It's much the same in our local, upper-middle class community. The teachers union has a PAC, and the PAC is the only organization that advertises in the support of specific school board candidates and to pass the school budgets/levies; always under the guise of "it's for the kids". Most residents have no idea that this relationship exist…
It's much the same in our local, upper-middle class community. The teachers union has a PAC, and the PAC is the only organization that advertises in the support of specific school board candidates and to pass the school budgets/levies; always under the guise of "it's for the kids". Most residents have no idea that this relationship exists, or how the "step" system in teachers' contracts work. Our public school teachers are among the best-paid in the state. Remember that "the only good teachers are the best-paid teachers".
Ironically, one topic that's causing a split in the cozy relationship between the teachers union, school board members, and administrators is the lousy reading program that the district adopted. Some of the frustrated parents and teachers have begun to rebel against the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum (who's related to the school board president - how convenient!) who continues to support the non-phonics reading program that she endorses, which has caused the elementary school reading scores in the district to plummet. It's going to be interesting to see how the union-supported PAC handles this during the next school board election.
I've been curious about how the administration/union dynamics work when dealing with school place violence, specifically against teachers. I live in an area where the recent "de-fund the police" movement resulted in the removal of school resources officers (aka police officers). This is done in the name of racial equality, or anti-racism, or something. Not surprisingly violence against teachers has risen, and in some cases sharply. Teachers report (anonymously) that they are afraid in the classroom and are not backed up by administrators. In the school district I'm thinking of the union has been surprisingly quiet. I've wondered what individual dues-paying teachers are thinking of their union and their administrators.
When I was on the board, the teachers union was doing its regular song and dance about needing more salary "for the kids." I told the speaker, the local union president, that I would make her a bargain: for every percentage of increase of standardized test scores, I would go with her to the state capitol and speak in favor of an equal percent raise. However, I wanted her to pledge to a wage cut equal to any percentage DROP in scores.
She told me that was ridiculous, to which I replied, "So it's NOT for the kids; it's for you. Case closed."
It's much the same in our local, upper-middle class community. The teachers union has a PAC, and the PAC is the only organization that advertises in the support of specific school board candidates and to pass the school budgets/levies; always under the guise of "it's for the kids". Most residents have no idea that this relationship exists, or how the "step" system in teachers' contracts work. Our public school teachers are among the best-paid in the state. Remember that "the only good teachers are the best-paid teachers".
Ironically, one topic that's causing a split in the cozy relationship between the teachers union, school board members, and administrators is the lousy reading program that the district adopted. Some of the frustrated parents and teachers have begun to rebel against the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum (who's related to the school board president - how convenient!) who continues to support the non-phonics reading program that she endorses, which has caused the elementary school reading scores in the district to plummet. It's going to be interesting to see how the union-supported PAC handles this during the next school board election.
I've been curious about how the administration/union dynamics work when dealing with school place violence, specifically against teachers. I live in an area where the recent "de-fund the police" movement resulted in the removal of school resources officers (aka police officers). This is done in the name of racial equality, or anti-racism, or something. Not surprisingly violence against teachers has risen, and in some cases sharply. Teachers report (anonymously) that they are afraid in the classroom and are not backed up by administrators. In the school district I'm thinking of the union has been surprisingly quiet. I've wondered what individual dues-paying teachers are thinking of their union and their administrators.
When I was on the board, the teachers union was doing its regular song and dance about needing more salary "for the kids." I told the speaker, the local union president, that I would make her a bargain: for every percentage of increase of standardized test scores, I would go with her to the state capitol and speak in favor of an equal percent raise. However, I wanted her to pledge to a wage cut equal to any percentage DROP in scores.
She told me that was ridiculous, to which I replied, "So it's NOT for the kids; it's for you. Case closed."