Lorain/Elyria, OH
Wellington teachers say they’re cutting their workload
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WELLINGTON — District teachers are fed up with waiting for their contract to be renewed and won’t work more than they legally have to, according to a mass mailing to the parents of Wellington students.
Form letters signed by various teachers and staffers appeared in mailboxes Friday and Saturday.
One letter signed by high school teacher Janet Brand states that her work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.
“As you are aware, my day usually extends well beyond those hours. However, since it appears that the Wellington School Board does not value us as professionals, as evidenced by their refusal to bargain a fair and equitable contract, we have established, as an Association, a Work to Rule policy,” the letter said.
School board member Brian Fehlan said he’s received several calls from parents upset about the tone of the letter.
“It left a more negative view in their minds toward the teachers,” he said.
Negotiations with the teachers union — which the letter calls “an unfortunate and unnecessary mess” — will resume at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday for the first time since Sept. 19.
The sit-down was called by a federal mediator, said Fehlan, who hopes to settle the contract Tuesday.
Repko said there is a 50-50 chance the Wellington Education Association will call for a strike during the meeting. But teachers don’t want to strike, she said.
“We want to come to a resolution. It would benefit both sides,” she said.
The WEA represents 89 teachers.
Tuesday’s meeting does not address another lapsed contract with the Wellington School Support Staff union, which represents 59 bus drivers, cooks, custodians and other noncertified workers.
Parent Gerry Askew said her group, called Support Our Children, will parade in front of Town Hall on Main Street, where the meeting will be.
“Nobody in this town wants this to end in a strike. We want it to end now,” she said.
Support Our Children members distributed fliers Friday at the Wellington Dukes football game. The fliers are asking the community to pressure school board members to settle the contract.
They also will be present 7:30 p.m. Monday at a meeting hosted by the WEA and WSSS at McCormick Middle School.
That forum will give more information about the union’s Work to Rule policy.
Contact Jason Hawk at 653-6264 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.
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The parents that called fehlan are probably his croanies and in his mind he is as important as several people.
That’s the mind set that people in Wellington have to deal with when it comes to their school board members.
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ARE THESE TEACHERS THAT CARE ABOPUT OUR KIDS IT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE IT ONLY WORK FROM 7:30 TO 2:50 WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER 3 MONTHS HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU PUT IN. WHERE WILL IT END.
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“Repko said there is a 50-50 chance the Wellington Education Association will call for a strike during the meeting. But teachers don’t want to strike, she said.”
Then don’t strike. State you are unhappy, negotiate and continue down the path. Its not like teachers aren’t being paid at all and you have good benefits. Quit threatening the kids and the community. I’m no fan of the board either.
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Cutting their workload???? Isn’t three months OFF every year enough?
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If you want the summer off then go to college and get your teaching certificate, but quit criticizing those who devote themselves to our kids education. As far as I’m concerned they are the most underpaid professionals around. (And no I’m not a teacher). As a parent, I don’t want a strike either, but the board of education was elected to do a job and they aren’t doing it. 90% of our teachers have a tenure of over 10 years in our district and things have never gotten to this point — what’s different? The superintendant - get rid of him and I’ll bet things get settled in a hurry.
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As a former student of Wellington, I must say that the teachers are paid well. I am a Registered Nurse and during a normal day in surgery I am at risk for exposure to several diseases and back permanent back injury from lifting patients. I work all but 6 paid holidays a year and the weekends. I have substandard benefits and no pension or health care benefits when I retire. And I work in health care! I went through a rigorous program that was, by far, more difficult than the teaching programs that many of my friends went through. They will also admit that. I make less than a teacher! Teachers are wonderful, don’t get me wrong. However, the power of the union is being abused. I decided to be a nurse because I truly wanted to care for people. I continue to stay in my profession because that is what i want to do, give something back to the world. Teachers in Wellington do not have it bad at all. They just don’t have everything their way. It’s time for them to realize that they all knew what they were getting into when they went to school, as I did. Suck it up and deal with it.
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