Trust me, there were a bunch...of the salty, make-a-sailor-blush variety, increasing in volume the longer I talked to Madam CAT President.

Minding my own business on a beautiful Saturday afternoon (aka Monday, August 9th, in the working world)...

...thinking of making a Walmart run.

The phone rings at 4 p.m. and my answering system announces that it is Dorice O'Shea...never a good sign.

Madam CAT President proceeds to give me the news...

...that Business Manager Justin Miller called her Tuesday to let her know that the Cairo Board of Education has canceled the rescheduled "First Negotiations Session" that was to be held on Monday, August 15th (which was previously scheduled for August 8th and canceled by the BOE on August 4th).

The Cairo BOE is now offering either August 23rd or August 25th. (CAT Tracks Editor's Note: Do NOT use ink to mark those dates on your calendar.)

Do you believe this (expletive deleted)?

And you call me catty...

After my cussin' fit, Madam CAT President informed me of her reaction to Mr. Miller's news.

I was humbled...

Mr. Miller tells De De that the BOE wants to move the date of the first negotiations session "back".

Ever optimistic, De De thinks Justin means that the BOE has reconsidered (maybe because of bad press in CAT Tracks) and wants to have the meeting earlier than the scheduled August 15th.

Trying to be helpful, De De interrupts and reminds Mr. Miller of the Special Meeting scheduled for this Thursday, August 11th..."We can't conflict with that."

Mr. Miller responds with his own interruption..."No, not earlier...later. They are offering the 23rd or the 25th."

Madam CAT President done us all proud, when she did not miss a beat with her response...

"December? January?"

After composing himself, Mr. Miller came back with "No...I guess I should have indicated the month. They want to meet on AUGUST 23rd or 25th."

Well, what can you say?

De De told Justin that she would have to check with the members of her team and the IEA and would get back to him on which date would be best.

FOR SURE...CAT will accept one (OR BOTH) dates.

The BOE may say they want to negotiate a new contract, but the CAT actually does want to negotiate a new contract.

CAT told the BOE in the "meet and greet" session on July 26th that it did NOT want a repetition of the 30+ meetings and 14 months of negotiations required last time.

So...

What do they do? Cancel the first two meetings that THEY offered.

I mean...

In the BOE's warped world, maybe canceling meetings addresses CAT's concern over 30+ meetings...according to the official scorecard, the number of official meetings this year is ZERO!

However, the downside of that irrational rationale...gonna be more than 14 months before we birth this baby.

These folks need to get their (expletive deleted) together!

From the current delays (and remembering their actions of three years ago), one can only ass-u-me that the BOE is planning to put a multitude of language items on the table...wants to take back things negotiated in the past, many drafted to resolve strikes.

In short, the BOE is preparing to rip the scabs off of old wounds.

And, the obvious question is...

"Why?"

The current language has served the District well over the past three years (and years before that.) There has been only one problem ...a problem caused - REPEATEDLY - by one person, Superintendent Leotis Swopes.

For whatever reason, Superintendent Swopes is obsessed with employee use of Personal Leave and/or Association Leave. (Despite using his own various leaves at the drop of a golf ball), Superintendent Swopes has denied the same right to employees...in direct violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and past practice. CAT filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) against the District because of Superintendent Swopes' actions. In an effort to avoid the further waste of taxpayers' dollars, CAT - IN GOOD FAITH - withdrew the original ULP when the District agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the Superintendent would not do that anymore...that he would follow the CBA and past practice. Shortly thereafter, Superintendent Swopes did it again...and again...and again.

These defiant actions by Superintendent Swopes forced CAT to file a new ULP...which is still outstanding.

When CAT learned that Superintendent Swopes was resigning for the purposes of retirement, CAT anticipated dropping the ULP in return for a new commitment by the BOE to honor the MOU. CAT believed that "the problem" would depart with Superintendent Swopes (since it had not been a problem the decade before his arrival)...

...only to learn that the Cairo Board of Education and the Cairo Financial Oversight Panel had decided to hire their failed Superintendent back as Interim Superintendent. Needless to say, the ULP shall NOT be dropped and it shall proceed to court...at the cost of thousands of District dollars.

And, in the end, CAT will win. Even the BOE recognized that fact this past Christmas. When Superintendent Swopes denied four employees Personal Leave, CAT took the matter to the BOE and PROVED that the Superintendent was wrong. To their credit, the BOE "encouraged" Superintendent Swopes to approve the requested leave.

However, in light of the BOE's changed view of their failed Superintendent (and his presence "in the room"), even a casual observer would expect the BOE to put Personal Leave and Association Leave "on the table"...as one of their "take backs". CAT will have a counter..."See you in court!"

But...

...again, that's it!

THAT has been the only "problem" in the past three years as far as language is concerned.

As they say...

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Financially?

During the past three years, the District's savings account at the First National Bank of Cairo has grown from $2.5 million to $3.8 million.

So...

Don't give us some sob (not an expletive) story of how the Contract is hurting the District, breaking the District.

Bottom Line:

The District needs to quit digging into the Contract, stop rubbing salt into old wounds, and negotiate a new Contract...NOW!

Word to the wise and the not-so-wise:

Stop looking for trouble and find a way to put the triennial turmoil to rest. Adding labor strife to the current cutting of programs and services for students is only reminding parents of why they should take their children elsewhere.

Cairo School District Number One has enough real problems with which to deal. It does NOT need to spend time trying to settle old scores.

It's time to let it go...