Flint Schools urged to reconsider settlement decision on teachers’ pay

Flint, MI— More than two dozen Flint teachers expressed their concerns at the Feb. 21 Flint Board of Education meeting amid the board rejecting a settlement agreement among United Teachers of Flint (UTF) and Flint Community Schools (FCS).

On Jan. 17, the board rejected a settlement agreement that had already been reached by UTF and school administrators, including three school board members.

The agreement would’ve addressed reimplementing salary steps, teacher recruitment and retention. Many teachers’ pay has been frozen since 2014 and the teacher salary schedule is the lowest in Genesee County.

UTF has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission against the board because the settlement was voted down after it had already been approved by the administration.

UTF leaders were approved to stage walkouts or strikes on Feb. 14. Dozens of teachers then picketed outside the board’s Feb. 14 and Feb. 21 meetings.

The Flint Board of Education doubled down on its decision to reject the settlement in a Feb. 14 statement, saying that due a $14 million deficit, the board “must be fiscally responsible.”

During the public comment portion of the Feb. 21 meeting, Karen Christian, President of UTF, said the union believes the numbers the board mentioned in its Feb. 14 statement to be inaccurate. She said that based on UTF’s data, they believe the first step did not cost $907,962.55, as stated by the district, but rather $36,425.56.

Christian urged the board to reconsider the settlement.

“When will the time be right to do what it is right? When will we value our students and staff?” she asked the board. “The time is now, not when, … the time is now, not when we have no teachers left. The time is now.”

Many teachers who spoke said they may be forced to leave the district if their concerns were not addressed.

Shelby Redman, a teacher for the last 32 years, said after Feb. 14’s board meeting, she filled out her Intent to Retire paperwork with the district. She was in tears as she talked about the decision.

“After 32 years, I’ve yet to have a superintendent or a board care about me financially,” she said. “You don’t care about me as much as I’ve cared about this district. I want Flint to succeed. But the success of Flint can no longer be on me. I, we, can’t do it anymore. We’ve done it too long.”

Redman said if the teacher’s steps were restored, she would feel appreciated.

Michigan Education Association (MEA) Uniserv director Bruce Jordan, who represents UTF, warned the board that the teachers would soon need to take action.

“I don’t think you can afford not to. These teachers are five seconds away from escalating a crisis,” he said. And that’s not a threat, you backed all of these folks into a corner. That’s not our doing, that’s yours.”

In an email to Flint Beat, Jordan said he, Christian, and the crisis team they have in place would be escalating its crisis events timeline based on the Feb. 21 board meeting.

After public comment, the board went into a closed session for more than two hours with Board Attorney Tim Gardner. Following the closed session, the board did not address the settlement agreement and continued on with the meeting agenda.

However, the topic did come up again during personnel recommendations when a few board members expressed concern that the human resources and administration staff being hired would make more than teachers.

Board trustee Melody Relerford took issue with the salary, saying it “sends a poor message,” particularly after the audience of teachers the board heard from that night.

“I just need educators to know that I hear them, I support them, and we’re going to do better,” she said. As long as I have a voice, they have a voice on this board. But to pay support staff almost $50,000, that doesn’t sit well.”

Board trustee Laura McIntyre expressed the same sentiment, comparing the starting salary of these positions to the starting salary of teachers in the district.

“It’s not equitable, it’s not commensurate, and it’s not fair,” McIntyre stated. “This work needs to be done, yes, but so does teaching. That’s what schools are for… you can’t have a school without teachers.”

Superintendent Kevelin Jones pointed out that the positions were already part of the district’s budget and nothing was being added on. He also reminded the board that they were not at liberty to discuss UTF.

“We are supposed to be trying to figure out a way forward. Everyone at this table is for teachers. I’m not at liberty, and I will not break that,” Jones expressed. “I am not at liberty to go into detail about what the superintendent and the administration or the board thinks about what should happen with our UTF union.”