Local educators voice frustration at school board meeting

PALMER — Educators packed the Mat-Su Borough School District meeting Dec. 6 asking for respect. Cars filled the district office and Swanson Elementary parking lots all the way to Gulkana Street. Educators spoke against the district negotiations during persons to be heard on non-agenda items for over an hour before the meeting began.

Dozens of educators filled the room, spilling out into the lobby of the district office building, all dressed in black. Dee McKee, a former BP Teacher Of Excellence award winner, donned a black garbage bag because she had nothing black to wear. Following each comment, teachers waved signs that said “respect our contract” on one side and “hands off my health care” on the other. They would wave their signs and hands in the air following each comment they heard that they supported, asking the district to renegotiate their insurance contract.

According to Tim Walters, President of the Mat Su Education Association, negotiations with the district have been at a stalemate since February. MSEA asked for an increase of 1.75 percent, which they then dropped to 1.5 percent. The district is proposing a cut of three teacher workdays and an increase of $2,000 or more on their health care plan, as well as access to health insurance data.

"We're not willing to move backwards. We don't want them handling our insurance at all," said Walters.

Walters believes that the district's plan to self-insure will increase health insurance costs. Walters said the reaction of the teachers is based on the district's lack of movement toward the middle in the negotiations.

Ben Wargo has taught for 14 years. He fears the impact that the loss of the three teacher workdays will negatively affect students.

"We use those for planning, getting ready, for creating, we use them. I'm hopeful, I'm really hopeful. We hope that they will push the administration to come back to the bargaining table," said Wargo, who has taught at Colony Middle School for 12 years.

McKee has taught for 21 years. McKee used her time delivering public comment to express that the teachers do not feel valued or respected by the contract negotiations.

"There are places that could be cut that should be cut. You could save a lot of money that way. Why don't we look first at what we could cut other than the teachers," said McKee.

McKee won BP Teacher Of Excellence in May as well as being honored by KTVA as teacher of the week.

The board went into executive session before they returned for their regularly scheduled business. The board stated that the increase in cost is due to a lack of funding from the Mat Su Borough Assembly and the state, and that the district is left to foot the bill.

"I love seeing the room this packed. I'd love to see the assembly meetings packed, too," said Vice President Kelsey Trimmer during his board comments.

President Donna Dearman extended an invitation to all of the teachers in the room to attend the joint borough school board meeting.

"You need to be there at that meeting and be as gracious and courteous and passionate and be as eloquent as you were this evening because the assembly needs to hear what you said to us this evening. The assembly has the money. The assembly is responsible for that funding. We know what we need. We don't have it. You have a retired teacher sitting right here. I know the pain that you're feeling. We can't. You heard about our second largest cost driver 40 million dollars what that equates to for teachers. You rallied, you did it professionally, eloquently, you made me and the rest of the board very proud. Be there. Be heard, once again."

Tim Rockey is a freelance writer for the Frontiersman. Contact him at timothy.rockey@gmail.com.