SIMI VALLEY : District Rejects Union’s Grievance

The Simi Valley Unified School District has rejected a grievance filed by a teachers union over secondary school nurses doing the work of five elementary school nurses who were cut from this year’s budget, officials said.

The union has filed 15 other grievances against the district.

In the grievance that was rejected, the union and district are battling over who should conduct assessment tests used to determine if students should be placed in special education classes.

The nursing duties are now split among the remaining nurses, which is permitted because a portion of their salaries is funded by a special education grant, said Edward Schlossman, district director of pupil services.

The school board cut $8 million from its $69-million budget this spring, eliminating temporary and full-time teachers, clerical employees and nurses.

Hal Vick, executive director of the teachers union, said the district had assured them that the remaining nurses would not do work previously performed at the elementary school level. He suggested that the district hire outside nurses to conduct the assessment test.

Marilyn McClellan of the Simi Educators Assn. said she filed the grievance on behalf of the district’s nine nurses on Sept. 20 after two junior high school nurses were required to perform the tests.

“This is what the elementary school nurses should be doing,” she said.

The grievance follows two grievances filed earlier to protest using high school librarians to teach two classes a day. Former Supt. John Duncan settled the grievances on his last day with the district by sending the librarians back to work in the library full time.

The outcomes of other grievances--addressing issues such as class size, sabbatical leave and department chair pay--are now under consideration by an arbitrator. A decision should be made on the earlier grievances within the next few weeks.