DC Exclusives

Firing Bad Chicago Teachers

11:33 PM 02/28/2011

Mickey Kaus

Unionism + Legalism = Government Failure: How to fire a bad Chicago public school teacher in only 2-5 years! … What’s unclear to me is how much of this daunting procedural labyrinth is written into state law–so it would survive even if Chicago’s teachers unions were stripped of their bargaining power. …

Tags: Teachers, Unions

MayBee

The pro-union argument for employers used to be they provided better workers. At least, that’s what I heard from my unionized skilled tradesmen relatives. Unionized carpenters, plumbers, electricians, etc, do have to go through an extensive apprenticeship program.
The opposite has happened with teachers. There is no value added when it comes to the union, and in fact they have forced districts to hold onto bad teachers. The money spent on rubber rooms and union administration is money not going in the pockets of working (good) teachers. Yet states force teachers and taxpayers to spend their money propping those things up. Who really benefits?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mark-Poling/1533322032 Mark Poling

That’s where Unions have destroyed themselves. I don’t begrudge teachers a very good salary; I don’t agree that they’re overpaid. But one bad teacher can badly harm a whole classroom of kids, and I dread sending my kids to a school where the principal can’t fire a bad teacher.

The same logic applies to every other unionized environment. If bad actors can’t be fired (or even punished) avoiding a race to the bottom among the workers is damned difficult. (And of course, bad actors still play Union dues, so from the Union managements’ perspective protecting them is win-win; the Union gets the dues from bad actors and from the relatively good ones hired to do the work the first bunch should be doing.)
Ted

Glad to have found you here, Mickey–although I wish the move had been better publicized.
kiwikit

Welcome to the DC, Mickey. I’ve enjoyed you as a pundit on Hewitt and welcome you as a rational liberal.
Always interested in hearing the other side, particularly from someone who appeals to my brain and doesn’t scream.
Looking forward to your articles.