NANCY DOCKTER REPORTS ON PCSSD RACE
Charlie Wood, who is running for re-election as Zone 4 representative to the Board of Education for the Pulaski County Special School District, says he and fellow board members have a lot to be proud of. His goals for a second term would build on those accomplishments, he says.
“My number one goal is to continue to build on the progress we have made, the steps we have taken with the union,” Wood said in an interview this week.
Wood led the effort to marshal a majority board vote to end recognition of the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers as the collective bargaining agent for district teachers. He is convinced the district will be better run once a personnel policies committee is up and running as the body representing teachers in policy making.
“How in the world are the other 300 or so districts in the state getting along without (the union) and people are thinking those districts are working better,” Wood said. “This is not a radical step, just common sense.”
Wood’s 2006 campaign brochure states: “These violations of stated policy border on the arrogance of a monarchy that is not to be questioned. In addition, there have also been blatant violations of contractual issues and agreements with teachers. Last year, the P.A.C.T. warned the District several times about obvious violations; but the District continued to turn a deaf ear. The outcome in court was so certain that we wonder at the District’s stubbornness?”
His critics say that he is guilty of the same behavior he campaigned against in 2006.
Wood, whose candidacy then had PACT’s endorsement, says he is not against a union’s right to organize, but does oppose a union – or management – when one side has too much power or demands too much. He says that in this case, it is PACT that is too demanding.
“I am not necessarily against the union, but the union has asked for more than most professionals in Arkansas,” Wood said.
“PACT is always trying to get more and I can’t see them ever making a substantial retreat from what they have been given in the past.”
Wood is particularly upset with the contract provision that allows teachers to carry over personal leave and vacation time from one year to the next.
One hundred and five teachers last year missed at least 30 days,” Wood said. “I don’t think that is acceptable, except in some horrible catastrophe, to miss that many days. When approached by their principals, the teachers said that contract allows it, and that is why I want the contract changed.”
Wood, an electrical engineer who has worked for Entergy for more than 30 years, says he can’t carry over his vacation time.
“I don’t see why teachers should be treated any differently and carry over their leave time forever,” he said.
Wood has been aggressive in his efforts to end union representation of district teachers.
His motion to do so at a special meeting of the school board on Dec. 8 successfully garnered the four votes needed, but Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox ruled in April that the vote was null and void because the district failed to follow state law in the process to establish a PPC. Wood initiated an effort to replace current personnel policies with new ones that would give principals more control of teacher responsibilities and their evaluations.
A second vote by the board to decertify was again thrown out last week because of failure to follow state statute. Teachers have the right by law to review all proposed personnel policies before they go into effect – something yet to happen with the new policies.
“I was disappointed,” Wood said of Fox’s ruling. “I thought we had a good case. I would hate to say that Judge Fox is running for office and doesn’t want to make people mad … I don’t know, but I feel that he did not consider all the deliberate hardships and purposeful hindrances by PACT in putting the PPC in place,” Wood said.
Wood went on to say that he had received reports of harassment of the teachers who organized the election for representatives to the PPC.
“Teachers who did that were subject to all kinds of e-mails, phone calls, ugly text messages; they were near tears,” he said.
Wood said one thing he feels particularly good about is the light that has been shined on district finances with a state audit and efforts to improve financial oversight.
“It was first my idea – I said that we needed to get the state to audit us, and to (Tim Clark’s) credit, he followed up on it when he became board president,” Wood said. “The audit uncovered a lot of bad things, but that is better than being blissfully ignorant.”
Wood says other things he hopes to pursue in a second term include renewing an emphasis on vocational training as an option for students who are not college bound, as well as more online college and advanced placement courses to attract high-achieving students back to the district. A physical-fitness advocate and longtime coach, Wood would also like to see more physical education in the school day.
Wood is proud of the board’s unanimous decision to hire Charles Hopson as superintendent.
“I think he will prove to be very capable and will do good things for the district,” Wood said.
