"I had to tell them to go back to bed," Baker said yesterday morning after an impasse in negotiations between the school district and the teachers' union delayed the opening of school. The impasse led the teachers' union leaders to declare a strike late Tuesday evening and many families didn’t hear the news until after sunrise yesterday.
The reaction around town was mixed, with most parents being annoyed, but portioning out the blame to varying sides of the negotiating table. Each of Baker's girls had their own opinion.
"I was pumped to go back to school to see my friends, but at the same time I was dreading the teachers I have," said Baker's 17-year-old daughter, Tayle D. Foster, who is bound for her junior year at the high school.
Her 8-year-old sibling, Madison L. Baker, was visibly upset. She noted that she was looking forward to working with her new teacher. Her twin sister, MacKenzie E. Baker, was just as enthusiastic.
"We want to go to school," Madison said.
"I don't," said her other sister, Misty R. Baker, a 10-year-old who has enjoyed a fabulous summer. She wants more time to ride horses. She loves horses.
Down the road, youngsters of all ages were riding their skateboards and scooters.
Allissa Koprusak, 14, was headed for the skate park across the street from the Callahan School.
"I guess we have a longer summer now, but we get to make it up next year," she said.
Her companion, 12-year-old Xiomara R. Figueroa, spoke for her family.
"We were all ticked off this morning," she said.
"I haven't seen most of my friends for the whole summer and I was looking forward to it," said 11-year-old Shahaira A. Pratt.
Their mother, Damais Pratt, wasn't among the working parents who had to find someone to look after her children. But she wasn't happy with the situation.
"I'm up at 6 a.m. in the morning expecting the teachers to get on the job," she said.
But she didn't blame the teachers.
"It's not their fault," she said. "Pay them what they need you to pay them and call it a day," she said.
Another mother, 39-year-old Kathy A. Sorensen, had a different idea. It involved the timing of the strike - right at the beginning of the school year.
Next time, she said, the School Department should keep teachers from going on summer vacation until they have a contract in place for the new school year.
"I think everything would get done a lot quicker," she said.
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