Sunday, October 17, 2010

InsideEd: Union and district leaders to regroup, resell BTU contract - Education news and issues in Baltimore that affect students and teachers, from kindergarten to college - baltimoresun.com

InsideEd: Union and district leaders to regroup, resell BTU contract - Education news and issues in Baltimore that affect students and teachers, from kindergarten to college - baltimoresun.com

Union and district leaders to regroup, resell BTU contract

The proposed Baltimore Teachers Union contract failed to garner the majority support from the 2,600 educators who voted this week on whether to send it to ratification. Union and district officials said they are confident that once they give teachers more time to digest the contract's radical changes, it will pass with flying colors.

Our editorial board weighed in, agreeing with BTU President Marietta English's take that the defeat of the contract, which educators voted on Wednesday and Thursday, was just a "bump in the road."

However, details were murky Friday about how union and district leaders will address the hundreds of teachers who said they not only needed more than two weeks to comprehend the contact, but more specifics on how its initiatives would be implemented and paid for.

In a follow-up story about the defeat, schools CEO Andres Alonso provided some insight into how much more information teachers may get in the coming weeks. Alonso has declined to speak publicly about the contract since it was presented two weeks ago, saying he did not want to risk violating labor laws by