Two new teachers have been hired at the Culver Community Schools Corporation, but they’ve caught one snag: the corporation is unable to produce a contract for the new hires to sign.
Ashley Trumble was hired in as the new middle school science teacher, while Eric Thomas, from Ohio, was taken on as the new Industrial Technologies teacher.
The Indiana State Teacher’s Association has filed a request for an injunction against school corporations, preventing them from using new contract forms that have been laid out by State Superintendent Dr. Tony Bennett and the Department of Education. An Indianapolis judge ruled in favor of this request. The corporation is also unable to use the contracts that it used previously because of a state law outlawing them, leaving them with no contract to present to the new hires.
“So in essence what we have now is a state law that tells us the old contract paper is illegal, can’t be used, and a judge telling us that the new contract paper has an injunction against it and it cannot be used, so we cannot use anything for a contract right now with individual teachers,” said Schuldt.
The two new teachers were hired on their word and the deal was sealed, not in ink, but with a handshake. The corporation will be paying the teachers based on the rate of pay they used last year.
Schuldt is hopeful the situation will be resolved any day now, allowing a useable contract to be written for the new employees.
