voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... Blogger for a Day: 'Our Plates Are Already Full':"Among the rumors that seem to persistently surround contract negotiations between the San Diego Education Association and the San Diego Unified School District, there is one allegation that is as troubling as it is untrue. This is the notion that SDEA is attempting to sneak some sort of Machiavellian 'veto power' language into the contract under the guise of a 'maintenance of standards' clause.
Critics have alleged that maintenance of standards would produce catastrophic effects ranging from the somewhat mundane (slower textbook adoptions) to the truly obscene (all education reforms would have to be blessed by the union)."
The extent to which the maintenance of standards hysteria has gained traction indicates that those who propagate these rumors are at best intentionally ill-informed and at worse maliciously anti-educator. The facts about SDEA's maintenance of standards proposal are readily accessible, and in no way resemble what we have just described. When we bargain for the working conditions of educators, we are bargaining for an improved learning environment for San Diego's children. We take this dual role very seriously.
Guest blogger Camille Zombro, president of the San Diego Education Association, is arguing today about why she believes the school district needs to add a "maintenance of standards" clause to teachers' contract. Confused? Read the background on this debate here.
These are her opinions, not mine, so if you have questions, comments or counterarguments, feel free to post them here in the blog or e-mail Camille directly at zombro_c@sdea.net. Don't forget to tell her if she can use your name to respond to your points in a blog post! We've also got a counterblogger lined up for tomorrow.
-- EMILY ALPERT