added to the unit; some board members asked that any future expansions be named explicitly rather than implied by petition language. The meeting record shows no amendment to the motion clarifying inclusion of counselors, librarians, instructional coaches or student behavior positions; the board approved the narrower definition as presented.

The board adjourned shortly after the vote.