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Don't worry once the "job-less" recovery doesn't materialize, and the federal stimulis printing press monopoly money runs out, there will be some big service cuts coming along with steep tax increases to pay for those sweetheart deals made in the past. There will be a new flavor of kool aid coming for school board members and politicians in the next 1-2 years....
Growing up in a city, it was well known that the city was offering "war pay" to teachers who agreed to teach in the inner city "bad" schools.
No one had to be "connected" to a teacher to know this term - it's common knowledge.
I didn't grow up in a city and I where I went to school nobody needed war pay.
Don't worry once the "job-less" recovery doesn't materialize, and the federal stimulis printing press monopoly money runs out, there will be some big service cuts coming along with steep tax increases to pay for those sweetheart deals made in the past. There will be a new flavor of kool aid coming for school board members and politicians in the next 1-2 years....
Well, they can just raise the real estate taxes to keep the teachers and administrators in ever-increasing raises and pensions that yield a minimum of 8% per annum, right?
As long as THAT goes well and stays in line, why should anyone worry? So the kids will get even less crumbs from the budget.
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There is a well-known phenomenon in teaching called "war-pay." You pay a premium to get someone worth his or her salt to leave their cute little town to venture into or even remain in the Hempstead school district.
Many many years ago in NYC, these schools were known as the "600" schools because the city paid the teachers an extra $600. to teach in one of them.
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People may not recall what you said to them, but they will always remember how you made them feel .
You seem a lot different back then and more able to see the other side of the story (as in the taxpayer's side). What made you change?
I don't like anyone being more conservative than me. I used to be a Republican until I moved to Florida. I'd rather live in a broke Illinois than a flush Florida. I lived in both. Once you start down that rode, embracing cuts and smaller government, you end up, by my estimate, with states like West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, or Florida. The problem with these states is that the ethic of anti-distribution is concretized - there's no budging it. The result is that poor kids get horrible schools and rich kids get wonderful schools.
Florida has very high poverty, and is estimated to have the worst dropout rate in the country (the state won't keep that record - its estimated by third parties). Yet it has several of the richest zip codes in the country.
This causes me to worry about how we address the true cause of the problem without attacking each other (middle-class against middle-class). Attacking teachers is stupid. Criticizing unions for doing what they do - ensuring the wealth of their segment of the working class - hurts everybody.
The true cause of the problem is corporations influencing government. Their job is to increase profits. Once they take up as much of the market as they can, they try to widen margins or buy up competitors. Increasing margin means beating up on and demonizing labor - the people who make the money for them. The people credited with increasing productivity year after year. The people who accept equal or lower wages annually since 1970 (adjusted for inflation). People who go bankrupt because they go to the doctor, and meanwhile have millionaires convince them that we have "the greatest healthcare in the world." People who willingly work more than 50 hours per week, see their kids and spouses less often than their parents, and then are told by philandering conservatives about "family values."
When I made the comment you cited, I had a problem with a bond issue - not teachers unions. I would advise teachers unions to tread carefully right now, but I won't demonize them.
By the way, I'm not the husband of a teacher. My wife couldn't break through the cronyism in the Long Island teaching system and the arcane accreditation requirements. She's back at school learning a new professional. Despite all that, I won't demonize the teachers union.
The problem is so far beyond the Long Island education system. By extending our political horizons, we can see better who and what is really behind our present problems.
I was challenging your assumption that all or most of the school board members who rubberstamped things in the past for unions are out of office as incorrect and also challenging your assertion that "newbies" are automatically a disaster on school boards.
I never said the current board members of my school board are bad. I actually think they've done a lot more to save us money than what is going on in many districts. However, they are still drinking that union koolaid.
Also, how can I have nothing but a majority bad view of the way these things are run in general when many school boards made "faux employees" out of their privately employed labor attorneys so that these attorneys could illegally and fraudulently get pensions and benefits from NYS for life after retirement? There has been too much outrageous playing of fast and loose with the taxpayers' money for decades. If you expect that nobody should dare be angry about that and the way the taxpayers are treated in general, then I don't know what to tell you.
I wasn't discussing board members who rubberstamped union wishes - I was discussing board members in general, who don't all last long enough to even participate in a teacher's union negotiation! And I never stated that "newbies" are automatically a disaster - only that it is a good thing to have some on the board who have the knowledge and history to guide any newbies. The current "vote out all the incumbents" movement is what I was addressing, as that is stupid without knowing how well the incumbent did their job!
No, there were only a FEW boards who "hired" their school lawyers as employees illegally. And I would dare say that some didn't do their homework before making that move - meaning they didn't know any better and were assured by the attorney that it was all right and others do it!!!
Please don't take my statements here and twist them into some contorted view that is way off base! I am not the extremist here. I realize, through experience in these matters, that a few boards run business poorly. I also feel that most boards going back decades weren't thinking about how their actions then would affect our finances in the districts now. I never said or made any type of comment about you not being allowed to be angry about how things have turned out. I do like to offer some perspective on these issues though. Not all boards, teachers and districts are as bad as you make them out to be. I hate the use of the word "ALL"!
I wasn't discussing board members who rubberstamped union wishes - I was discussing board members in general, who don't all last long enough to even participate in a teacher's union negotiation! And I never stated that "newbies" are automatically a disaster - only that it is a good thing to have some on the board who have the knowledge and history to guide any newbies. The current "vote out all the incumbents" movement is what I was addressing, as that is stupid without knowing how well the incumbent did their job!
No, there were only a FEW boards who "hired" their school lawyers as employees illegally. And I would dare say that some didn't do their homework before making that move - meaning they didn't know any better and were assured by the attorney that it was all right and others do it!!!
Please don't take my statements here and twist them into some contorted view that is way off base! I am not the extremist here. I realize, through experience in these matters, that a few boards run business poorly. I also feel that most boards going back decades weren't thinking about how their actions then would affect our finances in the districts now. I never said or made any type of comment about you not being allowed to be angry about how things have turned out. I do like to offer some perspective on these issues though. Not all boards, teachers and districts are as bad as you make them out to be. I hate the use of the word "ALL"!
I think you are complicating the negotiation process too much, The school board knows what the budget is and should know what taxpayers will tolerate. They need to give critical guidance to the negotiators on the big ticket critical items to the budget. If they indicate they will not tolerate more than a 1% COLA and a 25% employee donation to the health plan for the next contract then that is the bottom line. There are 40 to 60 pages in a contract but the critical items are the salary and benefits.
If the school boards accept the status quo they need to be put on notice
that a budget failure wil be their responsibility, not the taxpayers. The taxpayers did not agree to these increases, the school board did.
I would not rejoice in the fact that 92% of the budgets passed in many cases by a few hundred votes. There is a good deal of anger out and it will most definitely come ot ahead next year.
I'm not intending on complicating anything, just explaining what goes into the process of negotiations.
My argument is that there are too many "taxpayers" who don't bother to come to board meetings to see what is happening with budgets, and a majority of taxpayers who never bother to vote. Those people are shirking their responsibility to the community and thus shouldn't be allowed to complain when things don't go the way they want. They have a voice, they chose not to use it. Period.
School boards represent not only the taxpayers but the students and the employees as well. It's a hard balancing act sometimes, and one that usually leaves someone angry. While I understand your argument that the boards are the ones who made the salary increases, it is up to those who elected the board members to make their opinions known well ahead of time. It only takes a few phone calls or FOIL requests to get the needed information.
Seriously, is that asking too much? And please don't give me the old excuse of "people have jobs" or "people can't get out at night". Honestly, plenty of people do, and they make the time for the things that are important.
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