Every two years on the second Tuesday in December, President David Mielke reaches for the same dog-eared script, as he did again last evening in Council Chambers.
After incoming School Board members Sue Robins and Dr. Steve Levin faultlessly were sworn in by Supt. Dave LaRose, Mr. Mielke, when his turn came, rose to welcome them to a new universe that promises to be different from any previous experiences they have had.
In the spirit of the Teachers Union looking forward to working with two new thinkers who represent a distinct departure from their predecessors, Mr. Mielke said:
“The union’s big concern with new Board members is that the new Board members embrace the partnership we, the unions, have developed with the administration and the Board.
“Sol Rubenstein at Rutgers University has done the research on districts that have strong labor/management partnerships. He has found that when that is present, morale goes up. More important, student achievement goes up when unions and districts work hand-in-hand as partners.”
Mr. Mielke also congratulated Laura Chardiet for winning the presidency at the outset of her third year n the School Board while Nancy Goldberg, starting her third year, was elected vice president.
In also saluting the re-election of Kathy Paspalis to a second term, Mr. Mielke thanked all three of the women “for making our contract settlement possible. A settlement (teachers are voting online this week for ratification) will move us toward the median in Los Angeles County in terms of salary.
“My final thought is, let’s not settle for the median. Let’s have a new goal of having our people be towards the top.”
Thursday afternoon is the deadline for voting on the new contract.
