The Jaffrey-Rindge School District has denied all allegations made by the district’s teachers’ union in a recently filed unfair labor practice complaint.
The complaint was filed by the Jaffrey-Rindge Education Association (JREA) and the National Education Association on Feb. 13 with the state Public Employee Relations Board and alleges that the district made a “unilateral change” to the middle/high school schedule for the 2018-19 school year by adding a 20-minute advisory period.
In a March 7 response, the district asked that the Public Employee Relations Board dismiss the complaint.
“The Association’s reversal of its position following a change in its officers, the Association’s failure during the 2018 negotiations to make any proposal regarding schedule changes, and the Association’s delay in filing this Complaint until approximately two-thirds of the way through the 2018-19 school year are prejudicial to the School District,” reads the complaint.
The response said that the association advocated for advisories and participated in the development of the 2018-19 school year schedule.
Furthermore, it said the association’s officers changed between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years, and that the new officers informed the district in October that the association objected to the change.
“The School District states that after the Association’s new officers objected to advisories, the School District consistently informed the Association that it was not feasible to change the daily schedule in a substantial way during the course of the 2018-19 school year; however, the School District administration and the new officers of the Association discussed whether minor changes would be possible at the start of the second semester,” the response reads.
The district also said the complaint fails to state a claim where relief can be granted, is barred by a state-mandated statute of limitations, and fails to exhaust the grievance procedure outlined in the collective bargaining agreement between the two parties.
The JREA has alleged that there was no negotiation process between the association and the school district regarding the schedule change.
The complaint has asked that the middle and high school revert back to the 2017-18 class schedule, among other things.
A pre-hearing conference is scheduled for March 28, while a hearing is scheduled for April 16.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com.