Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Shoreline teacher strike: just the quotes

Via the Times article. The strike begins--and ends--tomorrow. But the hurt will last until summer, at least.
"The reputation of the district is in jeopardy with the actions of the association. There wasn't a town here originally, there was a school district, and people moved here to be a part of that."

--Sue Walker, Superintendent


"[Ben] lost it. He said, 'Why me? Why me? Why did they pick me?' The right that we have to a good education, by this decision by the administration, has been hindered."

--Sharon Reijonen, parent


"We're trying to use our resources more effectively than we have in the past."

--Dan Mann, School Board member


"Before we do something this instructionally damaging, we believe we should have exhausted all possible avenues for revenue generation and for cost reduction."

--Elizabeth Beck, Shoreline EA co-president


"This is the first time in my teaching career I have ever been embarrassed to be in this district. They're sucking the soul out of Shoreline."

--Kaydee McGillivray, longtime elementary teacher


"There's definitely a sense that in this whole struggle to bring the financial picture back into line, there's been a certain callousness and overlooking what's happening in the classroom. It's past the eleventh hour, it's past the twelfth hour. It's the third week of school."

--Ed Coleman, parent


"I don't think the strike is going to change what's going on, and I think it sends the wrong message to the community. Frustration and disappointment are my primary emotions at this point."

--Mike Jacobs, Board president
The administration could at least make some sort of conciliatory gesture: move into tents to save on building costs, and fight the budget battle as if it's a real war. We're all in this together, right?

2 comments:

The Science Goddess said...

Funny---when I read these comments, I don't see them as anti-administration. I see them as anti-union.

Maybe the union should make some conciliatory gestures of its own.

Jim Anderson said...

Other than the Supe's comment, I'm curious as to which comments you see as "anti-union."

Reijonen specifically blames the administration. Mann is a Board member, so no surprise that he's neutral-to-defensive, and McGillravy and Coleman point the finger at no one in particular.

Jacobs' comment is almost content-free. It won't change things--which may be true in the short term--and "sends the wrong message," he says. What's "wrong" about the message?