re: Moscow teachers

["Lois Melina" <lmelina@moscow.com>]

This discussion of teacher salaries is interesting, but "salary
compensation" is only one area of discussion that we are told is being
discussed, and even then, we don't know the specific areas of disagreement
on that issue. In addition, there are several other areas of discussion
where the board and the teachers evidently disagree.

Earlier this week, someone suggested that rather than a referendum on
contract issues, the public needs to let the board know its wishes. The
difficulty here is that both sides have agreed not to discuss specific
proposals publicly. While that's probably a wise move in the early stages
of negotiations, now that we are facing the possibility of a strike unless
this impasse is resolved, it might be helpful to the negotiations for both
the board and the teachers to know where public support is on the issues. I
urge the board and the teachers to agree to end the secrecy and put the
proposals out for the public to evaluate.