23rd Aug 2012 at 13:51 | By Kyle Forti
Protest Effort Flops Following Latest Douglas County Board of Education Meeting
A group of no more than eight protesters picketed the front of the administration building in Castle Rock this morning to rally against the Douglas County Board of Education’s latest dealings with the local teachers’ union. The Board, which is now considering a ballot initiative to dissolve all union ties going forward, recently dissolved its collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union after the two sides were unable to agree on the terms of a contract renewal.
At around 11:00 a.m. a lone protester paced the block in front of the Castle Rock administration building, holding a sign that attempted to pit the county board against the local community. A picture of the protester was posted on Twitter from the account of Parent LED Reform, sparking a comment from a union-supporter who claimed the picture could not have been from the planned rally this morning. The same protest supporter confirmed that the picture of the lonely protester was indeed from the planned protest.
Local American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Brenda Smith and Vice President Courtney Smith more than doubled the size of the rally when they arrived to support the existing protesters around noon. Some of the signs presented by the protesters read “Give us back our CBA” and “Dr. Fagan, your mother called and wants her district back.”
The picket ended with a total of eight attendees.
On Tuesday, the Douglas County school district proposed several ideas for a ballot measure to limit union influence going forward:
- Should the district be prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining with the union?
- Should the district be prohibited from using public funding for the compensation of union leaders?
- Should the district be prohibited from collecting union dues from employee paychecks on the union’s behalf?
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Discussion | 4 Comments
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Susan Smith said
Aug 23, 2012 at 3:57 PM
Well, at least the folks that stop past here know you’re biased, as you make no bones about being anything other than a conservative mouthpiece.
The mere fact that someone, no matter how many or how few, had the guts to exercise their American right to disagree with their elected officials is cause for celebration, no matter who you are.
Why don’t you find something else to make fun of? Or “report” on?
Such as, when Republicans are going to get to work and do something about jobs and the economy.
Oh wait: their number one concern is getting rid of the President! I forgot! They don’t spend two seconds on any one day worrying about their constituents.
That’s why we need a change in Washington. In Congress.
Fr. Robert Herrell said
Aug 23, 2012 at 6:16 PM
Actually the group picture you show was at 11:00 am. We had up to twelve believers in quality education by the end. There were community members there, retired educators there, and a couple of Union member (no Brenda Smith). Your reporting is weak. Come talk to us, instead of peaking out of a second floor window. Oh, that is right you don’t care what the community thinks or how it votes, you are going to do your thing anyway. Last January 3rd the district administration put out a press release that they were glad to be part of a model working relationship between labor and management. They collected all that good PR and then began an attack on a group that has worked hard for teachers, students, and the community for 40 years. The BoE members have called former BoEs ignorant and former district administration as devious. All of this from the current BoE who seem to be unable to follow district Behavioral Standards. They are sad, and must go. As for the picketing, who know where it will go. I didn’t start to drag others into it. It has a possibility of growing. Our community needs to know how horrible the BoE and administration are so they can make informed decisions. You will not hurt my ego is you laugh at me. In fact there is really nothing you can do to me. Hey, I feel like the BoE. They completely ignored the arbitrator they picked. For our children please go away BoE and Superintendent.
Lisa Dubrovich said
Aug 23, 2012 at 8:30 PM
Dear Mr. Forti,
In light of your article revelling in the “failure” of the protest after the BoE meeting, I appeal to your sense of inquisitiveness and request that you research the beginnings of social movements. Just for your information, the people are in the second stage of a social movement known as “coalescence.” According to sociologist, Rex D. Hopper, “unrest is no longer covert, endemic, and esoteric; it becomes overt, epidemic, and exoteric. Discontent is no longer uncoordinated and individual; it tends to become focalized and collective” (Social Forces, 1950). Think Gandhi. Think Martin Luther King. Think again and watch your back BoE.
Alexandra Harden said
Aug 24, 2012 at 9:54 PM
Wow, in a summer that has already seen three mass shootings in the nation, one right here in Colorado only miles from DCSD, I am shocked and disturbed that Mrs. Dubrovich, a former DCSD teacher, would make a statement warning the BOE that they need to change or go the way of MLK and Gandhi, who were both shot and killed. Shame on you Mrs. Dubrovich, and as a future DCSD parent, I have to say thank goodness you are retired I certainly would not you teaching my kids that threatening assasination is an acceptable solution for dealing with people you don’t like.