Obama Supports Firing Union Teachers

(11 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

A Rhode Island school board fired all the teachers in a school, in a dispute over working more hours without any more pay, and Obama says, that’s just great, while the right wing applauds.

To get a share of the $3.5 billion in what are known as School Improvement Grants, school officials can choose to transform the learning environments in failing schools by extending instructional hours and making other changes, converting them to charter schools, closing them entirely or replacing the principal and at least half the staff.

The Central Falls superintendent, Frances Gallo, initially chose the first option this year, but after a dispute arose with the union over extra pay for adding 25 minutes to the school day, she broke off negotiations. Backed by the local school board, she announced the firings on Feb. 23. Last Monday, Mr. Obama supported the board’s action in a speech to a dropout prevention group.

NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03…

Of course, it’s just fine to militarize the schools:

Disturbing as well is the prominence of Duncan’s belief in offering a key role in public education to the military. Chicago’s school system is currently the most militarized in the country, boasting five military academies, nearly three dozen smaller Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs within existing high schools, and numerous middle school Junior ROTC programs. More troubling yet, the military academies he’s started are nearly all located in low-income, minority neighborhoods. This merging of military training and education naturally raises concerns about whether such academies will be not just education centers, but recruitment centers as well….

read more at: http://www.greenchange.org/art…

The battle for America’s future is being played out in the schools, charter schools, and Texas-approved textbooks, and the left just doesn’t seem to care.  For 30 years, the right is pushing the schools ever further right, although they don’t plan to send their own kids their– many have pulled their own kids out- for those that can afford it to expensive private schools, and those that can’t, to homeschooling  (82% of home-schoolers are Christian right) .