Better off Bakrupt (Jeff, Topic Ten)

Jeb Bush and Newt Gingrich
Better off Bankrupt (http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/27/opinion/la-oe-gingrich-bankruptcy-20110127)
L.A. Times
January 27, 2011

Summary: A proposal to alleviate budget issues by allowing entire states to declare bankruptcy, thereby eliminating their outstanding debts and union contractual obligations. This would directly lead to the loss of pensions for tens of thousands of teachers.

Intended Audience: General Public

Key Points: 1) State budgets are being choked by decades of irresponsible concessions to employee unions, namely in the form of pension plans; 2) A mass of former state employees are cashing in (California owes 12,000 former employees over $100,000 each in pension payments this year); 3) Bankruptcy would provide a mechanism to avoid tax increases and eliminate debt.

Relevance: We are entering this profession at an interesting time. For the last forty-five years teacher unions have deferred better annual salary for the promises of repayment in the form of pensions. This has proved, however, to be unsustainable. During an interview on OPB Radio yesterday, an author (I forgot her name entirely) reported that the annual salary of a first year teacher in 1970 plus inflation would be approximately $70,000 today. First year teachers are lucky to earn half of that. The idea has been that teachers make up for what they are not payed in benefits and pension plans. Now a proposal has been made that would eliminate the carrot. Personally, I am not banking on Social Security or company or state pensions, and feel other young people would be wise to do the same. It is high time that we take an active stake in our own retirements, make our own investments, and save our money in places that draw more than %0.5 APY. I would much rather take a higher salary up front and use an IRA than hope that our government can fulfill its financial obligations.

Dealing with Education and the Realities of the Modern World (Jeff, Article Four)

John Lloyd
"Hey Times, Try Teaching for One Day" (http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-lloyd22may22,0,4050662.story)
Los Angeles Times
May 22, 2007

Summary:
The article addresses many of the issues educators and administrators are dealing with today: pensions, teachers' unions, low wages, teacher evaluation, the factory model of education. It is more directly a defense of teachers' rights and an attack against the sort of top-down management that a previous Times article advocated.

Intended Audience:
Those who devalue educators and support the status quo.

Key Points: 1) The issues that face the profession of education are complex and multi-layered; 2) there are no easy solutions.

Relevance: We are entering the profession of teaching at a time of great uncertainty--technological, economic and social. Systems that have been in place in education for the greater part of the last 100 years are becoming inadequate, impractical, irrelevant, and some are entirely illogical in the face of the 21st Century. Change is coming. In order to avoid another Woods Hole Conference (a bunch of rich white guys, none of whom were public school teachers or administrators, sitting around deciding the fate of public education) we must be ready to get involved. Or, when our involvement is unwanted, to have the knowledge and courage to force the matter.