Board of Education v. Board of Labor Relations

The sole issue in this appeal is whether the Teacher Evaluation Act in General Statutes 10-151b makes proposals concerning the procedures that govern teacher evaluations a mandatory subject of collective bargaining between a local school board and a local teachers' union. The plaintiff, Wethersfield Board of Education, successfully appealed, in the trial court, a declaratory ruling of the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations requiring the board to bargain about proposals concerning teacher evaluation procedures tendered by the defendant, Wethersfield Federation of Teachers. The defendant has appealed to this court from the judgment of the trial court. We find no error.1 The case has been tried on stipulated facts. The plaintiff, Wethersfield Board of Education (hereinafter school board), as the duly constituted board of education for the town of Wethersfield, is an employer within the meaning of the Teacher Negotiation Act, General Statutes 10-153a et seq. The defendant, Wethersfield Federation of Teachers (hereinafter federation), represents the certified professional employees of the school board in the teachers' unit defined in the act. When these proceedings were initiated, the parties were engaged in bargaining for a successor collective bargaining agreement.2