Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Monday, September 10, 2012
Chicago
Public Schools officials, visibly frustrated after talks broke off
late Sunday night, expressed concern for the estimated 350,000
students the strike could affect.
“We
do not want a strike,” David J. Vitale, president of the Chicago
Board of Education, said late Sunday as he left the negotiations,
which he described as extraordinarily difficult and “perhaps the
most unbelievable process that I’ve ever been through.” Union
leaders said they had hoped not to walk away from their jobs, but
they said they were left with little choice.
“This
is a difficult decision and one we hoped we could have avoided,”
said Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union.
The
political stakes now may be highest for Rahm
Emanuel,
the Democratic mayor in a city with deep union roots. He took office
last year holding up the improvement of public schools as one of his
top priorities, but now faces arduous political terrain certain to
accompany Chicago’s first public schools strike in 25 years.
Why
can't Kentucky's political leaders submit a written plan suggesting
legislation declaring a certain number or all “Kentucky independent
school districts” whose tax bases will become anemic in the future
requiring such changes, to write their own charters specific to their
educational needs? In this plan KRS eliminated 157 superintendents.
Such action would enhance current school efficiency while leaving a
“pool” to draw from in staffing boards and CEO positions. This
plan should last at least 10 years then come up for a Legislate
review for continuance or elimination.
Mandate
Kentucky charter schools contain CEO duties and responsibilities in
their “charters” and CEO must have been successful in working
with business/education management, financial, organizational
governance experience and be answerable to a board made up of
out-of-county business/school professionals and local retired
experienced business people.
Negotiations
concerning wages and benefits, whether laid-off teachers should be
considered for new openings, extra pay for those with more experience
and higher degrees, and evaluations. District officials said the
teachers’ average pay is $76,000 a year. However, School
officials, say the system faces a $665 million deficit this year and
a bigger one next year. Elected officials want more cutting of costs
and are pressuring for a longer school day.
Kentucky
needs to address it's “independent school districts' vulnerability
to slowly disappearing tax bases...NOW!
Sincerely,
Bill
Huff
319
Dixie Manor Ct
Harrodburg,
Ky. 40330-1923
859.734.2228
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)