Few elected officials have tasted the vitriol that public-employee unions are spewing against Gov. Scott Walker these days. But Tom Luna is one of them.
The superintendent of public instruction in Idaho, Luna has offered a bill to the state legislature to reform the Gem State’s education system. It is a teacher union’s worst nightmare: The legislation phases out tenure, removes seniority as a criterion for layoffs, makes student achievement at least 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation, and includes a pay-for-performance bonus. But wait, there’s more: Luna’s bill would require the state to publish a “fiscal report card,” so parents could go online and evaluate their school district by the numbers: average teacher salary, expenditure per child, administrative expenses, etc. To top it all off, the bill would mandate that towns hold teacher-contract negotiations in the open. “I think this is probably the most comprehensive package that is working its way through a state legislature in the country,” Luna tells National Review Online.
And the unions are miffed. Over 1,000 people protested the bill at the statehouse on Monday. Yet that demonstration was relatively tame. A little over a week ago, Luna awoke to find his car had been vandalized.
Some protesters have even menaced his family. “The thing that concerned me most was the first incident when a teacher showed up at my mom’s house,” Luna says. “Like in Wisconsin, we’ve had union representatives and others putting people’s home addresses and phone numbers on websites and Facebook profiles. And they’ve actually encouraged people to go to these addresses of people with whom they don’t agree and if they’re not home, to go to their neighbors’ home. That’s way out of line.”
Luna notes his experience is rather similar to Walker’s: “When you look at what the union in Wisconsin is saying about what’s happening in Wisconsin, the talking points are almost the same thing the unions in Idaho are saying: teachers are scapegoats, nobody discussed this during the campaign, the legislation is moving too fast, it’s all about corporate fat cats. It’s obvious that the plans are different but the push back and the talking points are the same.”
Still, Luna is thankful that unlike many Wisconsinite teachers, most Idahoan teachers have stayed in the classroom: “I guess Idaho is fortune that our teachers for the most part have chosen to stay in the classroom and educate children and we haven’t seen a disruption in our school days as they experienced in Wisconsin. In Idaho, I firmly believe that our union leaders are completely out of touch with the Idaho electorate and in many cases with their own members.”
As Luna’s experience shows, Walker’s headache today could be a national convulsion tomorrow.
I used to feel the same way about the teaching profession, until I became a teacher. The level of student and parent disinterest is staggering at nearly every level of schooling. I'm not saying all teachers are anywhere near perfect, far from it. But it is intellectually dishonest to exclude perhaps the biggest factors involved in student success or failure; namely, the kids themselves and their parents.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLuna has been touting his solution to the unacceptable education system in Idaho. He must be referring to the system in which he has been the superintendent of for the last four years. Prior to that he was in D.C. instigating federal mandates and leaving the states to fund them. Luna sucks. And the system sucks. But last time I checked the state education budget skyrocketed from 2000 to the present with both a “conservative” republican legislature and a republican governor. The best plan the state should promote is to unwind the budget back to 2000, and work forward based on population. Undo the mandates that the federal gov has required that cost state dollars and provide the barest of minimum standards to the districts and let the local boards implement.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhen will someone on NRO comment on the damning statements made by Governor Walker to the fake Mr. Koch? Seems like the man thinks that breaking the unions is his "cause"?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe article discusses the vandalism and outright thugery of the unions and the two prior posters blame Republicans and parent dis-interest. Amazing ignorance.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusebaconman:
That's an interesting point, but also entirely irrelevant. Teacher evaluation systems normalize out variables like the one you mention and others. They look at aggregate scores for the students you actually have at the time they enter your classroom and then when they leave. That is, they just look at how much you improved what you were provided with as opposed to whether or not your kids overall met some specific standard. If a kid had lousy parents or diminished intellectual capacity, that will already be factored into their entry scoring. If you want to see this type of testing in action, see the stories run by the LA Times on use of statistical analysis in vetting teachers in LA Unified. Note that these testing methodologies have proven to be very, very accurate in the field. However, since no testing system is perfect, they are weighted accordingly... and are therefore only proposed to only represent a portion of a teacher's evaluation. In the case of Idaho, that number seems to be 50%, which seems about right.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWill there be a comment on NRO on the now admittedly authentic conversation between Governor Walker and a fake Mr. Koch? His damning comments seem to establish that his real interest is not in the budget, but in advancing the Great Right Wing Conspiracy's goal of destroying unions as President Reagan gleefully destroyed PATCO?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseStay Classy Union Members.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"But it is intellectually dishonest to exclude perhaps the biggest factors involved in student success or failure; namely, the kids themselves and their parents."
I'd be in favor of trimming back the power of parents and kids unions too, if there were such a thing. But as it is, the apathy or parents and students doesn't have anything to do with the overweening power of public sector unions.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBuehler...Buehler...
Mr. moderator, what happened to my question as to when NRO would comment on the Governor's amazing conversation with someone he thought was Mr. Koch?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJay wrote, "But as it is, the apathy or parents and students doesn't have anything to do with the overweening power of public sector unions."
But that apathy **does** impact the student achievement that Bolduc's blog entry makes clear would play a significant part in a teacher's evaluation.
I know a junior-high math teacher in a Long Beach (CA) public school who has about 150 students that, if they actually give a dam, don't show it. These are 6th-grade students many of whom are weak on the multiplication tables.
This Idaho proposal probably is meritorious, but I don't think we've really developed a good way to evaluate teachers. Perhaps there are some good ideas out there, but even intensive before&after testing doesn't strike me as foolproof, despite being highly intrusive and otherwise undesirable.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJay,
I wasn't implying anything about the 'power of public sector unions'. My comment was in response to the legislation, in particular 'makes student achievement at least 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation, and includes a pay-for-performance bonus'. I have no problem limiting the power of unions and I do think they have gotten out of hand in some instances. But let's not kid ourselves, student achievement is largely due to the student and not the teacher.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuseyeah...luna sucks all right. just another (repub) politician funneling public tax dollars to his rich cronys, rupert murdoch et al
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI get tired of teachers saying its the fault of uninvolved parents when the truth is that teachers and administrators have worked overtime for years to teach parents that parents are not needed or wanted. This didn't happen overnight. Say you as a parent don't agree with a teacher or a part of the curriculum or your child is having a problem with another child. Good luck, because the school doesn't want you meddling. You are told: 1) nothing we can do about the teacher; 2) nothing we can do about the other child; 3) nothing we can do about the school; and 4) nothing we can do about your child. But it is your fault because you aren't involved but don't you dare try to get involved because then you become an annoying busybody.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@baconman,
True. The solution is to privatize the entire educational system. Then, if parents pay and students-parents still choose not to get what they pay for, they are the only ones who suffer. Others will succeed and life will go on without them.
Of course, if they pay and find teachers who actually have something worthy listening to, they might pay more attention.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't know anything about Mr. Luna. However, I think, regardless of his past, that his ideas are outstanding. The unions can pound sand. Tenure for babysitting is ridiculous. Many teachers get in the profession because it is something that they can do for 8-9 months a year and either lay up for the summer of go back and get more schooling each and every year. In my local school district, a brand new teacher starts out at 40K plus benefits. They have never done anything in their life. While I make considerably more than that, I wouldn't mind working 180 days a year. Lots of vacation. Then after 5-7 years, I've got a job for the rest of my life. That my friends is a pretty sweet deal. And yes, there are a lot of teachers in my family. When you can retire after 30 years with lifetime benefits, penssion of about 75% of your salary for life, why not. Time for the teachers to see how the real world works.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe visits from union hacks shoudl remind everyone why card check was so dangerous. The visits can come for any number of reasons. Unions have fallen so far, I wonder if they provide any value at all besides opportunities for the leaders to avoid doing the work for which they were initially hired. Even Doonesbury's Trudeau realized that, back when the strip was regularly funny, although his Afghanistan stuff has been better than much of what he has done over the last 15 years.
You cannot serve two masters - it's your union or the kids, not both.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't think Luna goes nearly far enough. I want the government out of the education business and privatize the entire system.
The education system fails to realize they operate much the same way as the Post Office, and are as fiscally inept simply because it is a function of government.
If these schools were private sector priorities would be rational. Parents would be more involved as I agree now they are not, but don't blame them for not wanting to deal with more government. Kids would work harder as they would appreciate the direct payment made by parents, and going to better schools would be motivation. Teachers would perform like a regular job, perform or your unemployed. Schools would improve as the bad ones would simply go out of business and compitition is a motivator for dedication to success.
So end public education, and the post office while we are at it, a start in the right direction.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseUnion Forever,
You seem to be new here.
mods actually don't answer questions.
You don't seem to be adding anything here, please go away OR you know, like add something of value.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnd the silence from the White House - and all those folks in the media and elsewhere who claim to champion civility, tolerance and non-violent expression - is deafening.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseUnion Forever wrote: "When will someone on NRO comment on the damning statements made by Governor Walker to the fake Mr. Koch? Seems like the man thinks that breaking the unions is his "cause"?"
Wheather it's his cause or not, I hope he's sucessful.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse