I'm just curious how many other people get to help decide what goes into their employee handbook to follow????

I have never heard of such a thing and can't believe this is even being considered and not laughed at. Which I did.

I'm not a teacher, nor a district employee of any kind - this is simply an unbiased view of the facts from someone who pays attention to details.

Teachers have historically exchanged their monetary opportunities (direct pay) for better health care (right, wrong, or indifferent, they've had a historic preference to put that as a higher priority). During the mid and late 90s, when the economy was extraordinarily benevolent to the rest of the working world, teachers were under a QEO (qualified economic offer) - a creation of Governor Thompson and the legislature in 1993 - that guaranteed them no more than 3.8% between salary and benefits (the school board had unilateral control as long as they hit that magic number). Unfortunately, inflation was higher in many of those years, so in the decade between 1998 and 2008 overall teaching wages dropped 6.8% relative to inflation (at which point the average wage was below the national average for teachers). Introduce Governor Walker and the current legislature - now that inflation is tamed, they've eliminated that 3.8% number (which was never an actual pay increase rate, but was a mix of a lower pay increase and the additional theoretical costs of insurance), and also forced an additional direct pay cut of 5.8% plus a variable cut as a result of the insurance contribution changes. So, contrary to popular (and unfortunately uneducated) belief, they have not had the potential to gain any ground in the previous two decades, and have actually been losing it instead (much more so than other educated professionals).

So why do we have so many teachers? This has been a historical oddity of the upper midwest. For a number of years, Wisconsin and Minnesota have been the two states to produce a surplus of teachers - likely as a result of a strong education system mixed with weak white collar employment opportunities (or perhaps a cultural difference due to the emphasis the upper midwest places on education in general). While this will server to buffer the net loss of interest in pursuing teaching careers in the near term (due to the significantly increased costs of becoming a certified educator weighed against the significantly decreased benefits of being one), there is a likelihood that Wisconsin will end up in a teacher deficit once the baby boomers have worked through their retirement wave. So, contrary to popular (and unfortunately uneducated) belief, there is not a magically unlimited source of qualified and certified professionals waiting to move to a dying town for whatever salary/benefits/working conditions our school board dreams up - it needs to be an attractive package considering that Janesville is not one of the better long-term prospects for raising a family in Wisconsin (at least until our employment picture brightens and overall income rates improve - and that's certainly not imminent).

Not enough opportunity to write the handbook? we all know what happens when unions get their hands on something...job losses and bankruptcy...

As long as the Janesville school teachers are lead by Dave Paar I have to assume that they are the most arrogant, self centered group of indivduals I have ever seen.
I believe that the majority of our school teachers a good hard working indivudals. However they are not any better than most good hard working people who work at other jobs. They don't deserve special treatment.
It's time we takee a hard line position with them.Negotiate in good faith and make them an offer that is fair and reasonable. If they don't accept it then tell them that their jobs are no longer secure. There is an unimited supply of indivduals who have or will have teaching degrees that want to work under a fair and reasonable contract.
We don't need a teachers Union. We need teachers who want to be treated like the majority of us who work. You are paid for performance and it is not guaranteed. You need to pay your representative share for health and retirement benfits like everybody else. Your benefit package will be in line who every one else in this country who works. You are not going to be revered for what you do. You will be simply respected for what you do. Just like everybody else

What is so difficult about taking the current contract, and making it into a handbook? It's not that hard, unless the changes that the board are thinking about are drastic. No reason not to collaborate on a handbook, it's in everyone's best interest to work together. Since we are supposed to be setting an example for students on how real life works, why not start now?

But no talking was done until the threat of being sued. Hmmm... I wonder who is the bully?!?

"Teachers union President Dave Parr hailed the decision: "It's a step forward, and that's all we really asked for."" If that's all you really asked for, you wouldn't have threatened to sue. And you wonder why the unions are accused of being "bullies"...or "whiners". It's not the teachers, it's the union representation.