Brighton School Board's Conely raises concerns over union use of room at Brighton High School

BRIGHTON - For at least 40 years, the Brighton Education Association has used a spare room in Brighton High School as office space and for staff union meetings.

Now, the Livingston County Republican Party and school board Treasurer John Conely are making the arrangement an issue.

At the Jan. 23 school board meeting, Conely raised the issue, asking the board to place a discussion of the arrangement on its agenda. Andy Storm, Conely, Jennifer Marks and Bill Trombley voted in support of amending the agenda. Angela Krebs, Alicia Reid and Roger Myers opposed the motion.

"We're not being paid rent, we're not being paid anything," Conely said of allowing the Brighton Education Association exclusive use of the room for union activities. It's unclear when the arrangement first began.

After Conely's comments, Marks made a motion for the board to go into a closed session to discuss confidential written attorney-client communications, which the board approved unanimously.

Following the board meeting, the Livingston County Republican Party issued a statement saying the existence of the union room in the school, "shows bias at the highest level of the administration."

Brighton Superintendent Matt Outlaw did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning. Brighton Education Association President Barry Goode, a counselor at the school, also did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday, but the Michigan Education Association, under which the BEA operates, said the use of the space isn't an issue.

"This arrangement has worked well for both staff and administrators, as the location provides a convenient place for labor and management to sit down together and collaborate on workplace issues. This helps foster good relations between educators and administrators and promotes labor peace," Michigan Education Association spokesperson Thomas Morgan said in a statement. "Instead of focusing on manufactured controversies or divisive politics, we need community leaders to work together with educators and parents and stay focused on the important issues facing our schools."

The current BEA contract, approved by the school board and BEA in 2022 doesn't specifically mention a union room, however, it does state union members will have access to facilities.

"Duly authorized representatives of the association and their respective affiliates shall be permitted to transact official association business on school property provided that this shall not interfere with or interrupt normal school operations," the contract states. "The association and its members shall be allowed, upon request, to use school building facilities for meeting during the hours that the buildings are covered by custodial staff. Association personnel shall have the right to use school facilities, technology, and equipment, at reasonable times such equipment is not otherwise in use. The association shall supply at the association's expense, all materials needed to conduct association business."

Teacher contracts throughout Michigan typically allow use of school facilities when not being used for classes or school activities. All other public school districts in Livingston County — Howell, Hartland, Pinckney and Fowlerville — include similar language in their teacher contracts providing access to and use of facilities during and after school hours.

Conely leveled numerous complaints against the union during the Jan. 23 meeting.

He said the union members who use the office carry ID badges for Brighton schools even though they aren't employees. He said there are no security checks on the union employees who operate out of the room in the school.

He also said he has issues because the school district pays for the heat, lights, computers and phone systems in the union room, and district officials don't have access to the space.

Conely said he has tried to access the room on multiple occasions and has been denied access.

In its Jan. 27 statement, the Livingston County GOP said it supports Conely "in his battle to ensure schools remain centrally focused on education." The statement says the union occupies "a locked classroom" and the administration "refuses to remove it."

The GOP claims the arrangement is a security risk and violates the board's bylaws stating "employees may not advocate partisan causes." It also claims employees are violating the law by taking part in "partisan political activities during which time the public employee is being compensated."

The GOP claims students are being placed in "imminent harm" because union workers don't undergo background checks. It's unclear if the MEA conducts background checks.

Sophia Lada is a reporter for the Livingston Daily. Contact her at slada@gannett.com or 517-377-1065. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_lada.

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: John Conely leads challenge of Brighton High School room used by union