By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEBANON - The contentious labor negotiations at Sycamore Schools have given Lebanon Superintendent Bill Sears, a former top official with Sycamore, a greater appreciation of his school system's relatively harmonious labor relations, and the new negotiating technique he credits for that cooperation.

Since March, teachers in the Sycamore district have been attempting to negotiate a new contract.

Talks have stalled and the teachers union has voted to authorize an intent to strike while they consider the district's latest contract offer.

Mr. Sears spent 29 years in Sycamore, and left his assistant superintendent position in 1999 to lead Lebanon schools.

This week, Lebanon school officials will welcome a federal mediator specialist - provided at no cost to the district - who will instruct members of each of Lebanon's six schools and their local Liaison School Committees on a negotiating technique known as "interest-based bargaining.''

Mr. Sears credits the technique for the district's smooth collective bargaining talks that led to a new three-year contract with its 350 teachers last May.

"I feel for all the people involved there at Sycamore ... There's nothing worse than having an adversarial relationship between teachers and administrators," Mr. Sears said.

He said the district's adoption last year of interest-based bargaining led to an "absolutely pleasant negotiation" that helped continue the district's academic progress.

Lebanon recently attained 20 of 22 goals on the Ohio state report card, earning an "effective" rating.

Traditional negotiations concentrate on differences, he explained, while interest-based bargaining requires more communication across the table.

Participants state not only their bargaining position, but exactly why they are seeking what they are seeking.

Ideally, the subsequent discussions will draw in both parties to suggest possible solutions that might not have become apparent in more traditional bargaining that relies more on declarations of positions with little or no explanation as to the reasoning.

"If we had been doing traditional bargaining, we would have listened and then said no," said Mr. Sears of last year's labor contract talks.

Scott Charlton, Lebanon Education Association co-president, is also a fan of interest-based bargaining.

"In my 31 years in the district, this is the strongest, most collaborative and supportive partnership we've ever had here,'' he said.

"It was the first time we've done IBB and I think it was incredibly successful. It's similar to `win-win' negotiations but it requires a lot more conversation and trust between the two parties that our entire goal is to solve problems," said Mr. Charlton, who is also a teacher in the district.

E-mail mclark@enquirer.com