Onetime Fordham-Ohio staffer Quentin Suffren writes in to say:
I would agree that the devil is in the details--but an opportunity could arise in the haggling over a statewide contract to educate more folks (I'm thinking taxpayers, parents among them) about how collective bargaining agreements work. This of course depends upon how the debate over contract stipulations takes place. An open and public debate over what a statewide contract should look like could let a lot of MA citizens in on some of the more archaic restrictions in many collective bargaining agreements. It could also serve as the basis for a broader debate about the costs of these agreements--and whether they are helping or hindering students. The result could be more practical agreement that offers districts greater flexibility to meet the needs of their students. Of course, all of this depends on whether the debate is a public one or, as many insiders might predict (perhaps rightly so), a swift back-room deal that places politics above a real opportunity at reform.
Perhaps I've only added to your two-mindedness, but well-shepherded and vigorously debated, a statewide contract initiative does have its plusses.
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