EMail sent to Alameda community on December 13, 2003

As everyone prepares for the Winter Break, I feel compelled to respond to a mounting series of actions that are very disturbing to me. Before proceeding please recognize I am voicing my individual observations as a Board member and as such they do not represent any positions of the Board of Education or District management.

As you may know, the District and teacher's union Alameda Education Association (AEA) have been in contract talks since September. On November 5th, informational flyers were distributed to teachers. Last week pink slips were passed out to parents referring them to AEA Core Action Team Website. These activities represent a concerted effort to disrupt the negotiations process. Their sole purpose is to discredit the Superintendent, create discontent among teachers and mislead the parent community about the negotiations process. If AEA is truly serious about concluding contract talks, the information being distributed would be more representative of the harsh realities facing public education in Alameda and California.

Whether AEA cares or not, revenue from the State is declining. Before the District can respond to their growing list of costly requests (now over a million dollars and rising), we need to know the total costs of all of their requests. Only then can the District respond accordingly. To indicate that the District is stalling or unprepared is completely inaccurate. In these times of fiscal uncertainty, the District cannot afford to act prematurely. For additional District information, visit AUSD Negotiations Overview .

If you have comments or suggestions about negotiations please send them to me. As is my practice I plan to create a section on my website where individual EMails are posted for review.

Send mail to mikemcmahonausd@yahoo.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: December 10, 2003

Disclaimer: This website is the sole responsibility of Mike McMahon. It does not represent any official opinions, statement of facts or positions of the Alameda Unified School District. Its sole purpose is to disseminate information to interested individuals in the Alameda community.