Commentary and Criticism about the National Education Association
We have absolutely no affiliation with the National Education Association and do not represent its views in any way, shape or form.
“When people have nothing left to lose, and they’ve lost everything, they lose it. Gerald Celente, Author of the Trends Journal THE PENSION CRISIS: Nicaragua or the United States – it’s the same issue The problems facing the Nicaraguan pension system are similar to those found in many U.S. states today. It all boils down to one of two possible characterizations:
So how bad is it exactly? Eight years ago the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had this to say: “The IMF is demanding reform because it has calculated that without it, the State will have to assume huge costs within 10 to 15 years that will destabilize the economy.” In other words, the system is severely underfunded. As for the generosity of the benefits, consider that most citizens … “… are now able to retire at 60 years of age, though teachers may retire after working to age 55.” NICARAGUA TRIES TO FIX THE PROBLEM The Nicaraguan government recently made an attempt to reform its troubled social security system by implementing the following three rule changes:
CITIZENS PROTEST – VICTORY IS WON? The citizens were having none of this - they took to the streets in violent protest (Molotov cocktails, stone-throwing, etc.). After 25 people were killed, President Daniel Ortega … “… decided to cancel planned changes to the Central American country's pension system that have triggered violent protests.” Victory for the workers! Ortega scrapped his plans to cut benefits saying … “… that the government would examine other ways to reform the pension system and improve its financial outlook.” FORGET PENSION REFORM, WE’LL JUST PRINT MONEY But what “other ways” are there? Consider recent Nicaraguan monetary history for some clues as to how the financial outlook of the pension system might be “improved.” “The Central Bank of Nicaragua, established in 1961, has the sole right of issue of the national currency, the córdoba. “ Let me translate the underlined/bolded section of the above quote: The bank can print up as much money as it wants to pay its pension bills – after all, it has the “sole right of issue of the national currency.” So, problem solved, it seems. Nicaragua doesn’t have to reform its pension system. If it needs money to pay retirees, all it has to do is issue more cash whenever it wants. BACK TO REALITY Of course, the more money printed, the less each unit is worth. Take a look at the following chart of the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar and the Nicaraguan cordoba since 1998: As of April 23, 2018 you needed 31.12 cordoba to buy 1 dollar. Back in September of 1994 you only needed 6.73.
That is what happens when you just print money out of nothing and issue it – its value declines. By the way, another name for this is inflation. The decline was even worse if you go back to 1991: “Inflation has seriously eroded the value of the nation's money, the córdoba. In 1991, inflation reached 750 percent which made the currency relatively worthless since what had previously cost 1 córdoba cost 750 córdobas.” CONCLUSION – There’s that predicament again … The poor condition of many U.S. state pension funds is widely acknowledged. But, unlike Nicaragua, they can’t print money to “solve” the problem. Instead, states have only three basic choices:
Like a broken record, here we go again - the pension crisis is not a problem, it’s a predicament. Quoting Chris Martensen of Peak Prosperity: “A problem can be solved to avoid a certain outcome. A predicament has no solution, only an outcome.”
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“…corrupt politicos promised the moon to public employees, and now the fiscal chickens of insolvency are coming home to roost. Public pension obligations are rising so fast that even repeated tax increases can't keep up.”
Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds Blog We haven’t written about the sorry state of teacher pensions in a while, but when we read Smith’s Blog yesterday, we were inspired once again. We have been warning teachers at every opportunity not to rely on their expected retirement pensions. Our recommendation has always been for them to save as much money as possible outside of the system, so that they will actually be able to retire and live a lifestyle similar to what they enjoy now. TYPICAL TEACHER RESPONSE But almost without fail, every time we post an article dealing with pensions, we get blow-back from teachers claiming something along the lines of … “You are wrong - the state contractually owes us this money. How can you just give up and accept this? Our unions will not compromise – they will fight for our benefits to the bitter end.” Well the bitter end is fast approaching because the “Tax Donkeys” who pay our pensions are not going to accept it for much longer. Of course, the typical teacher response is: “But we pay into our pensions. It is our money. The taxpayers have nothing to do with it.” Unfortunately, this is not true. Leaving aside the contribution that the state makes to the pension program, if the money we contribute is invested and doesn’t increase in value to a proper level, there is no way that it will cover our monthly benefit in retirement. And if it doesn’t, then the taxpayers have to make up for the deficit. As Smith makes clear: “… pensions can't be paid with borrowed money like Social Security and Medicare; public pension obligations come out of local and state taxes, and as those obligations soar then public services must be slashed and taxes jacked up by annual double-digit increases.” ABOUT THOSE “TAX DONKEYS” The way we see it, the term “Tax Donkeys” has two connotations. First, it refers to taxpayers who are forced to bear the costs of government programs – donkeys are beasts of burden, after all. But more importantly, it also refers to taxpayer mobility. “… in the war between public pensioners and the Tax Donkeys, the pensioners can't switch pension programs, but the Tax Donkeys can move to lower-tax states.” Smith suggests that there will be a “… Great Migration of the Tax Donkeys from failing cities, counties and states to more frugal, well-managed and small business-friendly locales.” PREDICAMENT VS. PROBLEM - It is what it is ... In past blog posts we used the word predicament (rather than problem) to describe the current pension situation. It is important to understand the difference. Problems have solutions but predicaments don’t – they only have outcomes. Solutions make people happy: “Yea, we solved the problem!” Outcomes, not so much: “That really sucks – but it is what it is.” We can’t predict the specific outcome that will unfold for teachers, but none of the possibilities we envision will be pleasant. Teachers will have to:
Yes, they all really suck ... but it is what it is. Did you procrastinate this year, waiting until the last minute to file your taxes?
If so, in your rush to meet the deadline this past Tuesday, you may have overlooked the “cultural tax.” But don’t fret - unless you are a person “of color,” you probably weren’t required to pay it anyway. ONLY DO THE CONTRACTUAL MINIMUM – Anything else is a “tax” Never heard of “cultural taxation?” Until this morning, neither did I. As frequent readers of our blog are aware, I review the NEA Today website on a regular basis. Well, this morning, I came across that term. In her article “Bargaining for the Common Good in Higher Education,” Mary Ellen Flannery defines it as: “… the penalty paid by many faculty of color for the disproportionate work they do to support students of color.” Only in the field of education could “disproportionate work” be an issue. Teachers work under contracts negotiated by their unions which specify exactly what they are required to do. Doing more than legally required is frowned upon. In fact, if you do put in any extra time/effort, the local union president and his representatives will likely pay you a visit and tell you that your actions are in violation of the contract. Shame on you for putting in extra time preparing lessons and helping students! Silly teachers, don’t you know that any work you do above the contractual minimum is equivalent to a tax because you are not being compensated for the extra effort? Of course, in the “real” world, doing extra work and not getting paid is pretty much par for the course - its how you advance in your career. THE BURDEN OF CULTURAL TAXATION FOR PEOPLE “OF COLOR” Further research into this topic led me to a video produced by Ithaca College: Get It Together: Cultural Taxation Here is how the host of the interview, Alexzandria Sanchez, describes the problem: “Cultural taxation … is a unique burden placed on ethnic minority faculty ... that has to do with the responsibility that they take on that they are not recognized for so to me that means that it’s a struggle for justice and recognition and equality even.” How “unique” is that burden? According to Cecil Canton, Associate VP of Affirmative Action at the California Faculty Association “[While] every tenure-track faculty member … is responsible for teaching courses, building a record of scholarship, and providing service to the institution to meet the standards of the retention, promotion and tenure process … these processes take on increased and amplified weight for underrepresented faculty and faculty of color in predominantly white institutions …” CONCLUSION – Stop playing the victim When I worked in the business world, I was paid an annual salary. I could have showed up at 9 and left at 5 every day had I wanted to. In fact, there were many at the firm who did just this. But fresh out of college with no real work experience, I wanted to prove myself. I wanted to show my employer that I was worth something to the company. I made sure to go into work at 7:30 AM and didn’t leave until 6:30 PM every day. I certainly didn’t complain about the extra work I did with no compensation. In fact, I didn’t consider this extra work “taxation” because the experience I gained improved my prospects at the company. The more time I put in, the more I was recognized by my boss and the faster my career advanced. Contrast my attitude with Cecil Canton’s. This is exactly the wrong way to approach the situation: “Cultural taxation is a stealth workload escalator for faculty of color. And like stress, it can be a silent killer of professional careers and aspirations.” Here is some advice to all of the people “of color” who think that “cultural taxation” is killing their careers: Stop playing the victim in all of this. Your employer doesn’t owe you anything but to pay you your agreed salary. If you think that he is working you too hard and isn’t compensating you for what you know you are worth, quit and find an employer who does value what you have to offer. Instead of complaining about the sorry state you find yourself in, take control of your career. Most importantly, stop blaming others. The only one holding you back is you. "The story behind the so-far successful crusade to end disproportionate student arrests and suspensions in one Florida school district.”
The American Prospect, 2013 'I'm sick to my stomach': 17 dead in Florida high school shooting; former student in custody USA Today, 2018 THESIS OF THIS BLOG POST The National Education Association fully supports an end to the “school-to-prison pipeline” and an implementation of “restorative justice” discipline policies. In 2013, Broward County Public Schools instituted these NEA-endorsed “restorative justice” policies throughout the district. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the latest mass school shooting took place, is located in Broward County, Florida. Is it possible that this school shooting was an unintended consequence of the implementation of “restorative justice” discipline policies? Had the school been following old-fashioned “zero tolerance” policy, could this incident have been avoided? One thing is for sure: If the school shooter had ended up in the “school-to prison pipeline,” his criminal record would have precluded him from legally purchasing a firearm. THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE I am not a fan of the National Education Association’s support for ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline. In fact, over the past couple of months I have written several critical articles about this very topic:
If you are not familiar with this “pipeline,” it is a belief that students who are exposed to “zero-tolerance” discipline policies get unfairly expelled from school and eventually end up in prison. RESTORATIVE JUSTICE The NEA believes that “restorative justice” should replace “zero-tolerance” when it comes to disciplining students. “Restorative justice” refers to discipline without a punitive component. When schools implement this type of program, the bad students are not punished in the traditional sense. Suspension and expulsion are frowned upon. Instead, students are encouraged to:
BROWARD COUNTY ENDS “ZERO TOLERANCE” IN 2013 This morning, while listening to a podcast on the Financial Survival Network, I learned about a possible connection between the “school-to-prison pipeline” and the tragedy that took place in Parkland, Florida back in February. It turns out that in 2013, Broward County implemented a program called PROMISE to deal with the “disproportionate student arrests and suspensions” that it was experiencing. You can read about it here: Reversing Broward County's School-to-Prison Pipeline According to the article, up until 2013, Broward handled discipline the “old-fashioned” way: “Like most large school districts in the United States, discipline policies in Broward reflected the idea that the best way to maintain an orderly classroom is to get rid of disruptive students, an approach known as zero tolerance.” But starting in November of that year: “Broward’s Collaborative Agreement on School Discipline was announced in early November. Instead of suspensions, students can now be referred to the PROMISE program, where they receive counseling for several days and then return to school.” PROMISE sure sounds promising, doesn’t it? BROWARD SCHOOLS IMPLEMENT “PROMISE” What exactly is this PROMISE program? “The PROMISE Program (Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Interventions, Supports & Education) represents the most comprehensive thinking available to address socially unacceptable or illegal behavior, targeting both short and long term academic success, aligning best practice models and Restorative Justice principles, and developing pro-social and resiliency skills.” In other words, don’t punish students – even if they engage in “unacceptable or illegal behavior.” A better solution is to mentor, support and educate them. You can read the actual PROMISE document here: CONCLUSION – A Lesson for the NEA I started this blog post with a quote taken from a 2013 article praising the attempt by Broward County Public Schools to end the “school-to-prison pipeline.” “The story behind the so-far successful crusade to end disproportionate student arrests and suspensions in one Florida school district.” “… so-far successful …” Sadly, the tragedy that occurred in February signifies an end to that “success.” In response to the Parkland shooting, NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia said: “While our thoughts and prayers are with Marjory Stoneman Douglas students, educators and their families, we know that we, as country, need to do more to end these senseless shootings.” Unfortunately, Garcia’s take-away from this tragedy is to push for the restriction of gun rights. She doesn't appear to be open to the other possible lesson which is suggested here. To state it plainly: Maybe she should consider ending the NEA's opposition to the "school-to-prison pipeline." THE ISSUE
We wrote a post on our Anti-NJEA Blog last week about charter school “disparity” in New Jersey. This was in response to a New Jersey blogger’s claim that charter schools do not enroll as many special needs, English Language Learners (ELL) and low socio-economic students as regular pubic schools. His concern about this situation led him to wonder: “Where then, has the state been during the last decade? Why aren't they demanding better from the entire sector?” OUR CONCLUSIONS We showed that:
FINAL THOUGHT The New Jersey blogger also bemoans the fact that: “New Jersey charter schools have transferred a lot of money away from the public district schools.” He finds this state of affairs “highly problematic” because: “… the state has not bothered to take a serious look at what this means for the overall fiscal health of NJ's public school system.” He is suggesting that because charter schools have to set up their own “redundant systems of school administration,” taxes will have to increase to cover this inefficiency. We disagree. When a student enrolls at a charter school, the local public school no longer has to educate that student. So while they lose funding dollars, they also experience a gain - they no longer have to divert resources to teach that student. You don't need to raise taxes. Instead, public schools should cut unnecessary resources out of their budgets because the student population is lower. |
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October 2018
AuthorJonathan Smith - A New Jersey Public School Teacher who disagrees with the National Education Association. |