Letter to the Editor:
Larry Murray
I was listening today to John Dick with Bill Becker on “Morning Magazine”. One of the subjects addressed was the ponderous pace again this year of negotiations between the School District and the UTM over a new contract. I share John’s frustration with the pace or lack thereof. However, Superintendent Porter has always claimed that his forte is labor negotiations and perhaps he is trying to demonstrate his continuing capacity to negotiate, negotiate…, at least until he runs out of patience and calls in Bob Norton to slam home a deal.
It occurs to me that the District, via the School Board, could financially benefit from the situation. I propose that the School Board establish a pool giving the public the opportunity to guess when a new contract will be ratified by the two parties. You could participate by contributing a dollar for each date that you wish to guess. The pot could be shared 50/50 between the winner and the District. Perhaps the District could dedicate its share to repair the scoreboard at Key West High School.
Should there be a tie, that is, should two people pick the same day for ratification, the tie breaker could be the number of negotiating sessions between the District and UTM. Last year, there were 24 “collaborative bargaining” sessions and this year the number is better than halfway there. I believe that there is a real possibility that this round of “collaborative bargaining” sessions could go to three digits, over 100.
This is a tremendous opportunity for the School Board to be proactive and stimulate public interest in the contract negotiations.
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While I appreciate the dark humor, I’m depressed by the gulf between those who were educated to educate, and those whose diverse backgrounds get them elected to lead the educators.