Garden City Education Ass'n v. School District

975 F. Supp. 2d 780, 2013 WL 5450095, 197 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2127, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140353
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedSeptember 30, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. 12-14886
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 975 F. Supp. 2d 780 (Garden City Education Ass'n v. School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Garden City Education Ass'n v. School District, 975 F. Supp. 2d 780, 2013 WL 5450095, 197 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2127, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140353 (E.D. Mich. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR JUDGMENT ON THE PLEADINGS

GERALD E. ROSEN, Chief Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiffs Garden City Education Association (the “GCEA”), a union representing education professionals employed by Defendant School District of the City of Garden City (the “School District”), and Juana Cozza and Robert Nutt, tenured teachers and former employees of the School District, filed this action in the Wayne County Circuit Court alleging violations of the [782]*782amended Michigan Revised School Code, M.C.L. §§ 380.1248 and 380.1249 (Count I), and due process violations under the United States and Michigan Constitutions (Count II). Defendant timely removed the action to this Court on November 1, 2012 on the basis of federal question jurisdiction.

Plaintiffs’ claims arise from personnel decisions made by Defendant based on results from annual teacher effectiveness evaluations mandated by § 1248 of the Revised School Code (the “RSC”), which resulted in indefinite layoffs for individual Plaintiffs Cozza and Nutt, and twenty-three other education professionals. Twenty-four of the 25 laid-off teachers were tenured professionals. Plaintiffs allege that, by the structure of the teacher evaluation process and the degree of reliance on evaluation results in making personnel decisions, Defendant violated the statutory requirements of the RSC and unconstitutionally deprived Plaintiffs Cozza, Nutt, and other non-party unnamed laid-off teachers represented by the GCEA of their property rights as tenured teachers.

This matter is presently before the Court on the School District’s Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(c) Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings. Plaintiffs have responded to the School District’s motion, and the School District has replied. Plaintiffs also submitted two supplementary responses to which the District has sur-replied.

Having reviewed and considered the parties’ briefs and the record of this matter, the Court finds that the pertinent facts and legal contentions are sufficiently presented in these materials, and that oral argument would not assist in the resolution of this matter. Accordingly, pursuant to Eastern District of Michigan Local Rule 7.1(f)(2), the Court will decide Defendant’s motion “on the briefs.” This Opinion and Order sets forth the Court’s ruling.

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The 2011 Amendments to the Revised School Code

In July 2011, the Michigan Legislature made substantial changes in the law with regard to teacher tenure and public school employment. Two of these changes involved amendments to the Revised School Code, M.C.L. § 380.1 et seq.

First, the Legislature amended M.C.L. § 380.1249 which governs teacher evaluations. The amendments did not change the basic substance of § 1249 as it existed since it was first enacted in January 2010 — the statute requires that school boards, with the involvement of teachers and school administrators, adopt and implement a “rigorous, transparent and fair performance evaluation system” that provides for the annual evaluation of teachers and school administrators within the school district using multiple rating categories that take into account as a significant factor student growth (as measured by national, state, or local assessments and other objective criteria). M.C.L. § 380.1249(1). The July 2011 amendments added a requirement that each district’s performance evaluation system also rate teachers as “highly effective,” “effective,” “minimally effective,” and “ineffective,” M.C.L. § 380.1249(l)(c), and delineated, in graduating percentages, beginning in the 2013-14 school year, the extent to which annual teacher evaluations are to be based on student growth and assessment data. M.C.L. § 380.1249(2).1 A district’s per[783]*783formance evaluation system must also provide that if a teacher is rated as “ineffective” for three consecutive years, the teacher must be dismissed. M.C.L. § 380.1249(h).

The Legislature also created a council on educator effectiveness to oversee the evaluation process, M.C.L. § 380.1249(4), and put enforcement in the hands of the Michigan Department of Education. If the MDE determines that a school district is not in compliance with Section 1249, it risks a loss of funding from the State. The Michigan State School Aid Act, M.C.L. § 388.1704, directly ties receipt of state aid to compliance with Section 1249. (“In order to receive state aid under this article, a district shall comply with sections 1249, 1278a, 1278b, 1279, 1279g, and 1280b of the revised school code, MCL 380.1249, 380.1278a, 380.1278b, 380.1279, 380.1279g, and 380.1280b, and 1970 P.A. 38, M.C.L. 388.1081 to 388.1086.” M.C.L. § 388.1704(1)).

At the same time that it amended § 1249, the Legislature also added a new section — § 1248 — to the RSC. This policy section demands that school districts focus on retaining effective teachers when making personnel decisions, including decisions on personnel reductions and staffing after a staff reduction (including recalling personnel or hiring new personnel). M.C.L. § 380.1248(l)(b). To effectuate this goal, § 1248 sets forth specific factors that must be the basis of such personnel decisions. These factors are: (1) a teacher’s individual performance (which is to be the majority factor in making the decision); (2) a teacher’s “[significant, relevant accomplishments and contributions”; and (3) a teacher’s relevant special training. Id. The statute expressly prohibits using length of service or tenure status as “the primary or determining factor” in personnel reduction decisions, M.C.L. § 380.1248(l)(a). Rather, a teacher’s length of service or tenure status may only be considered as a tiebreaker if the other three factors set forth in § 1248(l)(b) are all equal. M.C.L. § 380.1248(1)(c).2

Section 1248 allows individual teachers to bring a private right of action against a district for violation of that section, but the “sole and exclusive” remedy is limited to an order of reinstatement. M.C.L. § 380.1248(3). “The remedy ... shall not include lost wages, lost benefits, or any other economic damages.” Id.

The Parties in this Action

Plaintiff Garden City Education Association is a voluntary labor organization representing teachers and professional personnel employed by Defendant Garden City School District. Plaintiffs Juana Cozza and Robert Nutt are tenured teachers and members of the GCEA, who were employed full-time by Defendant School District until their employment was indefinitely terminated in June 2012. After she was laid off, Cozza formally retired and is currently collecting retirement benefits through the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System. Plaintiff Nutt, however, was recalled by the School District in November 2012 and currently [784]*784remains employed.3 All of the other teachers laid off in June 2012 have also been reinstated the Defendant School District.

Plaintiffs’ Complaint Allegations

In this action, Plaintiffs complain that the evaluation instrument used by the Garden City School District in 2011-12 was developed and implemented unilaterally by the District.

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975 F. Supp. 2d 780, 2013 WL 5450095, 197 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2127, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140353, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garden-city-education-assn-v-school-district-mied-2013.