hyperbolize much?

[Dirty Sanchez]

Sick.

Providence plans to pink slip all teachers

01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, February 23, 2011

By Linda Borg

Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE — The school district plans to send out dismissal notices to every one of its 1,926 teachers, an unprecedented move that has union leaders up in arms.

In a letter sent to all teachers Tuesday, Supt. Tom Brady wrote that the Providence School Board on Thursday will vote on a resolution to dismiss every teacher, effective the last day of school.

In an e-mail sent to all teachers and School Department staff, Brady said, “We are forced to take this precautionary action by the March 1 deadline given the dire budget outline for the 2011-2012 school year in which we are projecting a near $40 million deficit for the district,” Brady wrote. “Since the full extent of the potential cuts to the school budget have yet to be determined, issuing a dismissal letter to all teachers was necessary to give the mayor, the School Board and the district maximum flexibility to consider every cost savings option, including reductions in staff.” State law requires that teachers be notified about potential changes to their employment status by March 1.

“To be clear about what this means,” Brady wrote, “this action gives the School Board the right to dismiss teachers as necessary, but not all teachers will actually be dismissed at the end of the school year.”

“This is beyond insane,” Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith said Tuesday night. “Let’s create the most chaos and the highest level of anxiety in a district where teachers are already under unbelievable stress. Now I know how the United States State Department felt on Dec. 7 , 1941.” That was the day the Japanese government bombed Pearl Harbor.

Smith, who has forged a groundbreaking collaboration with Brady that has received national recognition, said he believes this move comes directly from Mayor Angel Taveras, not the School Department. In a conversation with Taveras earlier Tuesday, Smith said the mayor also hinted at school closings but didn’t elaborate.

Taveras, in a statement issued Tuesday night, said the uncertainty around the city’s finances, combined with the March 1 deadline, led to this decision. Because it is too early to be certain of all possible changes to the school budget, Taveras said, issuing dismissal notices to all teachers “provides maximum flexibility” going forward.

“As a Providence public school graduate, I understand how great teachers can change lives,” he wrote. “I am sensitive to the uncertainty and anxiety that many teachers felt when they received this notice. My administration will do all it can to support our committed, hardworking teachers during this difficult time.”

Providence is facing a daunting budget crisis. The city had a $57-million deficit last year and expects a higher figure for the year ending June 30. In addition, the city, under then-Mayor David N. Cicilline, nearly depleted its reserves to cover day-to-day expenses. Taveras is currently awaiting completion of a report by an independent panel, which he commissioned to get a better handle on the city’s financial situation.

Meanwhile, Smith said he was caught completely off-guard by the planned dismissals, adding that Brady didn’t inform him of the decision until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday although he had heard rumors over the weekend.

He said it makes no sense to send out dismissal notices to every teacher because the district has a legal obligation to educate all of its students, regardless of budget considerations. “You have so many students,” he said. “You need so many teachers. You have a student-teacher ratio of 26 to 1. Do the math.”

Last year, only about 100 teachers received layoff notices, but in years past, as many as 500 have.

Smith said the dismissals couldn’t come at a worse time. The union is getting close to resolving a lawsuit over seniority-based hiring. The teachers’ contract expires June 30. And both Smith and Brady have staked their careers on a first-ever partnership in which both sides have agreed to make deep reforms in four of the district’s lowest-performing schools.

“We’re at the table with our best ideas,” Smith said. “To take this approach is unconscionable.”

[Rage Against the McKee]

That's just horrible. Not the part you put in bold face, but the whole laying off all teachers thing.

[Dirty Sanchez]

That's just horrible. Not the part you put in bold face, but the whole laying off all teachers thing.

Maybe you should read the sentence above the bold.

[Rage Against the McKee]

That's just horrible. Not the part you put in bold face, but the whole laying off all teachers thing.

Maybe you should read the sentence above the bold.

Yeah, it's still bullshit. It's a way to get teachers to take significant pay cuts if they want to keep their job.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

That's just horrible. Not the part you put in bold face, but the whole laying off all teachers thing.

Maybe you should read the sentence above the bold.

Yeah, it's still bullcac. It's a way to get teachers to take significant pay cuts if they want to keep their job.

is that more or less bullshit than all the teachers colluding together and refusing to teach unless they get a pay raise???  it's a two way street

[Rage Against the McKee]

That's just horrible. Not the part you put in bold face, but the whole laying off all teachers thing.

Maybe you should read the sentence above the bold.

Yeah, it's still bullcac. It's a way to get teachers to take significant pay cuts if they want to keep their job.

is that more or less bullshit than all the teachers colluding together and refusing to teach unless they get a pay raise???  it's a two way street

I suppose you just expect to make what you are making now when you retire.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

That's just horrible. Not the part you put in bold face, but the whole laying off all teachers thing.

Maybe you should read the sentence above the bold.

Yeah, it's still bullcac. It's a way to get teachers to take significant pay cuts if they want to keep their job.

is that more or less bullcac than all the teachers colluding together and refusing to teach unless they get a pay raise???  it's a two way street

I suppose you just expect to make what you are making now when you retire.

wut?

[Rage Against the McKee]

That's just horrible. Not the part you put in bold face, but the whole laying off all teachers thing.

Maybe you should read the sentence above the bold.

Yeah, it's still bullcac. It's a way to get teachers to take significant pay cuts if they want to keep their job.

is that more or less bullcac than all the teachers colluding together and refusing to teach unless they get a pay raise???  it's a two way street

I suppose you just expect to make what you are making now when you retire.

wut?

If your employees find it worth their time to form a union, that is a sign that you are a shitty employer. That goes for both the government and private sector. Teachers deserve to make more, and state governments should be more concerned with providing a quality education, even if it means *gasp* raising the sales tax by .5-1 cent.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

That's just horrible. Not the part you put in bold face, but the whole laying off all teachers thing.

Maybe you should read the sentence above the bold.

Yeah, it's still bullcac. It's a way to get teachers to take significant pay cuts if they want to keep their job.

is that more or less bullcac than all the teachers colluding together and refusing to teach unless they get a pay raise???  it's a two way street

I suppose you just expect to make what you are making now when you retire.

wut?

If your employees find it worth their time to form a union, that is a sign that you are a cacty employer. That goes for both the government and private sector. Teachers deserve to make more, and state governments should be more concerned with providing a quality education, even if it means *gasp* raising the sales tax by .5-1 cent.

SCAB!!!!  I'm not sure how the NEA works, but I'm guessing it's not exactly optional for teachers, or they use coercion to get you do join, or they throw a brick through your window if try and work while the teacher's are on strike.  Not exactly a fair bargaining position for the state to be in, and certainly not conclusive on what "kind of employer" you are.  If they're doing such a shitty job, why are they getting pay raises anyways???

Also, it's not like the schools can pack up and head south for more accommodating labor situations.  Education has sort of become a Federal mandate, yaknow...

We've seen how the unions have effected the private sector and it's not pretty.  Probably the single greatest reason jobs are being exported (that and the oppressive corporate tax rate).  I know for union people having no job is better than taking a pay cut or working a whopping 32 hours a week, but all that has done is make the western world completely uncompetitive in unionized industrial markets.  Hopefully the socialists in Europe can keep this phony green industry crap going, for the union workers sake that is. . .

[Dirty Sanchez]

In Wisconsin, joining the union is not optional.  Dues must be deducted from paychecks.  Its guaranteed cashflow to the unions, which is guaranteed cashflow to the dems.  dems give goodies to the unions.  Vicious cycle of graft and corruption.  The bill there seeks to give teachers CHOICE.

I convinced my wife to drop the knea.  Not only were the politics not in line with ours, but she was able to save a few hundred dollars a year.  The only benefit she really got out of it was insurance, which she is able to get through her counseling organization for a fraction of the price.  Still gets the same pay and benefits. 

Fact is, employees paid with taxpayer funds should not be unionized, as they are negotiating with public funds.  That takes the control of the pursestrings away from the legislative bodies.  Civil service laws and competition with the private sector would serve as a means for keeping compensation competitive.  This would sure beat the automatic raises for another year of service no matter how good or bad an employee is. 

[Dugout DickStone]

Seems like these teachers could shop their services to the highest bidder instead of teaching, if it is such a raw deal.

[Dirty Sanchez]

They knew teaching wasn't a high paying gig when they signed up.

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

They knew teaching wasn't a high paying gig when they signed up.

Teaching has slowly become a lucrative profession in many states.

Check out these average pay stats from the NEA, page 110 of the PDF, or (or 93 of the page numbers).

What I find most shocking is the percent increase in pay since 1999-2000. 30-40% average increase in 10 years.