On top of this, a flood of new state laws around the country is being implemented by Democrats and Republicans "working together" in accordance with Obama's Race to the Top campaign. The New York Times explains:
""with states across the nation facing huge budget shortfalls, governors, legislators, mayors and educators in about three dozen states have been working to win Race to the Top money by bringing their school policies in line with President Obama's education agenda." (May 31, 2010).
The barrage of new state laws makes it easier for states to create private charter schools -- at the expense of public education -- and to fire union teachers (based on their students' test scores).Job security and public education are both under massive attack.
On July 23rd, 241 teachers were fired in Washington D.C., based on their student's test scores.Examples like this are now becoming common.If unions cannot prevent these mass firings from happening, their power becomes decimated.
But this frontal assault is not being labeled as such by many teacher union officials. Some union leaders are minimizing the destruction caused by the Obama administration, simply referring to his policies as "misguided" or "flawed," rather than condemning the Democrats as "blatantly anti-union" or "destructive to public education."
This is because many union leaders are deathly afraid of ending their co-dependent relationship with the Democrats, no matter what level of domestic violence occurs. These union officials make excuses for the Democrats, or justify their cooperation with the politicians, by claiming that the union needs "a seat at the table."But at this table teachers are on the menu, and the Democrats are only willing to listen to union advice as to how the teachers are best served -- grilled, roasted, skewered.
A big test will come this November, when mid-term elections will take place all over the country.Will teachers' unions use funds and resources to help elect Democrats, after tens of millions were wasted to elect Obama and his Race to the Top cohorts in Congress?
Some union leaders will argue, "Yes, we will support good Democrats."Fair enough, but a good Democrat is not someone that simply says, "I support unions and teachers."A necessary condition for teachers' unions to support politicians must be that they condemn Obama's Race to the Top, while declaring allegiance to the job security of teachers, and thus they must refuse to cooperate with the corporate-inspired scheme to make teachers' evaluations based on students test scores, so as to create more charter schools.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
