June 23, 2009
Where the Confidence is Truly Lacking
... is referenced, in fact, by National Education Association Executive Director John I. Wilson in yesterday's 7 to 7 ProJo News Blog report about the teachers' "no confidence" vote in the School Committee.
Our goals are basic and universal - to protect the rights of employees and defend quality public education.
Undoubtedly, most individual teachers in the East Providence school system do their best to deliver "quality education". If, however, this were a goal shared by Mr. Wilson's organization, wouldn't there be some mention of student achievement or teacher merit in the contact [PDF] negotiated by the East Providence affiliate of the NEA with the City of East Providence? In fact, that contract is bereft of all such language or any mention of the provision of a quality public education to East Providence children.
It is much easier to have confidence in a purported goal when it is memorialized in writing instead of verbally trotted out on certain very limited occasions.
These unions are blind or simply do not care of the financial problem the whole country is in. The unions say it's all about the children, but if that was the case it would be reflected in the contracts.
The reason the EP teachers union is pitching a fit is they don't have the school committee they are used to. School committees of the past did whatever the unions told them to without consideration of how to pay for it. If the Ethics Commission had been around for the last couple of decades, they would have been able to stop the conflicted school committees, who were mostly retired school teachers, secretaries, and administrators for putting us where we are today.
Our buildings are falling apart, we a technology poor, and we are running out of supplies and programs due to the money going into benefits and hefty checks.
It's not about the children. It's about adult entitlements. Various local and national tests prove it, we can bearly compete with the third world.
Posted by: kathy at June 23, 2009 3:09 PMexactly right, monique.
this little fact was a big factor in turning me off to public education way back when my children reached school age. when i mentioned including even the school district's vision in the contract and linking provisions to that vision, people looked at me like I was crazy.
Posted by: davidc at June 23, 2009 3:26 PMDid anyone expect that Wilson would have any more credibility than his local Mini-Me's Bob Walsh and Pat Crowley?
Teachers unions have the same regard for "quality public education" as Superman does for Kryptonite.
Posted by: Tom W at June 23, 2009 3:55 PM