More than half the teachers in the Fremont Union High School District gave our elected school board representatives a vote of no confidence May 21.
Whether the symbolic vote is political grandstanding on the Fremont Education Association's part or a last-ditch effort by the union to make the public see that trustees aren't being honest negotiators is hard to say.
What we do know is that the union and the district are mired in talks over compensation for teachers. In a rare move, the administration and the union have agreed to make these contract negotiations public--an action we endorse wholeheartedly.
We also recognize the need for those proceedings to be held in an orderly fashion, and understand the reasons for excluding public comment at the negotiations themselves.
However, it's your tax money the negotiators are haggling over. More importantly, it is your children who have the most to lose from a contract stalemate and an acrimonious relationship between teachers and administrators.
It's your right and responsibility to let both sides of this dispute know your opinion. We invite you to tell them on the pages of The Sun. Send your letters on this or any other topic to The Sun, 160-B S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale, 94086. You can also email the editor of The Sun at mdegive@livewire.com.
The next public negotiation session takes place May 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the UC-Santa Cruz Extension building, 10420 Bubb Road, in Cupertino.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 29, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.