Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
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Monday, August 28, 2006
Huber schools strike hard to handicap
(Huber heights teachers and staff picket near Wayne High School early Friday morning.)
Huber Heights kids will miss their second day of class today because of a strike by teachers and support staff in this large, suburban district. This is one of the most unusual strikes in the education realm that I’ve seen in 16 years as a journalist, making it very hard to predict when and how it will end.
Nearly every school strike I’ve covered has come down to a dispute that primarily is about money. Strangely, in this case the sides have essentially agreed to a solid 3.5 percent raise so pay is really not on the table.
In Huber Heights, the strikers do have a pocketbook issue — health insurance. But the sides are so close together on that point, too. The two proposals are different only by $5 for office visits, $10 for urgent care and $25 to go to a hospital.
Side issues, which usually fall away as bargaining gets down to a strike deadline, have hung around this time. What are the issues? An email I got today from a union supporter summarizes them from the teachers’ point of view:
“—They want a reasonable classroom size set up and enforced. Currently there are Kindergarten classes with 28 and first grade classes with 27. Check the districts who are excelling in the standards and find out what their numbers look like. Huber even has a math class with 36 in it. However, the teachers are expected to teach a class this size and be certain that every student can pass the state tests.
—Secondly, the teachers want to stop the district from out-sourcing its students to others. They do not want the district to bring in others to teach classes or to send the MH students to someone else to teach when we have qualified teachers available to teach these classes.
—Thirdly, the teachers want the administration to enforce its own zero tolerance policy. There have been knives brought to school and no expulsions.”
With the possible exception of outsourcing (the district has used community college instructors for some advanced classes), these are not the sorts of issues that usually lead to a strike. That they have here speaks to the history of turmoil in Huber Heights with schools and the toll that has taken on each sides’ psyche.
Somehow, both sides need to get past that to reach a settlement. The question is how long that will take.
I know there are a lot of strong feelings about this situation. I’d like to hear your take on it in the comments, but please try to dial down your feelings and simply state your case for how this strike should be resolved.
UPDATE: The education blogger Thespis Journal backs the Huber Heights teachers here. Do you know of anyone else blogging about the Huber strike? If so, send me a link.
(Image credit: Jim Witmer, DDN)
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