Special School-Bailout Edition

[March 5th, 2003] Kids, taxes and high-stakes political poker: The culmination of last week's Portland teachers' contract settlement had it all.

WINNERS

1) No health-care caps; no loss of control over where teachers are assigned. After a year of negotiations, the union scored a one-punch knockout. Even though she had already agreed to a nine-day unpaid furlough, union boss Anne Nice's offer to work 10 days for free was a brilliant PR coup.

2) Formed on Super Bowl Sunday by veterans of the school-funding wars, HOPE (Help Out Public Education) exerted well-choreographed pressure on public officials and the media to drive a solution for kids --albeit one held together by Band-Aids, baling wire and a yet-to-be-approved temporary local tax hike.

3) Along with Erik Sten , rookie city commissioner Randy Leonard set the table for an agreement. Leonard put Mayor Vera Katz in position to close the deal--which she did masterfully--but it will be his credibility on the line as he leads a new commission seeking to contain union health-care costs.

4) Largely a spectator in the final negotiations, Multnomah County Chairwoman Diane Linn still basked in the warm glow of a win because City Hall knows it needs the county
to pay for a fix.

LOSERS

1) Hired two years ago to break the power of the teachers union, Steve Goldschmidt (younger brother of former guv Neil) has long been the least popular man in the district; now he's also the least successful. Jim Scherzinger, the Teflon superintendent, and the Portland School Board--who other than Julia Brim-Edwards were largely AWOL--share the blame for approving Stone Age negotiating tactics.

2) In early January, the Portland Business Alliance controlled the discussion over tax reform with its innovative plan to revamp the levy on local businesses. But clumsy communications and poor political choices--highlighted by a disastrous Feb. 11 press release trying to dictate teachers'-contract settlement terms--left the PBA on the outside looking in.

3) From bake sales and board meetings to aligning his bureaus with school-district needs, Jim Francesconi established himself over the past six years as the unofficial City Commissioner for Education. But after alienating the union with his pro-business leanings, he was the odd man out last week.