We all want to improve our schools. But the plan by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson reeks of union busting. In fact, Governor Kasich has mentioned the Cleveland Plan as a model that could be used in urban districts across Ohio. He “begged” the State Board of Education to support it. He prayed in his church for its enactment.
The plan includes creation and assimilation of additional charter schools, closing or reconstitution of failing schools and flexible business practices that would give administrators the authority to override policies mutually negotiated over many years.
Gov. Kasich asked the State Board of Education to support the Cleveland Plan. We don’t know what the official language will look like, but it won’t be good. The plan will:
* Allow the Cleveland district to share money with charter schools
* Create a new teacher evaluation system that considers additional factors and weakens seniority
* Start the collective bargaining agreement from scratch
* Allow administrators more flexibility and independence to deal with staffing and financial matters, including determining contract duration, terms and non-renewal criteria
CEA President Rhonda Johnson told NBC 4, “All this is a sampling of Senate Bill 5. I think the way to go about changing schools and changing the culture is working with the teachers’ union and with the teachers in the school district, not working against them.”
Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, told the station: “This whole idea of a fresh start contract where you just throw away the existing contract and start with whatever the administration hands to you, and say accept this or don’t, that’s Senate Bill 5 all over again.”
Cropper has said teachers want to collaborate to improve Cleveland schools, but they have been shut out, even though the Cleveland Teachers Union has been collaborating with the Cleveland schools on peer review and teacher mentoring, has deferred $25 million in pay increases and has supported the transfer of teachers and the reconstituting of schools.
Cleveland teachers already have great ideas for improving student achievement. For instance, their New Generation School would place intense focus on reading and math in third and fourth grades.
Teachers want to see their students succeed, but big business in Cleveland is holding students hostage, hoping to force teachers to do what they want or force the district into receivership, in order to take away teachers’ rights.
We need your help to fight back. Tell legislative leaders not to pass this SB 5-like plan. Instead, urge the mayor to sit down and talk with teachers, listen to their ideas about how to improve student achievement and collaborate on new ideas. Go to www.legislature.state.oh.us/search.cfm to contact your state legislators.
Pastor Dale B. Snyder, senior pastor of Bethel AME Church in Linden, is a third-generation social activist. He started early, talking about social justice around the dinner table and on the many fishing trips he took with his father, an African Methodist Episcopal minister, and grandfather. His older brothers were involved in black nationalist politics and issues of black identity. Conversation was always about liberation and human rights. Snyder also learned the value of organizing, when his father started a construction company rehabilitating homes, and the business grew into a unionized company focused on street and highway projects. He followed along, becoming a journeyman machine operator.
Priscilla R. Tyson has been focused on giving back during most of her career, always bringing her passion and talents to the task of improving the community. A business graduate of Franklin University, Tyson served as vice president of community development at National City Bank and at Grant/Riverside Methodist Hospital. She was founding executive director of City Year Columbus, providing leadership to the entire Midwest program, inspiring young people to invest in their communities and improve life for their neighbors and themselves.
Jimmie K. Beall, is a guidance counselor at Monroe Alternative MS. Beall has devoted a large part of her educational career to protecting human rights. She has been an active member of the CEA GLBT caucus and opened our eyes to the need for social justice for GLBT Association members and students. She conducts workshops on GLBT awareness for Columbus teachers and counselors, confronting issues of bullying and creating a safe learning environment for employees and students. Her sessions during professional development conferences are among the most popular for teachers from all backgrounds.
The Jan. 12 dinner at the Hyatt Regency will feature keynote speaker Rev. Jesse Jackson. While an undergraduate, Jackson became involved in the civil rights movement. In 1965, he went to Selma, Alabama, to march with Dr. King. He was in Memphis with King when the civil rights leader was assassinated on Apr. 4, 1968. In the 1980s, he became a leading national spokesman for African Americans. After being appointed special envoy to Africa, he was awarded the 2000 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“The Ed Show,” hosted by veteran radio talk show personality Ed Schultz, will be aired live on MSNBC from Columbus Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 7 and 8. The show will feature “teachers in the bleachers.”
