MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Why do districts and teachers wait until the end of summer to negotiate?

Aug 27, 2013, 11:05 AM | Updated: 12:50 pm

David Boze thinks districts should get teacher negotiations over and done with well before school i...

David Boze thinks districts should get teacher negotiations over and done with well before school is set to start for the year. (AP Photo/file)

(AP Photo/file)

Taken from Tuesday’s edition of The David Boze Show.

Why is it that the school districts always decide to negotiate with the teachers’ unions right before school is going to start?

It seems like every single year, in the headlines it says that districts are in trouble because school is about to start and they can’t come to a contract agreement.

This year, the Seattle School District is still in negotiations a week before school is set to begin, and in South Kitsap teachers have approved a strike.

Of course, the only people under time constraints in these cases are the districts because the district is the one that’s going to have to answer to the parents. They’re going to be the ones who are going to be under the gun, under the pressure, and they’re going to be the ones who are going to get yelled at.

Whereas, the teachers’ union can sit back and say, ‘Hey the closer we get to the deadline, the more leverage we have.’ They also get an extra week of summer and they still get paid because your pay is based on the year. They’re going to have the same amount of school days, so they’re not missing anything at all.

Yet over and over again, every year, this happens.

Surely, nobody is too busy at the beginning of summer. Why can’t we have all the negotiations then? Get them all done ahead of time. Then there wouldn’t be all this mystery for parents, trying to figure out if they need a babysitter, or if they will be able to go to work.

But instead, every year it’s just a big, mystery hassle. And it’s all by design, of course.

Taken from Tuesday’s edition of The David Boze Show.

Related:
Seattle teachers reject district contract offer

JS

MyNorthwest News

Everett boy missing...

Frank Sumrall

4-year-old Everett boy missing, police worried he’s in danger

Police and Search and Rescue crews are looking for a missing four-year-old boy they suspect could be in danger.

26 minutes ago

Image: The awnings of a store advertise the sale of lottery tickets, including Mega Millions and Po...

Steve Coogan

Lottery jackpots update: Powerball prize jumps again after $1.1B Mega Millions win

A lottery jackpots update: The Powerball prize reached an estimated $935 million ahead of Saturday night's drawing.

10 hours ago

Photo: The Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center....

James Lynch

King County’s plan to close youth detention center met with fierce backlash

The King County Law and Justice Committee received a final report on Executive Dow Constantine's plan to close a youth detention center.

12 hours ago

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

13 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

14 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

14 hours ago

Why do districts and teachers wait until the end of summer to negotiate?