Josh Waldron has repeatedly been honored by the local Rotary Club as high school teacher of the year. He loves teaching. He planned a career as a teacher. But he is leaving. He explains why he is leaving here.
You probably know why. It is always the same story. Budget cuts. Frozen salary. Every year, the district or the state invents new goals, new hoops to jump through. A parade of new ideas, the latest thing, new mandates.
What are the district’s priorities?
“I don’t fault our district for a worldwide economic downturn. I do fault it for how it’s handled it. For six years in a row, we’ve cut, cut, cut. And for six years in a row, students and teachers have paid the biggest price.
“When times are tough, human beings and institutions have the rare opportunity to reflect and refocus, to think differently and creatively. But instead of seizing the opportunity and gathering stakeholders for collective conversations and solution building, we’ve wandered around aimlessly hoping to make ends meet.
“We should have a clear plan for sustainability. Instead, we’re really just worried about balancing the budget.
“When we have a desperate need like football bleachers that have to be replaced, or turfgrass that isn’t up to par, we somehow find the money. We — through public or private avenues — meet those needs. Why can’t we find funds to address the areas that seem more pertinent to our primary mission?”
The pressure to get higher s ores every year has warped the classroom and the school:
“I’ve seen teachers cry over Standards of Learning scores. I’ve seen students cry over SOL scores. I’ve seen newspaper and TV reports sensationalize SOL scores. These are all indications of an unhealthy obsession with flawed standardized tests.
“SOL tests are inherently unfair, but we continue to invest countless hours and resources in our quest for our school to score well.
“This leads me to the following questions:
“Do we care more about student progress or our appearance?
“Why can’t we start a movement to walk away from these tests?
“Why can’t we shift our focus to critical thinking and relevant educational experiences?
“It’s tough to acknowledge that people in Washington, D.C., and Richmond (and sometimes decision makers in Waynesboro) develop systems and policies that affect my students and me negatively. But as they retire and sail off into the sunset, we’re the ones left with the consequences of ineffective measurements and strategies.
“Our new teacher evaluations focus heavily on test scores. But while teachers are continually under pressure to be held accountable, there seems to be very little accountability for parents, the community, or district offices.”
Josh concludes that until the community cares about education and respects educators, nothing will change. And he is leaving.
When will wake up to the fact that test-based accountability and other fake reforms is ruining education?
We can’t afford to lose our committed, idealistic teachers like Josh.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“We can’t afford to lose our committed, idealistic teachers like Josh.”
Apparently he’s not that committed.
You know I recently ran into my eighth-grade teacher (in my former city of residence), asking how his class was this year. He responded by saying that he quit and was no installing air conditioning systems in high rise buildings.
“That’s a shame. You were such a good teacher, but I guess if you like what you’re doing now better… ”
He shot back, “Like it better? I hate this job. I wish I were back teaching. I loved that job, and I’d love to still be doing it.”
That’s right. He sure did, as I recall.
He continued, “I have two kids. Given what teaching pays, there’s no way I can provide for them while living in or anywhere near this city. That doesn’t even include saving anything for their college education.
If the choice is between doing something I love that provides a necessary societal good, and doing something I hate and providing for my family, I have no choice but to do that latter. Unlike in the past, teaching for personal fulfillment is a luxury that one can ill afford.”
On that score, LAUSD has not given teachers a raise since 2007, and they just offered teachers a measly 2%, retroactive only to 2013. That means NADA from 2007-to-2013. Those were the years that teachers—through furlough days—gave up 8% of their salary, and that the cost-of-living skyrocketed.
Teachers need to strike… yesterday.
Hey Julie,
Thanks for sharing the story of your former teacher. I considered a similar scenario in my mind before making my decision. Ultimately, there is some fear that I’ll regret my decision down the road.
My goal now is to focus on my family and still find creative ways to contribute to the conversation in the community and elsewhere. Virginia is a “right to work” state, so organizing — let alone striking — seems next to impossible. Communities have to step to the plate and demand reform for their kids and their teachers.
Please walk a mile in someone’s shoes before leaving a flippant comment…
Not a flippant comment. There are countless dedicated teachers all across the country who have walked more than just a mile in such shoes, and remained committed to the students and communities they serve.
Maybe he’s just honest.
Hi NY teacher,
Thanks for weighing in. My decision isn’t something I’m happy about, and I know that I’ll miss the classroom. That being said, I’ve worked 80 hour weeks for the last 6 years and I’ve poured my energy into my students. I’ll miss the connections, but until I see our district planning intentionally and standing up for what’s right, I need to shift gears and focus on my own family.
Is your definition of “committed” someone that is willing to sacrifice his/her own mental health and family, in exchange for the privilege of doing a job that the community does not find valuable (as proven by the way it treats its teachers) ?
Another way to look at it is that people who are willing to sacrifice his/her own mental health and family, or to become bitter as you seem to be, are NOT the ones we want spending time with our children. As a parent, I would hope that I can live and put my children in a school where teachers are paid relatively well and treated with extreme respect — there are still a few districts like that out there, for now. But I certainly don’t blame a teacher for leaving — and I have apparently a different definition of “committed” — someone who works hard and believes in his students / is committed to their success. But if you look around and see your work being devalued year after year you may well have a moral imperative to take a stand against the system. Bravo and best wishes to this teacher who is committed to excellence and our children.
Hi Teacher Julie!
You will have to look long and hard in my distrct to find a veteran teacher who is not bitter. We spend endless hours outside of school bolstering each other’s morale. Nearly every day we receive another piece of bad news. You are truly fortunate to have your children taught by contented teachers. I do not want to know which part of Shangrila you inhabit.
“Bravo and best wishes to this teacher who is committed to excellence and our children.”
I do not blame Josh for acting in the best interest of his family. However, let’s not forget that Mr. Waldron walked away from a school full of colleagues that did not quit in the face of the very same hardships that pushed him out. Now he gets the press and praise for leaving. If one of his fellow teachers is reading this, what should they think?
“
Where would you draw the line? Lose your family, your health, your residence? What would make it ok? I say again, if you don’t know the circumstances, do not be so intolerant… Just like teaching students, one must keep an open mind and have compassion, because even the most troubled, difficult student has a story.
I have stated this several times before but this is nothing new, only worse now. I retired 23 years ago and the cry then was: how long do you have to go before you can retire?
This was after “A Nation at Risk” came out and EVERY teacher was proclaimed incompetent, EVERY school was failing etc etc.
At that time a psychologist: Gerald Bracey thought that does not sound right, did extended research and wrote the Bracey reports. It garnered almost NO coverage. Media pounded the “fact” that all our schools were failing, unless the public rushed in to “save” them, our country was doomed. Hitler was not the only one to know that if you shouted a lie loud enough and long enough people would believe it. It has been straight down hill since that time.
The educational system which it can be argued was the true melting pot of the U. S. and at the very least helped build this nation into one of the greatest in history is, unless something changes, about to be flushed down the toilet.
Tragic that those in power are too ignorant or too focused on changing real wealth into perceived wealth – they have paper money where their brains should be but as history has shown over and over again, great countries rise and fall, fall especially when money becomes more important than people. How could it be otherwise with such a philosophy?
Historically educators were considered the leading thinkers of their times, now only widgets to TRAIN people in how to serve the needs of the few.
For all the good it does he may as well go re-read Updike’s A&P. So far I am not seeing a groundswell of change as a result of these meaningful resignations. Just some dude who has to go find another crap gig somewhere else, get put on Step 3 and start jumping through tenure hoops all over again.
The reformers love resignations as they assist them in teacher churning. My principal ended the last faculty meeting with a statement to the effect of, “If you don’t like it, you can leave the district.” I only wish it were that easy.
Great letter- all true, and very sad. “Our new teacher evaluations focus heavily on test scores. But while teachers are continually under pressure to be held accountable, there seems to be very little accountability for parents, the community, or district offices.” No kidding, and it’s getting worse by the year in state after state.
Please see this: NPE Call for Congressional Hearings on Testing. http://bit.ly/1nCAa2r Please send a letter of support– Congress needs to investigate the testing mania that is harming our students, our schools and costing us our best teachers.
The operant sentence of Waldron seems to be…
“while teachers are under continual pressure…to be accountable, there is very little accountability for parents, community, or the district office.”
At LAUSD, the Eli Broad puppet, Superintendent, MR. Deasy, runs the elected BoE and the District, and he is able to game the system so he not held accountable for anything. He can fire legally appointed oversight committee members such as Magruder, and he gets the BoE to rubber stamp this, and he can shut down investigation of the seemingly inept, possibly fraudulent, decisions he made like wasting $1 BILLION dollars of taxpayer money on his iPad fiasco, and the Board rolls over to have him scratch their bellies.
“Whatever Deasy wants, Deasy gets, and now little boy, Deasy wants charters.” (substituting Deasy for “Lola wants you” as in Damn Yankees).
We are living in a time where it seems that ‘might makes right.’
Julie Tran says teachers must strike….I add to that the public must become revolutionaries and must take to the streets to turn things around in every American community. It is only the community coming out in vast numbers that will capture the attention of media and of the world. OCCUPY LAUSD!
Try talking strike with any of the NYSUT, NEA AFT cowards and watch how they squirm, turn aquamarine and try to explain how they don’t want you messing up their cozy arrangements with all of the powers who are ruining education, our careers and kids’ lives. Oh no never a strike, that’s just too much to the point and too confrontational for our Weingartens and Mulgrews, Maghees and Van Roekels. They don’t want their little gravy train rocked in the slightest. Cowards and sellouts the bunch of them.
Indeed, they use strike scare talk as a weapon against members who question their policies.
It’s traditionally been The Boss who issues threats about the consequences of a strike, but teachers get that fear-mongering from their own union leadership.
My inclination is to call for strikes, but might the timid Van Roeckels have a point? Strikes seem taboo in America today. The BART strike here in the Bay Area seemed to generate a lot more hostility than sympathy from the public. Furthermore I think precious few teachers have a striker’s bone in their body –at least here in non-LA California where the worst of the reforms have yet to hit.
Ponderosa,
I hope you maintain your immunity! Urban districts are the focal point at the moment. There may be far more resistance in suburban and rural areas.
“Try talking strike with any of the NYSUT, NEA AFT cowards and watch how they squirm, turn aquamarine and try to explain how they don’t want you messing up their cozy arrangements with all of the powers who are ruining education, our careers and kids’ lives. Oh no never a strike, that’s just too much to the point and too confrontational for our Weingartens and Mulgrews, Maghees and Van Roekels. They don’t want their little gravy train rocked in the slightest. Cowards and sellouts the bunch of them.”
There’s a two word reply to all of that….
“KAREN LEWIS”…
or her NYC equivalent
“JULIE CAVANAUGH”.
I agree with all the reporters here who tell why there are so few strikes. In LA last year, I tried to organize some protest in solidarity with the teachers in Chicago who were being undermined by Rahm and his shutting down of their schools. Could not get a single person to volunteer.
Now UTLA is threatening a strike for an 8% pay raise, having just turned down the miniscule offer of 2%. So is it a truism that teachers may/will strike for fair pay, but nothing else?
Ellen, teachers could use charter laws to take over a school, choose an administrator and make most of the decisions. Do you know why they don’t? Thanks.
My old school actually looked into doing that very thing about 5 years ago. What stopped us was the financial requirements. Without signing onto the heinous reforms we were trying to escape it was next to impossible to raise funds. We were pros at grant writing and had procured well over half a million dollars in grant money in the 13 years I had been at the school but the grant money dried up outside of Gates/Broad/Walton money and we wanted no part of it.
The district would give us a per pupil amount of money for the charter students we enrolled and the state had passed laws to make our rent, transportation, and supply costs low but you still need a large amount of money to get started. We couldn’t get it even with our parents trying hard to raise money to help. Unless you buy into the crap reforms the money is not flowing like water.
Another predominantly white middle class school in our district did go charter this year. They had scads of money provided through donations from parents and grants from the federal government, state government, and local businesses who wouldn’t give my Title I, predominantly poor black and Hispanic school a penny, even though our charter plan created a STEM school with a focus on engineering.
Yes Julie Tran Lewis and Cavanaugh are the answer to cowardly unionism. They are also outliers of the first order. Julie’s MORE caucus is stuck in the shadow of Mulgarten and Karen Lewis only came to power after a complete divestment of the collaborating scum that dominate so many of our locals. I had to listen to ex NYSUT hack Ianuzzi last year tell us repeatedly “we do ourselves no good by dying on the barricades.” By we of course he meant him and Weingarten. I love Julie and Karen but they are endangered species in this sellout climate.
Linda…your suggestion that teachers take over by starting their own charters is right on the money. It is being done.
If you want to get more info, contact me at
joiningforces4ed@aol.com
and I might be able to put you in contact with a group I am close to that is in the midst of developing their own, independent, charter. It is very hard to do this, and money is a big issue.
Linda, doesn’t charterizing usually mean the teachers have to do much of the administrators’ work on top of their own work? I’ve never understood the logic of charters. All it seems to do is make the accomplishment of mundane administrative chores less efficient. However I can see that in LA the benefits might outweigh the costs.
That’s how teachers seem to see it (too much work) but they don’t seem to realize that they can CHOOSE an administrator to do administrative chores. (This administrator would serve at the pleasure of the faculty). Teachers would continue to teach, as they do now, but they would be the decision-makers. These decisions could be made at faculty meetings that teachers usually attend anyway, even though at the present time, they don’t make many decisions. Frankly I’m surprised that teachers don’t see this as the perfect way out of the powerless rut they are in at the present time.
Teachers generally lack financial backing. I don’t know about you, but I do not have any personal connections to any billionaires.
Actually, under the charter laws, millions of dollars are not necessary to start a charter school. In California, if 50% of teachers decided to turn their school into a charter, they could do it. Also, unions have access to money and should be helping teachers with this. I think teachers just don’t see the possibilities but when they do, watch out!
Charters are taking us down the road of privatizing our public education system. Education is supposed to be public education for all, not just the haves and have-nots. Charters directly compete with traditional public schools. Learning and education is supposed to be a collaborative venture, not a competitive one.
Yes, charters ARE taking us down the road to privatization. Maybe that’s why teachers need to open their own schools. Teachers are people who can be trusted. They are the ones who should be running all schools. They are the people who put students first.
Remember it was the head of the union Al Shanker who first thought of the idea of charter schools so TEACHERS can try out their own ideas. Now there’s a thought!
A charter school can be run by teachers but it does not, and should not, be privatized. Think about it!
Here in Florida teachers give up all seniority and benefits as well when they are employed by a “public” charter school. It’s frightening to give up 20 to 25 years of vested pension funds for an unknown future at an advanced age, not to mention losing the meager benefits that you already have that may or may not be replaced — most local charters do not contribute to pensions or insurance. It’s all on the teacher and the salaries are already lower than the pathetic pay from the state (we rank something like 47th out of 50). That’s another problem with teachers converting to charters here.
Linda, I picture that exactly. In five years parents will be fed up with charters and will start asking the educators up the street to hold learning sessions at their kitchen tables. I totally see that.
I try to look at developing countries and what they would be grateful for. We had it. And we threw it away. I hope we can get it back.
Linda,
What is the advantage of teachers turning a school into a charter? I am lost.
Chris, thanks for explaining. I did not understand until now why teachers would not want to start a charter school. However, in Los Angeles County I’m fairly certain that some charters are part of the district and teachers have the same salaries and protections as the teachers in the traditional schools. Some of these teachers elect to be part of the union as well.
NJ Teacher, wouldn’t you love to run your own school (e.g. make most decisions about staff, curriculum and instruction) and have the ability to choose your head teacher? I would.
This same system has been used in the private sector for decades…with some success (e.g. profit sharing, which even United Airlines tried). In education, if teachers, like other employees, have a buy-in, a real voice in how the organization is run, then this ownership may lead to a cooperative model.
The problems that rapidly appear are
1. finding capital for start up…and then agreeing on a long term plan of capitalization,
2. finding and retaining a cooperative, creative, and equally hard working group of teachers to participate,
3. cooperatively creating curriculum,
4. finding students.
This is just off the top of my mind…so I am sure many of you bloggers can add to this list. These are things not listed in teachers job descriptions…so that is a problem from the get go.
Linda…you and other of your cohorts, are just the teachers, retired pros, who could work on this, as advisors, as trainers of young teachers, and in the myriad of ways needed for a charter to succeed.
So much energy and dedication is necessary to make this work, and my first choice is to improve our public schools…but the road blocks of administration and ineffective Boards of Education, are huge barriers…thus most teachers keep their heads down, and stay put.
It is a tantalizing conundrum.
I think Joe Nathan would be a good person to talk with about starting these schools.
It bothers me when comments are made questioning a teacher’s leaving the profession by saying they weren’t committed or dedicated to begin with. As dedicated as it seems, the band that played on the Titanic, died. It’s like we judge a teacher’s dedication by whether or not they will go down with the ship. Would you? Would you risk losing your job and risk losing your house, needing welfare assistance all to take a stand on a sinking ship. As Darwin stated “survival isn’t about being the strongest or most intelligent. Survival is based on the ability to change.” We don’t know everyone’s circumstances but this guy is a recognized teacher in his school and community and that should be a warning to us when the best are leaving. Here’s a thought we don’t have to go down with the ship, most of us do because we either can’t afford to go back to school or can’t afford to start over at the bottom in a new field. Present company included.
I agree with you 100% andrewymer10s. I will not judge the decisions of others because I don’t want to be judged for my decisions. That kind of nasty emotional manipulation and backstabbing is what so many administrators use to coerce teachers into giving up their contractual rights and to do things that they don’t believe are in their best interest or the best interest of their students. My current principal is a pro at emotional blackmail and it is sickening to see it come from other teachers.
I get tired of the “its for the kids” line. Yes we are teachers and want to do what’s best for them but we also have to provide for our families as well. To say we should all be willing to do this job for less money each year b/c it’s “for the kids” and if you aren’t willing to work for free then you are evil. My wife and I are both teachers and she has said many times, “why do I have to make sure that every other kid gets opportunities that we can’t even provide for our own children?”
Yes. We send other kids to college, but my own kids can not afford it without indentured servitude to the banks. Sure, I like helping kids succeed, but my own pay the price for my “dedication”. It’s “for the (other people’s) kids”. Wonder how many of these politicians would forgo pay “for the nation”?
Thank you Andrew. My point exactly. Many people may take umbrage at my comparison, but teachers leaving may be like people fleeing Germany when Hitler was taking over. I’m sure those people loved their homeland and thought they’d be living there forever, but the price was too high to pay…
Last night I went to a crowded Korean restaurant. There was a 45-minute wait to get seated. I love the restaurant and I thought I’d be dining there last night, but the wait was just too long. As I left, I thought to myself, this may be like people fleeing Germany when Hitler was taking over.
You might be interested in this alternative way to ration seats at popular restaurants: http://website.alinearestaurant.com/site/2014/06/tickets-for-restaurants/
Very well-written and excellent points. I used to get frustrated when folks would leave but I don’t anymore. It’s the only thing that will actually bring about needed change.
Here are total instructional salary and benefit expenditures for Waynesboro Public Schools for the past four years:
2010-2011: 24,382,267
2011-2012: 25,051,476
2012-2013: 26,215,082
2013-2014: 26,462,894
There has been a change in the revenue mix (more local, less state), and a change in how the money is spent (huge increases in pension contributions–20% in the 2013-2014 budget–and health care costs for both active and retired employees), but not really a budget cut. The average teacher in the district makes about $49,000, about the household median income for the area, which has a cost of living significantly lower than the US average.
This decision must have been agonizing for this teacher and I feel bad for the kids who won’t get to learn from him. But I think the conversation about budgets often needs to be more honest and open.
I think you completely missed the point.
2 cut (noun) : an act of making something smaller in amount
When repeated budget cuts are cited as a primary factor in this teacher’s decision to leave the classroom, the numbers and the semantics matter.
How was the conversation about budgets not honest or open? PA has a long, long history (documented many times before here on this blog) of underfunding urban schools. underfunding pension plans, and making urban teachers the scapegoats for political gain.
Are you trying to imply that Mr. Waldron is lying about not being able to support his family on his meager salary and benefits?
The conversation ideally would go something like this:
“Taxpayers in my district, which has struggled to recover from the recession, have dug down deep to offset cuts in state funding and allowed us to provide annual increases in our budget. Unfortunately, these increases have gone mostly to offset cost increases in our benefits plan and larger contributions to the teachers’ retirement fund, and cash salaries have gone up only a little bit if at all.” That could certainly spin off into a discussion of health care and whether or not pensions are adequately funded (it seems many districts like to complain about the damage wrought by Wall Street while at the same time relying on Wall Street to deliver an 8% return every year).
So spare me the hand-wringing. Pointing out that the cuts aren’t actually cuts is hardly an assault on anyone’s personal integrity.
Wow Tim, that’s the best you’ve got? “Spare me” and accusing me of falsely calling “assault on character”? You are one mean opponent, LOL. Why didn’t you just come right out and call me hysterical or mans plain what I need to think, say, and do? And by the way, where I live they have been “cut, cut, cut” — we had a $35 million deficit due to faulty software and an incompetent superintendent. Your experience (and mine) is not everyone’s experience, something that is frequently overlooked here, it seems. I always preface my comments “Here in Florida where I live. . . .”
What’s your district, Chris?
Chris, I agree that generalizing usually doesn’t make for good discussion. That’s why I went to the trouble of, you know, looking up the actual numbers for the actual district where this teacher works (which is in Virginia, not Pennsylvania).
I think that poster Tim’s point is that instructional salary and benefits have not been “cut, cut cut” for six years in a row. They have actually grown by a little over 2 million dollars since 2010. I have no doubt that this increase went mostly into benefits and not salary.
What total BS. Pension funds are lagging all around the country because they were never fully funded by the states who created them, as required by law. Teachers and other pensioners are not allowed to not pay into the system until some future date like the states are allowed to do.
I remember quite well when Christie Todd Whitman first wrote off the state’s contribution to the pension fund and called it “balancing the budget.” When she got by with it the scam was repeated around the country, with states kicking the can down the road over and over again. It’s caught up to them but some still resist making good on their contractual promises, re Christie in NJ right now.
Teachers did not create the system that offers benefits in place of salary that we have accepted for years. We do not write the contracts — districts do and we attempt to negotiate better salary and work conditions, to no avail for the most part for the last decade. We do not choose the insurance companies or pension fund management and we have no say in either. They are appointed by political operatives in state governments and district administrators. To claim that we are responsible for our own poverty is laughable, insulting, and idiotic yet you do it again and again. I’m tired of it myself.
You conveniently leave out the difference in 2010 dollars and 2014 dollars after the country has experienced a massive economic slowdown, the loss of purchasing power in real dollars as the cost of living continues to rise including sending your own children to college and paying on your own underwater mortgage, and the inconvenient fact that no salary increase counterbalanced by much higher contributions to insurance and pension funds does not in any way help an employee financially, support the economy outside of a few huge health care corporations and Wall Street gamblers.
You can argue that up is down and black is white and that teachers are actually rich and lying, as you do, but it doesn’t change the fact that we were already grossly underpaid by national standards, making slightly more than a postal carrier which requires no college degrees, and much much less than a accountant, an engineer, or a paralegal, all of which also require college education and board certification to practice.
This difference in perspective might contribute a great deal to the disagreement about school funding. From the teacher’s perspective, salary has not increased. From the taxpayer perspective, compensation has increased. The same increase in compensation expenditures could have been used to increase teacher salary (a taxable increase in compensation) and a less comprehensive health care plan (non-taxable compensation). I can certainly understand that a young, relatively healthy, teacher would prefer a higher salary to a better health care benefit package, but I have no doubt that many teachers in his district would prefer the untaxed health care services to higher income on which they must pay taxes.
“What total BS. Pension funds are lagging all around the country because they were never fully funded by the states who created them, as required by law.”
Another thing that’s total BS is the idea that the under-funding of pensions has been done unilaterally or in secret by states and municipalities. It’s happened in broad daylight with broad consensus.
The circumstances are different in different states and cities, and some funds are stronger than others. In the case of NYC, many have argued over the past decade and longer that the city has not been contributing enough to its pension funds. They have been ignored and/or shouted down by the parties who set policy for the pension funds: the unions, the Mayor, the state legislature and governor, the fund trustees, the NYC comptroller.
Individual teachers and cops and firefighters in NYC aren’t responsible for setting policy, but by this point, I consider them (and every educated NYC taxpayer) to be “on notice” of the arguments about the systematic under-funding of pension funds. They’ve been told that the pension funds are not contributing enough to cover their obligations. They’ve been told that the funds are using unrealistically high rate-of-return assumptions. They’ve been told that the funds are piling into hedge funds and private equity funds to boost their returns. They’ve had years and years to demand changes to the way the pension funds are funded, and they haven’t done it.
Some day the funding gap may compound into something with an impact on the budget and services so severe that residents and workers consider them truly intolerable. People who were on notice of this problem for a long time will have lots to say about who to blame and what should have been done. I will have no interest in hearing it.
Agree with much of what Tim writes. In addition, in California where 3 cities have gone bankrupt, and others still could follow, lawyers for CalPERS are desperately trying to save pensions of many union workers including educators (mainly higher ed). The first thing these debtor cities do is to get out of paying these pensions do is to divert (bury) assets to make it look as though pensioner/creditors have no recourse. Unfortunately, our governor is not supporting these educators pensions…but rather is talking about cutting all public pensions. Government pensions as with Cal Trans are usually 110% of salary and are causing the budget shortfall…but this certainly does not apply to teachers.
If you are a fireman/woman and spent 20 years in service, then your pension vests and your are generally about 40 years old, so you might choose a whole different second career. However, if you are a teacher with a much lower vested pension value, and you are probably over 50 – 60, for you spent many years getting additional degrees, you are up the creek…and you better learn to flip hamburgers for McDonald’s.
Hey Tim,
Thanks for bringing specific numbers to the table. From what I understand, the cost of benefits and pensions continues to increase exponentially, hence the salary scale freezes since 2008-2009. To make up for the growing deficit, we cut positions every year (we need to lose 13 this year) and important student programs and resources.
The order of my post is intentional — compensation is not the largest issue at stake, hence its placement at the bottom of my list. If I felt like our district had a serious plan for confronting the challenges that lie ahead — I would continue to figure out ways to make ends meet. I’ve been doing this since the year I started teaching.
The issues are much larger than pay, and since we have no intention of confronting those issues head on — it just makes more sense for me and my family to transition. It’s a tragedy that students get lost in the shuffle of these unintentional years.
And yes, the reliance on Wall Street’s success to fund pensions is quite ironic.
A very interesting discussion.
And it underscores some of what I’ve been writing here for quite a while. American public education is in trouble and it has been ill-served by its so-called “leaders,” from Randi Weingarten and Dennis Van Roekel at the AFT and NEA, to principals and superintendents and school board members who buy into all the latest education trends like SMART goals, and “21st century skills,” and STEM. Most of these people have absolutely no insight whatsoever into what constitutes genuine learning and assessment.
And while I don’t doubt that Josh was a good teacher, he bought into the nonsense too. Under “History Courses,” is website is most complete in outlining his course for Advanced Placement U.S. History. AP courses, produced by the College Board, which also makes the PSAT and SAT, are grossly overhyped. Research shows that they really don’t offer much in benefits in college to students who take them…but educators and administrators seem to think they are better than oven-baked lasagna. As has been cited elsewhere, the College Board was instrumental in developing the Common Core, and it is part of the problem of an”unhealthy obsession with flawed standardized tests” that Josh Waldron bemoans.
On his website, Waldron touts a “A Ron Paul Poster for the Masses.” Ron Paul? Seriously?
Too, Waldron says on his website that he’s a “divine determinist.” That is, he believes in divine determinism – “the belief that every aspect of everything that exists and of everything that occurs has been willed and determined by God – that no aspect of anything that occurs is outside the scope of God’s control.”
Given that belief system, Waldron’s decision to leave the classroom is not really his own…it’s simply part of God’s plan for him.
I am deeply disturbed by your comment and I feel that it borders on attempted character assassination which has absolutely no place here.
Mr. Waldron’s religious beliefs should be out of bounds, as should his political beliefs. His course outlines reflect, I’m sure, the requirements of his state and district.
I’m appalled that this kind of rightwing tactic, smearing the messenger instead of engaging in the message, has made its way here of all placed.
This morning I heard a news report that the Bergdahl family has received numerous death threats and is now under the protections of the FBI.
It’s sickening to see the depths of depravity that so many of our citizens have stooped to in order to score a political point or to support a dearly held belief not shared by others.
What was your intention here?
Look, it’s a free country. One can hold any religious belief, or subscribe to any political dogma.
But it’s kind kind of hard to say on your website that you believe in “divine determinism” and then complain that you are leaving pubic education because of poor budgets and an overemphasis on standardized test scores.
There are plenty of educators who buy into the Advanced Placement and SATs and ACTs, and then complain about testing and “accountability” (or the Common Core); well, they cannot have it both ways.
It’s hardly a “rightwing tactic” to point these things out.
By the way, if your school bought into the STEM thing, like many have, you’ve grabbed ahold of the nonsense too.
You can spin your a hominem attack any way you like but it was still out of line. You need to apologize.
And my school pursued a STEM focus because it was one of the four options required by the federal USDOE at the time to receive the grant we were applying for.
You offer nothing but criticism of the actions of others and personal attacks. Where are your plans and ideas for fixing the mess?
Chris…I think the issue ‘democracy’ addresses, is that if a religious belief system is your prime determiner of how you live your life, it might be viewed differently than others who do not use that same determinant.
I continue to be amused by the mixups in user names in the iOS WordPress app. To wit, your comment appears under teachingeconomist’s user name on the iOS app. I saw that and thought, wow, I’ve never seen TE so fired up!
Hey democracy,
Thanks for adding to the discussion. A few quick responses:
1. It’s a bit unfair to assume that I’ve bought into the nonsense of the College Board because I provide course resources on my website. You’ve never been in mt classroom and you’ve never I’m not a big fan of the College Board, and my students know this. They are reminded regularly that AP tests (and other similar assessments) cater to a certain type of student who fits well in an academic system that the same not for profit institution controls.
I was handed AP responsibilities when a great teacher left for another school district, and I’ve fulfilled those responsibilities with my own unique take on what an AP classroom should look like.
My World History 1 students come from backgrounds where the internet isn’t necessarily available, so I didn’t focus most of my energy into delivering additional resources electronically. 60% or more of my students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
2. Ron Paul poster – a designer friend of mine put this together. I wanted to help generate some publicity for his project. I’m sorry you don’t appreciate a semi-consistent politician like Ron Paul (who by the way, has flaws and wouldn’t reform education).
3. Fair points on divine determinism…it doesn’t make my “decision” any easier. You should read The Most Real Being…it’s thought provoking.
The latest is Chris Christie is looking to Illinois for inspiraton on how to eliminate retiree health insurance plans. Apparently courts are more willing to rule in favor of the forfeiture of health insurance than the actual pensions. There is much to look forward to.
A lot of teachers leave after six years because you need to do five in a high needs school to have your student loans forgiven and it takes the sixth year (more or less) to do the paperwork. I would like iamjawal to address this in his situation. I would respect this kind of thing more as well were it not such an Advertisement for Myself including an link to his website design business. Teachers leave all the time and are definitely underpaid, but I am much more interested in the opinions of the ones who stay.
a link