Tuesday, October 18, 2005
The Anti-education Staw Man?
Much of the right of the blogosphere and talk radio in California seems to be enamored with the recent declaration by the controller of the California Teachers' Association that the funds of the three-year $60.00 assessment has already been spent, and that additional monies need to be borrowed or else the CTA will cease to exist.
Is this the Propositional Straw Man? In other words, will this issue now be used by those supporting the governor's bad ideas found in the special election to bash the CTA and "prove" that the CTA is a deceptive organization that "obviously lies about everything" that it doesn't like? This straw man seems to have been rolled out since the governor and his supporters have provided no evidence that tenure or the current removal process is actually hampering student achievement.
On a side note, the special assessment is not a tax like many of its opponents claim. The power to tax is a governmental power. The special assessment was approved by the duly elected representatives of the CTA membership. If you are a CTA member and do not like it, then vote for new representatives or run yourself!
This is not to say that CTA does not have some explaining to do! The potential financial crisis for the CTA and its members is very real. However, it is a different issue and should not be confused with the debate about what is needed to reform public education in California for the great good of all.
Is this the Propositional Straw Man? In other words, will this issue now be used by those supporting the governor's bad ideas found in the special election to bash the CTA and "prove" that the CTA is a deceptive organization that "obviously lies about everything" that it doesn't like? This straw man seems to have been rolled out since the governor and his supporters have provided no evidence that tenure or the current removal process is actually hampering student achievement.
On a side note, the special assessment is not a tax like many of its opponents claim. The power to tax is a governmental power. The special assessment was approved by the duly elected representatives of the CTA membership. If you are a CTA member and do not like it, then vote for new representatives or run yourself!
This is not to say that CTA does not have some explaining to do! The potential financial crisis for the CTA and its members is very real. However, it is a different issue and should not be confused with the debate about what is needed to reform public education in California for the great good of all.
