PLAINVIEW, Minn. – Teachers in the Plainview-Elgin-Millville School District voted unanimously to withhold voluntary services beginning December 1. The 102-member teachers union pledged that teachers will perform their contractual duties but no longer voluntary non-contract tasks. This was expected to create headaches for principals to cover classes when teachers call in sick. Qualified substitutes are in short supply. The union laid out three demands:
> A respectable and fair contract with the teachers, including “a sustainable pay raise in line with other state and local increases” without being bullied to give up benefits.
> Dissolution of a shadowy School Board group called the “Coaches Committee” and to support students, and coaches in a positive manner.
> A public apology to the junior high school physical education teacher and softball coach Ben Peter Family for “recent targeting and harassment.”
P-E-M profile
The Plainview-Elgin-Millville School District has four schools and 1,480 students. The annual budget, set by the School Board, is $18.5 million – roughly is $12,200 per student. The District encompasses parts of Olmsted, Wabasha and Winona counties.
Secrecy penchant
The seven-member School Board concurrently faces criticism for failing to follow legally required protocols to go into closed session. To deal with a criminal investigation into he cancellation of homecoming events after reports of hazing, the Board went behind closed doors and failed to report back afterward on anything that transpired. Members scurried away after the closed meeting to avoid questions.