Friday, April 15, 2011

They're at it again

Remember how Providence laid off  fired all of their teachers (under the leadership of Tom Brady, Broad class of 2004) as their solution to closing their FY12 budget gap?
Looks like this is becoming the latest "corporate ed reform" hot idea, as Detroit, under the leadership of Robert Bobb (Broad class of 2005) has just laid off all of the city of Detroit's 5,466 public school teachers. Bobb says he also plans to void portions of the existing contract (which he can now do under Michigan state law).
I don't know that I am capable of the appropriate levels of sarcasm to point out exactly how much this will make people want to teach in urban systems, want to stay in urban systems, and want to become part of the community surrounding public systems.

2 comments:

Jim Gonyea said...

I'm always amazed that anyone would want to teach. Get a Master's Degree and earn a salary not comparable to one a Master's Degree would command in the private sector. Then spend your career being told you're over paid by the public while at the same time you know you are under appreciated by that same public. Or get a Master's Degree and work in the private sector with a higher salary and privacy protections which prevent people from knowing your salary. Seriously, I'm amazed we have any teachers left.

Neil and Joan said...

Looks like Broad just infiltrated Clark County School District (all of Las Vegas and it stretches 80 miles to my small town of Mesquite), The Supt just hired a Dept Supt, Pedro Martinez from Reno, who at one point worked with Arne Duncan in Chicago and is a graduate of---yes, the Broad Academy Supt program. This organization is like a cult sending out their Kool-Aid drinkers to take over urban districts. Do any of these people work in suburban districts?