Years-Long Contract Battle Leaves Students Without Hands-On Learning Opportunities
*KALAMAZOO, MI* — It was sold to voters as a groundbreaking investment in Kalamazoo County's kids. However, more than six years after voters approved a $166 million dollar property tax levy to fund the Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency's (KRESA) brand new "Career Connect Campus," the teachers there are still working without a contract, and some students are not able to participate in hands-on learning due to recent staff defections.
"The struggle behind the scenes with not having a contract and not feeling like we can trust the administration because their actions are very different than what they tell us," Career Connect Campus building trades instructor Ben Bierlein said. "What's keeping me there are the kids."
Grievance Process Dispute Keeps Negotiations Stalled
At issue is grievances: the process by which a teacher or staff member would be disciplined and/or terminated. The Michigan Education Association (MEA), which represents the teaching staff at the campus, says the final decision should be made by a 3rd party arbiter, which is standard protocol in most districts statewide.
KRESA disagrees. "It really comes down to the grievance process," KRESA Superintendent Dr. Dedrick Martin said. "Having that ability to be able to make decisions as it relates to staffing is important and we want to preserve that."
Taxpayer Funds Pouring Into Legal Battle
Responding to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by News Channel 3, KRESA says the district had paid attorneys in excess of $167 thousand dollars of taxpayer funds by mid-February to represent the district in contract negotiation and to defend the district against a series of unfair labor practice complaints filed by the teacher's union.
"The salary, the benefits, the working conditions, I think those are all very favorable," Martin said. "I think we're kind of in agreement there. It's just that one sticking point."
"Substantial sums of it have gone to fund a legal team to oppose the contract our teachers who provide those opportunities for success to your students," added Tom Greig, who represents the MEA in the current KRESA negotiations. "They have spent a lot of money on lawyers."
Career Connect Campus: What Voters Approved
The Career Connect Campus was designed to bring together students with specialized needs in one location, making programs more cost-efficient. By taking the kids that might have been more needs, and by bringing them all together to the same location it generally does things in a more cost-efficient manner.
Dr. Martin says the 1.5 mill request is the same amount they requested in 2015, when it was first approved, and again in 2021 when it was first renewed. It passed by large margins both times.
"We're talking about things that are federally mandated and what we have realized between the state and the federal funding, it's not enough to cover the cost," Martin said. He says that means if this special millage didn't exist, school districts would have to cut into other programs or services to fund them.
Students Paying the Price
The ongoing contract dispute has real consequences for students. Some students are not able to participate in hands-on learning due to recent staff defections. The struggle behind the scenes with not having a contract and not feeling like we can trust the administration because their actions are very different than what they tell us.
What Comes Next
Contract negotiations remain stalled between the Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency and the teachers at the districts "Career Connect Campus" over grievances. The situation has created uncertainty for staff, students, and families who depend on the programs provided at the campus.
The May 5th ballot will feature a KRESA millage renewal to support special education in all nine of its school districts, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing education funding debates in Kalamazoo County.