Newport Teachers Union Rejects Latest Contract Offer, Votes No-Confidence in Superintendent

Friction between teachers and the administration of the Newport public school district has steadily been increasing in recent months but this week it reached new levels after the teacher’s union voted no confidence in Superintendent Colleen Jermain.

The vote coincided with a vote by the union’s negotiating team to reject the latest contract offer from the School Committee, which was subsequently “overwhelmingly” approved by the membership of the Teachers’ Association of Newport, which represents the district’s teachers.

In a news release, the TAN said there were two reasons for the rejection of the proposal.

SEE: Superintendent Responds to No-Confidence Vote

“First, the School Committee continues to seek an increase in class sizes. The teachers know that increasing class size means less time is available for students; less personal instruction; less one-­‐on-­‐one assistance; and less time to review students’ work,” the release stated. “Second, the School Committee conditioned settlement on the Union’s withdrawal of pending grievances. Conditioning settlement of a contract on the withdrawal of grievances is an Unfair Labor Practice. TAN will file an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the State Labor Relations Board on Monday.”

The no-confidence vote, according to the union, is based on the superintendent’s management, which they say has violated the terms of the the union’s working contract.

In response, many teachers have filed grievances and the district suffers from “low morale among teachers, and a general feeling of disrespect and abuse,” union officials said.

Jermain, reached by e-mail on Sunday, said she would have a response to a request for comment by Monday morning.

Some have said that the issues stem from a salary dispute, a suggestion that teachers are amping up pressure for larger raises. The union said that Jo Eva Gains, Chairwoman of the School Committee, said it was in fact a salary dispute.

But that “is patently false. The parties have agreed to salary numbers in the latest exchange of proposals. This dispute centers on the quality of instruction for the students of Newport.”

The union and the district have been without a contract for two years. At the same time, Newport has been trying to get out of fiscal quicksand and is grappling with a $1.4 million deficit from last year.

Without an agreement soon, the matter could head to nonbinding arbitration, a somewhat worrisome prospect for the administration since an arbitrator could propose a settlement with worse conditions for the district. A rejection of that proposal could reignite another round of costly litigation.