At the last Glen Cove Board of Education meeting, we, the public, were offered an opportunity to hear both sides of the negotiation process and an overview of the current teachers' contract negotiations and what is on the table.

It was gratifying, for the first time ever in (my) relationship with the BOE, to be able to hear both sides, to get a real snapshot of the process and the issues. I believe that this is a positive reaction caused by the changes being made by the current administration and board of education members to improve, enhance and rebuild this district's reputation.

As a previous/active candidate for our BOE, I am very interested in the process, the facts and certainly the outcome of these negotiations. These are very difficult decisions that are being made by a dedicated team of volunteers on behalf of our community. And after hearing both sides I feel confident that our current board is doing its best in addressing the needs of all concerned: taxpayers, parents, teachers and staff (of all levels). And it's hard not to give "everything all the time," but with this job as trustee you have to address everyone's needs.

This is very personal and private business and should be kept to the confines of the negotiation table. We should also be reminded that the key to success and co-existence is compromise; without that improvement we cannot move forward.

I am hopeful that now that the issues have been made public and the facts from both sides have been presented, a positive momentum will encourage a speedy compromise and begin to repair the damage that these lengthy negotiations caused the reputation of the parties involved.

In two years, when the three-year contract has expired (we are into the second year of negotiations), we can only hope that the lessons learned now will be implemented so that this does not occur again and we can again start looking to the future without history repeating itself in a negative fashion.

We, the public, look forward to good news soon!

Ann-Marie Gailius