Mostly a Rant - Sorry

First things first. Happy Birthday Amanda!

I am stretched thin. Not only have I caught the "Seattle crud" that's been going around, but I'm feeling more and more despair at the continuing strike in Marysville.

The parents held a public meeting on Wednesday, to which they invited all the school board members to come and explain just what was going on. The school board didn't show, and none of the letters that the parents have sent over the last few weeks have been answered yet. There is a deep anger there that is growing, and I feel left on the outside. I don't belong in the parents' group, I'm not a citizen of Marysville, and I'm not a teacher. I want to do something, but there seems to be nothing for me to do that would actually be productive and it's tearing me apart.

The news reports have become surprisingly partisan. KING5 has apparently decided that the teachers are in the wrong, and their newscasts have had an anti-teacher slant for a few days now (this is odd, as it was KING that aired the infamous "Turn the camera off" bit with the district PR gal, Judy Parker see below). KIRO is pro-teacher, and seems to be getting into the spirit of the student sit-in, among other things. I haven't seen much other coverage of the strike from other stations.

Speaking of Judy Parker... KING5 did a piece on whether or not the teachers would lose money in the original contract. They found a couple of teachers, checked the numbers, and learned that, yes, those teachers would lose a significant amount. They then went to Judy Parker, who repeated her mantra of "No teacher will lose money" for the camera, then the reporter asked her point-blank about the two teachers whose numbers they had looked at and asked if the numbers were correct. Judy said that, yes, the numbers were correct. So the reporter asked her to explain how, if these two teachers were losing money, that she could say that no teacher would lose money under the contract. Judy's response was, "Turn the camera off and I'll tell you." The reporter declined to turn the camera off, and pressed some more, but Judy wouldn't budge. The final line of the piece was the reporter saying that many teachers are mystified that the district can claim they aren't losing money under the contract when there is proof that they are, and then the reporter said that frankly, he was mystified too.

Anyway, the talks have broken down again. Despite the gag order on the negotiations, Judy Parker claims that the teachers union has refused to change their offer. The mediator is waiting until next Wednesday to call the two groups back, which I think is a bit too long. I'm inclined to think that they should meet nonstop. But that's just me.

The student sit-in ended in disgust, but the leaders of the sit-in have been invited to Olympia to talk with the Governor. I hope they give him an earful.

I'm finding the best way to get the latest news about the strike is to look at Google News and filter out the non-Washington non-strike information. My other sources are the Marysville parents message board, The Marysville Education Association Website, the Everett Herald's Marysville section, The MSD Commons, and when I want a laugh The Marysville School District Website.

I was going to try to write more, like how I feel about the M's falling apart again, and the latest on comic book news, but I'm feeling a bit depressed and angry now. I think I'll go drink some orange juice and rest.

Update: The parents are moving forward, even if the negotiations aren't. They've put up a new website: AIMS: Accountability and Integrity for Marysville Schools. In addition, the students that went to see the governor were told by the governor that they have more power than they might think, and to keep the pressure on. They apparently went from the governor's office down the street to the state superindent's office. Good for them!