http://www.thebeerbarrel.net/showthread.php?8333-Eastern-Michigan-faculty-side-with-teachers-unions
Eastern Michigan University faculty members are promising not to do any work that might help bust existing public school teacher contracts, possibly crimping plans to use the faculty in a new statewide school district run by the university and the Detroit Public Schools.
"We won't have our membership involved in breaking union contracts," said Howard Bunsis, the treasurer of the EMU faculty union.
Gov. Rick Snyder announced a plan to create an Educational Achievement System, which would take in Michigan's failing public schools, possibly starting with 34 DPS schools in about a year.
At issue is the power of DPS emergency manager Roy Roberts, who would also be chairman of the new district's governing authority. As a governor-appointed emergency manager, Roberts has the legal power to end or modify DPS union contracts and to negotiate contracts for the new district.
A key ingredient of Snyder's plan would be EMU's willingness to move faculty from its college of education into struggling public schools to help train teachers and to work in other ways. Roberts said he was particularly interested in using faculty and their expertise to help students with special needs.
EMU's union leadership balked at the Board of Regents meeting Tuesday. Despite the protests, the regents approved the agreement to take part in the new district.
The role of outside union members in a district run by a leader with legal powers to cancel contracts is but one gray detail that needs to be worked out. Some parts of the plan might need legislative approval and others are still in the planning phase.
