Features

Director Doran, you are wrong. 

In your article “Daily Planet Trashes Berkeley Schools—Again” (Daily Planet, March 2-4) you describe Daily Planet pieces on the Berkeley Public Schools as “sensational,” ‘inflammatory,” “completely [missing] what happened.” You ask if the Planet intends to “turn our community against Berkeley Public Schools.” 

Your complaint? The articles “failed to state the positive.” 

Your efforts to serve our schools are laudable, but the idea of all-good news is an idea democracy cannot afford. Good people (that’s you) doing hard work for a good cause are the very people we depend upon to guard against all-good news. It’s the critical news, the difficult news, and even the bad news that needs your protection. As a public servant you must know the importance of good and bad news, especially when the bad news is delivered by honest people working hard, like you, to make public schools better. 

Balance. Without bad news, good news loses its meaning. Too much of either can be a dangerous thing, but I would argue that in a democracy a newspaper with too much bad news is less dangerous than a newspaper with too much good news. 

Those of us who follow school board meetings see decent people working hard for a good cause. Three years of fiscal emergency can take its toll on even the toughest advocates for public schools, however. Good news in hard times then becomes a seductive thing. When it turns into information management, and a determination to eliminate criticism, red flags must go up in every Berkeley household. 

One boardmember spent her entire comment period excoriating union representatives for failing to present more good news. This is a trend that shows a failure to understand and/or believe in the critical role played by those who responsibly present another point of view. 

Let’s look at the two “bad news” items disliked by Doran. It is in everyone’s best interests to find ways to save money that do not sacrifice the core mission of education. Our colleagues in Local 39 spoke responsibly in highlighting a hemorrhaging of money in the BUSD Food Service Department. For blowing that whistle you blame them, or the reporter for quoting them. Out colleagues with the Berkeley Federation of Teachers spent endless hours asking simple questions about flood damage at Malcolm X School, and BUSD administration has yet to honor them with a single meeting to share information. 

As for the Berkeley Council of Classified Employees, of which I am president, we take exception to your opinion that “the key point” of the Daily Planet articles should have been the relative relief felt this year, when “this year’s cuts, which targeted mostly non-teachers, sparked little citizen outrage. Class sizes are scheduled to remain stable and lost teacher jobs…are forecast to be offset by retirements and resignations.” We disagree with your idea that the focus of the article should have included a divisive expression of relief that “non-teachers” were the only ones to suffer. We know that our teaching colleagues support us in this. 

Here’s the outrage. How have we come to a time when our citizens have become so reconciled to the attrition of jobs, so battered by the erosion of faith in and funds for our public institutions that they do not protest? And, is their exhaustion then part of the good news? The elimination of 15 full-time-equivalent instructional assistant positions will not be good news for the special education students in their charge. The closure of the Vera Casey Center has been covered, but the elimination of other jobs has not been mentioned. These losses do not justify an entry into the plus side of any column, anywhere. 

We understand your desire to hear good news, and we appreciate your work toward creating it. Please don’t make the mistake of trying to clear out the bad news to make room for the good. It isn’t good for your cause, and it isn’t good fro democracy. 

Ann Graybeal, President, Berkeley Council of Classified Employees, Local 6192 CFT/AFT/AFL-CIO 

›