The tables have turned on Michigan's public school boards and other school officials. As a result of changes to the state's labor law in 2023, school districts face the risk of losing some authority to determine who should be teaching in their classrooms. Teachers unions are empowered once again to demand districts treat teachers as if they are…

This report attempts to present a balanced discussion of several key issues in the charter school movement. Its goal is to help school board members, especially those in urban districts, assess the record of charter schools so far, and understand the complexity of the issues involved. The first chapter presents a brief legislative history of the…

This reference book on collective bargaining is specifically designed to meet the needs of Wisconsin school boards as they conduct collective bargaining with their employees. The first four chapters supply background information necessary to understand Wisconsin's Municipal Employment Relations Act. Chapter 4 explains the scope of bargaining and…

In spite of its colorful history of labor organizing efforts, Illinois has been slow to respond to conditions in higher education that have led to academic collective bargaining nationally. The time has arrived for Illinois leadership to recognize the symptoms and to respond to the issues before higher education is swept into retaliatory…

This article reports on a study of Illinois school board presidents' perspectives on teacher tenure. It begins with an historical overview of the development of teacher tenure from its roots in the 1880s civil service legislation through the establishment of teacher tenure in the United States to an examination of current teacher tenure laws and…

In this report, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) takes a close look at the governance of the teaching profession and finds that state legislators and other state-level policymakers crafting state laws and regulation, not those bargaining at the local level, decide some of the most important rules governing the teaching profession.…

COLLECTIVE NEGOTIATION BY MAJOR PERSONNEL IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IS DISCUSSED PRIMARILY FROM THE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT'S VIEWPOINT. SINCE WORLD WAR II, SCHOOL STAFFS HAVE INCREASINGLY DEMANDED A CHANGE IN THE HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HORIZONTAL CONCEPT OF EDUCATIONAL AUTHORITY. THIS DEMAND IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASING…

An overview of the legal obligation of public school districts to bargain with their employees. (MLF)

The general legal aspects of reduction in force due to financial, enrollment, and programmatic reasons are discussed. Concludes that courts are reluctant to interfere with local school boards that have complied with state statutes, have presented empirical evidence, and have not infringed on constitutionally protected rights. (Author/MLF)

THIS REPORT DESCRIBES WHAT IS NOW BEING DONE AND WHAT MIGHT BE DONE IN PROFESSIONAL NEGOTIATION BETWEEN TEACHERS AND SCHOOL BOARDS. COMMON PRACTICES OF INDUSTRY ARE COMPARED WITH THOSE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND ALTERNATIVES ARE SUGGESTED. A DIGEST OF "MOST" STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS, COURT DECISIONS, AND OPINIONS OF ATTORNEYS GENERALLY NOW APPLICABLE IS…

The effects of Florida's "sunshine" law opening collective bargaining sessions to the public are outlined in this presentation, which summarizes the results of a survey of school board members, superintendents, and negotiators. Of the 101 school board members (one-third of Florida's total) responding to the questionnaire, 68 said that…

Discusses three federal cases: "Hall v. Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County, Alabama," involving distribution of union literature in school; "Board of Education of Rogers, Arkansas, v. McCluskey," regarding student discipline policies; and "Duro v. District Attorney, Second Judicial District of North…

Several important issues relating to teachers and labor relations stood out in 1977-78. By the end of the year, a proposed merger between the two major teacher unions appeared remote. The National Education Association (NEA) added 100,000 members in 1977. The NEA lobbied in favor of legislation creating a separate Department of Education but the…

Collective bargaining is merely a process for reconciling the expectations of two parties in order to arrive at a written contract, according to the author. His paper describes the bargaining process, following chronologically its major steps. The paper begins with a discussion of the recognition and certification of teacher unions. The next…

Intended as background material for the annual meeting of the Education Commission of the States, this document attempts to answer basic questions inherent in teacher negotiations. The first section discusses teacher militancy, current status of legislation, and contents of teacher negotiation laws. The second section considers issues facing…