Tele-Talk: Why did the teachers' contract fail, and what more can the union and school board do to gain voter support for a contract?

Three school union contracts were put before voters on Tuesday. Only one, a proposed new contract with the Conway teachers' union, was rejected — despite the fact that it included a move to a $500 district-funded health insurance deductible that would have saved taxpayers more than $200,000 annually. The contract failed by just five votes, and a recount is scheduled for Tuesday morning. "To say I'm disappointed and frustrated would be a huge, huge understatement," union president Curtis Finney said the day after the vote. "We thought the voters would do us right. I'm very concerned that we're going to start losing good teachers. I just don't know what else we can give this town." School board chair Sheryl Kovalik said she was "disappointed for the kids," and she agreed that "it's going to make finding and keeping good teachers difficult without a contract."