From the very beginning, it was all about power.
Marysville teachers said it was about pay and respect. The school board and superintendent claimed it was about better using resources to improve student achievement.
But former state Supreme Court Justice Robert Utter and former state Rep. Denny Heck, the men appointed by Gov. Gary Locke to lay out the facts surrounding the longest teachers’ strike in state history, cut right to the heart of the matter:
"To a very real degree," Utter and Heck wrote in their report, "the bargaining process this year appears to have devolved principally into a power struggle."
Well, after 50 days of picketing, neither side has much to show in the power department. In fact, both sides look weaker now than when this insufferable mess started.
Teachers, to their credit, voted Monday night to recognize the power of a Snohomish County Superior Court judge and obey her order to return to the classroom Wednesday. It hardly puts an end to the battle, but at least the district’s 11,000 students will no longer be pawns in it.
Voters, as they always have, hold power over the School Board, and by extension over Superintendent Linda Whitehead. Three of the board’s five members are up for re-election on Nov. 4, so that power hovers like an anvil.
In voting to obey Judge Linda Krese’s back-to-work order, teachers avoided making things even worse. A display of teacher lawlessness was the last thing this wounded district needed, and an appeal wasn’t a realistic option. No teachers’ union wants to appeal a ruling that their strikes are illegal, fearing the state Supreme Court finally could weigh in against them. It’s safer to leave the matter legally unsettled.
Often, a judge’s order prompts a swift settlement at the bargaining table. That would be a welcome ending to this sorry episode, and one can hope that getting school started can set the stage for a contract agreement.
That hope, however, may be naive. If it is, blame both sides.
Utter and Heck noted the discrepancy between teacher pay in Marysville, which is among the state’s highest, and student achievement, which is below that of districts with similar demographics. Simply retaining the status quo by giving teachers a raise and saying thank you won’t bridge that achievement gap. Besides, Utter and Heck noted, the district doesn’t have the money to give teachers what they’re asking.
The school board and the superintendent were rightly blamed by Utter and Heck for stubbornly trying to bring too much change too quickly. And we have pointed out before that the administration has ignored opportunities to lead the district on a more cooperative path, choosing instead to fan the flames of discord by being so strident in its dealings with the teachers’ union.
Utter and Heck recommended binding arbitration if a quick agreement can’t be reached. That won’t help either side save face, but at this point, who cares? This power struggle will have no winners.
Judge Krese told both sides to grow up. Perhaps the teachers took the first step toward that Monday night.
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