I was talking with Deborah Fallin at CEA to set up an interview so I could get the CEA view on the tenure reform bill and lay that out in an interview. Beverly Ingle was slammed so Deborah found another person to speak to the bill. She called suggesting a phone interview immediately. I proposed instead that I drive down to do it in person as a phone interview would not serve them as well. Deborah agreed that in person would be better for them and went to set it up.
Then she read my interview with Senator Mike Johnston…
Deborah told me she had lots and lots of problems with what I wrote. What she called out as the most egregious was:
First, do you think the economic future of Colorado is imperiled by our existing K-12 system? (If your answer is no - you're an idiot.)
She felt this statement showed that I was hostile to the CEA's viewpoint and asked me if I thought the K-12 system was a failure. I replied that with DPS and other schools that serve poor kids having a 50% drop out rate that yes, our K-12 system is a disaster. She was not happy with that reply. Ok, so the CEA and I differ on do we have a serious problem with our existing system – fair point.
But Deborah, when you claim that sentence means I don't support public education – I disagree. I have 3 daughters who went to public school up here in Boulder (the youngest went private for 6-8). I served on MEAC at BVSD for years. I have consistently supported public schools not only in word and deed, but in where I sent my children. The fact that I don't agree with you that the system is doing well does not mean I don't support it.
And I don't think this is a reason not to talk. First off, I've interviewed numerous people I don't agree with and have consistently been told that I have done a very fair job of presenting them. Interviewing someone to do a hit piece on them is a waste of their and my time (admittedly, I'm more concerned that it would be a waste of my time). Second, if you only talk with people who fully and blindly agree with you, how can we craft effective solutions? Politics is the art of bringing in multiple points of interest to find a solution that works well for those involved. And most times that discussion leads to better legislation.
Deborah is also mistaken, as I told her, thinking I am a supporter of Senator Johnston's bill. What I do support is looking for solutions to fix our K-12 system, and trying the approaches that look most promising. I desperately want the CEA to list out what they think will work, what they think is a problem, and why. If the present bill is a mistake, list out why so we know. If there are changes it desperately needs, tell us.
But don't just tell us what you are against without listing what you are for. As the Republicans have shown in D.C., "just say no" may throw up roadblocks, but it does not solve problems. We should be working together to figure out how to best improve the system. Even if you think things are peachy, won't you agree that there is room for improvement? You speak for the teachers in this state – shouldn't you be involved in making this an honest effort to find the best solution?
I hope you'll reconsider the interview. I believe the CEA can offer a lot in helping us improve the system and I personally would like to hear what that is. And I think others would like to also. But if not, these are, I think, some key questions I think our legislators should ask of you:
- One a scale of 1=awful, 3=ok, 5=awesome, where do you think our K-12 schools should be rated in terms of how they server poor children?
- What school reforms have you favored aside from more money?
- Should we measure the effectiveness of individual teachers? How?
- Do you think there are a few tenured teachers who's performance is so poor they should be fired? If so, how can we change the system so that this can be accomplished?
- Do you think the mother's educational level and the child's teacher have a much larger impact on how well a child does in school than anything else? Or are there other items/influences that are as significant?
- Should we have a longer school year?
Deborah Fallin & Beverly Ingle, I ask you to please consider working with the legislators and others working to improve our K-12 system. While everyone has a different view of what is needed, I think we can all agree that a better education for our children is a worthy goal. And while change is scary and so some of your members will be resistant to change, I think part of your job as a union leader is to sell them on the necessity of change that will provide significant benefit to the children put in your charge.
Thank you
