If you can't wait for the next Academy Awards ceremony, don't panic - the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) is here to help. The teachers union's reaction to the recent unveiling of the "Strike-Free Education Act" has been entertaining, to say the least. PSEA spokesman Wythe Keever declared on television that teachers are "not part of a monastical order" nor did they "take a vow of poverty." An Academy Award nomination for best dramatic actor would not be remiss.
Six out of the top ten states for average teacher salary in the United States prohibit teacher strikes. But don't let such facts get in the way of high drama. Keever himself is almost certainly not taking any vow of poverty. His $152,810 annual income for 2005-06 is derived from a system of compulsory dues payments that also helps pay for PSEA golf trips. I initially presumed public education to be about children's best interests until I heard the words "leverage" and "pressure" being used by Keever to explain why ejecting children from their classrooms is necessary.
State Rep. Todd Rock (R-Franklin) deserves enormous credit for introducing the bill to eliminate teacher strikes in Pennsylvania. A former teacher himself, Rock is a freshman legislator who campaigned on a platform of reform and is now following through on that commitment. Make no mistake - this is a real reform. This bill would protect the families of the 1.8 million public school students in Pennsylvania. It would put the needs of our students back at the center of public policy.
Thirty-seven other states already grant their schoolchildren the legal right to receive a strike-free public education. Gov. Ed Rendell refuses to advocate for a strike-ban in Pennsylvania, thereby indicating that he believes our schoolchildren are not worthy of the same legal rights as those children in thirty-seven other states. It is disgraceful that Pennsylvania leads the nation every year in the number of teacher strikes.
The bill does much more than just eliminate teacher strikes. It also empowers taxpayers and responsible school officials to better control school spending, the major driver behind escalating property taxes. The alternative strike-ban proposal, from Sen. Robert Mellow, is foolishly centered on the idea that unelected arbitrators and a county judge should be empowered to grant union officials 100 percent of their contract demands. Based on a system used in Connecticut -which has the highest teacher salaries and second highest property taxes in the nation - Mellow calls his plan the "last best offer." We call it "sell your house quickly and leave Pennsylvania." This type of compulsory binding arbitration has been declared unconstitutional anyway at three different public hearings - not that this stops Mellow, who has his election campaigns funded by teachers unions.
In stark contrast to Mellow, Rock correctly believes that fiscal authority for the cost of the teachers' labor contract should remain with the people's duly elected school officials. A unique feature of Rock's bill is that retroactive salary payments would be prohibited. This would prevent those lump-sum budget-busting property tax bills from being sent out and induce union officials to settle early. There is complete transparency in the negotiating process. Contract proposals must be made public and both school and union officials alike must attend "face the music" public meetings to explain themselves if they reach an impasse. This allows the taxpayers paying the bill to decide who is being fair and reasonable.
Teachers would also be able to have their own union leaders publicly questioned. They would also have an alternative forum to the picket line to air any legitimate grievances. Quality teachers opposed to strikes would never have to fear being locked out of their workplace again. The "Strike-Free Education Act" is good for all major stakeholders. All except for the Academy Award nominees at the PSEA.
Todd Rock is to be applauded for his courage in standing up for the rights of children, families and taxpayers against the most powerful special interest group in the Commonwealth. Pennsylvanians should insist that their own legislators now actively support the passage of the "Strike-Free Education Act" into law.
Simon Campbell is president of StopTeacherStrikes, Inc. (www.stopteacherstrikes.org), the leading grassroots organization dedicated to eliminating teacher strikes in Pennsylvania.Labels: academy awards, career training, financial aid, free college, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad |
