Whitney Tilson's School Reform Blog: Must issues for Boston schools

The latest from Boston:

IT'S MAKE-or-break time for the Boston public school system - and yet, both sides in the contract talks seem blind to the need for sweeping change.

Although it's easy to get lost in the assertions, accusations, and recriminations of the negotiations, the overarching question is simple: Can the changes Boston families want and need occur within the confines of a negotiated agreement?

After almost two years of negotiation, the answer, unfortunately, seems preordained. Consider: The very best that families hoping for a longer school day seem likely to get is an extra half hour of classroom time - and even that's not a sure thing, since the two sides remain far apart when it comes to compensation.

"The whole thing is really discouraging,'' says City Councilor John Connolly, who chairs the council's education committee. "We are talking about trying to add a half an hour to a day that is well below the national average. A half an hour!''

That's obviously not much additional instruction, yet it's all that the district is seeking. Mayor Tom Menino, meanwhile, has failed to wage a concerted public campaign in favor of even that dollop of extra teaching. The teachers' union has been true to form: stuck in the past and more preoccupied with the prerogatives of teachers than the needs of students.

As for the Boston Teachers Union? It's been true to form: stuck in the past and more preoccupied with the prerogatives of teachers than the needs of students. BTU teachers already earn some of the highest pay in the state for working one of the shortest urban-district days in the country. In these tough fiscal times, their expectations are jaw-droppingly unrealistic. BTU chief Richard Stutman didn't return my call, but the union wants a 10 percent raise over three years, at a total four-fiscal-year cost of $116 million. And, atop that, pay at their $41-per-hour rate for any additional time, which would add another $20 million or so a year for the extra half hour.

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Must issues for Boston schools