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The executive director of the Virginia Education Association told members of the Prince William chapter Thursday night that the statewide group was stepping in to support the local unit and that聽聽was 鈥渘ot a takeover.鈥�
In a virtual meeting, Brenda Pike, executive director of the VEA, addressed Prince William Education Association members for the first time since the memorandum was made public. She said that the agreement 鈥� which will install a trustee to oversee PWEA finances, bylaws and elections 鈥撀� would in no way hinder progress on collective bargaining for Prince William鈥檚 teachers.
Pike also said that the agreement itself was not up for a vote from the chapter鈥檚 membership or building representatives because the PWEA鈥檚 board of directors voted 7-4 to enter into it.
After the address from Pike, PWEA鈥檚 representative assembly (the group of voting members from each school building) approved a plan for training, organizing and voting on collective bargaining rights.
Pike said the trusteeship will 鈥渄o a very limited number of things to help the local and to help your leadership and your PWEA board thrive, be able to come together and do what unions do in building a high-functioning board with a high-functioning leadership.鈥�
Earlier in the week, PWEA President Maggie Hansford insisted that the memorandum was not legally approved under the association鈥檚 bylaws until building representatives voted on it, but Pike refuted that and said the decision wasn鈥檛 up to the assembly.
InsideNoVa was provided access to the Zoom call with Pike by a PWEA member.聽 The VEA has not responded to InsideNoVa鈥檚 questions about the situation with the Prince William chapter.
PWEA held its regularly scheduled rep assembly after the address from Pike. Hansford said there was a vote on the memorandum of understanding with the VEA and that 鈥渙ur rep assembly overwhelmingly voted 鈥� to direct the board to not enter into such an agreement because they do not hold that authority.鈥�
Pike listed a series of factors that led to the VEA鈥檚 decision, including dysfunction on the board, disputes about procedural matters and concerns about certain expenses. She also said that a VEA staffer had been working with the board for six months to try to reconcile the divisions, but that the effort was unsuccessful.
Several PWEA board members and a former PWEA president have lodged a number of allegations about Hansford鈥檚 tenure, including that she raised her own salary without proper approval and has overspent union funds on things like t-shirts. Hansford鈥檚 backers have said that the salary issue was a legitimate mistake due to miscommunication among the PWEA鈥檚 board and that she repaid the difference from two pay periods in which her salary was incorrectly inflated.
Pike said the local鈥檚 finances were very healthy, saying the PWEA was 鈥減robably one of the most healthy organizations financially鈥� in the VEA.
鈥淲e want to make sure that all the finances are as they should be. There is no reason for you to believe that there is any funny business going on with your money, with your dues,鈥� Pike told members. 鈥淏ut there have been accusations that some monies were not spent according to the right process for how we should determine how to spend your dues.鈥�
Speaking with InsideNoVa, Hansford said the local鈥檚 healthy financial position proves there鈥檚 no need for a trusteeship.聽 鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly why I am adamantly against this trusteeship. I continue to state that the board has no authority to sign into such an agreement.鈥�
Pike also tried to put to bed a rumor that members of the VEA board had been coordinating with members of the Prince William County School Board, which will ultimately have the say in whether the county鈥檚 teachers get collective bargaining rights.
Hansford said the PWEA assembly also approved a plan of action for getting teachers in all county school buildings to vote on whether they want collective bargaining. If a majority votes yes, the results will be submitted to the School Board, which will then have 120 days to respond under a state law passed in 2020.
Several School Board members confirmed that they hadn鈥檛 been contacted by anyone from the VEA, and Chair Babur Lateef issued a statement Thursday morning backing Hansford.
Potomac School Board member Justin Wilk also released a statement on Facebook, saying he鈥檇 been 鈥渨orking directly with President Hansford鈥� on collective bargaining since May and would continue the 鈥減artnership moving forward.鈥�
Lateef told InsideNoVa that he was more focused on the school division鈥檚 pandemic response than any issues around collective bargaining in the future. But when asked whether the PWEA鈥檚 trusteeship would affect collective bargaining discussions, he said wanted to work with Hansford and not the VEA.
鈥淚, personally, am very comfortable dealing with the duly-elected president of the PWEA. I have a hard time dealing with people who are not from this district,鈥� Lateef said. 鈥淎nd I think it鈥檚 best for the VEA to retreat to Richmond and let us work with the current elected officials in the PWEA.鈥�
