Mary Souza’s Newsletter 
Why does this title make me think of that old movie, “When Harry Met Sally”, when she’s sitting in the café…? Ok, stop laughing now and let’s focus. This is serious.
Education has always been a top priority in our family. My husband was a 4th grade teacher when I met him. I’ve been a clinical nursing instructor. And between our two families, we have almost 10 current or retired teachers. We love teachers and we believe in the power of education.
So we applauded the courageous effort of Superintendent Tom Luna’s Education Reforms for Idaho last year. And we are now appalled at the inaccurate information being pushed in TV ads and mailings paid by the National Teachers’ Union.
This Union, called the National Education Association (NEA) is the largest political lobby / labor union in the nation. It’s bigger than SEIU, the Auto Workers’ Union, Steel Workers’ Union or Teamsters Union. But please remember that the NEA represents public employees who are paid with taxpayer money. That is far different than the others unions listed, which are negotiating for private employees of private businesses.
The NEA is spending more than $1.1 million on TV ads in Idaho to reverse the Luna Education Reform laws. Why? Because these laws reduce some of this union’s control over our public educational system.
A school administrator told me that the Union dictates just about everything in our district, including the bell schedule! Did you know that our district has to pay for a Union representative, provide them with a cell phone and pay for their time to go to Union meetings, all at taxpayer expense? Did you know that the teacher’s Union dues are deducted from their paychecks by our district personnel, working on the taxpayers’ time? And did you know that because Idaho is a Right-to-Work state, thank goodness, teachers cannot be required to join the union, but some have told me they will be ostracized if they don’t?
So let’s take a good look at these Luna Laws for Education Reform, these laws that frighten the Union so much. There are three of them. You will see them on the Ballot as “Proposition 1, 2 & 3”. We’ll take them one at a time and I’ll tell you what the Union says on their web site, and then what I think is more accurate and why.
Prop. 1 : This is the most upsetting to the Union. They say this law will “Silence student’s best advocates: Teachers”. Who in their right mind would run a school system that “silences” teachers? The Union says it keeps teachers from speaking up about classroom issues. Nonsense. Any decent school administrator and School Board wants to hear from teachers about classroom concerns and more.
What has the Union really worried is that Prop 1 limits labor negotiations to one year at a time. It also requires that the Union prove it represents at least 50% of the teachers in the district. The Union’s collective bargaining will be limited to salaries and benefits only, not all the extra details of running the district, which should be determined by the Administration and the elected School Board.
The Union is also not happy that their tightly held system of seniority will be reversed. Under Prop 1, if staff reductions must be made, School Boards will be able to keep the best teachers, regardless of seniority. Tenure for new teachers will also not be an option; Tenure will be retained by those who already have it, but that program will be phased out. New teachers will have one or two year contracts.
Parents will finally get a voice under this law. It allows input from parents to be considered in teacher and principal evaluations. I know in the business world, the positive and negative feedback from clients is always considered in employee evaluations.
And Prop 1 makes all union contract negotiations take place in an open session! These contracts must be made available online as well. (this detail is in Prop 3)
Prop 2: It’s about merit pay for teachers but the Union says it’s “More teaching to the test.”. The Union claims that “measuring teacher performance is important, but this is the wrong way to do it.” Funny, they never suggest any better way!
What Prop 2 does is incentivize teachers. It offers them three ways to qualify for bonuses: They can take a hard-to fill job in an area or school, and/or they can take a leadership position within the school or district, and/or they can earn bonuses for student performance at their school. Teachers can make up to an extra $8000 per year in merit bonuses. This is precisely how many successful businesses operate.
Let’s face it, we all want to be recognized for working harder, giving extra effort. It’s human nature. Under the Union’s system now, all teachers, whether good, bad or just floating along, get paid a set salary based on their seniority and their education. If performance means nothing, why try?
Here’s a true story about Lake City High School: One of our sons signed up for a Honors History class. There was a wonderful history teacher who was young, smart and very energized, but he did not get chosen to teach the Honors class of highly motivated students. The guy who did was almost retired, totally on auto-pilot and even told the kids he didn’t care. Our son was not happy. I asked one of the administrators why that decision was made. He looked uncomfortable and said, “Because he has seniority and the smart kids are easier to have in class.”
Don’t tell me the Union cares about the kids. They care about furthering their power and control. And now they’re trying to keep their jobs!
Prop. 3: This is the technology section. The Union cries that this will “Replace teachers with laptops”. Of course it won’t! Just like books didn’t replace teachers. These things are tools. And computers are the tools of our modern time. Our kids must learn to use advanced technology in various ways in order to be successful in any field.
The Union says this law “forces your local schools to spend your tax dollars on expensive, unproven technology” and “could force schools to raise property taxes.” Not true.
Tom Luna has pledged that the legislature will fund the entire cost of the technology and the maintenance. He is adamant that local school districts will not be responsible for these costs and that this program will not raise property taxes.
(Yes, I realize that State tax money still comes from us, but it is at a much smaller level and the savings from other aspects of this program will help offset some of the costs. See below for a couple of examples.)
“Unproven”? Hardly. The State of Maine has provided student laptops for 10 years now, and they report great success in their program. Other states are also working toward this goal.
Laptops have come way down in price over the years and there are real savings to be found by using this type of technology: Textbooks are very expensive, but online versions offer a much better price and the schools can order only the chapters they want, thereby saving even more. There will be no need for computer labs in every high school, which will also be a savings. Plus there’s a huge assortment of software programs which can help teachers engage students with creative and innovative learning methods.
So, dear Readers, there you have it. The details of the Luna Laws show that all the negativity and outrage from the Teachers’ Union is not out of concern for kids, it’s based on concern for their own job security. No one wants to break the Union, but their control over the education of our children has been too great; the pendulum of power has swung too far toward the Union and should come back to a more balanced position.
I chose to write about this topic this week because there are “YES on Prop 1,2,3” yard signs and bumper stickers that need to get out into our community. If you want some, or can help distribute them, please go to Republican Headquarters over in the Sunset Mall off of Hwy 95 just south of Kathleen. (Where the Recall CdA office was located.)
Please Vote YES, YES, YES. And try not to laugh when you do. –Mary
* My thanks to Idaho Freedom Foundation for their very good research comparison on these Propositions. You can read it at www.idahofreedom.net
**BREAKING NEWS: I’ve just heard from people who attended the NIC Trustee Candidate Forum last night. They tell me it was embarrassing because incumbents Judy Meyer and Mic Armon appeared to have the questions printed out in front of them, and the answers too! And that questions were not asked equally of all candidates, they were directed at certain people but not all. Even a liberal supporter of the incumbents, who was present, said it was very unfair. You can watch the reruns on Channel 19 if you wish. We need new, responsible people at NIC–
Please VOTE for Ron Nilson, Paul Matthews and Todd Banducci
Mary,
I thought you were also going to be writing about the County’s proposed re-organization, is that still in the works?
Comment by old dog — October 24, 2012 @ 1:10 pm
Breaking News? Mary, seems as though you are posting misinformation without checking the facts. Thankfully HBO is all over this topic. Here is some information regarding your false breaking news:
A commentor on HBO informed everyone that: ‘Each candidate was asked before the forum to choose 4 questions from a preselected group. The moderators then asked the candidates the questions that they chose. Since each candidate knew about the questions ahead of time, not just Mic and Judy, so they all had prepared answers. Nilson even corrected the moderator because he missed asking him one of his pre-selected questions.’ Not only that, but the video of the Forum is available and at the 59:25 mark you can hear Mark explain this.
I can post links to these facts, but I am sure you know where to go. It was also suggested that you apologize not only to Mic and Judy, but also the ASNIC for basically accusing them of cheating on the forum. I hope that you do realize your error and do such.
Comment by meesterbox — October 24, 2012 @ 1:54 pm
Old Dog, I am going to. I decided to reverse the order because the signs and bumper stickers for the “YES on Props 1,2,3” need to get out as soon as possible. The County is next, I promise.
Meesterbox, Thanks for the info. It is not what I was told from my sources so I am checking back with them. Stay tuned.
Comment by mary — October 24, 2012 @ 2:47 pm
Thanks Mary – just anxious and ready to write.
Comment by old dog — October 24, 2012 @ 3:13 pm
“4th grade teacher” and “a clinical nursing instructor”–“Idaho is a Right-to-Work state, thank goodness”
You really should get out and mingle with the ‘cake eaters’. Together the At-Will and Right to Work employment laws have had a devastating impact on Idaho’s blue collar working families. Either one would be tolerable, but the impact of the two laws working together is another story.
Bonus Round Question, for a minimum wage job with no benefits, “The 1985 Idaho Legislature passed the Right to Work law and overrode Gov. Evans’ veto. In 1986, 54% of the voters affirmed it…In what year did Idaho’s Legislature enact the At Will law?”
Comment by up river — October 24, 2012 @ 5:24 pm
Hey, Up River, I’m not sure why you are calling out the facts that my husband was a teacher and I was a nursing instructor–what do those have to do with Idaho employment law? But here’s our real connection to those laws: We own a small business and have for 26 years. We employ about 10-12 people full time and several part-time. I am glad that Idaho is an “At Will” state, which means that we can stop our employment of any employee at any time, except for reasons of gender, race, etc. It also means that our employees can leave their job for any reason at any time. Seems fair, doesn’t it? Lucky for us we have wonderful employees! They are great. It would be a terrible business decision for us to let any of them go because they are very good, and it would cost our business a lot of money to replace them and train someone new. That’s the open market; that’s real business. But any of our employees can leave at any time too, and in the past some have…for all kinds of reason, most of them personal. But their choices left us, as business owners, in tough situations. We had to scramble to replace them. Do you think there should be a law to protect us from employees who leave without much or any notice? I don’t. It’s their right.
Right-to-Work doesn’t apply to our small company because we are not unionized. But Right-to-Work simply says that no one can be forced to join a union in order to get a job at any business, and I believe that’s best. If the union wants to help workers, let them convince the employees that it’s worth the price of the dues. Years ago, as a nurse, I was a member of the Nurses’ Association, which was somewhat like a union, and I chose to pay my dues and join. I don’t think anyone should be forced. Do you?
Comment by mary — October 24, 2012 @ 7:45 pm
I didn’t “call out” any facts. You stated them. I quoted your comment as the basis for my suggestion that you should spend time with the ‘cake eaters’. I am glad you are successful, sincerely. I believe you are a good employer, sincerely. But, I want to be very clear about the fact that you should mingle with the blue collar workers, the factory workers, the miners, the minimum wage hospitality workers, the food workers, and on and on before you declare at will wonderful a wonderful ‘fair’ law. At will is only fair if the majority of employers treat their employees fair…and most don’t by a long shot. I would be glad to have you spend a week or month with me seeing what I see…and you would quickly understand the reality faced by blue collar workers in Idaho today. How many employees working for good employers, receiving a fair wage—whatever the market is for any given job—leave, as compared to those who get terminated without notice. How many people are out there looking for work. If you have an opening and list the job you would have 20-30 people applying. It might take you having to interview most of them to find one that is a good fit, but it wouldn’t take long. How long does it take for a worker, fired without notice, to find a job?
Right to Work, no I don’t/never have agreed with forced unionization. However, I have read ‘The Jungle’ by Upton Sinclair…at least until I throw it across the room where it smacks into the wall… and ‘Big Trouble’ by J. Anthony Lukas…several times. Big Trouble is, after all, the history of Idaho written by a Pulitzer Prize winning author. It is a factual recordation of history. Unions used to serve a purpose. Did you ever read about the ‘Ludlow Massacre’? A machine gun and a high vantage point is good labor management. How about the ‘Bull Pens’ in the Silver Valley…locking up union members without any charge of any crime…does that seems fair? Sadly, it seems that today the only purpose served by most unions is to collect dues. Heck, 30 years ago a close relative of mine was angrily called a ‘scab’ by a former Cda Mayor/teacher for taking a temporary job and not joining the union. Get rid of at will and leave right to work…no problem. Give people a choice…absolutely. Now they have no choice, no help, and no defense against the many unscrupulous employers. Yes there are many. Montana does great with ‘for cause’ legislation. Fences make good neighbors and ‘for cause’ laws make good employers. Right now ‘fair’ isn’t a word that blue collar workers would use to describe Idaho. Most are afraid to even mention ‘fair’ for fear they will be looking for work the next day. I sure wouldn’t describe the situation in Idaho as fair to blue collar workers. What I said in my post was that the two laws, together, are devastating to blue collar families. Level the playing field.
You call out the teachers’ union. Who makes up that union…the teachers. They don’t have to join the union. Many don’t belong. Perhaps, if we are talking about ‘fair’ perhaps we should talk too about the real power in Idaho called the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI). It is an association of Idaho’s big businesses whose leaders regularly meet, at places such as the ultra exclusive Arid Club in Boise, to determine how to squeeze blue collar workers. The most recent example of IACI’s efforts would be the amendments to Idaho’s Right to Work laws that were pushed through the Idaho Legislature, even though Idaho’s Attorney General advised the legislators that it would be thrown out. The amendment was thrown out by (Federal) U.S. District Court Judge Winmill in January of this year. Somehow I don’t think it was pushed through by IACI because it was ‘fair’ to workers.
Finally, you didn’t mention if you found where the at-will law was enacted by the Idaho Legislature. When you do so let me know…it will raise another topic of discussion—judges who legislate from the bench, instead of doing what they are supposed to do…enforce and interpret the laws as enacted by the members of the legislature who are elected by, and accountable to, the citizens.
Comment by up river — October 24, 2012 @ 10:07 pm
So, feel better after getting that out, Up River? I won’t go into great detail about my personal experiences, but I have been a below-minimum wage earner. And I was an entry level hospitality worker at several places. Those jobs are how and why I put myself through college, which brings us all the way back to our actual topic here: The value and importance of Education!
Comment by mary — October 25, 2012 @ 7:47 am
Meesterbox, I haven’t forgotten. This thing is getting very interesting. I should have a response later today.
Comment by mary — October 25, 2012 @ 9:08 am
Sounds good Mary. Also while you are checking with you sources, maybe you could ask them why Todd Banducci has been MIA at both of the Candidate Forums that have taken place. Kind of difficult to want to vote for someone when they haven’t bothered to show up to the non-partisan public forums that have taken place.
Comment by meesterbox — October 25, 2012 @ 9:48 am
Ok, so it looks like my original Breaking News was correct, but there’s more to tell. One candidate says the invitation to the forum said that the questions would be sent to them in advance. He didn’t get any so he called and asked for them. Some questions were sent to him but when he arrived at the forum, he was told those questions had been changed. Weird.
At least several of the candidates didn’t receive any questions until they arrived at the forum a few minutes before it started. At that time they were shown one clipboard that contained about six questions. The candidates were told to sign up for the questions they wanted to be asked. (Weird again) One candidate was told to sign up for 2 questions, another was told to pick 4 questions, and it appeared that one incumbent signed up for almost all of them.
At least several of the candidates were not given copies of the questions; they were given no paperwork at all.
So why did it appear that Judy and Mic had the printed questions in front of them?…and answers too? Don’t know.
Meesterbox, you also asked why Todd didn’t attend. Maybe it’s because of the unfair methods that this group at NIC has used over and over again in the past. Readers here might remember several years ago when there was a presentation on the proposed Ed Corridor and the public was allowed to ask questions of the NIC Trustees. Questions were to be sent in ahead of time. I sent in 12 questions. They had a select group of their people who took the questions and “compiled” them, combining similar questions so there wouldn’t be repeats, they explained. What they really did was to water down the questions and remove any parts that might be uncomfortable to answer. They leave nothing to chance. Control everything so the outcome is what they want. Transparency be damned. We need new people on the NIC Board!
Comment by mary — October 25, 2012 @ 1:04 pm
Well, it is nice to see that at least one local entity ‘ponied’ up to support Education Voters of Idaho’s pro Prop 1, 2 and 3 advertising budget–Hagadone Hospitality, $15,000. File that under– at (or below) minimum wage hospitality workers who have to rely on ‘tips’, indirectly funding another anti-union battle.
Most of the rest of the major ‘Idaho community minded contributors’ revealed by the disclosure as reported by the S-R– not including the $1.3 million from Vandersloot– came from such Idaho ‘stakeholders’ and places as…the Mayor of NY; Lake Oswego, Oregon; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; the “Republican Governors Public Policy Committee ($50,000–wonder what the names of the contributors to that one are–certainly the Govs themselves don’t have that amount of cash to throw around, in Idaho, on their meager public servant salaries) and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
This disclosure, combined with a re-reading of Big Trouble by J. Anthony Lukas that documents the out of state mine owners funding the anti-union efforts in Idaho and the party line vote by the Republican members of the U.S. Congress finding that it was reasonable to imprison mine workers in the Silver Valley without any criminal charge against them, reveal that some things just don’t ever change. Idaho continues to be a fertile ground (e.g. patsy) for national political agendas, directed at the working class, to be battled out.
Comment by up river — October 31, 2012 @ 3:54 pm