School board candidate Dennis Shapiro writes regarding the role of the Teachers Unions in the school board campaigns: >On one hand, you can say they do the screening for the community. > >On the other, when the vast majority of resources (conservatively, 60% >plus if you include volunteer time, mailing lists, sample ballots) for >one's campaign flows from people on the other side of the collective >bargaining table and their statewide cohorts, you have an apparent >conflict of interest. I do not question the integrity of Ross Taylor, >Bill or any board members. These are good people. I am not suggesting >that the MFT is in the wrong to work in the interests of its members. > >But when we talk about campaign finance reform, this is the issue on a >small scale writ large. (For me there are other unions questions, but >they can wait.) > >So....unions' role in school board elections....Discuss. EY: Dennis -- very thoughtful post, I've felt for quite a while that it's inappropriate for public employee unions to both play the role of endorsing candidates, etc. -- and also playing the role of representing employees. Mark Wilde writes: i disagree with those people who say we should be calling students in the schools "customers", or for that matter, treating them like customers. Sometimes teachers need to say no to students. many times a day in fact. If we look at students as customers who are always right and deserve a break and can have it their way, i don't think we are acting in the students best interests. EY: I think I referred to students as customers, but that didn't mean I thought there was no need for discipline. Ofcourse there is need for discipline in schools. However it is also important that students get treated with respect and dignity by the teachers and other school employees. The same goes for parents. Students -- especially at the high school level also ought to be listened to sometimes -- because they often will have good ideas about how to improve things in the school. Eva Eva Young Central _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
