Osborn teacher tells board contract language, pay and substitute staffing undermine morale

Kirsten Callison, a teacher in the Osborn Elementary District, told the school board during public comment that uncertainty around contracts and working conditions is harming retention and morale.

Callison said she attended the ASU+GSV conference and left convinced that technology should ‘‘amplify’’ teachers’ work, not replace them. ‘‘The human teacher remained at the heart of learning with AI as a tool to enhance, not diminish, their impact,’’ she said.

Callison listed six specific concerns she asked the district to address: a paid half-hour at the end of each school day for family engagement and Individualized Education Program (IEP) work; a transparent salary step schedule; removal or revision of blackout dates for leave; clearer contract language and elimination of punitive liquidated-damages clauses; limits on proposals to cap district-funded substitute hours; and activation of a formal meet-and-confer process so educators and administration can co-design solutions.

She said the number of contracts returned to the district does not capture ‘‘the stress, uncertainty, and confusion’’ teachers experienced beforehand and warned those conditions threaten retention ‘‘next year and the year after that.’’

Callison also criticized the district’s use of liquidated-damages language in employee agreements, saying it ‘‘financially penalizes an employee’’ and fosters distrust. She described substitute staffing as a recurring problem that sometimes forces classroom teachers to cover additional classes without pay, increasing burnout.

In closing, Callison urged the district to treat teachers ‘‘not as a cost to manage, but as an investment worth protecting’’ and asked the board to prioritize collaboration and predictable professional time.

The public comment occurred during the meeting’s public-comment period; the transcript records no immediate formal response from the board or district leadership in that moment.