Feb 17 There's Something Happening Here

What it is ain't exactly clear, but it's just possible that Big Education and their big unions may have finally jumped the shark.

At the Federal level, the Obama Administration continues to make them nervous with Race to the Top, with its talk of measurement, teacher evaluation, alternative licensing, and a general no more excuses attitude.  At the State level, Governor Pawlenty wants the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to take over their failing districts.  And he continues to push for Q-Comp, a merit pay program however watered down it may be.

And now at the local level, leaders are talking of getting rid of 12th grade, maybe even 11th.  Courageous Superintendents like Washington D.C's Michelle Rhee are bending and breaking rules.  But this news from Rhode Island (via Hot Air) really should get Tom Dooher's attention.  Things haven't been going his Education Minnesota way for some time, watching Welfare become the new top lobbying power at the Capitol.

Central Falls is a tiny burg a few miles inland from Providence, Rhode Island.  It's school district comprises about 100 staff serving about 800 students.  Or it did.  When the teachers there refused to work an extra 25 minutes and do some tutoring, Superintendent Frances Gallo fired the whole lot of them.

“We have a graduation rate of 48 percent. I have 19-year-olds in classes with 14-year-olds. It’s the middle of the school year and 50 percent of the students at the high school are failing all of their classes,” Gallo said.

It's a town that has seen better days, now with a median income of just $ 22,000 per year having to support teachers making over $ 70,000 a year, part time, with Cadillac benefits don't forget.  Nearly 2/3 of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch and the majority are Hispanic. It's a challenging environment, no question.  And no question, the teachers wanted no part of that challenge.  They got their wish.

I've seen this sort of thing here in Minnesota, in fact.  The Robbinsdale Area Schools shortened the 2007-2008 school year for some students rather than have those teachers stay an extra day to move back from temporary facilities during construction.   As I put it then:

The District begs the community for volunteers, for time, and for money, to support education, and the community responds. The Board acknowledges thousands of dollars of donations every session and praises the time spent by the many volunteers at the schools and on various committees. But when it's time for the administration and/or staff to volunteer just a little extra, to quote Minnesota Senator Taryl Clark: "No, no, no!"

I was actually taken aside by a member of former Superintendent Mack's cabinet for this, pressing me twice for some sort of apology that I refused to give.  Talk about clueless.  Or elitist.

The private sector has lost millions of jobs, the pubic sector a tiny fraction of that.  The parents have seen few pay raises and many pay cuts, but the teachers continue to get raises one way or another.  Our defined contribution 401k plans are shrinking, while their defined benefit retirement plans are held harmless.

Wise educators who want more support from their communities should first be careful about provoking this widening "us and them" divide.

Cross-posted and comments welcome at Speed Gibson.