The Nazareth School Board is meeting tonight. If you are attending, please take a moment afterward to post information here on the meeting, or email me and I will make a post for you (editor@newsovercoffee.com)
What do you think? Should the Board be encouraged to return to the table and negotiate during fact finding? What steps should they take? What other issues are out there that need to be addressed and not forgotten?
6 comments:
The "ball" is squarely in NAEA's court and the board should wait until the NAEA provides a couple of things:
1) Surrounding schools benefits packages: If the Nazareth package is the "worst in PA", then show the Board (and us) what others are getting that is so much better.
2) Salary demands: Although the NAEA has stated that they are not that far apart here
3) Planning time/Meeting time: We have heard that this is a point of contention but so far haven't heard what the NAEA wants.
Basically, it's time for the NAEA to "put their cards on the table". Put out (in detail) what exactly they want. Stop the rhetoric and state exactly why this offer is so bad (detailed comparisons, facts/figures). Until then, the Board waits...
Agree completely.
I am having a hard time deciding who is more "right" here (or wrong for that matter). The board and the NAEA publish information that is total conflict. Not once have they agreed on any "facts" out there. This is causing the public to be skeptical more and more. This only makes the teachers' case worse since they haven't even said what they actually want.
The way I see it here is that the NAEA are running the risk of driving a wedge between the parents and themselves that will be there for a very long time. The board, on the other hand, needs to work twice as hard at reaching a settlement because we can vote them out when they come up for re-election.
That is the way to change things around here - vote them out. They have a difficult job for sure, but we need change in the board.
Another point - do not just say "give the teachers whatever they want." Negotiations are all about give and take and the middle ground. Otherwise, our property taxes double in 5 years. Do you really want that?
The board has a difficult job, no doubt. But replacing the board solves what?
The last point made above is a good one. We cannot simply give the teachers "anything they want" because our taxes will increase even more than they have. The irony here is that all those people moving from NJ to get away from high taxes, high housing costs will have caused the same thing here.
I agree that the ball is clearly in the NAEA's court. I strongly do not feel that teachers should get what they want.
It concerns me that the NAEA cannot lay on the table exactly what they want and yet some people are clearing stating give them what they want...What if they want more money, want to work less time and pay nothing for benefits, Are you willing to give them that? I know I am not!!! This may sound ridiculous, but I do not know what they are asking, so it may be true.
I cannot in good faith support a side that has not provided in black in white exactly what they are asking for.
Until then, I will have to take the side of the school board and believe me that is not an easy pill to swallow.
My feeling about replacing the board is this:
If the board members (or any elected body) sees no opposition coming now or in the future for their seats, they will be less willing to go the extra mile to give the taxpayers what they need. If they go that extra mile, the taxpayers would be more willing to re-elect them for a job well done.
Blindly re-electing the same people because they are in the position already will only lead to complacency and voter apathy.
Change is good.
Thanks to all who read and posted today. I was away most of the weekend and only got this brief post up today.
I think the teachers packet including the administrations raises shows that our School Board has not been most responsible when it comes to negotiations.
They can't make an example of the teachers, but they do need to be held accountable for the financial decisions they make.
Nazareth has had consistent tax hikes. Try to identify the last year the school taxes have not increased. The Board has not been held accountable for this. There is no fear that they will be dismissed so they go with what the administration says they need or they threaten to cut a program that they know will have strong opposition (like the band funding) and then say we only did what the people wanted us to do.
The teachers have a legitimate complaint that mismanaged money shouldn't stop them from a fair wage, but again here is the catch - what is fair?
Maybe there will be some more answers tonight. If anything I think we are all starting to see more of the big picture issues that are causing these immediate problems. Then we'll have to figure out how to resolve them.
Post a Comment