36 W. Bloomfield teachers called in sick last Tuesday

An article by Michael Shelton    1 Comment

Controversy has again started to swirl around negotiations between the West Bloomfield School District and its teachers union, after three dozen West Bloomfield High School teachers were reported absent on Tuesday, Feb. 15.

“We had an inordinately high number that didn’t report,” said Pamela Zajac, the district’s public relations and marketing coordinator. “Thirty-six didn’t come on Tuesday. Usually we would have an average of 12 absent. We anticipated issues along these lines.”

When reached for comment, West Bloomfield Education Association President (WBEA) Kim Pilarski said that last Tuesday’s teacher absences weren’t a union-sanctioned activity, and that the WBEA had members that were sick and required the day off.

Zajac went on to say that all classes were covered at West Bloomfield High School by substitute teachers and administrators from other buildings.

“The students were phenomenal and well-behaved,” Zajac said.

She added that a board meeting would be required to determine if the mass absences were in fact abuse of sick leave benefits, and that there are no plans yet for such a meeting.

“Pay will be determined by a board action, which hasn’t happened,” Zajac said.

The district’s 411 teachers are currently working without a contract after their previous contract expired on Aug. 31. That has caused tension between the district and its teachers, as they struggle to come to an agreement, including picketing by teachers at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, Feb. 14.

A fact-finding report regarding negotiations between the two sides was released last month and recommended an immediate across-the-board 10 percent reduction in salaries, along with two furlough days for the 2011-12 school year.

Two more bargaining sessions are scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 24, and Tuesday, March 8.