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Teachers Union Sues Pinellas School Board

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 21, 2009

CLEARWATER - The Pinellas County teachers union filed suit against the Pinellas School Board on Tuesday, claiming the board failed to revert to a maximum five periods of teaching per day for middle school teachers at the beginning of the year.

The board had implemented a schedule calling for six periods of teaching in a seven-period workday this school year. The Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association then filed a grievance, saying the move violated the terms of its contract, and an independent arbitrator agreed with the union in a Nov. 26 decision.

According to the lawsuit, the board was to restore the five-period maximum in middle schools as of Jan. 1.

In a Jan. 8 letter to Kim Black, the president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, schools Superintendent Julie M. Janssen said she couldn't make the switch.

"The financial conditions in place at the time of the arbitrator's award have significantly eroded, creating an even more desperate climate in which to approach a change in schedule," Janssen said.

The so-called 6-of-7 schedule shaved $2.2 million off the budget, the lawsuit says.

The teachers' contract expired June 30, 2008, but teachers were still operating under its guidelines, which call for a maximum of five periods of teaching, whether the day is six or seven periods long, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit essentially asks a Pinellas circuit judge to uphold the arbitrator's decision.

From the union's perspective, part of the problem is, with six periods of teaching required of them, there's not enough time for teachers to plan.

From Janssen's perspective, switching back to the five-of-six period day would force students to eliminate one of their electives, and some eighth-grade students might not meet the requirements of some magnet and inter-baccalaureate programs, according to her letter to Black.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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