Sunday 8/29 AHA moment

Mr. Greening's presentation has made significant impact on my thought process concerning the negotiation process. The first point concerns preparation. The main reason that negotiations are unproductive or ultimately fail is a lack of preparation by one side or the other. I can only imagine how damaging it would be for both sides to be unprepared in any area-but certainly with anything regarding finances. If a Supt. were to make a significant gaff during negotiations regarding a loss of funds to the district then I could see that leading to that person's dismissal. A Superintendent has a key responsibility to prepare the Board but also make sure the necessary information is available and readily understood by the Union side as well. The second point which is connected to the first is to have a principled position for both sides. This is not possible if each side is not prepared with the necessary information. A principled position can quickly lead to productive negotiations and a proper settlement that satisfies both sides. GS