Teachers’ unions a negative

The following letter to the editor appeared in the Northwest Herald. We posted this once before but it is well worth a second read.

Teachers’ unions a negative

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To the Editor:

As a former teacher, principal and superintendent of schools in New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, New Jersey, and California, I have some knowledge of education in the United States.

My studies at the University of Dayton [B.A.], Xavier University [M.A.] and The Ohio State University [Ph.D.] with majors in English, philosophy, educational administration, and sociology have helped me understand public education.

I began my teaching career 51 years ago and I have come to the following conclusion: Teachers’ unions are the worst institution that have pervaded our schools and have the most deleterious and negative impact on education.

There are four reasons for this conclusion. Based on the union proposals that I have studied and negotiated for the past 30 years, they all contain the same demands: 1) Unions want more money; 2) Unions want more fringe benefits; 3) Unions want less work; and 4) Unions want more power.

That’s it.

Of all the demands in their negotiations, I never have seen one that redounds to the direct benefit of the child’s education.

Read teachers’ contracts. If you find one item that will contribute to the direct, positive learning of the student, let me know.

Donald E. Bond

Huntley