The two top teachers unions and Senate Democrats are proving the old adage that dead bodies float to the surface. Just when we thought the wrong-headed “Education Jobs Fund” was dead, it comes back to life.
The U.S. Senate is poised to vote Monday on the “public school bailout,” the brainchild of teachers unions to stave off tens of thousands of school employee layoffs. Progressive blogs say it will come at 5pm.
When Democrats realized the bailout wasn’t going to pass attached to the Afghanistan war spending. It’s now riding on a Federal Aviation Administration bill.
The American Federation of Teachers claims the $10 billion in “debt-financed” spending (ie. spending the money of the children unions’ purport to care about) will prevent the firing of 300,000 school employees – the vast majority of which are union members.
House Democrats and the Obama administration claim the public school bailout will save 140,000 jobs. It would be nice if they’d use the same talking points and give us a somewhat accurate number – assuming one actually exists.
But using the union’s number, the school bailout would also result in a major dues windfall for teachers unions: an estimated $36 million for the NEA and roughly $14 million for the smaller American Federation of Teachers.
Not a bad haul for using children as props and a major lobbying campaign, complete with prizes.
There is no evidence that increased spending improves student achievement. If that were the case, Washington, DC public schools would be the best in the country. Clearly, thanks in large part to the adult-focused teachers unions, they’re not. In fact, while they’re improving thanks to the tenacious efforts of Chancellor Michelle Rhee, DC schools are among the lowest performing in America.
But student performance, at a time that it means the most, apparently is irrelevant. What is relevant to teachers unions and Congressional Democrats is employed adults. After all, they need the union members as foot soldiers for the November election, right?
The assembly line model of our public school system is hurting kids, their success and America’s future.
This is the time for public schools to right-size. Get spending in check. Fix bloated compensation systems, like woefully underfunded pension systems. End frivolous spending, like paying bad teachers to go away. Have the appropriate number of staff for the number of students. The Education Intelligence Agency reports student enrollment is down yet adult employment continues to rise.
Are America’s public schools employment agencies or institutions of learning, whose prime focus is preparing students and having the best adult possible teaching? Senate approval of this measure will show the focus is on protecting adults and not students.
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