RISC Calls for Probe of Bristol-Warren NEA Activity

The Rhode Island Statewide Coalition (RISC) is calling on the Superintendent of the Bristol-Warren School district to immediately investigate whether inappropriate – -and possibly illegal- -political campaign activity associated with the approaching Primary election was conducted during a portion of the teachers’ official orientation session held Monday, August 30th.

Superintendent Melinda Thies has received an official complaint by Bristol Rep. Doug Gablinske who claims that Pat Crowley of the statewide National Education Association (NEA) delivered political remarks and went so far as to urge teachers in attendance for an official orientation session to vote against Gablinske in the approaching September 14th Primary. Gablinske has been a supporter of reforms to public employees’ pensions and other elements of their contract compensation packages as well as a supporter of the state’s new Education Aid Formula.

“It’s outrageous, it’s inappropriate and RISC is demanding to know if, in fact, there was illegal political campaign activity conducted by the local teachers’ union and statewide NEA during an official teachers’ orientation, on public school grounds, during a professional teachers’ forum,” blasts RISC President Jim Beale. Beale notes that several hundred teachers and other school staff assembled for the orientation are paid for such out-of-classroom orientation days by the school district as part of the duties associated with their professional contract.

“A teachers’ orientation session, held in school facilities should not be used for the local Teacher’s union and the statewide NEA political lobbyists to tell public school teachers how to vote in the upcoming Primary election. Representative Gablinske has called for sensible- – and affordable- – union contracts and pension packages and so the unions are going after him in this Primary.”

RISC is also calling on the Superintendent to publicly offer full disclosure of the emails in question. The head of the local teachers’ union, Bristol-Warren Education Association (BWEA) President Jennifer Saarinen is alleged to have used the official school district email system on August 19th not only to send a message to teachers to vote against Rep. Gablinske and vote for his primary opponent—but also allegedly to urge teachers to take part in a campaign canvassing activity for the opponent scheduled a few days later.

“It is also outrageous that a school district’s official email system is being hijacked with campaign messages and having the local teachers’ union President telling teachers how to vote in district wide email,” Beale concludes. “The taxpayers pay for that system and it is inappropriate- -and a violation of school policies -that it be used for purposes of free political advertising for the opponent of Rep. Gablinske.”

Press Release: Rhode Island Statewide Coalition