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Robertson County teachers submit petition to reopen collaborative conferencing process
Summary
The Robertson County Education Association submitted a petition and signatures under Tennessee's Collaborative Conferencing Act seeking to restart the collaborative conferencing process; the board said it will appoint committee members next month.
Amy Amos, interim president of the Robertson County Education Association (RCEA), presented a petition with signatures to the Robertson County School Board on Oct. 6 asking the board to initiate the collaborative conferencing process under Tennessee law.
Amos told the board the state law ‘‘recognizes that collaborative relationship between the board and its professional employees will assist in the establishment and the maintenance of the educational climate and working environment that will attract and retain highly qualified professional staff.’’ She said the petition was submitted because ‘‘the law puts the burden on educators to obtain signatures every 3 years, and to submit these signatures to you on the specific month of October.’’
Under the Collaborative Conferencing Act (often referred to as PECCA), once a petition is submitted the board must appoint an equal number of board members and professional employees to a special questioning committee that will arrange a confidential poll of eligible professional employees on whether to engage in collaborative conferencing. Amos said Robertson County previously used the process and has an existing memorandum of understanding; she offered to serve on the committee if appointed.
Board Chair Jeff White acknowledged receipt of the petition and said the board would provide committee appointments next month. No formal vote was recorded; the action on Oct. 6 was acceptance of the petition and a stated intent to appoint members at the next meeting.
The submission begins a statutorily defined process rather than producing immediate changes to salary, insurance, or working conditions. If the confidential poll favors collaborative conferencing, the special questioning committee would proceed to negotiate a memorandum of understanding outlining the matters on which the parties will confer.
Board members did not debate the merits of collaborative conferencing on the record during the Oct. 6 meeting; the board accepted the petition and indicated it would return with appointments in the following month.
