As students, we crave a positive environment for learning, which our teachers and other faculty members provide. We students are hyper-aware of how our learning environment affects us, but who makes HHS a positive working environment for those same teachers that foster our instruction? None other than the Hillsborough Education Association (HEA), who serve the staff of Hillsborough Township Public School District (minus administrators — who have their own union). The Voice staffers sat down with two high school building representatives for the district’s teacher union, Mr. Donald Adams and Mrs. Lisa Pronko, to learn more about their aims and hopes as an organization.
While no teacher or staff member is required to join, faculty members gravitate toward the organization and find their HEA membership status as a source of pride and protection.“The vast majority of teachers are members of HEA,” Pronko said. This can be seen on various Mondays coinciding with Board of Education meetings; from the elementary schools to the high school, and all the buildings in between you can find staff members rocking their blue shirts repping their membership with the HEA. Each building has a group of representatives who attend monthly meetings discussing and voting on issues and spreading information to members concerning contracts and school rules. Along with Pronko and Adams, Ms. Marina DeVino, Ms. Caitlyn Chudy, and Ms. Lynne Derwood all serve as the High School’s building reps.
Similar to your average worker’s union, negotiating the contracts of our teachers is a part of the HEA’s agenda. However, according to head building rep and social studies teacher Mr. Donald Adams, they do so much more. The HEA is most dedicated to creating an environment where staff members feel they can be professional and successful at work. This includes ensuring a positive working relationship with administration by advocating for policies important to the staff body. The HEA also focuses heavily on community outreach through offering opportunities like scholarships for its members and their children and educational leadership forums.
The HEA exhausts all its avenues to empower the staff members of the Hillsborough Township School District. Most recently, HEA members were spotted wearing blue shirts on Wednesday, March 19th, deviating from their usual Mondays, in solidarity with a nationwide teacher ‘walk-in’ demonstrations of unity.
It’s not always easy though, with a community of principals, teachers, superintendents, liaisons, and board officers with unique aims working toward one goal, conflict is almost guaranteed. “We take all the various stakeholders into account, and come up with compromises and solutions” Adams said. Through looking out for our teachers and staff, HEA looks out for the entire district community so that we can all learn and work in harmony.
