Seven-month saga in District 158 ends

Our long, districtwide nightmare is over.

After meeting for more than 13 hours Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the Huntley Unit District 158 school board and the district's teachers union reached a deal on a new contract.

The agreement ended a two-day teacher strike and allowed students to return to school Thursday.

The deal will increase teacher compensation by at least 5.25 percent in each year of the three-year agreement, according to the board.

It ends seven months of meetings between the sides and concludes the district's first experiment with allowing the public to scrutinize negotiations.

Here are my observations on how the experiment went:

• Keep negotiations open.

You could say the relative openness of this year's negotiations allowed both sides to slant information and grandstand in the public.

You could say the new format encouraged a war of words in the press.

You could say board members and union leaders had to divert some of their attention and energy toward communicating with the public and the press.

But the residents of District 158 deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent and must be given the opportunity to have a say in matter.

This concern trumps all others. The district and the union must not abandon open negotiations.

• Let parents know early.

Sunday night and Monday morning were probably frustrating for a lot of parents. They didn't find out until about 5:30 a.m. Monday that school was canceled.

This got better through the week, as the district tried to notify parents the evening before whether school would be in session.

As a matter of common courtesy, the district should continue this practice during future contract talks.

• Take the muzzle off the teachers.

It was apparent as I walked the picket lines this week that teachers had been told not to speak a word to the media.

They even said so themselves, saying they weren't allowed to talk and that they were granted more freedom to speak on the strike's second day.

The way many teachers shut down, not even offering a simple "No, thanks" when my colleagues and I addressed them, was disrespectful and at odds with their demand for respect from the district.

I applaud the teachers who came forward and expressed their concerns to me this week.

But this needs to be the rule, rather than the exception. If teachers want respect, they have to show it - yes, even to reporters who are just doing their job.

• Set more rigid ground rules.

In future rounds of bargaining, would it be possible for the sides to pre-bargain? That is, can they come to an agreement on an acceptable range for their initial proposals so they don't waste months getting the offers on the same planet?

It may also be helpful for the sides to issue a joint statement on financial matters before the next round of bargaining formally begins.

The statement would include information on district surpluses, revenue and fund balances, as well as other financial data that could influence contract talks.

That way, the sides could hopefully avoid arguing over well-documented facts and draining precious time and energy from the real business of negotiations.