BY STACI WILSON

With no end in sight to the contract stalemate between the Mountain View School Board and the teachers’ union, one school director has had enough.

Harford-Lenox representative Steve Kilmer resigned from the board at the Monday, July 13, meeting.

Kilmer said the biggest challenge facing the board is settling the contract. Mountain View teachers have been working without a contract for three years.

Kilmer said that at the most recent negotiation session the board brought what he felt was a “strong proposal” to the table which was rejected.

“The union has no serious desire to negotiate with this board,” Kilmer said. “They prefer to wait for December when a new board is seated.”

He then issued his verbal resignation which was met with surprise by the remaining board members.

The board then accepted Kilmer’s resignation, with regret, and will advertise the Harford-Lenox school director vacancy. Letters of interest from candidates are to be submitted by Friday, Aug. 7. Prospective board member interviews will take place at the Monday, Aug. 10 meeting.

Kilmer’s resignation, along with a rising junior’s questions about the contract negotiations, prompted the board to open up with their side of the contract dispute.

Board president Thomas Stoddard said he believed the board offered a good proposal, with a larger than state average increase. He also noted that a settlement would cost the district over $1 million this year.

The student – who also spoke about her concerns at a June board meeting – said she had not been able to reach the teachers’ union leadership. Her main concern is the loss of extra-curricular activities and clubs during an important high school year for college applications. Principal Robert Presley said he would attempt to help the student contact the union rep.

Board member Michael Barhite appreciated the student’s concern over the contract, adding it was “sad a student has to come to the board to handle this.”

“From our end, I’m not sure what else we can do at this point,” board member Roy Twining said.

Stoddard said, “We offered a sizeable retroactive offer.” He said the district offered to pay the teachers $4,000 each for last year. “They were not even interested,” he said.

He later added, “I believe Mr. Kilmer is correct. They are not doing anything until December when they get a new board. They think they will get what they want.”

The board president explained the district’s compensation plan, explaining that in past contracts the salary schedules were unfair and skewed with mediocre raises at the lower end as opposed to larger raises at the higher end.

Stoddard said the district has proposed bringing the salaries into a more linear scale.

In addition to salary, Stoddard also said the district is looking increase the health insurance contribution from the teachers; as well as revisions to the retirement incentive.

“The biggest fight has been the setting of salary scales by the board. They want to do it themselves,” Stoddard said. “No where – except teachers’ unions – do employees set their own salaries.”

The students were being used “as pawns,” he said. “I don’t think it says much for professionalism. No negotiations mention students, it’s always only union.”

Board members also said that they had heard of an “edict” handed down to union members to not enter the school buildings during the summer break.
But, Stoddard said he thought that was hypocritical, because some members of the teaching staff were using the school facilities. “There seems to be quite a bit of bullying from the union in the district,” he said.

A Mountain View teacher in the audience said, “I’m proud to be part of the union and I do not feel bullied by the union.”

Another member of the teaching staff said felt “horrified” by the board members’ comments. “For three years it’s been about the students,” she said. “I have kids at home, too, and have gone three years without raises.”

Twining said, “I’m not saying (the teachers) don’t deserve raises because you do.” He likened the district budget to a pie – with the board looking at the whole picture and responsible to the students and the taxpayers. “I can’t wait for Dec. 3,” he said. “I hope the public knows we worked hard to settle (the contract). This has been draining on everyone.”

In other business, High School Principal Robert Presley reviewed proposed revisions to all the of district’s handbooks with the board. He noted some possible policy changes that would help clarify some areas, including attendance and student-athlete participation.

Proposed changes to the school dress code were reviewed for the second reading. The proposed policy is available on the district website, www.mvsd.net.

Maintenance director Bob Taylor reported that summer cleaning was ahead of schedule. Lockers have been pulled and the backer brace has been built and is in place, ready for the new locker installation. “There were no skeletons this time,” he said referring to the skeletal remains of a mouse found last year. But, he added, the crew did find library books from the 1960s-70s. Taylor said those were returned.

An air conditioning unit used for the elementary school computer lab was destroyed by a lightning hit last week. The strike took out the circuit board, and blew a motor that had been recently replaced.

Taylor said insurance would cover all but the $2,500 deductible of the $8,900 cost to replace the unit with a new air conditioner that is more energy efficient with updated technology.

A representative from NEP Telephone was also on hand to answer board members’ questions about the phone system. NEP is working to resolve the phone system issues by the beginning of the school year.

Presley also asked the board to consider reinstating activity shuttle bus runs. “The value of them is great for what goes on in the building,” he said.
The principal also said that since the activity buses were discontinued, the level of student involvement had gone down.