The summer long dispute between the Teachers Association of Newport and the school administration is spilling over into the beginning of the school year with kids going back to school this coming week.
It’s a dispute that revolves around a reorganization that’s resulted in many teachers displaced from their traditional assignments because of what the school administration says are certification requirements for teachers of Multi Language Learners.
The union maintains that in developing this reorganization and in the job placement process, the administration has violated terms of the union contract, which would give the teachers a voice in both the reorganization and any job placement procedure.
Last week teachers held an informational picket line during the city council meeting, and, according to a press release, are planning another the first day of school.
During the picketing at city hall, the teachers’ union president, Jennifer Hole, pleaded with the council (and public) for support: “I am begging for help from you, from the public, from anybody who will talk to the superintendent, who will talk to the school committee and tell them to end this nonsense and follow our contract.”
Both sides say they are operating in the best interest of the students.
Meanwhile, over the course of the summer, both sides engaged in a mediation process, with no positive results. However, according to Superintendent of Schools Colleen Burns Jermain that process may, that is may, continue.
Over the summer, the teachers’ union held a no confidence vote, filed several grievances and unfair labor practice charges.
But what I really want to address is the role of the media. While it’s clear from social media posts and statements by members of the teachers’ union that they would like to see the media as advocates for their position, that’s not the role of the media.
Teachers’ union members wanted to appear on a WhatsUpNewp videocast that we do monthly with the school superintendent. It’s a monthly videocast that provides the public as a whole with a glimpse into various aspects of the schools’ operations, and not as a forum for a debate over the issues of the labor dispute.
We believe that the union has taken the appropriate approach in seeking resolution through the grievance process and litigation of the unfair labor practice charges. And, if grievance fails, it would be totally appropriate for the union to pursue arbitration. Those are the forums where people with an intimate knowledge of the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement can make appropriate decisions that will bring an end to the dispute.
We believe the union has every right to set up informational picket lines to express its positions. We also realize that teachers’ unions are at a distinct disadvantage in labor disputes because they are prohibited from striking.
But about the role of the media, the press. We’re here to report on the dispute, not to take one side or the other. And we’re not inclined to change the purpose of our monthly videocasts with the superintendent, allowing the broadcast to devolve into an argument best served in the grievance and/or unfair labor practice forums that are designed to debate the collective bargaining issues.
Our hope, of course, is that both sides find common ground that best serves the more than 1,900 students enrolled in the city’s public schools. We’ll continue to report on the issue, advocating only for a fair and honest resolution that restores a positive relationship between faculty and administration, all for the benefit of the students.
You don’t want to get caught in the middle? Huh? Why not? They want to discuss school matters with you. That’s it. You can’t ask questions?? Do you even understand what working to contract means? CNN conducted interviews lately with the 2 Democratic candidates. Does this mean they took sides? Seems like you have already. So talk already. What does it cost you? You don’t have to interview them together.
Many of us value the monthly interviews with the leader of the management side of Newport schools. Thank you for this public service. This current labor crisis first emerged in February 2024 on the heels of the issuance of formal layoff notices. This action was referenced in the late February interview. Since then, there have been six other interviews which covered myriad topics including layoffs, declining enrollment, budget, staffing, reorganizations, and labor conflict. All told, the seven videos featuring Dr Jermain total 286 minutes. After listening to over four hours of Dr Jermain shape public opinion, it’s hard to imagine anything constraining W-U-N from providing labor leaders a fraction of this air time to at least better explain their perspective.