The first, and perhaps main provision of Ohio's Senate Bill #5 -- click below to see-- is to install and instill the principle that pay should not be merely a function of years of service, but also of effectiveness.
In other words, pay should be, even in the public sector, based on merit. That isn't the case now. Instead, everyone is treated with dreary socialist uniformity.
What do you mean Iven? Can you give us an example?
Sure, when I taught at Whitehall Schools, here in the Columbus area, I was looking forward to my second year teaching social studies at the high school. The second year is a wonderful time, because you can take your notes and lessons, and rather than starting from scratch, you have the opportunity tweak and craft your lessons to be even more effective.
It was during a contemplation of my second year that I received news that I no longer had a job at the high school.
Had I performed so poorly during my first year that they were letting me go? Of course not, union rules mean that you'd have to do something disgustingly stupid to actually get fired as a teacher. Even incompetence doesn't cut it. Besides, while I was certainly not a master teacher, I was well liked by students and well-regarded by my peers.
So what had happened? Well it seems, that due to declining enrollment, the one of the two gym teacher positions was being eliminated. So which gym teacher was to be eliminated? Not necesarily the least effective of the two, but the one who had the least seniority. That's how it works. Well it turns out that this eliminated gym teacher, who had 11 more years of service than I, also had a college minor in social studies.
True, he hadn't studied social studies for 12 or more years. True, he had never taught social studies. True, he would have rather kept a postion in phys ed. True, he had only a bachelors in the subject of social studies while I had a masters. True, he had only minored in the subject, whereas it was the central focus of my studies. Still, he had seniority and so the job was his.
I was as they call it "bumped" from my job.
Now I have no animus toward the gym teacher. I suppose he was doing what he felt he had to do... and as luck would have it, a position opened at the middle school the next year. Still, I ask you, was this the best move for the kids? Of course not. But did you think that teacher's unions really care about the kids? Come on, wake up and smell the faculty lounge coffee.
When you do, it will be clear why as the Cato Institute's, Michael Tanner reports, that while federal spending on education has increased 188% since 1970 test scores among students remain abysmal.
Best Wishes,
Bernie
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