5/2/13 - Nobody was happy after the Howell School Board approved a contentious motion to stop contract negotiations with the Howell Education Association last night. The vote came after a closed session lasting about two hours and officially announced that the district could not reach consensus on how to proceed with the teachersâ contract bargaining. Board President Mike Witt says he would have liked a new contract, but does not believe announcing the breakdown in negotiations will have a large impact on day-to-day operations. Without a new contract, the current employment conditions will continue for teachers into next year, including wage and step freezes and an increase in health coverage costs. Three members of the board- Deb McCormick, Mike Moloney, and Treasurer Doug Moore- voted against the announcement, saying a consensus could still be reached and a contract negotiated. However, other board members and members of the teachersâ union blamed those three members for causing the lack of consensus by not following the recommendations of administrators like Superintendent Ron Wilson. Union President Jay McDowell tells WHMI the lack of a new contract will force the district to find other ways to deal with a projected $3.5 million shortfall, possibly including layoffs. McCormick says she is disappointed with the boardâs âtunnel-vision decision making,â and hopes an agreement can still be reached before July. She told her critics at the meeting that she and the other dissenting board members were the ones who still wanted to try and negotiate a contract, and that giving up on that goal was unwise for the district. When McCormick had initially voted against the contract March 25th, she said she did so because she hadnât had enough time to look over the proposal and denied it was because the deal came just days before Michiganâs Right to Work law would have gone into effect. However, a Freedom of Information Act request indicates she had not logged in to her district provided account to access her board packet for either last nightâs meeting or the previous meeting on April 22nd, both of which dealt with the contract. District officials also confirmed that she had not physically picked up the packet either. Superintendent Wilson expressed his frustration at the end of the meeting. He said that by ignoring the recommendations of Assistant Superintendent of Finance Rick Terres and himself, Moloney, Moore and McCormick were causing him to question whether he could continue to effectively serve the district. (TD/JK)
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