Teton Education Association sues Teton School District 401
DRIGGS, Idaho (KIFI) - The Teton Education Association is suing Teton School District 401 along with five members of the school board of trustees.
Separately, TEA has requested mediation for the 2020-21 master agreement.
“The students in our community deserve consistency in the workforce that helps them learn and grow on a daily Basis, but the district’s actions continue to jeopardize retention rates among our dedicated professional educators,” TEA President Angela Hoopes said. “We are a border community that frequently loses educators to better paying jobs in Wyoming, and the Teton School District’s tactics can only lead to more turnover among staff, which ultimately is detrimental to students.”
They say district officials refused to reallocate funds released by the state when it reversed a 5% holdback that had been instituted at the peak of COVID-19.
They say those funds are critical to staff compensation and student services.
TEA says it has made multiple attempts to collectively bargain for these funds, which represent compensation they should have already received.
“At each negotiation meeting, we have come with a fair and reasonable proposal that has simply been rejected by the board,” said TEA negotiations team member and Teton High School teacher Brent Schindler. “The board has offered no other alternatives to work with us, and we are at a standstill.”
As a result of this stalemate, TEA has requested a mediator to work with both TEA and the board in order to complete the negotiations process for the 2020-21 monies. The TEA requested using a mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service because it is a free service offered through the federal government. In addition, TEA and the District need to start the negotiations process for the 2021-22 master contract, which the Board refuses to do until the 2020-21 salary issue is resolved.
“We would have been happy to consider any proposal,” said negotiations team member and Teton High School teacher Lisie Smith. “Teton educators went above and beyond the call of duty during the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Idaho’s booming economy and an influx of federal COVID-19 relief funds leave the District with funds that are more than sufficient to address this personnel crisis, but they have elected not to do so."
The district's superintendent says the board is aware of this complaint, but as this is a pending legal matter, they cannot comment and are referring questions to their legal council.
