I'm still getting hits from people searching for more information about the Marysville School District teachers strike. As before, I recommend The Marysville School District Website, The Marysville Education Association Website, Everett Herald's Marysville section, and The MSD Commons for actual information, as I'm just the wife of a first-year teacher.
It looks like, however, the parents supporting the teachers are planning another rally for this Friday. The rally is set for 2:30 to 5 pm, Sep 12th. If I get out of work early enough, I might think about attending. Just to see how opinions are running.
The district and union negotiators are meeting today, later in the afternoon. Start spinning those prayer weasels that they will come to an agreement, and the teachers can get back to teaching.
I found this link to a Seattle Times article over on the MSD Commons. You've got to read this to believe it. This is about the Marysville School District: "Although the state did not discover crimes or significant losses, the report says the district's financial records for the period studied, Sept. 1, 2001, through Aug. 31, 2002, were too poorly maintained even to know whether money was lost in some programs." Holy flaming cows! This is the same district that has hired a Public Relations department that is getting paid more than most teachers... the same district who spent $20,000 sending out a glossy 22-page brochure, the same district that has hired security guards to protect the schools from the people least likely to damage the schools... I cannot believe anyone in Marysville is willing to let these people get away with this. Originally I was thinking the people of Marysville ought to just vote the School Board out of office, now I'm beginning to wonder if they ought to press charges for gross negligence, and demand repayment of the money that these people have effectively wasted.
Ahem, I'll step off my soapbox now. In any case, the more I read about this strike, the less upset I am that the teachers voted the strike. Yeah, I hate strikes. But if this will get all the dirty dealings of the administration into the open so the folks up in that school district can see just how much money that should have been devoted to their children has been wasted, maybe something good will happen out of this.
Update: The MSD Commons had a link to a Marysville parents message board, which has some interesting posts and up-to-date info on what the parents are doing. The site also had updated info on the times of Friday's rally.
Update II: Just found this at the Marysville SD site: "To ensure that certificated employees salaries will not be reduced below 2002-03 amounts, the district is willing to restructure the total dollars in the district’s August 29, 2003 offer. Additional information will be posted soon." So, wait... they repeatedly said, over and over ad nauseum, that teachers would not lose any pay this year. However, this is the first offer that they've made that will "ensure" that claim? Methinks the district has some explaining to do. At the very least, they've misled the public; at worst, they've outright lied. No wonder the talks aren't going anywhere.
0 comments:
Post a Comment