The Last Class

Well I can honestly say I have enjoyed this class and have learned a great deal. On our final day we finished negotiations. We were down to salary and insurance so it didn't take long. We settled for a one year but would have preferred a multi. I found the presentations interesting. A lot of information was covered in a short amount of time. It was helpful to get the final in advance as I have been working some pretty long days here lately with the start of the school year. I always like to hear what everyone else has taken away from the experience. Thanks Dr. Closen. This was a worthwhile experience, even if it did create some passionate feelings among some of our cohort members : ) See everyone next weekend!!

EDL 623 LAST CALL

The entire bargaining process brought out emotions and frustrations that were hidden deep down in my soul. Ok..that is a little dramatic but I am very glad we were able to settle on that last day. We expedited the process because we had 4 issues to deal with. I am not sure that we "won" because we agreed to a one year contract. Someone posted about the Illini Bluffs situation. It would have been fun to hear from someone from that district so get the real "scoop." I see where they avoided a strike. Everyone did a great job on their presentatons. See you in a few days to learn about some very interesting topics!! I hope everyone has had a great start to the school year.

Last Class

I feel that the last day of the simulation was probably the most difficult. Trying to remember what was proposed or tentatively agreed upon from several weeks ago was difficult. However, this will be reality when we become superintendents. I feel that organization is probably one of the most important aspects of the bargaining process. Learning what not to do is just as important as what to do. The Illini Bluffs example and stories from Dr. Closen contain many of the "not to do's" The roundtable disussion at the end of class was very interesting. I like hearing what everyone took from the class. It is also nice to see imformative presentations that engage the audience....nice job on the jeopardy lando lakes and angie.

Sunday August 15

The contract bargaining simulation was completed fairly early in the day for our group. I was glad I took good notes on the last meeting date as there was some confusion regarding where we were at in the process. The union team agreed to our final proposal as it was presented. It worked out well even though I think we gave too much in salary I could live with that in that we were able to save in other areas. I found it more challenging than I thought it would be to type up the final contract. There were subtle changes that came into play as we began to formally publish the document. I could see where it would be very important to make sure that both sides were in agreement on the language before that process went too far.
I also presented my topic concerning merit pay. It was a little difficult because I felt tlike everyone was familiar with the topic and zoned out on me. I don't blame anyone for this but i did question how much was gained by the presentations.

Sunday, August 15th

The last day was a productive day. My group of bargainers decided on a one year deal. It was nice to finish the bargaining project.
I really enjoyed Scott Dearman's presentation on Merit pay. It was informative and cleared up myths about how merit pay would work. Nice job Scott!
How can you go wrong with Jeopardy? Very informative game for the class to play. Great job Lan and Angie!
Overall the class has been enjoyable and informative. I have taken several things away from the bargaining process. My last comment would be that I will not be jumping out of an airplane any time soon!

Final Day, August 5th

On the final day of class, we finished our mock negotiations. Two thoughts I continue to have are how much "down time" there is while negotiating. One group member going through negotiations mentioned how they forgot their laptop and there was no way to pass the time during caucus. Dr. Closen mentioned that not only do you have to find a way to pass time, the superintendent has to also help the BOE pass time as well. The second area of concern is that the union can make many demands without any concern for available money or to the extent which their demands would be fiscally irresponsible if agreed to by the school district.

Overall trust, being prepared, and perseverance are key to surviving negotiations, even more so if the negotiations are contentious from either side.

August 15-Last class!

It was our final class today. We were able to finalize the collective bargaining simulation. We found out how important it was to have good notes. We honestly couldn't remember exactly where we were at so referring to the notes was key to reminding us where to start from. The process was very good to go through and was very beneficial for all of in listing to everyone’s responses to their summarizing thoughts.
The presentations were full of good information once again today. I enjoyed learning a bit more about the insurance process. Lan and Angie’s Jeopardy game was refreshing and a nice little test of our knowledge of IBB and traditional bargaining. All in all a good day and a good class. I think we all learned a great deal about bargaining and the massive undertaking involved in being prepared to successfully negotiate a good CBA.

August 15th

Today's class was a great wrap-up. It was nice to get some time to finish up our bargaining session. Although, I really think that we felt rushed to get done and would have bargained longer if given time to do so. I enjoyed listening to the last of the presentations and feel that we always learn a lot from each other while still allowing ourselves some fun in the process. I think this class was a great introduction to what we will face as Superintendents, but I think that, as always, until we are in that specific position and role that we will have really no clue what we are in for. And although these classes have taught me so much I also think I now know how much I really don't know as well:(

August 15 - last class!!!

Today we were able to wrap things up in two areas. Our collective bargaining simulation finalized with good feelings. The union group I worked with was a great team and very practical with our requests. Our group was able to TA all the final issues and both sides walked away happy. Afterward, it was good to hear the “take aways” from all the students involved. Each of us had varied experiences and learned respectively. Realistically, our experience all came down to salary and benefits just like it does in the real world. The overall experience was neat and gave all of us a taste of what the experience is like. It forced all of us to prioritize and analyze the resources available to our mock district. Our class also finished our presentations. It is always neat to hear the presentations on various topics. Our class worked hard to give quality presentations and did a nice job.

August 15, 2010

We wrapped up our negotiation simulation today with a tentative agreement on the remaining open items. I feel this exercise has been very worthwhile and have captured many take-a-ways from the activity. I have really enjoyed the Collective Bargaining class and believe that the material covered will pay huge dividends to us as we pursue district level administrative positions. As I reflect upon the cohort scope and sequence of classes, this course provided experiences that have tremendous value associated with the duties and responsibilities of the superintendent.

I really enjoyed the presentations on merit pay, insurance, current trends in bargaining, thin contracts and the IBB/Traditional approach to collective bargaining. I realize that these topics will consume many hours of the superintendent and it is nice to have resources for our professional toolbox to use in future situations.

Last Class - Sunday, Aug 15th

I feel this class was very beneficial for those of us who intend to become Superintendents. My only concern, was the way this class had to be structured, and the large gaps of time we had between our meetings, somewhat inhibited us from conducting the simulation with consistency. However, that being said, the simulation was well worth the effort, as it gives all of us the opportunity to see and experience the contract negotiations process, which many of us had never experienced.
I enjoyed the presentations by the class, as it gave us additional information on various contract related topics. I particularly enjoyed Lan & Angie's Jeopardy game presentation, as it got all of us involved, and solidified many concepts we learned in class. That might be a good way to get the students involved in the review process before the final.

Sunday, August 15th

Last day of class! We were able to come to agreement on our contract assignment. Being a member of the union side, I think the union came away with a generous contract. Lan and Angie's presentation was very enjoyable. Class presentations were interesting. Found them to be very beneficial in the day to day administration of a school district.

In class I made a statement that it is easier to negotiate when there is little money to be haggled over. The negotiations in class were much more difficult to end then my other experiences in the "real" world. I think for those who have not participated in negotiations this was a very good experience.

My two biggest concerns entering the Ed.S. program was school finance and negotiations. I feel like this summer was the most intriguing for me, professionally.

Day 5

Completion of Collective Bargaining took place today. We were able to work to reach agreement with our contract with the board. After three counter proposals, we agreed to a one year deal. Overall, the simulation provided valuable information and insights. Trust/respect must take place for good negotiations to occur. The superintendent must have the trust/respect of the union in order to work towards a settled contract. During our simulation, there were several items that should have gone through smoothly that became argumentative due to these issues. Through the bargaining process, as a teacher, the traditional bargaining approach led my group to ask and try to get all that we could. In today's economic climate, a lot of what we asked for was ridiculous, yet we asked due to the position we were in--we were working to get all that we could get. Our end contract was advantageous for teachers and poor for the district. Looking at alternative bargaining styles will be one of the items I do as a future superintendent. It is crucial that both sides work together and I am not sure that traditional bargaining will allow this in future contracts.