DeLand, FL - The Volusia County School District issued a follow-up today (November 18) to yesterday's declaration of impasse with the Volusia United Educators. VUE President Elizabeth Albert said that it seems as if in today's missive, "Volusia County Schools Responds" they are trying to justify the decision to declare impasse.
Albert said she feels that the decision by the district to declare impasse is irrational and that they are trying to "sugar-coat" a poor decision. She says the biggest irony is that the district said that a declaration of impasse will expedite the process. "For the life of me, I can not understand how putting a roadblock and declaring that we have come to the point where we can no longer make progress expedites anything."
The declaration of impasse just adds another step to the process, according to Albert. That step is the need to convene with a special magistrate to hear a presentation by both sides. She says the district says one thing and does something else. "That is what this board is notorius for doing. We say we want the teachers to get their salary increases before we give anything to Dr. Balgobin but then you do something else last week like giving her a new salary." Today's communication addresses that issue saying that the increase is only for the time she serves as Superintendent and will return to her original Deputy Superintendent salary as soon as Dr. Scott Fritz, who has been on medical leave since July of this year, returns to his duties.
Though impasse has been declared, a bargaining session scheduled for Monday, November 30, between the district's bargaining team and VUE, is still on the books. Should a resolution be found on that day, an impasse hearing would not be necessary.
