Posted on 09/21/2009 8:12:54 AM PDT by george76
over the last six years, Buffalo taxpayers have paid millions of dollars to teachers not to teach.
Twelve different teachers have collected $2.25 million in salary while under suspension and waiting for disciplinary hearings during that time.
And that amount doesn't include the costs for substitutes and the hearings themselves.
The average wait for those hearings: three years.
The school district doesn't release the names of the teachers, or what they've been charged with, but we've learned that right now there's a Physical Education teacher awaiting a hearing who was suspended four years ago this month and has been paid close to a quarter of a million dollars during that time.
The culprit is a state education law - "3020a".
It requires that any teacher with tenure who's facing disciplinary charges have a hearing before an independent arbitrator, where both the teacher and the school district can call witnesses and present evidence.
(Excerpt) Read more at wgrz.com ...
That’s OK. Given the quality of teachers in Buffalo - this may have helped the students, It may have conferred a net benefit to society to keep these chumps out of the classroom.
Unions are destroying the USA.
I’m sure it conferred a benefit to have these teachers out of the classroom. It’s just that the cost of that benefit is too high. We should be able to get the benefits of their idolence for free.
The culprit is a state education law - “3020a”.
The New York City school system used to have a large building on Livingston Street in Brooklyn that was set aside for ex-principals and former school administrators. They were people with political connections who had proven to be too incompetent and unpopular to remain in their jobs. So they were “promoted” to Livingston Street, with large raises in pay, where they lived out the remainder of their careers “adminstering” the school system.
I think they’ve moved them somewhere else since then, but I’ll bet they’re still there—in New York and every other union-controlled city.
Another reason why ‘tenure’ should NOT exist.
End it....NOW.
No other job has tenure—closest job might be the Pope.
3 years is a long time for due process.
The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.
Teachers, who were falsely charged (it happens a lot), are the victims. They have to endure years living under a cloud of suspicion — or even being social outcasts. They aren't doing the work they trained for & their career will never get back on the rails.
Justice delayed is justice denied. The process needs to be expedited. Blame everyone responsible for the wonky process for this situation — not the suspended teachers, who should be considered innocent until found guilty.
3 years is a long time for due process.
3 years would be too long for the non-guilty and ethical person. Even with pay.
Such a condition leaves you with a corrupt person who is content with a cloud of guilt as long as the paycheck keeps coming.
NY State has had teachers who ultimately went to prison as child molesters who were able to sit home and draw full pay/benefits for 2+ yrs. while they exhausted all of their court appeals.
re: endure years living under a cloud of suspicion
I doubt that in today’s world they can ever make a come back after the experience. Great damage is done them moment someone accuses them, even if it is quickly shown to be a false charge. Every day, week, month, year the process takes to reach it conclusion just adds to the damage.
Juvenile law being what it has become these days a few kids can get together, make up a story and accuse a teacher they don’t like, knowing full well it could destroy the teacher but they will pay virtually no price at all.
That will change only if, and when, the consequences for making a false charge are more negative than the reward they get by making it.
There are lots of jobs I would not care to have these days. Being a teacher is way up there on the list!
At least they are not doing any harm..............
exactly. you know unions drag the process out on behalf of their members too.
You got that right!
New York City’s budget for Teachers who are paid not to teach is approximately $100,000,000.00. Really.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/31/090831fa_fact_brill
Long article but breathtaking in terms of the sick, corrupt power teacher’s unions have amassed over education.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.