Dear Editor,

I recently read a widely shared social media post by a School District 51 teacher stating many things about the current school board and the negotiations with Mesa Valley Education Association, our local teachers union.

The teacher, whose spouse ran for school board in 2021 and lost, is a current union MVEA/CEA/NEA member and recently sat at the table during negotiations this past spring.

In the social media post and also in a printed communication for community members, it states untruths. The teacher claims the current school board did not agree with the Student and Staff safety part of the negotiations and went on to say the current school board does not care about safety and security.

This struck me as alarming. As a parent of several kids in our district, I wondered: Who would not want safety as a priority for our youth?

I started digging into what happened. After much research, reaching out and asking the correct people for clarification, I have found the why. In the language that the union brought forward and tucked inside the safety part of negotiations was the language that would limit disciplining a student. It went on to state all complaints had to be deemed valid and required mandatory union representation.

Approximately half of our district teachers are members of the union; even so, they would be required to go through this process before any statement is given legally by the board. In any situation, regardless, the union wanted to have a mandatory say in all proceedings.

The provisions of this proposed safety plan not only shifted decision-making from district administration and the District 51 Board of Education and put it squarely in the hands of the union, it was also illegal in places. It included a requirement of the district to guarantee legal defense to employees involved in any civil lawsuit without any investigation as to whether the employee followed policy or not.

They also wanted to include a student’s behavioral history to be shared with all staff that has contact with the student. This alone is in direct violation with the Family Rights and Privacy Act.

These demands seem totally out of line. This is anything but the transparency that they are asking for as we head into this fall’s school board election. As you can quickly see, there is little thought to actual student and staff safety and more about control of every situation of students and staff. I, as a parent, am glad our current board members stood against this.

MVEA is making a push for voters to vote for the candidates who MVEA backs. What I see is MVEA backing board members whom they can control. Their significant financial contributions to the candidates they choose should be a warning to voters to go the other way.

They claim the current board members take “big, corporate” money. I would like to ask Kaci Cole about that. She has already accepted that big union PAC money. Mike Rathbone is the fiancé of a union member, and Vicki Woods is a retired teacher/principal also connected to the union. I am waiting to see who else accepts the “big, corporate” money.

Join me in re-electing candidates who have common sense and are effective and open to dialogue: Andrea Haitz, Angela Lema and Will Jones. Our district is in the best shape it has been in, thanks to strong, principled leadership. They have already accomplished much in the district around safety, a mill-levy passage, accountability at all levels, the highest academic scores in years, maybe ever, and examining and updating buildings and policies that were forgotten for too many years.

I, for one, want them to continue making our district the best it has ever been. Join me in re-electing them Nov. 4.

Michelle Gillilan

Fruita resident