tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768945813587888212.post2631556857152246804..comments2023-06-18T10:20:27.090-04:00Comments on Laurie Goodman's Blog: Out of town but not out of mind.Laurie Goodmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15333070518293834658noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768945813587888212.post-70472985694376237822010-03-29T17:46:03.541-04:002010-03-29T17:46:03.541-04:00I tend to agree. I'm just trying to foster a r...I tend to agree. I'm just trying to foster a reasonable discussion. <br /><br />I'd be interested to hear a history of tenure and how it came to be legislated at the state level...it's not part of the contract with the REA, as many people mistakenly believe. One of the things I'll research sometime.<br /><br />Thanks for posting.Laurienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768945813587888212.post-59293265111809440382010-03-29T17:36:22.312-04:002010-03-29T17:36:22.312-04:00Laurie:
Lawyers or accountants or whatever have t...Laurie:<br /><br />Lawyers or accountants or whatever have their salaries "voted on" every year (and usually a lot more often) by the market.<br /><br />I'm not impressed with arguments that run "We have to have tenure to protect us from our supervisors", especially at the high school or elementary school level. I invite people who say that to come out in the real world and get evaluated by a boss trying to meet a budget who has his own opinions about performance. <br /><br />And "whim of the voters" denigrates the voters. The voters in Ridgewood, on the whole, are pretty responsible and are trying to balance supporting a good school system with keeping taxes at a reasonable level. Tactics such as "collective" bargaining -- really forced arbitration, tenure, job actions and the like <br />(aided and abetted by a compliant legislature) tilt the playing field too far in favor of the educators. People aren't stupid -- they know when they are being taken advantage of, hence the pushback, especially in times like these.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768945813587888212.post-48538063770877140882010-03-29T09:23:14.871-04:002010-03-29T09:23:14.871-04:00What, do you somehow think I was a proponent prior...What, do you somehow think I was a proponent prior to this? I'm saying I don't really understand it. <br /><br />A teacher friend of mine explains an alternate view, for which I don't have a quick answer: <br /><br />She says that since school budgets are voted on, and people are often upset about their property taxes or the general state of the economy, collective bargaining prevents teachers' livelihoods from the "whim" of the voters. (I'm just reporting here.) It's one thing to say teachers are professionals and they should be treated as such in negotiating their individual compensation, however lawyers or accountants or whatever don't have their salaries voted on every year by the public.<br /><br />So...that's another thought I hear sometimes. Do you have an answer for that?Laurienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-768945813587888212.post-78079924638038470122010-03-29T09:03:33.198-04:002010-03-29T09:03:33.198-04:00"I’m not understanding the value of the local..."I’m not understanding the value of the local union."<br /><br />Oh my goodness, Laurie. That's what we've been saying all along. Why do we have a teachers' union? Professionals should be able to bargain for themselves, just like the rest of us in the private sector.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com