Dive Brief:
- After 11 hours of discussions on Friday, the Vermont National Education Association was still not satisfied with contract negotiations, meaning teachers in South Burlington will continue to strike.
- About 250 teachers striked for four days last week, protesting contract negotiations, which have been going on for 11 months now.
- Superintendent David Young told the Associated Press that disagreements persist over how much of a pay increase teachers should get over the next three years, and how much teachers should contribute to their monthly health care premiums.
Dive Insight:
According to Young it boils down to $500,000 dollars. While the school board is willing to see a $2 million increase to cover pay increases and premiums, the Vermont NEA is asking for an increase totaling $2.5 million.
The Associated Press reports that Gov. Peter Shumlin also wants to make teacher strikes illegal, favoring "mandatory, binding arbitration" instead. That may not be so easy to implement — or make many fans among educators, who use their striking ability as weight.
Teacher strikes are tough.Critics zero in on the priorities of an educator, arguing that strikes force schools to close and hurt instruction and stability. Advocates attempt to humanize teachers and explain that, like any job, people have a right to push back if they don't believe they are getting what they deserve. In addition to educating children, teachers must also provide for their own families. Encouraging teachers to be martyrs — putting aside the realities of their lives all in the name of their students — is unrealistic and ultimately dehumanizing. Ideally, officials should be thinking of plans where teachers wouldn't feel strikes are necessary because negotiations wouldn't be so bitter and difficult.