The two teachers’ unions in the Ottawa Elementary School District believe the district isn’t listening to them. During public comments last night, members from the Ottawa Education Association spoke about a survey given to 160 members to talk about how they feel the district is doing. Ottawa Elementary Education Support Personnel Association Secretary Shantel Hanlon says teachers feel the support of their peers and that the building administration is approachable. But there were many negatives said about the district according to the union.
OEA Pres. Andy Baker explained what the unions are looking for. He says administration needs to read, respect, and follow the collective bargining agreements.
The OEESPA and the Ottawa Education Association later claimed the school board wouldn’t sit down with them to negotiate a specific issue that wasn’t mentioned or to talk about the results of the survey. Board Pres. Brendan Donahue says the unions are painting an inaccurate picture. He says two board members did sit with the union members and took a copious amount of notes while listening to what they wanted before.
He finished by saying the board continues to care about its staff and students. He also says the survey wasn’t done in conjunction with the Department of Education or with the endorsement of the board. You can listen to all of the comments from the union representatives and the Ottawa Elementary School Board here: