I was just informed two days ago that the Goodrich School District and the teachers’ union, the Goodrich Education Association (GEA), have reached a tentative contract agreement.

The teachers are scheduled to vote this Friday on whether to accept the proposal, and the Board of Education will discuss the contract during its meeting on Monday, Supt. Kimberley Hart said.
District and GEA officials plan to release the details of the contract jointly on Monday, and for those of you who have followed this contract dispute that has reached what some might consider epic proportions, you might want to attend the meeting and listen for the sighs and cheers of relief instead of what has become the usual groans and jeers of derision.

For those of you unfamiliar with the situation, the teachers have been without a contract since last summer, and the ensuing contract negotiations have been bitter: pickets, scathing remarks during public comment at board meetings and board member remarks that some have viewed as contemptuous.

Hart, who would not discuss details of the tentative agreement, sounded upbeat for the first time in a long time.

Good for her, good (great, actually, if the tentative agreement is at all fair) for the teachers, the parents, concerned residents who no longer have children in the district and, most importantly, the kids, who will no longer have to worry about their teachers’ slumped shoulders and low morale the day after board meetings.

This district has been through a tumultuous two years and, with resolution in sight, let’s hope everyone can take the time to heal and return to the strong, community-centered district the residents cherished.

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