Education
East Providence School Committee member Anthony Carcieri makes an interesting observation to the Providence Journal: Along with the skirmishes over ground rules, the negotiators also have disclosed their ultimate goal. The committee wants $3 million in annual concessions from the teachers, Carcieri says, adding that they aren’t bluffing or backing down. “The NEA has experienced…
Well this would clearly not be acceptable: In the first year of the contract, retroactive to the last school year, [Tiverton] teachers with at least 10 years’ experience would receive pay increases of 2.75 percent. The same group would get another 2.5 percent in the current year, but hikes in health insurance costs also would…
Some last-minute pre-election teacher contract controversy has arisen for Tiverton voters’ edification: Superintendent William Rearick and School Committee Chairwoman Denise deMedeiros thought they were close to approving a contract for the teachers this week, saying this is the closest they have been in more than 16 months of negotiating, but teachers union President Amy Mullen…
Nine Rhode Island School Committee members from eight different communities have signed a letter supporting the East Providence school committee in its bid to make contract negotiations public…School Committee members across Rhode Island support the East Providence School Committee and its commitment to holding contract negotiation meetings open to the public. Currently, public sector contracts…
The shadow that unions cast over our education system never ceases to sting: [East Providence’s] current contract with its teachers expires on Friday, and talks are at a deadlock. The sides can’t agree on ground rules and the sticking point is the School Committee’s demand that the bargaining be done in public. “The union representatives…
Julia Steiny recently heard a speaker whose conclusions point to the same problem in education, but from a different aspect: University of Chicago Prof. Charles Payne spoke recently on the subject of his book So Much Reform, So Little Change. … “Because you have institutions in which the adults fail to cooperate. Grown-up people unable…
Just in case anybody missed this nugget from our state’s leading education unionist: Robert A. Walsh Jr., executive director of the National Education Association Rhode Island, said repealing the tax levy law would also alleviate the problem. Said Walsh, “We simply can’t continue to produce a competitive public education system in our current state.” Put…
Putting aside the pun in this post’s title (on the grounds that I couldn’t resist it), Moderate Party Chairman Ken Block’s prescription for education reform in Rhode Island offers some worthy suggestions: Provide life skills courses to non-college-tracked children. … Let uncertified professionals who are content experts teach in our schools. … Ban the practice…
Liz Abbott of the Westerly Sun has a summary of a local-forum debate between the three candidates for District 36 State Representative: incumbent Donna Walsh, Republican Dave Cote, and independent Matt McHugh. Here are their answers on the topic of education…QUESTION: In these challenging economic times, should the Paiva-Weed Act, which was adopted to provide…
Two quick suggestions for anyone reading today’s Jennifer D. Jordan‘s Projo article on Rhode Island’s tax credit scholarship program…Amelia Kah struggled through her freshman year of high school in the Providence school system. She was teased and mocked by classmates when she raised her hand in class, and was even beaten up a few times,…