愛的家園
愛是恒久忍耐,又有恩慈,愛是不嫉妒,愛是不自誇,不張狂,不做害羞的事...愛是永不止息.
正文
從9月2日開始我們學區的老師開始罷工。教師公會要求在Compensation(補償)，Benefits(福利)，Curriculum(課程)要有進一部提高。隨著時間的推移，工會和學區之間的談判沒有任何進展，馬上罷工兩星期了，整個社區包括家長和孩子都怨聲載道。昨晚7點學區在Sammamish HighSchool 舉行聽證會。了解各方麵的意見。白天我就聯係了幾位家長，不能去的在學區網站上 發表意見。我們能去的約好6點半集合一去。
沒想到在們口早就是排隊大長龍慢慢拿牌(綠色表示支持發言者的觀點。紅色表示反對)很多來晚的人都沒有拿到牌子。會議大廳早都坐滿人已不讓進來。我和朋友還有許多的家長隻好在旁邊的小廳裏看大電視直播。8點半時看到會議廳中有一些人退場，可能是支持老師這一邊的發言太多。我和朋友就轉到主廳去。其中有幾個代表了家長的意見。長話短說。有100多位想發言。因為時間有限，最後隻有50多位發表了見意。當一位護士在說她真想有3個月的暑假時，我後麵的一排老師說：you teach,you teach.還有一位家長說：你嫌工資低你可以再找其它工作。把這個位置讓給熱愛這一行的人進來。再說我們這學區的老師平均工資是5。8萬。隻工作183天再加一星期的訓練。會議10點鍾結束。出來在大廳裏聽到很多家長都很憤怒。老師為了自己的利益犧牲孩子們上學的權利。教師公會今晚有備而來，一半是老師發言，在門口遇到一老師對我們說她爸爸也上去講話了。回來後我把會上情況給幾位沒去的家長說了，讓大家在網上表明自己的觀點。下麵是我們學校一位家長寫給老師工會和學區的信。代表了我們這些家長的心聲。有興趣的仔細讀一讀。昨晚就聽有的家長說其他學區的老師已在計劃明年也要罷工。
Subject: FW: Bellevue Parents for Teachers, Against Union Strike
To the BEA & WEA,
I am the parent of one child in the Bellevue School District with two more
children yet to enter school-age. Generally I am very sympathetic to teacher needs. My mother is a high school teacher, my grandmother was an elementary teacher her entire career, etc. I have always voted in favor of local tax levees that benefit schools and teachers. My wife and I both volunteer in the classroom. Our experience with the Bellevue schools to date has been wonderful. We love our school. However, I couldn't disagree more vehemently with how the BEA has conducted itself in negotiating a new contract with the Bellevue School District. Before forming my opinion, I read the position papers from the District and BEA on their respective web sites, and spoke to several picketing teachers at my neighborhood school. My conclusion is that the current Bellevue strike is unlawful, unnecessary and has significantly eroded the good-will between parents, teachers and the administration. In discussions with dozens of parents over the past week, the overwhelming majority support the administration case and are furious at the union (not teachers, but union leadership) for holding the children of Bellevue hostage in a battle that is more appropriate for lobbyists in Olympia than the school board in Bellevue. If the BEA/WEA have a legitimate argument, it hasn't been made convincingly to Bellevue parents who historically are very supportive with their time, tax dollars and personal financial contributions. This is how I view the BEA case (and I know I'm not alone):
* Curriculum. Curriculum autonomy arguments are shamefully weak and
the perception from parents is that the union is more interested in avoiding performance review scrutiny than the nobility of protecting our children from a rigid curriculum. Good teachers will always be able to perform within centralized curriculum guidelines. They might not like it, but assuming that Bellevue teachers aren't creative enough to find ways to educate our students using a top-down curriculum is insulting to teachers. It is clear from the performance of the district over time, measured by test scores, that the curriculum isn't failing. In fact, it's one of the best in Washington and the nation. Although it is natural for any worker to bristle under increased performance oversight, you will find similar quality control techniques in every major industry in America. Administrators can't improve what they can't measure. And only the mediocre truly fear performance oversight.
* Compensation. When I asked local Bellevue teachers where they thought the additional funding would be found to pay for additional compensation (when most of their base pay is State funds, not local), most teachers were under the impression that the School District was "hiding funds" that could be used to pay teachers more without making cuts anywhere else. This is illogical and slanderous. Also, maintaining a position that the District can somehow pay for unbudgeted compensation increases without cutting other important education services is ridiculous. It is a publicly-funded entity and therefore subject to public disclosure. I'm supportive of increased teacher compensation and I'd be happy to vote for more levees to support pay raises for teachers, especially if the raises are mostly merit-based and not seniority-based; but given that the State contributes the majority of teacher base-pay funding, holding Bellevue hostage to address a State-wide problem is unfair. Lobby Olympia, don't punish children.
* Health Care Costs. Every business in Washington State and throughout
the nation is struggling with the burden of skyrocketing health care costs.
Why should teachers be immune to market forces impacting the rest of the
economy? Requiring the Bellevue School District, using my tax dollars,
to subsidize teachers' health care coverage is unreasonable and selfish.
If the BEA/WEA really cares about this issue, they should be lobbying Olympia and Washington DC, not holding local kids out of school and thereby teaching the economics of unlawful selfishness and victim-hood.
* Choosing an unlawful mechanism to negotiate (a strike), sends a horrible
message to your true constituents, children and parents, and undermines
the ethical authority of teachers. I haven't read anything that would suggest that teachers are somehow carved out of the definition of "public employees" and therefore outside of the law prohibiting strikes. Therefore, I'll be strongly pushing the District to sue for an injunction against the union to take responsibility for their unlawful actions. At the very least, union members shouldn't be compensated for strike days.
End this strike now! You are doing your membership a disservice and creating an undeserved rift between Bellevue parents and our excellent teachers.
A concerned Bellevue parent,
Peter J. Cochran
沒想到在們口早就是排隊大長龍慢慢拿牌(綠色表示支持發言者的觀點。紅色表示反對)很多來晚的人都沒有拿到牌子。會議大廳早都坐滿人已不讓進來。我和朋友還有許多的家長隻好在旁邊的小廳裏看大電視直播。8點半時看到會議廳中有一些人退場，可能是支持老師這一邊的發言太多。我和朋友就轉到主廳去。其中有幾個代表了家長的意見。長話短說。有100多位想發言。因為時間有限，最後隻有50多位發表了見意。當一位護士在說她真想有3個月的暑假時，我後麵的一排老師說：you teach,you teach.還有一位家長說：你嫌工資低你可以再找其它工作。把這個位置讓給熱愛這一行的人進來。再說我們這學區的老師平均工資是5。8萬。隻工作183天再加一星期的訓練。會議10點鍾結束。出來在大廳裏聽到很多家長都很憤怒。老師為了自己的利益犧牲孩子們上學的權利。教師公會今晚有備而來，一半是老師發言，在門口遇到一老師對我們說她爸爸也上去講話了。回來後我把會上情況給幾位沒去的家長說了，讓大家在網上表明自己的觀點。下麵是我們學校一位家長寫給老師工會和學區的信。代表了我們這些家長的心聲。有興趣的仔細讀一讀。昨晚就聽有的家長說其他學區的老師已在計劃明年也要罷工。
Subject: FW: Bellevue Parents for Teachers, Against Union Strike
To the BEA & WEA,
I am the parent of one child in the Bellevue School District with two more
children yet to enter school-age. Generally I am very sympathetic to teacher needs. My mother is a high school teacher, my grandmother was an elementary teacher her entire career, etc. I have always voted in favor of local tax levees that benefit schools and teachers. My wife and I both volunteer in the classroom. Our experience with the Bellevue schools to date has been wonderful. We love our school. However, I couldn't disagree more vehemently with how the BEA has conducted itself in negotiating a new contract with the Bellevue School District. Before forming my opinion, I read the position papers from the District and BEA on their respective web sites, and spoke to several picketing teachers at my neighborhood school. My conclusion is that the current Bellevue strike is unlawful, unnecessary and has significantly eroded the good-will between parents, teachers and the administration. In discussions with dozens of parents over the past week, the overwhelming majority support the administration case and are furious at the union (not teachers, but union leadership) for holding the children of Bellevue hostage in a battle that is more appropriate for lobbyists in Olympia than the school board in Bellevue. If the BEA/WEA have a legitimate argument, it hasn't been made convincingly to Bellevue parents who historically are very supportive with their time, tax dollars and personal financial contributions. This is how I view the BEA case (and I know I'm not alone):
* Curriculum. Curriculum autonomy arguments are shamefully weak and
the perception from parents is that the union is more interested in avoiding performance review scrutiny than the nobility of protecting our children from a rigid curriculum. Good teachers will always be able to perform within centralized curriculum guidelines. They might not like it, but assuming that Bellevue teachers aren't creative enough to find ways to educate our students using a top-down curriculum is insulting to teachers. It is clear from the performance of the district over time, measured by test scores, that the curriculum isn't failing. In fact, it's one of the best in Washington and the nation. Although it is natural for any worker to bristle under increased performance oversight, you will find similar quality control techniques in every major industry in America. Administrators can't improve what they can't measure. And only the mediocre truly fear performance oversight.
* Compensation. When I asked local Bellevue teachers where they thought the additional funding would be found to pay for additional compensation (when most of their base pay is State funds, not local), most teachers were under the impression that the School District was "hiding funds" that could be used to pay teachers more without making cuts anywhere else. This is illogical and slanderous. Also, maintaining a position that the District can somehow pay for unbudgeted compensation increases without cutting other important education services is ridiculous. It is a publicly-funded entity and therefore subject to public disclosure. I'm supportive of increased teacher compensation and I'd be happy to vote for more levees to support pay raises for teachers, especially if the raises are mostly merit-based and not seniority-based; but given that the State contributes the majority of teacher base-pay funding, holding Bellevue hostage to address a State-wide problem is unfair. Lobby Olympia, don't punish children.
* Health Care Costs. Every business in Washington State and throughout
the nation is struggling with the burden of skyrocketing health care costs.
Why should teachers be immune to market forces impacting the rest of the
economy? Requiring the Bellevue School District, using my tax dollars,
to subsidize teachers' health care coverage is unreasonable and selfish.
If the BEA/WEA really cares about this issue, they should be lobbying Olympia and Washington DC, not holding local kids out of school and thereby teaching the economics of unlawful selfishness and victim-hood.
* Choosing an unlawful mechanism to negotiate (a strike), sends a horrible
message to your true constituents, children and parents, and undermines
the ethical authority of teachers. I haven't read anything that would suggest that teachers are somehow carved out of the definition of "public employees" and therefore outside of the law prohibiting strikes. Therefore, I'll be strongly pushing the District to sue for an injunction against the union to take responsibility for their unlawful actions. At the very least, union members shouldn't be compensated for strike days.
End this strike now! You are doing your membership a disservice and creating an undeserved rift between Bellevue parents and our excellent teachers.
A concerned Bellevue parent,
Peter J. Cochran
中秋快樂！