Jackson, Mich. (WKHM) — On the evening of Wednesday, June 5, the Jackson Public Schools (JPS) Board of Education held a Special Meeting in relation to the language of the Employment Agreement between the Board and new district superintendent Jeremy Patterson.

According to a letter to the JPS Board from legal counsel Brendon R. Beer, Board Vice President Derek Dobies (a former Mayor of the City of Jackson) added the American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA) to Section 9 – Professional Meetings and Affiliations of the Agreement on May 15 at 8:53 p.m. The letter states that when Beer asked Superintendent Patterson why they were added, Mr. Patterson said he was unaware of the edit.

Mr. Beer expressed multiple legal concerns with the addition in his letter. Chief among them being that Derek Dobies is the Chief of Staff of the labor union AFL-CIO of Michigan, which AFSA is affiliated with, creating a conflict of interest for Vice President Dobies to vote on the Employment Agreement that would provide economic value to his employer.

The letter states, “Mr. Dobies’ edit clearly results in an economic benefit for the [AFSA] and, thereby, the AFL-CIO of Michigan. The revision clearly created a conflict of interest for Mr. Dobies relative to Mr. Patterson’s Employment Agreement.”

Another concern Mr. Beer brought up in his letter was that JPS already has the Jackson Public Schools Administrative Association (JPSAA) representing its administrative employees.

The letter reads, “JPS cannot recognize 2 labor organizations for its administrative employees.” It was recommended that the district find out whether or not the addition was made with the knowledge and / or consent of the AFL-CIO of Michigan, and if it was, to alert the JPSAA so they can take appropriate action.

The addition of the AFSA to Section 9 was removed before the Employment Agreement was approved once again by the Board following a closed session during the meeting.

Secretary Cheryl Simonetti introduced a motion to vote on the removal of Vice President Dobies and make him ineligible to run for any other Board position until the end of his current term (December 31, 2028). After receiving advice from their legal counsel, it was decided that decision be moved to their next Regular Meeting scheduled for June 17.

Vice President Dobies was not in attendance during Thursday’s special meeting.