Since then, the local has bargained three contracts, each improving on the last. Joint committees, co-chaired by a teacher and an administrator, now research and make recommendations on a number of issues, including safety plans, retirement procedures, and classroom management. Teachers set their own goals and select their own support team of colleagues, with an administrator as team member and facilitator. Thanks to a substantially increased number of staff development days, with a focus on state standards and student assessment, student test scores are up. In addition, suspensions are down 25 percent, expulsions have been cut in half, and the graduation rate, already good, is better.
Formal grievances are significantly down.
Most problems are resolved, satisfactorily, at the site level through the conflict resolution process. Since 1995, with these new processes in place, we've not had a single layoff. The school district balanced its budgets, and local schools are winning increased community support. The district used to run unbalanced budgets, Crevitson points out. This has helped build community support, showing the public we are serious about our work.