Edgerton School Board Article Aimed At Others

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Tuesday’s Gazette contained an article about the Edgerton School Board and teachers union negotiation. For some reason, their school board and union members offered answers and advice framed by the Gazette in a condescending, yet gratuitous way.

Transparency, community spirit keeps teachers and district happy Excerpt:
Dave Calkins, an Edgerton Middle School teacher and chief negotiator for the teachers union, said the trust and respect springs from the community spirit the teachers, school board and administrators share. Most live in Edgerton and many have been part of the district a long time.

Fair enough but...WHAT was the question? The Edgerton School district doesn’t sound a whole lot different than other school districts, so I ask, what was the question to provoke that statement?

Transparency, community spirit keeps teachers and district happy Excerpt:
"The people here know that the school and the school system is the heart of the community,"

As opposed to what other communities? Again, what was the question from the reporter and/or if these statements just happened to fall from the sky, what provoked them?

Transparency, community spirit keeps teachers and district happy Excerpt:
The friendly attitude helps both sides be transparent about what they want, he said.
"We just don't have hidden agendas," he said. "We put our proposals out there, the board listens and responds. "This is the way we do things here. It's always been that way."

Again, what was the question to provoke these statements? And why were negative presumptions made against other districts? Why talk about hidden agendas when there are none? We are talking about the Edgerton School District, right?

The Edgerton School Board finished successful contract negotiations with their teachers union and these are the best positive answers they could give? Now, I’m not blaming those who were quoted in this article for anything, their seemingly unsolicited answers and advice were published with certain intentions in mind. It’s the direction and content of the questions I’m concerned about, the lack of transparency by their omissions and the animosity created by provoking and publicizing these statements. It does not promote a good community spirit. At least not in Janesville.