Collins Report

By Kevin “Coach Collins

Two years ago the Bloomberg administration in New York City turned its attention toward fixing a problem which has long plagued the City’s school system: What to do about incompetent teachers.

True to the bureaucratic playbook a “special task force” was created and a new “get tough” attitude was projected. Then as now the problem employees numbered about 700 tenured teachers costing the City $65 million a year and more.

Rubber Room

The miscreants of the NYC Department of Education are assigned to the Department’s headquarters office. They sit idly looking out the window at one extreme or conducting law practices at the other while fully paid. Many “Rubber Roomers” stand accused of crimes ranging from selling drugs on school grounds to carrying on sexual relationships with the children they were supposed to be teaching.

Intensions versus reality

The NYC Teacher’s Union is the most powerful in America. Trying to fire one of its members is never easy no matter what the charges or level of dedication to purpose.
In the two years since the “special task force” was appointed there have been just three firings.

Central Falls shows how to deal with the problem of incompetent teachers

Last week the School Board of central Falls Rhode Island voted to fire every single teacher in Coventry High School, its most underperforming school. Predictabily the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Teachers rallied and paraded the very students who were being cheated out of their education as examples of the damage caused by this “outrage.”
The Board stood tall and fired them all because it was the right thing to do. Central Falls has taught New York City a simple lesson: stand up to the bully, do what is right and the union be damned.

A Chilling setback for unions

For the most part, American labor unions have become faint shadows of what they were supposed to be when they were founded. Once there were private and public bosses that were savages bent on squeezing every last ounce of work and sometimes life of of their workers. Those days are long gone. Federal state and municipal laws protect workers from such dangers and attacks on their livelihoods. Unions that have come to their senses and realized these changes make them largely unnecessary and have reduced them to impediments to the economic life of our country. Frankly we can’t afford having unions drag down whole industries if we are to come out of our current circumstances.

What did you do to be worthy of your American freedoms yesterday? What will you do today and what do you plan to do tomorrow?

Sources: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny.local/education/2008/05/04/2008-05-04.teachers.in.trouble.spending.years.in.ru.html

http://www.projo.com/news/content/central.falls.trustees.vote.02-24-10.EOHI83C.v59.3c21342.html

Yesterday’s Rasmussen Presidential Index had Obama at -16

This day in history February 25
1870: Hiram Revels became the first Black United States Senator when he was appointed to fill out the remainder of Jefferson Davis’s term.

Have you read this week’s “Betcha didn’t know this..” page? It’s loaded with interesting little “bite sized”items you’re bound to enjoy!

Comments on this or any other Collins Report essay can be sent to kcoachc “at” gmail.com.