Assigned Reading

**Update: The first Brown poll of candidates for Congress in the first district has David Segal at just 5.7%, dead last.

The Rhode Island affiliate of the AFT made two significant endorsements this week. For governor, RIFT is backing an heir to a family fortune who’s father was an esteemed governor and senator. And for the congressional seat left open by Patrick Kennedy, a man born into wealth who never had a job, the union is backing another man born into wealth, who apparently hasn’t had a full time job since graduating from Brown. The two candidates are, respectively, Lincoln Chafee and David Segal.

Perhaps the union leadership has spent too much time at the State House and socializing on the East Side.

Anthony Gemma, another Democrat candidate, is a plumber who worked his way through college and law school. He them helped to continue the success of his family’s plumbing business as it grew into one of the largest in the state.

It’s not labor, but the politics of labor, that determines the endorsement. Who stands the farthest left.

Incidentally, RIFT head Marcia Reback explained last week that she didn’t interview all candidates for governor because “electability” must be a factor when determining endorsements. Can it be assumed that she believes Segal is electable? Segal is in last in fundraising, some $100,000 less than Gemma, the next highest candidate in the field. Segal’s raised $300,000 less than Republican John Loughlin, and barely a tenth of frontrunner David Cicilline’s $1.1 million. By all accounts, the young Segal is the least known in the district, although no official polls have yet been made public. It would be interesting to know how Reback defines “electability”.

When difficult students behave, teachers shower them with praise. Providing positive attention will hopefully encourage more appropriate behavior.

Education Commissioner Deborah Gist is a teacher at heart, and so she showers the legislative leaders with praise for passing a funding formula this year. Her opinion piece in today’s Journal specifically names the leaders and committee chairs of both houses of the General Assembly, and all legislators in general.

Gist congratulates the assembly for its foresight, leadership, and pioneering efforts in taking “a historic step” to develop this “transparent, consistent education-funding formula”.

Gist is smart to use the old behavior modification strategy, heaping praise on the generally misbehaving legislators. But she shouldn’t expect the General Assembly to suddenly start working for the benefit of everyone. This is Rhode Island, after all.

The idiocy in California seems to be never-ending. While the state faces a real threat of bankruptcy, Los Angeles Unified school board is more interested in the governing of Arizona. Apparently it believes the Arizona immigration law is wrong, and passed a resolution condemning the law. But, of course, there’s more. According to a Fox News report, a school district spokesman said:

The Board of Education directed the Superintendent to ensure that LAUSD civics and history classes discuss the recent laws enacted in Arizona in the context of the American values of unity, diversity, and Equal Protection for all.

The board wants the Arizona law taught in the same way slavery, Jim Crowe laws, and anti-semitism is taught in civics classes. The board also directed the superintendent to “curtail contracts with Arizona-based businesses and district travel to the state.”

Los Angeles schools are some of the most troubled in the country. The board should stay focused on its mission, and not be distracted by personal politics.

The incident in Morgan Hill, California, where high school students were asked to remove or turn inside-out their clothing displaying the US flag, leaves much to consider. The principal and assistant principal certainly made mistakes, although they may have been trying to avert confrontation among students.

The students’ behavior is most alarming, particularly those who were offended by the American flag, even on Cinco de Mayo. Never should an American feel uncomfortable displaying the US flag in his own country. It would seem other issues are involved. Perhaps there is a heightened sensitivity because of the new law in Arizona. But clearly ethnic tensions exist in this community.

Education blogger Joanne Jacobs offers the best advice.

After five Live Oak High students were sent home for wearing U.S. flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo, some Live Oak High students wore white and purple to school as a sign of unity. Others marched to Morgan Hill’s City Hall to demand respect for Mexican traditions. The student protesters “discussed a possible community-wide celebration of diversity and asked for ideas about how to bring the community together, said the city manager.

I think the best way to bring the community together is to avoid a “celebration of diversity” and focus on what students have in common.

The students are aware of their diversity; some just don’t seem to understand they have a lot in common. They are Americans. We all should celebrate that…everyday.

This is irritating. From Arlene Violet’s Valley Breeze column on Thursday:

Last year I was on a panel on RIPBS’ Lively Experiment with Robert Walsh, executive director of the National Education Association Rhode Island. Following the program he told me that Caprio had been in that very day seeking his union’s backing. Walsh nixed the idea on the basis that Caprio was not a consistent friend of the unions. He mentioned that Marcia Reback of the American Federation of Teachers union happened coincidentally to be at the meeting also and they opined that they would support Attorney General Patrick Lynch and, if he lost, then Lincoln Chafee.

Do Mr. Walsh and Ms. Reback have sole discretion as to whom the unions will endorse? Representing thousands of teachers, one might think the leaders would need to consult local representatives. Even better, a poll of the union members might be in order. Teachers do, in fact, make up UNIONS.

Instead Ms. Reback has already determined the candidates RIFT will support right through to the general election in November. Arlene Violet is right; the early announcement leaves Frank Caprio free to appeal to independents and conservatives. If Caprio is elected governor, a real possibility, there’ll be no incentive for him to open his office door to union leaders when he considers pension reform.

For unions, there seems little benefit to revealing their political cards so early in the game.

I understand the gravity of Rhode Island’s financial woes. And I realize that dramatic change in the way we do business is necessary to restore our financial well-being. So much of our tax dollars now go directly to salaries and benefits of state and municipal employees. I think about this often as I drive over roads in miserable condition or pass by decaying school buildings. In the 20th century we invested in the infrastructure of our cities and our country, and in the 21st century we cannot even afford to maintain them, never mind modernize or expand.

It is difficult, however, not to think of my own financial future. I did not become a school teacher for the pay, or the benefits, or even the summer vacations. I became a teacher because I love working with kids, and the satisfaction that comes with seeing and helping kids grow. I’ve been teaching long enough to now know former students as adults. It is amazing to see their successes, and who they have become: professionals, parents, soldiers, citizens. Each provides further evidence that, professionally, I chose the right path.

I cannot, and will not, teach forever. Like everyone else, there will come a time when retirement will be the best option. I have contributed nine percent of my income each year towards a state pension that will enable me to retire when the time was right.

And so, as we discuss pension reform in Rhode Island, I have, literally, a vested interest. I understand that our current pension system is unsustainable. Changes must be made to protect the financial condition of the state and its taxpayers. For too long the pension system was abused, with people retiring too early and buying years in the system they did not earn. Unfortunately I will have to pay for these abuses. I wonder if my fellow teachers, and state employees, realize the union brethren that came before us were the abusers, and that we will suffer because of it.

It is crucial everyone understand one thing: I do not pay into the Social Security system.

Teachers in my community, and several others, contribute to the pension system instead of Social Security. We protect these pensions like it is all we got, because it is.

We need to discuss pension reform. But we should be cautious and deliberate, and understand people’s lives depend on it. I hear some of my fellow conservatives talk about pension reform as union punishment. The unions deserve to be taken to the woodshed. However, the teachers who have invested a significant portion of their income over the years also deserve a fair and reasonable retirement.

I had great hopes for General Treasurer Frank Caprio. He seems a reasonable man, both politically and financially. I thought Caprio would develop a compromise that protects the financial condition of the state while fairly treating teachers and state employees. Today’s opinion piece by the treasurer suggests otherwise. In it he touts what he has done, but not much of what he will do as governor. Despite the columns’s title, “Time for public pension reform in R.I.,” Caprio offers only this as to reform:

As a member of the House Pension Commission, I also advanced a proposal that Rhode Island move to a hybrid plan modeled after the federal government’s retirement plan. This plan would reduce future pension benefits by half, add a cost-effective 401(k)-style plan, and save the state billions of dollars over the next 20 years. This solution is a pivotal part of my platform for governor.

More words are spent defending himself against criticisms from the state Republican chairman than addressing pension reform. I found nothing about pension reform on his campaign website. A two-page plan on the General Treasurer site is more confusing than informative, and lacks any significant detail.

Mr. Caprio and all the candidates for governor must outline in detail their plans for state pension reform. And they must do so in language that all Rhode Islanders can understand. Union leaders must be open-minded and considerate when discussing these reforms. And taxpayers must understand, whether they like it or not, they have committed to these employees a fair and reasonable retirement pension.

I fear the worst, but hope for compromise. My future certainly depends upon it.

The Illinois state senate has passed a school voucher bill for Chicago students. The legislation was sponsored by Chicago Democrat James Meeks. The bill will not move to the House for consideration. As one can imagine, the teachers unions oppose the bill.

There are those teachers who will let their anger get the best of them. The Central Falls teacher who hanged a doll of President Obama in his classroom is one such example.

Our classrooms should be places of respect for our leaders, our country, and its citizens. Many will view this incident as one of disregard for the president. Hanging a doll of the first black president might even lead to accusations of racism. Both would be legitimate.

But as a fellow teacher, it is the attempt to influence students’ thinking that I find so disturbing. We were told by Central Falls union leaders that students had expressed, without influence, support for the teachers. These students were speaking out because their own experiences compelled them to do so.

And then this teacher reveals that the truth might be something different.

The Obama doll was, according to reports, holding a sign in support of the administration’s decision to fire the teachers. This teacher was making sure students knew what opinions were welcomed in his class. Students who support school reform at CFHS must already feel uncomfortable sharing their opinions; this teacher added intimidation to the mix.

It’s worth asking if students are being coerced, if they are being used as part of the union media campaign. Most teachers wouldn’t do so. But it’s hard to believe that CNN knew this was happening inside Central Falls high, and the other teachers and administrators did not.

Dr. Gallo has further evidence in support of her school reform plan.

For years, inner-city public schools have been failing to provide even an adequate education to many of our country’s most vulnerable youth. These city schools are often filled with poor and minority children stuck in a cycle of limited opportunities, due in part to failing public education.

Charter schools were born in urban areas, hoping to offer a better education for needy children. The first KIPP school, for instance, started in Houston, with a second in NYC. In Rhode Island, most charters are in the urban ring. Highlander and Paul Cuffee are in Providence, and Beacon is in Woonsocket. The Learning Community and International serve kids mostly from Pawtucket and Central Falls.

Charter schools, by their very nature, are homes to many disadvantaged and minority students.

And for some, that’s a problem, even if many of these schools are succeeding far beyond what the public schools were able to accomplish. In DC for instance, the public schools are 78 percent black, while charters are 84 percent. The high number of minority students is a racial imbalance, a form of segregation, and needs to change. Such is the conclusion of a report by the UCLA’s Civil Rights Project.

It’s incredible how some can put race above all else, and claim to do so in the name of equality and diversity.

Thankfully, those in charge seem to be more level-headed. Brian Jones, of the DC Public Charter School Board said,

I’m less concerned about the comparison of the racial composition of the charter schools to public schools generally, than I am in looking at whether charter schools are getting the job done in providing a viable, meaningful alternative to the regular public schools.

I think it’s safe to assume parents agree with Mr. Jones. Providing the very best education to all kids will go much farther in protecting their civil rights than anything this “project” theorizes from its offices at UCLA.

(h/t Flypaper)
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools offers a response to the report on its blog.

Last week Providence officials announced an end to block scheduling at Hope High School, the centerpiece of reform that significantly improved education for some of the city’s poorest students. The city, they said, couldn’t afford the necessary investment.

Today, the Providence Journal reports the city has allocated $112,000 to restore the Henry Bowen Anthony Fountain. This fountain is located at the head of Blackstone Boulevard in the affluent East Side neighborhood, with the extravagant homes of some of Providence’s wealthiest residents.

Thankfully, the Boulevard residents can pay the hefty tuitions of the nearby Lincoln School, Moses Brown or Wheeler for their children’s education, rather than send them to Hope High.