Unions bristle when blamed for failed schools, and they are certainly right that parents and school administrators should share responsibility.
The House’s improved ed bill
The education reform bill unveiled by the state House of Representatives makes fewer concessions to teachers' unions than its Senate counterpart. Unfortunately, the House bill lacks one promising provision in the Senate's: the creation of in-district charter schools that do not require union approval.
Unions bristle when blamed for failed schools, and they are certainly right that parents and school administrators should share responsibility.But it is increasingly obvious that union contract provisions, especially regarding dismissal of ineffective teachers and length of school days, are limiting the chances of students in low-performing schools and districts. The Senate at first seemed to understand what was at stake and embraced the notion that school superintendents or the education commissioner could force changes in teachers’ contracts. But the Senate bowed to the unions’ insistence on imposing a lengthy labor arbitration