Akron teachers union moving forward with grievance over canceled tutoring contract
The Akron Education Association is continuing its grievance against Akron Public Schools, accusing the district of outsourcing union-protected jobs, despite the board's reversal of a decision to contract with an outside tutoring vendor.
The union is, however, amending its lawsuit to focus solely on accusations that the board or the administration tampered with the recording of a school board meeting where that contract was discussed. About 40 seconds are missing from a recording of the Jan. 8 board meeting, which the district blamed on a "glitch," but the union has made accusations that it was deliberately and "illegally" altered.
During that 40 seconds, the union alleged, one school board member shouted down into silence another board member who expressed concern about the contract.
"Recent actions by the Akron Education Association to seek transparency, honesty, and accountability by theAkron Public School Board and the APS Superintendent will move forward," AEA President Pat Shipe said in a statement Monday afternoon.
The union also will continue with an Unfair Labor Practice charge in connection with the Varsity Tutors contract. The charge accuses the school board administration of "failure to recognize and negotiate with the Akron Education Association, the sole legal representative of its members, regarding the outsourcing of educator jobs to a private vendor."
A spokesman for the district said he had no comment on the updated lawsuit or the grievance.
The board on Jan. 8 voted to approve a contract with Varsity Tutors to spend grant money on an online tutoring program for students. The AEA contract, however, covers tutors in the district, and the union's position was that by contracting with an outside vendor, the district was outsourcing jobs that should go to Akron teachers.
On Feb. 1, the board voted to overturn its original decision because of the union's legal and grievance actions.
Shipe said in an interview Monday that rescinding the contract was not enough to stop the union's grievance. The damage was already done, she said.
"They still violated our contract under a number of different sections," Shipe said. "We have to have a board that follows their own contract."
Shipe said even if Akron teachers were able to apply for the work through Varsity Tutors, it would be a violation of their contract with the board. The contract covers tutors who work after school and over the summer, as well as during the school day.
Teachers "do not have to go to an outside company and apply to an outside company to perform their own jobs," she said.
In the Feb. 1 meeting, Superintendent Michael Robinson had portrayed the lost opportunity for students to have extra tutoring as a sad day for the district.
Shipe said the contract being canceled doesn't mean students can't receive more tutoring.
"There is an opportunity within APS to do the exact same thing only with qualified teachers who know their students best," she said.
Contact education reporter Jennifer Pignolet at jpignolet@thebeaconjournal.com, at 330-996-3216 or on Twitter @JenPignolet.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: AEA moving forward with grievance over canceled APS tutoring contract
