On Wednesday afternoon the call comes in confirming that the teachers would indeed be attending the August Board of Education meeting in force. It’s been one of those grey, drizzly days and I’ve been mulling over the morning headlines about the disappointing proficiency exam scores. Seven months of one major crisis after another and I’m trying to figure out how to get the conversation back to the bigger issues; raising the level of education in our schools and passing a renewal levy so that we can keep paying all of these employees that seem hell bent on making both objectives more difficult.

Entering through the main door behind 100 teachers now backed up in the hall outside of the School Board Chambers, I can feel the tension. As I pass through the crowd exchanging greetings, I see a common look of worry and confusion on their faces. How in the world did we get into to such a predicament? Why was the teacher’s union acting as if we were some evil corporation threatening to close the mill and move it overseas? With an existing contract still in force the aggressive tactics made no sense.

Walking to my seat at the front of the room, I paused along side of my Superintendent. Sharing a hand shake I ask him one question. Has the MEA ever contacted us directly about picking up the negotiation process or has all of our contact been through the media?

Pulling a copy of a letter from his folders, he explained that contact had indeed been formally made with Larry Morgan of the Stark ESC, the head of our negotiating team, weeks ago. He himself had just received a copy the day before. His answer meant that the main reason for this annoying period of confrontation had been based on bad information. I was stunned by this revelation.

One has to understand the surreal circumstances of the moment to fully appreciate how I felt. It was like some cheesy courtroom drama. There is a room full of teachers and staff dressed as if attending a funeral. A tense atmosphere hovers as the rain falls outside the open door of the crowded room. A throbbing headache after days of trying to remain calm and objective in the face of a public campaign of harassment directed at our Superintendent and School Board members. Then the sudden and dramatic revelation that reveals the basis of this insipid ill-will was either a calculated ploy to achieve some unknown agenda, an unfortunate breakdown in communication or worse. In an instant the rules of the game had changed.

So to the employees of the Massillon School System and the good people of our City who have been subjected to this terrible period of miss-information, I apologize. Though there is enough blame to go around, I freely chose to run for the Board of Ed…the buck stops here. In addition, I strongly believe that this revelation will lead to a significant change in the tone of this process.

On the Board of Education you learn that no one individual has any legal authority. No one person can speak on behalf of everyone unless it is voted on. All authority rests with the entire Board. However, an individual can have influence. So I say to all those individuals who put their personal agenda’s ahead of the kids of our school system, we will be watching. Regardless of the tactics you take, we will not back down. You will not weaken our collective will. You will not divide us again.

If this were all a bad movie the hero would get the girl, the bad guys would go to jail and we would all live happily ever after. This unfortunately is not the end of this tale. The road ahead will not be easy; there are many bridges to mend. However, naïve as it might sound, if we stand together and refuse to settle for the status quo, anything is possible. After all, this is Massillon…we are Massillon.

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