By Ben Velderman
EAGnews.org

LARGO, Fla. – Over the past few years, the concept of collaboration – competing groups working together to find a common solution – has become such a cherished ideal among teacher union leaders that some of them can barely say the word without tearing up.

However, union leaders are tearing up for different reasons over the type of collaboration that’s occurring in Florida’s seventh-largest school district.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

The Tampa Bay Times reports the Pinellas Education Foundation – a coalition of local business leaders – recently presented the Pinellas County School Board with a variety of ways the district can cut expenses and “get more money into the classroom.”

After studying the issues carefully, the business leaders suggested limiting payouts for sick leave, trimming district personnel by 5 percent and compressing the teacher pay scale, the Times reports.

The group reportedly meets dozens of times to search out cost savings in several key areas, including health insurance, transportation, labor relations and organizational structure.

Using their expertise, the business leaders are able to find efficiencies that might go unnoticed by most school board members.

But as Jim Meyers – head of the volunteer group – told the Times, “It’s (the board’s) job, not ours, to make decisions.”

School board President Carol Cook appreciates the foundation’s work, but notes that some cost-savings ideas – such as revamping the district’s pay schedule – can’t be acted upon without approval from the local teachers union.

MORE NEWS: How to prepare for face-to-face classes

“Some of the things that were proposed would be good in a perfect world, but we can’t (do them) because of laws or other limitations,” Cook told the news organization.

The union may have the power to block some of their most effective ideas, but the civic-minded business leaders deserve the appreciation of their community for trying to make the district’s budget student-centered instead of employee-centered.

That’s the kind of collaboration we’d love to see happening in districts all across the nation.