NEA - so, what does their Legislative Program have to REALLY do with Johnny and Jane? - Granite Grok

NEA – so, what does their Legislative Program have to REALLY do with Johnny and Jane?

So, you think that the NEA – the premier union for teachers here in America –  is simply all about teaching Johnny and Jane how to read, write, and ‘rithmatic?  Ha!  Just as the curriculum has changed and the emphasis has changed since the 50s through the 80s, so has what the NEA is concentrating on:

The NEA’s Legislative Program, which was adopted at the 2010 Convention in New Orleans, sets forth the marching orders for NEA lobbyists and the authority for political donations. Here are some of the NEA’s major objectives:

  • Mandatory full-day kindergarten attendance for all children, with federal money if the state can’t afford it.
  • Substantial increases in federal education funding.
  • Repeal of the right-to-work provision of federal labor law.
  • A tax-supported, single-payer health care plan for all residents of the U.S., its territories and Puerto Rico.
  • Federal funding for the education of illegal aliens.
  • Federal programs to teach schoolchildren about different sexual orientations.
  • Legislation to prohibit religious organizations that accept federal funding from basing hiring decisions on religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or HIV/AIDS status.
  • Affirmative action to redress historical patterns of discrimination.
  • Legislation to study possible reparations to African-Americans to address residual effects of slavery.

Gotta love that last one, teachers want to spend more of other peoples’ money on something that pertains to education….how?

More of the list after the jump. 

  • Statehood for the District of Columbia.
  • Opposition to tuition tax credits, vouchers and parental option or "choice" in education programs.
  • Opposition to denying student aid to illegal alien college students.
  • Opposition to using draft registration as an eligibility criterion for financial aid.
  • Opposition to the testing of teachers as a criterion for job retention, promotion, tenure or salary increases.
  • Opposition to legislation that denies illegal aliens’ access to public schools.
  • Opposition to designating English as the official language of the United States.
  • Opposition to the use of voter ID cards for voting in local, state and national elections.
  • Opposition to privatization of Social Security.
  • Opposition to any constitutional amendment limiting taxes or the federal budget.

We have established that our education is broke and simply throwing more money isn’t going to change that (remember, education receives more money from government than the Department of Defense).  Tell me, given that our tax dollars pay teachers and that teachers pay the union – what in the above item list is going to improve the educational outcome for Johnny and Jane?  How does Privatization of Social Security help Johnny to read?  If teachers already complain about class sizes, why do that want illegal immigrants included?

Teaching about different sexual orientations teaches Ted and Cindy how to do quadratic equations….how?

And how many are simply self serving to a public sector union – like "Opposition to any constitutional amendment limiting taxes or the federal budget."?  That is simply disrespect to taxpayers.  Oh, you say that teachers are taxpayers?  Look at it from my standpoint as a private sector taxpayer – your taxes are just a rebate back to your employer.

How about this radical idea – instead of trying act like society’s parents to other peoples’ kids, instead of a teach a social agenda that is anathema to many, perhaps focusing on JUST teaching actual academics might actually be the best thing to concentrate on?

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