TRAVERSE CITY -- Leaders of the union that represents teachers in the Traverse City Area Public Schools district resigned their positions amid a new round of contract talks.
Former President Dan Rice and former Vice President Betty Leuenberger cited personal reasons for their resignations this summer, an interim leader with the Traverse City Education Association said. They had another year left in their terms.
Mary McGee-Cullen, a teacher at Central Grade School and Eastern Elementary, was named president pro tem and will serve on a temporary basis until an election is held next month.
Central High School teacher Pam Forton was named vice president pro tem. Both will assume their roles today.
Rice's resignation is effective today, McGee-Cullen said, and Leuenberger left her post in late July.
Neither Rice nor Leuenberger could be reached for comment.
The district began negotiations with the teachers' union July 10, said Christine Davis, TCAPS' executive director of human resources.
Bargaining teams from both units were to meet Tuesday, but Davis would not disclose any information discussed.
"We're going to keep all the negotiations at the table," she said, adding that both sides are "hopeful" a contract is reached by the Aug. 31 deadline.
Rice, in a voice mail message Tuesday, said he would not comment on negotiations.
Teachers are working under a one-year agreement, reached last September, that included a 2.5 percent pay raise and a 9 percent increase in health care payments. Davis said at the time that a budget crisis in Lansing contributed to the contract's length.
Since then, other employee unions within the district secured multi-year contracts. Among them are a two-year agreement for the Traverse City Administrators' Association, which represents principals, and a three-year deal for the Food Service Employees Association.
The teachers' union represents about 650 teachers, counselors, social workers and nurses.
McGee-Cullen said she does not know if or how negotiations could be affected by the changes, but that both Rice and Leuenberger continue on the bargaining team.
"I don't know anything that's at the table right now," she said. "I will be meeting with the team as soon as we can."
An election to finish out the terms of Rice and Leuenberger will be held before Sept. 26, McGee-Cullen said.
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