Sunday, May 26, 2013

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BUENA VISTA SCHOOL DISTRICT RESPONSE TO INACCURATE MEA PRESS RELEASE

The Buena Vista School District is issuing this in response to the inaccurate statements released by the MEA in its press release posted as of 3:51 p.m. The MEA claims: "Without warning, the Buena Vista School District did not pay its 28 teachers Friday – despite it being a pay day and despite the State of Michigan’s sending $400,000 to the struggling district to keep it open for the remainder of the school year." In fact, as early as Monday afternoon, May 20, the President of the Buena Vista Education Association (BVEA) was provided information that the first payroll date for staff following the restart of school would by June 7, 2013. The MEA bargaining agent was also informed of this fact. To say that the payroll scheduling was “without warning” today is simply not in accordance with the facts. Furthermore, the District has been advised by the local union leadership that its staff members have filed for unemployment benefits for the time that they were laid off.

Further, it has been reported that the State has “sent” money to the District this week to meetpayroll. In fact, the District made the request for payroll funds this week so it may make the June 7 scheduled payroll. The fund release process has, we understand, been initiated by the State and can take several days. Funds are projected to be disbursed to the District on Tuesday, May 28 for the June 7 payroll – on a schedule in keeping with that reported to the union leadership. The MEA statement also asserts that there are crowded classrooms in the District. In fact, upon the District's specific inquiry as to overloaded classes, the local union bargaining agent responded this afternoon as follows: “Sorry, no classes are overloaded at this time, however, there may be a problem with this if no subs are called.” Finally, the District wants to correct previous media reports that its teachers had volunteered "to work for free"'; in fact, the BVEA only volunteered to defer immediate payment for work until the District received funds to make such payment.

It is important to note that the District’s financial situation going forward continues to be dire.As previously announced by the District’s board of education, the District's state aid for the balance of the school year is only about $460,000, but the cost of operating the District through the end of the school year (June 26) is estimated to be over $810,000. The District has attempted to work with the BVEA to address this shortfall. However, today the District was informed that the BVEA recently voted that it would not agree to a reduction in

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compensation either for the remainder of this year or for next year from that provided in the expired collective bargaining agreement, regardless of the District's financial problems. While we respect the BVEA's right to make such a decision, it will only exacerbate the financial crisis. The District believes that the best method of providing direct support to its teaching staff and children is through level-headed discussion, not in the form of dueling press releases and inflammatory assertions whose inaccuracy would otherwise could easily be verified. The children of Buena Vista are entitled to an education. The Buena Vista Board of Education and administration remain committed to working with the State, the BVEA, and all of the District's various stakeholders to do whatever it takes to serve the needs of our students.

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