What's Wrong With This Picture: 800 Applicants for 14 Teaching Jobs & the NEA Says There is a Problem

The NEA teachers' union has been repeating the mantra all year that the lack of a contract in East Greenwich was somehow damaging the school system and that nobody would want to teach in our town.

The rest of us have said hogwash to their propaganda because we knew their comments were simply another pathetic attempt to mislead and manipulate public opinion.

Today, the empirical data is in and the NEA's argument has completely collapsed. Here's the story:

"We have more than 800 applicants for 14 teaching positions," School Committee member Steven W. Gregson said this week. "There is no lack of applicants."

East Greenwich is fortunate to have many professionally successful parents – who value education, speak English as a first language, and ensure their kids do their homework and come to school with food in their stomachs. We provide a better than average working environment and teachers around the state know it. It's another reason why we are fond of our wonderful town and people around the state recognize it is a quality place to live and work.

By the way, here is another foolish argument from the NEA: When informed about the high number of applicants, school leaders told me that the NEA's response was to say that many of the applicants weren't qualified. Now stop and think about that argument for a minute. These applicants are coming largely from other teaching jobs in Rhode Island, which means they are members of either the NEA or AFT teachers' union. In other words, that means the NEA is calling their own members unqualified. Oh that's a bright one, boys and girls.

In summary: First, the NEA knowingly misleads the residents of East Greenwich. Next, they insult the residents of East Greenwich. Then, they put out a report card flyer that backfires when residents jokingly call it juvenile - at best. And that doesn't even count the funniest part about the flyer: 2 of the 7 School Committee member phone numbers listed on the flyer were wrong. Now, they put forth bogus arguments that insult their own membership.

It's hard to legally extort a community when your actions are so consistently incompetent.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES:

EAST GREENWICH NEA TEACHERS' UNION CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
In a nutshell, here is what I think the negotiating position of the East Greenwich School Committee should be on some of the key financial terms of the contract.

Other postings include:
Background Information on the East Greenwich NEA Labor Dispute
The NEA's Disinformation Campaign
East Greenwich Salary & Benefits Data
More Bad Faith Behavior by the NEA
The Debate About Retroactive Pay
Would You Hurt Our Children Just To Win Better Contract Terms?
The Question Remains Open & Unanswered: Are We/They Doing Right By Our Children?
Will The East Greenwich Teachers' Union Stop Their Attempts to Legally Extort Residents?
You Have To Read This Posting To Believe It! The Delusional World of the NEA Teachers' Union
So What Else is New? Teachers' Union Continues Non-Productive Behaviors in East Greenwich Labor Talks
"Bargaining Rights are Civil Rights"
The NEA-Rhode Island's Pathetic Attempts to Manipulate East Greenwich Residents

OTHER RHODE ISLAND PUBLIC EDUCATION/UNION ISSUES
In addition to financial issues, management rights are the other big teachers' union contract issue. "Work-to-rule" or "contract compliance" only can become an issue because of how management rights are defined in union contracts. The best reading on this subject is the recent report by The Education Partnership. It is must reading.

Other editorials and postings include:
ProJo editorial: Derailing the R.I. gravy train
ProJo editorial: RI public unions work to reduce your family's quality of life
ProJo editorial: Breaking the taxpayer: How R.I. teachers get 12% pay hikes
Selfish Focus of Teachers Unions: Everything But What Is Good For Our Kids
Tom Coyne - RI Schools: Big Bucks Have Not Brought Good Results
The NEA: There They Go, Again!
A Response: Why Teachers' Unions (Not Teachers!) Are Bad For Education
"A Girl From The Projects" Gets an Opportunity to Live the American Dream
Doing Right By Our Children in Public Education Requires Thinking Outside The Box
Debating Rhode Island Public Education Issues
The Cocoon in which Entitled State Employees Live
Are Teachers Fairly Compensated?
Warwick Teachers' Union Throws Public Tantrum
Blocking More Charter Schools Means Hurting Our Children
RI Educational Establishment: Your Days of No Vigorous Public Oversight & No Accountability Are Ending

BROADER PUBLIC EDUCATION ISSUES
The Deep Performance Problems with American Public Education
Freedom, Hard Work & Quality Education: Making The American Dream Possible For ALL Americans
Parents or Government/Unions: Who Should Control Our Children's Educational Decisions?
Now Here is a Good Idea
Milton Friedman on School Choice
Issuing a Call for a Higher Quality Public Debate About Education
Is Merit Pay for Teachers a 'Crazy Idea'?
Reporting False Performance Data Under No Child Left Behind: Why Are We Surprised At Dishonest Behavior By The Educational Bureaucracy?
Lack of Merit Pay Reduces the Quality of Teachers & Our Schools