Teachers’ pact indicates board can learn to agree
The Brownsville Area School District strike ended on an amicable note Monday night when the school board unanimously agreed to the terms, hours after teachers ratified the contract. Far too often teacher strikes divide communities and leave feelings of bitterness even at its conclusion. This strike had all the makings of heading that way at the beginning as teachers worked all of last school year and part of this one without a contract. When they set up the picket lines, the board was speaking through an attorney and teachers through a union negotiator.
The board agreed to set aside its hired gun and sit down at the table to bargain in earnest. After three sessions, terms were reached that both could accept. Teachers will receive pay boosts that will take their salaries from among the lowest in Fayette County to the range of the other school districts. The board won a concession on switching health care plans, that won’t minimize coverage but will save the financially-strapped district about $162,000. And an agreement was reached on retirement incentives with both sides giving and gaining.
More importantly to students and parents were a few other items that demonstrate that the board and the teachers are committed to raising the education standards. The board made a commitment to hiring more teaching assistants, and the teachers gave up half of their prep time toward mentoring and tutoring students.
The school board and teachers showed that they were capable of working together to solve the contract without the influence of outsiders.
Said board member Stella Broadwater, “I said from the beginning, if we go eye to eye with these people that we entrust with our children and remove the big dogs, we could come to an agreement. You have to put the issues on the table and be honest, and that’s what we did.”
The teachers’ contract is just one of the many serious issues facing the Brownsville school board. For far too long the board has split into factions, second-guessed actions and waged costly battles. That members were able to successfully negotiate a contract, that all can agree to the terms, shows the board is capable of uniting for the good of the district. We hope that spirit of cooperation continues as the board tackles other contracts and building projects.