In their own words
Many School District 11 teachers join the local labor union for purposes of obtaining the liability protection offered by the labor union. These teachers do not necessarily agree with the extreme leftist views of the labor union leadership, and many are not happy that their local dues pay for left-wing causes across the country. Up to this point, these teachers have not had other options available to them for this liability insurance. The labor union charges teachers over $700 per year for labor union dues.
Eric Christen sent an email to D11 teachers that contained information on a relatively new organization that provides liability protection for teachers at a much lower cost than the labor union. This new organization does not send money to either left-wing or right-wing causes. It costs only $180 per year to join the Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE). As its name suggests, PACE is a professional organization, not a labor union like the NEA and its local affiliate, the CSEA. PACE exists to help teachers with issues of education, while the CSEA exists to help left wing causes around the country.
This is the email that was sent to D11 teachers. It was a public service announcement for those who want to belong to a professional organization for a change:
With modern teacher unions concerning themselves with everything but educating children and protecting their member interests (see attached) you need to know there are some professional organizations that actually focus on the teacher.
If you have had enough of the corruption:
http://www.gazette.com/articles/president_22493 article.html/valerio_board.html
and politics:
http://www.independentmindedteacher.org/neadisclosure.html
then you need to check out these options:
www.coloradoteachers.org
www.ceai.org
While "choice" is a noun that is verboten in the educational realm by the NEA, CEA, or CSEA, it is indeed healthy for its members.
Good luck.
If you have received this e-mail in error or would like to be removed from receiving future emails, please immediately contact the sender by reply e-mail.
Below are some of the replies that were sent to Eric from D11 teachers - you know, those same teachers who abhor mean-spiritedness and nastiness.
From: BERNDSEN, CYNTHIA K. [mailto:BERNDCK@d11.org]
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 4:08 PM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Don't EVER send me another e-mail!!!!!!!!
From: RACHWITZ, KATHRYN [mailto:RACHWK@d11.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 10:47 AM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Under no circumstances are you to email me again-please take me off your email list, having my professional email is inappropriate and you know it—Kathryn Rachwitz
(Craig: Hey Kathy, you are a public school teacher. You work for the public. Your email is public. By the way, your private labor union uses the public D11 email system all the time to spread propaganda).
From: YOBLONSKI, PAULINE J. [mailto:YOBLOPJ@d11.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 1:34 PM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
This is an unwanted form of solicitation. As a former school board member you protested against political use of the e-mail system. Why do you use the system when it serves your purposes? Please don’t waste our time with your nonsense.
REMOVE MY NAME FROM YOUR LIST OF E-MAIL RECIPIENTS.
Polly Yoblonski
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children".
"Let us put our minds together and see what kind of life we can make for our children".
From: HAAS, CLAIRE E.S. [mailto:HAASCE@d11.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 12:54 PM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Sir,
It is highly unprofessional to use my school email address without my permission. I associate you and everything you stand for with the continued problems we are having in our public schools. If you are suggesting an alternative organization I can only guess that the purpose of that organization is to hurt teachers and students. Take me off of your email list for I only associate with those who want what is best for students and the people who work so hard to support them.
Sincerely,
Claire Haas
(Craig: Her labor union has had a death grip on D11 for over 30 years and she blames Eric for the problems that face the district. She never mentions exactly who in the labor union leadership has ever worked hard for kids and had the results to prove it. Oh well, at least she wrote "sincerely").
From: BRAGG, RICHARD C [mailto:BRAGGRC@D11.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 12:34 PM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
I am insulted that you and your followers believe that we do not care about educating children. I supported your recall and am pleased that since your removal the District 11 Board meetings have not had the pathetic soap opera quality that they did while you were continuing petty arguments with other board members. I do not respect your opinions or value them as they are badly misguided. Please remove me from this mailing list, you have wasted enough of the district’s time already.
Richard Bragg
Science Department
Wasson High School
520-2178
(Craig: You betcha, Rich, those school board meetings are really something to see these days. I'll bet you can't name one thing that your board has done to improve education while they are busy playing nice with each other).
From: YATES II, JOHNNY O. [mailto:YATESJO@d11.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 12:25 PM
To: Eric Christen
Cc: kmarshall@nea.org; WATSON, LORI A.; tcross@nea.org
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Eric,
I am greatly disturbed that you would send this unsolicited information to myself and other District 11 employees. I am highly offended by this email and deeply concerned by your obsession with District 11, it’s teachers (who you continue to treat as though they are idiots), and CSEA. I hope that one day you can let go of the past and move on so that you and your family can be at peace without turmoil. Please take me off of your mailing list permanently.
Johnny Yates
(Craig: Note that Johnny couldn't reply without CCing his labor union bosses. Why is the NEA so obsessed with D11?)
On the flip side, there are plenty of teachers who are not happy with their highly political labor union. Keeping in mind that the labor union has literally combined with the AFL-CIO and uses the same thug-type tactics, I will not print the names of those teachers who spoke positively of PACE or negatively of the CSEA. These teachers would be targeted for harassment by labor union leaders and the administration.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Eric
Thank you for sending this. I already belong to PACE and find its conservative viewpoints and monthly newsletter very informative. I highly recommend it to anyone. It also carries a $2 million insurance package. I also want to thank you for allowing me to dis-enroll from CSEA without having to fill out a dues revocation form every year. That was a Godsend.
I, and many more of my colleagues than you might think, are staunchly Republican. I do not always agree with the Republicans on education, but I do agree that public schools could be doing better. Thanks for your work.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union/Thanks You
Thanks Eric:
I appreciate this. I am not a member of CSEA any longer because of the immoral stands that CEA and NEA have taken. I need to be accountable someday for this decision. I’d rather God’s approval than man’s.
Thanks:
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Dear Mr. Christen,
Yes, you are correct these other teacher supporting organizations have a very different agenda. Unfortunately, because of ethics and integrity issues, atypical ( strong, reforming teacher leaders) teachers need stronger support at times, especially if they feel jeopardized for NOT being mediocre and go with the flow. We need an ethical teacher's union here in D11- no doubt. I guess I would like to believe with the recent changes, we are moving in better directions.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
I took time to look at and read the articles. Thank you and keep up the good work! We need it.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Thank you for all you did and tried to do for our kids. While I did not always agree with you, you gave us a needed kick in the butt which is still having an impact.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Please remove me from any future mailing list. Thank you for what you did while on the board and best of luck to you.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
I appreciate you sending me this email. The CSEA is an unhealthy organization and I do not wish to be a part of it any longer.
(Craig: This last one is a classic. Humor works best when it is based on truth. This is hilarious).
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Miss you on the board. We need someone willing to buck the "Amen corner" that is up their now. God in heaven, if there was a brain among the 7 of the little dwarfs we’d be in real trouble.
Eric Christen sent an email to D11 teachers that contained information on a relatively new organization that provides liability protection for teachers at a much lower cost than the labor union. This new organization does not send money to either left-wing or right-wing causes. It costs only $180 per year to join the Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE). As its name suggests, PACE is a professional organization, not a labor union like the NEA and its local affiliate, the CSEA. PACE exists to help teachers with issues of education, while the CSEA exists to help left wing causes around the country.
This is the email that was sent to D11 teachers. It was a public service announcement for those who want to belong to a professional organization for a change:
With modern teacher unions concerning themselves with everything but educating children and protecting their member interests (see attached) you need to know there are some professional organizations that actually focus on the teacher.
If you have had enough of the corruption:
http://www.gazette.com/articles/president_22493 article.html/valerio_board.html
and politics:
http://www.independentmindedteacher.org/neadisclosure.html
then you need to check out these options:
www.coloradoteachers.org
www.ceai.org
While "choice" is a noun that is verboten in the educational realm by the NEA, CEA, or CSEA, it is indeed healthy for its members.
Good luck.
If you have received this e-mail in error or would like to be removed from receiving future emails, please immediately contact the sender by reply e-mail.
Below are some of the replies that were sent to Eric from D11 teachers - you know, those same teachers who abhor mean-spiritedness and nastiness.
From: BERNDSEN, CYNTHIA K. [mailto:BERNDCK@d11.org]
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 4:08 PM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Don't EVER send me another e-mail!!!!!!!!
From: RACHWITZ, KATHRYN [mailto:RACHWK@d11.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 10:47 AM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Under no circumstances are you to email me again-please take me off your email list, having my professional email is inappropriate and you know it—Kathryn Rachwitz
(Craig: Hey Kathy, you are a public school teacher. You work for the public. Your email is public. By the way, your private labor union uses the public D11 email system all the time to spread propaganda).
From: YOBLONSKI, PAULINE J. [mailto:YOBLOPJ@d11.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 1:34 PM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
This is an unwanted form of solicitation. As a former school board member you protested against political use of the e-mail system. Why do you use the system when it serves your purposes? Please don’t waste our time with your nonsense.
REMOVE MY NAME FROM YOUR LIST OF E-MAIL RECIPIENTS.
Polly Yoblonski
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children".
"Let us put our minds together and see what kind of life we can make for our children".
From: HAAS, CLAIRE E.S. [mailto:HAASCE@d11.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 12:54 PM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Sir,
It is highly unprofessional to use my school email address without my permission. I associate you and everything you stand for with the continued problems we are having in our public schools. If you are suggesting an alternative organization I can only guess that the purpose of that organization is to hurt teachers and students. Take me off of your email list for I only associate with those who want what is best for students and the people who work so hard to support them.
Sincerely,
Claire Haas
(Craig: Her labor union has had a death grip on D11 for over 30 years and she blames Eric for the problems that face the district. She never mentions exactly who in the labor union leadership has ever worked hard for kids and had the results to prove it. Oh well, at least she wrote "sincerely").
From: BRAGG, RICHARD C [mailto:BRAGGRC@D11.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 12:34 PM
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
I am insulted that you and your followers believe that we do not care about educating children. I supported your recall and am pleased that since your removal the District 11 Board meetings have not had the pathetic soap opera quality that they did while you were continuing petty arguments with other board members. I do not respect your opinions or value them as they are badly misguided. Please remove me from this mailing list, you have wasted enough of the district’s time already.
Richard Bragg
Science Department
Wasson High School
520-2178
(Craig: You betcha, Rich, those school board meetings are really something to see these days. I'll bet you can't name one thing that your board has done to improve education while they are busy playing nice with each other).
From: YATES II, JOHNNY O. [mailto:YATESJO@d11.org]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 12:25 PM
To: Eric Christen
Cc: kmarshall@nea.org; WATSON, LORI A.; tcross@nea.org
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Eric,
I am greatly disturbed that you would send this unsolicited information to myself and other District 11 employees. I am highly offended by this email and deeply concerned by your obsession with District 11, it’s teachers (who you continue to treat as though they are idiots), and CSEA. I hope that one day you can let go of the past and move on so that you and your family can be at peace without turmoil. Please take me off of your mailing list permanently.
Johnny Yates
(Craig: Note that Johnny couldn't reply without CCing his labor union bosses. Why is the NEA so obsessed with D11?)
On the flip side, there are plenty of teachers who are not happy with their highly political labor union. Keeping in mind that the labor union has literally combined with the AFL-CIO and uses the same thug-type tactics, I will not print the names of those teachers who spoke positively of PACE or negatively of the CSEA. These teachers would be targeted for harassment by labor union leaders and the administration.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Eric
Thank you for sending this. I already belong to PACE and find its conservative viewpoints and monthly newsletter very informative. I highly recommend it to anyone. It also carries a $2 million insurance package. I also want to thank you for allowing me to dis-enroll from CSEA without having to fill out a dues revocation form every year. That was a Godsend.
I, and many more of my colleagues than you might think, are staunchly Republican. I do not always agree with the Republicans on education, but I do agree that public schools could be doing better. Thanks for your work.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union/Thanks You
Thanks Eric:
I appreciate this. I am not a member of CSEA any longer because of the immoral stands that CEA and NEA have taken. I need to be accountable someday for this decision. I’d rather God’s approval than man’s.
Thanks:
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Dear Mr. Christen,
Yes, you are correct these other teacher supporting organizations have a very different agenda. Unfortunately, because of ethics and integrity issues, atypical ( strong, reforming teacher leaders) teachers need stronger support at times, especially if they feel jeopardized for NOT being mediocre and go with the flow. We need an ethical teacher's union here in D11- no doubt. I guess I would like to believe with the recent changes, we are moving in better directions.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
I took time to look at and read the articles. Thank you and keep up the good work! We need it.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Thank you for all you did and tried to do for our kids. While I did not always agree with you, you gave us a needed kick in the butt which is still having an impact.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Please remove me from any future mailing list. Thank you for what you did while on the board and best of luck to you.
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
I appreciate you sending me this email. The CSEA is an unhealthy organization and I do not wish to be a part of it any longer.
(Craig: This last one is a classic. Humor works best when it is based on truth. This is hilarious).
To: Eric Christen
Subject: RE: A Healthy Alternative to the Local Teacher Union
Miss you on the board. We need someone willing to buck the "Amen corner" that is up their now. God in heaven, if there was a brain among the 7 of the little dwarfs we’d be in real trouble.
posted by Craig Cox | 10:12 PM
24 Comments:
The scariest thing about this post is the unprofessional nature of some of the teacher responses. Wasn't one of their big complaints about Christen the fact that he was "rude?" I guess only teachers get to be rude. Then again, they like to call themselves professionals - some of them need to look up the definition of that word, I guess. They are complete hypocrits. Guess they better write to their union bosses and tell them that their emails need to be taken off the D-11 website. Maybe that will be discussed behind closed doors since those discussions are hidden away from the public's eye.
I hope Johnny Yates isn't an English teacher. The possessive form of "its" doesn't have an apostrophe....
I think it's rather refreshing, these different opinions. I too am disturbed by the venom one can sense in several of these responses.
The most telling aspect of this thread is that some of these people really don't understand the rights of those of us paying the bills!
As you correctly pointed out, the CSEA uses the finance department, email system, among other things, to do their work. Why shouldn't a competitor have the same access?
The NEA/CSEA representatives are furious about the PACE email. They desire "representation choice" as little as they desire school choice. They maintain power through thuggery, dishonesty, and fear tactics. My use of the term "labor union" is not flippant. It is factual and correct. Funny that Johnny Yates would accuse Eric of treating teachers like they are idiots. Isn't it the labor union masters who are treating him like an idiot? The labor union barrages teachers with anti-parent and anti-reform propaganda and it expects the teachers to be good little boys and girls and believe the nonsense that they are told (sadly, people like Yates do fall in line without making the effort to actually think about what they are being told). The labor union won't allow its members to stray one inch from the party line. Who is treating Yates like an idiot?
I would be very curious as to what it is the very polite Claire Haas thinks Christen stands for? And if she holds her brother and sister teachers who have left CSEA for PACE in similar negative opine. Sad. Broaden the mind, think outside the box. Isn't that what this PACE is all about? Take the good things that a professional organization offers and ditch the politics, especially if they are a personal affront to your own, very personal beliefs?
Doesn't every teacher in every public school have that right? Or does Haas believe that it is good and fair to automatically enroll new teachers then make it next to impossible to sever the relationship? Is it safe to assume she is young and naive?
Oh Craig - this is making me smile. When I ran for the school board in 2005, the union was sending emails to teachers, hosting gatherings, etc., lying about me and other non-union candidates. As one example, Tom Watson sent an email to teachers at Doherty, using their district emails, telling them that if I was elected, I was going to oppose the bond issue, among other things. (I think you posted that email once....) The only problem? That wasn't true - I was actually on the record as supporting the bond issue. I even had one of my kids' former teachers call and ask if it was true I was going to rip up the master agreement and cut their salaries cause didn't I understand she had a mortgage to pay??? (Oh yeah. I was also going to cancel their health insurance....) It was shocking not only what the union said, via district email and on district time, but what some teachers believed. I wonder how many of the teachers offended by Eric's email were offended by what the union did against someone who would not have carried union water in the board room. Probably not many. Lies about school board candidates via district email are okay. Truth about other organziations dedicated to providing teachers real support, is not.
Mr. Cox,
I agree with your point and think that the union is hypocritical in pointing out improper email use by some but not others. I also agree though that my email, although public, should be used to contact me about specific issues relating to my current students, not to spread a political agenda from either side. The only thing that bothers me about this post is that the names and emails from the supporters of Mr. Christen's email are not published with their comments even thought the nay sayers email adresses and names are here. I understand you thought process that they may become targets, however the reverse is true for those speaking against Mr. Christen. We both know that some people on both sides of this can be thugs. Just a thought.
Teacher, the whole point of PACE is that it is a non-political option for teachers to belong to a professional education organization. That relates to what you do as a teacher. The CSEA has an unhealthy monopoly over our teachers' time. Right from day 1, its leaders get 2 hours to draw you into the fold. Unless you have specifically informed the private CSEA that they are not to use your email for anything not related directly to your classroom, then it is a tough sell to say that you don't want political emails in your public account. CSEA is purely a political animal.
I disagree that labor union supporters will be targeted with thuggish behavior. You and I both know that the administration and labor union work hand-in-hand to blackball any teacher who has not towed the party line. What could be done by someone who is not part of either the CSEA or admin? The union controls the board, so there will certainly be no negative reprisal from the "Amen corner," to borrow a phrase. The union and administration control promotions and transfers, so there is nothing to worry about there. The union has AR reps in each building to keep an eye on teachers, so I really don't understand where the targeting would come from. Besides, according to the labor union bosses, there are no teachers who can stand Eric or any other reform minded person, so I don't know where the threat would originate.
I appreciate your thoughtful reply. Please let me know if you hear of any reprisals by pro-reform employees.
Funny stuff, funny stuff!
Yes, Christen could legally do what he did, and the teachers who responded to his offer to drop them from his mailing list could do what they did. By the time I got the opportunity to tell Christen to drop me from his list, he already activated an automatic response from his e-mail saying I'd be dropped. I guess his mailbox must have been getting blasted with so many requests to drop.
As for these other organizations that provide liability insurance, it's an apples-to-oranges comparison, as Christen no doubt realizes. No simple liability insurance policy will provide the type of protection teachers need in this day and age. (And no, Carla, we're not blaming you or Cox for that, so keep that persecution complex tucked away.) The sad thing is that, when and if those teachers ever find out the difference between what PACE or others provide, and what CEA provides, it might be too late for them. Liability insurance policies don't generally respond when a teacher is falsely accused of abuse; they only kick in if and when a teacher loses a judgment for civil liability.
You guys don't worry about false accusations against teachers, for instance, but we do. What you really want is to eliminate the teachers association from being in a position to counter your ridiculous anti-public education diatribes. Bullying always works better for your ilk when there's nobody to protect folks from the bullies.
Hey Carla, an anonymous labor union leader who says that we want teachers to be fired over false accusations and who says that we want to eliminate the labor union and who says that we are bullies who are anti-public education, this labor union person wants you to tuck away your persecution complex. Message passed.
The only reason that PACE and CSEA are apples to oranges is because CSEA is a political labor union. PACE is a professional organization, not a labor union. So yes, there is a difference, and this difference is attractive to teachers who are not left-wing ideologues. As for your attempt to claim that PACE liability only kicks in after a teacher losses a judgment, that is false. From the PACE web site, a member benefit is, "Guaranteed and immediate legal counsel at the onset of workplace issues," including "$2,000,000 professional educator liability insurance and legal protection plan." Everyone in the country saw the AP report on sexual abuse in the nation's public schools. They read how you protect repeat offenders time and time again. The problem is that your labor union, of which you are a local leader, places more importance on protecting criminals than you do on the safety of our kids. That is disgusting. I absolutely have a problem with the labor union over issues such as that. You don't worry about kids, but we do. You are not a professional organization or you would perform actions that focus on professional development and educational excellence. Instead, you spend member dues on wacko left-wing causes that have nothing to do with education.
Create a new talking point. You can't name one thing that you or your bosses have ever done to improve education. You are destroying our schools from the inside and you have to blame everyone else because you have absolutely no ideas on how to stop this sinking ship. You are anti-public education or you would offer something, anything, to help our kids. As always, the system is more important to you than the results. How pathetic.
Craig: These labor union union apologists are nothing if not consistent. We provide facts and sign our names. They blather some union talking point, level personal snipes, and do it behind the cover of anonymity.
Guess what? If PACE doesn't offer what teachers need, teachers won't choose to join. That's a concept that true union believers just don't get.
It's because they treat their members (or laborers) as idiots. They apparently are not responsible enough to make their own decisions. That is the same way the labor union leaders view parents.
You know, you are partially right about PACE's insurance policy. Unlike most others, they do provide funds for legal counsel from the onset, but they don't provide a lawyer; the teacher is on her own to find one. But, oddly enough, PACE also covers teachers accused of sexual abuse, which is what you seem so upset over CEA doing. As to an AP report that CEA or NEA protects repeat offenders,I'm not familiar with that. Quite frankly, I don't concern myself with what's happening in other states, or even other Colorado cities, for that matter, When was the last time a "repeat offender" was protcted by CSEA? Let's not try to further scare the public with stories of what happens in NYC or LA. We live in Colorado Springs.
PACE does not provide very good coverage if a teacher is suspended, etc. $5000 is better than nothing, but nothing like what CEA provides.
Carla is right when she says that if PACE doesn't deliver,teachers won't buy into it. That's absolutely true. And teachers aren't buying into it. My concern is for those few who buy a bill of goods, only to find out how deficient PACE's policy is when it's too late to do anything about it.
Teachers generally don't treat fellow teachers as idiots. Teachers generally don't treat parents like idiots. Teachers, like everyone else, may treat idiots like idiots.
We're not offering ideas to you, Cox, because (a) you immediately discounted anything and everything that teachers offered for your consideration while on the board,and (b) you're not on the board anymore, so you are truly insignificant.
Anonymous union leader, I am completely correct about PACE's insurance policy and the coverage it provides. So what if a teacher must find an attorney? All you do is provide a labor union attorney. I'm not convinced that is a good thing. PACE may represent teachers accused of many different things, but unlike the labor union, it does not exist to keep poor teachers and criminals in the classroom. The liability coverage is a seperate issue from fighting to keep poor or corrupt employees in the school systems. Through the labor union's master agreements and the labor union's "Amen corner" school boards, many incidents are simply covered up and ignored and these people are passed on to become somebody else's problem. Sorry to hear that you aren't upset over the sexual abuse issue. I guess that doesn't surprise me. As for the AP series, you really ought to read the newspaper now and then. Situational awareness is a good thing. As far as not concerning yourself with what happens in other cities or states, wasn't it your labor union that was protesting in Pueblo last year with the AFL-CIO representatives in front of the D-60 school board? Is it not your labor union that has sent $5,000 to Utah to fight against parents? Interesting. As far as incidents in D11, thank you for the segue. I will address that very issue in the near future.
You provided other false information about PACE yesterday, so I would not be too quick to believe your numbers on the benefits. Teachers are turning to PACE, by the way, and that bothers you because it takes money away from your silly left-wing causes. Plenty of teachers have bought into the CSEA/NEA bill of goods because you have treated them like idiots and scared them into joining. The proof of your insecurity for your labor union lies in the fact that you make teachers opt out of the union rather than opt in. Everyone knows that your membership would plummet if teachers had to opt in. But hey, keep on treating your colleagues like idiots. That is what good labor union leaders do best. Search through this blog and you will see the email that Tom Watson sent to his Doherty colleagues during the 2005 elections. You can tell that he really thinks highly of the intelligence of his fellow teachers. As far as parents, you think that parents are too stupid to select the schools for their own kids and you joined in the lawsuit to prevent parents from having choice with their own tax dollars. Sounds as if you think parents are idiots.
I didn't ask you to provide any ideas to me. I pointed out that you have never offered any ideas to anyone in any forum. It is an outright lie to suggest that you or any other teacher brought forth ideas that I rejected while I was on the board. School board meetings include a written and, in our case, a video record. The record clearly shows that your side never offered anything but criticism over each idea that we brought forward. We accomplished a lot despite your bitter opposition and empty rhetoric. Anyone can visit your labor union web site and they will notice that it is void of anything remotely related to education.
Do you honestly think that I strive to be significant in the eyes of an anonymous labor union mouthpiece, one who spends a lot of time responding to my insignificant blog, I might add? As I have said many times, your board members actually want to be on the board to achieve "significance," and that is it. They have no desire to accomplish anything other than being an elected official. The record makes that very clear. I note that you are so confident in your own significance and so confident in your own positions that you are too afraid to use your name. That says a lot. If I am now insignificant because I no longer serve on the board, what does that say about the significance of an anonymous poster who has never served on the board?
I did search, as you suggested, for Tom Watson's e-mail on your blog, if that is what he sent out. (And that's a big "if" since you edit stuff wholesale.) I don't see how his e-mail treated teachers like idiots at all. It gave them information --- the same sort of information that Christen offered from the far right side of the spectrum. No doubt that the information Watson provided doesn't square with your world view but, luckily, most rational beings don't agree with your world view.
Teachers, as a whole, are a pretty educated bunch. Each has a bachelor's degree, at minimum, and they're pretty knowledgeable about kids and schools. They know phonies when they see them, hence the rapid demise of Christen, Cox, Shakes, Albers, Lathen, Perry and, hopefully, Breazell.
And as for joining any lawsuit, you must have me confused with someone else, yet again, because I haven't joined any lawsuit. Now, if you meant the lawsuit that CEA joined to challenge the constitutionality of the old voucher bill, it might be important to note that the law was found to be unconstitutional --- if you care about accuracy, that is.
Anonymous really stepped in it this time. Had this person read your introduction at the top of this blog, he/she would realize that you cannot be insignificant: you are why he/she has a job! The father of four children, homeowning taxpayer in District 11, no wonder this district is in such rotten condition. If these people think only the annointed on the board are "significant" to the discussion of education in District 11, they are sorely misguided and wrong.
This Anonymous needs some real shaking up regarding who "owns" these problems and how we are to fix them.
So much blah blah about unity (John Gudvangen and Jan Tanner) and inclusiveness (same) yet, this prevailing elite attitude that only the educartel and the chosen few (notice the same old names rolling around and around: Kaiser, Doyle, Theobold, Tanner, Elliot,Teja, McNally, etc, etc, etc) on committee after committe, holding titled positions, and the whole while enrollment continues to drop, kids leaving school for good younger and younger, and more and more kids needing remedial courses in their freshman year at college. But we're supposed to all get on the rah rah bus and pretend everything is sooooo good. Can't do it, Mr. Craig. Won't do it, Mr. Anonymous. If it isn't good, we need to be open and honest and get down to the hard work of making it better.
"If" that is what Watson sent out? I'm sure that Tommy wouldn't deny sending that email, would he? Not Mr. Integrity himself. Of course you don't see how that email treats teachers like idiots because you are one of the people who treats your fellow teachers as idiots. It isn't a matter of Watson's email squaring with anything - it was an outright fabrication, commonly called a lie. It was made up from thin air. That is how much you respect your fellow teachers. You don't want them to make decisions based on facts. You want them to make decisions based on fabricated scare tactics. That, again, shows that you have no confidence in your position or your performance. You have to spend over $1 million on false advertising to squeak out a win, and now you own a school board that can't distinguish up from down. Even your side is embarrassed about these people, but the good news for you is that they are not a threat to hold you accountable for your anemic performance. That brings you great comfort.
OK, great, teachers are an educated bunch. But here is even better news. Administrators are apparently even more educated, because many of them get to place a PhD after their names. Since we have all of these educated people running our schools, we must have proficiency levels approaching 100% in all areas, right? Those 13% proficiencies in 8th grade math, and those 30% dropout rates are something that you are ready to solve if only you had the right school board to let you solve them. Oh wait, you have had such boards for 30 years and look where we are. At least you feel significant.
Yes, I am speaking of that lawsuit against parental choice. Your money was involved in that suit as a member of the labor union, so yes, you did join the lawsuit. So you are saying that you are concerned about the sanctity of the constitution? That is great. But you obviously aren't talking about the U.S. Constitution, because the Supreme Court has already ruled that vouchers are constitutional. You are talking about the Colorado Constitution, then. Since we are making important notes, it might be important to note that the judge who ruled on the voucher issue happened to be married to a board member of the Colorado Education Association labor union! Who would have ever thought? So what did this judge rule? He ruled that the voucher bill violated local control provisions of the state constitution. Since you respect parents and only concern yourself with the safety of the constitution, you certainly pushed for your local board to enact choice policies, correct? I mean, you do respect parents and you don't think that parents, many of whom have Bachelor's degrees or higher, can't decide what is best for their kids, right? I guess I haven't seen anything in the news showing that you were pushing for choice at the local level. Maybe your motives aren't as pure as you suggest. I wonder why you send local money to Utah to fight parents in that state. Are you concerned about that state constitution as well?
Speaking of local control, let's see what your Demcorat state legislature enacted last session: "Minimum Compulsory School Age" - lowers compulsory age from 7 to 6 years old. "High School Graduation Requirements" - requires the state board to establish high school graduation requirements by July 1, 2008. "Longitudinal Analysis of Assessments" - requires districts to provide longitudinal data to assess students. "Scientific Sex Education" - mandates that districts may not teach abstinence and must teach "safe sex" and condom use. These bills were enacted last session. Since these bills and hundreds of others dictate to school districts how they must operate, when will your labor union be filing suit to stop these constitutional infringements on local control? Local boards are fully capable of making the call on each of the above issues, so why let the state infringe on their constitutional perogatives?
Nice try, labor union person. You might want to use your Bachelor's degree to come up with a reply that actually contains logic.
This is too funny. This anonymous "teacher" writes as if his/her position is shared by everyone in town, but he/she doesn't have the guts to proudly proclaim who he/she is. On top of that, this person won't answer any of the direct questions that you pose. With all of those important degrees, there ought to be plenty of answers. These people can be smug as much as they want. The deterioration of our nation's schools lies squarely in their laps, and I think they know that to be true. That is why they are so extremely bitter, even when they get what they want.
Not to confuse a union hack with the facts but seeing how they are used to it I'll do just that. From the first response to the last they were answered with an automatic reply. Sorry to ruin your preconceived notions Tom but the mail box was hardly filled at all. 210 "please drop me from your list", 200 bad emails, 20 rude union rants, and 30 nice "keep up the work." Any more fairy tales you are treating yourself to?
Boo hoo freakin' hoo
210 "please drop me"
20 "rants"
200 bad e-mails
out of roughly 1600????
30 "keep up the good work"
So roughly 2% of the recipients tell you you're doing good stuff, Christen, and you consider that a good result for you? ABout 15% tell you to stick it in your hat, and you consider that a favorable response????
Stick to bashing the construction unions in San Diego. You have enough problems there so that you shouldn't worry about what's happening in the school district that booted your butt.
I have a couple of interesting observations about that response, anonymous labor union person.
First, you are so sure that the whole world hates Eric, yet you are still hiding behind your computer screen.
Second, only 1600 labor union members? I thought you keep saying that every teacher in D11 is a loyal labor union member. 2,000 teachers in the district and 20% choose not to join your political movement. That is a nice chunk. Sadly, you probably still steal money from many of them through your corrupt "opt out" policy.
200 bad emails obviously means that those were invalid addresses, and he had 210 "drop me" and 20 "rants." Looks to me as if a great majority of the teachers who received the emails (which would be 1170 out of 1400 who received them, or 83%) took no offense over receiving the email. That is a very different picture than the "everyone blasted him" picture you tried to paint.
As far as San Diego, I understand that Eric is doing a very good job protecting hard working businesses against your labor union comrades out there. As for D11, I respect the fact that Eric is still worried about this district. I can only hope that you will mature enough to worry about this district yourself before it is too late.
Looks like anonymous union person learned math in D-11. Let's just hope anonymous union person isn't a math teacher.
So most teachers apparently want to get emails letting them know what is really going on in D11? That's good news. 30 "rants". Good way to describe the mentality of the average union hack.
Oh, the comment form the union teacher about how "educated" teachers are, they actually are at the bottom of the SAT and GPA curve for all college graduates who attain degrees. As the saying goes, those who can do while those who can't teach.
Keep it up Craig. For being so irrelevant you sure know how to get the goat of these looters.
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