Western Heights docks teachers’ pay for walkout participation
Western Heights Public Schools is penalizing teachers and support staff for participating in the teacher walkout instead of returning to the classroom, The Oklahoman has learned.
About 20 certified employees were notified by email that their May paycheck “would be docked” because they were absent “without leave in April.”
Most chose to ignore the school board — which voted 4-1 on April 2 to limit the district’s support of a teacher walkout to one day — and the threat of disciplinary action if they skipped school the following day.
“I was blindsided,” said one employee who requested anonymity. “I had no idea this was coming.”
The employee’s May paycheck was $300 less than usual, the employee told The Oklahoman.
“My first reaction was ‘well, OK, I’m gonna need to find another job,’” the employee said. “What really makes me mad is that they didn’t even discuss it with us.”
Jimmie McBride, a high school English teacher who also defied the board and returned to the Capitol on April 3, has since resigned to pursue a job in another district.
Both workers said they used personal leave to return to the Capitol for Day 2 of the teacher walkout in support of education funding, which lasted 10 school days.
“I’m a little frustrated,” McBride said Friday. “But they did warn us that if we walked another day there would be consequences. I was hoping they wouldn’t follow through.”
McBride said she had yet to receive her May paycheck.
‘No Strike Clause’
In a statement, Assistant Superintendent Brayden Savage, the district’s human resources director, said those who admittedly went to the Capitol and reported an absence “unfortunately were unable to legally apply any type of appropriate paid leave.”
“Our Negotiated Certified Agreement contains a “No Strike Clause” which states that teachers will refrain from work stoppage without board approval,” she said.
“Our Board of Education voted to continue to have school during the teacher walkout and thus did not approve any type of work stoppage. We do not have an appropriate paid leave category to cover an absence due to participating in work stoppage without board consent.”
Savage said not all employees who received courtesy notices participated in the walkout.
“We certainly had many teachers who came in the next day that didn’t agree (with the board’s decision),” she said. “I know they weren’t happy but they were here for our kids.”
Western Heights Education Association President Sharon Teague said the matter is being addressed.
“We are aware that Western Heights has docked the pay of some of our members who took personal leave to attend the walkout,” Teague said in an email. “We are working with the Oklahoma Education Association to represent our members in resolving this dispute with the school board.”
At the time, Superintendent Joe Kitchens said he supported the board’s decision because the Legislature had already acted to fund average teacher pay raises of about $6,000.
“We considered that as affirmative action on behalf of our teachers, our support people, the schools of Oklahoma,” Kitchens said. “I’ll always believe that was a historic vote of historic proportions. Our heart was full of joy that our teachers would get a pay raise of that magnitude.”
Kitchens said about 80 percent of the district’s 255 teachers and other certified staff returned to their classrooms on April 3.
“Our legal counsel advised our teachers that they should be back in school (April 3) because the board voted to resume classes,” he said. “In accordance with our negotiated agreement, teachers were notified that they needed to be at school serving students.”
Following the school board’s April 2 vote, the superintendent provided a letter from the school district’s attorney, Jerry Colclazier, who said support and certified employees who abandon contracted work in an effort to achieve more pay and/or benefits would be “conducting an illegal strike” in violation of their agreement and subject to disciplinary action according to board policy.