Lawsuit over No Child Left Behind Act by NEA

On Wednesday, the NEA and several school districts filed suit against the government regarding what they call unfunded mandates regarding the No Child Left Behind Act.

Of course, lest anyone forget, this lawsuit is about one thing--power.

Sure the NEA talks a game that NCLB is about unfunded mandates and all that hullabaloo, but really the NEA is angered that the single most import piece of educational legislation was passed despite their negative endorsement and that such liberal icons as Ted Kennedy voted for it. For an organziation who claims to be in favor of improving education, their actions don't really support such a statement.

NEA's lawsuit further supports my contention that the biggest criminal in public education today are teacher's unions. Please note, I am not saying teachers, but rather their unions. Most teachers work very hard to educate our kids, but are hampered on two fronts--the administration and the union.

Any movement that provides choice for parents is bad for the unions. Charter schools for example, although funded with public money, are exempt from union contracts. Even in a close shop state that requires all public school teachers to be part of the union, charter school teachers are exempt from that requirement.

I have nothing against unions if they do what they should, which is provide workplace protections for their members. The teacher's unions should not be involved in the formulation of educaiton policy. Teachers yes, unions no. When the NEA undertakes suits like this, without the full support of their membership (and I know for a fact that they probably don't have the support of a significant minority of their membership and I would be willing to bet good money that the NEA lacks support of even a majority of their members on this suit), they just show their inability to evolve with the times.

The facts of the matter are that education has always been a state and local function. In the middle part of the 1950's was the first serious suggestion that the federal government should get involved in education. For the most part, the NEA wants the federal government to be nothing more than an endless bank account. The federal government may only get what it pays for by insisting on standards and qualifications before doling out funds. If those conditions require the improvement of schools and different reporting than what had been happening, such is the nature of federal legislation.

never forget, reporting on test scores and student achievement had been occuring before NCLB, there is no reason for the federal government to have to pay for new reporting when old reporting can just be re-tooled.

Finally, the fact that this lawsuit will occupy a court's time for too long offends me as well.

NEA--shut up and get out of the education policy business--your are not invited nor welcome.



CNN.com - First national suit over education law - Apr 20, 2005