And the wolf wins again

And the wolf wins again

A few months ago, the CEO of Baltimore City Schools claimed the schools were in debt to the tune of 130 million dollars for the next school year.   Notices were sent to principals telling them how much less money they would have for the next year.  Principals began talking about teachers who would be let go; services that would be eliminated.  Everyone acted as if they believed these things would come to pass.   No matter that this song has been sung every year for the past several years.

The new mayor went to Annapolis and cried wolf, wolf; the wolf is at our very door.   Community associations marched; children wrote letters; legislators from Baltimore City demanded that the Governor give the City more money.  Save our schools.   Save the children.  Keep the wolf from the door.  And so he did.

The Mayor took money away from the police department in a city that has had its highest murder rate in decades for two years running.   The Governor and the city  came up with 180 million dollars over the next 3 years.  And so once again, the Baltimore City public schools cried wolf and once again they were rescued.  The Governor did request gently (he is running for re-election) that the city schools might want to look at cutting expenses.

Several years ago Baltimore City Public Schools negotiated this great new contract that was supposed to reward teachers for leadership and additional duties.   Teachers were going to have better results with students and stay longer.  It hasn’t worked.   Baltimore City teachers are among the highest paid in the state and the students are among the lowest achieving.   On average, city teachers make about $6,000 more than neighboring Baltimore County with lower turnover and better test scores if they mean anything.  The City now wants to re-negotiate the contract that is coming up for renewal this month.  The president of the union says Baltimore City teachers work harder than other teachers in the state of Maryland.  They may be working harder but they are producing less.

Baltimore City also refuses to close schools with significantly declining enrollment.   Buildings meant to hold 350 children hold 200.  But they still have a principal and the other administrative accoutrements that cost money.  All of these buildings must be maintained.   All of these costs enter into the City’s per pupil cost being about $2000 more than its Baltimore County neighbor.

But not to worry.  The City schools do not need to control costs.  They do not need to operate efficiently.   Come next year, we will all hear the wolf howling yet again.   The marchers will come out, the legislators will wring their hands and cry for the poor children of Baltimore City.  Once again the City schools will be saved.   Whoever said you can cry wolf too often?   Hasn’t happened yet in Balmor Hon.

When Teachers Were Professionals

When Teachers Were Professionals

Many teachers are dedicated people.  They love the kids they teach and some even go above and beyond expectations.  But they are not professional any more.

Long ago and far away the National Education Association (NEA) made a point of presenting itself as a professional association.  The organization regularly compared itself to the American Medical Association (AMA), The Bar Association,  the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) and the American Psychological Association (APA).   You will note that each of these organizations calls itself an association.   In comparison, the United Steel Workers, the Teamsters Union and the AFL-CIO are all unions; the word association is not in their name.

In the days of yesteryear, the NEA consistently said it was not a union.  Not so any more.  So, what is different.  First of all, a professional puts the needs of the people they serve before their own health and welfare needs.  When was the last time you heard of the NEA or the AFT threatening to go on strike for better conditions and or materials for the kids?  For all the jumping and shouting about how bad Common Core and the commensurate testing are, teachers have not once had a strong enough backbone to refuse to participate because this was bad for the students they taught.  Instead, teachers “associations” join the other unions lobbying for more money for themselves and better benefits for themselves.  They are even willing to sell out their retired compatriots allowing the school systems to reduce health care for those who are retired as long as current members get the better deal.  After all, these are the present dues paying members.  This behavior is not at all unlike the grocery clerks’ union.

Professionals also have significant say over who can get into their profession.  This situation is true for physicians, attorneys, speech and language therapists and psychologists. If you want to be in one of these professions you need to jump through the hoops of the professional association. Teachers have no say at all.  State Department of Ed bureaucrats (or politicians) decide what tests prospective teachers should take and what courses as well.   Teachers are just lambs led to the slaughter.

Teachers are also not consulted about how much and what kind of professional development they need.  A recent survey by the Education Week Research Center showed that the vast majority of teachers want common planning time and the opportunity to mentor new teachers.  Instead, they are getting professional development around better preparing the students for the testing.   Teachers report that only 17% of them have a lot of input into the professional training they will receive.   It seems teachers get no respect in that arena either,

Teachers and their organizations need to get off the union mentality and start thinking and acting as professionals.  If their current associations won’t do it, then get new organizations.   Not too long ago a California case almost made it but then Scalia died. The case would have allowed teachers who did not agree with the political position of the union to opt our of paying dues.  In essence, doing away with the closed shop that exists in many states.   With Gorsuch on the bench, this might be the time for another try.

Can you imagine what schools might look like if teachers really had some investment?

Pigs At the Trough

Pigs at the trough

Why is it that schools with low-income families are generally not as good as schools in high income neighborhoods?   There are multiple reasons.   Experienced teachers often transfer out as soon as they have the seniority.  There is not as much equipment and instructional materials.  The buildings are not in good shape.  The parents really don’t care.

All of the above reasons are true except for the last one.  The parents do care.  In fact they may care more than higher income families because they know better than other families that a good education will lift their kids out of poverty.   So why do the schools of low income families seem to get the left-overs in the education world.

Many years ago I was hired as the Director of Special Education for a well-endowed suburban school district in Maryland.  At the time I was young and dumb.  On one of my first days, the superintendent assured me that he valued special education and I would get any money that was left over.   It took me a few months to realize that there was never any money left over and that the money always went to the first pigs at the trough.

Nothing has changed in all those years.   The first schools at the feed trough get the money and any left overs go to the little piglets that are hanging back.

It is not that low -income parents don’t care.  They just don’t know how to care in a way that gets them what they want.  Just as I had to learn how to get the resources I needed for the county’s special education program, so low-income families need to learn how to work the system to get what their kids need.

Community organizers need to teach low-income families how to work the system.   Families need to know how to show up at meetings and complain.  They need to learn how to reach out to the media and show the rest of the population how the resources at their schools differ from those of wealthier families.  This learning will not be easy.   Many parents are intimidated by the school hierarchy.  They are also under the mistaken impression that the school system looks out for all children equally.  That isn’t true.   School systems are like all bureaucratic organizations.  Their first line of duty is to protect themselves.   Better educated, and hence better financially endowed, families get that and will push the system to get what they want for their kids.

Low income parents need a community organizer to teach them not to be passive receivers of whatever the system is dishing out.  People say that lower income families are sometimes working two jobs and don’t have the time to push the school.  Fact is higher income families may only be working one job but they ae spending a great deal of time at that one job.  Higher income families know where the buttons are to push to get what they want.

There are lots of piggies at the trough.  We need to teach low-income families how to be one of them.   They need to do so for the sake of their kids.