Our view: School choice idea confronts tough reality in Erie

The school choice debate is heating up in Harrisburg and in Erie, with an unlikely alliance supporting school vouchers at the state level and an odd objection raised to a proposed charter school in Erie.

[TaxNoMore]

What is the purpose of teacher unions?

To work for children?

Establish new and better requirements?

Push their members to better serve parents and children?

How about obtain as much power as possible and use it to become effective advocates of a selective agenda?

Don't take it from me, this is coming from the National Education Association's just-retired General Counsel Bob Chanin.

(The NEA, remember, is the Michigan Education Association's parent body).

"Despite what some among us would like to believe, it is not because of our creative ideas.

It is not because of the merit of our positions.

It is not because we care about children.

And it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child.

NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power.

And we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues each year because they believe that we are the unions that can most effectively represent them, the unions that can protect their rights and advance their interests as education employees."

As legendary New York teachers union leader Albert Shanker said,

"When school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children."

Check out the video...

(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...

[ThomasA]

A teacher's union is a tiny splinter that turns into infection and then into gangrene.

[ActuaIIy]

TaxNoMore wrote:

What is the purpose of teacher unions?
To work for children?
Establish new and better requirements?
Push their members to better serve parents and children?
How about obtain as much power as possible and use it to become effective advocates of a selective agenda?
Don't take it from me, this is coming from the National Education Association's just-retired General Counsel Bob Chanin.
(The NEA, remember, is the Michigan Education Association's parent body).
"Despite what some among us would like to believe, it is not because of our creative ideas.
It is not because of the merit of our positions.
It is not because we care about children.
And it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child.
NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power.
And we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues each year because they believe that we are the unions that can most effectively represent them, the unions that can protect their rights and advance their interests as education employees."
As legendary New York teachers union leader Albert Shanker said,
"When school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children."
Check out the video...
(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...

To educate. How many times are you going to ask the same question?

When are you going to stop running from this question?

WHO UNDERFUNDED THE SCHOOL PENSIONS the union or the administration?

Keep running dennis/LA twtl/taxi

[TaxNoMore]

ActuaIIy wrote:

<quoted text>
To educate. How many times are you going to ask the same question?
When are you going to stop running from this question?
WHO UNDERFUNDED THE SCHOOL PENSIONS the union or the administration?
Keep running dennis/LA twtl/taxi

"When school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children."

[CHEAP LABOR CONServatives]

If we can't pull ourselves up to a living wage, then let's blame the unions and drag them down to ours.

[Steve Lind]

CHEAP LABOR CONServatives wrote:

If we can't pull ourselves up to a living wage, then let's blame the unions and drag them down to ours.

Aw Mom, you ole sneek. The name change ain't helping Mamie. You are just as dumb. No wonder I was born of your flesh.

[ActuaIIy]

TaxNoMore wrote:

<quoted text>
"When school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children."

WHO UNDERFUNDED THE SCHOOL PENSIONS the union or the administration?
Keep running dennis/LA twtl/taxi

[nomomoney]

ActuaIIy wrote:

<quoted text>To educate. How many times are you going to ask the same question?

When are you going to stop running from this question?

WHO UNDERFUNDED THE SCHOOL PENSIONS the union or the administration?

Keep running dennis/LA twtl/taxi

It's not the so-called under funding of pensions that is creating the problems, it's the generosity of the pensions. Not to mention the bloated work force.
Would you say the teacher's union succeeds at "educating" the students?
How should we measure the union's success or failure at "educating"?

[TWTL]

Steve Lind wrote:

<quoted text>
Aw Mom, you ole sneek. The name change ain't helping Mamie. You are just as dumb. No wonder I was born of your flesh.

Speaking of "flesh," he sure knows how to get under your skin!!

Why are you so obsessed with this Steve guy? Did he turn down your advances? Did he get tired of you begging for a ride in his car? Is that what caused your insecurity complex??

I've never seen anyone as obsessively jealous as you are of this guy. You're possessed!! And Steve Lind, whoever he is, owns you!!

It's a well known fact on Topix that when a person is incapable of a discussion/debate/challenge they do one or two things:

1. They use multiple names to futilely conceal their feelings of inadequacy.

2. They steal their opponent's name with no awareness that it's a dead giveaway of their frustration.

You consistently do both...rendering you impotent!!

[ActuaIIy-Ron]

TWTL wrote:

<quoted text>
Speaking of "flesh," he sure knows how to get under your skin!!
Why are you so obsessed with this Steve guy? Did he turn down your advances? Did he get tired of you begging for a ride in his car? Is that what caused your insecurity complex??
I've never seen anyone as obsessively jealous as you are of this guy. You're possessed!! And Steve Lind, whoever he is, owns you!!
It's a well known fact on Topix that when a person is incapable of a discussion/debate/challenge they do one or two things:
1. They use multiple names to futilely conceal their feelings of inadequacy.
2. They steal their opponent's name with no awareness that it's a dead giveaway of their frustration.
You consistently do both...rendering you impotent!!

WHO UNDERFUNDED THE PENSIONS the unions or the administration?

Simple question but for some reason you are either too dumb or scared to answer it.

[Steve Lind]

[QUOTE TWIT=Steves Mom]<quoted text>

[/QUOTE]

Hi Mom you taught me well.You always were a very insecure women. And you show it by using different names and childish games such as changing quotes. And of course you accuse everyone else of your own hypocrisy. I understand you were a high school skank and I was a product of one of your many trysts. And Mom you always enjoy sticking your bulbous nose in where it doesn't belong. Your own eye has a huge plank in it while you try to point the specks out in others eyes. I suppose dear Mother that if a hell really exists it would be full of phony lying evil hypocrites such as you. And in closing dear Mother I enjoy getting under your ignorant skin and yes Mom you are totally owned by me.

[ActuaIIy]

nomomoney wrote:

<quoted text>
It's not the so-called under funding of pensions that is creating the problems, it's the generosity of the pensions. Not to mention the bloated work force.
Would you say the teacher's union succeeds at "educating" the students?
How should we measure the union's success or failure at "educating"?

Incorrect it is the fact that the pensions are underfunded that is the issue. Pensions have been around for decades, so have unions, it has only been in recent times that management has stolen from pensions (underfunded) them for other projects and now the bill is due.

[CRANK]

ActuaIIy wrote:

<quoted text>
WHO UNDERFUNDED THE SCHOOL PENSIONS the union or the administration?
Keep running dennis/LA twtl/taxi

Neither. The board of education sets the budget, and negotiates contracts. And don't forget, the state actually runs the retirement program, and they increased the retirement benefit, and told the public that no additional tax revenue would be required, because at the time the plan was deemed to be overfunded. And who did that? Why Erie's Tom Ridge. So I guess the lesson to be learned is that Erie style economics don't work any better at the state level than they do here.

[TWTL]

possessed by Steve Lind wrote:

<quoted text>
I understand skank and phony lying evil hypocrites such as me.

Your words!!

[TWTL]

possessed by Steve Lind wrote:

<quoted text>
I suppose that if a hell really exists it would be full of phony lying evil hypocrites such as me.

Excellent supposition!!

[TWTL]

possessed by Steve Lind wrote:

<quoted text>
you taught me well. games such as changing quotes.

You're s slow learner, Dennis!!

You change quotes, whereas yours truly merely trims, using all your own words!!

[ActuaIIy]

CRANK wrote:

<quoted text>
Neither. The board of education sets the budget, and negotiates contracts. And don't forget, the state actually runs the retirement program, and they increased the retirement benefit, and told the public that no additional tax revenue would be required, because at the time the plan was deemed to be overfunded. And who did that? Why Erie's Tom Ridge. So I guess the lesson to be learned is that Erie style economics don't work any better at the state level than they do here.

Incorrect the administration sets the budget the board either accepts it, alters it, or rejects it.

[CRANK]

ActuaIIy wrote:

<quoted text>
Incorrect the administration sets the budget the board either accepts it, alters it, or rejects it.

Wrong. The administration can recommend anything they want, but only the board of education can adopt a budget, or execute negotiated contracts. In many districts the superintendent is intentionally kept out of contract negotiations by the board, to protect the relationship between the administration and staff. Stick to something you ACTUALLY know something about.

[TaxNoMore]

Here is a link to all PA teachers salaries by name and district.

The poor things are so under paid

http://www.teachercatapult.com/

[TaxNoMore]

TeacherPortal Salary Comfort Score
5th
friendliest state for teachers

Number of Teachers: 122,378
Number of Students: 1,835,670
Students per Teacher: 15.0

http://teacherportal.com/salary/Pennsylvania-...