School bill takes step; some think it is imposing too much regulation on districts

FARMINGTON -- For the past four years, Susan Firmage has served as president of the Davis Education Association, receiving half her salary from the school district.

It is a practice some lawmakers want to stop.

Senate Bill 77, sponsored by Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, would prohibit a local school board from using taxpayer dollars to pay for any time used by education association presidents.

Each district has one education association president who is the liaison between the district and teachers. Most presidents volunteer their time, but three districts, including Davis, pay part of the salaries of their association president.

Granite pays half of its education association president's salary, and Salt Lake District pays a third. Jordan School District allows release time to the education association president, but the association pays 100 percent of the president's salary.

The Senate Education Committee voted 3-2 on Tuesday, with two members absent, to approve Dayton's bill. It is now moved to the Senate floor for further consideration.

Firmage's salary is $50,549, according to Parents for Choice in Education. Davis School District pays half of that.

"I am a great benefit to the taxpayers of Utah and to Davis School District," Firmage said.

A first-grade teacher, she represents all 3,000 teachers in the Davis district, whether they are union members or not.

"It has worked well for us because instead of pulling teachers out of classrooms and students having substitutes, we've relied on Susan (Firmage)," said Christopher Williams, communication director for Davis School District.

She serves on a number of committees, Williams said. She takes her knowledge of what is going on to teachers and receives input from them.

Box Elder School District does not pay for release time of its education association president, said interim superintendent Dr. Steven O. Laing. The district allows the president up to 15 days for activities the district determines will benefit the school district and its employees, Laing said. The president has to request the time and show how it will benefit the district.

Ogden School District allows $2,000 for educators to attend education association conferences, and the president can receive up to 30 days of release time, said Brenda Ruffier, director of human resources for the district.

Judi Clark, executive director of Parents for Choice in Education, said having teachers involved in the union or association duties on district time is costing the state "tens of thousands of dollars."

She said the same bill was introduced in the 2009 session, but it failed in the House Education Committee.

The Office of the Legislative Auditor General issued a report on Nov. 11, 2009, which said additonal controls are needed to account for the association presidents' time.

Firmage said she submits a log of her activity to account for her time paid by the district.

According to the legislative report, Davis School District, out of the six that were sampled, is the only district that requires a log to be kept. The agreement between the association and the district states that if Firmage's time spent on activities benefits the district less than 50 percent, the association must reimburse the district for that time.

About 90 percent of her work benefits the district, Firmage said.

Williams said the district has audited Firmage's hours and found she puts in more time than the district pays for.

State legislators should leave the decision on agreements between districts and associations with the districts, Firmage said.

"Why do they feel they need to control the districts, when in one breath they are telling the federal government not to tell the state how to run its business and then in the same breath they want to tell districts how to run their business," Firmage asked.