lyonsvdedham

Lyons v. School Committee of Dedham
(Mass. S.Ct, 1998)

__Plaintiffs__ (Anne Lyons and Pauline Turner), Chapter I, teachers, which is a federally funded program, claiming their statutory right to displace a teacher without professional teacher status were withheld. __Defendant__ (the school committee of Dedham) laid off plaintiffs, due to funding, and refused to recognize PTS status of these teachers.
 * __Facts__:**


 * __Issues/Answers:__**
 * 1) Are Chapter I teachers recognized as “teachers” with the meaning of G.L.c.7? No
 * 2) Do Chapter I teachers automatically receive PTS? No

Being Chapter I teacher doesn’t mean you are eligible for “professional teacher status”. The arbitrator’s decision was reached appropriately because they compared the qualifications and characteristics between chapter I teachers and Unit A collective bargaining unit.
 * __Basis/Rationale:__**

__Notes:__
 * Chapter I is a federally funded program that provides supplemental instruction to low achieving students.
 * Chapter I teachers work with small groups of designated students in reading and mathematics.
 * Chapter I teachers are required to have a 1. bachelor’s degree in education 2. a Mass. 3. DOE certification as teacher 4. a separate certificate in reading 5. and at least two years of classroom teaching experience.
 * The Arbitrator concluded that while there are some similarities between Chapter I teachers and a variety of Unit A positions, on balance the jobs are very different.
 * Arbitrators compared the qualifications and characteristics of a Chapter I teacher with those of a teacher in the “Unit A” collective bargaining unit = very different due to hiring process, evaluation procedures, salary structure, duties, responsibilities and collective bargaining units.