Today’s paper was a plethora of news about education. Having read the article carefully the following points require addressing with a particular focus on the teachers union.
Back in 1978 the teachers went on strike. Schools were closed. The hell with the children, graduation, sports, etc. They were going to make a point and they did.
That was then. Now look at today:
1. The Red Clay teachers union want the profession of educator to be just that; a profession. Fine with me. Yet the Red Clay school district has allowed TFA – teach for America – to place teachers in jobs with no education credentialing like the union feels is necessary to be professional. So does this mean the Red Clay school district feels credentials are worthless? You now have non credentialed people doing the same job as the credentialed people. I wonder how the non credentailed people are faring? Furthermore, I wonder why on earth didn’t the teachers strike to make their point. From the unions perspective the fox is in the hen house and all they are doing is creating a hullaballoo. This is exactly why the fox is there in the first place because management knew they’d only get a hullaballo. This is why new teachers will becoming from places TFA.
2. DSEA endorsed Jack and union dues went to support Jack yet all Jack does for them is nothing. If the GOVERNOR said no TFA teacher’s there’d be none. But he hasn’t and he won’t because TFA is in bed with RTTT. Now that DE is getting 100 MILLION dollars Jack could care less about the union being mad. After he figures what other choice will DSEA have 2012.
3. Finally the union teachers need to b asking themselves whose got their back. The Red Clay district brings rookies who got a miniscule amount of training and basically told the credentialed teachers, “oh well”; their own Governor is singing ”I’m in the money” and again “oh well” and their own union merely creates a hullaballoo.
Just wait this is the beginning of the slow dismantling of the teachers union.
No offense to the fine TFA teachers but Red Clay’s former super signed a deal with TFA for $300,000.00 over and above TFA salaries and benefits. This money is to be used for recruitment and professional development. see page 29 contract http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/boardmeetings0809/FullAgendas0809/BoardAgendaMay2009.pdf
The Red Clay board was unaware of this contract becuase super said vendor was a sole source provider. However, not the case because The New Teacher Project does the same and better. TNTP recruits long term permanent teachers not revolving door teachers. Whatever happen to required bid process?
Red Clay has a HR department that should be hiring best suited teachers. Red Clay has a professional development program that TFAs who are “district” employees must attend.
Three year contract for two years TFA committment!!!! Why ? Because the third year was setting the stage to expand the TFA program in Red Clay
Some of that money is being used to help TFA with continuing Ed at Wilmington University . Wilmington University you say? yea, doesn’t someone in Red Clay have an assoication with WU?
No let’s not forget the $9400.00 each TFA with recieve via AmeriCorp federal program that goes towards student loans or future college tuition.
So factor the $9400.00 x 6 Red Clay TFAs and $300,000.00 divided by 6 Red Clay TFAs on top of salaries and benefits and tell me this all make sense?
Board member said TFAs are bing paid with federal district grant monies! and “only” federal money. Doesn’t the federal government collect taxes from local Delaware taxpayers? Also, the Title 1 laws required teahers teaching Title 1 student to be highly qualifed in subject matter. How does a non educator major walk into a school highly qualified?
If there were ever a time the union could be right about somethng, it’s about this!
Almost forgot, here is something interesting about AmeriCorp
http://kilroysdelaware.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/obama-fires-inspector-general-for-doing-his-job/
http://kilroysdelaware.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/ask-jack-markell-about-gerald-walpin/
As a rule I’m pro merit shop but DSEA has given away just about everything and gotten nothing in return.
Back in 1978 the teachers went on strike. Schools were closed. The hell with the children, graduation, sports, etc. They were going to make a point and they did.
Do you know what the “point” was which led to their strike?
Hube – I’ll take a shot…having to dig into my memory banks, which included 4th grade at Mary C I Williams (now the Adams Four Shopping Center), a school with more broken windows than not-broken….
OK, the issue was it was a CONSOLIDATED district (into a single county district) comprised of four or five “areas,” that weakly represented supposed autonymous operations (NOT). The problem was, none of the salaries were reconfigured to like levels. In other words, a teacher who could have been teaching, say in what is now Appoquinimink back in the early-70′s for a relatively LOW salary could have suddenly found him-herself teaching next to a former Wilmington district teacher who had been making two-to-three times as much, but for the same, exact job and experience. So, in 1978, post-consolidation, they very well could then be at the same school, teaching the same grade, have the same experience, with the same accolades, etc., but have a salary disparity that wasn’t even respectable enough to be considered a joke.
That is my guess, and I will call final-answer, without a lifeline.
To add commentary for all those who are pro-consolidation, especially to those who can’t look beyond a piece of paper with bullet-points, this is one of the issues that must be addressed before consolidation could ever happen. That and many others. I am actually for modified version of consolidation, but far from the popular impression of it.
Dang it…autonomous, not autonymous. I blame 70′s consolidation.
murray schwartz, scumbag supreme, screwed us all.
Before bussing in 1978 the college attendance rate for kids at Wilmington High was 50%. Today the drop out rate for city kids is 60%.
Lets hear it for liberal social engineering.
Education in Delaware is a bad dream where institutions trump students every day. More money is always the answer for a dysfunctional structure.
The school district model is broken and serves no purpose.
Schools are not important-students are.
Teachers should be able to bargain for pay and benefits but every classroom should have a teacher with a degree in the subject they are teaching.
Principals should be driving education excellence not reacting to bureaucrats and mandates.
We keep putting rebuilt engines in a jalopy which is past due for the junkyard.
Federal dollars are like payday loans.
Mike Protack