Fayette school board won’t consider employee collective bargaining resolution

The Fayette County Public Schools Board on Monday declined to consider a resolution that would allow teachers and other staff to vote on whether they want to be represented by a union.

The decision sparked criticism from Amanda Ferguson, a school board member who introduced the resolution., and members of Kentucky120 United-AFT, a teachers’ union.

“Because of my deep concern for the culture of the Fayette County Public Schools, what I consider the very low morale of many employees across the district, and ultimately the effect this has on our students’ learning conditions and outcomes, I asked our chair and then my fellow board members to add this resolution as an action item to the agenda of the May 20 regular meeting of the board of education,” Ferguson told the Herald-Leader.

“It is disappointing they are not even willing to begin the discussion,” she said.

KY120 United-AFT officials said in a Monday statement: “Tonight, the FCPS board, under the leadership of Tyler Murphy, declined to vote on a resolution that would provide staff a real voice in our school district by refusing to even entertain a debate and open vote on a collective bargaining process.”

Ky120 United-AFT co-founder Nema Brewer told the Herald-Leader collective bargaining would give the ability for teachers and other staff to be able to negotiate their working conditions with the district and form a collective bargaining agreement, a union contract, that will set those negotiated terms in writing.

“Ultimately, our members have lost faith that board leadership and the district will ever truly listen to staff or families and the only way to change this is by a legally binding contract. What we have been doing isn’t working,” Brewer said.

“Board Chair Murphy’s response to the agenda request is misrepresented in the press release,” said district spokesperson Dia Davidson-Smith.

“ FCPS and our Board Chair are deeply saddened that with all of the positive things happening in our classrooms and across our campuses, this is the statement that was released tonight by a group identifying as - KY120, “ she said.

“As we celebrate and show appreciation, especially this week, for all that our teachers do on a daily basis to guide and engage our students, it is important to highlight the positives - highest teacher starting salary, balanced budget, expanded campuses, improved test scores, high learning standards for students, meeting and exceeding our strategic plan, giving our students exposure to STEAM offerings and connecting them with corporate/military partners and the list goes on,” said Davidson-Smith.

Ferguson said it has been nearly 18 years since she was first elected to the school board.

“Since rejoining the board last year, it has been disheartening to hear some of the same concerns from teachers and staff today that were shared with me starting in 2007,” Ferguson said.

“It is heartbreaking to see that we still have gaps in achievement and not all students share in the successes of their classmates in the same way,” she added. “Staff and teacher voices seem not only unvalued and unwelcome at times, there are reports they are often silenced by those in leadership.”

“When those who regularly interact directly with our students, whether teachers, para-educators, food service workers, custodians, bus drivers, or many others, are overwhelmed and undervalued, they cannot perform at their best and our young people suffer,” Ferguson said. “There is skepticism and distrust concerning budget issues and financial transparency often falls short.

Ferguson shared messages she had received from Fayette staff:

▪ ”I work at one of the highest risk schools in the district and our social worker was just told her position will not be renewed next year due to cuts. Our mental health specialist has been told they are unsure of her position. Since the safety tax increase, we still do not have these things secured in our buildings but there is a beautiful new building downtown, fully renovated full of new positions for ‘highly qualified’ and highly paid educators, chiefs, superintendents and mental health professionals who attend multiple national and international conferences but don’t step foot into a school.”

▪ “Help please! We need money and personnel in the schools, not in a fortress on a hill.”

▪ “As a teacher, I appreciate your posts. We are not allowed to speak out with concerns about the district. We need more parents demanding transparency. We’re cheering you on in silence because we can’t publicly.”

The KY120-AFT statement said the lack of transparency is exactly what Murphy once fought against as a school board member.

“A collective bargaining agreement would at least give financial transparency and ensure staff can negotiate to bring resources back to the classrooms,” the KY120-AFT statement said.

Davidson-Smith said the Board and district leadership were focused on “continuing the important, impactful work ...made possible by ongoing collaboration and partnership with students, staff, families, and our community. Any other takeaway from tonight’s meeting is a distraction from the work we have to do together for public schools to thrive.”

Davidson-Smith provided to the Herald-Leader e-mail exchanges on Sunday and Monday between Murphy and Ferguson, prior to Ferguson raising the issue publicly at Monday’s board planning meeting.

On Sunday, Ferguson asked Murphy to add the collective bargaining resolution to the school board’s May 20 agenda, a request she said complied with board policy.

Murphy replied on Monday afternoon before the board planning meeting that after “reviewing the request and following initial consultation with counsel, we are not currently in a position to place this on the May action meeting agenda for two reasons.”

He said there had not been adequate preparation and discussion and the issue did not necessitate swift action. Before the Board could act on a 21 page resolution, it would need to be evaluated by district staff and legal counsel to ensure that it comports with relevant state statutes, district policy, and current district capacity, Murphy told Ferguson.

“I have forwarded the resolution to the Superintendent and Board Attorney and will keep you informed as I hear from them about next steps,” Murphy said in his email to Ferguson.

Many district staff are members of the Fayette County Education Association, an employee group. Its president, Jessica Hiler, did not immediately respond to a text Monday.