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4401-A
Connecticut Avenue, Box 294, Washington, DC
20008
Tel: (202) 244-7535, Fax: (202) 244-7584
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Education Exchange
Volume 1, Issue 2 -- September
1997
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Focusing on
Education Reforms at Your School, in Your State
Legislature, and in Congress
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Independent
Teacher Associations Offer Alternatives
to NEA and AFT
Not all teachers are members of a national union like the
NEA or the AFT. Ironically, for its 1997 convention, the NEA
met in Georgia - a state where the Professional Association
of Georgia Educators (PAGE) outnumbers the combined
membership of the NEA and AFT affiliates. Tim Callahan,
director of Public Relations and Membership Services, said
"PAGE has over 41,000 members now and we hope to increase
that to 45,000 after our membership drive." Callahan
acknowledged that PAGE's $99 annual membership fee appeals
to many new teachers who see the NEA's $300+ annual dues as
excessive. Supporting charter schools and enrolling both
public and private school teachers, PAGE members are also
opposed to the NEA/AFT liberal political agenda.
Citing his concern that "NEA is not committed to fighting
the expansion of the independent organization in Georgia and
other states," Ralph Nobel, secretary-treasurer of NEA's
32,000-member Georgia affiliate, introduced a New Business
Item at the convention. He succeeded in convincing his
fellow delegates that the $338,065 budgeted by the NEA to
oppose independent education associations was insufficient
to recruit new members.
Susan Pace, a former UniServ director employed by the
Texas State Teachers Association UniServ director,
complained to Bob Chase in a meeting of the National Staff
Organization (the union that represents NEA staff) that TSTA
is losing 1,000 members a year. As a result, some TSTA staff
have been fired, and over 50% of the TSTA staff have less
than 11 months experience. Meanwhile, the Association of
Texas Professional Educators is 80,000 members strong and
growing. Doug Rogers, ATPE's executive director,
characterizes the independent association as the teachers'
battleship; the NEA and AFT are rowboats!
Increased NEA funding is not likely to change the
dominant status of the independent professional associations
in Georgia, Texas, and Missouri, but it may affect
memberships in the 18 other states in which independent
teacher organizations constitute an alternative to the NEA
and/or AFT.
NEA
Staff Has Union Within the Union
As an employer, the NEA negotiates with unions
representing its staff. The Association of Field Staff
Employees (AFSE) represents NEA's field representatives in
the six regional offices. NEA's 1,500 political operatives,
termed "UniServ directors," are represented through the
National Staff Organization and its state affiliates.
As they did in 1996, representatives from the NSO
distributed an appeal to delegates at the 1997 NEA
convention. Although the staff union "has not taken a
position either for or against merger," they want "written
guarantees to NSO and its affiliates, that retirement health
benefits, pensions, staff contracts, health insurance and
seniority will remain in effect should a merger occur."
Merger talks between the NEA and AFT are ongoing.
The
Tax Man Cometh Not to NEA -- Why?
The NEA is accustomed to getting what it wants, which is
not surprising given its vast resources. The 1997-98 NEA
annual operating budget is $209,698,886, including external
recoveries. As a tax exempt organization, the NEA pays no
income tax, and even though it occupies a building valued at
almost $79 million, it pays no property tax either. Ask your
Congressman why. The NEA's affiliated foundation -- the
National Foundation for Improvement in Education (NFIE),
endowed with more than $16 million is also a tax exempt
entity.
AFT's
Quality Educational Standards in Teaching (QuEST) Conference
Offers Inside Look at Union
As usual, the odd-numbered year AFT QuEST conference was
devoted to education issues. "Education issues" are defined
very broadly, to include ways and means to oppose any steps
toward school choice or contracting out.
In her first convention address as president, AFT
President Sandra Feldman reiterated the AFT's opposition to
any weakening of the public school monopoly. She called upon
teachers to take the lead in shutting down poor schools,
leaving one to wonder how many AFT members will be
unemployed if the union follows her advice.
Alex Molnar, the most demagogic critic of privatization
around, asserted that:
- The teacher unions were not devoting major resources
to combatting the threat of privatization.
- Believes that the government should provide all basic
services, such as food, education, housing and
transportation. He should be identified as what he is, a
committed socialist.
Teachers in districts that have sponsored Edison schools
conceded Edison schools have made several positive
contributions to better education in their districts.
Secretary of Education Richard Riley spoke at the
memorial service for former AFT president Albert Shanker. An
entire issue of the American Teacher was devoted to Shanker
comments over the years.
The AFT hot-linked 15 computer stations to Congressional
offices to enable the 3,000 attendees to send prepared
messages to their congressional representatives. The
messages included:
- opposition to school choice in the District of
Columbia,
- appeals for teacher-training funds,
- insistence that tutoring programs and materials must
be administered through the public schools,
- federal support for infrastructure for public
schools,
- opposition to the Coverdell amendment,
- support for education funding for:
- Goals 2000
- Title I - remedial programs for students
- Title II - professional development
- Safe and Drug-Free Schools
- National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
- Pell grants
AFT claims 940,000 members, about 550,000 of whom are
K-12 teachers.
House
Education Committee Active in 105th Congress
House Education Committee Active in 105th Congress
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has
had a full slate of education issues on its agenda. The
following list highlights its activities and accomplishments
during the 105th Congress:
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Amendments of 1997 (H.R. 5)
- National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education
- Education at a Crossroads
- Higher Education Authorization Act
- Job Training (H.R. 1385)
- Juvenile Crime Control and Delinquency Prevention Act
(H.R. 1818)
- Head Start
- Vocational-Technical Education (H.R. 1853)
- Education Savings Accounts
- Reading Initiative
- Charter Schools
- National Testing
The Committee also takes up issues dedicated to labor and
the workforce.
To gather more complete information on the education
issues listed above, visit the Committee's web site at
http://www.house.gov/eeo.
Other web sites providing data on the above legislation
include:
- The U.S. Dept. of Education at http://www.ed.gov
(direct your attention to "Secretary's Initiatives").
- Library of Congress -- Thomas Legislative Information
at http://thomas.loc.gov (includes bills, committee
information, Congressional Record, historical documents,
legislative process, and more).
- Citizens for Responsible Education Reform (CRER) at
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/4851 (includes
issue descriptions for above listed items).
Senate
Governmental Affairs Committee Subpoenas NEA
The National Education Association was one of 26
nonprofit organizations to receive a subpoena from the
Senate Governmental Affairs Committee as part of its
investigation into campaign finance law abuses.
According to a news brief in the August 25 edition of
Education Daily, a Senate panel spokesman, said "Press
accounts raised the specter of illegal or improper
activities." The spokesman cited allegations in Elizabeth
Drew's book, Whatever It Takes, that the NEA
may have coordinated its political activities in 1996 with
the Democratic National Committee.
PTOs Gain
Momentum as PTA Membership Declines
As the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, known
as the PTA, enters its second century, expect more and more
local affiliates to disassociate with the national
organization, even as their leaders engage in a public
relations campaign to stop the exodus.
The PTA's literature claims to have maintained 6.5
million members over the last two years. However, the last
available audit from 1995 reveals that paid membership is
down to 4.9 million. This is a simple calculation since
national membership dues are $1 per member and 1995
membership dues as shown on the audit are $4,908,560.
Inflating its numbers is an important element of the PTA's
public relations strategy.
For decades, the PTA has alienated parents who:
- question the power of the teacher unions -- the
National Education Association and the American
Federation of Teachers;
- favor educational options for their children;
- are burdened by rising taxes and inefficiencies in
government schools; and
- fear the liberal, social agenda of the PTA and the
teacher unions.
With scores of positions opposing parent concerns, the
PTA -- which now represents fewer than ten percent of
parents with children in K-12 schools -- is destined to
decline even further. Contrary to popular belief, PTA
leaders do not speak for most parents. The majority of all
schools -- public and private -- throughout the United
States have independent parent-teacher organizations (PTOs),
often operating under a variety of names. PTOs strongly
encourage parents to become active participants in
educational decision-making. While there are some
similarities between PTOs and the PTA, the differences are
significant.
A PTO is organized locally, with no allegiance or dues
paid to support a state or national hierarchy. Local
parents, teachers and administrators direct its activities.
Governance is usually through simple bylaws, determined by
all parents who attend the meetings -- not just by those who
have paid dues, as in the PTA. And it is true, as PTA
literature points out, that PTOs do not emphasize lobbying
efforts.
In contrast, the PTA employs a cadre of lobbyists in its
Washington, D.C. office. State affiliates of the PTA often
employ lobbyists as well. Because they object to funding
these activities and the positions embraced by the NEA/AFT
and PTA, more and more parents are opting for the
independence of PTOs. For parents who want to do more than
attend monthly fundraising meetings or just talk about
parental control, there are opportunities.
Within a PTO, parents find they can work through the
local education maze more easily without the national policy
prohibitions and teacher union allegiances of the PTA. With
the advent of school advisory councils (sometimes called
school improvement councils), parents have a unique
opportunity to become part of a decision-making team. At the
same time, serving on such teams is also a great challenge
for parents. To be prepared, many parents unfamiliar with
the intricacies of school finance, politics, and
administration require training and accurate data. In some
states, taxpayer watchdog groups provide useful
documentation for parents, the media and the public.
No group of citizens has a closer view of the problems or
a more immediate stake in addressing them than the parents
of our country's more than 50 million school children. The
frustration of long ignored parents is now evident in the
profusion of charter schools, which have neither school
boards, negotiators, nor teacher unions, but do have
effective, engaged parents. If you want to know more, please
contact the Education Policy Institute at (202) 244-7535.
Interactive
Web Sites Reach Directly Into Congress
One of the most frustrating things many constituents face
when an issue has really gotten their attention and they
want to fire off a letter to a Congressman or Senator is not
knowing where to find the address. It's not so hard to find
the state or local politicians -- just look in the phone
book -- but what if the issue at stake is being debated in a
Subcommittee whose chairman needs to hear from the public.
What then?
With more people on-line everyday, an easy and fast
solution to contacting Congress, and thereby actively
participating in our democratic government, is to utilize
one of many e-mail services targeted to U.S. Senate and
House Members. To find the web site that fits your style and
needs best, check out the assortment of hotlinks at the
following Library of Congress web location:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/legislative/email.html
This is also a great web site to bookmark for future use.
Take advantage of this nearly instant contact with your
Congressman or Senator. The more they hear from us, the
better they should be able to represent us.
EPI's
Education Quick Facts
- More than 75 percent of adults do not have children
in K-12 schools.
- About 11 percent of all K-12 students attend private
schools.
- Fifty-two million students will enroll in K-12 public
schools this year.
- About 75 percent of all public school teachers are
unionized. Sixty-three percent are NEA members, and 12
percent are AFT members.
- In 1993-94, 39 percent of public elementary school
students received publicly funded or reduced-price
lunches, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
- Over three million teachers teach in our government
and non-government schools.
- The average per pupil expenditure last year was
$6,213, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
- The 29th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the
Publicıs Attitudes Toward the Public Schools showed, for
the first time, a 55 percent majority of public school
parents support government-funded vouchers that would pay
all or part of the tuition at the public, private or
religious school of their choice.
- he average salary for public school teachers reached
$37,846 in 1995-96. Salary figures are considerably
higher when benefits are included.
- According to the NEA, the average school work week
for all teachers is 36.3 hours. In addition, teachers
spend an average of 11.2 hours on noncompensated duties
such as grading papers, lesson preparation, and bus duty,
as well as an average of 6.2 hours on compensated duties
such as coaching. Teachers spend an average of 49.3 hours
per week on all teaching duties. Teachers work an average
of 180 teaching days a year.
Copyright 1997
Education Policy Institute, PMB 294, 4401-A Connecticut
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008-2322 202/244-7535, Fax
202/244-7584 http://www.educationpolicy.org
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