Union files grievance against city district

The YEA says its members should have the first shot at the charter school jobs.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Education Association has filed a grievance against the city school district, saying the school board violated the teacher contract by sponsoring a new charter school.
The school board voted Jan. 13 to sponsor the Mahoning Valley Opportunity Center, a charter school that will target older high school students who have little chance of earning a high school diploma.
The tentative plan is to temporarily house the charter school in space it will lease at Choffin Career & amp; Technical Center on East Wood Street, although a final location hasn't been determined.
The grievance contends the board violated a section of the teacher contract that states the board can't enter an agreement with a private concern or another governmental unit to provide services that are being provided by, or may be provided by, current employees.
It's not that the YEA thinks the goal of this particular charter school is bad.
On the contrary, "We are for the concept," said YEA President Will Bagnola, adding that it could benefit the targeted enrollment group.
What they want
The YEA believes, however, the jobs the charter school will have for teachers should be posted within the bargaining unit, in compliance with the current YEA contract, Bagnola said.
Further, the terms of employment, including salaries, should be in accord with the current YEA contract, and those hired should be or become members of the YEA, he added.
Dr. Wendy Webb, Youngstown superintendent, said the school district is only serving as a sponsor to get the charter school approved by the state. The charter school has its own independent governing board, and Youngstown won't have any control over the school.
Bagnola said the school district is negotiating an operating agreement with the charter school, and the YEA collective bargaining agreement could be incorporated as part of that arrangement.
Webb, as the school board's designee to handle grievances, said an effort will be made to resolve the YEA complaint, but the matter could wind up in binding arbitration.
"That's a separate governing board," she said of the charter school. "We can't tell the governing board what to do."
Youngstown will have a monitoring relationship with the school, and, should the concept prove ineffective, the school district can withdraw its sponsorship after one year, she added.
That wouldn't necessarily result in the charter school closing, however. It could seek another sponsor, Webb said.
Still working
The dispute hasn't hindered the opening of the new school because its governing board and Youngstown are still working on the terms of an operating agreement that will pay Youngstown a 3 percent management fee. Just how much that will be has to be determined by enrollment and operating costs.
The governing board has indicated it won't launch enrollment efforts, hire teachers or make any commitments until that agreement is in place. No opening date has been set, although Webb said earlier this month that classes could begin within a matter of weeks.
The school district also will lose money, as the state will reduce its subsidy payments to Youngstown by about $5,300 for every student that moves into the charter school. State subsidy follows the student and would go to the charter school.
Webb said that money would be lost anyway if the targeted pupils drop out of school.
The charter school is looking at 18- and 19-year-olds who have earned only a few credits toward graduation and are more likely to drop out of high school than earn their diploma, she said.
That's a segment of the student population that Youngstown isn't really equipped to deal with effectively, she said, estimating that 75 or 80 Youngstown students might fit the charter school's criteria.
It's a group that Youngstown is working to reach, but it will take time for the school district's efforts to be put into place and the charter school can fill that niche now, Webb said.
The charter school will be open to any Mahoning County student fitting the criteria outlined by Webb. It needs a minimum enrollment of 25 to qualify as a state charter school.
gwin@vindy.com