Mill Creek parents may be more relieved than their children that Everett teachers agreed to contract terms.
Children served by the Everett School District filed into the halls of learning on Wednesday. This followed an amazing turnaround in reaching a settlement.
The district and the teachers union were miles apart merely weeks ago. Local parents fretted about meshing their work schedules with the uncertainty of their children’s daytime whereabouts.
As late as Aug. 10, Kim Mead, teachers’ union president, said her 1,100 members weren’t accepting the administration’s offer.
Apparently, when it came down to the week before school traditionally begins, negotiations took a swing and it was not too big of a stretch to reach agreement on a three-year contract.
Was it the result of major capitulation by the district? Hopefully, not. While the teachers deserve a raise, the tone of the contract does seem one-sided.
In addition to pay hikes and a reduction in health insurance costs, handling teachers is going to be tougher on principals. They don’t have to turn in lesson plans, can leave campus during lunch and other workplace perks.
Some of the concessions about the unfolding of the school day could benefit students. Teachers should be less frazzled with more time off and less paperwork to shuffle.
Teachers probably gave some ground in the negotiations, but on the surface, that isn’t clear.
If the teachers used their muscle to bully the administration with the imminence of opening day for schools, that sets a dangerous precedent for future talks when the contract expires.
Teachers are entitled to better wages as their jobs are getting tougher. Students are not as respectful and attentive as in the past; also, academic standards are rising with advent of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, the test that keeps both youngsters and teachers accountable.
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