Broward teachers threaten to sue district over contract
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- The Broward Teacher's Union said they will have no choice but to file its first class action lawsuit in state court against school district leaders if they can't resolve a contract dispute by the end of the week.
Dozens of Broward school teachers who thought they had a job are being told to retire. "Nobody called me in or warned me this was going to happen," said Janet Vandivort, a teacher with Broward Schools for more than 30 years.
Now the teachers are out to teach a lesson with a lawsuit, after, they said, their request to stay employed was approved, blaming school board members for reneging.
The Broward School District said they had no choice in the face of the current hard economic times. "We're in unprecedented economic times and tough decisions have to be made, and that's what superintendents have to do," said Broward Schools Superintendent James Notter.
Vandivort may now unexpectedly be out of a job very soon. "Every single aspect of my life, it has hit me. It's cruel, it's cruel and unusual punishment to people who don't deserve it," she said. "You're treated like a piece of garbage. You're not even treated like a person."
Vandivort teaches at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. She said the district approved a retirement extension, promising about 31 veteran teachers who aren't ready to retire that they would have jobs next year, but now the district says they can't afford that promise. "I've been crying every night not knowing what I'm going to do," Vandivort said.
The Broward Teacher's Union has now stepped in, threatening to file a class action suit against the district. "The district, as they were authorized to do, provided these teachers with an authorized certified written notarized employment agreement," said Broward Teachers Union Spokesman John Ristow.
Notter said although he signed off on the retirement extensions, the school board did not. "Take a look at the kinds of deficits that Tallahassee has handed us," he said. "We need to be able to obviously make a balanced budget for next year."
The explanation is not good enough for Vandivort who worries about healthcare coverage and a salary that'll be cut in half. "And this is the way they treat the people who teach their kids," she said.
The teacher's union has set a deadline for Friday in the hopes of negotiating an agreement. If not, they plan to proceed with the lawsuit.
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