I’m Just Sayin’:

As a parent of two kids in a Glendale Unified School District school, I’ve been trying to follow the contract talks between the teachers union and the school district, but it’s been difficult to get all the information because the negotiations are conducted behind closed doors.

The Board of Education recently declared an impasse, and a mediator will be brought in to move things along. Their first task will be fact-finding. Hopefully, the results of their work will be made public so parents can get an idea of why the sides seem to be so far apart.

I must say I’m stumped. How in the world did it come to this? From what I’ve read, the biggest obstacle is health-care coverage. My understanding is that the district wants to place a spending cap on premiums and the teachers union is adamantly opposed. Where is the middle ground?

A friend of mine was a teachers union representative in the Cypress school district for many years. Their contract has a cap on health-care premiums, which allows for full coverage of the least expensive plan for the teacher and partial coverage for the family. The cost is reviewed every year and the cap adjusted to allow for increases.

This sounds quite reasonable to me. In this economy, no one can expect to get paid full coverage for their entire family. And it’s only fair that the burden of rising premiums be shared by the district and the teachers.

All the apparent animosity on both sides serves no one. With all the issues facing the district, is this really the time to draw a line in the sand? We instruct our children to work together to find answers, yet those who teach and lead them don’t act on those words.

With Supt. Michael Escalante leaving at the end of the school year and Deputy Supt. Dick Sheehan set to take his place, there’s a real opportunity to change this relationship. Let’s hope the focus is put back where it belongs: on the kids in the classroom.

Now more than ever, parents need to stay aware of these contract negotiations and all budget matters. With each dollar lost from the state being felt by every student, just how bad it will get is yet to be seen. Attend or watch the school board meetings the first and third Tuesdays of the month to stay informed.

Also, the school administrators are hosting community meetings to talk about the statewide fiscal crisis and its impact on the district, their commitment to instructional integrity, a potential increase in class sizes, reduction of the school year and other actions they may take to mitigate state reductions. There will be time for community input.

Plan to attend one of the following meetings:

  7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Glendale High auditorium

  7 to 8:30 p.m. March 1 at Crescenta Valley High auditorium

  7 to 8:30 p.m. March 4 at Hoover High auditorium

Get in touch SHARON RAGHAVACHARY is a former Crescenta Valley Town Council member and on the steering committee for Crescenta Valley Community Assn. She may be reached at sharonchary@ gmail.com.