more power to Payzant--he'll need it. I am generally pretty union-positive but the teachers' contract, from what I understand of it, is a relic of another time.
At the same time though, it's pretty counterintuitive to demand that schools be improved and then slash school budgets so that 900 teachers are laid off.
I guess the moral of the story is that the state of public education is a big fat mess.
the teachers' unions are in a very special class by themselves, a pretty unbelievable one sometimes. they're also barely interested in hiding the fact that they don't really care at all about school performance or the kids who are suffering because of them.
did you know that they've protested/boycotted/pressured _private_ businesses who have created scholarships to fund private school for poor kids in failing public school systems? they don't just want to stop state-sanctioned school choice - they don't want anyone to be able to break down their control.
I just finished reading Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice which is by a parent from the NYC public school system who's been involved with this stuff for years. It's incredible - and _his_ kids went to the _good_ public schools there.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2003-08-14 08:41 am (UTC)At the same time though, it's pretty counterintuitive to demand that schools be improved and then slash school budgets so that 900 teachers are laid off.
I guess the moral of the story is that the state of public education is a big fat mess.
no subject
Date: 2003-08-14 08:50 am (UTC)did you know that they've protested/boycotted/pressured _private_ businesses who have created scholarships to fund private school for poor kids in failing public school systems? they don't just want to stop state-sanctioned school choice - they don't want anyone to be able to break down their control.
I just finished reading Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice which is by a parent from the NYC public school system who's been involved with this stuff for years. It's incredible - and _his_ kids went to the _good_ public schools there.