What is collective bargaining?

• A. The process of negotiating labor contracts between the district and employee unions
• B. The process of evaluating teacher performance
• C. The administrative process of budgeting school lunches
• D. The procedure for payroll processing

Answer: (B)

Collective bargaining is the process by which a school district and an employee union negotiate a labor contract that sets wages, benefits, working conditions, and other terms of employment. It’s a formal, ongoing bar­gaining relationship where representatives present proposals, discuss and revise terms, and may use mediation or arbitration to reach an agreement. This is different from evaluating teacher performance, which focuses on assessing teaching quality; budgeting for school lunches, which deals with food service finances; and payroll processing, which handles paying staff.