Teacher Union Contract as Public Policy?

To be honest, I'd never thought of it that way before. That is what Myron Lieberman posits in "Avoiding the Ratification Trap", a recent article in School Reform News (PDF download). Beware, it is a pro-school choice publication put out by the Heartland Institute.

His contention is that at best, school boards are third-party bargainers at the table when representing the interests of students, parents and the greater school community. Contract ratification (on both sides of the table) is done at a breakneck speed, he says, to squelch opposition to any of the provisions from the community or groups within the teacher's union that could delay or derail what in essence is a "signed, sealed and delivered" contract.

His solution?

"...a state law mandating an interim period for interested parties to react to proposed contracts. This solution could also be a winning issue in school board elections. Activists at the local level would achieve some surprising victories, despite the inevitable opposition from public employee unions and their allies in government."

Interesting!