The importance of education to fight Communism

How important is K-12 education? Very. Extremely. Critical. We've got citizens under the age of 40 who didn't live during or learn about the Cold War and never learned about Communism, or the 100,000,000 citizens of Europe and Asia who were killed by their own socialist governments. Symbolically the Iron Curtain fell in November 1989. Thirty-six years ago.  We've got 3 generations who had DEI/multiculturalism/gender confusion stuffed down their throats. They are now educated to be stupid and ignorant and voted for a Communist Islamist in more than one "blue" city. There are not enough homeschooling parents or Charlie Kirks to match the power of the leftist teachers' unions and funding by Soros.

The under 40 products of the schools don't see one of the major parties of the U.S. going under and drowning in lies because they have never learned the truth about Marxism. They wave their tiny, itsy bitsy American flags and salivate over words like Democracy and Justice, and yet have no understanding, no learning, no wisdom and no experience.

Gracious, did you hear the latest insanity of Nancy Pelosi. Sure, she's old and maybe demented, but I think she's also addled by Trump hatred. They blather on about Nazism and Hitler and don't realize those are socialist roots. That's why it's called National Socialism, aka Nazi. They scream about intifada and Palestine while we (sensible, conservative, wise) were naive enough to believe anti-Semitism in the U.S. had died with the KKK and Jim Crow, other scourges rooted in the Democrat party. The Democrats have gone from Cancel Culture to Assassination Culture, and the ignorant voters went along with it. Marxist playbook all the way. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/pelosi-rants-about-trump-calling-him-vile-creature-calls-republicans-puppets-of-trump/

Transparency in salaries

ABC is reporting on a new "transparency" movement on salaries led in part by a Tik Tok spox/influencer. I heard the usual, especially POC and pay gap. However, unless you also ask about benefits and history with the company, it's meaningless. Elementary school teachers, look it up, make about $75/hour according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics if you factor in benefits. And it's much higher for those in administrative positions. Nothing makes people more unhappy than saying teaching is one of the best paying professions in the U.S. Also, government workers, which are heavily female and black, make far more than the private sector. Norma has the facts. Media lie. Politicians lie. Unions lie.

Total benefit costs consist of five major categories and include 18 benefit costs:
• Paid leave - vacation, holiday, sick, and personal leave;
• Supplemental pay - overtime and premium, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses;
• Insurance - life, health, short-term and long-term disability;
• Retirement and savings - defined benefit and defined contribution; and
• Legally required benefits - Social Security [refers to Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program], Medicare, federal and state unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf 

Look specifically at Table 2 and Table 3 by occupational group. If BLS is wrong about teachers, then it's also wrong about accountants and truck drivers.

That said, I think teaching is one of the most difficult and important jobs; it's just too bad that their union leaders are such crooks.

When will schools be opened to serve all children?

All over the country, schools are open, and have been open for months--some all year. Here in Upper Arlington schools opened for all on March 1.  A friend in a Cincinnati suburb says theirs have been open since August.  Science?  Hardly.  Some private schools attended by the movers and shakers' children, never closed. (Their teachers are not unionized.) That's a pretty big laboratory to test for super spreaders or whether teachers are in danger. Hasn't happened. 

This disease has an extremely low infection fatality rate, and it's almost non-existent for the young. CDC reports that about 80% of the fatalities were overweight or obese. Teachers' unions are the problem, not science. They are holding back the primarily poor and minority schools in Democrat controlled states and municipalities. Their cause is political. They want more money--the other allocations provided in CARES didn't meet their lust for power. Those children will be facing the future 2-4 years behind in skills and social development, yet still expected to compete (or whatever you're allowed to call it then without being a racist). The Left will find a way to blame Trump for this "disparity" since the virus was brought into the country by travelers from China during his administration. Unless the archives of government are digitally manipulated, those children and their parents should know the truth some day.

Covid: CDC study finds about 78% of people hospitalized were overweight or obese (cnbc.com)

As many schools stay closed, Catholic schools remain open - and are in high demand | KOMO (komonews.com)

After return to in-person learning, nearly 500 Upper Arlington students quarantined | NBC4 WCMH-TV (nbc4i.com)  [one student exposed others)

Parents file lawsuit over Upper Arlington Schools’ reopening plan | NBC4 WCMH-TV (nbc4i.com)

Don’t look for good information from educators, musings and opinions

"Education Week--Teacher" on-line features a story on "disinformation" and how teachers can combat it, but the company expert put a photo of President Trump, not an MSNBC or CNN anchor with the lead. Really? I read through it, and it equated some ridiculous minor conspiracy stories or right wing blogs (some of which I think are actually middle road) as evidence, and didn't mention that for four years, the main stream media which is how most Americans get their information has been non-stop, anti-Trump. Worthless piece of junk, yet this is what teachers in public schools are reading. And no, I won't give you the link. If you want disinformation, you don't need to go far. Look for the union label. But the author promotes "anti-racism" curricula, so there's a clue (things never get better they only get worse theme). That's like asking for a reading list on Jews from Hitler's Department of Education in the 1940s.

Teachers’ salaries—not what you think

Some questioned my figures for hourly wages for teachers (in a post about the union strike in Colorado on Facebook) being on average $60/hour.  However, the latest I've found is $61.91--$41.41 is the wage, and $20.50 the benefits. Sept. 2018 figures. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf.

Benefits for public employees are far more generous than private sector. "Total employer compensation costs for private industry workers averaged $34.53 per hour worked in September 2018. Total employer compensation costs for state and local government workers averaged $50.03 per hour worked in September 2018. "

For the most part we don't pay federal income tax on our benefits, and the government is lusting after that--believing it belongs to the federal government. The employers get a write off too. Imagine the "windfall" to the federal government to waste with just the medical deductions from workers and the business write off costs for the employers.

Kamala Harris must be swooning at the thought!

Billions in education dollars battling for control of our children's minds and future of the country

"On the left you have the Democrat party, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), Fordham Institute and teachers unions fighting to eliminate the current state charter school system. They weigh in with over $13 million in political contributions, and a ground team of advocacy support for Democrat legislators. Their efforts, according to a press release from the Ohio House and Senate Democratic Caucus, have resulted in “20 bills and dozens of amendments to bring more accountability to Ohio’s charter schools.”

On the right you have charter schools, Bill Lager founder of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) and White Hat Management, the school founded by Akron’s David Brennan. With Lager providing $220,000 in contributions to Republican legislators this year. Their results are HB 2, which created greater oversight of charter schools and charter school sponsors.

In the middle, the real battle is taking place; this is the battle over a billion dollars. These dollars fund, at half the cost of many urban district schools, approximately one third of students whose families have chosen to send their child to a charter school."

 https://3rdrailpolitics.com/article/145
 
Launched in August 2016, 3rd Rail Politics takes you behind the scenes not only in Ohio's capital city but throughout the rest of the Buckeye state.

Flint and Detroit

Flint, MI sort of stole the news last week, because I don't remember seeing much about this union protest in front of Obama's venue in Detroit. I haven't been watching much news lately, so maybe I missed other stories of Democrat contolled unions and black groups protesting when Obama’s in town, which if he were Bush, would be a call for total rebellion. There must be a lot of corruption in the city government if they can't make schools tick with $16,000 per student plus all the other wealth transfer programs.

"According to the U.S. Department of Education, just 8 percent of Detroit eighth-graders can read proficiently. And just seven in 10 students graduate. Detroit public schools spend roughly $16,000 per pupil per year but the schools have many code and building violations. (All Democrat mayors since 1962.) The unionized teachers went on strike last week with complaints about conditions and charter schools. The protest was outside Cobo Center before President Barack Obama's visit to the auto show." (from my FaceBook wall)

http://dailysignal.com/2016/01/20/detroit-public-school-teacher-sick-out-underway-while-just-8-of-students-can-read-proficiently/

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/01/21/obama-takes-credit-for-auto-industry-comeback-during-visit-to-detroit/

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-union-teacher-sick-tied-obamas-detroit-trip-36398081

Collective bargaining for teachers result in poor student outcomes

“Laws requiring school districts to engage in collective bargaining with teachers unions lead students to be less successful in the labor market in adulthood. Students who spent all 12 years of grade school in a state with a duty-to-bargain law earned an average of $795 less per year and worked half an hour less per week as adults than students who were not exposed to collective-bargaining laws. They are 0.9 percentage points less likely to be employed and 0.8 percentage points less likely to be in the labor force. And those with jobs tend to work in lower-skilled occupations.”

http://educationnext.org/bad-bargain-teacher-collective-bargaining-employment-earnings/

Could teachers afford a Big Mac?

How much should a fast food worker who hasn't finished high school earn? Perhaps half of what a school teacher, who has a B.S. and M.S. earns? A public school teacher averages $39.27/hour or $55.52/hour with benefits. A teacher's average salary is higher than nurses and construction workers, and higher than college teachers per hour with benefits. But would they buy a big mac if those employees made $20/hour? Don't believe me? Scroll down to page 7 of the Bureau of Labor report for the details of your industry. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf

The push for higher minimum wage is actually a push to, 1) close industries to punish their owners, 2) move more people to government programs to create more Democratic voters. At $15/hour, many low income workers would lose their government benefits (SNAP, EITC or Medicaid), and they make the same economic choices we all do based on the axiom, "Money talks, it says good-by," and they would probably chose not to work.

Wisconsin schools save millions

Wisconsin schools are saving millions on health insurance after their governor stood up to the unions. Act 10 took health insurance off the collective bargaining table and allowed school boards to select insurance companies. Formerly they had to deal with an insurance company owned by the union.

http://eagnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/First-Years-of-Freedom-report.pdf

http://walker.wi.gov/Documents/Act_10_Success_Recap.pdf

http://watchdog.org/78127/wis-act-10-leads-to-lower-school-premiums-new-report-finds/

Where are the yard signs against issue 51?

A friend’s daughter is trying to do a photo essay on our local school levy, but can’t find a yard sign to photograph.  I don't support issue 51 , but I see no yard signs either. The Vote for Issue 51 signs are standing next to both Romney and Obama signs.

In a suburb next door to OSU, not voting for a school or library issue is tough going. Issue 51 is a 5.8-mill operating levy for Upper Arlington City Schools on the Nov. 6 ballot. If approved by voters, the levy would cost homeowners an additional $178 in annual taxes per $100,000 in property value and generate about $9.2 million per year for the school district. We have an exceptionally good school system, but 86% of the money goes for wages and benefits.  Ohio is not a Right to Work state, so these teachers are protected by both the union and the STRS.  Their retirement package will be 3-4 times what someone on Social Security will get, with far fewer years of service. 

UA schools are especially fine for those going to college (others are the children left behind--my friends suggest moving to Worthington if you have special needs children), but it's pricey and gets the same results as other districts that spend far less. UA cost per student is $15,172; at Olentangy district schools it is $9,465. Hard to find a website or an article, but here's one:

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/upperarlington/news/2012/10/03/anti-levy-campaign-educate-ua-seeking-lasting-district-reforms.html

If there are socialists in the teachers’ unions

there are socialists in the classrooms teaching the kids of Chicago.

“. . .socialist factions of the union blasted union president Karen Lewis for failing to disclose the full deal to members. A socialist leaflet distributed on Sunday accusing her of issuing a “package” summary of the deal to sell it to ignorant members.

The socialist statement accused the union leadership of conceding too much to the school system, allowing, for example, evaluations that “victimize teachers.””

http://freebeacon.com/socialists-stall-contract-agreement-in-chicago/

Republican teachers forced to support Obama in Ohio

"Barack Obama: a leader we can count on to stand up for education, for children and for our rights." OEA (union) "Ohio Schools," June 2012, p. 18. Republicans must join this union if they want to teach in Ohio, but their dues will always support Democrat candidates and issues.

The June issue of Ohio Schools (OEA union publication) declares that Ohio teachers must "take back our voice and vote." Hmm. You can't be a teacher in Ohio without joining the union, and it only supports Obama, despite that fact that many members of this forced membership are Republicans, Libertarians, or no political affiliation at all. So which teachers don't have a voice or vote? This is one step from Jim Crow—which was also a Democrat party plan.  A "member" told me that they are taking $22 from his monthly check to fight the "right to vote" in Ohio, something he believes in!

Steve Jobs--why technology can't help education

Interview with Wired Magazine 1996

I used to think that technology could help education. I’ve probably spearheaded giving away more computer equipment to schools than anybody else on the planet. But I’ve had to come to the inevitable conclusion that the problem is not one that technology can hope to solve. What’s wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology. No amount of technology will make a dent. The problems are sociopolitical. The problems are unions. You plot the growth of the NEA [National Education Association] and the dropping of SAT scores, and they’re inversely proportional. The problems are unions in the schools. The problem is bureaucracy.

I have a 17-year-old daughter who went to a private school for a few years before high school. This private school is the best school I’ve seen in my life. It was judged one of the 100 best schools in America. It was phenomenal. The tuition was $5,500 a year, which is a lot of money for most parents. But the teachers were paid less than public school teachers – so it’s not about money at the teacher level. I asked the state treasurer that year what California pays on average to send kids to school, and I believe it was $4,400. While there are not many parents who could come up with $5,500 a year, there are many who could come up with $1,000 a year.

If we gave vouchers to parents for $4,400 a year, schools would be starting right and left. People would get out of college and say, ’Let’s start a school.’ You could have a track at Stanford within the MBA program on how to be the businessperson of a school. And that MBA would get together with somebody else, and they’d start schools. And you’d have these young, idealistic people starting schools, working for pennies.

They’d do it because they’d be able to set the curriculum… God, how exciting that could be! But you can’t do it today. You’d be crazy to work in a school today. You don’t get to do what you want. You don’t get to pick your books, your curriculum. You get to teach one narrow specialisation. Who would ever want to do that?

These are the solutions to our problems in education. Unfortunately, technology isn’t it. You’re not going to solve the problems by putting all knowledge onto CD-ROMs. We can put a website in every school – none of this is bad. It’s bad only if it lulls us into thinking we’re doing something to solve the problem with education.

Lincoln did not have a website at the log cabin where his parents home-schooled him, and he turned out pretty interesting. Historical precedent shows that we can turn out amazing human beings without technology. Precedent also shows that we can turn out very uninteresting human beings with technology. It’s not as simple as you think when you’re in your 20s – that technology’s going to change the world. In some ways it will, in some ways it won’t.