Breaking News From Wisconsin...

A statement from Mary Bell, President of the Wisconsin Education Association Council(WEAC)

Tonight, Senate and Assembly Republicans pushed forward an extreme power grab with an unconscionable maneuver that split collective bargaining off from the fiscal items in the budget repair bill – rigging an 18-to-1 vote in the Senate. The Assembly will vote tomorrow.

This is heart wrenching and unconscionable – and we won’t back down. For weeks our members have pushed forward with aggressive advocacy to have their voices heard about the need to protect their rights. We’ve won the battle in the court of opinion – and we’ve exposed the truth behind Governor Walker and Legislative Republican’s motives.

I know this isn’t over. We are outraged, hurt and betrayed – but he will not break us.

I ask Wisconsin’s educators to be at work tomorrow as we coordinate with the Labor Coalition to determine next steps to make the voices of Wisconsin workers heard. This includes legal avenues, preparations for this weekend’s rally and recall efforts.

In talking about this, my message is that this isn’t what Democracy looks like and this won’t stop us from fighting for what’s right.

Mary Bell is correct. Democracy should not look like this.

No Sale

Tim Summers, RCEA vice-president recently shared his thoughts on the current state of education with the VEA Journal. Maybe one day, we will publish the actual whole piece where Tim told it more like it is.

No Sale

Why a school can't be run like a business.

by Tim Summers

This just in—public schools are to be run like businesses. Hallelujah! Finally, a model that will save failing schools, motivate apathetic students and teachers, and catapult America’s educated citizenry to the top of the world’s list of overachievers.

Just one problem: Schools are not now, nor have they ever been, remotely like a business. The business model cannot be made to fit the art and science of education. The process of awakening the mind and nurturing the growing intellect and natural curiosity of the student fares not at all well in a numbers-based business environment.

Students learn at different rates and, by nature, become prepared to receive information cognitively at different times. Given these real variables, and our emphasis on testing, only superficial understanding of concepts can be attained. In fact, only superficial understanding of concepts is required under the law. Which brings me to the point: Education is a process so dependent upon such a diversity of variables that the word “business” should be anathema to anyone associated with it.

This is the way I used to see it: Education cannot be seen as a business and cannot be subjected to the mechanics of applied business philosophy because education, as a system, is not designed to turn out a product with any degree of uniformity. Nor should this ever be its goal. That’s what businesses are for.

A business manufactures or markets a product which is economically produced and by its nature, therefore, exactly like or very similar to products of the same function. As long as similar models, be they Chevys, mouse pads or insurance policies, are produced and sold to consumers, everyone is happy and successful. In fact, theoretically, the longer a company is in business, the better it becomes at producing uniformity.

In education, there is no uniformity in product. If we consider the product of education to be an adequately educated student, we find that the raw materials required to produce it are so dissimilar that each individual unit is a different product altogether. A human being is a thinking, feeling, dynamic organism. Each child comes to education with different cognitive, emotional, social and economic resources. To expect each unit produced to possess the same attributes is ludicrous—not to mention the fact that I think most of us would agree that we expect and indeed celebrate differences among people.

Like I said, that’s the way I used to see it. Lately I have come to see things somewhat differently. The way the business model is actually being applied today is quite a different story. The product under this model is not the student: It is a score. The score determines the success of the business. A score fits much more easily into the concept of uniformity of product than does a human being. Very little consideration is given to individual circumstances and qualities of the raw materials. Bauxite makes aluminum, therefore children’s sub-cranial electro-fatty matter makes a score.

Let’s take this a little further. If the student is no longer the product, what is she? She is the employee. Her job is to produce the score. She works for the teacher who, in this analogy, is like a middle manager of a company, responsible for the productivity of the workers under him and beholden to the executives above him. The teacher could be rewarded lavishly if his team delivers an excellent product or, conceivably, be sanctioned or lose his job if productivity falls.

Now in the real business world, the middle manager assembles his own team of workers through the interviewing and hiring process and can fire employees who are hurting his team’s productivity. A teacher cannot do this, but must soldier on, seeking a way to reach every student, keeping all together in a protective, nurturing work environment, and never giving up on a single one.

There are, of course, other reasons why business and education don’t mix. Recently I heard it said concerning the preponderance of paperwork teachers are experiencing that, “You’re just getting a taste of what we in business have always done.” Poppycock! This extra work requires teachers who, by the way, are already working far in excess of their contracted hours out of a sense of responsibility (and for free), to put even more hours into the job, to the further neglect of their families and personal lives. Unfortunately, since there are only 24 hours in each day, students may begin to suffer as preparation time for their lessons and time for remediation opportunities fall victim to time spent by the teacher in test analysis and test administration itself.

When businesspeople put in extra hours, it’s usually to curry favor with one’s superiors, seek a promotion, or get some other purely materialistic reward. Businesspeople with comparable levels of education or even less than that of teachers, are as a rule given paid vacation and bonuses. Teachers are not paid for their “time off,” commonly viewed as vacation time. Actually, teachers are not paid for any time beyond their contracted hours spent in the school building. I have to work a couple of other jobs all year just to survive while supporting a family of four. I defy you to find a business professional who would be motivated to pursue a career with these excellent benefits.

While corporations typically sponsor trips, conventions, seminars and other training opportunities for their employees, teachers are often required to dip into their own pockets to pay for mandated training for license renewal. Some are forced to resort to the use of credit cards and other high-debt instruments in order to fulfill these obligations.

By the way, I realize that there are exceptions. There are people in business who are not rewarded in the aforementioned ways and there are teachers—not many—who refuse to work beyond the particulars of their contract.

But teachers do not teach for the money. Certainly not in Virginia, where in the 7th most prosperous state in the nation, teachers are paid near the bottom of the salary rankings among states. Teaching is done in service to society in general and to our communities specifically. Teaching is a service occupation and as such it once again does not fit the corporate model. Teachers ask for little in return for this service: Only that they be given the opportunity to teach as they know best how to do, that their students be successful in a variety of ways, and that they be afforded a modicum of the respect that they richly deserve.

As public support for education dwindles, as the media portray our schools as if they are all failing – it is always the schools that are failing, not the children, their parents or our society – teachers struggle to maintain their composure in the classroom, their morale in general and their love for their chosen profession. It’s a battle that, sadly, many of us seem to be losing.

Summers, vice president of the Roanoke County Education Association, teaches second grade at Oak Grove Elementary School.

Jobs, Roads, Transportation and Overall Government Reform

[Unsanctioned Commentary]

Your Governor spoke with Bob Gibson on WVTF this past Tuesday, Febraury 1. I heard his lecture while on my way home from parent/teacher conferences around 7:30pm.

One of Governor McDonnell's first callers was a teacher in higher education (perhaps in the community college network). She was letting the Governor know that higher education instructors had been frozen out of any recent wage increases. (Listen around the 11 minute mark)

The Governor apparently misinterpreted the caller's background and launched into a long VRS lecture.

He volunteered that the State of the Commonwealth did not allow him the opportunity to speak about the plight of K-12 teachers. Then he went right to VRS.

It's $17.6 billion underfunded. By 2014, it will be funded at 61% (bad news). He claimed that he will try to get it fixed, and he will not pass the problem along to the next Governor. He said that "IOU" the truth. Teachers currently pay NOTHING (his emphasis) and with "a little bit of sacrifice to pay a little bit more" he can right the VRS ship.


It was at that point that I began hurling expletives at the North Lake Drive hill. I'm sorry. The hill shouldn't have had to hear that sort of language coming out of my mouth; neither should my car nor neighbors.

The fact is that the REASON the VRS program is in jeopardy is that the State KNOWINGLY and WILLFULLY starved then robbed the system.

The "reforms" that the Governor supports, which would basically turn VRS into a "Defined Contribution" program, would NOT address the short funding issue. What needs to happen is for the Commonwealth to partake on a path to restore their advised JLARC contributory levels over the next twenty or so years. If they do that, the program would have NO solvency problems.

Which brings me to "just a little sacrifice"....

Why is it that I, a public school teacher for the past 29 years, have to sacrifice when no one else does? Look at our country. Right now, we are involved in two wars, one is winding down. How much have the American people sacrificed? (Other than those actually directly involved). It's the same with VRS.

I recall that when times were good back in the early 2000's, our local school board was already putting away assets and saving up for a rainy day. Big raises...nope...gotta save. Then the economy turned south. $17 million was cut from our budget. Salaries were frozen. Class sizes increased as 150 positions were eliminated. Good times became make-up times. Bad times became dark times.

The sad point is that THIS IS THE WAY IT HAS BEEN over the past thirty years. We, the employees, rarely get the goose. There's always something, some sacrifice-a building, a shortfall; something to derail anything beneficial for us. We have been bred to be second class citizens.

When the Governor told the listeners that teachers need to give "just a little sacrifice" I felt that he ripped what was left of my heart out. I've very little left to give. I'm just a stump. Stumps are good for sitting on, you know?



~Thom

VEA's Robley Jones Spells VRS Out

I hope Rob won't mind that I've taken his Daily General Assembly Report verbatim and added it to this blog. Rationality is what we need in the debate to save our VRS, and Rob has posed the real questions that should be answered before anyone goes off, willy-nilly, to change our solid retirement program.

~Thom

Think Before You Mess With VRS!

There seems less certainty now regarding how the session will address VRS reform. That is good news. A knee-jerk reaction to the Governor’s Chicken Little rhetoric could have a negative impact upon the ability of the commonwealth to attract and retain high quality personnel and, there are legitimate questions regarding the adequacy of some of the proposals on the table to afford retirees some dignity in their final years.

It seems that if we are going to take a rational approach in regard to Virginia Retirement System reform, some questions should be answered regarding the pending retirement legislation and the degree to which they will “fix” VRS.

1. Does changing who pays the 5% employee contribution add one cent to the fund?

2. Is there a danger that current retirees won’t get their checks in the years ahead?

3. Does creating a defined contribution plan for future hires, be it optional or mandatory, reduce the $17.6 billion unfunded liability of VRS?

4. If we adhere to the ten year repayment schedule, in regard to last year’s VRS contribution shortfall, and; from this day forward, honor the VRS Board of Trustee’s certified rate; won’t we achieve a sounder funding status? If we follow this path, isn’t it likely that we will move to a much firmer footing within a decade?

5. Isn’t the actuarial horizon of the $17.6 billion rather long? Consequently, don’t we have decades to address this problem?

6. I keep hearing that the current system is not sustainable. Isn’t it a fact, that if we bite the bullet and pay the certified rate that the system is sustainable?

7. Aren’t the high anticipated contribution rates, which will be a burden in the short-run, just a repayment for our failure to make appropriate contributions most of the time over the past twenty years?

8. In the 2008 JLARC report on state compensation, PricewaterhousCoopers found that the defined contribution model in the report d would provide 52% of the replacement income of the current defined benefit plan. Shouldn’t we take the time to do this same kind of analysis on each proposal to know the expected consequence of each on those that will retire after years of honorable service to the commonwealth?

Your legislators, both delegates and senators, are heading home for the weekend. Look for a chance, by letter, call, email or in face-to face conversation to ask them if this isn’t just too big an issue to address in a short session when so many questions remain unanswered.

Speaking Out For Education

It's happening. People across the state are speaking up for education!


Public radio station, WVTF, carried a news piece this morning regarding public school education. The report drew heavily on comments by the state PTA and VEA. This is a transient link, so it may be rotated off the main page soon.

WVTF News

http://www.wvtf.org/news_and_notes/




Today in the Roanoke Times, the editorial board blasted Governor McDonnell's approach to public school education funding in Virginia. The editorial board backs up their claims with solid facts and irrefutable information. It is THE MUST READ of the budget season.

Roanoke Times Editorial

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/274284

It's Coming...

On January 9, the RCEA led a "Rally for Education" at Northside High School. The purpose of our meeting was to bolster our membership and send our local legislators to Richmond with our message clearly articulated.

The event was attended by approximately 300 RCEA members, central office personnel, parents, and students. We were loud and unwavering as several speakers addressed the crowd. Tammy Wood, President of the RCEA, Chuck Lionberger, Chairman of the Roanoke County Council of PTA's, Superintendent Lorraine Lange, School Board Chairman Mike Stovall, and State Senator John Edwards all spoke to the enthusiastic crowd.

Attendees were encouraged to stay engaged in the political process by joining VEA's cyber-lobby army.



Since the rally, there have been several key developments. Thom Ryder, ex-RCEA president (me) was interviewed by a news organization for a state-wide piece on the impact of negative education support. Ryder recounted facts that Dr. Lange taught the rally participants. Roanoke County supports its schools, but thanks to cuts from the state, we've had to cut $17 million from the education budget and lose 150 positions over the last two years in addition to closing three effective schools. This radio spot played heavily here in the Roanoke area, especially on WFIR.


*****

And now a personal comment...

Today, news is being distilled from Richmond that our Governor is calling for a merit-pay scheme. Personally, I have no problem with merit pay as long as I get it. But how do you fairly distribute such prizes? Are you going to base it on my homeroom class' test scores? My Math class' scores? My Reading class' scores? Some kind of sort of quasi kind of combination of all of the above?

In some respects, I'd support such schemes IF AND ONLY IF the cost of education, as defined by the Virgina Standards of Quality, is FULLY met. Until then...sorry. Can't support such poppycock. Read more about it here...Oh and remember, please write your governor. Tell him who you are and what you do for our state. Tell him what you think. Tell him where you vote. Tell him what you're going through this year. Tell him your story. You'll feel better. While you're at it, tell your story to your local state legislators (Senator Edwards, Delegate Ware, Delegate Cleaveland, Senator Smith). Let them know what it's like to be a teacher today!

Rally For Education!

RCEA will lead a "Rally For Education" this Sunday, January 9, 2pm, at Northside High School's auditorium. We will have speakers from our organization, the school division, the school board, the county supervisors, and the state legislature. We want everyone to know that Public School education is IMPORTANT and needs to be fully funded!

Please join us and bring your family and friends.