I am a Spanish teacher in the Falmouth Public Schools and a member of the local teachers’ union, the Falmouth Education Association, which successfully concluded contract negotiations with the school board late last month. Those negotiations were difficult and time consuming, and bled teacher morale to a level that I have not seen in my 16 years in the district.

In spite of those difficult circumstances, we persevered as a unified group and achieved a fair and respectful contract. That success, however, would not have been possible without the vocal and persistent support of parents, retired teachers and the community at large.

I, and my colleagues, owe a debt of gratitude for that support, not only in terms of achieving our goal of a fair contract, but also in terms of the respect and appreciation our supporters demonstrated for us by their words and, more importantly, by their actions. They have helped to boost my morale by reminding me that we teachers are an important and valued part of the Falmouth community; for that I am grateful.

I am also grateful to the school board for rising to the challenge of recognizing that the teachers, who successfully carry out their mission day to day, deserved the best contract that could be offered.

Daniel Bennett
Saco