Poll: Limit teacher observers

The Petaluma City Schools District has been at loggerheads with the Petaluma Federation of Teachers over the number of observers who can sit in on contract negotiations. A slight majority of those who took part in this week’s poll said the number of observers should be limited. Here were some of the comments:

“The teachers do themselves a disservice by insisting on this point instead of addressing the key issues of pay and performance.”

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“What do observers add to the negotiations other than possible distractions?”

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“The reason so many teachers want to observe negotiations is that we have not had a raise for seven years and we do not trust the school district as promises made we never kept.”

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“Let’s consider having observers from all stakeholders - parents, students and taxpayers.”