An opinion piece by A&E Editor: Madison Deadman

After a long hard battle, the Howell School Board finally passed a teacher’s union contract, on Monday, Jan 20. The contract will be lasting until June 2015. This meeting was supported by about 150 attendants. Howell’s teachers have certainly felt the effects of the economy: several years without any financial increases while the cost of living continued to increase, lane changes, which is promised money for degrees earned, or steps, which are part of every yearly contract. To elaborate on a step, every year a teacher receives a step until they meet the cap where they are unable to make any more money.

The contract discussed at the meeting withholds features that protect the teachers from any further harm. Salary increases for teachers during this two-year period will be nonexistent. However, negotiator Tom White claimed it was because the union does not have enough trust in the board to agree on such a thing. This trust issue was brought up a copious amount of times throughout the meeting.

From the beginning, it was a close call on who would win the war. It was unknown which way the school board would vote which kept the large audience’s attention on edge. What really caught my curiosity was the five minute recess board member Mike Maloney called at the end of the meeting which turned into a 20 minute meeting and then he mysteriously returned with a yes vote after making it vehemently clear he was against it. This made me wonder what goes on behind closed doors and aware of why there are trust issues.

Being a student at such a strident conference was dignifying, especially opposing the school board and witnessing a great win. It was rewarding to see how much this meant to the adults that have educated and supported me throughout my eight years of attending Howell Public Schools.

In the end, most of the trustees who were able to vote, not including Michael and Kimberly Witt, agreed to the original contract that was presented. Deborah McCormick was the only one who voted no. In her closing statement she backpedalled and claimed they could have done something better to benefit the teachers. The audience scoffed at her comment because it seemed obvious to the most casual of observers that that was not her intent.

So many teachers go out of their way to help students succeed to the best of their abilities. They sacrifice their own time by coming into school early, staying in for lunch, and hours after school to benefit the students. These teachers want what is best for the kids, and a contract definitely is in their best interest which in turn is directly related to all of the students’ best interest.