MSEA asks Chesbro to resign

MAT-SU -- Mat-Su Borough School District Superintendent Pat Chesbro received a letter Friday from the Mat-Su Education Association indicating that the union's executive board passed a vote of no confidence in her leadership and asked for her resignation.

The letter is the second Chesbro received in a week, and contains many of the same allegations listed in an April 22 letter sent out by the Mat-Su Principals' Association. Unclear communication, lack of staff support, problems with decision making and contractual agreements, little support for establishing positive, productive working relationships and ineffective budget management decisions are among the numerous allegations listed against Chesbro in this letter.

Chesbro said previously that she does not plan to resign as a result of the two votes, but is concerned that the repeated attacks may hinder the district when it presents its budget to the borough assembly. The assembly will have a chance to discuss the budget at a work session scheduled for 6 o'clock tonight.

Although the vote comes at a time in which emotions in the school district are running high -- MSEA and district officials have halted arbitration in hopes of coming back to the table with workable offers and, in the meantime, teachers are picketing in several locations across the Valley -- Barbara Morris, MSEA president, said this vote has been brewing for some time.

"We've been getting increasing numbers of requests from our membership for this vote," Morris said. "At every meeting, it has been brought up -- for the past two months."

Morris admitted that the vote is tied to contract negotiations and, although she said it was not taken lightly, she said the principals' association's vote played a part in the executive board's decision to vote. But, she said, there was more to it than that.

"We have to make working conditions so they're conducive to learning," Morris said. "We're not [offering wages] competitive with the Lower 48 anymore. It's tied to [negotiations] but it's not exclusive. This discontent has been growing, but it's not just because of negotiations."

She added, however, that she and other union members were not confident that Chesbro could successfully ride out the negotiations. When asked whether she believed the vote of no confidence would bring further division to the contract negotiations, Morris said the group considered that possibility.

"That's why we waited so long," Morris said. "We were afraid of that. [But] before, we thought we had a chance of getting the contract settled."

Morris said that was no longer the case. She said the union felt better off in the hands of an unknown leader. Morris added her hope that the school board steps up to the plate and approves a contract.

"I think the school board has to get pretty serious about getting this settled," Morris said.

"I don't know what their claims are," Chesbro said when asked if she felt the claims were valid. "These are pretty vague claims. The budget is not managed effectively? What are they talking about?"

Chesbro said some of the claims made are contradictory. She cited the numerous claims of ineffective, sporadic or inconsistent communication, and said some important points were left out.

"I think [communication] is a two-way street," Chesbro said. "I thought it was positive that Barbara Morris and I were meeting."

But those meetings stopped after just one had taken place. The two women had agreed to meet Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m. and last week, the second meeting was scheduled to take place. Chesbro said she waited until 8 a.m. for Morris to arrive, but she did not.

"The truth of the matter is, I blew it," Morris said. "I knew we had a Wednesday morning meeting…I didn't look at my calendar that morning."

Chesbro said that was not the only instance of its kind. When union members came to her with problems, she said, she tried to set up a meeting. The group was not able to agree on a meeting time, Chesbro said, and the group has never brought the issue back up. Chesbro added that she has tried to make union leadership informed, and is particularly stumped about the claims she has made no effort to communicate.

"I included the leadership of the unions in our leadership meetings," Chesbro said. "It used to be just for principals."

Chesbro said because she was in arbitration all day Friday, she had not yet had a chance to discuss the letter with school board members. Most of all, she said, she's concerned the no-confidence votes may affect the district's budget.

"My fears are the assembly is going to say, 'You know, I don't think they're a very trustworthy lot,'" Chesbro said.

At least two assembly members said they did not believe the no-confidence votes would affect their votes on the school board budget.

"The state constitution allows for an individually elected group of people, i.e. the school board, to essentially run the school district," said assembly member Sara Jansen. "I have no intention of getting involved in the district's issues."

Assembly member Jim Colver agreed.

"I don't want [our approval of the budget] to just be taken for granted and give them carte blanche," Colver said. "But I'm not going to base my funding decision on the school board superintendent's retention. I guess we, as assembly members, have a policy -- we don't meddle too much in the school board."

School board president Dan Contini said the two votes, along with other factors, will be discussed at the board's May 1 meeting. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m., with an executive session scheduled for 5:30 p.m. He couldn't say how much the no-confidence votes would affect the approval of contract terms.

"Their concerns … they're kind of not specific and they're more addressed to people problems, not education problems," Contini said. "I think there's definitely a communication problem somewhere -- I don't know whose fault it is."