SpeakOut
Political battle not useful for negotiations or reputations
D. Jeff Lawrence OAKMONT PRINCIPAL RETIRED, 1970-2007 ASHBURNHAM

It is pretty difficult to remain silent after the most recent letters concerning teacher negotiations. Having spent my entire career at Oakmont it is disheartening to see again the recent writers pitting one side against the other to the detriment of both. At any time contract negotiations for teachers is an uphill battle. With the recent override failures and harsh economic conditions the process is even more difficult. The spotlight is on full power as education in these two communities takes up the lion's share of budget money. Surprising or maybe not that no other union negotiations have hit the limelight like the teachers. That is significantly unfair.

I have chaired negotiations from both sides as the Negotiations Chair for the Oakmont Teacher's Association at one time and at another time as School Committee Chair when I served in Ashburnham. In any negotiations process one side wants something and the other side will counter with their wishes. The end of negotiations is always a compromise. So where is the compromise here? If the two sides have bargained in good faith and have not reached a solution then mediation and arbitration should be pursued. An unbiased decision is needed to sort out the process and reach agreement. This is not a negative to either side just assistance reaching a negotiated settlement. It is unfair for any employee to be without a contract.

I have the utmost respect for both sides of the situation and am increasingly concerned when either side is denigrated. The AWRSD system is a fine one and that is to the credit of all; teachers, administrators and school committee members. Without the hard work and dedication of all of these people our outcomes would not be as great as they are. How about if we accept that premise and stop the sniping at one

group or the other? As an administrator I know well that our academic success is directly the result of outstanding teaching in the classroom. It is in the classroom that our teachers shine in preparing our wonderful children for success. The teachers depend on the administration for selecting the best of them to teach here and fostering a positive climate and providing the necessary materials to teach successfully. Both groups depend on the school committee to nurture a positive educational environment in our two towns to facilitate acquiring the necessary funds to keep the system running well. To participate in negative press and activities will only result in low morale and negative outcomes for all. We are all in this together.

Those letter writers who use figures need to make sure that they are up to date and compare accurately. In many cases the figures they quote are not comparable and only support the writer's narrow agenda. If our salaries are so good why is our per pupil expenditure below average and our educational outcomes above average? Find another local system that is equivalent to ours and do a proper comparison. If your business suddenly could hire only people with Masters Degrees wouldn't that cause a significant increase in your salary line? That is what is now mandated by state law for our schools. If budget issues over the past few years caused you to fire a significant number of recent hires with low salaries would that skew your salary line? One of my last administrative duties required me to fire seven young teachers with three years of Oakmont teaching experience because of a failed override. There are myriad ways to look at the numbers and too many ways to misuse them.

As budget approval approaches this year I sincerely hope that our two communities will continue to actively support this great school system with adequate funding to supply every student with a free and appropriate public education that would be the same or better than any previous AWRSD student had been allowed. Not to do this will eventually sacrifice our future.