By Crystal Hayduk
Almost 40 members of the community, including some teachers, attended the Chelsea School District Board of Education meeting on Monday, Nov. 24 and seven spoke during the two opportunities for public input.
Toni Kinsey, a fourth grade teacher, was the first to speak. Her comments focused on the negative health impact on teachers due to the stress of increasing class sizes. “Students will always come first, no matter what the personal cost,” Kinsey said. But eventually the teachers’ pay the price with their health and their families. “There is not enough of me to go around,” she said.
Susanne Vanden Bosch said that the problem of teachers not feeling valued is one that affects the entire community. If the district suffers as a result of its inability to retain and attract good teachers, then home values and businesses are at risk.
Gary Munce encouraged the board to find a health care package that will work for both the teachers and the district. “We are distressed to learn that new hires are not routinely receiving packages that include health care and pensions,” he said. “Chelsea has been a very special district. Please do all that you can to help the teachers keep it that way.”
Karla Demea expressed deep appreciation for the entire school staff, who not only educate her children but also care for them deeply. She suggested that the two sides work to come to an agreement as an example to the children, who are taught to work things out.
Chelsea High School teacher consultant Ann Valle reminded the board of the district’s goal of promoting interaction between the school district and the community. “We’re part of the community, too. We would like to talk to all of you. Please communicate with us,” she said.
Fifth-grade teacher Jeanne Caselli began her comments with glowing praise for the district and her pride in her 21 years as a teacher and a parent of two high school students. She thanked everyone for their support during her husband’s illness last winter, and her gratitude for having health insurance. “I can’t understand why we continue to stay with an insurance company that so many of the staff don’t feel confident in,” she said. “We’ve been trying to change for many years. Can you please reconsider your reasons?”
Jason Eyster begged the school board to “let the teachers know that you respect them.” He said that teachers and community members come to the board, but that “… their pleas are met with stony silence.”
Board President Steve Olsen clarified that board meetings are not public meetings, but rather meetings held in the public. “It’s really not appropriate for us to be interacting,” Olsen said. “I will say that we appreciate and love our teachers. Where the distrust comes from is a mystery to me. I know that we’re in negotiations and that there are problems and bad feelings surrounding that. Negotiations are always tough. But we appreciate the teachers and all of our staff, from the custodians to the superintendent.”
Also during the meeting, Renae Kempf, a junior at Chelsea High School who is part of the mentorship program, presented a summary of her activities. She worked with Tom Osbeck at the Young Adult Program, a service offered through the Washtenaw Intermediate School District that meets locally in the Sylvan Building.
Kempf explained that there are currently 13 young adult students in the program from Chelsea, Manchester, and Stockbridge, who have a wide range of disabilities. The program’s goal is to help students to become “successful, productive, and independent as possible as adults in their communities.”
In other board news:
- The fall student count has been certified at 2,462.53, a gain of 28 students from fall of 2013.
- Superintendent Andy Ingall discussed plans for the purchase of three buses from 2012 bond fund disbursements and curriculum changes in the high school math department; the board is expected to vote on these items at the next meeting.
- The next board meeting will take place on Dec. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Beach Middle School, 445 Mayer Dr.
