Intercepts
A listening post monitoring public education and teachers’ unions.

Last week, Rick Hess declared, “It’s time to banish the phrase, ‘It’s for the kids’,” even going so far to abbreviate it (“IFTK”).

On Wednesday, NEA issued an overwrought press release about the federal government’s televised health care kabuki play headlined, “NEA calls on summit participants to do the right thing for America’s children” to coincide with a print and radio ad campaign with the same message. 

“This is a critical time in America’s history,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “Our leaders have a unique opportunity to put politics aside and address the nation’s urgent need for quality, affordable health care.”

Yep, NEA is suggesting we put politics aside.

The education reform crowd and many in the charter school movement were understandably disappointed that the Los Angeles Board of Education decided to turn over 22 of 30 campuses to teachers (read: UTLA) instead of outside organizations.

“We think it’s a victory for students and the collaboration between teachers and parents and administrators,” said A.J. Duffy, president of UTLA. “The world is going to see what we’ve been saying all along: Give the authority to teachers and we will create quality schools.”

As in the case of the UFT Charter School, Duffy will find it isn’t all cakes and ale being the boss, but I believe most of us would really like to see the schools succeed.

Joe Williams, executive director of the Democrats for Education Reform, is the creator of the “Anti-Crap Doctrine.” The text has been lost, but it states that despite our differences, we can all agree that crappy schools are crappy, it’s unacceptable to allow them to continue to be crappy, and something must be done to make them less crappy. Whatever works is to be applauded.

It doesn’t mean anyone involved must abandon his or her general principles. The political and policy battles will continue. The white hats will still blame the black hats. But if some kids in New York City and Los Angeles end up getting a better education in a union-run school than they otherwise would have, that’s a good thing for them and ultimately, for us.

Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber is seeking the Democratic nomination for his old job in the 2010 election. His proposal for public education funding is unique, if a little vague.

He says what’s important is making actual changes to our current system, not simply perpetuating it by increasing the schools’ budget. “You have to be funding the right system,” Kitzhaber says. “Funding is important, but funding the right program is more important.” Kitzhaber says that if elected he plans to implement funding based on performance, not enrollment. “To get more money,” Kitzhaber says, “you need to make a case for why and where you need the money.” This model of performance-based funding will, according to Kitzhaber, make the system more transparent and allow for investments towards clear objectives.

The reporter notes that the idea will probably not sit well with the Oregon Education Association. Ya think?

It was the best of times…

…it was the worst of times.

Click here to read:

1) How Much Attention Should We Pay to AFT?

2) Last Week’s Intercepts

3) Quote of the Week

Last week the Albuquerque Journal editorialized that the state legislature’s budget plans were too heavy on the tax increases and too light on the spending cuts. This so outraged AFT New Mexico it issued a press release announcing “more than 200 teachers and school employees have told the union they will drop their subscription to the paper because of the editorial.”

Leaving aside the question of why you call your union when you’re dropping your newspaper subscription, it’s good to know that at least in some aspects of American life you can take your business elsewhere when you’re not satisfied with a product or service. If the real world were run like the world of public education and the disgruntled AFT New Mexico members decided to buy a rival newspaper every morning, they would still have to pay for the Albuquerque Journal, even if they didn’t read it. That way, readers wouldn’t be able to “divert essential resources” from the Journal.

So we congratulate those members of AFT New Mexico who have learned that removing your money is a legitimate way of expressing disapproval. Hopefully, as the Journal opined, state legislators will also see the value of that method.

Difficult to track down basic information on this, but evidently Teamsters Local 214 is trying to oust the incumbent NEA-affiliated union representing education support employees in the South Lyon Community Schools in Michigan.

The representation election will be held on March 2. South Lyon has more than 7,000 students. I can’t find figures on classified staff, but with 383 teachers it suggests the district employs somewhere around 300 support workers.