GLENDALE, Ariz. – Teacher union leaders like to prattle on and on about the need for education reform to be done in “collaboration” with school employee unions – but what does that really mean?

To answer that, we’d refer you to the recent process Arizona’s Peoria Unified School District used to fill a school board seat that was vacated after a board member’s death.

According to Arizona.NewsZap.com, Peoria district leaders handed the task of choosing the three finalists to fill the vacated board seat to “The Collaboration Team.”

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That four-member “Collaboration Team” is comprised of the school board president, the superintendent, a Certified Teachers Association representative, and a Peoria Education Association representative, according to the news site.

Here is what this all means, in plain English: The school district allowed three employees (namely the superintendent and the two teacher union representatives) and only one elected taxpayer representative (the school board president) to select the three finalists from which the next school board member will be selected.

Why does that matter?

School board members are in charge of the district’s operations – from setting the district’s budget to hiring and firing teachers and administrators. Under normal circumstances, board members are elected by the community, which means they represent the interests of the parents and taxpayers.

But that’s not what just happened in the Peoria district, which serves some 36,000 students.

Instead, Peoria school leaders effectively allowed a panel of school employees to choose the finalists for the vacated board seat. That means Peoria employees are helping choose their boss – or, more specifically, they’re helping choose ONE of their bosses.

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That could give the local teachers union a huge advantage when it comes time to negotiate a new contract with the school board.

It’s not too surprising, then, that two of the three finalists are former teachers, and presumably former teacher union members, as well.

Thankfully for taxpayers, there is some “adult supervision” in the district’s selection process.

Arizona.NewsZap.com reports, “The names of the three nominees will be forwarded to Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools Donald Covey, who will make the final governing board appointment.”

We’re not alleging any wrongdoing on the part of “The Collaboration Team,” but it’s obvious the entire process has been one big “conflict of interest” exercise.

The next time you hear a teacher union leader talk about the need for “collaboration,” remember this little episode from Arizona and you’ll understand what they mean.