Will Brown wrote: Willingness to demand basic changes in education to me is far more important...........................
So I would support a candidate who was capable of demanding such changes. But I don't think that has to be done in a confrontational way. I view the unions as being an impediment, as they seem to fight to preserve outmoded methods and policies, but I think a good negotiator could make them see that some changes would benefit both the schools and their members.
My wild guess would be that every candidate feels they meet those requirements.
I don't think any of the changes you feel necessary would take place without confrontation. Health care costs are going up 50% over the next 3 years (about $4 million per year). The most the LTA is willing to agree to is to pay $400,000 per year more. They also ask for annual raises based on time in service and not on performance.
I tried to agrgue for greater cost savings, more teacher autonomy, more productivity and more choices but got very few people to agree. The biggest irony is that I think that those changes would have improved performance and allowed for bigger salaries and a better work environment.
During the interview at the Sun Post I compared the challenges faced by Lakewood ($12,000 per year per student, excellent rating) with Cleveland Heights ( $17,000 per students and just one step above Clevelands performance. Is that where we are headed? $17,000 per student and schools in crisis?
