Public should see teacher contract first

The headline on top of the June 7 front page said “Dist. 15 teachers ratify new contract: School board will vote next week on 4-year agreement.” Read the story. The headline would be more accurately read saying “Dist. 15 teachers ratify their secret version of proposed new contract: School board votes next week without giving the public a chance to comment.” I know that headline wouldn’t fit, but it seems more accurate.

Do the voters, taxpayers and parents in Palatine Township Elementary District 15 have any idea what is in this new, four-year contract the school board will vote on June 15? If not, shouldn’t they? If so, when? If not, why not? Is everything “just fine,” or not?

I have a lot of respect for citizens who step up to serve on boards, especially busy, vital and frequently controversial ones like school boards. I also have a lot of respect for the very valid argument that the voters elect fellow citizens like school board members to represent their interests. I don’t envy anyone contract negotiations. From the article it appears:

Ÿ Teachers have ratified a contract, but we “shouldn’t worry,” they are “doing their part” and it’s “not fair” to the board to reveal specifics. Teachers have a right to their point of view.

Ÿ The ratified contract apparently responds to some proposal the school board made. The superintendent, probably at the board’s direction, “declines” to provide details, apparently until after a vote on June 13.

Shouldn’t the paying public and parents get a peek before the contract is ratified? It’s hard to believe the board wouldn’t want public feedback on a proposal this important, expensive, long-range and potentially divisive. It’s public money.

Don Ruhter

Barrington