Posted on 12/22/2008 3:04:38 AM PST by Amelia
Teachers unions routinely claim that the interests of students are their top priority. So we would be interested to hear how the Pennsylvania affiliate of the National Education Association explains the proliferation of teacher walkouts in the middle of the school year.
According to a recent study by the Allegheny Institute, Pennsylvania is once again the worst state in the country for teacher strikes. No less than 42% of all teacher walkouts nationwide occur in the Keystone State, leaving kids sidelined and parents scrambling to juggle work and family, potentially on as little as 48 hours notice required by state law.
The strikes take place despite the state's ranking in the top 20% nationwide for teacher salaries in 2006-2007 -- the most recent data available -- with an average of $54,970. Those paychecks go even further when adjusted for the state's cost of living compared to top-spending school districts in places like California.
...That "radical" revision is actually similar to the rule in 37 states that have passed laws banning teacher strikes....The burden of enduring a strike then falls on families in which both parents need to work. The disruption is used as negotiating leverage by the unions, which know that parents will besiege school districts with calls begging them to settle....
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Aside from that, there were two things I found interesting about this article. First, it clearly points out that Pennsylvania's school system (and union) aren't the national norm.
Second, even the WSJ seems to imply that the primary purpose for schools is free daycare.
Maybe a PA FReeper can tell me, though - are students and teachers required to make up the days missed due to teacher strikes? Here, you must attend a certain minimum number of days to get credit, at least in high school.
Pennsylvania is union heaven.
Our school district went on strike almost as soon as the teachers union was formed - way back in the 70’s. Couldn’t strike fast enough.
I agree. Teachers should not be allowed to strike.
PA mandates a minimum of 180 school days per year. Barring strike or weather closure, the normal school year (my local district) is 183 “student days”, 2 “parent teacher conference” days, and 7 “professional development” days. So, yes, long teacher strikes do impact the teachers’ prospects for summer employment.
From what I remember of the one teacher strike my children were subjected to, the students do NOT take the teachers' side in a strike. The thinking is that the teachers don't care about the students but rather are only looking out for themselves. Those feelings are revived when Christmas vacation, spring break and the end of the year days off are taken from the students.
Wow! Consequences! It'll never work...
Tenure for public school teachers was granted because teachers were not allowed to unionize (I believe this was back in the 30’s). When the unions were formed in the late 50’s, early 60’s, tenure remained despite the fact that the reason tenure was granted was no longer valid. I doubt many other unions have the same benefit.
All the unions I'm aware of do. That's based on my experience working in industry.
Thanks for the clarification. The article didn’t make it clear.
The article pretty well states that it's not going to pass any time soon because the Pennsylvania politicians are paid off by the unions.
Interesting article. Thanks very much for posting this.
We lived through a teacher strike two years ago at my son’s school and the results were anything but pleasant. They struck for two months and he ended up going to school that year until middle to late July. They took just about all of the holidays back and from my experience these kinds of actions are very detrimental to the school children in the district. Topping all of this off was that the district is one of the 10 highest paid to begin with in the Commonwealth.
Today, it is 3 degrees out w/a wind chill in the minus 20s. We are on a 'two hour' delay (just about every district in SW PA is) because they dare not cancel out a full day (esp. this early in the winter) as makeups will have to occur. Our district schedules 183 days...so they have three days to 'play' with. But w/our weather can get so bad that it is a guessing game (at best).
Gettting back to the strike issue itself...the teachers can only be 'out' for so long; then the negotiations go to binding arbitration and then they can walk out again.
Pennsylvania is Union paradise...and will only get worse w/Mr. Obama's beloved Card Check plan.
LLS
PA bounced a very good Senator in Santorum and elected the dolt Casey. PA is loaded with greedy state employees and state retirees who really could care less about bankrupting the state or the taxpayers within the state. A beautiful state with many good people living there, but a corrupt cesspool in Philly and Pittsburgh that sets the tone for all.
I remember quite a few years ago there was a prolonged teachers strike, a couple months IIRC, and it really hurt the kid’s chances for college. The seniors were especially upset because many of them had already been accepted at colleges and just needed to finish up that school year and could not do so. It put their entire lives on hold.
“Pennsylvania is a corrupt and communist State... they embrace satan in the form of elected dims and cast out the righteous among them. They also love to be trashed by those same elected dims... the harsher the dim’s words... the larger the victory for satan.”
Pennsylvania can’t hold a candle to New Jersey in this respect .
When do schools up there get out for Christmas? We got out Friday and thought that was a little bit late.
ping
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