Unfortunately, the holiday spirit did not appeal to the Sweet Home Central District Board of Education and the District, led by Superintendent Michael Ginestre. As of today, January 3, 2024, our educators are still working without a current contract. They've been working without a current contract for 187 days, with the District walking away from negotiations 224 days ago. 

As we enter the new year, it becomes increasingly unacceptable that our valued educators, the people who mold our community, still have not been granted the security and respect of a current contract. 

Shortly before school closed for winter break, there was a Board of Education meeting where members of our community again attempted to voice their valid and serious concerns that stand to impact the functional efficacy of the school environment, including as it pertains to aspects of the school environment like safety of our students. It is my opinion that the way in which the Board of Education President governed herself during this meeting was counterintuitive to collaborative problem-solving in the interest of SHCSD students. At one point, it appeared (in my opinion) that she scoffed while stating "it's on Youtube" as part of an exchange with a member of the community indicating that the Board's non-answers as it pertains to serious issues like safety of students and staff in our schools, is not acceptable. I found such conduct during the meeting unprofessional and a poor representation of the district community. (link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUmh4G-Y6lg)

After watching the video from the December 19, 2023 SHCSD BOE meeting, it is my opinion that BOE members and District representatives seemed uninterested and perhaps even irritated (to restate: this is my opinion and is not asserted as a fact). Superintendent Ginestre gets paid a base salary of $192,400.00/year for the purpose of SERVING our school community, yet it appears (in my opinion) that he prioritizes that aspect of his position quite low compared to media interviews, ensuring his own current contract, and out-of-town retreats with the rest of the Administrative Cabinet that he deemed the "hardest-working set of pros with the sole purpose of advancing student outcomes in and out of the classroom", this retreat and social media posting were over a month after the SHEA contract expired on July 1, 2023. 

Unfortunately for our students and community, I'm not sure how sit-down interviews with local media outlets about Superintendent Ginestre's successes will serve the students in the SHCSD as much as a current contract for their exceptional educators will. 

The contract protecting and ensuring the proper treatment of our educators expired on July 1, 2023. Our educators have worked the entire academic year thus far without a current contract. This is unacceptable, and we must continue coming together as a school community to speak up against what (in my opinion) appears to be a sense of entitlement that has permeated the governing body of our school district.  

The Sweet Home Central School District community demands that the District and BOE prioritize the approval of a current and fair contract for SHCSD educators. Each day the District and BOE fail to do their due diligence as it pertains to the SHEA contract, it is my opinion that our District looks worse in the public sphere. Why would young families wish to move to a community where the BOE and District don't appear to adequately value their educators? How will the District continue to recruit and retain quality educators when I would speculate their reputation as employers is likely growing worse by the day? In my opinion, this stands to impact students for years to come the longer it continues.

Again, I ask: Could you imagine a corporation such as JP Morgan walking out on their majority shareholder? The District and BOE appear disinterested, in my opinion, as it pertains to hearing the concerns and thoughts of the community that funds approximately 55% of their budget (making the community the District's largest "shareholder" in that analogy). We would not accept this behavior from a private company, why are we allowing it from a public organization that community taxes fund the majority of the budget for? 

Please SIGN & SHARE this petition, so the District and BOE know that the community will not stop speaking up until the District (including Superintendent Michael Ginestre) and the Board of Education finally do what's right, and what should have been done months ago. Give our educators a current and fair contract, we should not have to repeatedly ask a group of professionals and adults who have been elected and/or appointed to serve our students and school community, to actually do the right thing. However, we will continue to do so until the issue is resolved. The Sweet Home Central School District community supports our teachers, and we will continue reminding the District and BOE of our support of those educators, until they finally rectify the massive issue they've caused with what appears to be (in my opinion) a short-sighted and poorly-developed approach to priorities and allocation of funds from the District budget.