Dive Brief:
- Schools in South Burlington, VT, are closed Tuesday due to an expected teacher strike.
- An estimated 250 educators, represented by the Vermont National Education Association, are protesting failed contract negotiations, which have been going on for 11 months now.
- VNEA affiliate South Burlington Educators’ Association is arguing that the board is purposefully making negotiations difficult.
Dive Insight:
The union's contract expired in July and it's now mid-October. While it would be one thing if negotiations started in the summer, they didn't — this strike has been almost a year in the making.
Teacher strikes are always tricky. Critics question teacher priorities, because strikes force schools to close, resulting in a lack of instruction for students. On the flipside, advocates point out that teachers are people, too, and that without a mutually agreeable contract, they will be discontent and perhaps begin to resent their job.
