Secret negotiations with teachers union not in taxpayers' best interest

Don Huebscher:

One of the principles of our republic - as I understand it, anyway - is that those in government derive their power from the consent of the governed.

For that reason, and because I'm in the business of informing the public about matters important to them (not counting Paris Hilton, et al), I'm bothered by the fact that the most important decisions about the size of our property tax bills are negotiated in secret.

I was reminded of this frustrating reality last week when negotiators from the Eau Claire school district and the local teachers union met to set the "ground rules" for their upcoming negotiations on a two-year teachers contract. Initial proposals weren't released because the school board needed more time to prepare.

It's unclear whether the eventual exchange of initial proposals will be done in public, because the ground rules agreed to by both sides say only the first negotiating session is open; "all subsequent sessions will be closed to the public."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 13, 2007 12:01 AM
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