Lay-offs, contract dispute top news in 2002

School district

lays off 48

One of the most significant stories of the year came just last month when the Mat-Su Borough School District announced it had laid off nearly 50 classified employees in an attempt to remedy a $3 million budget deficit.

A week before Christmas, 48 school employees from around the district, including custodians, special education assistants and supervisors, were given their two weeks' notice. The district blamed employee contract settlements, inaccurate enrollment accounting and a $500,000 over-expenditure at the Mat-Su Correspondence School.

While the district said the $3 million budget deficit made the layoffs unavoidable, union leaders questioned the timing and target of the layoffs.

Unions, district go

through tough talks

Conflict between the district and its two largest unions were not a new struggle during 2002. From the start of the year, relations between the district and its classified employees and teachers deteriorated as the groups attempted to settle on new contacts.

By February, talks between the district and the two unions were declared at an impasse, and a federal mediator was called in for both contact negotiations. Salary and benefits, as well as some contract language, were at the heart of the disputes.

As summer vacation arrived, more than 1,600 Mat-Su school district teachers and classified employees were without contracts, and a strike appeared to be looming in the fall. In an advisory vote, the majority of teachers said they would strike if necessary.

In July, an arbitration report appeared to recommend "splitting the baby," by offering concessions to both the district and the two unions. District officials and union leaders said the report would provide a middle ground to restart negotiations.

By the end of August, teachers had reached an agreement with the district but classified employees were returning to schools without a contract. In September, there were rumors that classified employees would strike, but at a union meeting the group seemed to be more interested in continuing talks with the district. A strike still seemed imminent as the Classified Employees Association filed a labor relations complaint claiming the district had used "bad faith tactics." In early October, however, the union settled on a two-year contract with the district.

In the meantime, teachers prepared to again return to the bargaining table as their one-year contract wound down.

Auditors search out district's faults

Mat-Su schools underwent intense scrutiny during 2002 as an independent auditing group interviewed staff, examined textbooks and budget documents and analyzed the district's approach to curriculum.

Using $75,000 in state grant funds, the district hired a group of professional educators to conduct the curriculum audit. District officials said the report would be designed to find fault, and it did. The auditing team concluded that a rapid turnover of superintendents, a school board too focused on micro-managing and a lack of districtwide planning and cohesive curriculum had allowed the district to unravel into separate fiefdoms rather than a unified district. The 200-page report detailed 20 findings and nine recommendations, and called for a complete overhaul of the district, from how teachers teach in the classroom to how principals implement policies, to how the school board and superintendent interact.

As 2002 drew to a close, neither the school board nor the administration had publicly responded to the audit.

Another superintendent comes and goes

One of the audit's criticisms was the rapid turnover of superintendents, and during 2002 another one came and went. After two years at the helm, Superintendent Pat Chesbro's contract became a topic of public debate.

In March, as the board voted 4 to 3 to keep her on, Chesbro's tenure was both applauded and criticized by dozens of people who showed up at public meetings. While some claimed she had not kept the best interest of students at heart as she led the district, others described her as a "gem of a superintendent."

When the board offered her a contract, however, it wasn't clear if Chesbro would sign on, but in May she agreed to a two-year contract at $130,000 per year, including salary, health insurance and a car allowance. Before the month was out, however, Chesbro changed her mind, saying she did not have the kind of backing from the board she wanted. As she announced her intentions to leave the district, Assistant Superintendent Don Chicarell also turned in a letter of resignation.

The school board chose Assistant Superintendent Bob Doyle, a 20-year veteran of the district, as the interim superintendent. As 2002 ended, Doyle's position was still described as "interim" but it appeared the board was poised to make him the permanent superintendent.

School board loses

one to Juneau

In October of 2002, voters opted to keep the school board the same, choosing incumbents Mike Chmielewski and Bob Johnson.

In November, however, board member Carl Gatto was elected to the newly created Greater Palmer area House District 13. When Gatto announced he would officially step down from the school board at year's end, the board prepared to appoint someone to fill the vacancy. The school board is still accepting resumŽs and letters of intent for the vacant seat until Jan. 9.

Homeschoolers get attention, new school

A third charter school seemed to be on the district's horizon in July when a group of certified teachers and parents applied to open Horizon Charter School, designed for families who educate their children at home.

The school board rejected the application, however, saying it was more of an issue of timing. The applicants were requesting a deadline waiver in order to open in fall 2002, and board members said they didn't want to rush the process. As Horizon organizers continued to work with the district to reapply later in the year, district officials announced it had added a new homeschool support program to its correspondence school. Each student would receive a $1,800 curriculum allowance as well as money to go toward the purchase of a computer.

By the end of 2002, it was clear the new program had not worked as intended -- the district announced the school was a half-million dollars in the red, and it would not be accepting new admissions for the rest of the year except under special circumstances.

In the meantime, Horizon Charter organizers pursued their application with the district and in December won unanimous approval from the board. If approved at the state level, the Horizon Charter School will open next fall with an estimated 200 students.