Opinion ID: 2161830
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Board of Education of Garrett County v. Garrett County Teachers' Association

Text: Barbara Sweitzer and Carole Glotfelty are employed by the Board of Education for Garrett County, as kindergarten teachers at the Broadford Elementary School. They are members of the unit of employees represented by the Garrett County Teachers' Association. The Teachers' Association and the Garrett County Board entered into a three-year collective bargaining agreement, effective July 1, 1982. The agreement provides for grievance procedures similar to those in the Dorchester County agreement. A grievance is defined as an unsettled cause of complaint arising between a grievant and the Board over an alleged violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of the terms of this Agreement. Article II, paragraph A(1). Four procedural levels are described, an informal level and three formal levels. First, the grievant shall meet and discuss the problem with his immediate supervisor for the purpose of resolving the matter informally. If the grievance is not resolved informally, the grievant must within ten days file a written grievance with the appropriate administrator or supervisor who shall hold a conference with the grievant ... and render a decision (Level One). If still dissatisfied, the grievant may appeal to the Superintendent. The Superintendent, after holding a conference with the grievant, must render a written decision (Level Two). Finally, the Teachers' Association may appeal the decision of the Superintendent to arbitration (Level Three). The provisions dealing with arbitration provide that [a]ny grievance concerning the alleged violation of this agreement that has been properly processed through Level One and Level Two of the grievance procedure and has not been settled or waived may be appealed to arbitration procedure by the Association by serving written notice to the Board.... Article II, paragraph C(4)(b). The agreement also provides, under Article III, titled WORKING CONDITIONS, as follows: F. Class Size Class size should not be unreasonably large for the grade level and subject matter taught. When class size is determined to be unreasonably large by the teacher, the concern may be presented to the faculty advisory council for administrative review and action. The teacher shall be notified of the action taken within ten (10) days. During the early part of the 1982-1983 school year, Barbara Sweitzer and Carole Glotfelty decided to question the size of the kindergarten classes which they had been assigned to teach that year. First, the teachers met informally with Wayne R. Johnson, Principal of Broadford Elementary School, and attempted to resolve the dispute. Although he was sympathetic to their concerns, Mr. Johnson was unable to obtain approval from his superiors to grant the relief requested. Next, the two teachers presented their complaints to the Faculty Advisory Council, in accordance with Article III, paragraph F, of the agreement. The Council recommended, inter alia, the employment of an additional kindergarten teacher, but the Council's recommendations were not implemented by the Garrett County Board. On October 5, 1982, the teachers filed a formal grievance requesting that the Board provide an additional teacher for the kindergarten. The grievance was denied by their supervisor, and they appealed to the Superintendent, Jerome J. Ryscavage. He denied the grievance on the ground that class size is not grievable under the terms of the agreement.... The teachers' association filed a timely request for arbitration. The Garrett County Board of Education initially declined to participate in the arbitration proceedings. Upon learning that the American Arbitration Association intended to proceed with arbitration, with or without the Board's participation, the Board filed a declaratory judgment action in the Circuit Court for Garrett County, seeking a stay of the arbitration proceedings and a declaration that class size is not arbitrable. The circuit court stated that class size relates to both educational policy and working conditions. Because class size does affect working conditions, the circuit court found that the matter was subject to arbitration under the Education Article. The court also found that class size is arbitrable under the agreement between the Teachers' Association and the County Board. The parties were ordered to proceed with arbitration. No appeal was taken from that order of the circuit court. On May 10, 1983, the arbitration hearing was held. On July 1, 1983, the arbitrator issued his decision, finding that the classes assigned to Glotfelty and Sweitzer for the 1982-1983 school years were unreasonably large and that the County Board is obligated to take whatever action it can to remedy the situation with the burden on the Board to prove that it has exhausted all avenues of relief. On July 27, 1983, the Board filed in the Circuit Court for Garrett County a petition to vacate the decision of the arbitrator. After a hearing, the petition to vacate was denied, and the County Board filed an appeal to the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland. Before argument in that court, we issued a writ of certiorari.