The situation in South Butler County is unfortunate because it has caused such a divide in the community (as Mr. Ron Brooks' very angry letter proves). Instead of viewing the situation as what it is; a labor dispute, people turn it into an "US" vs. "THEM" situation. There are two sides to this issue and a settlement happens when both sides come together and compromise. Statements like "its OUR SCHOOL, NOT THE TEACHERS" is incredibly ridiculous. Although people are angry, I think when the simmer down they know that teachers pay taxes as well and their taxes are dependent on the outcome of this situation as well. I think these angry people probably also know that all tax payers do NOT share their same bitter opinion.

Please don't forget that fault lies not only with the teachers union, but also with the school board. I would hope that people elected those school board members to be able to find a balance between the teachers' desires and the community's best interest. These ineffective school board members have failed to do this. Instead, they have made statements to the effect that they have the money to settle, but they choose not to do so. They value spending their money 'elewhere.' I guess elsewhere includes outrageous attorney bills. As a taxpayer myself, I'd rather see the money go to my son's Social Studies teacher who asks him about his weekend every Monday, who brings the class treats on holidays, who stays up late at night correcting his tests, and who has earned a Masters degree on his own time rather than give it to attorneys with their own agendas. This school district is notorious for labor disputes (dating back to the 70's) and it's unfortunate that good teachers feel compelled to look for employment elsewhere. According to certain writers on this blog, the district's offer is "fair." I'm interested in what that's based off of? South Butler teachers are some of the lowest paid teachers in the county. A 3% raise keeps them on track with holding this honor in the county. How is this fair? Does any other teacher in the county pay monthly premiums as high as the school board is asking? NO. How is this fair? Check out the retirement clauses in other districts; they look VERY different from the one that the board is proposing. How is this fair? If the district made an offer based off the the average salaries in Butler County and offered benefits equalling average of the other districts and the teachers reject, shame on the teacher. This isn't happening however, the district is offering lower salaries, higher premiums, and eliminating retirement perks that other districts have.

I guess we'll see how the school board really views FAIR when they determine who is appointed to the school board in the unfilled seat. Will they appoint a previous member who is extremely anti-teacher and who lost his right to run in the November elections because he lost in the primaries? Or, will they appoint someone who won a spot on the primaries and made it on the November ticket, but lost. Clearly, over 3000 communities members cast their vote for this individual. If the school board was so fair, they would appoint that person because they truly have the commmunity's best interest in mind and they want their board to be a nice representation of its community. I guess time will tell.

Finally, has anyone noticed that the districts that are settling quietly are the ones who negotiate WITHOUT their attorneys? For some reason, they are able to truly negotiate when these people are not involved. Interesting.