The union officials stated it was rejected for the same reasons as before and they now want to meet and "all get together".
At this point, and I'd imagine I'm not alone, I'm quite frustrated with the position of the NAEA. They want every request as they've requested it and if they don't they are taking their ball and going home.
Many fair points have been made in the comments on this site by many different people with different positions on this issue.
Just to kick it around and see what the readers think (not to mention having some devilish fun;-) what would you think if the NASD withdraw its offer altogether and the process starts from scratch?
And the following were considered to resolve this impasse:
- Terms to allow for the ability to increase the length of the school day (if Board choses, without renegotiating the contract)
- Terms to allow for the transition off block scheduling (again, if NASD choses to go that route without renegotiating)
- Create a pay system that has a base plus performance (say 2% base with increments allowing up to 4% max., contingent upon student scores meeting specific sets of benchmarks).
- Benefits plan that offers the standard plan or optional plans such PPOs, HMOs, low monthly high deductible, etc., with employees being able to chose and then pay a flat percent of the cost of the plan. Start somewhere between 7 & 10% and increase 1/2 to 3/4 a percent per year for each year of the contract.
- Change the school calendar to begin after the start of the contract (September 1), lengthen summer, and eliminate the issue of the Work Year.
- For the work day, make it no more than 2 meetings per month throughout the year with graduation mandatory for all teachers at all grade levels (we're renting stabler, lets fill it)
- Extend the teachers work day by 1/2 hour (making it 8 hour work day including lunch) and allocate that time to prep. Additionally, assign as many additional, non eped duties to support staff as possible.
- Eliminate income protection from the plan and instead offer Aflac with employee and district splitting premium cost.
- Curriculum leaders, place more of the onus on the new administrators less on teachers, make it an EPED position just like coaches and pay in a manner consistent with how we pay coaches and other extra curricular leaders.
21 comments:
First, I wonder if the 4 votes for the fact finder report are the same 4? If so, my hat is off to them for standing up twice for what is really a fair contract.
I think your suggestion is great, but I am quite sure that NAEA wouldn't even consider it.
Reading the MCall article this morning, and again seeing the fact that the teachers want to only pay $50 for insurance, I wonder what their monthly union dues are running them? Why aren't they asking for the union leadership to step up and cut their dues? Wouldn't this in effect be a pay increase?
Is there a law that states the schools have to work under a union policy? If not, why doesn't the District start advertising nationwide for teachers willing to work under a non-union shop. Without union dues, they will automatically take home more money each month. It could be a performance based system where the best get well compensated and the best are gone. Run it like a business.
I am pretty sure we would see a dramatic improvement across the board in the education of our children and in our PSSA scores (not that I think it really matters).
To answer one of your questions.....school teachers are not required to join the union. However, many districts have a "fair share" policy which means that even if the teacher chooses not to join the union, they must still pay a high percentage of the dues. Fair share is a negotiable item, which if the district has it (and I'm not sure if Nazareth does)
the money is automatically withdrawn from the paycheck.
The fair share concept is to make you pay dues whether you join or not, because if you don't the union is working for you by negotiating the contracts etc.
Since you benefit from it, you pay into it. You can also join a different union, there are a few out there, but I'm not sure what if anything additional you need to pay to the majority one.
Regarding the four - good for them. And as much as we'd all like to recognize them and buy them a beer or two the fact is they probably won't "come out" as I'm sure their co-workers aren't so pleased.
I was talking about TOTAL reform of the district. In other words, get rid of the union.
Personally, after the way the union reps have blemished the NAEA's image over the past couple of months, I would think the most would want to dump the union.
All that money paid in dues and the only success to show for it is making themselves look greedy and turning public opinion against them.
Unfortunately, I don't think there are any teachers bold enough to even think about doing this.
One side affect of no union and rewarding the best would be that the district would attract the best teachers possible.
I'm fairly certain the PSEA is the strongest union in the state of PA, I don't think any of us will see that day.
In regard to pay, one thing I thought of this morning walking home from school was this - the proposed pay increase comes to around 22%, correct me if I'm wrong that is in addition to each raise a teacher will get for each step they progress through during the time of the contract. Roughly five steps for five years. The proposal then is really an increase to the already guaranteed raise built into the system based on longevity - not on performance, additional responsibilities/workload.
Is this right? If so it would be interesting to look at what a teacher would get in year one and what they would get in year five from step 1, from step 5, and from say step 10. Then you'd realize just how big a pay increase the individuals are looking for and feel compelled to go on strike for.
Every journey starts with a small step.
Yes, the PSEA is probably, if not the strongest union in the state. It is also recognized by many that they have a stranglehold on the education system as we know it, even when most of us are not satisfied with it.
We can all opt to maintain the status quo, because that has how it has always been done. Or, we can stand up as citizens and take our education system back from the union.
We the people that foot the bill that pays not only the union members, but in fact the union itself, have no say in any of this process. At the least, I would love to see teacher contracts as a ballot initiative so we could see where the public really stands. That could be an eye opener to all parties involved.
The short of it is, if we never tried to do something, even when someone said it can't be done, where would we be as a nation today?
You're right.
The place that may be of interest is in Bucks County and is the result of a strike down there. I listed it once previously but here it is again:
Stop Teachers Strikes in Pennsylvania
Given this year's events, it is probably worth everyone's taking some time to consider seriously.
Thank you for the link to 'Stop Teacher Strikes in Pennsylvania'.
I didn't realize that 38 states prohibit teacher strikes and we live in one of the 12 that still allow it.
The site is extremely informative. I encourage everyone to check it out and sign the e-petition if you agree and would like to put an end to the way our children our used as pawns in this crazy game.
While I am not really looking to get the public all up in arms, I would like to say that many of you are ignorant to the workings of a school district and, as taxpayers, are trying to claim most of the power of how a school should be run. If you went to college and have a degree in educational business,law, classroom management, and child psychology then please keep posting. Otherwise, choose your words carefully and don't assume the role of the expert.
1. Please don't slam the union reps. Many of them are the quality teachers this school district needs. They are not paid any extra money for the work and long hours they have put in over this contract dispute. Furthermore, they need to abide by rules set in place buy the state and by the PSEA. If you want to blame any union related person, blame the fact-finder (inexperienced) and the PSEA appointed lawyer (I'm not positive, but I believe he is also involved in the Bucks County debacle).
2. Those who think this could be solved by doing away with the union and starting a performance-based pay scale, I have several points to make.
Getting rid of the union is an unrealistic idea. Too much politics and too much money wrapped up in it - stick to proposals that could ACTUALLY happen.
As a teacher, I would be more than happy to accept a performance-based pay, but only if the evaluation system was fair (this is nearly impossible to do). One person said it should be based on student performance - problems with that include: not all students care about their performance (I currently have one student who is failing my class on purpose because they heard summer school is easier and another who was forced into an upper level class by a parent and is failing on purpose to spite their parents - should their attitudes affect my performance and my pay?). Also, some students purposely don't try on their PSSA's - that is not the fault of the teacher. So basing teacher pay on students grades and PSSA scores would most likely lead to teachers handing out "A's" and teaching to the PSSA's to increase their pay. You could say that the performance could be judged by administrative observations and evaluations, but that would require those administrators to observe more often (keeping them from their other jobs) and it is very subjective. You might say you get subjectively judged by your boss at work, but your salalries aren't made public like ours are. Does that mean parents have a say in this evaluation? Is it fair for a teacher to come into a parent's workplace and judge them on their performance? If you have a good fair to all sides way of giving performance based pay, then please speak up.
Lastly, still on the performance-based pay topic, many taxpayers are complaining about their high taxes and teachers raises are going to make them even higher. I actually agree with this complaint. I don't live in Nazareth School District, and wouldn't want to because I don't think I could afford it. So, if you want our pay to be performance based, why not make your taxes performance-based on your parenting skills? Afterall, as a teacher, I have noticed that the number of students who receive IEP's is rising at an alarming rate. Should a high school student who reads and writes at the 5th grade level really be in a college prep class? From my direct hands on experience and speaking with other teachers, this is a regular occurance at the high school. Why? One word - parents! Extra district money goes into the testing, hiring of associate teachers, etc. so shouldn't those parents pay higher school taxes? Obviously this is a ridiculous idea, but it is analogous to the performance-based pay idea proposed by some of you on this site.
I'll finish by saying this:
Please do not bash us and call us greedy. Take the time to talk to a teacher to fully understand what is going on. If you still feel the same way, then you are surely entitled to your opinion. Voting down the fact-finder report has less to do with us not being happy with the money and more to do with us not being able to trust the school board to do what is right when it would come to the legal interpretation of that report. When did covering your own behind mean that you were being greedy? Also, be careful when you compare the salary schedules of the district's proposal to other schools. You can't compare steps side by side. Because of the contraction (which yes we wanted, but not the way the district proposed it). Talk to a teacher if you don't understand what the contraction means.
Anon 6:13
I think the comments against the Union Reps are mistakenly made as a general statement. I would think that most negative comments are against Mr. Blunt. Who is the PSEA appointed “lawyer”. I do not understand why as a Union you are still allowing him to represent your Union and speak on your behalf.
I agree that it would be extremely difficult to get rid of the Union. I further agree that it would be hard to have a fair evaluation of teachers and I am not sure who should evaluate them. The most obvious would be the building Principals, but I am not sure that is always the best choice. It is more than apparent that there are teachers within this district who should have been terminated. Yet they remain because of tenure and the protection of the Union. This is a frustration that the public has felt for years and will continue to feel.
I also agree that the number of IEPs is rising and it is alarming. I further agree that this is in large part a reflection of us as parents. We will not work with our children. We will not take responsibility for their actions, performance or behavior. Unfortunately, we as parents have bullied the teachers to pass our children, tell them they are great and not allow them to be disciplined. We as parents are failing in this area. As parents our children’s education is as mush our responsibility as the schools. We must step up and become responsible. This all said, I think parents who are active and are trying against numerous odd to make our children responsible have a right to desire the best teachers who will perform.
This year the NASD has experienced some painful “experiences.” This school year has highlighted many things that are currently wrong with the Administration, Teachers and Parents of the NASD. While this has been a painful process, I would hope that maybe we can all look at ourselves and ask; “Are we doing the best we can to focus on learning, build character and shape the future of our children?
When you have a vote that is 303-4, twice, something is terribly wrong in the system. Time to ask any teacher before you make judgement. Staff sees in the inside workings and dealing. Some might just agree with you the money this nasd and board are wasted throwing away is unbelievable. I much rather see $$ go into the staff. Maybe these teachers see the that trust has been broken since admin has grown and change. They rose to be the ruler on powerful throne with not much regard to the educators only how their district looks on the outside to others. I feel if that much money and spending is being wasted on non educational classroom spending. Teachers certainly are the one who deserve more in the line of respect, benefits and salaries. Most of them do a darn good job at school and home as they educate our children. I have spent many hours volunteering and I see how most excel above and beyond. I agree with the above posting, ask a teacher about their day. Morale in the district that has been low for quite sometime now. Nasd broke down the trust. I read these blogs but many who have not posted do see the teachers reasons for feeling such as a 303-4 would prove troubles within. If they speak out there are threated to be moved, told to keep in line with the district or their jobs will be made miserable etc and has been the case for quite sometime with any issues they did not want the public to know of.
This is a changed and different nasd than what it has been years ago, a kingdom of rulers. It is sad to say but true. It is not as great as you lthink it might be. Ask where all the money is going not once but over and over.
since you brought up the subject-I agree that the great absence of parenting in our society can take responsibility for the large percentage of children with behavior &/or academic problems-and those problems become the schools ditricts expense--we have iep's (for the add adhd or sdp child or the just generally out of control kid), then we provide edk, title 1 , after school tutoring,and all other sorts of remedial programs- all at taxpayers expense- when a large portion of these type of kids spent their so called formative years with the tv on 16/7, thousands of toys littering their finished basements or day care facilities, and little or no disciplinary instruction, not to mention constructive parental interaction- then big shock they have attention problems and difficulty with impulse control-----imagine all the effort it is going to take to get those kids back on track after a strike-good grief would think it would make a teacher vote down a strike if for no other reason-
IN RESPONSE TO 6:13PM. MOST OF US PARENTS THAT YOU ARE REFERRING TO ALSO WORK FULL TIME AND HAVE HOUSE HOLDS TO RUN. WE HAVE TO WORK TO KEEP UP WITH THE RISING COST OF TAXES, HEALTH CARE, AND COST OF LIVING EXPENSES. WHY DOES IT TAKE SOMEONE WITH A COLLEGE DEGREE TO ANALYZE THE WORKINGS OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE AS TAX PAYERS WHO BY THE WAY SUPPORT YOUR SALARIES ALSO WONDER WHERE ALL THE MONEY GOES,,,AFTERALL THE SCHOOL DOESN'T SUPPLY MUCH OF ANYTHING TO THE STUDENT. EVERY YEAR WE HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES, SELL FUNDRAISERS AND PAY CLASS DUES. OUR POCKETS AREN'T SO DEEP. I HAVE HAD AN EXPERIENCE WHERE A TEACHER COMPLETELY UNDERMINDED ME AS A PARENT WHEN I WAS THE ONE SHE CALLED BECAUSE SHE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT MY DAUGHTERS GRADES. MY DAUGHTER BECAME UPSET WITH ME BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO ACCESS HER GRADES ON THE WEB SITE. WHEN THE TEACHER ASKED MY DAUGHTER WHAT SHE COULD DO TO MAKE HER APPLY HERSELF IN CLASS MY DAUGHTER RESPONDED BY SAYING SHE DIN'T LIKE THE FACT THAT I COULD ACCESS HER GRADES AND SO THE TEACHER CHANGED THE PASSWORD SO I THEN WAS UNABLE TO CHECK HER PROGRESS. I DID RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM THE TEACHER LETTING ME KNOW THIS. THE TEACHER COMPLETELY UNDERMINDED ME AS A PARENT. MY POINT IS YOU TALK ABOUT THE PARENTS BEING RESPONSIBLE AND BEING INVOLVED AND THEN YOU HAVE TEACHERS LIKE THIS WHO MAKE THESE DECISIONS WITHOUT FIRST DISCUSSING IT WITH THE PARENT. WHAT DID MY DAUGHTER LEARN FROM THIS TEACHER...THE TEACHER SHOULD HAVE TOLD MY DAUGHTER THAT I AS A PARENT HAD EVERY RIGHT TO ACCESS HER GRADES AND IF SHE DIN'T DO THE WORK REQUIRES SHE WOULD HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FAIL HER. INSTEAD THE TEACHER UNDERMINDED MY AUTHORITY AS A PARENT. I KNOW THIS IS ONLY ONE TEACHER BUT SHE DID ALOT OF DAMAGE DOING WHAT SHE DID. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ALL YOU ISSUES ARE WITH YOUR CONTRACT BUT I TOO AS A FULL TIME WORKER WHO ALSO IS PAID BY THE TAXPAYERS DON'T MAKE NEARLY YOUR SALARY, DON'T RECEIVE THE STEP RAISES AND YEARLY RAISES AND IS NOW ALSO FACED WITH PAYING HIGHER COST TORWARDS MY BENEFITS CAN TELL YOU THAT IF I WERE OFFERED THOSE STEPS AND RAISES I WOULD VOTE YES FOR THE CONTRACT. AS FAR AS WORKING AN EIGHT HOUR DAY MOST OF US DO AND MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE WORK LONGER BECAUSE THEY AREN'T PAID FOR THEIR LUNCH BREAKS AND THEY AREN'T OFF TWO MONTHS IN THE SUMMER. MAYBE THE PROBLEM MOST OF US TAX PAYERS HAVE IS THAT WE REALLY DON'T SEE WHAT ALL THE GRIPE IS ABOUT, SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE DEFINITEL AHEAD OF THE GAME. I HAVE TO WONDER HOW MANY OF YOU TEACHERS WENT FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE AND THEN TO TEACHING. MAYBE SOMEONE SHOULD DO A REALITY SHOW CALLED TRADING OCCUPATIONS AND LET THE WHITE COLLAR WORKER TRY A BLUE COLLAR JOB AND THEN LET US KNOW HOW BAD YOU HAVE IT.
In response to annon 6:13
Bravo!!!! You've it the nail on the head; RESPONSIBILITY. Some shirk it, while others ignore it and hope it goes away. Irresponsiblility is all around us. Every workplace, every body of government and certainly every school district.
I have posted on this site and subject in the past. Some of my prior posts have pointed to the need for responsibility by district officials, teachers and especially parents. We all want the best possible education for our students, but throwing dollars at the issues facing the NASD will not solve the problems, only prolong the inevitable crash.
True, classroom teachers are the grunts on the front line. They deserve to be fairly compensated for their efforts, but also be held responsible for their product. Some are good, some are bad, some don't care. When you think about it, can't the same thing be said for all three groups of people? Teachers, officials and parents.
Any business today confronts the same challenges as NASD. The difference is, the business has more freedom to make adjustments to meet those challenges. We the taxpayers suffer and pay for poor, ineffective and self serving management of the school business. Too many of the individuals involved have the ability to shape policy to benefit their own kingdoms and feed their egos. The system works for self preservation and proliferation.
Responsiblility must start at home, all of our collective homes. We are all being eaten by the monster, created and propogated by those who live, in some cases, lavish lifestyles on our collective backs.
Some interesting reading for those out there who care to have some insight into the system at work in our schools today: 'Betrayal' by Linda Chavez. We all choose to be part of the problem, or suck it up and be part of the solution.
School officials must clean house and streamline staff to achieve cost effectiveness. As well, teachers need to consider what happens when the company closes, unable to meet worker demands, and you're left with no job. (see Bethlehem Steel) Parents need to take themselves and their kids to the woodshed and stop expecting the school system to raise your kids for you. Teach them responsiblity and respect at home. School, is no more than a tool for your child to self educate.
Putting it in the venacular, shut up, wake up and grow up! The system won't change on it's own. No one seems satisfied with it except those who benefit by working it for their own good. We are all needed to make any difference. Change is not easy. It's ususally painful. The question begs to be asked, are you willing to bear the pain to change?
Clearly the opinions here are of the individuals posting and not for every person from where they live or work, but I do find a few interesting aspects to the dialog.
Specifically, anon 6:13 and I'll start with ignorance unless educated within the system, this is one of the biggest challenges we face. Teachers become administrators because they take the classes and want out of the classroom.
We encourage teachers to become better teachers by reimbursing them to take classes that they receive pay raises for (at increments) and they in turn apply these credits to degrees that move them out of the classroom where we want them to excel and put them into administrative roles they are not well prepared for.
I say not well prepared because classroom experience plus a university degree in education does not result in an MBA.
The system wants teachers in as many admin positions as possible. No offense, but these individuals have only ever been exposed to a school environment and do not have the opportunity to leverage experience from outside this "industry" to implement new ideas or best practices.
Further, it seems to be a trend that more and more younger teachers and grabbing their 30 credits for a masters and taking it in an area that allows them to move out of the classroom with less than 10 years experience.
All the while, these teachers, taking classes, receiving internal observation and internship, are doing so at the expense of their current students.
[Per anon 6:13 I don't assume the role of expert, nor do any other individuals I've interacted with on this site, most want to converse and contribute, but I have worked in an administrative capacity at NASD, have completed 15 credits of Masters level coursework in education, and am always careful, yet comfortable when posting;-)]
I agreed the union has too much money right now to change too much at this point in time, but I also agreed with the point that we need to address issues. Stopping teachers strikes is critical. I don't blame the teachers for the system, but it is their own union that has created it to benefit them. The people need to lobby to take this back. There is no reason to strike when your life is not on the line or the conditions egregious.
I'm all for the unions when they forced our country to recognize a 40 hour work week, labor laws, minimum wage, and every other benefit we enjoy, but let's face facts, with these successes, today's unions have been left with little to do but money grub. They are more looking out for themselves than for their workers, the government takes care of that for them.
And then, with anon 6:13, we get to the heart of the matter - a fair performance system.
Student performance is the metric. Without students we wouldn't need schools.
The business model of the school is student performance. The question becomes how do we measure it?
I initially bought into the argument that students didn't care about he PSSA in HS and that resulted in lower scores, until a reader did some serious analysis and found that math was dropping off at a higher rate than english.
PSSA's are good because everyone takes them, but I'd be open to metrics that considered graduation rate, PSSAs, SATs, and grade to grade improvement/decline. The latter would help identify those who push students through as well as those who inspire them.
We can determine ROI on a whole lot of things these days, I'm sure a metric could be made for student performance.
The next item, and this one was addressed by anon 10:26 and 11:15 in different ways - it related to parental responsibility.
Anon 6:13 wanted to "blame" parents for the students the teachers have to teach/deal with.
Fair assessment, the students are the children of the parents, but when teachers are paid to teach and educate (and are basing their request to be one of the highest paid districts in the area on their ability to do so, claiming kids can't read at a 5th grade level in HS college prep classes won't help your argument) don't blame IEPs and under-performance solely on parents.
This is more an issue of perpetuation of the system and bureaucracy than parenting. No one wants to be seen as a failure so they move students through until push comes to shove and then they are exposed. This is not a parental issue, it is an institutional issue. If we are doing things to please parents against the needs of the students, we are failing our students, our system, our reputation, and our taxpayers.
Alot of points, more than I can manage at this hour and give good commentary to, but needless to say at the end &/or beginning of the day, the fact is the people who are engaging this site, attending meetings, and sharing information are the ones trying to make this better for all of us - not shirking responsibility - thanks to everyone regardless of your opinion, best wishes, and happy holidays!
Anon 6:13
I don't think anyone posting on this site is claiming to be an expert in the educational system. I think we can all agree that the current system is broken and the individuals active on this site are merely throwing out ideas.
As an educator, I would hope that you are teaching our children to think 'outside of the box' as opposed to staying within the lines and sticking with the 'system' because it's too hard and expensive to change. Where would our country be today if those before us never sought out change or innovation?
It's easier for teachers to blame the parents and parents to blame the teachers. We continue in this cycle because it's too hard and expensive to change the system.
From an outsider's perspective, this situation is analogous to Bethlehem Steel's fate. Mismanagement coupled with a greedy union. The market couldn't bear it, the company no longer exists. Here we have mismanagement by the school board and the administrators coupled with a greedy union. The taxpayers cannot continue to bear it. The system is broken-- let's fix it.
I think it's very unproductive to continue to blame each other. We really are all on the same side and want the same end product-- a good quality educational system for our society. If someone has an idea that you don't personally agree with-- just recognize that they put an idea out.
To anon 6:13
I find it insulting that you think people without degrees don't have the right to comment on the ongoing debacle. Like it or not, people with or without degrees that pay taxes in this community have the RIGHT to say what they want, good or bad, about how the NAEA and administration are handling this issue.
On your point of not slamming the union reps, I don't care how good or qualified they are. Throughout this process, the public has continually been kept in the dark as to the demands of the NAEA. Only after the fact finders report was released did we get a true vision of what they are. Because you don't agree with the report, it was immediate open season on the fact finder. Personal attacks by the NAEA have become the hallmark of this contract issue.
On your point about evaluations. So it is to hard, so let's just not do it. Is that how you instruct your students? Just give up on it?
There are a number of ways to evaluate teachers. Grades and PSSA's are just one. Peer reviews can be done, administrator reviews, etc.. I worked at a company that did 360 degree reviews. That meant that everyone that was in your circle (and this could include parents in the teachers case) provided input. This helped get the true story on performance and weeded out any negatives based on personal dislikes.
As for handing out A's and teaching the PSSA, from everything I have seen, we are already there on teaching the PSSA.
As for your last statement, we would not be at this stage had the NAEA accepted what is a fair and reasonable contract in the first place, and more important, give the current state of the economy and how things work in the rest of the corporate world. The NAEA has asked for the world, but there is no give on your side. The salary increases are exceptional compared to most other places. If you want better benefits, then step up to the plate and pay for them like the rest of us, don't ask us to pay for them for you. As for contraction, yes, I think most people on this site understand it. So what. Many of us out here have experienced loss of pay/benefits due to restructuring within companies. This mentality of seniority was bred by the union system to the detriment of creating quality teachers (not all, but quite a few).
You are quick to throw blame at the parents, which I agree in some cases, but are teachers pure as the driven snow on this?
I have heard from many teachers, and it is usually just an echo of the NAEA party line.
As parents, some of us still sit on the fence as if you need to take sides. What can we do? The pssa are here for now take note how little these elem students are learning in science, room was needed for the 30-45 min practicing of pssa prompt. Between assemblies, concerts, pssa prac prompts, recess, dare, step 2, specials,lunch, etc how much is left for truly taught core academics. More and more teachers are being forced to turn away from traditional teaching to all the extras. Fine but not to take away from true subjected education. Maybe a voucher system. This is now a tug of war within the community and the more you hear it seems to boil down to a power struggle with a growing lack of trust within the system, hostility, arrogence, ingnore issues, unexplained costs, and pressure to meet the standards etc. All the good that was here seems to be going bad. What can we do as parents who want decent, highly qualified teachers to teach the core academics to our kids? Where are the parents and taxpayers at school board meeting. We closed our eyes for to long and now we need to keep them wide open for the better of the students. Maybe an overhaul is needed.
The voucher system would be a fantastic start. If I were able to take my tax dollars and go to another school district or private school with them, we would see dramatic and immediate changes in each and every district.
This would turn the tables to become a competitive market and force districts to employ only the best.
This would also bring about the demise of the PSEA/NAEA and all its incarnations, which is why the unions are fighting so hard against it.
Only then, would the districts and the teachers really respond to the taxpayers.
Could this be a way of forcing retirement. Maybe some teachers could start a science math charter school as Allentown might be doing such in the future.
All taxpayers and parents in this district should be applauding the 4 teachers who had the stones to vote their conscience. Hopefully they can stand up to the strong-arm tactics so many union hacks employ when any of their own goes against them.
My sincerest admiration goes out to these 4.
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