LEYDEN — The Pioneer Valley Regional Education Association (PVREA), the local teacher’s union, announced before the Pioneer Valley Regional School District School Committee Thursday night it plans to file an unfair labor practice charge against the district.
Claire Brennan, inclusion specialist at Pioneer Valley Regional School and a member of the union, read a statement Brad Brousseau of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) prepared on the PVREA’s behalf, outlining how faculty have “developed a growing concern and fear of retaliation by actions of district and school administrators.”
In the statement, shared during a meeting at Leyden Town Hall, Brennan recounted how union members, particularly at the middle and high school, have previously come before the School Committee to discuss problems within the Pioneer community and as a result, they fear for their jobs.
“These (reduction-in-force notifications) and non-renewals have been vindictive and based on favoritism,” elaborated Amanda Boulay, a seventh-grade English teacher at Pioneer who was “asked not to return next year.”
Boulay spoke before Brennan, expressing her hope that the School Committee “will look carefully at which teachers spoke out and which were asked not to come back.”
“These actions stifle dialogue in the district about important issues and may have affected the employment status of PVREA members,” Brennan read. “They create a climate of intimidation and hostility … These behaviors must stop.”
The PVREA, Brennan read, thus plans to file an unfair labor practice charge with the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations within the next several weeks.
Brennan told The Recorder Friday the process began earlier this month when the PVREA met with MTA President Barbara Madeloni and a lawyer who works with her.
“There are teachers here that are very concerned, very afraid to speak,” Brennan said. “And basically we were told by our MTA president that we’re stronger than we think we are.”
Brennan said she believes the MTA is currently in the process of gathering information from teachers.
Superintendent Ruth Miller told The Recorder she was “very thoughtful and used the contract” when determining the reductions-in-force, and her proposals were reviewed and approved by PVREA’s president and vice president, as well as an MTA representative.
Miller said “there must be some lack of clarity,” and should an unfair labor practice charge be filed, both sides will have the opportunity to discuss their thinking with a hearing officer.
“They may feel that I made a mistake. I feel very badly if I did, because this is talking about people’s livelihood,” she said. “But if there’s a different interpretation, this will give us the chance to talk about it.”
You can reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261 ext. 257