4/23/13 - The head of the Howell teachersâ union drew a connection between wages offered in the district and the resignation of two teachers last night before the Howell School Board went into closed session to discuss contract negotiations. The board rejected the first contract offer from the Howell Education Association at the end of March by a vote of 5 to 3, with two board members excluded from voting by recent conflict-of-interest legislation. Rejection of that contract ensured that a new contact would be subject to Michiganâs new right-to-work law. Superintendent Ron Wilson says the board went into closed session for more than two hours last night to meet with the negotiating team to discuss strategies regarding the HEA contract. He says there is no working or proposed contract in place at this time. Before the executive session, which lasted more than two hours, HEA President Jay McDowell spoke at the boardâs call to the public. He announced that two educators in the district were resigning, at least one of them specifically due to the wages offered in the district. He says Howell teachers have gone four years with no raises and the state government continues to cut school funding, so retaining quality teachers will be difficult. McDowell says he is hopeful a new contract will be put in place by May or June. (TD)
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