Helena students reap the benefits of union-district collaboration
Montana district to share ideas on recruiting, retaining quality teachers at national conference
WASHINGTON - February 08, 2011 - With more than half of the teaching force nearing retirement, teachers and administrators in Helena, Mont., have joined forces to address staffing issues and ensure their schools are not only competitive but attractive to job seekers. The Helena School District and the Helena Education Association (HEA) have developed an alternative compensation plan to draw more qualified teachers to the district. The two groups will share details on their partnership during a national education conference on labor-management collaboration set for Feb. 15-16 in Denver.
“Identifying and agreeing on mutual goals is critical, as the folks in Helena have learned,” said Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association. “Putting aside differences and working collaboratively to improve teacher quality will directly benefit students in their district. Others can learn from the success of this partnership.”
Innovative Union-District Approach
The joint venture shows how labor and administrators can work together when they share a common goal – in