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1) Almost 96 Percent Underestimate Education
Spending. It's bad marketing to advise your readers to stop reading your
stuff (for a minute) and to go read something else, but I'll take the chance
because it's important.
William G. Howell and Martin R. West have written "Is
the Price Right?" for the Summer 2008 issue of Education Next.
You should read it, now. But I'm not going to be a scold about it. If you're
a cut-to-the-chase kind of reader, Howell and West helpfully provide the
essence in two sentences:
"In sum, Americans think that far less is being spent
on the nation's public schools than is actually the case. The vast majority
of the public thinks we spend amounts that can only be described as
minuscule, and almost 96 percent of the public underestimate either
per-pupil spending in their districts or teacher salaries in their states."
This sort of
misperception is not a new phenomenon, but Howell and West perform an
enormous public service by quantifying the colossal ignorance of the general
public when it comes to school spending. The worst part is that there is no
one to blame. The unions benefit most from spreading the underfunding story,
but they also routinely provide hard and accurate numbers on teacher
salaries and per-pupil spending. As do school districts. As do government
agencies. As do the press, pundits, bloggers, researchers, and writers of
every political stripe.
In short, if people are misinformed about teacher
salaries, per-pupil spending, NCLB, charter schools, or any other of a host
of well-reported education issues, it's their own fault. And we can't blame
politicians and activists for pandering to people's perceptions rather than
the objective truth. You get the government and public policy you deserve.
The Education Next piece is also timely, as EIA
continues to update its school district spending tables. Statistics are now
available for states (alphabetically) from Alabama through Illinois. They
have instant application based on the news of the day.
* In Arizona, there is a move afoot to consolidate 76
smaller districts into 27 larger districts. "Supporters say unifying the
school districts will eliminate layers of administration, free up more money
that can be spent in classrooms, and provide a more seamless education by
coordinating the curriculum used from kindergarten through high school,"
reads the story in the
Arizona Capitol Times. Except
a look at Arizona's table shows that average per-pupil spending in the
state's 10 largest school districts is $194 higher than the state average.
* In Delaware, both candidates for the Democratic
gubernatorial nomination insist
teacher layoffs will not be a part of any budget cuts. That's good news
for teachers, but it may not be practical. Between 2001 and 2006, Delaware
lost students, but
increased the size of its teaching force by almost 3.5 percent.
* In Florida, as many as
267 teachers in Okaloosa County may be non-renewed. A quick look at the
county's numbers indicate a five-year enrollment increase of 2.2 percent,
but a teacher increase of 9.76 percent.
* I'm not sure what the situation is in
Chicago, but its five-year numbers show a 3.28 percent decrease in
enrollment, and an increase in the teacher workforce of nearly 13 percent.
The tables are located at
http://www.eiaonline.com/districts.htm. District statistics for all
other states will be added over the next several weeks.
2) Signature Blocking Amnesia in Nevada.
Sometimes I just can't believe what I'm reading. I read it once, read it
again, and read it a third time, wondering if the people involved are dense,
or whether they think we're dense. Case in point, a story in this morning's
Las Vegas Sun headlined "Mischief-making
blockers are signature gatherers' bane."
The story describes a petition blocking campaign in
Nevada. The Nevada State Education Association (NSEA) is gathering
signatures to put an initiative on the ballot that would increase the
state's gaming tax from 6.75 percent to 9.75 percent. Activists opposed to
the initiative show up at signature-gathering sites and shout, argue and
attempt to dissuade potential signers.
I have always found the practice appalling. More
appalling, however, is reading that NSEA President Lynn Warne called it
"thug tactics."
The Sun, of course, doesn't delve into the irony
and hypocrisy of Warne's statement. Signature-blocking campaigns have a long
and notorious history, almost always being the work of labor unions and
their allies.
This web site ties its origin to union activists in Oregon in 2001, but
the practice goes back to at least 1993, when the California Teachers
Association utilized it in an attempt to keep a voucher initiative off the
ballot. CTA President
Del Weber rationalized it by saying, "There are some proposals that are
so evil that they should never even be presented to the voters."
One might argue that Warne could be unaware of
signature-blocking's origins. Except that the method was used by
Nevadans for Nevada two years ago in an effort to keep the Tax and
Spending Control initiative off the ballot. The group was accused of using
physical intimidation, prompting a lawsuit.
NSEA was a member of Nevadans for Nevada, donating
$25,000 to the group.
Well, you might say, that was before Warne became NSEA
president. Except the "signature" moment of Warne's tenure so far has been
her lawsuit to prevent Obama-leaning casino employees from participating in
last January's Nevada caucuses.
And then there's the little matter of NSEA's education
support affiliate and
Teamsters Local 14. Talk about glass houses and stones.
3) The Latest in District Border Enforcement:
Bounty Hunters. If you read the EIA Communiqué for more than a
couple of weeks, you're bound to come across a story about folks who regard
public school district boundaries as more inviolable than national borders (here's
a recent example).
School districts have hired investigators to determine
which kids are residents and which aren't. Many of these investigators are
former cops or detectives, and so it shouldn't surprise us that a large
number of law enforcement techniques are used. We have surveillance, tip
lines, records searches, snitches, and now, bounty hunters.
The Copley-Fairlawn school district near Akron, Ohio,
is offering
$100 rewards to rat on out-of-district students. Here's a photo of one
of the concerned citizens
about to collect his bounty.
4) Three's a Trend. It's a long, uphill battle
for non-union teacher associations in states where NEA or AFT affiliates
dominate, and victories are measured on the margins. But the
Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators has made some headway.
Following up on its 2005 decertification of the union in Bridge Creek, last
week APOE became the representative of teachers in Macomb and Dibble. That's
a total of about 150 employees, but a big accomplishment nonetheless.
5) Last Week's Intercepts. EIA's blog,
Intercepts, covered these topics from April 28-May 5:
*
Uh Oh: New Washington Teachers Union Embezzlement Accusations. The
Washington Post
picks up the story this morning, but omits the fraud allegations.
*
Another Florida Bikini Teacher Gets Axed. Move over, Erica. Here comes
Tiffany. Just keep
Jim Leyritz away from her.
*
News Breaks Slowly in Vermont. Must be the cold weather.
6)
Quote of the Week.
"All that union cares about is the teachers and educational technicians. The
bus drivers, cooks and janitors are throwing their money away." – former bus
driver John Worry, complaining about a perceived lack of representation from
the Maine Education Association. The union, however, may be justified in
keeping its distance. Click the link to read our nominee for Bizarro
Education Story of the Year. (May 2
KeepMECurrent.com) |
