Collins Career Center will appeal this month’s court ruling that reinstated five laid-off teachers, its board members said Tuesday night.

Wednesday, January 23, 2002

Collins Career Center will appeal this month’s court ruling that reinstated five laid-off teachers, its board members said Tuesday night.

Board attorney Rick Brown expected to file a notice of appeal in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court today.

The time frame for an appeal is up to the court, but Brown said he will ask if the case can be expedited.

Tuesday’s decision came after the board met for more than two hours in a closed executive session with Brown, the vocational school’s superintendents, and Bob Cross of Cross Management. The board called the special meeting to discuss Judge Richard Walton’s decision granting an injunction against some layoffs and to discuss ongoing contract negotiations with teachers.

Brown has said that the court’s decision didn’t indicate whether state law or the teachers’ union contract applied to the layoffs, an issue he argued during hearings.

The board has maintained it followed the contract and proper procedures when it called for at least 10 layoffs due to financial shortfalls caused by dwindling enrollment. At least three layoffs were upheld by the court earlier this month.

The decision indicated that the board could only lay off teachers from programs that suffered enrollment decreases within those programs.

The vocational school board also voted Tuesday night to direct the superintendent to carry out the court’s order.

Besides two administrators, three teachers have lost their jobs in the layoffs: Gwen Adkins, Daniel French and Kim Holliday, the union said.