Would It Be Worth It To Pay Off Bad Teachers To Quit?
That’s the question being asked by one advocacy group which is sponsoring a contest to find the worst unionized teacher in America so that he or she can be offered $10,000 to quit.
The Center for Union Facts on Tuesday will ask parents, students and other teachers to nominate the “worst unionized teacher in America.” The center says it will choose 10 and offer each $10,000 to quit; “winners” must allow the center to write about them on its Web site. The center plans full-page ads today in USA TODAY and The New York Times.
If the idea seems breathtaking in its political incorrectness, consider that it’s the brainchild of Rick Berman, a union-bashing attorney known for his in-your-face attacks on consumer, safety and environmental groups.
“We’re not trying to humiliate anyone,” says Berman. “We’re trying to jump-start a conversation that maybe people need severance packages to find themselves another line of work.”
Critics have long said collective bargaining agreements in many school districts make it difficult, if not impossible, to fire poorly performing or misbehaving teachers. “The next best idea,” he says, “is to get people to voluntarily quit.”
I don’t think there’s a teacher in America who would be willing to accept $10,000 to quit their cushy, heavily-compensated, union-protected job for a measly $10,000...but the larger point is a good one.
Though it’s sad, really, that we have to start talking about bribing bad teachers to leave their jobs simply because we cannot just fire them.
) you will make money, and I will lose money.