A teachers union in Clovis schools would be ‘historic.’ Why they are trying to organize now
Teachers in one of the largest Fresno County school districts are taking steps to form a union following disagreements and tensions between administrators and educators over reopening school for in-person instruction during a global pandemic.
A group of Clovis Unified School District teachers, The Association of Clovis Educators, launched a petition and have started gathering signatures, the group announced Monday afternoon in a news release. The ACE could represent more than 2,100 teachers, psychologists, counselors, and education specialists the district employs.
District officials could not immediately comment on the announcement.
“Clovis has grown over the years and times have changed,” said teacher Dan Dritz in a statement. Dritz, who has taught in CUSD for 26 years, added, “The upper administration and school board have lost the trust of educators over this past year, and it’s time to find new ways of working together to restore trust and collaboration.”
Teachers said they have felt excluded from the decision-making process for many years, but the coronavirus pandemic heightened those feelings. CUSD teachers have been talking about starting a teachers union since July when the district decided to reopen its campuses despite surging cases.
“Though many of our concerns have been building for years, a mismanaged school reopening during this pandemic has shown us that district decision-making is broken and does not value all students equally,” said Kristin Heimerdinger in a statement. She has taught at Buchanan High for 28 years. “Educators need a meaningful seat at the table and we believe a union is the best way to ensure a strong future for our students and schools for years to come.”
The Bee’s Education Lab has spoken to more than a dozen Clovis teachers since the pandemic began about their frustrations. Teachers agreed to be interviewed on condition of anonymity because they said they feared retaliation.
Some teachers said they felt forced to return to an environment that wasn’t safe and felt locked out of decision-making. Others said they felt pinned in a corner and had no choice but to take a leave of absence or return to campuses.
The ACE wrote a letter to the Clovis Unified community signed by dozens of educators that addressed the concerns people may have about unionizing.
“Some are concerned that a union will make it difficult to remove ineffective teachers, cause budget strains, and create an ‘us vs. them’ mentality on school campuses; some worry that teachers will stop putting students first,” the letter says. “These attributes are not reflected in the spirit or design of our union. The members of ACE do not aim to work against the values or standards of Clovis Unified, but rather, to better support them.”
The ACE has been organizing for several months, the letter says, and district staff is aware of it. ACE efforts have resulted in discussions about bonuses and other incentives. Clovis teachers are the lowest-paid teachers in the three largest districts in Fresno County.
“These, and other recent gestures, reveal that our efforts to organize are making a positive difference,” the letter says. “Going forward, we ask Clovis Unified to respect our legally protected, collective decision to unionize and to not exercise influence, interference or intimidation around our efforts, but instead, to work with us to make our district the best place in our nation to teach and to learn.”
Unionizing ‘will change the core’ of Clovis Unified
Not all teachers feel unionizing is the right move and have supported the Clovis Unified board’s decision to reopen campuses as early as possible.
Another group of CUSD teachers has been vocal about keeping the tradition of having teachers non-unionized. The Clovis Teachers for Clovis website urges the district to keep its Faculty Senate, which is the organization that represents teachers at the district level during decision making.
However, a Faculty Senate doesn’t function the same as a teachers union, which comes with legal obligations, like bargaining.
“I wholeheartedly believe that a union will change the core of not only our school district but our community,” Ryan Smith said on the website. “I have taught in districts that have unions. I appreciate the people and experiences from those districts but there is something different about Clovis. I believe a big part of that is we are not union.”
Unionizing Clovis teachers would interfere with CUSD’s goal to work as a team, another Clovis Unified teacher, Joni Sumter, said on the Clovis Teachers for Clovis website. Sumter attended Clovis Unified schools and has been a teacher there for 24 years.
“At no point in the last 43 years of my involvement in CUSD would a union have improved what our team accomplishes together,” Sumter wrote. “In fact, the conflict that comes with union involvement will indisputably disrupt our efforts to work together toward our goals of ‘doing what is best for OUR kids.’”
Superintendent Eimear O’Farrell told the Ed Lab in July a teachers union could take power away from teachers. Some teachers said they don’t want to join a union, but without better communication between teachers and the leadership, they said a union might be the only way to ensure a seat at the table when the stakes are high.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 4:53 PM.