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Politics

Rubber Room Still Filled With Crappy Teachers Who Don't Teach, Continue to Draw Salary

Matt Welch | 2.24.2010 9:57 AM

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My question: Do their jobs count as "created," "saved," or "funded" by the stimulus? Here's the New York Times lede:

The Bloomberg administration has made getting rid of inadequate teachers a linchpin of its efforts to improve city schools. But in the two years since the Education Department began an intensive effort to root out such teachers from the more than 55,000 who have tenure, officials have managed to fire only three for incompetence.

Bookmark that story (and this one, and all of 'em), next time some sad sack union hack or politico whines about low teacher pay or "draconian" cutbacks in education funding. A taxpayer-funded organization of 55,000 employees that can only fire three incompetents after a concerted effort to weed out hundreds more is an organization that deserves to be dismantled.

You can't say we didn't warn ya.

Link via the Twitter feed of Reason Contributing Editor Walter Olson.

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Matt Welch is an editor at large at Reason.

PoliticsPolicyEconomicsNanny StateEducationStimulus
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  1. Warty   15 years ago

    I can’t think of a single reason why public school teachers should get tenure.

    1. Self-Appointed Guardian   15 years ago

      Racist!

      Uh, that didn’t come out right …

  2. z   15 years ago

    And over here in Fairfax, Va 90% of the increase in requested funding is for teacher pay, but rather than cut that they will screw the kids.

    The FCTA asked why the school board is urging the supervisors to raise taxes by $81.9M although only $9M is needed to pay for next year’s expected increase in student enrollment.

    The school superintendent acknowledged that the reason is the increased cost in employee benefits, especially pensions. According to the schools’ proposed FY2011 budget, employee benefits costs are increasing by $98M, of which $71M is for pensions and another $15M is for retiree medical benefits.

  3. P Brooks   15 years ago

    What the fuck makes people believe they (or anybody else) should stay in the same job their entire life?

    What a stupid idea.

    1. Art   15 years ago

      It seems to pay if it is a government job. Kinda like winning the multi-million dollar lottery.

  4. Joel   15 years ago

    Why does Bloomberg hate children?

    There, somebody said it.

    1. Michael Bloomberg   15 years ago

      Au contraire.

      I like ’em with lots of salt.

      There, I said it.

      1. Corduroy Rocks   15 years ago

        Reminds me of my favorite license plate.

  5. J sub D   15 years ago

    I don’t hate teachers.
    I don’t hate unions.

    I do hate public employee unions and would outlaw them given the opportunity. It’s not like they’re working for evil, land raping, employee exploiting, profit mongering corporations. They are working for their honest, caring, hardworking fellow citizens.

    1. Paul   15 years ago

      Why do you hate America?

      1. stupidrepublican   15 years ago

        why are you a hate monger who twists and corrupts what others say in order to prove a false point and otherwise ruin everything that is good about this country? or am i assuming too much?
        you know what they say happens when we assume………..

  6. Johnny Longtorso   15 years ago

    We need public sector unions to protect govt workers from their govt employers. Said govt employers can be trusted in their dealings w/ US, however. They only exploit their employees.

    1. stupidrepublican   15 years ago

      the only ones being exploited here are the American people

  7. Marshall Gill   15 years ago

    In the Oklahoma City School district they apparently did not have adequate heat this winter in over 100(!) schools and were closed because of the cold weather for several days. My younger sister did receive her $5k raise, however.

    One of the major reasons that I home school is to prevent my children from statist indoctrination. It is sickeningly pervasive in the public schools.

    I have a sister and sister-in-law who are public school teachers. They say some of the most ignorant things that I have ever heard. My sister recently mentioned something about “a year’s salary” and I corrected her that it was much less than a years work for most of us. She just gave me a blank stare like she didn’t understand what the fuck I was talking about.

    Imagine Chony “teaching” your children. That is what public school is.

  8. Vanya   15 years ago

    I can’t get that upset about teacher pay when the real crime to me is the amount administrators suck out of the system. At least teachers are, at worst, babysitting our kids. I could never figure out what value the principal of my high school brought to my school. Or what value the high six figure salaried principal of my town’s elementary school brings to that school, which is why we’re home schooling as well.

  9. yonemoto   15 years ago

    One teacher lost his job before his case was decided, after the department called immigration officials and his visa was revoked

    Maybe two wrongs do make a right.

  10. Paul   15 years ago

    Bookmark that story (and this one, and all of ’em), next time some sad sack union hack or politico whines about low teacher pay or “draconian” cutbacks in education funding

    I have it on good authority that a teacher can make more as a Starbucks barrista than in the noble (and highly sacrificial!) life of teaching. And arguing otherwise is a sad and pathetic endeavor.

    1. stupidrepublican   15 years ago

      you are obviously oblivious to what is going on in places other than podunk county alabama

      1. Sean W. Malone   15 years ago

        You obviously have the worst sarcasm detector of all time.

    2. Marshall Gill   15 years ago

      I have it on good authority that a teacher can make more as a Starbucks barrista than in the noble (and highly sacrificial!) life of teaching. And arguing otherwise is a sad and pathetic endeavor.

      Noble and highly sacrificial? What pure horseshit. How exactly, is working 185 days a year “sacrificial”? If they can make more money in the private sector, they have to do the fucking work, instead of the near complete failure that public schools represent.

      Public schools are sacrificial. They sacrifice children’s futures for union turds.

      1. Ernie the Bear   15 years ago

        I thought he was being sarcastic? Maybe I’m just projecting.

  11. Shirley   15 years ago

    My husband had a friend whose mom was a teacher in Cleveland. She made $90,000 and lived in a mansion. The schools in Cleveland are horrible or at least they were when I was going there. Those teachers aren’t on level with those kids. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a teacher reprimand and state “Well, at least I still get paid.” When my family moved to WV for the first time I experienced something that I consider rare. A vote against striking for a pay raise. Why? It was the year I would graduate High School. They voted against it because it would mess up our graduation. I don’t have much respect for Cleveland teachers but I have all the respect in the world for WV teachers.

  12. rukidding?   15 years ago

    Well, some states make it illegal to have teachers’ unions and the salaries do suck. Sure, we may not teach throughout the year, but we work over the summer to revamp old lesson plans and take classes to stay abreast of new technology, teaching strategies, etc. Before you really smart-mouth teachers I want you to think about why you can read this blog and write these sentences. Ya, I bet some overpaid, whining teacher taught you to do that. By the way, I’ve taught for fourteen years and my annual salary is under $45,000.00. No, I don’t think that is justifiable when compared to the expectations thrust upon us. Try teaching in pulbic schools, you’ll see where the real problem exists. (Hint: It’s not the teachers.)

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