A month later, at Harbor’s direction, the Association and Missoula College Dean Roger Maclean started working on a plan and then a budget to bring the ratios back into compliance. Both were completed by December 2018.

For the next three months, the complaint alleges, Harbor took no action on the proposal. Then, in March 2019, “the Provost stated that he was unable to provide a decision (on the plan), and that he had turned over the matter to the Missoula College dean.” In turn, Maclean, the interim dean at the time, “did not express an intent in preparing the plan or budget other than providing assistance to MCFA.”

“MCFA believes that this dispute will not be resolved without filing a formal grievance,” said the complaint. The grievance requests the university adopt the three-step plan proposed earlier.

The formal complaint remains at the first stage, association president Boyd told the Missoulian. “We are working collaboratively with the administration to try to resolve it,” she said.