The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Union, trustees await fact-Þnder's report

By Natasha Collins

Further negotiations between high school administrators and teachers will be based on a report written by a three-member fact-finding panel.

Each side is represented by one member on the panel, and a neutral member appointed by the state heads the group.

The fact-finding report is expected to be completed sometime next week, said Jerilou Cossack, the neutral third member.

"Panel members are still in the process of refining matters on which they can't agree," Cossack said, adding that the reason the process is taking longer than expected is that both parties must have the opportunity to respond to what the other has written.

Until the report is submitted, negotiations are on hold.

"No matter what, we need to see now what the fact-finder finds," said school board member Homer Tong. "It is time to sit down and start talking. We are just waiting for the fact-finding to be completed."

The fact-finding study will help both sides understand the other's needs and help the negotiations, Tong said.

"There are two sides to every story, and both sides obviously don't see eye to eye," he said. "Sometimes people get so wrapped up in things they can't see the forest through the trees."

Although the two sides are seeing things differently, the bottom line is finding an agreement that both sides can live with, school board president Randy Okamura said.

"This is a close community that believes things should be handled in a number of different ways," he said. "The negotiations have been frustrating for all parties, but I am sure that an agreement can be reached."

The board is confident the results will be beneficial to everyone involved, Okamura said.

"The negotiation teams are motivated to work together and come to an understanding," he said.

The fact-finding report could have been completed without both sides having a chance to respond, but Cossack thought it would be better to get everything addressed before negotiations resumed.

"I could have done it without, but I think it would be a poor thing to do," Cossack said. "Once people start dissenting, then a majority of the panel should have an opportunity to raise points of dissent."

Katherine Petersen contributed to this report.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 11, 1997.
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