This article inadvertantly speaks to one of the major issues in the Massachusetts education system. Local officials (and residents) have seen their ability to make decisions decrease. The state government should not be mandating how a school should be run. That is the responsibility of the local elected officials and the residents of the community who elect them.
The other major hurdle that forces our local officials into "no-win" situations is the influence of the Massachussets Teachers Association (MTA) on the collective bargaining process. Any school committee member will tell you that it is not the local union representatives that are driving the process, it is the MTA. The involvement of the MTA in the negotiation process of all teacher contracts amounts to a monopoly.
A template contract is used that ensures virtually the same high percentage (6-7% annual) increases for teachers in every district. While the pieces (cost of living, step, lane, longevity) may vary, the aggregate amounts don't vary by much. This forces all school committees to comply, regardless of the economic sustainability, in fear of being uncompetitive to their neighboring districts.
This also takes the decision out of the local teachers' hands. It is the teachers "on the ground" that best understand the realities in a community. It is their co-workers that face being put out of work, and it is their workload that is to be altered. Why are they not the ones with primary influence at the negotiating table?
30 failing schools may face takeover - The Boston Globe
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