Legal Update - Day 6

Dennis Triggs and Jay Greening were the guest speakers for today. Dennis offered some advice on being careful to not oversell an idea to the board of education. A board member might become too attached to an idea and not want to let it go even though it may not be very important. He also emphasized that districts not add items to the contract that the district is not required by law to do. He also stated that if it’s not needed in the contract because it is covered by the law then it is better to leave it out. If it is included in the contract then an issue could become a grievance as well as a lawsuit.

Jay’s focus on financial bargaining was insightful; however, I could view this as costly to the board of education. After the presentation, Jay told me that a typical bill for a school district ranges from about $6,000-$35,000 to negotiate a contract. This would lead me to believe that the more preparation the board and superintendent do the less the district will have to pay. Negotiations can be expensive, but in contrast to making a mistake that costs the district thousands of dollars because of over confidence or poor advice, an attorney seems inexpensive.

one week later...

Just wanted to say that I appreciate all the learning that took place in this class. It far exceeded my expectations. The information presented was very interesting and useful. Assignments were applicable and useful as well. I enjoyed role-playing through the simulation and getting to know my classmates better (on both sides of the negotiations table). Even though it's been awhile since I've been in an EDL class that met all three weekends -- this one seemed to go faster those not meeting as many times face-to-face. As always, I enjoyed the interaction provided by my peers and Dr. Closen's professional, yet personal style of teaching. Thanks everyone! Neil

Now if I could just find the time to address that final exam....

Day 6

The last day of class was interesting with the simulations. In the end you can really see what the other side thought was important. It all comes down to money!!! The language items are nice to change, but it really is the money that makes things move along in the negotiation process. Even listening to the speakers we had during class it’s clear that the money is what really matters. The unions are trying to get as much as they can and the board is trying to save as much as they can. I think both sides have a pretty good picture of what really can be done with the funds available during negotiations, but ultimately both sides need to posture themselves so the other side thinks that what they are asking is the only thing they will agree to.

Win or not?

I thought we would go through the new contract or agreements that we negotiated and make some type of report or judgment of who benefited from the agreement. It would have been helpful to go through the numbers of salary and insurance to see how the two groups stacked up together. I did like the information we gathered, but we never shared the ideas or observations with the other side. A debriefing would have been useful as well, in my opinion. Does any one think that the feedback component would have been enhanced by lowering the number of items to 5 or 6, and give an assignment of 1 or 2 times to meet with the other team to share this information. I really did like the assignment.

Weekend 3, Day 2: Lawyers and Endgame

I was very impressed with the presentation by the attornies, Dennis Triggs and Jay Greening. Dennis' coverage of the contracts and his explanations of the provisions in these gave me a better understanding of the rationale for many of these items. Jay's presentation of the district comparisons were very helpful and practical. I was also interested with the finacial data sheet that he provided. It made a great deal of sense to me and helped me to understand how that information could be used to make informed decisions, not only for collective bargaining, but also for general operations of the district. Overall, these two gentlemen provided valuable information for me as an aspiring superintendent.
As for the final day of our collective bargaining simulation, our group did not have much left to negotiate. We were finishing up the final two items, salary and insurance. We had pretty much wrapped up the deal; we just finalized everything so that we were all in agreement of how the contract would read. This simulation was very worthwhile and contributed greatly to my knowledge base on collective bargaining. The hands-on approach is certainly more helpful than just reading books on the subject.

Weekend 3, Day 1: IFT and the Simulations

I was eager to hear the opposite side of the contractual argument from the representative from the IFT. I really thought that he could shed some light on the reasons for many of the IFT positions concerning contractual issues, with some logical rationale for how they established their stances. However, when he finished, I was left feeling that the main reason was more or less back to the argument of "we are labor and they are management." Furthermore, I do not think he was very convincing that his organization truly considered the needs of students above their own interests. He seemed quite focused on the political component of the IFT and explaining ("touting") the political clout that they have in the political process. Nonetheless, it was still somewhat interesting.
In regards to the simulation process on this day, it was much like the other days. We were very close to reaching agreement on all of our issues and settling our contract. The negotiations at this point were centered on the two main topics of salary and insurance. Perhaps, the process went more smoothly than normal since our team discussed our desires for the end result and then Tim and Larry did some sidebarring to help bring our sides closer together. Our negotiations on this day certainly paved the way to quickly wrap things up on the following session.

The Final Day...

I really appreciated the sample contracts from the attorney's. It is really important to network with schools to see what language and items are in their contracts. If you as a Board have something specific you'd like to see in the contract, it's important to consult with districts who have done it instead of reinventing the wheel. I really see the importance of a school attorney being on your team. The little nuances in language can be tricky and cause for future grievances. Make sure your language states your intentions clearly. I really liked the idea of doing an apple to apple comparison of salary and benefits. It shows your Board if you are in line and competitive, and it shows your teachers what's reasonable. It's harder for each side to low ball or high ball their offers when you are looking at districts similar to yours. I appreciated the presentations given by all groups. I really wish we would have posted all power points on-line. It's nice to have a resource to start from as superintendents to be. There are so many things thrown at us that not having to reinvent the wheel when education our board would be helpful. I have been to the negotiating table three times. Twice as a teacher and once as an administrator. It can be some of the worst and best experiences of your career. Keeping your eye on the ball and making reasonable requests is the key. Thank you to all my classmates who continue to make me grow as an administrator and person.