Pullman school district sick policy
Gray wolf conservation classification open for public comment
Gray wolf bills take center stage this legislative session
Fur is under legislative fire . again
New H-2A bills ignore reality of farm wages
Latest from Education
Proposed bill would cut funding to schools that do not adopt controversial state-imposed curriculum
HB 2331 would create yet another reason for families to leave the public education system
HB 2331 would defund schools that do not adopt controversial curriculum mandated by the state
WEA union blocks bill to provide equitable funding for charter school families
Latest from Environment
Gov. Inslee's latest wasteful EV subsidy is the equivalent of paying $1,125 for a latte
Earth Day 2024: Time to admit that government-run environmentalism is failing
As state’s CO2 tax faces voters, Inslee Administration using taxpayer funds to campaign for policy
Latest from Government Reform
Legislature passes I-2111: Now lawmakers should seal the deal
Fact Check: Repealing the capital gains income tax will “devastate” basic education. Is that true?
Latest from Health Care
Inslee is wanting to be remembered for COVID-19 response?
Patient access demands abandoning Washington state’s Certificate of Need program
Hospital-at-home programs offer an innovative solution to freeing up hospital beds
Latest from Small Business
House Bill 2474 would allow unelected bureaucrats to put homeless housing into your neighborhood
House Democrats pass rent control House Bill 2114 guaranteeing an increase in rent
Senate Bill 5570, removing the 1% cap on property taxes, has failed to pass this year
Minimum Wage hikes, predictably, increase the cost of fast food – is a $10 Big Mac on the horizon?
Latest from Transportation
Getting Serious about the Ferry System's finances (again)
Transit taxes and unaffordable housing
Sound Transit to seek state funding
Implications of Shifts in Commuting
Latest from Worker Rights
Labor promises legislation to pay striking workers will be back
Portability change means a WA Cares benefit? Don't count on it
Workforce issue rightly in focus in Olympia: SB 5815, to join a licensure compact for physician assistants, passed the Senate, moves to House
Paid leave isn’t primarily helping people in need, it’s going to middle- and upper-income wage earners
Latest from WPC en Espanol
La agencia de Washington dice que la descarbonización no es una prioridad de la “descarbonización comunitaria” financiada por el impuesto al CO2
Los beneficios de WA Cares no siguen el ritmo del costo de atención
El fallo sobre el salario de los trabajadores agrícolas es una mala noticia para todos
Cuando los procesos de permisos gubernamentales matan a las pequeñas empresas
Read
About
Pullman School District opens collective bargaining sessions to public scrutiny
About the Author
Liv Finne
Director Emeritus, Center for Education
Email
PHONE
Related Articles
OSPI candidates weigh in on school choice
The Seattle Times editorial attacks offering school choice to needy Washington children
New school year brings changes for WA schools under Biden Title IX Final Rule
Last week the directors of the Pullman School District became the first school district in Washington state to allow the public observe its contract negotiations with union executives. The directors said they want more transparency and accountability between their community and their school district.
Pullman’s directors may have been inspired by the example of the commissioners of Lincoln County, some 70 miles to the northwest of Pullman. Last fall Lincoln County Commissioners became the first government organization in Washington to allow the public to observe contract negotiations. Evidently public officials in Lincoln County and in the Pullman School District don’t like giving the public the impression they are making secret deals behind closed doors with union officials.
“It’s not our money,” Pullman School Board member Susan Weed said before voting to approve the measure. “I just think it’s important that everyone knows what’s going on.”
In their resolution, the Pullman school directors make these three points:
“Whereas, collective bargaining agreements are among the most expensive contracts negotiated by the District,
Whereas, both taxpayers and employees deserve to know how they are being represented during collective bargaining negotiations;
Whereas, the potential impression of secret deal-making will be eliminated by making collective bargaining negotiations open to the public.”
This development is exciting to those who believe in open government. Over the weekend, The News Tribune reported that Grays Harbor County Commissioners are likely to vote this week to open their negotiations to the public.
That makes three local government entities now staking out the high ground in contract negotiations. Who is next?
