Should school districts pay salaries of union presidents?

Using an audit report as fuel, Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo, is revving up his engine to push a bill that would forbid school districts from helping pay salaries of their full-time union presidents.

"All that money should be going to help educate kids. Budgets are tight," he said.

However, the Utah Education Association contends the union representatives are doing just that. "They are teachers and do have the students' best interest at heart. It's their job," said UEA spokesman Mike Kelley.

Each district has one union president who represents the teachers. Work generally includes teacher salary negotiations and serving as a liaison between teachers and administrators, as well as being on task forces and committees. Only three districts in the state are large enough to warrant a full-time paid union president. Smaller districts have volunteer presidents who also work as teachers. Each school in a district has a volunteer union representative as well.

The report, issued Wednesday by the Office of the Legislative Auditor General, contends school districts don't account for the association representatives' time. Further, there aren't guidelines defining how the district benefits from paying some of the employee's salary while they are on leave from teaching and acting as a union district representative. Districts are therefore "not fulfilling their statutory responsibilities to ensure that association leave has a direct benefit to the school district," the report states.

"They are flouting the law," Herrod said.

The report recommends districts log association presidents' time and the State Office of Education develop guidelines to determine which activities benefit the school district and which don't.

The controversy is bound to heat up as Herrod proposes legislation again during the 2010 Legislature. The bill narrowly failed in committee last session.

Officials with Parents for Choice in Education, a non-profit group that supports the charter school movement, adamantly supported the bill and are working with Herrod to bring it back.

"The report validates our position that taxpayer money should not be used to subsidize unions. They are not following state statute," said group spokeswoman Judi Clark. "It's a misuse of taxpayer dollars in tough economic times."

Kelley said the report is exaggerated. It shows administrators are aware of the work being done by union reps on association leave but better records simply need to be taken of the union presidents' hours and duties.