Geldrop's school board resigns, students are taught again
The three primary schools of the Stichting Nutscholen Geldrop are open again today. The supervisory board and director Mieke van den Broek left yesterday evening. That was a demand of the 65 teachers who called in massively ill yesterday in protest. “This is the apotheosis of a year-long struggle,” says parent Sytske Klarenbeek, speaking on behalf of the teachers.
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The discharge was big this morning in the schoolyard. Klarenbeek: “We fell into each other's arms, crying. It was very emotional. All teachers' demands have been met. ”
Last weekend, the teachers sent an ultimatum because they were fed up. They have been under pressure for some time and experience psychological and physical complaints because of the culture of fear that prevails in the schools. According to Klarenbeek, the conflict has been dragging on for a year and it started with the dismissal of two school directors who raised the fear culture. Subsequently, many decisions were taken in which the Joint Participation Council (GMR) was not involved and the teachers were repeatedly informed from the media that a decision had been made.
The straw that broke the bucket was the last decision of the supervisory board to appoint Mieke van den Broek as new interim director. She would replace Ivon de Wilde, the previous driver who left two weeks ago. “Here, too, the GMR was not involved and no one was personally informed, while the hope was that there would be space,” says Klarenbeek.
“We fell into each other's arms, crying. It was very emotional. All requirements of the teachers have been met ”, Sytske Klarenbeek, parent with two children at the Beneden Beekloopschool
Threats
The nearly nine hundred pupils of the three schools were therefore not taught yesterday. Despite the letter sent by interim director Van den Broek. She called on the teachers last weekend to come to school anyway. 'It is in no way important to get bogged down in threats and avoid dialogue,' says Van den Broek. In her letter she wrote that calling in sick is unacceptable because it directly affects the students and she threatened to be dismissed.
Still, the teachers stayed home on Monday. “This is unique, the team has achieved a victory”, says AObdistrict manager Perry van Liempt. Last night he held on behalf of the AOb in Geldrop a meeting for all teachers to give them legal advice and to listen to the problems. "We talked about the consequences, such as salary deductions and what you can do then, for example."
According to Van Liempt, there was suddenly a loud cheer yesterday evening when it was announced that the supervisory board and the board were leaving. “I don't think salary is withheld, but we keep a finger on the pulse. In any case, all teachers went back to work today. ” The AOb-rayon driver thinks teachers would not have gone to work today if nothing had changed. "They were all genuinely angry."
Relieved
At the time of the meeting of the AOb the gmr, supervisory board, director and the Geldrop alderman for education were in crisis consultations. The conversation was an initiative of the inspectorate who wanted the students to go back to school. Education alderman Miranda Verdouw of the municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo: "The supervisory board soon said that part of the solution was that they had to leave and the director eventually followed suit. It is important to us that the children can go back to school, because It had become trench warfare."
Sytske Klarenbeek, spokesperson for the teachers: “We are relieved about this decision. But it has a bitter aftertaste. Losses have been made, people have been laid off, many tens of thousands of euros have been wasted. It took too long. ”
