Posted on 06/23/2014 4:13:32 AM PDT by Kaslin
Last week’s California superior court decision, which struck down teacher tenure law in California public schools, is good news for everyone worried about America’s future.
The decision, finding these provisions unconstitutional and discriminatory against low-income and minority students, was even applauded by Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
With the success of this lawsuit, similar suits can be anticipated around the country.
Everyone, except the teachers unions, seems to grasp that public education in America, particularly in low-income communities, suffers because of lack of competition.
The lawsuit, filed by 9 California public school students, was backed by a non-profit organization, Students Matter, founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur David Welch.
Under existing law, teachers in California public schools are tenured within 2 years.
According to testimony of Los Angeles School Superintendent John Deasy, it takes two years on average, and sometimes as long as ten years, to fire a teacher with tenure, with costs running as high as $450,000.
The overall high school graduation rate in the Los Angeles Unified School District is 67.9 percent, compared to over 80 percent nationwide. Latinos in the LA system have a graduation rate of 67.2 percent and blacks 63.9 percent.
The reaction from the California teachers unions was predictably self serving and disingenuous.
Californian Federation of Teachers President Joshua Pechthalt called the case “an anti-teacher campaign funded by wealthy individuals trying to twist education policy with their wallets….Promoted by a law firm best known for protecting corporations against environmental and workers rights litigation.”
Not quite.
One of the lead attorneys for the law firm representing the students, Ted Olson of Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher, was also lead co-counsel in the lawsuit in California challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which defined marriage in California’s state constitution as one man and one woman. The California Teachers Association poured one million dollars into the battle fighting Proposition 8.
Regarding “wealthy individuals trying to twist education policy”, what exactly does the teachers union president think that Mr. Welch cares about beyond what the name of his organization says – Students Matter?
The high-tech culture of Silicon Valley is about competition and innovation. It’s why hi-tech entrepreneurs have understood the perversity that America’s school system- where our nation’s future is formed - lacks these very characteristics that make America great.
In a 1995 interview, as part of a Smithsonian Institution project, Apple Computer co-founder, the late Steve Jobs, called the public school system a “monopoly” and said this is why “they don’t have to care.”
“What happens,” Jobs continued, “when a monopoly gets control, which is what happened (in education) in our country, is that the service level almost always goes down.”
Several years ago Rupert Murdoch, chairman of New Corp, spoke to the Foundation for Excellence in Education and recalled Steve Jobs’ commentary about education.
Murdoch observed, “…we must approach education like the way Steve Jobs approached every industry he touched. To be willing to blow up what doesn’t work or gets in the way. And to make our bet that if we engage a child’s imagination, there’s no limit to what he or she can learn.”
This is exactly what the teachers unions and the education monopoly don’t want.
It’s no accident that in 1954 34.8 percent of America’s wage and salary workers belonged to unions and today, in the private sector, it is down to 6.7 percent.
Unfortunately, America’s children and parents remain captive to unions.
But now this great court decision in California will help change this. Teachers, like Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, will only be protected by the quality of work they deliver. Otherwise, they will be gone.
Of course, teacher tenure in public schools is not the only problem. We need school choice. But this is a good start.
This is a good development.
Back in the 1970s, in a CA high school, I had a driver’s education teacher who was an alcoholic. It was rumored that he drank Irish coffee in class, which he brought in a Thermos.
His job was, of course, protected by tenure.
Two
I'm a newly elected (Nov) school board director and tonight we vote to raise or not .. taxes.
In all the literature I've received since November, there has not been one word ... NOT ONE .. about readin', ritin' n' 'rithmetic.
I HAVE attempted to read the public school assoc magazine a few times ... but for the same reason I'm not reading the Wall Street Journal about stocks and mergers and offerings ... I don't (can't) read the school mag.
EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE IS ABOUT MONEY AND THE "PROBLEM" OF TEACHERS' PENSIONS !!!
How much is one plus one ?
Two
So my vote tonight is a no because we'd be voting to raise my and my neighbors taxes to fund a teacher's pension and not provide a penny towards education.
As much as I love Star, even HER article has nothing to do with the title of her column ...
... because education is digesting one plus one to the point you can algorithm the vernacular of the hypothesis of a hypotenuse, get a good paying job and provide for the furtherance and betterment of yourself and America ... not finance a teacher's retirement.
nor provide band uniforms, nor build a new gym because the older one is out of date, nor replace the old AC, nor ....
When they bring up the subject of new text books, I'll read each one cover to cover before voting ..... it's how I got through school ...
I brought my books home and actually read them in the bathroom (yep ... I'm full of it ... always was ... ), so when it came time for me to study and do a paper on chapter ten, I glanced at it and got a B.
I actually educated myself in the bathroom because Miss Baron taught me to read and lovr it.
How much is one plus one ?
Two
And until they change THAT or decide it is no longer needed ... the answer is no ... we don't need any more money
for
education.
You...are a GREAT AMERICAN!
In my opinion .... THAT is education ... teach kids to read and write (or print .. it's moot, imo) and then each class is a book about that subject.
I recognize the problem to be cultural ... we were readers and kids today are watchers ... but that doesn't mean we can't force ... yep I said it ... force kids to read.
California teachers are the greediest bunch of failures at what they do to ever walk the earth.
There is the occasional conscientious teacher but they are becoming more rare each year.
Smoke screen?- to be able to fill the schools with teachers that won’t object to Common Core?
Getting rid of tenure - which never should of been - is good...but I smell a rat, especially as it comes from Calif.
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