Aaron Feik Interview

Aaron Feik is the President of Northshore Education Association. He is a retired Northshore teacher and has served as president for three years. I interviewed Aaron to learn how he believes a positive association/superintendent relationship can be created. For the first two years, there was a very uneasy relationship between the district and the association. Then through positive efforts on both side, in anticipation of full contract negotiations, both sides agreed to building a more productive, positive relationship. I interviewed Aaron on January 19th 2005.

* Earlier that day, Aaron had driven to Olympia with Dr. Forys and Cathy Swanson, the Northshore School Board President. They were sharing their common concerns about state education funding. This gave them the time to talk and share. Aaron said that these informal conversation times are an important part of building a working relationship. In addition, they are building on their common needs and desires by going to Olympia to share together.

* Aaron said, "We have gone from 5^th in nation in funding to 46^th in nation. I knew that we would head the wrong way when we went to a state salary schedule...educators have held the system together."

* For two years, relations between the district and association was poor. "Karen had to make a 180 degree shift. We had monthly meetings for three years and she would often come in angry and leave angry." Now Aaron said, "I respect Karen." Aaron said, "there was such an animosity between Karen and I….we had a frank conversation and agreed to have frank conversations.

* Now association leaders and district cabinet leaders are doing a book study together. They are reading Crucial Conversations. Aaron said that the key is commitment from the leaders to start the conversation. "the key word is trust…we have to have some reason to have the conversations."
"We are spliting the cost of Sound Solutions Craig Gable…not cheap but has been well spent. Two people from each group set up the meeting. Gable is good at keeping the conversations going. Some of the meeting is talking about yourself. It is more humanistic." "If we expect School Improvement Teams to work together then we have to model it and Dr. Forys agrees. What people see at the district matters. We have to work up and down the district."

* "Even now, we have to be open and honest….it doesn’t mean that we have to agree but we have to be agreeable." We now talk about our value systems and we are starting to understand each other.

* Aaron told a story about "a company out on strike for 6 months and the workers had to take lower wages. Mediatiator took them into other rooms and listed their values. The list was identical. They started with what they valued and found that the company and the workers had exactly the same goals." This story is the foundation for Aaron's basic premise which is, "In NS we have the same goals and we have to honor that."

* " if I felt that Karen was trying to coop us then I would stop it"

* "we treat our people with respect….we still have tough discussions both sides"

* Aaron talked about the root of his problems with Dr. Forys. He said, "Karen more than me had to get over that she was my boss. She demanded a lot of me and was not nice and was terse. She listened to the wrong people. Gail Robbins was the one who got rid of me and Karen went along with the advice." There is obviously a lot of personal feelings that have had to be worked through to get to where the district and association are today.

This is how Aaron describes the turning point in his relationship with Dr. Forys, "When we started she wrote me a letter and asked how I would reorganize the district office. I collected a lot of data. I didn’t want to base it on feelings and I wanted the data. I am a scientist. I wanted solid evidence. I gathered 18 pages of data and I wrote 2 page report. Most of it was followed."

* There still differences of opinion and that is important in district and association relations. Aaron said that the on-line attendance system continues to be a concern for the association. He said, "Nobody asked the teachers what they needed. It was imposed. As far as I know not a single teacher was involved."

* "Timing is everything." I could have talked to Dr. Forys about the attendance system on our drive home from Olympia but it just didn't feel like the right time.

* At the end of our interview, Aaron talked about this spring's association elections. It will be a tough election because one of his main supporters, Tim Brittell, is going to run for association president. In the last election, Aaron was in a run-off election with another candidate who will run again this spring. It will be a challenging election.