Speaking of saying the quiet part out loud... Choiceworld, like other reformster movements, has always included a healthy dose of anti-union and anti-teacher sentiment, and there's nothing like a teacher strike to bring that out. Massachusetts is an anti-strike state, so the recent Newton strike referenced in the op-ed was seen as doubly-naughty by folks who want teachers to just behave themselves and take what they're offered.
Sarcasm alert. So, if teacher didn’t have unions that always win would they be paid like professionals with similar experience and educational qualifications? Would they be rich like doctors?
Newton is a quite affluent, near-in suburb of Boston. Of course, there are no charters located in the town, given that there are no "failing" schools and parents who want choice either go private or religious - and can afford the freight. The median household income is about $176,000 and median value of a home is about $1.1 million.
Nearly 98% of teachers authorized the strike and negotiations had gone on for 10 months before teachers walked out of their schools. The union had begun a campaign for a new contract 6 months in advance of talks - so 16 months in total.
That the union was forced onto the streets for eleven days is a testament to the shortsightedness of the mayor and her negotiating team. At the end, the pay argument came down to about $1500 per year per teacher. Student support paraprofessionals will see their starting salaries go from $28,270 to $36,778. In Massachusetts, that's not close to a living wage, not when the average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment is $2500. Certainly, none of them can afford to live in Newton, where rentals are scarce and single family homes abound, due to restrictive housing laws.
Teacher strikes are illegal in MA, and the union's fines total north of $700,000. Nonetheless, we've had 4-5 strikes in the last few years because teachers just see no alternative to a lack of services kids that need and pay scales that don't allow educators to provide for their own families. The MTA, the local's NEA state affiliate, has a referendum pending that would legalize strikes. I doubt legalizing strike actions would increase their incidence. Teachers don't even like to "work to rule" and when strike actions end they must make up missed days, forfeiting scheduled vacations or extending the school year to do so. Knowing that teachers could walk off their jobs without facing punitive fines might just get school committees to negotiate in good faith more quickly, though.
A good manager is one who is able to remove obstacles that make the work more difficult. A school board is -- in essence -- the manager of the faculty through the superintendent. If the students are not successful, the ultimate flaw is with a board of directors who do not hold the superintendent responsible for the kinds of problems that lead to strikes.
Sarcasm alert. So, if teacher didn’t have unions that always win would they be paid like professionals with similar experience and educational qualifications? Would they be rich like doctors?
Newton is a quite affluent, near-in suburb of Boston. Of course, there are no charters located in the town, given that there are no "failing" schools and parents who want choice either go private or religious - and can afford the freight. The median household income is about $176,000 and median value of a home is about $1.1 million.
Nearly 98% of teachers authorized the strike and negotiations had gone on for 10 months before teachers walked out of their schools. The union had begun a campaign for a new contract 6 months in advance of talks - so 16 months in total.
That the union was forced onto the streets for eleven days is a testament to the shortsightedness of the mayor and her negotiating team. At the end, the pay argument came down to about $1500 per year per teacher. Student support paraprofessionals will see their starting salaries go from $28,270 to $36,778. In Massachusetts, that's not close to a living wage, not when the average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment is $2500. Certainly, none of them can afford to live in Newton, where rentals are scarce and single family homes abound, due to restrictive housing laws.
Teacher strikes are illegal in MA, and the union's fines total north of $700,000. Nonetheless, we've had 4-5 strikes in the last few years because teachers just see no alternative to a lack of services kids that need and pay scales that don't allow educators to provide for their own families. The MTA, the local's NEA state affiliate, has a referendum pending that would legalize strikes. I doubt legalizing strike actions would increase their incidence. Teachers don't even like to "work to rule" and when strike actions end they must make up missed days, forfeiting scheduled vacations or extending the school year to do so. Knowing that teachers could walk off their jobs without facing punitive fines might just get school committees to negotiate in good faith more quickly, though.
A good manager is one who is able to remove obstacles that make the work more difficult. A school board is -- in essence -- the manager of the faculty through the superintendent. If the students are not successful, the ultimate flaw is with a board of directors who do not hold the superintendent responsible for the kinds of problems that lead to strikes.