CAUSE ADVISORY
* HEARING UPDATE *
Re: CUSD’s Performance Evaluation Violations
The Union rests it’s case.
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Greetings CUSD Employees, Administrators, and District Families.
The Union is pleased to confirm that the legal hearings associated with the District’s contract violations have concluded. Not only did the Union effectively present its case regarding the District’s extensive and historic evaluation violations, but our efforts also expedited (without prejudice) the merits of the case.
By the time the hearing had concluded, CAUSE Leadership accomplished the following:
1.) Through stipulations, the District agreed with CAUSE about many relevant facts pertaining to the CLASSIFIED evaluation processes experienced by many employees. As a result, many witnesses were not required to be pulled out of the teaching & learning environment to physically provide their testimony, which was instead placed on the record via the stipulation process.
2.) Since the District stipulated a number of important facts it had previously refused to acknowledge, the hearing event was reduced to a single date (Monday, November 28, 2021). This saved the Union some anticipated costs, but much more importantly, it prevented the District from squandering even more public-monies in an attempt to defend its contract violations.
3.) Through testimony provided by the Union President, j. Hotchner, CAUSE was able to introduce the remainder of the important facts needed to further clarify the District’s performance evaluation violations. This testimony included a variety of now well documented employee experiences, including but not limited to: (A) the long-standing nature of the District’s evaluation violations under Superintendent Diane Rigby, and (B) the District’s well documented (i.e. by state agencies/boards) retaliation and targeting of Union Leadership and CUSD employees seeking Union advocacy.
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The next phase in this process involves the submission of legal briefs to the judge, which is scheduled to take place in February, 2022. We hope to have a decision from the neutral state arbitrator by April, 2022; a timeline that allows the District to implement (and the Union to monitor) any improvements and directed remedies before the end of the 2021-22 instructional year.
CAUSE Leadership appreciates the bravery and dignity demonstrated by so many CLASSIFIED employees who worked with the Union and refused to accept the violations thrust upon them by CUSD leadership. In choosing to demand their contractual rights, their sacrifice brings benefit to their students, their colleagues, and the families they serve; all the while, improving the professional culture and (perhaps even) the ethical expectations of District management.
In Unity,
~ CAUSE Leadership
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* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *