Please call the School Board members and ask them to support AFSCME Local 844 in contract negotiations and support affordable health insurance for all workers.
I sympathize with the AFSCME workers. But, I also sympathize with the students, teachers, and other staff who are feeling the impact of tight budgets at the school district.
While, I do expect school board members to treat AFSCME fairly, I cannot judge what that means in the current budget climate. The school district is allocating funds from a budget, that for the most part, is determined by state government. Clearly, they have competing demands for limited dollars.
I'm hoping that parents, AFSCME members, and all of the community will be advocating at the capital this year for adequate funding for St. Paul public education (students and staff).
I'd suggest, that if St. Paul citizens are really willing to make phone calls, they ought to be calling the governor and the house leadership. If there isn't enough money in the budget to meet the health care needs of school district employees, then its seems to me that the discussion should be with the branches of government who set the budget for our district - not with those who are stuck dividing up a increasingly small pie.
Remember, the school board has very little say over how big the school district budget is. They simply approve a budget based upon the resources made available to them by the state.
Best wishes,
Tim Erickson Hamline Midway [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Tim Erickson http://www.politalk.com St. Paul, MN - USA 651-643-0722
[EMAIL PROTECTED] iChat/AIM: stpaultim
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