ANTI asserts that parents and students need a union as well

In the comment section after local CSEA president, Bill Faust's Forum decrying the potential layoffs of CSEA members, one anti union blogger said parents and children need unions as well. The article is found here:

http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/article_0637c825-2670-5fba-ae77-70b193083be1.html?mode=story

In the comment section was the following quote:

"Students and parents need to become a self-interest group too!"

They already are. Students and parents have the strongest voice in how school sites and the district as a whole are run. There voice is much stronger than any school employee's voice.

There are many ways for parents to make sure their voice is heard and heard loudly.

The parents can join the PTA and participate in PTA activities at the school site. PTA members particularly the ones who come to the site for PTA meetings are given a great deal of respect. Their expressed concerns are taken VERY seriously by site administration and site teachers. No one messes with the PTA.

In addition parents are encouraged to join the School Site Council which controls significant site funds. As I recall parents make up the majority of votes at the SSCs.

Schools are mandated by various state and federal regulations to include parents in decision making on campus. We welcome parents on campus and we encourage them to suggest improvements.

In addition, there are multiple committees at any public school administrative office. Parents that are involved with these committees get to know district admin and can talk to them informally about site concerns. When district admin gets involved there are instant changes at sites. No site admin, no school teacher would dare to ignore any 'suggestion' from a district administrator.

Contrary to what our ANTIs say NO ONE's JOB IS SAFE at a public school. Teachers in California DO NOT have tenure. Every year at least five or six percent of teachers in VUSD and other districts do not return to their jobs. They have been 'eased' out. One of the functions of the release time association president is to help in this process.

The association through the president and her appointees makes sure that there is a fair process as the association is REQUIRED to do by labor law. That law is called the Fair Labor Standards Act. Should an association NOT represent its members in this process, it is at risk of significant financial penalties both through legal actions and actions by the Fair Labor Relations Board.

It benefits no one to keep poor teachers in the classroom. No one wants teachers in a classroom who are ineffective. However it is far more cost effective to try remediation measures to increase a teacher's effectiveness before they are 'non re-elected'. Nevertheless for the first two years in a new district any teacher can be dismissed for any or no reason whatsoever. If a principal does not like the way a new teacher dresses, the teacher's haircut, the teacher's political views--ANYTHING, the teacher can and will be dismissed.

The son of a friend of mine was dismissed for refusing to coach again for a third time in his second year of teaching in a school district near Fresno. Each coaching assignment is two or three months long for two or three hours after school every day. Coaching significantly effects a teacher's after school lesson plan preparation and student paper grading time.

Teaching is not easy. No children anywhere just sit quickly in their seats for more than thirty seconds at best as any parent who has had a birthday or slumber party at their homes well knows.

When you remember a quiet classroom where you were learning a lot or if you observe a quiet well mannered class today that is no accident. Quiet actively learning students happen because some teacher is exerting tremendous control of the students.

Finding the skills and the will to do is so difficult that the vast majority of folks who get a teaching credential are never able to use it as an employed teacher.

The attrition rate among new public school teachers is very high. Nearly half of all newly employed public school have left the profession within five years.

In addition parents are usually voters in the district where their children attend school. Voting is the ultimate expression of power in a district.

In our district parents joined with most of the rest of the VUSD community in recalling ANTI public education extremists in 1994. Voting and the action of becoming informed school district elections is the ultimate PARENT power.