School Board Vows to Eliminate 'Equal Voice' in New Contract

After hearing several residents' pleads, members of the Neshaminy School Board assured the community that they will not agree to a new teachers contract that includes an "equal voice" clause.

"Any contrqact that takes away control from the school district is not a good contract," board member Anthony Sposato said, adding that he would vote against a contract that included equal voice.

Board member Mike Morris told the community that the school board's priority is representing Neshaminy students and running the school district. He also said that the board does not represent the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers and that the NFT "definitely does not represent the students."

"Equal say must go; we are not bending," Morris added.

Board member Mark Shubin said that he believes in best pratice because "it's what works."

"If someone can show me where past practice and equal say works in another district, I'd consider it. But you'd be hard-pressed to find it," he stated, adding that "accountability is best practice."

"These rules and verbiage are legacy, they do not work. I will not accept it in a contract," he stated.

School board negotiation team member Irene Boyle told the community that they do not have to worry about equal say or past practice.

"We intend to stick to whatever the community has indicated. We are going to stick to getting rid of past practice and equal say," she stated.

Despite the board and NFT still being far apart on the equal voice doctrine, Bill Oettinger, a member of the school board's negotiation team, said that for the first time in the three years he has been on the negotiation team he thinks both parties are "getting somewhere."

Related articles:

• Neshaminy Negotiations Resume After 3 Week Delay
• Webb: Elimination of the 'Equal Voice' Doctrine is Important
  
• UPDATE: Arbitrator Sides with NFT's 'Equal Voice' Doctrine in Grievance