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Teachers union fails members
Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Let’s hope that most teachers don’t share the values of the union that represents too many of them.
When it released a so-called report card on state lawmakers last week, the Nevada State Education Association exposed itself as a hypocritical and disingenuous — not to mention thoroughly ineffective — advocacy group. The union failed the Legislature in its bizarre, capricious grading system; but NSEA really failed the members it supposedly represents and the students whose interests it is supposed to care about.
And to what end? To rile up teachers to get more members? Why would any teacher want to be part of an organization that declares a Legislature controlled by the party it is aligned with has acted in ways inimical to their well-being?
They are either the worst, most ineffectual lobbying group in the state or they are advocating for the wrong things. Or — dare I say it? — both.
There are so many aspects of this report card that deserve scorn that it’s hard to know where to begin. So let’s start with the kernel of truth in the report: Yes, the Gang of 63 has serially failed to take education seriously, both in funding and accountability, passing incremental measures that don’t provide enough money or enough reform.
Fine. But for the teachers union to argue, as it does in the report card and accompanying text, that the NSEA folks are “leaders in the education reform debate” is not just laughable but outrageous. And even though it did not intend to in the packet — which can be found here — the union exposed itself.
In criticizing reform efforts that passed — including changes in last-in-first-out policies for layoffs and probationary periods of teachers — the union wrote it would have supported the bills “with a few minor changes.”
Minor changes? Really? If so, we have a larger problem in the public education system than I feared because the teachers don’t know the difference between “minor” and “major”.
How do I know? The union hangs itself in its description of one of the reform bills, saying “NSEA specifically opposed language in the bill which allowed no collective bargaining agreement to supersede the language of the bill….”
You cannot make this stuff up. Indeed, language that allowed the teachers to overrule a state law through contract negotiations was in an early version of the reform package. But even their Democratic friends thought better and excised the inane provision — some friends they turned out to be!
Why not allow every union in the state to have that power — to override state statutes through contract negotiations? Or better yet, allow employers to nullify certain mandates or avoid paying fees through bargaining with regulators?
No organization that advocates such offal deserves to be taken seriously. And if there is any justice, that will be the result.
If the report card was substantively mendacious, it was also politically goofy.
Yes, you expect an unimaginative group such as this to give every Republican an F.
But to downgrade Democrats for voting for reforms, including those who have fought long and hard for more funding, is ludicrous. I guess when these teachers instruct students about that old saw, “Hold your friends close and your enemies closer,” they change it to: “Screw your friends and make your enemies more hostile.”
And if you ever wondered if your son or daughter didn’t do well in school because a teacher didn’t like him or her, NSEA reveals that its report card is “based on voting records and the experience of the NSEA lobbying team.”
What?
One Democratic legislator who did relatively well in the survey lamented how a friend with an identical voting record received a D because of a lack of solicitousness to the union lobbyists. It’s almost inconceivable.
All of this is so beyond the pale that you half expect an announcement will be forthcoming indicating this is parody and that the teachers were just showing us what a great sense of humor they have. It is that loony.
But, from what I can tell, very few lawmakers are chuckling. And even though the union folks deny it, Assembly Democrats are astounded that they are being told no union support will be forthcoming unless they agree to vote against evil reformer Debbie Smith, a ferocious education advocate awarded a D grade, for speaker.
After this abomination of a report card, if these Democrats had any integrity, they would publicly declare they will not accept donations or support from NSEA. And then they should encourage educators who actually care about children and achievement to form a different advocacy group.
That would teach the union a lesson it would never forget.
Discussion: 21 comments so far…
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"When it released a so-called report card on state lawmakers last week, the Nevada State Education Association exposed itself as a hypocritical and disingenuous -- not to mention thoroughly ineffective -- advocacy group."
Well said Jon
Yet Unions control every election in Nevada because of their access to mandatory dues
You know Jon, I agree with everything you say in your line of sight, however, you are such a lib. Why can't we reduce this the the basics..NOT the UNIONS.
Education was set forth in this nation for the kids. We want kids to be educated..we don't want it to be about the unions or their contracts, unless you do "full disclosure" and that entails all moneys paid to Union Lobby's, union bosses, union stewards. This should break down to ALL the administration held positions. Then, let us see what these teachers take home in comparison to the job they do, hands on with these kids. You only make it about the kids when you want something more, but the reality is, it is about those Unions and their integrity...please. Name me a session since you have been in this State, where the legislature has not given more money to education, and our results continue to decline..so that is not the solution. Help with the solution...
Good one Jon! What should be imbedded into state law is an automatic salary and benefits adjustment clause. As every taxpayer here in Clark County knows, the existing public union employee contracts, both city and county, are unsustainable. The coffers are empty and the treasury is nearly bankrupt. So who knows how these public employee union contracts are negotiated and what is in them? I don't and you can bet that most taxpayers here don't either.
Who does the negotiation for the government (taxpayers) and why can't we see the offers, counter offers and the contracts? It's my money, it's your money, and it's taxpayers' money. I can't negotiate these contracts but if I could then here is one option I would demand to be included in every contract.
Just like private employers had as an "at will" option for centuries, all public employee union contracts would contain a revenue reduction adjustment clause. If city or county annual revenues decline by some reasonable predetermined amount, like one or two percent, then prior to any layoffs all employees, including those in the union, would be given the option to take a percentage pay and or benefit cut (opt-in) and therefore be exempt from firing. All others would remain in the layoff pool.
This option would take precedent over the last hired/first fired union "seniority" rule. In the event that the salary reduction option is oversubscribed, the city or county could either reduce the percentage reduction across the board or the seniority rule would apply in that the lower seniority union employees who volunteered for the reduction would have their pay reduced first.
One of the first things that people need to understand is that the union itself, it's leaders have no interest in the education of our children at all. That is not their place in life. They are there to strong arm the government/taxpayers for what they can get.
I am not including the teachers in the above statement. They are the Union Members, not the union. Once upon a time they were one in the same but those days are long gone.
There are some great teachers in Clark County as their are bad ones. The union protects those bad teachers and thinks nothing of our children.
You would be surprised how many teachers ARE NOT in the Union! Seems that the ones I have met that are NOT in the union are some of the better teachers. The ones that belong to the Union like to give the others a lot of grief. To those doing that it is about the union, not the kids.
Not all the problems with our schools are the schools/teachers fault. Most of the problem is with the public itself but when the Union tries to grade our elected officials because they did not get "Their Way" it is time for the public to step up and help our good teachers get this mess under control.
Most unions have become nothing more then a protection racket that is hurting the people they once served.
You missed the point Jon. When teachers collective bargaining rights were being used as a bargaining chip toward "making a budgetary deal", and our elected officials were making themselves unavailable to the teachers side of the debate during that process, our lobby team's "experiences" became germane. We now collectively have an imperative to shine light on those who failed to consider all arguments before making decisions that affected our ability to provide Nevada's children with a quality education, and to remind ourselves that they could have done better.
I see so may complaints about the costs of education these days. If any of you really want to know a teachers pay rate, they are all posted on http://transparentnevada.com. You will be very surprised at what you see.
Not a single teacher has received a pay raise based on years of experience in the last two years. Not a single teacher has received a cost of living raise in two years. I have slightly higher pay this year than last because I sold my prep to teach an additional class.
Every single teacher took a pay cut this year to pay more into PERS. A few hundred were let go at the end of last year due to budget cuts. On top of all this the legislature wants to eliminate pay raises based on getting a masters degree or above.
Soon you will all have what you want, a large group of educators that are under qualified for their jobs at a cost that will be extremely low. They will all be payed the same amount no matter how long they have taught, and they will have no way to negotiate any type of pay raise. Very few college students will pursue a degree in education when they see the pay rates that await them.
@Timothy Torgesen...
"Soon you will all have what you want, a large group of educators that are under qualified for their jobs at a cost that will be extremely low. They will all be payed the same amount no matter how long they have taught, and they will have no way to negotiate any type of pay raise. Very few college students will pursue a degree in education when they see the pay rates that await them."
AMEN to that, Timothy.
An observation well stated...
And, combined with the obvious issues of the student population in Nevada, (specifically Southern Nevada) the results will be STUPEFYING!!!
Sadly, it appears that's EXACTLY what Nevada, Clark County & CCSD is bargaining for, and the populous hereabouts seems rather accepting of that. Go figgur.
Tim,
Clark County teachers got a SIGNIFICANT pay increase in 2009 over 2008....worst year of the recession... ;) Patrick Collins already owes the Friedman Foundation for Education Choice $1,000 for betting me I couldn't prove that.
But yes, we probably do spend too much on education. At best, we shouldn't be spending any more money, but spending the BILLIONS we already have in smarter ways.
And fewer students studying in the Department of Education at our universities is probably a good thing given how worthless those degrees have proven.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4TkzWcGT...
You don't have to take my word for it: how about from a Stanford University professor....
@Patrick-
Please tell me how you come to this. Becuase no teacher I have talked to has seen a raise in years. And many are trying to cram in more degrees before CCSD and the state freeze step increases. Many more are planning to retire before everyone is on the same salary.
And please do it with information on Nevada only. I have seen many of your posts comparing Nevada to Virginia, Oklahoma, etc. Thanks. :)
@Patrick
I never said I was pro-union. In fact I do disagree with many of the unions negotiated policies as they currently stand. I abhor first in first out as do the majority of teachers. I hate that the union negotiates my salary. I also hate that you state we got pay raises when we did not. The only people who did were those who took graduate credits for a masters degree or beyond.
You missed the entire point of my post. This state is not funding education. Dissolve the union if you want and make it private. Here are examples of the tuition people will pay:
http://www.hendersonschool.com/admission...
http://www.adsrm.org/tuition
http://bishopgorman.org/Page.aspx?pid=26...
http://www.themeadowsschool.org/res/Docu...
http://www.faithlutheranlv.org/apps/page...
The above schools are the higher achieving private schools in the valley. Look at their funding levels and compare them to CCSD:
http://ccsd.net/news/publications/pdf/CC...
I know that private school teachers make about the same salary or less than public school, but look at their class sizes. I will keep my salary at its current level if I can have classes of 15 to 20 students like the private schools. My classes are double those numbers at the moment.
If this state expects the public schools to achieve at the same standards as the private schools, the funding must be there. It is not at the moment.
Finally your statement that we need less teachers is misguided. Look at the amount of substitutes the district has. We currently employ 18,010 licensed personnel. We have 3,666 substitute teachers and 3,052 other substitute or temporary employees. Your solution to this problem is to tell college students we don't need more teachers.
Perhaps the district will achieve higher standards by bringing in subs off the strip. Maybe we should just stop requiring a degree and just let anyone, who wants to, teach a class. After all it is such a simple profession and anyone can do it.....
"Patrick Collins already owes the Friedman Foundation for Education Choice $1,000 for betting me I couldn't prove that."
Quite Simple, Mr Gibbons - you proved nothing. just because you say it is so, does not make it so. I can easily show you my pay stubs, which show no raises. If you'd like, I can arrange a meet...brig your checkbook.
To clear up any confusion that Patrick Gibbons may have about our pay raises here are my check stubs for the last three years in April. I made the exact same amount on April 2010 as I did in April 2011. I did receive about 4% less in April 2009 however. That was the last year we got pay raises, which was the 2008-2009 school year. The stubs are slightly different this year as the district moved to a new system to save money. Perhaps your confusion is that our pay year starts in September and is negotiated in April through May and not in January. My base pay will be a little less in April 2012.
https://picasaweb.google.com/10098617498...
It isn't just that unions let them down; it is the politicians and school board that has let everyone down.
Here is a good example of the waste, let's look at the cost to build schools. Architects manage all construction projects for a fee, they are paid regardless of defects and design deficiencies, I believe it is 6% of the total cost after payments are made to contractor and hired consultants. Regardless of defects or design deficiencies, the Architect is paid.
Now comes construction of the building, Architects write the specifications form a boiler plate design system, its call American Institute of Architects commonly referred to as AIA. Architects and Owners both believe that opulence will better educate kids and create smatter kids, just how stupid is that logic? Stupid if you ask anyone who builds them which I do.
Now comes the management of the building, we bid their plans and specifications, we bid low knowing the Architects will screw it up every time, an average profits increase by 30% over bid margins knowing the design team draws on paper but can't construct a Lego building block if their life depended on it. They didn't ask us to bid, we say, pick me, pick me, pick me. We'll do your job pursuant to your plans and specification for this much money, we hope to be low, bingo, we're low. Now the paper war as we call it begins: their cookie cutter specifications and lousy drawings pay very well once you know the rulebook to their game.
When the school board removes Architects from managing their own design and places it in the design build team's court, the educational system will realize a few hundred million a year in savings. It is this waste that is contributing to the budget crisis education is facing that we're sick of paying for that your having to give up your pay raises for.
Patrick, Patrick, once more you have failed to disclose that you are employed by NPRI. How do you figure that teachers got a significant pay increase from 2008 to 2009.
Both my wife and I are teachers who work for CCSD. In 2007, my wife made $43,804; in 2008 $51752; in 2009, $46048; in 2010, she made $47050. Those figures came from the W2 issued by the school district. She has two Master's degrees. In 2008, she taught an extra class which resulted in extra pay.
I made $59067 in 2007; in 2008 $66038; for 2009 $66737; and 2010 $66476. I have two bachelors degrees and taught two extra classes for which I got extra pay. Please show me how we got pay raises. These figures also came from my W2's from CCSD.
At the very least, we should have moved one level down on the salary schedule for an additional year of experience, which would have resulted in more pay. For both of us, our pay remained essentially flat, only varying by several hundred dollars. Again, how can you say that teachers got major pay raises?
Mr ralston is for once right. The teachers union is bad. Even laughable. However they are just taking the libtard tactic of fear and exageration. Scream loud enough and you even drown out the sounds of common sense. After all we are in the dark ages now that they couldn't get the tax increases they wanted. The police can no longer "guarantee" our safty. ect.... I wish people would stop and think for themselves and stop listening to the largest mouth.
Patrick,
How do you imagine you get such a large pay scale increase of 12-19 percent but no income increase?
And posting the 2008 and 2009 CCSD teacher pay scales is pretty damning proof. ;)
Tim,
Selecting the tuition of the top 25 highest private schools is a bit misleading. US Department of education data shows that only about 1/4 of private schools charge tuitions exceeding $10,000 a year.
Furthermore, you need to remember your economics. Government free schools have reduced the supply of consumers available for private schools and has thus crowded out much of the market. This in turn makes it a luxury product as the price is forced up higher than it otherwise would be. In other words, if government schools disappeared tomorrow we would probably see a general decline in private school tuitions over the next few years.
You should also be aware that the average private school tuition is lower than the average cost of a student attending a public schools.
Tim
Your pay stub appears to show an increase of $61 a pay period (about $1,586 a year) between 2009 and 2010 - this comes to a 4 percent increase - and no change between 2010 and 2011.
You are also missing the very important 2008 to 2009 change, as their was a significant increase to the CCSD teacher pay scale between those years.
"You are also missing the very important 2008 to 2009 change, as their was a significant increase to the CCSD teacher pay scale between those years."
So as long as we were employed BEFORE 2009, you insist there was a "significant" pay raise. First, How many teachers currently teaching were employed BEFORE 2009? Next, since you claim your "facts on a step 7 teacher, what is the average length of service in CCSD for teachers? and what is the median? Next, has anyone with a brain ever explained to you the logic behind CCSD reordering steps? If so, you get an "F" in comprehension. I'll give you a re-do on that one, and show your work next time.
Now for the facts. My gross pay, when adjusted for the fact that I was able to sell my prep to add a class, reflects a net increase of $3,717 dollars, between 2007 and 2011. Now, seeing that I went from roughly 44,000 to 48,000 that looks like less than a 10% increase. Maybe mr. gibbons needs to recheck his math. But more than likely he is again full of bat squeezins...
@Patrick
If there was a significant pay change from 2008 to 2009 in CCSD, can yyou explain how my 2008 W2 showed $66038 and my 2009 W2 showed $66737 and I taught exactly the same classes? I didn't move vertically and had an increas of $699 or a 1% increase.
"But, from what I can tell, very few lawmakers are chuckling."
As a teacher, I'm not chuckling, either. Every year I wonder if I should rejoin this miserable organzation so I have some protection if I need it, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Like most teachers, I don't even begin to have the time to get involved in it to try to make it better.
"And if you ever wondered if your son or daughter didn't do well in school because a teacher didn't like him or her, NSEA reveals that its report card is "based on voting records and the experience of the NSEA lobbying team."
That's not funny; it's really insulting and unfair to teachers.
"the teachers were just showing us what a great sense of humor they have."
If you equate teachers with the NSEA, then you clearly have no idea how education is here.
Glad you have come to realize that the so-called "union" here is an abysmal joke - albeit not funny at all. But I'm not sure you understand that that is not the fault of the average teacher, that it leaves us really screwed, and that we don't have time for a coup.
A group tried to change the union to the Teamsters a few years ago. It didn't work.
I'm not sure how people who work as many hours as we do for 10 months of the year are ever going to change anything.
re rychtarik: "If city or county annual revenues decline by some reasonable predetermined amount, like one or two percent, then prior to any layoffs all employees, including those in the union, would be given the option to take a percentage pay "
Yeah, that's fair, as long as the same goes for when the revenues increase. When things boomed during the past couple of decades, teachers did not share the wealth, yet everyone is screaming for us to share the sacrifice.
"Most unions have become nothing more then a protection racket that is hurting the people they once served"
Agreed. Look at Chris Hedges' Death of the Liberal Class. Unions are one of the institutions that are failing hard-working, average people, as are churches, universities, etc. They've been bought out.
And AMEN again to Timothy T.
"Clark County teachers got a SIGNIFICANT pay increase in 2009 over 2008."
Patrick, I know you're a corporate shill, but are you just plain out of your mind, as well?
Seriously, seriously. Patrick. Seriously? Stop lying, please.
Patrick, let me define "pay raise" for you, in the way that most (reasonable) people understand it: It means that pay is increased for the same work, above a previous, agreed amount.
Nor is more work for more pay a "raise".
Or maybe you feel that those whose pay somehow increased by 1% had a SIGNIFICANT (your emphasis) raise?
Maybe you're talking about a step increase? That's not the same thing as a pay raise. That's a negotiated increase based on experience, which is part of the agreement teachers make when they sign a contract.
And the fact is that the step increases that we agreed to when signing a contract have been taken away from us for the second year in a row, plus we're being charged more for retirement.
I've been at the same salary for the past three years - 09-10, 10-11, 11-12. My pay in 09-10 was SLIGHTLY higher than in 08-09, since I received my step increase. No matter how many times you say I had a significant raise, I had only a minor increase from a step raise and slightly more between 08-09 and 09-10.
Then let's remember that in the years before the crash many state workers OTHER THAN TEACHERS DID, in fact, get significant pay raises, while teachers DID NOT. How about that, Patrick?
There are MANY TEACHERS who would love to switch to the TEAMSTERS.
Nevada has an overall basic problem, that is across the board: apathy.
Sadly, it is seen in every sector of every aspect of life here in Nevada. You see it in the voting & politics and you see it with education with many parents NOT being actively involved with their child's development, education, or life for that matter.
As vegaslee and LVmusicteacher surmised, yes, the Union has its place, and current politics has not fully supported our schools and children. As time comes and goes, we will feel the NET effect of this Nevada State 76th LEGISLATION Session! Nevada will LOSE "HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS" required by No Child Left Behind for Federal funding, so just you wait for the purse to go empty fast. What is their plan for that?
Think ahead. But wait, this has been an on-going problem with our STATE LEGISLATORS for over a century now. Refusing to address meaningful TAX REFORMS & RESTRUCTURING....problem. Politicians receiving political/campaign contributions from MINING, GAMING/CASINOS/RESORTS, and handing out $$$ to BIG BOX STORES to come to Nevada....problem.
Nothing really changed about what REALLY needed changing this 76th Legislative Session.
LEGISLATIVE FOCUS WAS: attack State Workers and Education, apply draconian cuts, reforms, and continue to "Kick the political can down the road."
Then in the last hour, pass a multi-billion dollar tax liability for north to south power transmission lines with the People of Nevada NOT having the ability to discuss it; and crack open the champagne for a toast. Thanks LAWMAKERS!
Jon, I agree, the way the Teacher's Union went about this, could have been done differently. But it is what it is now, out there for discussion: good!
Patrick
The average cost of private schools is brought down significantly by the many churches and groups that run cheap schools for their congregations. These schools get significant funding or volunteer work from their corresponding churches and groups. I attended such a school when I was younger and it was excellent. This does not work for public education as religion is required by law to be left out.
Private schools are also not required to conform to many of the federal and state mandates. To name a few, IDEA, free and reduced lunch, and bus transportation. These and other mandates are very expensive to comply to.
I picked the schools I did because they seem to be the ones that present realistic prices.
Hey Tim:
Methinks Patrick was the one who slipped the LSD into the punch, so frequent seems his willingness to spike the community rag with fakery. Try not to let his antics get to ya.
The one that sticks in my mind is his constant accusation that teachers make stuff up. He multiplies the 40 weeks of a typical school year times 35 hours/week that most teachers spend at school for classes (not clubs, meetings with staff, faculty, IEPs, parents. Probation officers, tutoring, etc) to arrive at the figure he uses to denounce the noble profession. He's gone on record as saying something like, "HMM Fifty thousand bucks for 1400 hours is over 30 bucks and hour. I'd take that!!"
He knows better, though, because a couple of years ago, he actually tried teaching himself, putting in an entire semester trying to teach history until it was discovered that he simply did not have the credentials or the stuff. So they stuck him in SpEd and then he decided that getting the credential required too much work, too much time and too much expense, as he has said himself on this very rag!
Yep, teachers do make stuff up -- lesson plans, quizzes, syllabi, CFUs (Checks For Understanding) to CEE EFF YOU got the notion so teachers can evaluate the cognition levels of students as the lesson is in progress and whether any main points have been missed.
Teachers make up differentiated instruction, individualized and personalized for every single kid in the day to hook up the motivation and to engender the fire, to challenge the spirit, and to accentuate the positive to restore the self-worth and kindle the self-reliance so long abandoned like lost hopes.
Teachers make up for lost time in the lives of children whose parents denied them the joy of learning, who failed to empower them to recognize their own strengths and to work on the basics.
Teachers make up for the lack of supplies, clothes, food, nurturing and socialization that has befallen them in this 'throw-away' society.
Patrick cited numerous data and spiked it with his dogma and denied the obvious facts that I for one kept telling him, not from any chart, not from any average yardstick, but from the actual years and decades of experience delivering instruction.
But it's most important to recognize that what Patrick says must be taken with a grain of salt, as his motives are not like the rest of ours. He knows he's full of bat squeezins! He's just doing what he sees as his job, making stuff up to make teachers look bad, to continue the downward spiraling education system here so his wealthy supporters can continue to take advantage of the results of worse schools, to plunder us asunder and shred our futures for their own benefit.
His mantra is: "Dumb 'em down!" It doesn't surprise me that Mr. Collins has not received his check yet.
If you aren't a teacher and don't know the ins and outs of our salary, our union or our daily life in the classroom, you shouldn't be stating what should or shouldn't be happening. Come and spend a week with me - better yet, I'll turn all 5 of my classes with an average of 41 12th graders over to you. After 5 days, you'll be singing a different tune - if you still have the energy to sing.
Jon, as usual, your work is superb. However, when it comes to teachers and their union, I have something that is closely related and might be very interesting to your subject matter. Review the May 2011 issue of Readers Digest, page 174. The article is entitled, "The Cheating Epidemic". It is authored by, Ed Dante, from, "The Chronicle Of Higher Education. A paid academic ghostwriter explains how thousands of students cheat - and why."
In Mr. Dante's words, "It's hard to determine which course of study is most infested with cheating. But I'd say education is the worst. I've written papers for students in elementary-education programs and lesson plans for aspiring high school teachers. I've written essays for those studying to become school administrators and theses for those on course to become principals."
I wonder just how many of our share of bad educators in our school district this would apply to. Kind of completes a portion of the puzzle where the union has fought against testing of school district staff doesn't it?