[Mr. Bird]

The quickest way to raising the level of education kids get in public schools is to eliminate the Department of Education and allow states (and then municipalities) to develop programs that work. The teachers' unions need to be fractured into at least 50 different entities. For the life of me, I don't know why a person of talent would belong to a union. Who wants to get paid the same as the slug co-worker just because you've been on the job for the same number of years?

[hsmomx3]

I turned on talk radio about an hour ago to hear Barry Young of KFYI (Phoenix), discuss teacher pay and how it costs homeschoolers far less. He also went on to say that homeschoolers excel in the geo./spelling bees as well as standardized tests.

[Yardstick]

For the life of me, I don't know why a person of talent would belong to a union.

I'll tell you why ---> liability insurance.

The union offers a multi-million dollar policy for its members. My dad is a special education teacher, extremely talented and hard working, and a hard-core conservative. He detests the union, but he's a member because of the liability coverage. He says that's why many, if not most, teachers are in the union.