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TV ads air conflicting opinions on education reform, funding
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Nevada State Education Association ad
EDUCATION AT A CROSSROADS
A multi-part Review-Journal series takes a close look at budget cuts and how school district and college officials plan to deal with them.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: May 24, 2011 | 8:14 a.m.
If the sound for these TV commercials was turned off, speakers' frustration would still be apparent from their frowning faces.
In one ad, teachers are unhappy about a seniority system that does not necessarily protect the best classroom instructors during layoffs.
In another, elementary schoolchildren want to know why Gov. Brian Sandoval is "destroying" their schools by withholding funding.
Education reformers and teachers unions are in a battle for public opinion.
They are flooding the airwaves while the Legislature debates public school funding and reform bills that could affect how school districts reduce their work force.
Both ads purport to be in the best interest of children, but the political views of the education reformers and unions could not be further apart.
An ad by Students First, a nonprofit advocacy group founded by Michelle Rhee, a former chancellor of public schools in Washington, D.C., supports legislation that could affect collective bargaining.
This detail is left out of the commercial as its narrator simply claims, "Under Nevada law, if there are layoffs, the newest teachers are the first to go."
The reality is not so simple.
Aside from laws upholding contracts, there is no law specifically mandating that newer teachers be the first fired, according to a Clark County School District official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not want to get in the middle of a political dispute.
But in practice, that's the way it usually works under the contract with the Clark County Education Association.
Nevada law does make layoff procedures subject to collective bargaining. So there is room for nuance.
There is also much variation between school districts and even within the different job categories of the Clark County School District on how layoffs are to be conducted, the district official noted.
Some unions are ahead of the curve. The Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-Technical Employees has agreed to new procedures so that employees with negative work evaluations would be the first to be let go, said Stephen Augspurger, the executive director of the administrators' union.
Mafara Hobson, a spokeswoman for Students First, said the organization's intent is to make sure schools keep their best teachers.
"No one wants to see teacher layoffs," Hobson said. "In a time when states are having massive teacher layoffs, it's just inevitable that some states will lay off teachers. If states lay off teachers, the best way to do it is based on performance rather than seniority.
"When layoffs are done based on seniority, kids tend to lose some of their best teachers," she added.
Gary Peck, executive director of the Nevada State Education Association, which represents teachers unions, called the Students First ad "classic misdirection."
"Instead of spending all this time and money on how to fire educators, we should be concentrating on how to raise enough revenue to adequately fund education in our state," Peck said.
Peck does not like that "Students First seems to presume that seniority rules and quality education are contradictory when in fact they typically go hand in hand."
Peck said the teachers association has started a campaign, Better Future for Nevada, to move the public conversation in a different direction.
In the association's television ad, elementary school age children state that "we could save education if big business paid a little more."
Jeremy Aguero of Applied Analysis, which researches economic and public issues, said it is "not one thing that is going to solve our education problem. It's many things. It's everyone's responsibility.
"To be honest, most taxes are going to be passed down to consumers anyway," Aguero said. "Big business needs to be part of the solution but it's common sense that reforms also need to be part of the solution. You can't look at one piece of the picture or one piece of the puzzle. You're just not going to solve the problem that way."
He understands that TV ads have their limitations since it is difficult to "make a meaningful statement about it what it's going to take to reform education in Nevada in a 30-second spot."
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An ad by Students First, a nonprofit advocacy group founded by .. a former chancellor of public schools in Washington, D.C., supports legislation ...
Students First is a BIG GOVERNMENT advocacy group.
Why does the definition of education reform only pertain to teachers? When are the powers to be going to admit that without changes in their discipline policy and the acknowlegement that it takes more resources to teach second language students you cannot improve schools adequately. I teach in a Title I school. The vast majority of teachers in this school have very little seniority and yet we are struggling because of the problems illustrated above. In other words, most of these teachers are the educators that these so called reformers insist would be layed off first. I'm not saying all schools are alike. In neighborhoods where there is parent involvement, schools generally do better than neighborhoods where parents and their kids don't care. It's time that people stop falling for this BS and insist real reform be enacted. The discipline policy I'm asking for existed in the 50's and 60's and we were considered the best educated country in the world.
With a school system that has been failing for several decades, seniority and education are like oil and water. They are contradictory, if one were to judge by the results. Mr. Peck would rather have seniority percentage of dues than the percentage from new teachers, many of which will decide not to join. Of course he would preach to save higher wage teachers.
"Instead of spending all this time and money on how to fire educators, we should be concentrating on how to raise enough revenue to adequately fund education in our state," Peck said.
There is plenty of revenue for the state. How the revenue is spent is the problem Mr. Peck. Live within your means or starve. The problem is the school district, CCSD and the unions are taking all the monies and the children are being starved of an education. Great job Mr. Peck, with your anti-education attitude you should fit in on the school board very well next election. Do you have a teaching certificate? No? That's okay, I'm sure Sir Jones will need another unqualified Deputy Superintendent soon.
"Instead of spending all this time and money on how to fire educators, we should be concentrating on how to raise enough revenue to adequately fund education in our state," Peck said. There is plenty of revenue Mr. Peck. We actually have a little too much considering all the waste. Clean up the waste and you have your funding.
Peck does not like that "Students First seems to presume that seniority rules and quality education are contradictory when in fact they typically go hand in hand." If a system has been failing for several decades it proves seniority works? You Sir are an idiot. The only reason the unions want to keep the senior teachers is because they pay a higher percentage and many of the incoming teachers want no part of being in a union. I won't even give you a "nice try" with your BS explanation of what the union feels is reality. Lay off the crack pipe buddy.
1.) Anybody...please show me where spending more money on education results in higher test scores? Anybody?!? {crickets chirping}
2.) Peck does not like that "Students First seems to presume that seniority rules and quality education are contradictory when in fact they typically go hand in hand."
Mr. Peck, where is your proof?!? Show me where your union contract allows the best teachers to be laid off last. Mr. Peck??? Paging Mr. Peck!
3.) How about we tax union dues? That would result in more money for education. What? Progressives actually oppose some taxes?
"Gary Peck, executive director of the Nevada State Education Association, which represents teachers unions,..." ... Hey! Isn't this the same Gary Peck that is, (was) the head of the Las Vegas ACLU? The ACLU is the most anti-constitutional organization in American history. Everytime the ACLU shoots off their mouth about something, I just ignore them. I don't mind Peck exercising his freedom to speak his mind, but his words should bear NO credence. Education needs reformation, NOT additional funding.
"In another, elementary schoolchildren want to know why Gov. Brian Sandoval is "destroying" their schools by withholding funding." I doubt elementary students even know the definition of Funding. I also suspect they have no idea who Sandoval is or able to name the state capitol location. These kids are being taught phrases by teachers who have no business in our classrooms. They bring discredit on real teachers.
It should be against the law to use children in these types of commls. They are just reading scripts. They can't vote and frankly, I think this is a form of child abuse. Time to get rid of the "for the children" catch phrase. It's only used for pity so whatever issue gets a vote. BTW, I like children, I have one.
How do you decide who is a "good teacher" or a "bad teacher"? Do you base that on test scores, the observations of an administrator? I have asked this question before and not gotten an answer. Which teacher is more effective, the AP Math teacher who has all of their students pass the math proficiency, or the teacher in an alternative school who raises all students scores but not all students pass the math proficiency? How do you adjust for students who are not at grade level. I teach high school, and have students who have to use a calculator to do basic multiplication facts, you know the old fashioned mad minutes. I can ask a student what 8 x 7 is and they don't know. Tenure and removal of "bad teachers" is just a smoke screen. Look at countries around the world that score higher than the US in testing. They have longer school days, a longer school year, smaller classes, a culture that values education, and parental support. Those things cost money, the cheap and easy solution is to blame "bad teachers" and tenure. Be careful what you wish for, you may get it, and it may not be easy to fix once you get it.
Why was Brian's comment removed? Did it hit a soft spot with the RJ editors?