Download: RSS | Email Alerts | Text Alerts | Mobile
 

Arkansas Department of Education asks for dismissal of lawsuit


Story Comments Share
Reported by: Dustin Barnes
Tags:
Updated: 8/02/2012 5:31 pm Published: 8/02/2012 11:32 am
PULASKI COUNTY, AR - Eighteen days before students and teachers return to the classroom.

The unions, who represent teachers and support staff in the Pulaski County Special School District hope to once again be recognized.  They've gone to court to be reinstated.

"It's about union busting. It's about trying to take control over others," said Judy Stockrahm, a member of the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers.

The Arkansas Department of Education asked a judge to throw out their lawsuit.  But the unions argued the district should be forced to honor their five year contracts.  After abolishing the unions in April, State Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell told district leaders to cut benefits without negotiating with the unions.

"If I don't like something in a contract, I have to wait until that contract is expired, then I can change it but we have a five year contract, with the district, not with the state," said PASS President Emry Chesterfield.

The unions said Kimbrell had no right to terminate their contracts.  That's why they named him in a lawsuit.

However, attorneys representing the state say statute mandates the Education Commissioner become the school board when a district is in fiscal distress.

PCSSD Superintendent Jerry Guess said they could not have balanced the school budget with the unions' financial demands.

"The changes that we have proposed are critical to the district and I think it's important to point out we believe we're acting in the best interest of the students in the district," Guess said.

Story Comments Share
4 Comment(s)
Comments: Show | Hide

Here are the most recent story comments.View All

The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of FOX16 - Breaking News and Weather to Plan Your Day for Little Rock and Central Arkansas

Robert Austin - 8/3/2012 4:29 PM
1 Vote
Since getting to the petition described in my previous comment would require copy-and-paste, here is an easier way to find it: simply use Google to search for "change.org education petition cut administrators pay" - it's already spread to over 30 states, making it the top hit on Google for those search terms. If you don't want your taxes being wasted in this way, please make your voice heard! Enough is enough!

Robert Austin - 8/3/2012 4:16 PM
1 Vote
It's absurd that the term "fiscal distress" is used to attempt to justify attacks on teachers, support staff, and our contracts. "Administrative bloat" is the true cause of the PCSSD's financial woes, along with poor decisions made by past and present administrators. For example, our superintendent, Dr. Jerry Guess, collected a salary of $215,000 last year, and that doesn'teven include numerous benefits which cost taxpayers a lot of money. Add in those other costs, and there are 57 people in the PCSSD who cost the taxpayers over $100,000 per year, each. It should be pretty obvious why we are in fiscal distress. Not one of these 57 people is a teacher, and administrators teach no one. This is a problem across the nation - overpaid administrators who interfere with education by abusing teachers. There are a FEW good administrators, and, since we have far too many now, those few dedicated ones are the only ones we need. If Dr. Guess really wanted to help with the PCSSD's budget, why did he not take a paycut for the upcoming school year, himself? He'll be collecting the same salary, which is higher than that earned by anyone in the US Senate, or the President's cabinet! Since this is a nationwide problem, we are now petitioning Congress for the education reform America really needs: cutting administrators' pay. The details are at the petition site. If you agree with it, please sign it, and then pass it on to everyone you know, in all fifty states. The petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/the-c-a-p-education-reform-proposal-save-america-s-schools-by-cutting-administrators-pay-with-federal-legislation

Hot Dog 2 - 8/2/2012 6:29 PM
1 Vote
Any Arkansas citizen can do an FOI request. The Arkansas Press Association has a nice booklet on it, also at their website. Go for it! Meanwhile, I agree totally that a contract is a contract, or else why bother to sign them? Before the state "takeover", the employees were nearly alone in calling out excessive spending by administration & board members, which is what got the union on the hit list, in the first place, IMHO.

UnionTeacher - 8/2/2012 4:03 PM
1 Vote
Would a journalist look into an FOI on spending done by Superintendent Guess? Might be a connection between him and the previous crooks of our school board.. Some people might know about this.... just saying.... the publc would be interested on whistle-blowing on spending that he's done at the districts expense. Before comments are made by looking at my "pen name", just investigate it to find out.. Don't just take my word on it...
The links below are paid advertisements. FOX16 is not responsible for their content.
Current Conditions
75°
High: 93° | Low: 69°
Partly Cloudy
Inergize Digital This site is hosted and managed by Inergize Digital.
Mobile advertising for this site is available on Local Ad Buy.