• March 26, 2014
In a Democrat and Chronicle letter to the editor, “Address roots of school failure” (3/21), Edwin Newton, was clear as to what he believes to be the fundamental reasons for the “dismal quality” of Rochester schools. Specifically, the root causes are the “three sins of teacher’s union policies”: tenure, ‘last in, first out,’ and paying teachers based on seniority rather than performance.democratandchronicle.com/story/opinion/letters/2014/03/21/letter-address-roots-school-failure/6655453/The writers’ very clarity begs a question. If unions are the problem, in our case the New York State Union of Teachers, why does Monroe County have public schools, like Brighton and Pittsford, that consistently place so high in national rankings? I would argue that effective unions like the NYSUT have helped attract quality teachers who, year in and year out, are creating quality schools.
In a Democrat and Chronicle letter to the editor, “Address roots of school failure” (3/21), Edwin Newton, was clear as to what he believes to be the fundamental reasons for the “dismal quality” of Rochester schools. Specifically, the root causes are the “three sins of teacher’s union policies”: tenure, ‘last in, first out,’ and paying teachers based on seniority rather than performance.democratandchronicle.com/story/opinion/letters/2014/03/21/letter-address-roots-school-failure/6655453/The writers’ very clarity begs a question. If unions are the problem, in our case the New York State Union of Teachers, why does Monroe County have public schools, like Brighton and Pittsford, that consistently place so high in national rankings? I would argue that effective unions like the NYSUT have helped attract quality teachers who, year in and year out, are creating quality schools.
Tagged Brighton Central Schools, New York State Union of Teachers, Pittsford Central Schools
