POLL: Should Superintendent Negotiate Teachers' Contract?
Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore is married to a teacher at the high school and would be involved in negotiating a new contract that would have an impact on her compensation.
The superintendent and finance director of the Barrington schools historically have negotiated teacher contracts. That could create a bit of a quandary this year.
Michael Messore, Barrington’s new superintendent, is married to the head of the foreign language department at the high school. So, Messore would be directly involved in negotiating a new contract with the teachers’ union that would have an impact on his wife’s compensation.
The School Board will approve whatever contract is negotiated, of course, not Messore. The board has the final say. But Messore would play a major role in setting compensation for all teachers.
School Committee Chairman Patrick Guida is well aware of the possibility that this situation could create a bit of a conflict of interest. But the School Committee, Guida said, “won’t take that up until later in the year.”
“The process has not started yet,” he said.
“And we have not asked for an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission,” said Guida, contradicting a story in the Barrington Times. “If we do, I will call and ask for a verbal recommendation on the situation. We would take a conservative track at that point.”
What do you think about the superintendent being involved in negotiating a new teachers’ contract that has an impact on his wife?
Should Messore be a negotiator like all superintendents before him? Should he step aside? Should the School Committee prohibit him from negotiating the new contract?
Vote in the Patch poll below.
James
8:27 am on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
I wish the poll questions were a simply "Yes" or "No". I voted "Yes" that he should be able to negotiate given that all proper procedures and protocol is followed. He will not be the decision maker here and they should follow what the Ethics Commission recommends. I'm not saying there isn't a conflict of interest here, but conflicts can be dealt with.
In the moment
10:53 am on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Does the Teacher Contract Negotiation task really appear (or just implied) in the Superintendent's job description? Do Superintendents routinely get professional negotiation training to help them thru this sometimes painful process? Someone floated the idea just recently of bringing in a seasoned professional negotiator for the taxpayer side - as the unions do for their side. Mixing metaphors, but never show up at a gunfight with a knife. These are big dollars for our town, with typically a three year commitment, and far-reaching impact for all taxpayers - not just those with kids in the schools. Also ties in to needing a more formal voting process for the school budget at the FTM in spring.