Residents: We Would Like News on Negotiations

Negotiations are continuing following the June expiration of the contract between the board of education and the —but residents are wondering why they have not heard any updates.

Resident Liz Lande spoke before the board of education Tuesday, asking why residents have not been informed about how have been going.

"I feel like parents and the community are left out of the loop in the most important item of the budget, which is contract negotiations," she said. "I personally feel like I don't know where we stand."

Lande said that she believes it would improve a "sense of good will" if parents and the rest of the community were more informed about the negotiation process.

"I understand there is tension," she said. "One of my children reported that teachers were wearing black, and when one child asked why, the teacher answered, 'because we are in mourning becaues we don't have a contract.'"

With the negotiations having gone on since June, Lande said, she understands negotiations are difficult, but she would like to see evidence that things are getting better.

"We need to work with the teachers, and the teachers need to make sure the children don't feel like they don't want to be there," she said. "Obivously we can't have the negotiations open, but as a parent, it would be nice to have a little less sense of ill ease."

Lande said she is also concerned about the fact that there is no contract as the budget presentations are beginning.

Superintendent of Schools Michael Schilder made a calling for an about $133 million budget, and including a standard 2 percent raise for employees to fit in with the state-mandated cap while negotiations continue.

But Lande said she does not know if this will be effective.

"It seems silly to be discussing a budget when the most important costs, teacher's salaries and benefits, are unknown costs," she said. "Maybe we can talk about how raises will effect the numbers, give the public ideas of what it will cost them."

"It will give us an idea of what's going on," she added.

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