Schools
Readers Split on Progress of 109 Talks
A little more than half of the readers responding to the latest Patch Poll think negotiators should remain at the bargaining table until a deal is reached.
As negotiation teams from the Deerfield Education Association teacher’s union and Deerfield Public Schools District 109 prepare to meet again today to end their ongoing contract talks, Patch readers are almost evenly split on how fast a bargain should be made.
On Thursday, Patch asked its readers “Should DEA and School Board representatives remain in today's mediation session until they reach agreement on a contract no matter long it takes?” and 112 people responded.
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Of those who voiced their opinion, 58 felt the negotiators should remain at the table until a deal is made while 54 were willing to let them have more time.
“I think the best contract for the kids is more important than when it's signed,” wrote RW about the length of the negotiations. Special Education remains an important issue to many readers. Like RW, BFF urges patience to make sure these points are resolved with the students’ best interest in mind.
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“One big reason the negotiations are taking so long is the need to include special ed issues in the contract,” wrote BFF. “If we push too hard for a quick resolution, rather than the right resolution, these issues will probably get deferred until... never.”
Another reader, DAD, thinks it may be time to make some changes to the people doing the talking.
“One comment that I heard several times during the last board meeting was that we need ‘fresh faces’ at the negotiating table,” DAD writes. “If the next three sessions don't produce results, I would push for that change as the next step.”
