Administration cannot direct teachers to submit grades early
Posted: March 22, 2022
Teachers, who volunteer as Hawaii State Teachers Association school-level leaders, stopped a contract violation at Waialua High and Intermediate School when the principal mandated grades be submitted early without a contract exception in place.
The school’s Association Policy Committee (APC) team and Head Faculty Representative (HFR) Kevin Lee first brought the issue to their HSTA UniServ director in January, when the administration directed that grades to be due before what’s outlined in the collective bargaining agreement (contract).
According to Article VI, Section R, “The deadline for the submittal of grades shall be no earlier than end of the workday on the fourth student day following the end of each quarter except for the fourth quarter.”
Lee shared the importance of quarterly grading for teachers and having the time allotted by the contract to complete submitting their grades.
“Students deserve the time, effort, and thoughtfulness their teachers put into assigning a grade, so they can use this feedback to continually improve their performance,” Lee said. “The contract currently affords teachers this valuable time so that they can do a quality job grading each of their students.”
In January 2018, Waialua High and Intermediate submitted two contract exceptions to have grades submitted early for quarters 1, 2, and 3 for school years 2018–19 and 2019–20. On July 23, 2020, the Hawaii Board of Education changed its Policy 500-20 to one-year waivers, meaning no contract exceptions or waivers could be submitted for multiple years, and existing waivers were to expire at the end of the 2019–20 school year.
Despite the contract exceptions having expired, Waialua High and Intermediate Principal Christine Alexander emailed staff on Feb. 15 directing teachers to turn in grades by 3 p.m. on March 11 before spring break, instead of at the end of the workday on March 24 as stated the contract.
Lee worked to resolve the situation with HSTA Central UniServ Director Amanda Lacar, who sent an email to Alexander to clarify if she indeed directed teachers’ grades to be due earlier than what’s required by contract. Alexander confirmed, “I am directing my teachers to remain status quo.”
Alexander went on to tell Lacar, “It would be detrimental to our community, our parents, our students, and many of our teachers to make this extreme change,” and that following the contract would cause “turmoil and disruption.”
On Feb. 25, HSTA held an informal discussion with the principal, with the school-level leaders observing, when the principal admitted that she violated the contract, but was unwilling to retract her Feb. 15 directive. Alexander sent an email to staff on March 3 that continued to maintain that grades must be submitted before 3 p.m. on Friday, March 11, before they were to leave campus.
HSTA filed a formal grievance to the complex area superintendent, which is Step 1 in the grievance process. A grievance is an alleged violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of the contract. The Step 1 meeting was scheduled for March 10.
After HSTA filed the formal grievance, Lee received written confirmation on March 9 from his administration that the directive was lifted, and a day later, the complex area superintendent also confirmed that the situation was resolved.
Lee shares the importance of respecting contract, protecting teachers
As head faculty representative at Waialua High and Intermediate, Lee believes school-level leaders are there to take a stand for teachers, to “speak up and take action on their behalf so they can go back to the business of being their best for their students.”
“The contract is the product of lots of thought and hard work by different entities,” Lee shared. “The intent of the contract is to provide the best support and work environment for teachers so they can teach as effectively as possible. Resolving the grading deadline issue at Waialua High and Intermediate demonstrates that our contract should be respected and followed by all role groups in the school.”
Lee encourages any educator who suspects their contract is being violated to speak up.
“They should share their concerns with their colleagues, along with their head faculty rep and APC. Teachers should step up and contribute in any way they can. Individuals bring unique strengths to the table. Teachers will be amazed at what they can accomplish when they mobilize toward a common cause,” Lee said.
Has your UniServ director or any of your HSTA school-level leaders, e.g., head faculty or grievance representative, or Association Policy Committee, helped you solve an issue at your school? If you’re willing to share your story, please let us know by submitting an online contact form here.