Two charter schools in Boston voted to join the Boston Teachers Union.
It seems the teachers want some rights, some voice, and equitable pay.
This story will not make the Walton Family Foundation happy. It is spending $200 million a year to open new charters in hopes of eliminating trachers’ Unions. More than 90% of charters are non-union. That’s why Betsy DeVos adds another $263 Million each year. The faster charters can replace public schools, the sooner the teachers’ unions will disappear.
Unlike public schools, charters open and close like day lilies. So Walton and DeVos and taxpayers must keep spending to open more charters.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!” I hope that quote is accurate.
It seems the Waltons see teachers as they do their store clerks, passing coded merchandise over computer lights and making beeping sounds: A WRONG VIEW for BOTH kinds of work.
boycott the walmart crap stores we say it but keep going to these box stores buying crap that the waltons make for a buck tree eighty
I think some would like to characterize charter school teachers as true believers who drink the kool-aid and fully support the mission and philosophy of their school. I suspect the reality is something closer to them being similar to many private school teachers, young educators with not enough experience to make them competitive in the public school job market. Charters are just starter schools for new teachers who can gain some experience and then move on to a higher paying job with better benefits in a good public school.
I have met newbie teachers who worked at my public school, struggled, and left for charters because they couldn’t earn permanent status with the district.
Ed reform was terrible for teachers in Wisconsin:
“Along with diminished leverage with school boards, teachers have seen lower pay, reduced pension and health insurance benefits and higher turnover as educators hop from one district to another in search of raises, a new report finds.”
They change the tests so often that there’s no data yet on what happened to Wisconsin students but it seems like rural students were hurt the most- which is probably not what parents in rural areas anticipated when they backed Governor Walker.
It’s hard to see anyone who gained from Wisconsin ed reform- other than the small group of students who attend private schools.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/17/news/economy/wisconsin-act-10-teachers/index.html
I can guarentee that it is the lower paying and harder work schools that see teachers leave. I have watched it in rural schools for 31 years. It happens to schools where the kids are hard to teach as well as to the schools where teachers make significantly less than neighboring schools.
How many times have I seen it. We get a young teacher who is a great addition to the staff. A couple of years go by and they are off to another place for 12,000 more a year and a lighter workload. They do not even have to move their residence. We cannot offer anything to compete with that. Every time we try to offer more, the richer school districts pony up more money. So we put our money on community loyalty. Maybe that is better in the long run. It does give us stability.
Obviously, the “owners of this country” as George Carlin used to say, do not want the unions. It is up to the employees to fight for their rights. Is this something new? This is capitalism after all, nothing has changed since Rockefeller. In fact, after the fall of the Soviet Union this country does not need to pretend anymore that capitalism can have a “human face”. So, this is a struggle, and cudos to Boston teachers who were able to get what they wanted.
There are places where charter schools are unionized, like Maryland. Matt Hornbeck, principal of Hampstead Hill Academy Baltimore Charter School, says: “We have control over hiring, curriculum and budget. … Unlike other states where charter schools are their own districts, Maryland does not provide for that. Teachers are part of the union. Job security and higher wage attract and keep top teachers. … A strong union is good for kids, for family. If you look at other districts that are not represented by collective bargaining, their salaries are one third less.” — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDuy0V2Nxe8
Maryland is a rare case. You can better believe that the strong teacher’s union in the state negotiated that deal many years ago. I know it is this way in Baltimore City, but I’m not so sure of what is going on in Prince George’s County which has many charter schools (and is amid a cheating/grade changing scandal similar to DC).
“Unlike public schools, charters open and close like day lilies.”
The charter and “choice” advocates would call this volatility and instability evidence of how much more ” accountable” charter schools are than the stable, democratically controlled community schools acting as a safety net for when selective charters close up shop.
I would submit on the basis of a lifetime of observation, that stability of staff is the single most reliable indicator of a good school. I will leave it to another to research this. It seems logical a priori.
“The charter and “choice” advocates would call this volatility and instability evidence of how much more ” accountable” charter schools are…”
I would say it is an example of how much more irresponsible they are.