‘Devastating effects’: Shawnee Mission school board imposes 3-year teacher contract
This story was updated after the details of the unilateral contract were released.
After months of failing to reach an agreement with the teachers union, the Shawnee Mission school board imposed a three-year unilateral contract — a move the union has threatened to challenge in court.
During a special meeting on Jan. 30, teachers and their supporters protested outside and then packed the board room for four hours while school board members deliberated in closed session. On a 6-1 vote, the board approved the unilateral contract, followed by teachers yelling and booing as they filed out of the room.
The next day, hundreds of high school students in the district walked out of class, chanting and holding signs, to strike in solidarity with teachers. Most of the students were at Shawnee Mission East, with a few at Shawnee Mission Northwest also walking out.
“This decision by (the school district) will have long term consequences and devastating effects to a community built around its schools,” said Chris Cindric, president of the nonpartisan advocacy group Kansas Families for Education, in a statement.
The unilateral contract is the last step in a series of unsuccessful negotiation attempts, including a state-mandated fact-finding session. The union fought for higher salary increases and a contract that would reduce teacher workloads, but the district largely did not budge.
“The work of Shawnee Mission teachers is deeply valued by the Board of Education and administration,” Superintendent Mike Fulton said in a statement. “We are doing our best to move quickly to address issues of workload and class size in ways that honor these dedicated professionals, while keeping the district on a solid fiscal path.”
The decision leaves teachers with three options: Accept the contract, continue to work under last year’s contract or resign without penalty. But many teachers have said the first two options will leave them with a lower salary than last year, especially with the rising costs of living and health insurance.
The fact-finder’s report stated the parties should negotiate a two-year contract with a lower pay raise than what the union proposed, but slightly higher than the district’s recommendation.
During a final negotiation session earlier in the week, the district pushed a three-year offer, with the same 1% increase in the base salary it had previously asked for.
The school board approved a unilateral contract with a 1% base salary increase this year, a 1.25% bump next year and a 1.5% salary increase in the third year. Administrators said the pay raises mean the district is spending 79% of new state funding on teachers.
Jamie Borgman, the Shawnee Mission Northwest representative on the board who took office earlier this month, cast the only “no” vote.
The school board included language in the agreement stating that administration will begin phasing in adjustments to teacher workloads beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. Secondary teachers often instruct six classes out of seven periods every day, compared to five sections taught in some other Johnson County districts. Many say they teach between 150 and 180 students each day.
“The board will address this issue, but will not jeopardize current or future raises for all staff (which are based on the availability of new state revenue), or risk the district’s long-term financial stability,” district officials said in news release.
The fact-finder report agreed with the district about taking time to address teacher workloads and stated, “it is not logistically possible to determine the specific hiring needs, hire the needed number of teachers and rearrange class schedules within this fiscal year.”
Earlier in the week, the union offered a one-year contract with the promise of addressing class load this spring. But the district stuck to its three-year offer.
“They want a three-year contract because that means they don’t have to work with us for three years. In other words, they’re saying go away,” Linda Sieck, president of the National Education Association-Shawnee Mission, said on Tuesday.
The union says the long-term unilateral contract is “unprecedented” and “silences teachers’ voices.”
“After nearly $20,000 in fact finding costs, it is clear the board prefers paying attorneys more than paying teachers,” Sieck said. “A three-year unilateral contract will destroy the relationship between the teachers and the district.”
Sieck said the union has been in discussions with the Kansas National Education Association about a possible legal challenge. She has also warned of a “mass exodus” of teachers who may choose to move to nearby districts.
Her union has 2,040 members, including 1,700 teachers.
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 11:07 AM.
