Goodrich- The end is in sight.
Contract negotiations that have long plagued the district may soon come to an end, as a tentative agreement has been reached on the matter.
School Board President Michael Tripp announced the tentative agreement between school administrators and teachers at the June 11 special meeting of the Goodrich Area Schools Board of Education.
‘We’ve worked long and hard at this,? said Superintendent Kimberly Hart.
Representatives from the MEA and GEA did not return requests for comment prior to press time.board unanimously approved retention of a Michigan Association of School Boards labor relations specialist, senior labor consultant John Male, at a cost of $135 per hour, plus expenses.
For their part, the Michigan Education Association filed a formal request for a mediator to help expedite the process, MEA representative Dianne Bregenzer told The Citizen in February.
Hart described the proposed contract as ‘fair and equitable.?
Tripp said he was pleased the tentative deal had been reached.
? I’m very thrilled to get to this point. I’m confident it will be something acceptable to both sides,? said Tripp.
Tripp said the process to reach this agreement has been a long one.
‘We’ve actually been working on this for a couple of years? we started before the contract actually expired. ‘It’s been a long time for both sides.?
Hart said she was also pleased with the tentative agreement.
It ‘takes into account the needs of both sides,? said Hart. ‘It was the product of lots of hours of work and time talking and discussing.?

Timeline of events:

April 2005-Following an April 7, 2005 meeting between school administrators and teachers, in which teachers preliminarily received word that nearly 40 people may receive pink slips, the board of education presented a proposal to the Goodrich Education Association, promising no layoffs of certified teachers if teachers agree to work 14 fewer days in the 05-06 school year. This would shorten the year from 198 to 184 school days.
May 2005- The community rallies around teachers in protests and at meetings with the school board. Of 39 teachers laid off, 26 were recalled. At students? request, Goodrich Schools Superintendent Kim Hart meets with approximately 140 students May 19 regarding concerns over the fine arts program. MEA Representative Dianne Bregenzer announces the union will file for unfair bargaining practices because of alleged student involvement in negotiations.
June 2005- No agreement is reached between the Goodrich Board of Education and the teachers? union regarding the upcoming calendar year. Nine teachers announce retirement after incentives are offered for early retirement as a cost cutting iniative.
August 2005- Goodrich school officials face off with union representatives in a Michigan Employment Relations Commission hearing in Detroit. By a six-to-one vote the school board Ok’s a184-day calendar year.
October 2005 – The Michigan Education Association places district teachers on the critical list as a result of the school board imposing a 14-day cut to the school calendar.
May 2006- Protesters march outside a meeting of the board of education, following the suspension of an Oaktree Elementary School teacher and mounting tensions between staff and administration
July 31 2006- Contract expires for for the 102 MEA members in Goodrich schools on July 31. Arbitration rules in favor of the district.
Feb. 5, 2007- Teachers host a community forum to educate the community about their side of the issue. There is a large community turnout for the event.
June 11, 2007- It’s announced a tentative agreement has been reached between the district and the union.

The GEA was expected to vote on the tentative agreement on June 15. If passed, the agreement would then come before the board for a formal vote at their June 18 regular meeting.
Issues have been ongoing in the district, with disputes ranging from the proposed school calendar to concerns over health care benefits, leaving the school on the MEA’s critical list since 2005. Teachers and support staff have been operating without a contract since July 31, 2006.
The decision of whether or not teachers would be allowed to keep MESSA health care coverage has been a sticking point in the negotiations.
To assist in the ongoing negotiations, the school

After delays, complications, and a number of negative reactions for over a year, the Streetscape project is finally underway, and it’s garnering a fair amount of positive response.
Starting Monday, March 14, workers began marking utilities and other amenities hidden beneath Broadway and Flint Street, with plans to saw into the road and sidewalk on Tuesday.
Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Suzanne Perreault said her primary concern is keeping businesses open and informed throughout the three month long process.
‘We plan on having daily and weekly forecasts on our website (wadetrim.com/lakeorionstreetscape) that will keep people informed as to where closures or restrictions are going to be,? said Perreault. ‘Police Chief Jerry Narsh will also be sending out email alerts, and this is something anyone can sign up for and receive.
‘It’s just really important that the community continues to support the downtown businesses as much as they have, and we’re going to try and streamline this process as much as possible with signs and detours.?
The current time schedule for the laborers working on the project is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a projected end date of July 1. Perreault stressed that access to businesses and traffic flow would be maintained and that extra parking provisions are currently being investigated.
The scope of the project, which has a price tag of around $2 million, is a three stage beautification and renovation process. The first step, renovations to children’s park, will be subtle but will provide easier access to the park from the Broadway wall, which is also getting a substantial face lift with amenities like terrace seating being installed.
The second part of the project is more about utility, and mostly related to the repaving of the roads downtown. This part of the project will see the intersection at Broadway and Flint raised to meet the sidewalk with decorative bricks replacing the pavement, while the corner, or ‘bump-outs,? will also be expanded so pedestrians have a shorter crossing. While this means the loss of eight parking spots at the intersection’s corners, great efficiency along Broadway and Flint may add some.
The third part of the project is about beautifying the downtown by replacing the trees with some that don’t grow as high, flower urns at the corners of Broadway and Flint, and the extension of the decorative brick along the sidewalks bordering these roads. Benches will also be added.
Perrault anticipated the town’s main intersection to be closed from April to May due to the repaving effort, which account for about half of the Streetscape’s budget. She’s hoping that business owners remain upbeat about the renovations.
‘I’m trying to meet with every business, and we don’t know what’s going to happen right now, but we’re trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel and stay positive,? said Perreault. ‘We’re really trying to make sure people in the community know whats happening early.?
Despite the scope of the project and it’s intent, some business owners remain skeptical about the project. Lloyd Coe, Owner of Ed’s Broadway Gift & Costume said he thinks the end result will be beautiful, but he’s not sure if the expenditure is a wise one in the current economy.
‘I question whether the money is being spent in the right way, because grant or not it’s still taxpayer money,? said Coe. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I think it will look great down here, but the way the economy is, as a business person, I have to question these kinds of things.?
Coe added the loss of parking was particularly distressing to him.
However, other business owners cannot wait for the project to get underway. Char Westman, owner of Tesori Gifts, said she had seen the effects of similar project in southern Michigan and Northern Ohio, and the results have been positive.
‘There’s really no good time to do something of this size, and you’re never going to have 100 percent support, but it’s such an eyesore to come down here and see the roads right now,? said Westman. ‘The towns I’ve seen with these changes taking place have just been flourishing, so we’re really excited to see this change, but the main thing is to keep the business owners in the loop and get it done quickly.
‘We need to stop postponing and talking about it and just get it done.?

For years, fans of the Lake Orion football squad have considered their program to be among the state’s best.
Now the results on the field back them up.
The Dragons steamrolled Dearborn Fordson, 38-0, Saturday night at Troy Athens to advance to Ford Field, where they will take on Rockford next Saturday at 1 p.m.
Lake Orion’s only loss this season came at the hands of the Rams in week one at Eastern Michigan. Since then, the Dragons have reeled off 12 straight victories. The trouncing of the Tractors was the team’s fifth shutout this season, but the first time since an Oct. 10 blowout of Royal Oak that the game was never in doubt.
Lake Orion scored on the first play from scrimmage, when John Chanthakhot intercepted an Ali Baidoun pass and took it 32 yards to pay-dirt. The pick was one of three on the night for LO, which forced five Fordson turnovers (leading to 28 Dragon points).
Branden Oakes led the offensive attack for Lake Orion, running for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Oakes? second TD run of the first half, a 45-yarder, gave the Dragons a 21-0 lead at the intermission.
‘We knew we could have a good showing offensively,? Oakes said. ‘We just had to be physical up front.?
Fordson, meanwhile, struggled to move the ball against the active Lake Orion defense.
‘The key was stopping their running backs on first and second downs,? said Coach Chris Bell, crediting Coordinator Dave Tooley’s game plan. ‘We just played great team defense.?
The Tractors, who came in as the only undefeated team in Division 1, didn’t convert on a third down opportunity until the fourth quarter, when the outcome was already decided.
In addition to Chanthakhot’s interception, the Dragons got fumble recoveries from Kane Hayes and Evan Gros, along with second-half picks from Robby Lentz and Charles Fleck.
‘We really worked together great as a team tonight,? Lentz said. ‘Our defensive backs are probably the closest unit on the field. We just know where everyone is going to be.?
Dan Ney’s three-yard touchdown run, a Jeff Heath 27-yard field goal and Marques Stevenson’s 21-yard TD scamper rounded out the second half scoring for the Dragons.
‘I’m just proud of my kids,? Bell said. ‘We approach it one day at a time and one week at a time.?
Now, there’s just one week left. Regardless of the outcome.
Earlier Saturday, Rockford topped Livonia Stevenson, 27-13, to advance to the state finals for the fourth time in the past five years.
Rockford won the Division 1 titles in 2004 & 2005 and, along with Macomb Dakota and Detroit Catholic Central, account for all the titles since 2001.
The Dragons hope to break into that pack on Saturday, and avenge the 17-7 loss in the process.
‘We have all the respect in the world for their program,? Bell said. ‘They’ve been there before, but we believe we belong.?
‘When people mention the best teams in the state like Rockford and Muskegon (the Division 2 finalist that accounted for Rockford’s only loss), we want them to mention Lake Orion.?
Bell said neither team was hitting on all cylinders when Rockford and Lake Orion met back in August, but both coaching staffs likely learned a little bit about the other’s different schemes.
He wouldn’t go as far as to call it a ‘revenge game,? but the players seemed excited about a rematch opportunity.
‘This is exactly what we wanted,? Oakes said. ‘We know how to hit our spots now and we’re playing at full speed.?
No matter the outcome, Bell said this week would be one to remember for both his team and the area.
‘This is a win for Lake Orion,? he said. ‘It’s going to be a great week for our town.?
Game Notes
*Kevin Loney led the LO defense with eight tackles. Hayes added seven.
*QB Sean Charette might not have been able to play had the game taken place on Friday. He attempted just seven passes in the game, a day after battling a bad stomach flu.
*Fordson committed eight penalties, most of which came in the second half and included some personal fouls. The Tractors had just six first downs all game.
*Tickets are $10 for one day of action at Ford Field (four games). The Division 7 final begins at 10 a.m. There are additional charges for parking around the stadium.