Image provided by: Friends of the Sandy Public Library; Sandy, OR
About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1982)
Thur» Swo» 16 IW 2 (*•< I) SANOV (O»6., POST II Dispute causes teacher to examine career by M ICHAEL P JONES Post Correspondent After a 13-year career at Welches Grade School the recent contract dispute is forcing Jeanine Boldt to make a decision concern ing her future as a teacher Boldt, who admits she's generally not much of a talker, reflected back on her 13 years w ith the district, during which time she has taught fifth grade, as well as art. drama and English She spoke fondly of how the school has grown as the quality of curriculum im proved. about the dedica tion and professionalism of the staff, as well as the in creasing support of the community in the educa tional process There were times of ten sion, she remembers, like ten years ago when the teachers underwent their f i r s t m a jo r c o n tra c t dispute with the district. After months of negotia tions. communication bet ween the superintendent, the school board and the teachers broke down. One fo r m e r b o a rd member recommended f ir ing all the teachers and s ta rtin g fro m scratch, recalled Boldt. Another wanted each to be paid on a m erit system, even though he realized it would have been illegal. Finally, shortly after the deak of the chief negotiator for the teachers had been ransacked and papers stolen, a settlement was reached It was only by chance, said Boldt, that things settled down and a contract was agreed upon. Boldt also remembers the lighthearted times, like when some people in the com m unity thought the school was being taken o v e r by c o m m u n is ts , something that can only happen in a unique and special area like the moun tain. Boldt’s 13 years in the d is tric t also encompass some bad memories Most of these are from the past- year, she explained She is on the Welches Education Association’s negotiating team, which is attempting to get a two-year contract signed. To date negotiations are still in progress, and con sidering the uncertainty of the situation, Boldt is seriously thinking about making a career change. Quitting is a thought she and most who know her would never believe could cross her mind. But as Boldt explained, watching the negotiations with the school board from a front row seat as a participant in the proceedings has given her ‘an eyeful and an ear ful ” The result is decision time “ The problems with con tracts that are going on now are a result of five years ago.” said Boldt ____ V “ The real issues were never dealt with back then, so we are faced with deal ing with them today ” A d m ittin g th a t the teachers may have been a little naive in dealing with the school board in regard to contracts, Boldt said to day's bargaining sessions, in spite of the problems, are far more professional than in the past. Up until ten years ago, the teachers and board members would have an inform al meeting and discuss a contract. It usually took about a half an hour to reach an agree ment. Later, the law changed and the n e g o tia tio n s became more complex, said Boldt This is about the time when the teachers lost ground in respect to salary in c re a s e s , and began agreeing to contracts that were different when they were put in w riting, she said What the teachers believed they were getting did not materialize, she said. “ A lot of the problems were our own,” said Boldt. “ We just went along We didn't want to rock the boat.” Boldt said the school board today has placed her and the other teachers in a position where their time is spent in negotiations rather than c o n c e n tra tin g on teaching and investing a good portion of their free time in preparation, which is an unofficial require ment of the job W ith th e c o n tr a c t SEPT.-OCT. GROOM Ken Downey Lee B. M ille r Jim Lineweaver B ill Kent Gary Houghton William Figueroa CLOUDTREE & SUN, and School of Cookery 112 N Main Now. with so much time and effort having been in vested in negotiating with the school board and still no contract signed. Boldt said it is time for she and every other teacher to make a decision about their careers All the effort it has taken to negotiate with the school board has created so many distractions that the time and effort required to do the job, which is beyond the e ight-hour w orkday, is beginning to turn an ideal job into just the opposite, Boldt said She said she first started to realize this when she returned to school for teacher in-service She said she walked into her room and started to feel sick There was no contract sign ed for the coming year and the offers the school board had brought to the bargain ing table “ were insulting ” “ They (the school board) do not encourage quality te a c h e rs to s ta y at W e lch e s,” said B oldt “ They would just as well hire someone at a lower salary than at a higher salary, no m atter how qualified they are “ Over the past few years (b e ca u se of the low salaries) they have lost a lot of good teachers, who have said, Heck, I'm not putting up with this any more ’” Boldt said the 6 percent increase the teachers were originally seeking was not asking too much of the school board for the the quality of education they are providing B o ld t said the factfinder's recommenda tion, which was a com promise package that in cluded a 4.8 percent salary increase, a two-year con tract and increments, was much lower than what the teachers were originally w illing to accept She said they did so because the recommenda ton was from an independent third party However, she said she can't understand why the school board won't agree to even this lesser amount. "We feel we are worth the increase, but apparent ly the people who are runn ing the district, the school board, do not feel we are worth very much," said Boldt No time lim it has been made concerning Boldt's decision about whether to continue teaching She said she'll make the decision at the appropriate time Cur rently her house is up for sale and she is checking in to returning to school, and moving to Portland, as a couple of options "Teaching is my life ,” said Boldt. “To me there is nothing more exciting than to see someone learn and do something they thought they couldn’t do." -v Brides Registered at Cloudtree A Sun <*/> 7beyV KtaUy A ft Denise Hildenbrand Kathy Koball Christy Marthaller Carolyn Scott June Morlan Sandi Morgan tract expired on June 30, and Boldt said the recent course of events, related to the n e g o tia tio n s, have taken their toll on she and other teachers Morale has been affected and teachers are being forced into a situation where they can only afford to give between the hours of 8 a m and 4 p m This, she said, is u n re a lis tic since most teachers were contributing a lot more time than just eight hours “ It's not so much what the job demands, it's what you t as a teacher > demand of y o u rs e lf,” explained Boldt "1 guess a teacher could work 8 to 4, but I don't know that many who do.” Jeanine Boldt flit B R ID E negotiations dragging on. Boldt said the greatest disservice is being done to the students “ We should not be in this position, where we are hav ing to spend as much time as we have m salary negotiations.” said Boldt “ Instead we should be talk ing curriculum, goals and evaluations “ We should also be ex ploring innovative ways of educating students and get ting new programs ap p ro p r ia te d fo r our students But that doesn't mean spending a lot of money ” Sept 7, the first day of sc h o o l, m a rk e d the teachers 69th day without a contract. The old con Gresham ^ST®4WBERRY BASKET % PRICE SALE! t m Very limited supply Only 50 pieces left! Most big enough to do your whole home We ve cut the prices so drastically that these carpets will probably be gone in a week. So we can only offer them on a first come, first served basis These are gorge ous super plushes that are used in Americas finest homes and they're all from the Hollytex collection of wear-dated ULTRON Ultra deep to short and dense A truly beautiful collection in this year's most popular colors. Hurry! Save 40%! REG: $15.95 TO $29 95 SQ YD. Available At SPECIAL SAVINGS ' "M Shop by phone! WITH FBERBY Monsanto Terrific Savings in 150 Colors! The entire Hollytex collection of wear- dated ULTRON! Eight styles of super plush in over 150 fabulous colors! Ultra-deep to ultra-dense. Beautiful solid colors or tone on tone This is the type of carpet that makes every thing in your home look better no matter what style of furnishings you have: from the very formal to the homey casual. The selection of these carpets is huge and the prices are amazing! Save 25%! REG: $15.95 TO $29.95 SQ YD. now * 9 . 5 7 . 0 ’ 1 7 . 9 7 ?8 As always we re cutting prices deeper than just about anyone We can do it because we re one of the largest volume dealers in the West so we can buy for less and sell for less Our everyday prices are lower than just about every body's! We guarantee it! And our SALE PRICES are even lower than that! Save your qas money We II bring samples to your home and measure tor free estimates No obligation Call for appointment REMNANTS! REMNANTS! ROOM SIZE & LARGER! Truly the best way to save a lot of money without sacrificing quality' 12' x 9' to 12'x 23 (Some larger) 50% and MORE OFF REGULAR Terrific display of remnants available at both stores Crown Carpets warehouse. 21655 S E Stark, has what some say is the largest remnant selection in the West Over 1.000 on accessible display, many more in reserve stock' B etter carpeting at discount prices every day of the w eek. FABRICS • BOOKS • PATTERNS • THREAD • GIFTS Friday and Saturday Septem ber 17 8 18 10-5 PM ÏV F ix ti í . t We ve been in the carpet business over 26 years in this area and we ve carpeted tens ot thousands of homes So you know you can rely on our carpets, our installation and our low. low prices Made into exquisite carpeting by The Biggest Savings! w CROWN CARPETS: One of the oldest, most dependable carpet dealers around! Fabulous Wear-Dated Carpet of ULTRON by Monsanto: Featuring the famous 5 YEAR WEAR- DATED WARRANTY! HOLLYTEX w CROWN CARPETS 10th and N E Broadway • 282 5568 Mon thru Sat 9-5 30 Warehouse Showroom 2,655 SE Stark- 665 4162 Mon thru Fri till 8 PM Sat till 5 30
