No one can say they didn’t see the rift between Marysville School District officials and the teachers’ association coming. It has been growing for a while now and it came to a head last winter when the makeup day for a statewide teacher walkout in Olympia became a point of contention.
Dare we say the S word? No, the other S word.
Whether there’s a last-minute negotiating miracle or an elongated s-s-s-strike, parents should prepare themselves and their children. Moreover, teachers and district officials should remember that no matter how long this rift lasts and no matter how heated and passionate it becomes, they’ll all have to work together again once it’s over. And eventually it will be over.
Fight fair. Keep the gloves on. Parents (also known as voters) are watching.
Marysville was lucky to get its maintenance and operation levy passed in May. Voters shot it down in February along with two bond issues that would have enabled the district to buy property and build a much-needed second high school, as well as paying for new elementary schools and renovations at each of the district’s schools. The district put the high school bond before voters again, and it was shot down again.
Clearly, voters are feeling as much frustration with the situation and these difficult economic times as the district and teachers are feeling.
Parents, and their children, are the third separate but equal party in this triangle. They are as impacted as administrators, staff and teachers, but they have absolutely no control or input in the matter. Both sides must take this into consideration when things get even stickier and the temptation to drift from an issues-oriented debate to personal attacks becomes overwhelming.
It was just a little less than one year ago that the Snohomish School District found itself in the middle of a strike that ended up lasting 21 days. It was a rough time for everyone, but from all appearances everyone has worked through it.
"Both sides really are to be credited" for being careful before, during and after the strike, said district spokeswoman J. Marie Merrifield. Once school started, the word blame didn’t enter into the equation. Blame may feel good in the short term, but it only makes the hurts fester, Merrifield said of what teachers and administrators were told.
Wise words. And Marysville should listen. An entire community is watching and waiting. More importantly, so are its children.
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