Teaching

The "5-4-3 Club" - TVCSD Teachers' Outrageous Incomes

Tuesday, 17 April 2001 08:09 Last Updated on Tuesday, 13 March 2007 16:21 Written by The Editor

It's a Three Village Central School District thing and remarkable indeed. Until recently, a well kept secret. To join, you need teaching credentials. Then, you get to keep the membership fees. Fees paid by local taxpayers. The digits in the "5-4-3 Club" title represent increases for breathing long enough to collect them, then for obtaining additional training OR education and then, finally, their salary increases, compliments of the District's Board of Education.

A Few Good Men

Tuesday, 05 September 2000 08:28 Last Updated on Thursday, 15 March 2007 03:21 Written by The Editor

Multiculturalism 101 - The Feminization of Our Districts Elementary Schools

If life and text teach us anything, men and women differ like night and day. And, despite politically correct rhetoric to the contrary and statistics on single parent families, the "traditional" two parent family provides a child with the upfront opportunity to experience the more than one face of life's realities. The advantage is not found in parental numbers but in differing world views, how they interact and resolve problems together and how their children relate and adjust to parental dichotomy. Exposure to these often vastly different male v. female perspectives is invaluable to a child's development. And, it's lacking in our elementary schools.

Budget Failure - Whose Fault Is It, Anyway?

Thursday, 25 May 2000 09:00 Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 March 2007 11:06 Written by The Editor

At a Board of Education meeting some time ago, a retired attorney and community activist by the name of John Brant complained of the administration's misuse of the "School Report" - a district newsletter - to mislead and intimidate. He took particular exception to the unfounded conclusions, by then Superintendent Mary Barter, that austerity has a negative effect on real estate values. When pressed for a source for her opinion, Brant was told that it was derived by those writing the article... experts all.

Teachers' Unions - Their Role and Influence

Sunday, 05 March 2000 08:47 Last Updated on Saturday, 24 March 2007 10:47 Written by The Editor

The following is an excerpted version of an article entitled Unions, published in Macmillan Publishing's Encyclopedia of Educational Research of 1992 and written by Lorraine M. McDonnell of the Rand Corporation in San Monica, CA.

"Since the advent of teacher collective bargaining 30 years ago, union membership has grown significantly. By early in the 1980's, 88% of the nation's teachers belonged to either the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) or the National Education Association (NEA), and over 60% were covered by collective bargaining agreements. This growth contrasts with the dwindling 21% of all private sector employees who belong to a labor organization.

Comparison of TVCSD Teachers Salaries - September 1996 v. September 1999

Sunday, 05 March 2000 08:05 Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 March 2007 11:00 Written by The Editor

For the last few years, the Waking Bear has published an ever-updated article about the Three Village Central School District's "5-4-3 Club." When it was first released, with much fanfare and union president - Sheila MacFadyen's - panic at a school board meeting, the then reigning and feigning Queen of Naught - Mary Barter - and BOE retinue banned its distribution. But, before all copies were ordered swept from view, several dozen did get into the hands of people attending the meeting. And, as the board meeting began in earnest, a man stood to say that he "took exception to the bombastic and insulting-to-teacher rhetoric of the document but found the information presented of concern and worthy of public concern." The Board essentially responded by saying "Uh, huh." and moved on to more pressing issues.