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Board approves memorandum of understanding with Higley Education Association after divided vote
Summary
The governing board approved a one-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Higley Education Association for fiscal year 2025-26 amid objections from two board members who said they oppose the agreement on political and organizational grounds.
The Higley Unified School District Governing Board voted 3-2 to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the district and the Higley Education Association (HEA) for fiscal year 2025-26.
During public comment preceding the vote, a district employee identified as Heather Balsch said she and other educators view the association as a collaborative partner and asked the board to support improvements to the MOU to strengthen collaboration between educators and administrators.
Opposition and support at the dais Board member Anna Van Hook said she has consistently voted against the MOU in prior years and expressed concern that the HEA, as an affiliate of statewide and national unions, engages in partisan activity and that the association's political positions worry some staff. "I have consistently voted no on this item each year as I remain concerned about the need for an MOU with HEA," Van Hook said during the meeting.
Other board members, including President Wade, defended the working relationship with HEA, citing benefits such as staff retention and cooperative negotiations. "Part of the reason that for the three years I've been on the board, this has come up each year... is because we have seen direct benefit from this relationship," a board member said, noting that collaborative negotiations had supported staff stability.
Vote and action A motion to approve the MOU for the 2025-26 fiscal year passed by a 3-2 vote. Board member Scott Glover explicitly recorded his vote as "Aye" during the roll call. The meeting record shows two board members voted "Nay." The board did not amend the agreement at the meeting.
Why it matters: MOUs govern day-to-day working arrangements between district administration and educators. The vote reflects continuing disagreement among board members about the district's relationship with the educators'association and about the appropriate role of unions and union-affiliated activity in district governance.
