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GCSC contract unrest points to statewide issue
A show of solidarity by Greencastle teachers Wednesday evening was likely just the shadow of what state lawmakers will be hearing from teachers and other school officials from around the state in less than two weeks.
With the final approval of the contract between Greencastle Community Schools and the Greencastle Classroom Teachers Association (GCTA) set for a special meeting Wednesday, a number of teachers stood outside before the meeting, expressing their displeasure with the current state of affairs.
However, what was rumored to be a protest wound up a discussion, with teachers airing their critiques of the current state of affairs while board members and administrators listened, agreeing to work better together moving forward.
Perhaps most telling, both teachers and administrators have agreed to take part in a Red for Ed Action Day on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the Indiana Statehouse.
Not only does the date fall during American Education Week, it also happens to be Organization Day for the Indiana General Assembly.
For parents in Greencastle Community Schools, this means there will be an e-learning day on Nov. 19, an announcement Superintendent Jeff Hubble planned to formally make on Friday.
Just as if that were a snow day, students will stay home from school, performing assignments on their electronic devices or other assignments as assigned.
During a year in which pay raises were not possible for Greencastle teachers or any other staff members, granting the request for the e-learning day was one concession the corporation could make to the teachers.
“When we went to the table for negotiations, there obviously wasn’t much to give,” GCTA President Kristien Hamilton, a middle school math teacher, told the Banner Graphic.
She said it was important that as many teachers as possible be able to take part in the rally.
“If they didn’t grant it as an e-learning day, then not everybody would be able to partake in it,” Hamilton said.
For Hubble, with nothing to give financially after Greencastle lost 53 students (a $323,300 budget hit) since last year’s count day, granting the teachers’ request regarding the Red for Ed rally doesn’t seem to have been that difficult.
In fact, the superintendent seems to see it as an opportunity for teachers, administrators, staff members and anyone else who wants to take part to have their voices heard at the Statehouse.
“Let’s show solidarity with administrators and teachers going to Indianapolis to talk to legislators about spending money more wisely and get more money to the classrooms,” Hubble said.
Squarely in the crosshairs of the crowd are likely to be both charter school funding and funding for statewide standardized testing.
“It’s an opportunity for us, not to close school and have a make-up day,” Hubble said, “but use our e-learning day so that our teachers, administrators and anybody to go to Indianapolis and wear Red for Ed and tell our legislators we want our money spent wisely.”
During negotiations, the GCTA requested the use of Greencastle buses to transport teachers. The problem was paying for the fuel. However, the GCTA will pay for the fuel and later be reimbursed by the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA), which is organizing the rally.
“We said we were going to pay for them anyway before we knew about the reimbursement,” Hamilton said.
With the buses secured, Hubble said it opens the door for even more people from Greencastle to go, should they so choose.
“If there’s a community group that wants to go, we can take large groups over to Indy to communicate the message,” he said.
Hamilton said the plan is for buses to leave Greencastle at 7 a.m. and then leave Indianapolis around 2:30 p.m. More details on travel and the actual event will be printed in an upcoming edition of the Banner Graphic.
At the end of a negotiation process that left a sour taste in teachers’ mouths, Hamilton felt the gesture from Hubble was meaningful.
“Mr. Hubble did that as a gesture of good faith — we’re in this together and it’s not us against you,” she said.
While the e-learning day is sure to place a strain on some families, the administration and teachers hope families will understand.
“We appreciate everyone’s understanding, as we have to advocate for public education,” Hubble said. “We appreciate their support and even attending if they can.”
On Wednesday evening, though, the show of solidarity was firmly by the teachers, letting the board and administration know they want to see changes at the local level as well.
Bearing signs with slogans such as “Teaching should not be a debt sentence,” educators stood outside central office until shortly before the 4 p.m. meeting before entering in solidarity.
“We thought it was important and necessary at this time,” Hamilton said. “We plan to be outside of every board meeting with signs. That’s something we plan to do to keep the momentum going.”
While the teachers expressed that they understood some students had been lost, they felt that the administration could have done a better job of planning for such a scenario.
One teacher expressed her frustration at what she sees as “fluff” at the central office — spending that could be better utilized in the classroom.
“Changes have to be in place,” Hamilton said. “There have to be cuts and it can’t just be on our side.”
The suggestion was made by a teacher that the budget needs to be watched closely month to month.
With this in mind, Hubble suggested the creation of a joint task force of teachers and administrators to scrutinize the budget and see where the money lost can be made up.
“You’ll be involved in helping us look at the budget and how we can tighten our belt to make sure we don’t overspend in the budget,” Hubble said. “I think anything can be on the table. We’re going to try and avoid cutting staff.”
Hubble figures that in an annual budget of $12 million, it’s about two percent of the total that they’re looking for.
“It’s a concern. It has to be taken very seriously,” he said. “We can overcome 2 percent by being smart in the next 14 months. We can also look at how we’re going go even more conservative in the 2021 budget.”
Hubble also said that he, Assistant Superintendent Donovan Garletts and Finance Director Kellie Romer will be looking much more closely at spending.
As for the enrollment drop, Hubble said he hopes it’s a one-time issue.
“I’m hoping it’s a blip in the data and not the beginning of a trend like it is in other Putnam County schools,” Hubble said. “We believe there is some connection to people not working at DePauw anymore (pointing out that a number of the moves were out of state).”
Hubble also pointed out that Greencastle Schools employees had gotten raises for the last six years and he hopes the freeze will be for this year only.
As for the teachers outside the meeting, the Hubble said he appreciated their concern and the opinions they expressed once the meeting commenced.
“It was a show of solidarity and professional communication and I really appreciate that,” Hubble said.
As for the actual business of the meeting, the contract — which had been agreed upon by the administration and the GCTA — was formally approved on Wednesday.
Staff Writer Brand Selvia contributed to this report.