As the weekend begins, take a breath and be prepared

It was another extremely frustrating day at the table. Here is the short recap:

• We received a proposal from the District early this afternoon. We countered late this afternoon.
• A lot of the frustration is that the chairs on the deck continue to be moved around but they are not currently bringing out any more chairs. We need more chairs.
• We will begin again in the morning at around nine.
• The District “postponed” the Monday morning event – it must have been nerve-racking for them to think about what might happen with 1200 red-shirted donut-eating teachers.
• Hold that 6:45-7:45 time on Monday morning. We will be sending new details to you once we have secured the new plan. Remember that Monday is a “use it or lose it” day meaning you ought to do whatever you planned on doing from 8 am on. If you were going to be at school, plan on that.

Meanwhile, our KEA Bargaining Team members are feeling a much deeper irritation. The root of their annoyance is the same frustration so many members are feeling. It’s about how the District is portraying what they are doing at the table:

• The District continues to include misleading information in their public documents. For example, the $390,000 of insurance pooling funds that we’ve bargained in previous years were never negotiated to be included in any salary agreement. Still, the District continues to try to mislead our members and the community by artificially inflating their proposals with those funds – in effect – they are trying to inflate their proposal by paying us with what is already ours.
• Is it incompetence or intentional? The District must understand that funds included in their proposals must only be those that actually increase total compensation. They ought not portray funds that are already part of our members’ compensation package as if there is an increase in salary. This disingenuous shell game continues to prolong negotiations instead of moving the parties to a fair contract settlement which will ensure that our students can begin the school year on time.
• While this is despairing, we must not become too distressed. At this point, it is up to the Kennewick School Board to step up and do what is right for the students, the educators and the community.

We shall keep you posted on what happens at the table tomorrow. Please send encouraging thoughts and to our negotiators. And remember to stand in solidarity for our future students (and their dogs).