Leslie
Brody’s recent articles, Teachers in Limbo and Accord
Nears for Teachers, discuss Mayor Bill de Blasio’s negotiations with
NYC's United Federation of Teachers. Teachers in Limbo outlines
the frustration of unemployed teachers who are continuing to receive
full salaries ($75,937) and full benefits but are forced to work as substitute
teachers. A substitute's salary in my town, if one works every day which is
rare, is$11,500 per year. And there is no paid sick leave, no health insurance,
no retirement and no paid summers off! The frustrated teachers
aren't in Limbo; they are in La La Land! In America today, there are
millions unemployed, underemployed and millions more outside the
workforce. Among recent college graduates, unemployment stands at
10.9%. Of those who find work, more than 40% are in jobs that
require no college degree, more than 20% are working only part time and 20% are
in low-wage jobs. These individuals have a right to be
frustrated! In Accord Nears for Teachers, Mayor de Blasio is
forcing teachers in the pool to take jobs when they open. How many
unemployed people would love to be paid $80,000+ per year to substitute teach
while waiting for a job opportunity? And the UFT views this as a concession?
Another
negotiating point is healthcare. The United Federation of Teachers is a chapter of the American Federation of
Teachers (AFT). The AFT spent $1.9 million on the election of
President Barack Obama in 2008. The union passionately advocated for Obamacare,
but the UFT is the largest beneficiary of a waiver from one of the provisions
of the healthcare law! One UFT leader said of the healthcare
concessions de Blasio wants them to make, “They are trying to shove this deal
down our throats!” Well, Obamacare was shoved down my throat and the throats of
the rest of America! The AFT and Mayor Bill de Blasio supported Obama and
supported Obamacare. Therefore, all the teachers should be sent to
the exchanges to purchase their healthcare without any special
waivers or privileges! Those who talk the talk should be willing to walk the
walk!
As
for negotiating for change in teacher evaluations by reducing criteria on a
checklist? The evaluations aren't the problem. The problem is that the
evaluations have no power. What can be done to remove a unionized, tenured
teacher who consistently fails evaluations? Remove the teacher from the
classroom and continue him or her on full salary while floating in the
Limbo Pool? And blaming the teachers for all the problems that exist in public
schools is unfair and counterproductive. The problems are systemic. Solving them
will require creativity, courage and the cooperation of administrators,
teachers, unions, parents, politicians and the business community. Maybe,
a good starting point might be to look at what appears to be working. On the
same day she outlined the pact between the city and its teachers, Leslie Brody
reported, Record Number of Students Apply to Charter Schools. “the
city’s 198 public charter schools found they received 212,500 applications, up
from 181,600 last year, with students seeking slots at an average of three
charters at a time.” Parents are desperate for alternatives to a subpar
public school system. The city may be nearing a pact with its teachers; but its
pact with its public school students, a promise of an education that will
prepare them for the challenges of the twenty-first century, is far from being
kept. A new course for public schools needs to be chartered!
Mary M. Glaser
Simsbury, CT
