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Dr. Alan Bates Senate Deputy Majority Leader

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January 2, 2014 I hope this note finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to add my voice to the growing community concern regarding the communication breakdown between teachers, the school board and the administration. Please know that I send this letter not from the perspective of your state senator or from my decade of service on the Eagle Point School board but rather as an individual who is deeply committed to our schools and community. We are living in a time where citizens have little patience and no stomach for those serving in government institutions and agencies to appear unwilling to work together for the common good, so I hope we all can agree that a teacher strike in the Medford School District would be detrimental on many levels: It would be unfair to the community, bad for the school board and the teachers, but most of all it would be harmful to the children. With that said, let me offer a perspective that is distanced from the ongoing conversations at the negotiating table. It appears to me that broadly speaking there are two major areas of concern: the financial aspect and the policy aspect. On the financial side we may be facing a new normal despite the $1 billion increased-education funding and hopes of future increased funding; indeed, the increasing cost of healthcare and retirement benefits will demand a shift in how we view and structure future contracts. On the policy side, a level of trust and respect between teachers, their principals, and the school board must be in place before issues such as merit-based pay or at-will employment can be discussed, much less implemented. Given the complexities and limitations of the system one might argue that this is a shift that should be approached apart from the contract negotiations when cooler heads prevail. Doing so provides opportunities to thoughtfully approach differences that might lead to better outcomes for all of the stakeholders, not the least of which are the students. Ironically, the argument that what works for one student with relation to one teacher does not necessarily work for the next is now more true than ever as our schools and teachers are asked to pick up a lot of slack due to shifting family structures and economic challenges. While I understand the school boards assertion that teachers need to be held accountable, that accountability needs to be tempered by the limitations in the system and changing dynamics of the families of the students that attend our schools. Too often in politics motion is confused with progress; the present system has served us well in many ways and any dramatic change to it might be destabilizing in ways that undermine the ability of the district to reach its goals for students learning. All of this leads me to urge those at the table to come together on common ground and agree to a contract that is fair to both sides under an umbrella of mutual respect and open communication. In the eyes of the community, if a strike moves forward everyone loses teachers, administration, the school board and most importantly, the students. If in any small way I can be helpful to either side, please do not hesitate to contact me. In health, Dr. Alan C. Bates

State Senator, District 3 900 Court St. NE S-205 Salem OR, 97301 (503) 986-1703 sen.alanbates@state.or.us