Tuesday, March 29, 2011
I think one thing everyone's missing in all this state budget rigamarole is - why are teachers even in unions in the first place? Didn't they go to college? Don't they consider themselves professionals?
I guess not. The fact that they are violently pro-union suggests that they themselves believe that teachers are replaceable cogs in the machine. Frankly, at least in public schools, it's probably true.
As such, I'd like to suggest another way for local governments to close budget gaps. Just fire all the teachers and replace them with educational software and a few security guards. I really doubt the educational outcomes would fall dramatically, especially in the inner cities.
The only problem with this is that the budget savings on schools would probably be somewhat counterbalanced by increases in welfare spending when the fired teachers find out they are unemployable elsewhere. He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.
I guess not. The fact that they are violently pro-union suggests that they themselves believe that teachers are replaceable cogs in the machine. Frankly, at least in public schools, it's probably true.
As such, I'd like to suggest another way for local governments to close budget gaps. Just fire all the teachers and replace them with educational software and a few security guards. I really doubt the educational outcomes would fall dramatically, especially in the inner cities.
The only problem with this is that the budget savings on schools would probably be somewhat counterbalanced by increases in welfare spending when the fired teachers find out they are unemployable elsewhere. He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.
