Tonight I attended a school board meeting … I think. The Neshaminy School Board was there in the flesh, so I guess it was a school board meeting. It just felt a lot more like a pep rally … or maybe even the game itself, since both sides where there. It really was pure high school, in terms of atmosphere at least. The maturity level felt more like middle school. Everyone had signs. Some of the signs had pictures of pigs on them. Before the meeting started, the two sides were chanting at one another. The teachers and their supporters principal chant was “negotiate.” The other side chanted “teach our kids.” When the board entered, they entered to cheers and a standing ovation. Someone had gone around before they came out instructing folks to stand and cheer. The board president actually had his name chanted, as if he was an athlete headed out to the field … or a warrior in the Coliseum primed for battle. From this mess, for some reason we launched right into the Pledge of Allegiance without any warning at all. It took longer for the teachers to quiet down, so someone sitting near me yelled “teachers are a disgrace.” Someone else yelled, “go back to work slackers.” Once a few preliminaries were dispensed with, we started in on an hour of public comments. After each person spoke, one side or the other clapped, sometimes standing and hollering. When the teachers spoke, the folks around me muttered under their breath and occasionally shouted out things like “I don’t think so,” “agitator,” “she’s a bitch,” “delusional,” and “terrorist.” One teacher was ridiculed for living at home with her parents. Anyone who said they lived outside the district, even though they teach in it, received a dismissive moan. One student spoke in support of teachers, and folks around me questioned whether he had written the speech himself. There were lots of jeers and boos. The speakers themselves occasionally stayed on the issues. They also did things like accuse the teachers of “targeting innocents,” “taking advantage of the defenseless,” committing “reprehensible acts against children,” and seeking “affluence” and making “exotic” demands. People talked about the last strike 30 years ago, the laying off of Catholic teachers, and losing their own homes as if these things were pertinent to the issue of the teacher’s contract. By and large, the comments were light on substance and high on drama, catch phrases, and raw meat for the faithful. The whole thing was a disgrace. People accused teachers of setting a bad example for their children by striking and then behaved like idiots. The venom and personal attacks seemed to come thickest from those supporting the board, those who say that they “love” their school board and cheered for them like they were teen idols. I have nothing to say about the specifics of the dispute. I’m also not saying that anyone, including the teachers, came away looking very good. What I am saying is that the insults, ad hominem attacks, and irrelevancies have to go. Stop cheering for your side to win. Realize that teachers have a right to seek to better their position. Recognize that momentary constraints are real. See that this is about more than money. Listen. Talk facts. Act like adults. Shut down the pep rallies and solve the problem.
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