The News Calls For A Return To The Table
Today, The News calls for codifying single-payer and a return to the negotiation table for the Board of Education and the Buffalo Teacher's Federation.
On April 25, the Board passed a resolution in which it set aside $32.8M to fund contract negotiations (the first $7M coming from the 2005-06 surplus realized from single carrier health insurance). Well before the resolution was passed, Dr. Williams has been requesting that both parties sit down to the table to negotiate long-term contracts, as he did in this conversation with BRO.
Of the Board's plan, The News writes:
The district has come up with a reasonable plan that looks several years ahead, and the BTF and other unions should embrace that for the sake of the students.
[+] Board of Education Resolution (PDF)
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mac20
"for the sake of students", that's the point - multiple health plans puts money, not into the education of children, nor even into the pockets of teachers, but directly into the bloated coffers of insurance companies. Single health care should be a no-brainer
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Sal
every administrator should teach a class
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skybox
a single source health care provider will leave teachers without vital health services for their families. We lose the power to fight against future cuts in services provided by the single carrier, if costs increase then we are stuck with the decisions of the insurance administrators for the district, the teachers will be left holding the bag. The only detriment that this has to the students is that good teachers are leaving for the suburbs where they have a choice in health care providers and a say in the administration of the benefits that they pay for. I look to Williamsville Schools as an example of how to do this right, they took the administration of health insurance from the district and formed a trust to find the best health insurance provider for everyone, including retirees. The teachers are members of the trust and money saved or spent is passed on directly to the teachers. This isn't without risk or liability, but it has been working for almost a decade.
This won't work for Buffalo because the District refuses to relinquish their stronghold on the destiny of their employees. They want to treat teachers in the same way that they treat students, by controlling every aspect of their day and life, and we all know that this doesn't work. We will continue to hold out until the district decides to play fair.
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chris69
They expanded the limit on charter schools
Williams if you have any balls at all as a Superintendent and with the union...you will announce school closures instead of sitting at an arbitration table
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CharterBoy
skybox, it sounds like the only real difference in the Bufalo's single-payer plan and Williamsville's is teacher involvement in the decision of which provider to choose. Has the BTF proposed this to the administration? I think it's a great idea and might just settle this once and for all so teachers get the coverage they need and kids get dollars back into the classroom where they belong.
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bluto
BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS - Ranked 97 out of 97 WNY School Districts... last place again!
The schools are holding back urban growth and re-population from the suburbs. Buffalo city residents have a limited number of choices when it comes to raising kids in the city: 1) Pay twice: School taxes fund bloated salaries for ineffective and entitled teachers, while parents have to pay extra to send their children to private, charter, or parochial schools.
2) Move to a more affluent area of the city to ensure that your child is enrolled in a school that currently performs well; however will probably lose their best and brightest teachers and administrators to failing schools or the suburbs.
3) Move to the suburbs.
20 something loft dwellers do fine when they are single or newly married; however their value system often shifts when they have children. The same is sometimes true when the children leave, people move back to the city. Unfortunately for Buffalo, most WNYers live in the suburbs during their prime earning years, leaving the city to younger professionals, low-income residents, and retirees (many of whom chose North Carolina over a move to the city).
The situation with the BPS will not change until teachers are held accountable for performance and effectiveness. The teachers union will ensure that this never happens, a system that is based solely on who has been there the longest and the 'don't rock the boat' mentality will never thrive. The Buffalo School System does not have what it takes to improve itself, that is an unfortunate situation for families like mine. I have to do what is best for my children, unfortunately the city just doesn't offer anything on par with Williamsville or Clarence schools.
My plans to live in the city are put on hold for at least 15 more years, until then I will continue to commute to the city and spend my money in the suburbs.
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excop
Bluto - Where was this published? I find it hard to believe that Buffalo Public Schools are worse than others in the area, especially with City Honors receiving national recognition for outstanding students and achivements. What were the criteria for this survey? What were they looking at besides the culturally biased test scores?
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