Confrontation still present with board, superintendent
(Copy of a letter to Ronald Riccio, special mediator for the Middletown Township Education Association and the Middletown Board of Education)
I write to you because today I learned of a situation that has left me shaking my head in bewilderment as the "culture of confrontation" you decried in your mediation report reaches a new low in Middletown. Despite the best efforts of the Middletown Township Education Association in general and myself in particular, we continue to face a board that would rather fight than settle.
On Dec. 2, the mother of one of our teachers died. Our contract states that employees are entitled to five days bereavement leave for death in the immediate family, which must be continuous and must begin one day after the death. The teacher notified the board she would be out the week of Dec. 3-7 for the death of her mother. Because she was on strike Nov. 29-30, the superintendent of schools denied her leave and docked her five days’ pay.
In replying to her telephone request for an explanation, the message she received from the superintendent was that her leave would have been approved if she was not on strike Nov. 29-30. However, since her mother died Dec. 2, and the contract requires that leave begin one day after the death, complying with the superintendent’s conditions was impossible.
The teacher sent a letter to the superintendent and to all Board of Education members. She was told by one board member that he would bring the matter up at the May 28 board meeting. The teacher has not received a reply to date; however, this afternoon we had a grievance hearing on an unrelated matter and took the opportunity to raise the issue with Malachi Kenney, the board attorney. His reply was to shrug his shoulders and say, "Do what you have to do." In other words, grieve it.
Mr. Riccio, you admonished both sides to " … start providing the effective leadership needed to transform the district’s culture from one of confrontation to one of civility." How difficult would it have been for the board and the superintendent to have resolved this issue? How far would such a gesture have gone toward transforming the district’s confrontational culture? I am sorry to tell you this is just the latest callous injury inflicted by the board in the continuing battle it has chosen to wage against the individual members of the association.
It is painful to witness these actions. It is painful to bear the brunt of them. Mr. Riccio, it is clear your admonition has gone unheeded. It’s no wonder the district is having difficulty getting quality applicants for the scores of positions being vacated by employees who no longer want to be abused. Despite the election of four new board members, there seems to be no interest in salving the wounds. Continuing the culture of confrontation is the board’s agenda. I’m sorry.
Diane K. Swaim
President, Middletown Township
Education Association