Washington County board moves to oppose bills that would curb school boards'collaboration with teacher groups
Loading...
Summary
A board member moved and seconded to send a letter of opposition to House Bill 2226 and Senate Bill 2445, which speakers said would prohibit school boards from entering memoranda of understanding with professional employee organizations and limit collaborative conferencing; members urged killing the bills in committee. The transcript shows discussion but does not record a roll-call tally.
A Washington County School Board member moved on March 10 to have the board send a letter of opposition to House Bill 2226 and Senate Bill 2445, which the mover said would bar school boards from entering memoranda of understanding with professional employee organizations and curb a district'level collaborative conferencing process.
The motion was introduced by a board member (identified in the meeting transcript by the board'assigned speaker label) and was seconded by another member. "I would like to see us oppose this," the mover said, describing MOUs as a vehicle for "a two-way conversation" about salaries, grievance procedures, benefits and working conditions. Another member said, "Our teachers are the foundation of the school system," and echoed concerns that cutting off collaboration would harm recruitment and retention.
The board discussion summarized the bill as targeting the collaborative conferencing process (referred to in the meeting as collaborative conferencing or MOUs) that allows teachers and board-appointed representatives to negotiate or discuss local terms. A staff speaker reviewing the issue said the proposed change would "minimize the voice of the teachers" in local school improvement discussions and listed items that MOUs can touch on, including salaries and working conditions.
Board members also discussed the bill''s legislative status. One member said the measure was set for consideration in the House Education Committee but had been postponed; "the sponsor does not have the votes," the member said, and added they were "trying to kill it in committee so that it doesn't even get to the floor."
The motion to draft and send a letter of opposition was moved and seconded and drew multiple expressions of support during the public portion of the meeting. The transcript records the motion and substantive discussion but does not include a recorded roll-call vote or a final tally in the meeting minutes portion of the transcript.
If produced, the letter would be sent to "appropriate legislators" and the governor, according to the motion as read at the meeting. Supporters said the letter would aim to preserve local collaborative arrangements between boards and employee organizations and to protect channels for teacher input on local matters.
The meeting adjourned after the discussion. The transcript does not show a formal roll-call or recorded vote on the letter in the posted record; the board's next steps were not specified on the record.
