And from Kyle Olson on the epic fail: 'Million Teacher March' Falls About 992,000 People Short
The embarrassing attendance underlined one major truth – there is no mass movement to maintain the status quo in our nation’s public schools. The only people defending the current system are those who profit from it, like the leaders of the nation's teachers unions.And Democrats are behind the education monopoly because it is a large mechanism for them to launder taxpayer money, in essence forcing all taxpayers to underwrite the Democratic Party. Forget the education of the children. School choice reform is indeed the civil rights issue of our day, and although I disagree with this liberal on most everything else, he mostly right here: Fox News' Juan Williams on School Choice
The "Save Our Schools" message was honest in one respect – the union goal is to save public schools as they currently exist. Notice that there was no call to improve the quality of education for students, because that's not what the unions are fighting for.
Their only concern is to maintain a system that has kept unions financially health for decades. The fact that American students are struggling in this system is not on their agenda.
UPDATE: Some progress being made in Detroit, but it's on the financial side only:
- The Detroit News: DPS's Roberts overrides contract, imposes cuts; union pres. vows fight
- The Detroit Free Press: DPS employees must shoulder $81 million in concessions, including 10% pay cut, Roy Roberts says
In most organizations, changing health-insurer carriers isn't headline news.Of course, MESSA is also run by the largest teachers union, the MEA. It costs a lot more which is why we are in this situation: Good news: Michigan's per-employee health benefit is $1,400 more than the average of the Midwest and Northeast states. MESSA is expensive and the MEA pushes it onto school districts during contract negotiations pretty much like the don Corleone gives out his offers you dare not refuse. It's a money maker for the MEA, and by extension the Democratic Party to keep the gravy train going, at taxpayer expense of course.
But in the school community, there's a certain OMG factor to the announcement that teachers at Otsego Public Schools have agreed to switch insurers from MESSA to Priority Health.
What some view as an act of union disloyalty is being presented by Otsego administration and the Otsego Education Association as a win-win for the district and its teachers.
The district's health-care bill for teachers will drop from about $12,600 to $8,400 per insured employee -- and that's for comparable insurance coverage. The savings are funding a 2 percent raise in teachers' base pay as well as step increase, which are raises associated with longevity.
For many in Michigan schools, MESSA has ranked with summers off and a decent pension plan as one of the expected perks of being a public school teacher. MESSA is renowned for its great benefits and its terrific customer service.
UPDATE #2: Not education, but union shenanigans anyway here in MI: Cop Union Boss Boasts of Beating Lawmakers With Flashlights: If Soldiers Don’t Have Unions, Why Do Police and Teachers? It's that 'new tone' we were promised after the Giffords shooting.
