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Teachers’ union presses Pleasantville district on class sizes, staffing and facilities
Summary
Local union leaders told the board they are seeing oversized classes, special‑education vacancies, insufficient custodial coverage and problems with teachers’ lounge facilities; the superintendent said staffing and facilities issues are being assessed and remedial actions are underway.
Multiple representatives of the Pleasantville Education Association raised staffing, scheduling and facilities concerns during public comment at the Sept. 16 Pleasantville Board of Education meeting, urging faster follow-up and greater inclusion of staff in major policy changes.
Kathy Watson, president of the PEA, said the agenda lacked information about safe‑haven and bus‑duty contracts that provide adult supervision before and after school, asked whether an outside vendor had been authorized to perform custodial work at Leeds Avenue, and said the high school teachers’ lounge and second‑floor restrooms were unusable. "We have so many rooms that we need special ed teachers," Watson said, and she asked the board to hire additional custodians, security and special‑education teachers.
PEA vice president Danielle Percy described class‑size problems at the middle school, saying many academic classes ranged from 26 to 32 students and that some teachers had been asked to combine self‑contained special‑education classes in ways she said conflicted with students’ Individualized Education Programs. Percy warned that teachers were prepared to grieve violations of state class‑size rules and said the code of conduct had been written without sufficient input from staff.
Rhonda Moore McQueen, PEA vice president of support, urged the board to commit to including teachers, principals, support staff and security in any major policy that affects daily school operations, and to honor special‑education obligations rather than compromise them for scheduling convenience.
Superintendent Dr. Marilyn Martinez responded that the district had three identified special‑education vacancies being actively recruited and that principals would confirm staffing for safe‑haven supervision. Martinez said teachers are working required hours and that principals must confirm time sheets for any additional paid work; she added the human resources and talent teams were recruiting to fill vacancies. On custodial work at Leeds Avenue she said emergent services were provided for a safe opening and that information had been provided to the board for approval.
Martinez acknowledged the teachers’ lounge and restroom problems and said the facilities department was aware and working to repair the upstairs teacher bathroom; she asked that administrators confirm restroom access for staff in the meantime. Martinez also described the code of conduct as a "living document" approved by the board and said Dr. Chapman would lead implementation and review stakeholder recommendations.
Union speakers asked for clearer communication channels; the superintendent and general counsel directed that requests for board information go through the board secretary so items can be compiled and disseminated to all members. PEA leaders said they expect liaison‑committee notes to be included as attachments to the superintendent’s report and sought more frequent and direct engagement than currently scheduled.
No formal board action was taken on the union’s requests at the meeting; the board approved the superintendent’s wider agenda items and the chronic‑absence plan later in the session.
