Educators need to find way to survive in a changing paradigm

Dennis,

Right now, the answer to your question is obvious, it is NO !!

Dennis,

Our school boards and superintendents have very limited ability to change the status quo under current state laws.

For example, consider how hard it is to fire a truly bad teacher. School administrators need to spend a crazy amount of time and money documenting a case, providing second, third, and fourth chances for improved performance, fighting legal battles with the MEA, and then trying to keep the bad teacher from hurting kids while this protracted process takes place. This is a huge waste of taxpayer money. I don't favor eliminating tenure, but we need serious reform.

Other areas that need reform are pension and health benefits. Teachers get a defined benefit pension and retirement health care that is very expensive and not consistent with what is provided in the private sector. When 401k pension funds were hit by the fall of stocks in 2008 taxpayer did not make those folks whole, but taxpayers are required to make teachers whole by contributing an amount equal to 17% salary to their retirement fund this year. We need reform at the state level to help level the playing field between teachers and school administrators.

School boards DO have the responsibility to negotiate salary and benefits with their local bargaining groups. In this area, it seems that it is nearly impossible for most school boards to stand firm against the status quo of offering continual raises and step-raise salary schedules, and the public rarely has a "clue" about what is going on behind closed doors.

School boards often hear from swarms of angry parents complaining about budget cuts that affect their kids (whether in busing, athletics, or increased class sizes)... but nary a PEEP of concern regarding the millions of dollars negotiated by their school board on their behalf.

There is a disconnect, and it seems there needs to be some way to keep the public better informed about what is "on the table" during negotiations.

Toomuchtodo,
You're right. We need more taxpayer representation during negotiations.

To Dennis in Manchester, aataxpayer and toomuchtodo,

Let's start our own "anti union" union and make it our goal to see that the public sector's benefits and pensions fall more in line with what we in the private sector are now living with ? We need to do more than just waste our time on this website? What do you say ?

Survival strategy:

MOVE TO TEXAS. GET OUT OF MICHIGAN. IT SUCKS HERE.

There, problem solved!

"The Milken Institute came out with its annual list of cities that are best able to create jobs. The top ten were culled from a list of the nation’s 200 largest cities.

Texas cities dominate the list...... Michigan cities are also among the nation’s weakest performers, with heavy losses in durable goods and automotive manufacturing."

"For example, consider how hard it is to fire a truly bad teacher."

EXACTLY HOW MANY "TRULY BAD TEACHERS" ARE THERE IN AA THAT NEED TO BE FIRED?

Maybe 3%? So if it costs, say, 10% of their salary to give them due process, and to protect them from sexual harrasment, extortion, petty vindictiveness, or blatant racism/sexism, that may cost .3% of the salary budget. Is taht too much to protect the rights of 100's of teachers?

It is probably a lot less than AA paid for their blatently illegal practices what - 10 years ago??

This is all smoke and mirrors and whining folks, with no facts to back any of this up.

You are smearing by associatoion the only real asset you have, your employees ....

How far do you think the administrators would get teaching on their own?

Micheal,

You wrote, "EXACTLY HOW MANY "TRULY BAD TEACHERS" ARE THERE IN AA THAT NEED TO BE FIRED? Maybe 3%? So if it costs, say, 10% of their salary to give them due process, and to protect them from sexual harrasment, extortion, petty vindictiveness, or blatant racism/sexism, that may cost .3% of the salary budget. Is taht too much to protect the rights of 100's of teachers?"

There is at least one case in Ann Arbor that took several hundred thousand to attempt fire a truly bad teacher (Alexander). Also, some unknown number of teachers and administrators are working at do-no-harm jobs at Balis to get them away from kids. We need tenure laws, but we also need tenure reform. Locally, the current AAEA contract requires that probationary teachers only be fired "for cause." Until the teacher has earned tenure the AAPS should not be held to that very high standard (it should be "at will"). Let's start fixing the problems that we all know exist in the system.

The voters of Washtenaw County shot themselves in the foot... more like it.

The basic education model in this country has not changed since the 1920's. The current system is not working anymore. The only option taxpayers have is to reject millage increases and hope the message gets delivered. Lansing has a lack of leadership to confront the root causes and fight entrenched special intersest groups, like the teachers union, state employees, and school administrators.
Florida organizes their school systems by county. One school board, one budget, one bus system, ect. There are many good ideas that can improve outcome and reduce cost but we lack the political will and leadership to implement them.

Diagenes ....
Do we have any data/projections showing the cost reductions such consolidation could achieve? Why retain separate cities, villages and townships? Why not just have one county government? Why not eliminate all the duplication and waste that goes with each local unit of government? A lot of people talk about consolidation as a means of saving money, but I've not seen any data telling how much would be saved. Perhaps WISD could tackle this as a project. But, the reality is that those in charge of their fiefdoms will most likely be unwilling to relinquish their control. And, it is unlikely the folks in Manchester, Chelsea, Saline, Dexter, Milan, Willow Run, Lincoln and Ypsilanti would like having their schools run by someone in Ann Arbor (the County seat).

>>>"The model of leadership we need to today is exemplified by Alan Mullally and Ron Gettelfinger They are finding a way for their organizations to survive in a changing paradigm."
.

A little early with this prediction aren't you?
AS long as EDUCATION is unionized it will fail! It cannot succeed as it is now configured in the state of Michigan.

3jimmy