Letter: There can be no compromise on curriculum in Pasco school negotiations
Negotiations are at a standstill in Pasco because the district is refusing to negotiate without a mediator. The teachers’ bargaining team is willing to meet any day, any time. The district has limited negotiations to just a few days a month. This is too important to put limits on how much time we are willing to spend solving it.
At the same time people are calling on both sides to compromise. However, middle ground isn’t always the best place to meet. Teachers are demanding the district provide an appropriately adopted comprehensive curriculum for all grades and all subject areas. This is something that should have been done years ago. This is something that has already been paid for in state funds. This is something that no successful school system can live without. Yet somehow the district has not felt inclined to provide it.
When people ask for compromise what are they saying? Do we only need books for math but not for reading? Should we only have books at the high school, but not the elementary? There can be no compromise on curriculum. As a parent and a teacher I am unwilling to “compromise” our children’s education any longer.
Marcia Stillwell
Pasco
This story was originally published August 29, 2015 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Letter: There can be no compromise on curriculum in Pasco school negotiations."