TeaPublican/ALEC Tenure Reform: A Michissippian Throw-Back, Let Workplace Harassment Roll

"It was with that first class that I became aware that a teacher was subservient to a higher authority. I became increasingly aware of this subservience to an ever growing number of authorities with each succeeding year, until there is danger today of becoming aware of little else."
-- Marian Dogherty, Teacher, Boston, 1899

Take Me Back to Ol' Time Bossism, Let Workplace Harassment Roll

The changes in the Michigan Teacher Tenure legislation done by a greenpea legislature (where where about a quarter of the elected have not sought or received a degree beyond a high school diploma) have taken the profession back to the days of the late 1800's when Marion Dogherty penned these observations and assessment: "It was with that first class that I became aware that a teacher was subservient to a higher authority. I became increasingly aware of this subservience to an ever growing number of authorities with each succeeding year, until there is danger today of becoming aware of little else." -- Marian Dogherty, Teacher, Boston, 1899

TeaPublicans have been trying their darnedest to heap reprisal and retribution on the teachers and their choice to associate together in a coordinated effort to raise teaching standards and give the profession a solid basis for participation in the act of teaching, employment perimeters and a kind of professional codetermination" in educational policy (This collective bargaining act-with local contracts, creates agreed parties who work together) The giving of the right to collective bargaining legislation was signed into law by Republican Gov. George Romney).

Teachers teach, it the thing which they alone do. It's egregious and wrong that the TeaPubican rabble of Michigan has turned back the clock and chocked the pendulum (in order to serve the interests of the American Legislative Exchange Council the Chamber of Commerce and a myriad of supporting subgroups across America such as: the public school hating Mackinac Center here in Michigan and the notorious and divisive promoters of educational apartheid, Dick and Betsy DeVos and the Amway Clan, not to diminish the anti-public school subversion of the WalMart Waltons, and "for-profit freelances such as Michelle Rhee.)

The archaic power to hire and fire teachers "at will"( the 19th century industrial model) has been restored to administrators; who have been saddled with a overweening unnecessary demand, in revised law, to "evaluate" teachers on a intense schedule, in a not-so-hidden effort to weed out the "ineffective" amongst them. We all know the bottom lines: Increased intimidation and control, and replacement of experienced teachers with high salaries with newbies with much lower. The ability to conduct short term rollovers of staff is put in place. None of this assures anything less than the gradual erosion of educational achievement in Michigan.

This undefined term "ineffective" so hastily passed by anti-teacher foes, and now left to insider, smoke-filled legislative caucus/committee action, to flesh out and delineate what that term of choice "ineffective" may mean and how the process of "removing" those instructors whom a non-certified administrator SUBJECTIVELY DECIDES TO RELEASE or DEMOTE, takes form is yet to be decided. The entire question regarding "due cause" goes back to the"right-to-fire-at-will" process/setting observed by Marion Dogherty, Boston, 1899, a teacher is meant to be subservient and docile: "I became increasingly aware of this subservience to an ever growing number of authorities with each succeeding year, until there is danger today of becoming aware of little else."

Dealing with disruptive bullies and students lacking concern for their own educational progress-in this new Michissippian throw-back atmosphere-is a tough assignment; it takes teachers back retrograde to those ruffian times of "Let's get our teacher fired." This same tenor now exists in the adversarial relationship between administration and teachers; codified and put into law under the recently legislated tenure reversals imposed by Michigan Republicans.

If this be REAL education reform: Let's give up WiFi and limit ourselves only to the telegraph! Teachers will be judged on their proficiency-with slate and chalk.

Forced by Landrum/Griffith Act, co-authored by Sen. Robert Griffith-R of Michigan, teacher professional associations were constrained and forced to act as part of the more traditional frame/definition; a "union." New federal regulations were put in place that dictated changes that made the teaching profession more synonymous with "rank & file" industrial unionism than with the American Bar Association or the AMA.


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Great Teachers: Pack Up & Go, Snyder Hates You

Starting today the devastating, hate-inspired impact of harsh anti-teacher measures ramrodded through by TeaPublicans takes over.

Witness soon the growing, aggressive, and vengeful aftermath of the TeaPartisan fury and purge of teacher rights and privileges in Michigan-completed in a blitz/spade of Reprisal Lawmaking finalized on the last day of June 2011. Cringe as these negativist measures go into full effect. Watch helplessly as entire systems and achievements are destroyed.

There is all that talk about "reform" of education: John Engler was a big "revolutionary" who thought he knew how to reform education. Rick Snyder, the "always project positive" corporate educational hit man has done his snide share, as a result Snyder now makes John Engler, the former satan for public educators look like St. Francis-viewing the metrics of The 30th of June outcomes; lawmaking in deconstructive, vicious, and morale-destroying legislation, aimed directly at individual teachers, NOT their professional association-as is so often reported.

What will Snyder's hits on Michigan Public Education produce? Here is a prime example. The "best and the brightest" are always the mantra of Snyderesque reformers. The best and the brightest are smart enough and thorough enough to look at the long haul (career view), the real world impact of the devastation and damage Snyder has inflicted on the teaching profession in Michigan. They're packing their bags, Good-bye to Michigan. How so? Follow this news story:

WASHINGTON: Debbie Johnson got her teaching degree from Michigan State University (MSU), but recruiters persuaded the 23-year-old to start her career in Georgia, where the weather is warm, the cost of living is lower and the schools offer more resources, such as projectors and interactive wireless pads.

"I like technology," Johnson said. "There are a lot of [classroom] resources here I hadn't seen in Michigan. There's an amazing opportunity."

Michigan is one of 31 states facing a multimillion-dollar budget gap this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. That makes its teachers prime poaching targets of out-of-state recruiters from states such as Texas, Georgia, Nevada and Wyoming, where school-age populations are growing.

Even if teachers aren't yet being laid off, a tough economic climate is often enough to drive them away, said Kelly Herndon, director of recruitment and retention for Gwinnett County, Ga.

"I watch the markets," Herndon said. "I'll admit, if the economy is in bad shape or the state legislature isn't managing funds, I focus on those states."

In some states, teachers are being let go because of shrinking budgets and shrinking school populations, including Michigan, Florida and California, which is facing a projected $11.2 billion deficit in 2009.

-- Excerpted from: "Recruiters zero in on teachers in ailing states", Nathaniel Weixel, Stateline.org, The Seattle Times, 12/14/08

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Defense of Michigans Teacher Tenure Act

Response to "End K-12 Teacher Tenure" by the Detroit / Mackinac News on November 23. 2009.  

Listed Source: Tom Watkins, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2001-05, and Mackinac Center for Public Policy.


How many pubic school teachers would the Detroit News have Michigan school boards fire if the Tenure Act were removed?

Coincidental with the sharp, unfounded criticisms the News has directed toward the right of Michigan's public school teachers to have tenure ("End K-12 Teacher Tenure", Detroit News, Nov. 23, 2009) has been the introduction of State Sen. Patricia Birkholz's bill to alter or strip the Act of protective provisions for teaching professionals. The anti-tenure argument always runs with the mantra, "tenure shields incompetence." In times when things are economically very difficult such legislation arises on a predicable and regular basis. Obviously one way to save money is to remove teachers, especially those most experienced and highest paid. This attack is always framed as some form of "reform."

The News and Sen. Birkholz mistakenly believe that such sweeping action is necessary to "get rid of" certain under-performing teachers. How short sighted and punitive!

Repeal of the Tenure Act or undertake a radical stripping of its provisions that will affect all teachers.
Good teachers will suffer-the high performing and stellar mentors as well as those targeted by the News and perennial public school critics. Consider the times, there are those rancorous individuals, whom some have called "busybodies," who have any number of private complaints and religious agendas with which they regularly besiege the local school board meetings.

Just who advised Patricia Birkholz, herself a former public schools employee, to take such action at this time? How many fine teachers will be made vulnerable by her drastic action and will be subsequently exposed to a field day of capricious accusations and charges-which many ultimately lead to administrative harassment, burn-out or out right dismissal? No one can predict. What is completely predictable was the legislature attacking organized teachers utilizing the budget crisis as a cover or excuse.

In the current tense and highly negative atmosphere surrounding the state's historic budget crunch, this kind of "claw back" and "push back" against the Michigan Education Association for its ardent and vigorous defense and support of excellence in education for our children is both deplorably predictable and a repeat of earlier attacks under the malicious John M. Engler.

Suggesting a radical change in tenure is always used as a "shot-over-the-bow" indicating the legislature is resentful and wearied by MEA's skills, logic, and success in conducting legislative negotiations which support and sustain the local communities, school districts, and our children--so much impacted by the draconian cuts which the national economy has dealt the state's finances. In the recent past, such notables as former House Speaker Paul Hillegonds and previous governor Engler had used this tactic to intimidate the MEA.

Surely the Detroit News, the Mackinac Center, or Sen. Birkholz herself have some solid, substantive and well-documented study or report which gives an indication of the actual number or a percentage of teachers thought by them to be replaceable or unproductive. Or is this push just another attempt to settle a long standing political score with MEA?

How many teacher's political or religious beliefs will form the basis of trumped-up charges under Birkholz's stripped Tenure Act? Exposed without statewide, objective protections under the Tenure Act, a provision which has a governance board, procedures for dismissal, and an appeal mechanism, what specific lifestyles and voice in public affairs will be permitted for continuing teachers without reprisals?

There are editorial arguments, which have cropped up over the years and in the past several weeks, which ride on certain conditions such as under FTA in Detroit schools (where existing abuses are possible under due to iron-clad provisions of the Federation's contract with Detroit schools) or some other carefully chosen cases.

It is useful to anti-tenure forces to focus on the extreme or exceptional cases decided in favor of the teacher, often rest on technical merits. The press has honed certain of the more bizarre of these cases to support their editorial anti-tenure positions. These "showcase" legal incidents, that are inflammatory in character, do arise and cause the general public to misunderstand or distrust the tenure procedures-given the known facts found at the level of a publicly printed, sensationalized or purposefully slanted press news story.

Recent polling of administrators shows that they have a high level of discomfort with the tenure process, kinds of evidential documentation, and the procedures they must follow to "prove the case" for dismissal or discipline of a tenured teacher. However hard it is, in some cases, to discipline or fire a teacher that you yourself may have hired, it must be done if proper cause is there.

Dismissing a Teacher is Necessarily Serious Business
Good administrators must do their jobs well and effectively when dealing with teachers who merit dismissal or demerits. That is part of their work and responsibility. When carried out within the current law, incompetence and malfeasance are dealt with in an effective, fair, and appropriate manner. When administrators attempt dismissals or discipline on insubstantial, flawed evidence and/or procedure, the outcomes reflect that deficiency.

Teachers, themselves, neither hire or fire, that is the sole realm of administration, pleasant or unpleasant, in terms of public scrutiny and press coverage, as their work may be.

Iris Salters, president of the MEA has been quoted as being very clear on the topic of criminal, unworthy or under-productive teachers. This week Salters is quoted as saying: "Let me make one thing completely clear, MEA does not have any interest in protecting bad teachers."

MEA is responsible for seeing to it that teacher rights are observed and upheld under the law (representation). When administration fails to do the proper job of dismissal or discipline, or when the filed complaints are false or inflated, the association does help with the defense of the teacher-if the teacher merits and asks for such assistance.

The persistent anti-public school teacher stance of the Detroit News (in and of itself) does not justify calling for the summative elimination of professional tenure for all of Michigan's well-over 110,000 teachers. This get tough attitude is all too characteristic of the "right of right" reactionaries who have come to occupy the Michigan Republican Party for too long. Some of these ideologues don't want the public, neighborhood schools to survive and will use every tool in their tool box to work toward that end.

Other elements are at work also in undermining the security of tenured public school teachers. In their galaxies wholesale dismissals would be a great way to reduce costs. The News, in joining in their hue-and-cry, has allowed itself to become a useful tool in this thinly veiled attempt to break the teacher associations.

Break the teacher unions!
Now there is a goal long sought by certain business interests. But for now they will content themselves with hyping Birkholz's changes in the Tenure law as a method to streamline dismissal of "deadwood."

Teachers are so numerous. They are found in every community large or small. Some fall short of professional standards, but what profession can you think of that doesn't have its persistent minority of under-productive? Almost everyone has heard of a dentist or attorney that others have strongly recommended we should avoid seeking their services.

Why is it so hard for critics to accept the teacher's right to associate with other teachers in a professional organization?

It is ludicrous to believe that teachers, to be credible, have to stand by themselves, alone.

We don't expect that of doctors, attorneys, Realtors or Chamber of Commerce members. Albeit, opposition to teacher associations continues to be a contentious bone to chew, the idea being that teachers, when they band together, are a great threat to society.

Turn on teachers and teacher tenure and then watch the "best and the brightest" lose all interest in a teaching career!


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